Sara & Josh

I met up with Sara and Josh a couple of weekends ago at Central Park. Sara & Josh traveled down to NYC from Boston for their engagement shoot.



They have a really funny story of how they got together. Here it is in Sara's words:

We went on our first date during the summer of 2004 after we exchanged a few messages on MySpace. We went to see Napoleon Dynamite and got pizza and ice cream in Cambridge. I thought he was cute in a geeky sort of way and thought to myself we'd be better off as friends. As the evening drew to a close, he walked me to my door and gave me an unexpected kiss goodnight. A few weeks later, I developed a horrendous sore throat and was diagnosed with Mononucleosis. I got in touch with Josh (after not speaking to him since the date), and he disclosed that he had Mono not too long ago. Somehow we bonded over our shared symptoms, and over the course of the next year became inseparable (but only as friends, as I had gotten back with my ex-boyfriend). Throughout that time, my grandmother would always ask me why I wasn't dating Josh since I would talk about him more than my then boyfriend. Not long after my ex-boyfriend and I separated for good, I decided to take the plunge from friends to more than friends and told Josh how I felt about him. Luckily he felt the same way and the rest is history!



I got to spend a few hours walking around the park and getting to know them. Despite the fact they said they hate PDA, I did my best to make them kiss in every location! They were good sports and the photos turned out great. I can't wait to shoot their wedding next summer at Harvest on Hudson in Westchester!



Here's the story of how Josh proposed... so sweet!

It was our 3 year anniversary and he took me out for a fancy dinner. I'll admit I had been dropping hints about getting married, but I wasn't expecting anything. We returned from dinner and I announced I was going to bed. Josh said he was going to stay up and keep packing (we were in the process of moving to a house). I fell asleep and then awoke an hour or two later to him getting in bed. He had left the hall light on and I kindly asked him to turn it off. He said that it was fine and we should just go to sleep - knowing that I'd never be able to sleep with a light on somewhere in our house. I grumpily stumbled out of bed and noticed that there was soft classical music playing and the dining room had been completely cleared of moving boxes. On the dining room table was a lamp with a ring underneath, next to a note that said "You Win". Needless to say I was in shock as well as half asleep! I almost thought I was dreaming. After I requested that he ask me the proper way, I of course said yes. I'm not sure how I eventually got back to sleep that night!

Here are some more of my favorites!

Karen and Ron got married!

Karen and Ron were married at City Hall Restaurant in New York City. First we hit up Gramercy Park for some portraits and then moved on to the streets of Tribeca before getting to the restaurant. The ceremony was beautiful and everyone had so much fun at the reception. Thanks to Jayd Gardina for second shooting with me! Congratulations Karen and Ron!

Check out their slideshow HERE.

Ceremony/Reception Venue: City Hall Restaurant
Florist: Teddy's Florist in Astoria
Cake: Cake Alchemy

Gina & Ed took the leap!

I met Gina for the first time over the summer. She was reluctant to hire a photographer, but luckily her friends told her how she might regret that decision later. We met up a couple of months later to do their engagement shoot. I had so much fun with the two of them, I couldn't wait for the wedding. Gina and Ed had their intimate ceremony in the garden's at their apartment in Washington Heights, New York. What I didn't realize until I got there, was that they have an amazing view of the George Washington Bridge, the fall foliage just beyond the bridge and the water it crosses. Absolutely beautiful! After the ceremony, we headed down to the meatpacking district in Manhattan for some fun bride and groom portraits. The reception, which was an intimate dinner with close family and friends, was held at Gradisca Restaurant in New York City. Thanks so much to Shannon Cunningham for shooting with me! Shannon, you rock!









Check out the slideshow for more images from their beautiful day!




Congratulations Gina & Ed and I wish you guys much love and happiness in the future!

Lauren and Sergio

Lauren and Sergio were married at the beautiful and historic St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Soho. They left plenty of time for us to do portraits, so we started in Soho in the area around the church and then walked the streets of Tribeca. I love love love all of these portraits. We had so much fun - Lauren and Sergio were up for anything - the pink horse was even their idea! They had a dinner at Savore Restaurant, so I stuck around for bit to capture everyone mingling and having a great time. Congratulations Lauren & Sergio, and thanks for an inspiring Saturday!



Check out more in the slideshow:

Gina & Ed are engaged!

A few weeks ago, I met up with Gina and Ed at Fort Tryon Park here in NYC. Gina was worried about being in front of a camera, but she turned out to be a natural! It was great practice for their wedding day, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. They are such a great couple, who are obviously very much in love.

Here's the story of how they met in Ed's own words:
So my sister had another one of her improv performances in the West Village and since I had missed the last two, I really had to go this one. Afterwards, I tagged along as my sister and her friends headed to the bar around the corner. I met Gina when she moved in on my plate of Buffalo wings. As we devoured the plate, we talked about my recent trip to Italy and her relatives there. We flirted for a while, but when I walked her to the subway and sneaked a kiss at the turnstile, I knew she was something special.

And here's how they got engaged, as told by Gina:
In December 2007, we really needed a break from New York City and headed down to Florida. We were sitting on the beach, when I noticed Ed fumbling around. I glanced over and shot him a “what are you doing?” face as he got down on one knee. And when he said, “Gina, will you be my wife?” I was so stunned that I just kept repeating “Are you serious?” Ed looked concerned as he assured me that he was. I smiled, got a bit misty eyed and said, “Yeah! Of course I’ll marry you!”














Congratulations Gina & Ed! I can't wait for your wedding day - only two more weeks to go!

Anne & Carl

Anne and Carl are the amazing couple who adopted my 8 year old cat, Zoey, last summer. I found out I was allergic, and they quickly came to the rescue! I couldn't ask for more loving & caring parents for my fat ex-kittie. Here's a photo of her from about 2 years ago...



So here's Anne & Carl's story in Annes' own words:

"We met in 2003 at Wesleyan University, where we were members of the Anthony Braxton Ensemble, Carl as bass-player and college freshman and me as a singer and prospective graduate student. We had our eyes on each other from the beginning, but Carl was a shy 19-year-old and was a little intimidated by me; I was kind of flashy at 27, and I assumed Carl probably found me obnoxious. When we finally started dating 2 years later, Carl and I quickly fell in love, and on October 15, 2005, he presented me with a touching letter about how much I meant to him. When I was finished reading it, and had already melted into tears of happiness, Carl said, "So, Anne, will you marry me?" To which I replied (practically sobbing now!) "Yes! I'll marry you good!" We called our parents to share the news and then went out for an ice cream sundae. The next day, we spent our first day as an engaged couple at Storm King Sculpture Park in upstate NY. Later that week, we picked out my amazing fire-opal engagement ring, a unique mid-century estate piece."

They were actually married August 12th, 2006. Anne and Carl had decided not to hire a wedding photographer. Though an art photographer friend of theirs took lots of great pictures, they didn't end up with any portraits of just the two of them. So…they came to Central Park two years later to have them taken! Anne says it was fun walking around Manhattan dressed for a wedding, and they found it amusing to receive so many congratulations and wishes of good luck from passersby…already having two wonderful years of marriage under their belts!

And by the way, check out Anne's dress - she made it herself!

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:
















Congratulations Anne & Carl!!

Robin & Scott

Robin and Scott are so adorable. They truly are in love with each other -- you can just see it oozing from their photos... Their traditional Jewish ceremony was held just after sundown at Bayard's in downtown Manhattan, and their reception followed there in the beautiful Marine Room. We were just about to go outside for some bride & groom portraits with NYC as the backdrop, when the sky opened up and told us we had to go back inside. Despite the rain, and later, the thunder & lightening, their wedding day was absolutely beautiful. I had such a great time with them. Many thanks to my amazing second shooter, Jayd Gardina!

Details
Ceremony/Reception: Bayard's
Florist: Joann Fellan
DJ: Expressway Music - Dan Kingman
Hair & Makeup: Once Upon a Bride
Rabbi: Gary Bretton-Granatoor



Here's the slideshow!







A few of my favorite moments...








Congratulations Robin & Scott!

Deneen & Dwine

Deneen & Dwine were married last weekend by Jewelnel Davis, the University Chaplain, at St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University on possibly one of the hottest days of the year. They both braved the outdoors for a few quick portraits, but their family & friends ran for air conditioning! The reception followed at Terrace In the Sky, which has amazing views of the city. Despite the heat, Deneen and Dwine were all smiles and you could really feel how much they were loved by everyone in the room. And many thanks to the amazing Jayd Gardina who shot with me all day.

Check out the slideshow!











Congratulations Deneen & Dwine!

Christine & David

A few weeks back I shot with the amazingly talented Julia Newman. Christine and David were married at St. Joseph's church on the Upper East Side. Their reception was at the Midtown Executive Club.

Here are some of the details from the day...




One of the portraits with the gorgeous Chrysler Building in the background...






The bride's nieces sang to her and David as a gift. It was the sweetest thing, everyone in the room was either laughing or crying, or both!



A little YMCA...



And no New York wedding is complete without Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. I love this shot!



Congratulations Christine & David!

Yoshie & Ferer

A few weeks back, I shot Yoshie & Ferer's wedding for Jennifer Davis Photography. Yoshie & Ferer were married at the Riverside Church in New York City. They were good sports so we did a lot of fun poses for their portraits. You can check out the slideshow that Jennifer put together HERE. Congratulations Yoshie & Ferer!!

Dorothy & Tom, 5.3.08

I had so much fun photographing Dorothy & Tom's wedding! After meeting up with them while they were getting ready, my talented and lovely second shooter, Jordan Van Aken, and I were off to the Church of the Transfiguration in the heart of Chinatown, NYC. Afterwards, Dorothy & Tom let me drag them out into the crowded streets of Chinatown to grab a few portraits. I couldn't pass up such a great backdrop! And luckily Tom kept Dorothy laughing the entire time. Their reception was in Rye, NY at The Wainwright House, which is a beautiful mansion on the water.

Congratulations Dorothy & Tom!

Check out the SLIDESHOW HERE.