Haven's Kitchen Wedding Photography in NYC
Laura and Tim's Wedding at Haven's Kitchen in NYC
Bouncing up and down in a crosstown cab, all smiles and sunshine. “I’m gonna destroy this dress—I’ll lay down in the grass, on a New York City bench, wherever!” Definitely not common words we expect to hear coming from a bride on her wedding day—but Laura was and is not your everyday bride.
In fact, everything about Laura and Tim’s winter wedding in NYC was anything but your conventional wedding experience; from only three months of planning to coordinating guests flying in from all over the globe, their heartfelt and absolutely stunning intimate wedding will have us bouncing and smiling in the sunshine for a long time to come.
You may have seen the post about Laura and Tim’s rainy NYC engagement photos, where I explained how they decided to get married on such short notice. If you haven’t, the backstory goes like this: after they got engaged in November 2019, they popped into an antique ring shop to pick out some vintage wedding bands for each other, when they stumbled across a ring with the date “2/22/30” engraved on the inside. They joked about how it would be cute to celebrate this other couple’s 90-year anniversary on 2/22/20 and thought it would end there.
It didn’t.
My experience on their wedding day began in Tim’s hotel room in the wonderfully charming Freehand Hotel in the Flatirons district of Manhattan. With only a narrow window casting sunlight into the room from the alleyway, the mood was calm and dramatic. Tim opened a small care package from Laura containing a pair of goofy socks stitched with images of ramen noodles, a silly black cat pin that read “good luck,” and the real gem of the bounty: a short, heartfelt letter that had a print of Laura posing for one of those awkward glamour shots in high school. In a perfect representation of their relationship and their wedding day, that letter carried as much lightness and levity as it did genuine care and love.
We snapped their first look in the foyer of the restaurant downstairs, occasionally holding the door for hungry New Yorkers that we dare not deprive of brunch. Afterwards, Laura and Tim shared a quick drink at the bar to coat themselves in a thick layer of liquid courage armor before we journeyed to the tourist-heavy Highline in the Meatpacking District for some intimate photos. In the cab we bounced but on the path we strutted, stopping here and there for some authentic New York City shots. As we made our way to Haven’s Kitchen we carried the same casual and light gait that Laura spoke with in her letter to Tim.
Haven’s Kitchen opens into a cozy, chic, cafe in the front, with a clean open kitchen with stainless steel tables used for teaching cooking classes in the back. On the left, a stairway bends up to the second floor with a wooden Victorian-style bannister leading the way. The second floor has a wide open dance floor on one side and a white granite bar and cozy cocktail area on the other.
Adorned into every nook and cranny were trinkets of Laura and Tim’s relationship with an eclectic mix of kangaroos (Tim is Australian), Star Wars references, and other personal keepsakes. Finally, the top floor is a pristinely white, flexible and customizable space that can double as a location for the reception and ceremony. Laura and Tim, with the help of the amazing staff used every inch of this intimate wedding venue in New York City to celebrate their love.
Despite only having three months to plan and execute their wedding, Laura and Tim have shown how a strong couple can literally and figuratively absorb the bumps in the road and come out smiling in sunshine on the other side. They have shown that you don’t have to be conventional and can instead invent tradition or celebrate love in whichever way you see fit. Embrace what the world gives you with an open mind and hard work and love will do the rest.
Enjoy these sneak peeks from Laura & Tim’s Wedding:
Also featured in: Carats & Cake Magazine
The Vendor Team:
Photography + Writing: Apollo Fields
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Haven’s Kitchen
Wedding Coordinator: Irit Oren, Events Service Manager
Officiant: John Heagney - One of Tim & Laura's best friends in NYC
Florist: Dried flowers assembled by Laura and Tim
DJ / Band : DJ Mikey Palms
Cake / Bakery : Billy’s Bakery
Dress : Jenny Yoo
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Suit: Custom Made Navy with llama pattern lining + tailored by Suit Supply NYC
Rings: Hannah Blount + Gray & Davis
HMUA: Drybar + Ryann Jones
Stationary: The Knot with Paperless Post
Heyo! It’s us…
…with our favorite ramen-slurping, kangaroo-tossers! This was the BEST wedding to kick off our 2020 season and we are still raving about how much fun we had with Laura and Tim.
How to DIY a Wedding on a Budget
Casey & Thomas’s Wedding in Longmont, CO | Laid-Back Colorado Wedding Planning | Sentimental DIY Weddings | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
It is always interesting to read the answers that our couples come up with to our pre-wedding questionnaire. It gives us a glimpse into their past and allows us to begin to picture what their wedding day might look like. After reading Casey and Thomas’s, I noticed that in every one of their answers there was a different, important aspect that goes into a healthy relationship, and I knew right then that their special day was going to go off with only one hitch (getting hitched, that is!).
After briefly dating in high school, Casey and Thomas reacquainted when Thomas was driving through Chicago about five years ago. They wound up meeting up for burgers and talking a lot and well, “the rest is history.” What this glimpse taught us about them was that they are steady, confident individuals who are comfortable meeting up with a friend from the past, but more importantly, it provided them the opportunity for serendipity to open their hearts to a long-lasting relationship.
After their romance had been rekindled, they dated long distance for six months, establishing a trust and system of communication that would later serve as the basis of their loving relationship (Isn’t it ironic how we can grow closer the farther we move apart?).
Yet an example of perhaps the most integral part of any relationship occurred when Casey received a large gift on her birthday from Thomas at her office. She had no idea what it was, but when she tore back the wrapping to reveal an original print of a photographer she mentioned once (time to step up your games, fellas!), she was floored. Being present enough to listen and conscientious enough to act is a level of thoughtfulness that every relationship can benefit from.
And I know that surprises aren’t for everyone, but Casey said she had NO idea that Thomas was going to propose. I think I can speak for the married couples out there who must remember the nerves that coursed through their veins when the question was popped—kind of like the first time you went in for a kiss—and the immense relief that rested upon the lips of your partner on the other side. A healthy dose of vulnerability can go a long way, and continuing to surprise your S.O. with acts of love will never get old.
Before I let Casey and Thomas’s beautiful relationship turn into a dating column on our website, let me finish with what they said they were most looking forward to on their wedding day: “looking out and seeing all of my favorite people together.” It’s a simple enough answer, but the fact that they designed the itinerary of their day to maximize their time with those who traveled to the celebration of the union of their love showed their commitment to their communities. Sometimes we can get caught up in all of the details that we forget that the assembly of all of our friends and family on our wedding day might never happen again—but Casey and Thomas did not.
Now I can only imagine that Casey and Thomas are probably laying on their backs on a mountaintop near Telluride, gazing up at the broad sky of stars, thinking of all of the things, big and small, that they will experience together, because they place value in every single one of them. Cheers to you, Casey and Thomas, and congratulations!
Enjoy Casey & Thomas’s Sneak Peeks:
The Vendor Team:
Colorado Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields
Longmont Wedding Venue: Altona Grange
Wedding Dress: BHLDN | Jenny Yoo
Hair: Carbon Salon
Ethical Wedding Bands: Brilliant Earth
Wildflower Wedding Invitations: Paper Culture
