Bethesda Fountain Elopement in NYC's Central Park
James and Wanda's NYC Central Park Elopement in Bethesda Terrace | Intimate Weddings During Quarantine | Downsizing a Wedding in New York City | Apollo Fields Photography
I remember not-so-long-ago when we were in the thick of the Stay At Home quarantine wondering to myself, ‘Will weddings EVER go back to normal?’
It was just so hard to imagine a big group of people flying in from all over the world to celebrate marriage again. Between the hugging, tight cocktail hours, packed dance floors-- it all seemed like a dream we could only hope to relive. In some ways, it still does. I don’t know when we will have hundreds of guests jam packed on a dance floor again… nobody does. We can only predict, schedule, hold our breath, and hope.
This 4th of July weekend restored a huge chunk of that last ingredient for me: HOPE. And oh man, did it fuel my creative soul and heal a lot of the mourning that I have been experiencing as couple-after-couple have had to (understandably) reschedule their original plans.
It was my first weekend back in the saddle (the wedding saddle that is-- I’ve been in the literal saddle this whole time) and it was a double header to boot. Two mornings in a row, I got to experience couples turning lemons into lemonade and reimagining their weddings in the best ways possible. Both couples have had to postpone their big celebrations to 2021, but wanted to still honor their love and commitment to one another by legally wedding in a more intimate setting.
Wanda and James were slated for a big destination wedding in Banff this year on July 5th, but everything was obviously derailed with COVID19. This date is especially important to them, because it is exactly three years from the day they met, so in order to still celebrate this day and their marriage, they planned an elopement in the heart of the city they live in.
Central Park— and especially Bethesda Fountain— is typically a tourist hotspot as well as local refuge in the thick of NYC summers. However, on this Sunday morning, it was comparatively empty, with a light breeze cutting through the thick of the city humidity. It is easy to imagine this having a post-apocalyptic feeling, but that truly wasn’t the case. It felt private, sort of serene, like this iconic nucleus of New York suddenly belonged to only us. I remember saying to them before I left, “This is the million dollar wedding venue”. It really was. I don’t think a million dollars would actually buy out this location if somebody tried.
It sounds cheesy but this elopement really did restore so much hope for me. I got to witness two families coming together to watch Wanda and James exchange vows. I got to spend the morning with this fun and badass couple. I got to see Wanda shed a tear, which I was assured wasn’t easy to do! Nothing felt risky or contaminated, which was a very real concern not-so-long-ago (and still lingers in the present and future). We were all there for the exact right reasons, and this made me believe that weddings WILL go back, and in some respects might be better than before!
Photography: Apollo Fields
Location: Bethesda Terrace, Central Park NYC
Central Park Maternity Session in NYC
Krista & Kevin’s Maternity Photos | Central Park, NYC | Bethesda Fountain, New York City | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
I was so excited to work with Krista and Kevin again (I shot their engagement photos in Central Park a few years ago) because this time we were meeting up to do their maternity session! I don’t take on too many maternity shots because it really is its own niche and I think specializing is awesome; however, I love being able to capture the lifetime milestones — especially for couple’s who I’ve worked with in the past for engagements and weddings.
It was great to catch up with this fun couple in New York and hear all about what they have been up to the last few years. Krista is from Finland, Kevin is American, and they live in NYC together. They are such a fun and dynamic couple and I love capturing their relationship. They are 33 weeks along and expecting a daughter in May which is a really exciting time for them! It is their first baby and they are getting excited with only a few more weeks left.
Maternity photos are one of those things that a lot of women sort of snark at, but I think when they are done by a professional photographer with good lighting can be absolutely stunning. I love these images for so many reasons, but I think that they really honor womanhood and this sacred transition of becoming a mother. I see these photos and I see strength and beauty, and a glowing mama-to-be.
I had an awesome time heading back into Central Park with them to capture this milestone! It was a beautiful Sunday and the city starts to come back to life after its winter hibernation. Spring in NYC is unlike anything else and this session was a little taste of that. We were also lucky to get an AMAZING golden hour and the light was just so dreamy! I could have shot them until dark because they are such a sweet and gorgeous couple to work with. I’m so excited for them to have these photos to look back on and remember this special time and I can’t wait for them to welcome their daughter in just a few more weeks.
Maternity Photography: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields
Talent: Krista Lanning
Location: Bethesda Fountain, Central Park NYC
Samantha & Chase's Central Park Engagement Photography in New York City
Samantha & Chase's Central Park NYC Engagement Session | New York City Engagement Photographer | NY Wedding Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographer
Central Park makes for the most iconic and epic engagement photos! You get the best of all worlds – some nature, some skyline, and the beautiful architectural details that are classically NYC. I was so excited when this awesome couple got engaged, and even more excited when it happened in the city! They were visiting family for the holiday and had traveled from their hometown in Tennessee to celebrate Christmas.
Samantha’s family owns EJ’s Luncheonette in the upper east side, so we began the afternoon catching a little snack there together and chatting about life and love :) Then we strolled over to Central Park and made our way to Bethesda Fountain. I love this area because it is just such an icon of NYC. There’s nowhere else in the world quite like it.
We did photos in the arches which can be a bit tricky to time because of foot traffic, but I was so excited when the crowd lifted for a minute and we were able to jump in and get that epic silhouette shot! I love being able to shoot on the stairs and the other embellishments there too. This couple has such a fun vibe together so it made my job easy! They had only been engaged for a few days so it was really great to piggy back on their excitement from celebrating the big news together.
NYC Engagement Photographer: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields
New York Engagement Location: Central Park