Sea Cliff Manor Wedding Photography in Long Island
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Christie + Greg
intro
Christie and Greg’s wedding day at Sea Cliff Manor in Long Island was an unforgettable blend of natural beauty, timeless romance, and joyous celebration. No detail was spared in the design of their wedding day. Each piece had a heartfelt meaning and purpose to be incorporated in their wedding day. We love the little details, the ones that most may not notice but mean something to the bride and groom and their families. It’s like little secrets scattered throughout the day that’s just for them to enjoy.
We highly suggest taking moments before the wedding day really gets going to spend time with your bridal party as you prepare for the day ahead. Take a moment to breathe, let the stress of the day go and revel in the love and support surrounding you in this day.
first look & the ceremony
Christie and Greg’s first look moment was beautifully orchestrated in front of the Sea Cliff Manor’s iron gates and as they stole a quiet moment to whisper sweet love notes to one another, you could feel their excitement build and their nerves slip away as they prepared to say “I do”. The bridesmaids gowns the groomsmen black tuxedos perfectly complemented the bride and groom. An unforgettably gorgeous outdoor ceremony and beachfront bridal party photo session followed that seemed to leave all guests just as in love as the newlyweds.
The reception
Dancing into their reception with their bridal party in tow they started the evening off with a bang! We loved seeing family and friends celebrating with the bride and groom. They concluded their night with a sparkler send off as they headed off into their new life as man and wife.
We had such an amazing experience photographing Christie and Greg’s wedding day at the Sea Cliff Manor. We were honored to be part of such an amazing celebration!
If you’re newly engaged and looking for your dream wedding photographer, we’d love to chat with you!
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Sea Cliff Manor | Sea Cliff, NY
Videography | North Island Photography
DJ | Richie Hart Events
Floral | Flowers by Joy
Dress | Pronovias | Max Bridal
Shoes | Badgley Miscka
Hair and Makeup | Beauty Lounge
Invitations | Magnet Street
Transportation | Whitestar Limo
Lake Tahoe Engagement Photos
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Hannah + Bobby
I’m a simple man–give me sunshine to soak in, mountains to stare at, a body of water to throw myself into and a local beer. If you put me in an infinite loop of those things you might not see me until my hair is gray. So when Hannah and Bobby told us that they wanted to travel to California for their engagement photos in Lake Tahoe I started packing before I bought a plane ticket. I knew it was going to be a place I loved before I even set foot there, kind of how I feel about Bend, Oregon.
Lake Tahoe Engagement Photos
Hannah and Bobby are one of those couples that make you question your adventurous spirit. They’ve championed the sky by diving out of planes, the sea by delving beneath the surface, volcanoes with their sturdy strides, and I’m pretty sure you give them a rocket and outer space is next. Hannah and Bobby have a story for every natural setting out of your earth science textbook. It was so fun getting to know them as we explored Lake Tahoe together, 191 square miles (!!) of mountain adjacent aquamarine waters.
The W Loft Brooklyn Wedding Photos
I’m not exactly sure what color the East River is, but I’m not jumping in there anytime soon. That being said, it does provide its own juxtapositional beauty in the foreground of some of earth’s most beautiful man-made mountains. The skyscrapers of Manhattan have the same capacity to inspire as the Sierra Nevadas, especially from the vantage point of The W Loft in Brooklyn. I was just talking the other day about the strangely comfortable feeling you get when you gaze upon a mountain range, allowing the immensity of its presence to make you feel small. Maybe it’s because mountains can’t move fast enough to crush you, or that they provide a grandiose depth of perspective to your eye, but I can’t quite get at the heart of that feeling.
Epic Engagement Ideas
Okay so when I said before that Hannah and Bobby conquered volcanoes, what I meant was that Bobby proposed to Hannah on an active (!!) volcano in Ecuador. What an absolutely epic and absolutely mad idea! Not to mention that the day Bobby planned to do it he came down with an intestinal infection known as Montezuma’s Revenge. Most people would’ve pushed the proposal to another day or settled for a more modest location–but not Bobby. Everything about Hannah and Bobby’s relationship makes me think of the quote that I thought was Bob Marley’s but is apparently credited to Roger Miller: “some people feel the rain; others just get wet.” Some people go through life, but people like Hannah and Bobby live it.
Surround Yourself With Those Who Inspire
As I enter my mid-30’s I can’t help but constantly assess what is and what is not serving me in my life. Lucky for me, I married Heather, a partner who in more ways than one brings me back to a healthy default. For example, we signed up for a CSA program that brings fresh produce every week from the North Fork of Long Island to our doorstep. We got a membership at a local gym with a daycare to incentivize exercise. But perhaps most important is our business where we meet like-minded inspiring people like Hannah and Bobby. Our social and professional web continues to grow outward and I will never take that for granted. Especially when I have the time to kick back and take in a view of a mountain range or skyline of skyscrapers.
Oliver Lin Stephens Huie
“We give birth the way that we live.”
-Our midwife, Michele, East End Midwifery Services
For us—that means having a plan. That means a checklist, a Gcal invite, probably a meeting, and a few back-and-forths. That means gathering a support team, establishing contingencies, idea visualization and manifestation. Focus on intention. What do you want? Then it’s onto logistics and their eventual execution. When it all goes well it feels like the stars are aligning—but when they don’t—we never get swallowed in the darkness.
The Last Total Lunar Eclipse of 2022
For months, the full-moon total lunar eclipse on November 8th, 2022, has been on our calendar. It was a hopeful hypothesis that Oliver would be born in the early morning before the sun followed the blood moon. This is when the tides would be at their strongest and Heather’s due date was only four days later. Well, on November 7th, I woke up to the low hum of Heather moaning, eyes closed, with her head and neck arched back on a pillow. She didn’t even have to say it out loud—I knew she was already in labor.
Doula to the Rescue
A few days before Heather went into labor, our dear friend and local doula, Nancy, informed us that she took a spill down a flight of stairs and sustained a series of injuries including a concussion. A two-hour commute to our house was probably not advisable. Coincidentally, the very next day, our friend Lindsey who lives in Colorado reached out and said that she was interested in flying out and offering her birth photography and doula services if we needed it.
Lindsey’s flight arrived at La Guardia at noon on November 7th.
“A Certain Nocturnal Visitor”
Before Heather went into labor with Capa she said that she was not going to have him during the day. Maybe it’s because sunlight reminds her of work and she can’t work when she’s having a baby, or maybe she’s a vampire. Either way, he was born at night. So after I picked up Lindsey for Oliver’s birth and we told Michele that Heather was in labor, we knew that there wasn’t much urgency given the duration of her contractions and how far apart they were. No matter what we’d be waiting for nightfall.
Active Labor with a midwife
Around 5:30 pm, with Lindsey, Michele, and her assistant, Noelle, in place I could really sink into my support role. I patiently waited all day for Heather to invite me into her space. It started with a hand; to hold, clench, and steer towards pressure points. It evolved to a rebozo and gentle massaging. Then for the next few hours Heather and I would remain close, our bodies and arms wrapped around each other as we hummed and moaned. She eventually told me to stop moaning along. I listened.
Transition
Heather climbed into the tub around 10:30-11pm. I remember thinking that Oliver might arrive before the day is over. Heather requested that we put on Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar and I was amazed that she was still fully tuned in and communicative, swaying her body to the beats in the warm water. At this point during Capa’s birth she had already gone inward to manage the pain. After the first song or two, she invited me closer, pulling my head next to hers, and we closed our eyes and moved together. I remember smiling.
Capa
We put Capa down hours earlier around his normal bedtime. We all cuddled in our king-sized bed as he drifted away to the sounds of his favorite movie, Sing 2. He woke up periodically throughout the night and I would take leave to get him back down. The last time he woke up was around 2 am, when Michele came to the stairs to call me back down. “Heather wants you here, you can bring Capa.” And so for the next 20 minutes Capa and I looked at Heather as she beared down.
Nothing makes you feel smaller than watching a woman give birth. All sense of machismo, bravado, and hubris melts away into admiration—into witnessing what true strength looks like.
