I love traveling, especially to photograph destination weddings & elopements. Ariel is a good friend of mine and I was absolutely ecstatic when she wanted me to photograph their Bryant Park wedding in Manhattan. I had never even been to New York City, and as a Phoenix wedding photographer, I was a little bit intimidated by the big city. But I love adventure and getting out of my comfort zone and am so glad I was able to have this experience and explore a city I had never been to and photograph a wedding very different from the ones I usually shoot in Arizona. Ariel & German’s tribe are a beautifully diverse, authentic and live life to the fullest group of people- a testament to the type of people Ariel & German are. Ariel wanted the wedding to be as much (or more) about their loved ones and community than them and to celebrate not just their love and commitment as a couple, but the love between all of their friends & family. Some of German’s family came from Venezuela and many of their other friends flew in from all across the country. This is one of the many reasons why I love photographing weddings- that kind of energy is amazing to be around and it really reaffirms your faith in humanity when sometimes the world seems like a dark and scary place.We had rain on and off throughout the whole day, but I personally think that the rain added a lot to the photos we got. And being in Arizona, I don’t get the opportunity to shoot rain very much! It actually started pouring towards the end of the ceremony and though most of the guests were covered with umbrellas, the center aisle was mostly uncovered which was were I was standing. Thank goodness my cameras are weather proof, meaning that if they get a little bit of rain it won’t damage them. One thing I absolutely loved was that Ariel used her father’s seaglass collection as place cards. Each was hand calligraphied by the awesome Three Keys Brooklyn and each guest took home a treasured piece of Ariel & her family. I’m sure Ariel & her dad spent a lot of time over the years collecting those pieces of seaglass on Long Island. Also we got EXTREMELY lucky and the New York Public Library behind Bryant Park Grill was closed for the holiday weekend which allowed us to take portraits on the beautiful steps of the library without a lot of people walking through the photos. How lucky was that!
I got to spend about a week in New York City and took my amazing 2nd shooter Sarah along with me. Thank you Sarah for traveling with me and being fantastic as always! After the wedding, I spent a few extra days exploring New York City- you can check those travel photos out here. I feel like I could have explored for another week but as interesting as New York was, I was anxious to get back home to my house, dogs & husband and away from city life. That said, I can’t wait to shoot another destination wedding or elopement- contact me if you’re thinking about a destination wedding and I’d love to work something out!
Amazing vendor team!
Venue: Bryant Park Grill
Florals: Rachel Cho Floral Design
Calligraphy: Three Keys Brooklyn
Make Up:
Hair: Dry Bar
Dress: BHLDN
Alterations:
Groom’s Suit:
Band:
