Terrence Takeover | Farm Dinner at Honeymoon Acres in Ramsey, NJ
Apollo Fields | Best Wedding Photos | New York Wedding Photographer | Long Island Wedding Photographer | New Jersey Wedding Photographer | Honeymoon Acres | Ramsey, NJ | Terrence Huie | Writer
How does a guy go from surviving on late night halal to cooking and hosting multi-course farm fresh dinners? From “extra white sauce, please” to garnishing butter-poached scallops with pickled apple and fennel? I’m convinced cooking wasn’t part of my DNA until the first time Heather and I made fresh pasta together in Harlem; and I don’t think Heather knew of her penchant for hosting until we held a casual picnic with a few friends shortly thereafter. But now looking back at our almost ten-year path to this pilot dinner at our family farm, every step of the way falls into place like silverware surrounding a place setting.
Heather and I first met in 2014 while shaking light pink cosmos in neighboring restaurants on the Upper West Side. Ever since then hospitality has always been and always will be a through-line for everything that we do. Being three-deep at the bar while the expo machine cranks in the background was the training ground for the weeds that we now navigate in our everyday lives. Whether it’s meeting the demands of our two under three, being the steady rock for our couples who just need to take a deep breath, or serving 20 guests five courses–we will always hold the line.
The orange wax cascading down the side of the candle is reaching the point of splashing onto the champagne colored tablecloth. Dessert is about to drop with a chilled amaro-coffee cocktail. I’m trying to call words to the forefront of my mind but only see a faucet running with a sink full of dishes that we need to turn.
“First off, I want to thank you for coming…” I begin.
My mind is black like the trees all around us.
“I also want to thank Heather, who always keeps me reaching…”
Still blank.
“When I think about hosting dinners I think about how I get into a flow state, how the whole world shrinks down to your candlelit faces, like nothing else exists.”
A spark is happening.
“And it makes me think of the phrase, “the grass is always greener,” how you know, a lot of us are always looking to the future or the past, and we fail to appreciate what is right in front of us. Well, I just wanted to say that if you look beneath your feet right now, the grass is pretty fucking green, so here’s to that. Cheers everyone!”
My mind is still empty as I scurry back to the house to start firing the dessert course. Orange wax is all over the table.
Our guests are wiping whipped cream from their mouths and it’s our first opportunity to sit down and pour ourselves a drink. I guess not much has changed since our bartending days yet everything has changed. I can trust Heather to make sure things never stay the same and she can trust me to make them feel like they are. It’s our secret sauce. Photography, dinner parties, we are the same people we have always been and always will be–and we will always keep reaching. I will never stop crushing a styrofoam container packed with halal but it’s no longer necessary for my survival.
Southward Ho Country Club Wedding Photos
Kayla + Jonathan
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Some say rain on your wedding day is good luck, but what happens if it rained during your engagement photos too? Is that extra good luck? Like when a bird poops on your head? I’ve always thought that saying these things are good luck is just our way of being a supportive friend/spin doctor rather than an indication of actual good things to come. That’s because I’m a strong believer in making your own luck; in choosing a good partner to weather the storm so that when good things actually do happen it just seems like they’re an added bonus. Kayla and Jonathan are the epitome of this kind of mindset.
Fire Island Engagement Photos
Capa and I were actually supposed to tag along for Kayla and Jonathan’s awesome engagement photo shoot on Fire Island, but because of the aforementioned weather they pushed up the start time. I missed out on a windy boat ride across the Great South Bay and oysters at one of our favorite restaurants, but Kayla and Jonathan rolled with the change of plans. They enjoyed showing Heather a couple spots along the boardwalk and had no problem going with the flow. All in all, the weather held off, but this is the kind of happiness that arises when you have a supportive partner rather than one who demands uncontrollable circumstances to bend to their will.
The Nostalgia of Your First Kiss
Kayla and Jonathan decided to have their first look underneath the tree where they each had their first kiss in 6th grade (!!) in Kayla’s backyard. What a wonderfully romantic idea! It immediately flew me back to the memory of my first kiss: the nervous jitters, the thinking back to the countless movie scenes where a group of teenage girls sit on a bed and gossip about who-is-and-who-isn’t a good kisser, and of course, having no actual idea of what to do. Kayla and Jonathan remember missing each other’s lips (lol) but knew better than to come back to their respective friend groups and say that it wasn’t totally awesome. The icing on the cake is that it was a dare (of course it was). Mine was too!
Robert Moses Beach Wedding Photos
Following their church ceremony in Bay Shore, Kayla and Jonathan and their wedding parties hopped on a bus for some photos at the beach. The weather luckily held off for a few hours in the middle of the day to do ALL family and wedding party formals and their romantics before the rain resumed. This is the kind of flexibility from Kayla and Jonathan that lended to their wonderful wedding celebration. They could’ve easily gotten down on their luck and let it dampen their day, but instead they made the most of what mother earth gave to them and had the best time. Their amazing friend groups did too!
Southward Ho Country Club Wedding
Kayla and Jonathan held their reception at a local country club to emphasize the importance of their Bay Shore roots. One of the things they were most proud of was the seating chart and details that they DIYed from recycled oysters! We love when our couples take the time to leave their fingerprints on the celebration, even if these projects typically take a lot of it! They had a great live band and the food and staff were fantastic. Never have I ever seen a fresh mozzarella bar but oh man was it delicious. We can’t wait to meet up with them for the gallery reveal which will definitely involve oysters as long as it doesn’t trigger some DIY PTSD!
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Southward Ho Country Club | Bay Shore, NY
The Vanderbilt Museum Wedding and Engagement Photos
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Brittany + Bryan
Despite growing up 15 minutes away from the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, the first time I visited the beautiful, sprawling property in Centerport, Long Island, was a couple years ago. I was taken aback by the charm of the mansion’s Spanish revival architectural style; the cobblestone roads, ceramic rooftops, and clearly mediterranean influence. All over the house are the spoils from the Vanderbilt’s worldwide travel: from a hand-crafted imitation of Napoleon’s bed, to ornate mantlepieces and boathouses, and perhaps most surprising—their extensive collection of taxidermied animals that is truly only trumped by the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. I didn’t even mention the fun-for-all-ages planetarium.
Engagement Photos at Vanderbilt Museum
All of the beautiful architecture makes for the perfect location to for your engagement photos. The architectural style makes it feel like you’re not on Long Island anymore, but the rolling hills and lush green trees overlooking Centerport Harbor bring you right back. You can even turn the session into a date night where they host a series of events, one of which Heather and I got to attend (a modern version of a Shakespearean play).
Centerport Wedding Photographer
Centerport is the perfect example for how easy it is to miss out on what’s right next to you. It’s a quaint residential neighborhood with winding streets and steep hills that feels secluded even though its just off of 25A, one of the busiest local roads. It celebrates it’s private and public beaches, looking out onto it’s own harbor just like so many cove-y towns of the north shore. As much as we love to hop on planes and explore the world it’s always nice to just climb into the car and show the kiddos the beauty around us.
Water's Edge Winter Wedding Photos
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AlexANDRA + BryaN
I never thought of it before, but a wedding is like a home. It is a place to celebrate the people you love with food and drinks, complete with little pieces of yourself scattered about like clues to your soul. Some weddings are sterile like condos with uncomfortably modern furniture, while others are welcoming like old homes with large wooden tables and smooth wooden benches. You know as soon as you walk in, right after you hand your coat to the host or the coat-check, what kind of experience you’re about to embark upon. Well Alexandra and Bryan’s wedding at Water’s Edge in Centerport, New York, was the kind of celebration where you have to wait ‘til the next morning for the candle wax to dry, because no one was blowing out any candles any time soon.
Centerport Wedding Photographer
Shortly after moving into their early 20th century, 1,200 square-foot house in Centerport in 2017, Alexandra and Bryan started becoming obsessed with local history. They became increasingly involved with the Greenlawn - Centerport Historical Association and knew that they would want to keep their celebration as local as possible. Enter Water’s Edge, the historic Thatched Cottage seated on the edge of Mill Pond with a brand new lease on life. It was the perfect place to celebrate their love and it was just a stone’s throw away from their front door.
Water’s Edge Wedding Photos
When you walk into the foyer of Water’s Edge, the clean white marble and large spiral staircase harkens back to the glam ballrooms of the Gatsby era. The decor is modern yet timeless, and the various spaces allow for customization to your heart’s content. Alexandra seized this opportunity to celebrate her love of F. Scott Fitzgerald and imprinted the beautiful blank slate with impressions of her home on every table and in every corner. Vintage books with beautiful blue bindings beneath every dried floral centerpiece, a one-of-a-kind dreamy moon-themed photobooth, and matchbox and candle wedding favors that were both cute and functional. There were no design pages left unturned.