A Round of Applause and Fist Bumps
Immediately after Heather gave birth to Oliver, Capa began to clap. Like literally. He then went up to give Oliver a fist bump, followed by the whole support team, one at a time. What a guy.
The Plan
From the outside in, we got lucky with our 2nd successful home birth. We somehow avoided all of the many pitfalls of labor and delivery. But that’s not the way we see it. We see the plan: the meetings, the support team, the contingencies. We see how we put ourselves in a position to succeed by making decisions by following our collective minds and hearts.
We saw how all the stars began to align so we put our jackets on and took a good look at that giant, copper-colored full-moon.
So at 2:33 am on November 8th, 2022, when Oliver Lin Stephens Huie came into this world, it was not because we were lucky.
It was because we aligned our own stars and created our own constellation.
We gave birth the way we live.
Photography & Doula | Lindsey | Lindsey Eden Photography | Arvada, CO
Midwifery | East End Midwifery | Southampton, NY
Doula | Nancy | Nancy Weidner Doula
Crescent Beach Club Wedding Photos
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Alex & Kim’s Wedding
Palm trees, a blaring midday summer sun, and steel drums ringing in the distance. Fresh seafood, a tiki bar, and smooth sand disappearing into a gentle tide. At a glance you would think we were at a resort in the Caribbean, a place where shirts and shoes were optional. Instead, Alex and Kim’s family and friends bounced around cocktail hour in gorgeous dresses and tailored suits, plucking hor d'oeuvres from trays like berries from a wild bush. Far from the Caribbean and close to our home, Heather and I were soaking in the experience at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, Long Island.
We first met Kim and Alex at a brewery in Huntington to talk over their wedding details over a couple beers. I remember how quickly we got to sharing stories and laughing, enjoying a comfortable conversation that usually takes a glass of wine or two to get to at a dinner party. As a couple, they just kind of get it. They are consummate professionals, thoroughly enjoy one another’s company, and ask the right questions. They are no bullshit in the best way possible--meaning--they like to have fun but they get shit done.
Kim and Alex aptly met at a quintessential Halloween dance party sponsored by the student bar association while studying at Villanova Law School. It still surprises me how fickle romantic beginnings can be. Kim and Alex, like Heather and I, so easily could’ve never been a thing if Alex and I hadn’t taken our respective relationship initiatives. “Kim did the mature thing that any self-respecting, young 20-something does the next day in class: ignored Alex and pretended she had never seen him before in her life. Luckily Alex had more maturity (or less self-respect) and immediately approached Kim to ask her to go out to dinner a few nights later.” Moral of the story? Shoot your shot and go to professional parties that serve free booze.
At the end of the night Heather and I first met, I walked her home to her apartment on West 105th street. When we stopped at the corner and she said, “well, this is me,” I told her how nice it was to meet her and that I would love to see her again. She quickly replied, “me too,” before nervously doing a 180 and began to walk away. Now, if I hadn’t been a little tipsy and characteristically overconfident, I would’ve just taken that gesture as a rejection. Instead, I blurted out, “hey, you know, your phone number would be great for something like that,” and lucky for me, she turned around as I handed her my phone.
That one line was the difference between going our separate routes in life and winding up in Jamaica together on our honeymoon. I still remember that feeling of limbo--those uncertain moments when you’ve shot your shot and the ball is up there rattling on the rim. But in my experience, and I’m sure Kim and Alex would agree--we would all prefer sitting on a lounge chair on a beach, sipping on a cold beer while reading a book as steel drums ping-and-pang as leaves of palm trees sway in the wind--rather than not shoot at all, doing the 1-2 step at a law school Halloween party waiting for someone to ask me out to dinner.
Vendors:
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Crescent Beach Club | Bayville, NY
Floral | Lindenhurst Village Florist
DJ | Variety Music
Dress | Stella York | Max Bridal
Suit | Joseph A. Bank
Rings | Brilliant Earth
Hair | GetxGlamorous
Makeup | Christy Ann Cosmetics
Invitations | Etsy | Magnet Street
Transportation | Mark of Elegance
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