I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately (I’ve been lucky enough to shoot a ton of great weddings this year – what can I say?), but Lauren & Martin’s wedding was definitely one of my favorite ever! Every single aspect of the weekend was perfectly coordinated and perfectly expressed their love for one another. Because of conflicting schedules, I actually hadn’t met either of them before the wedding. Lauren and Martin live in Austin and they met somewhere around 6 years ago at the Elephant Room. I was scheduled to shoot their rehearsal dinner the night before at Parkside on 6th Street and it was such an amazing night. Just from hearing the words of their friends and seeing them interact, you know that Lauren and Martin are completely and totally in love, and that feeling reflects over into every part of their lives. The night was filled with songs (Martin’s dad played the guitar and sang several songs in Spanish!), speeches and even a letter from Barack Obama. Yes, the PRESIDENT. One of Lauren’s friends works at the White House and she had a personal letter from the Obama’s to Lauren and Martin on their wedding day. How awesome is that? After experiencing the rehearsal, I couldn’t wait for the wedding the next day. Lauren and Martin were married under the most beautiful Chuppa on the lawn at the Four Seasons. Their ceremony was a beautiful mixture of their Jewish and Mexican heritages and their vows had almost everyone in the audience in tears. Lauren is a filmmaker and Martin is a writer so their creativity flowed over into every part of their day. The band Sauce absolutely brought it during the reception and the dance floor was totally packed all night. I had the best time being around Lauren, Martin and their families. They all have such strong, loving relationships and it was wonderful to be a part of. I could go on and on but I will stop talking now and get to the video. Lauren and Martin I wish you two nothing but the best!

I must mention all of the vendors for this day as well. Becky with BZ events did a killer job. I was speechless when I walked into the reception room! Casablanca was projected on one of the walls, the flowers were insanely beautiful and all of the tables were covered in sequined, sparkly table cloths. Every possible detail was tended to and Becky and her team did a fantastic job making sure everything went off well. It was also super fun working with Stacy from SMS photography again. I am so excited to see her pictures. Lastly, the band Sauce was amazing. It was my first time shooting a wedding with them and I was definitely impressed.

I got an email from Karin about 2 weeks ago to see if I happen to be available for a last minute booking on October 30th. A friend was supposed to do their videography, but because of some unforeseen circumstances, they were no longer available. I am so glad that Karin found me and I was able to be a part of her day! Her and Dave were married on an early Sunday morning at reBar in Dumbo just after the random snowstorm NYC had on the 29th. It was a super chilly morning, but the feeling inside reBar was warm and relaxed. You can tell after only a few short minutes with the two of them that Karin and Dave have something very special between them. After dating for over 6 years, they literally could not wait to walk down the aisle and be married. I had a hard time picking out small parts of their vows to include in the video because they were so heartfelt and amazing! I wanted to include everything but it just wouldn’t fit into 3 minutes. As you will hear in her father’s speech, the first snow of the year fell on the day Karin was born. Giant flakes like on a Hollywood movie set. He knew it was a good omen that day, just as he knew the unexpected snow that fell the day before their wedding was a good omen for Karin and Dave’s life together.

I wanted to add some of the email I got from Karin upon returning from her honeymoon and seeing her preview video:

“Dave and I returned from our honeymoon this weekend and came home to the most wonderful gift in my inbox – our video preview! We were completely blown away… It is AMAZING!

The video looks phenomenal, the sound edits are great, the music is really really beautiful (what song is that?) and I started to cry before I even finished reading your description on your blog (as did my dad)! My new father-in-law also had this to say: “What a great video. And it’s just the preview. People need to see it so they can see what happiness looks like.” (Cue the “Awwws”!)

I cannot thank you enough for coming through for us at such short notice. You and your assistant seamlessly blended into our celebration and we could not have imagined how stellar the resulting video would be, especially given the late booking! Even though it was just a short preview, it really captured the excitement and anticipation of the day and I am so grateful to have such an awesome video to always remind me of the emotions Dave and I were feeling in those magical moments. We cannot wait to see how the longer highlight film turns out!”

That email seriously made my day! I am so lucky to have the job I do.

Alma and Bill had a classy and fun  wedding at St Mary’s Cathedral and the Stephen F.  Austin Hotel in early September. I met and booked with them almost a year ago, so I had been eagerly awaiting their wedding for a long time. After their beautiful Catholic ceremony, guests made the short trip to the Stephen F. Austin for the reception. Alma and Bill personally greeted every guest as they entered the reception – I thought that was so neat! Often brides and grooms are so busy they don’t have time to talk with everyone. Even if it was only a quick hello, it was so nice to take the time to greet everyone. After dinner, everyone danced until the early hours of the morning celebrating with Alma and Bill. Congratulations!

It was great working with Stefano Choi again on this wedding. Head over to his blog to see his recent work!

Rosy and Tom’s wedding was a beautiful mixture of their Indian and Dominican cultures. They celebrated on a cool September evening at the Surf Club in New Rochelle. Although rain was predicted all weekend, it held off and their outdoor waterfront ceremony was perfect. I am always surprised by the amount of energy at Sunday night weddings – I don’t think the dance floor was empty once all night. They had a special performance by a dance group and it was so much fun! You will see a small piece of it in the video below. Congratulations Rosy and Tom, I wish you all the best!

Jackie and Jeremy will forever hold a special place in my heart. You may remember their love story video Fondly Forever and I did back in May. Jackie and Jeremy met many years ago on a spring break trip to the Bahamas as soon figured out they lived around the corner from each other in New York. Through the years, they dated on and off until as Jackie said in her vows, it was finally their time.

Spend only five minutes with these two and you will see the infectious love they have for one another. Their wedding day was bursting with it. From the moment they saw each other at the train station, their excitement could not be contained. Following their heartfelt ceremony literally surrounded by family and friends (guests sat in a circle around them – such a cool idea!), everyone moved to a big white tent to dance the night away. Although the rain held out all day, there was one small problem that no one could have predicted. About an hour into dinner, the kitchen caught on fire and the entire wedding was evacuated to the front lawn of the vineyard! Jackie and Jeremy didn’t stop smiling for a minute and within the hour, the DJ had the floor packed again with Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire.”

Jackie and Jeremy, you guys are amazing! I wish you nothing but the best as you start the journey of your married life together.

Jackie and Jeremy had a fabulous team of vendors including Janelle Brooke Photography and Amanda Barbara Events. Make sure to check out their work as well.

When I imagine a quintessential, classic New York wedding, Lindsey and Edward’s day fits perfectly. They spent the morning getting ready a few short blocks away from one another on the Upper East Side before making their way over to the Park Avenue Christian Church. After their heartfelt ceremony, guests headed over to the amazing Carlyle hotel for an elegant candlelit evening. Their night was filled with heartfelt speeches and dancing (they had the best band!). The dance floor was packed all night. Congratulations Lindsey and Edward!