Personal Wedding Vows
Coming from a writer who couldn’t quite get the right words for his own wedding vows, I couldn’t advocate more for speaking about your love at the altar. Just like everything else in life, it’s less about what you say, and more about how you say it. Bryan decided to use Alexandra’s name as an acronym and to use every letter to symbolize something meaningful about their relationship. Alexandra decided to quote a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicting the responsiblities of marriage. In my experience as a wedding photographer, your wedding day is a sort of dress rehearsal for the rest of your relationship, and when things inevitably go wrong, how do you handle it? Well when the brakes of the special-ordered vintage car smoked and caught on fire, Alexandra and Bryan rolled (literally) with the punches and embraced the change rather than fought against it. Something tells me that these two will be loving each other for a long, long time.
Inviting Us into Your Home
When we said our goodbyes to Alexandra and Bryan at the end of their wedding, it was like embracing guests at the end of a dinner party. You want the candles to keep burning, the cocktails to keep stirring, and the laughs to keep going. That is what is undoubtedly the best and most rewarding thing about our jobs as wedding photographers. To develop relationships with people like Alexandra and Bryan who would rather build a longer table than a higher fence. In a home and a life like the one they’re building, it’s no surprise that their benches are smooth with the company they keep.
Vendors
Photography: Apollo Fields
Venue: Water’s Edge
Flowers: Hydrangea Home
Photobooth: PicPerf Photobooth, Jenn and Laurie, 917-301-4974
Cake: Dortoni's
Music: Absolute DJs
Guestbook: FeteFone
Wedding band (Alexandra): Erstwhile (created by Erstwhile)
Engagement ring: Erstwhile (vintage)
Wedding band (Brian): Rustic & Main (whiskey barrel, mahogany, rose gold in lay)
Suit: Men’s Warehouse
Dress: from BHLDN FiDi in Manhattan, shoes from BHLDN website (Rachel Simpson)
Transportation: MV Limosines
Invitations & Menus from Paige & Co (UK) - Moon & Stars suite
Make up - Erica Heras
Hair - Danielle Cosmo
Shuttle Meadow Country Club Wedding Photos
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Kelly + Evan
One of the first things couples realize when planning a wedding is that their opinions on the event are not the only ones that matter. Whether it’s their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, or extended family, someone has a monkey wrench to throw into the best laid plans! It can lead to difficult conversations and even harder decisions, but Kelly and Evan’s intimate wedding ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park followed by their reception at Shuttle Meadow Country Club in Kensington, Connecticut, clearly echoed not only their own values, but also the ones they learned from their refreshingly supportive families.
Family Values
Marriage, like anything else, is an institution that is evolving over time. Heather and I have noticed how marriage preserves some generational values, while it distances itself from others. For example, just a generation ago, getting married in a church by a pastor or priest was the norm, but now couples are opting to get married in beautiful backyards (raises hand) and scenic parks by one of their closest friends or family members. Antiquated reasons for a father walking their daughter down the aisle have given way to a deeper emotional connection that is one of my favorite things to witness. Perhaps the most modern and honorable aspect of the evolution of marriage is when parents who have parted ways come together at the wedding to pay respect to one another as partners and parents while also acknowledging the newer partners and parents in their children’s lives. Emotional intelligence may not always seem like it’s on the rise, but believe me if you were at Kelly and Evan’s wedding in Connecticut you wouldn’t have had dry eyes either.
Family Tradition
Kelly’s grandparents belonged to the Shuttle Meadow Country Club before her parents did and it meant a lot to her family for her and Evan to host their reception there. I don’t typically think about deep family ties and emotions when speaking about country clubs but it was apparent in the way Kelly and her family interacted with the property and staff. Family traditions take many forms and whenever possible you should try to embrace them when planning for your wedding!
Apollo Fields Family Values & Traditions
After Heather and I had Capa it changed the way I looked at my childhood and the choices my parents made. My five siblings and I were pretty much free range chickens in our cluttered house, finding our way home for dinner after playing with neighborhood kids until dusk. The only problem was that I didn’t know that I had autonomy and power over my own decisions until I left for college, whereupon I learned of my lack of discipline and returned home shortly thereafter. I consider it one of the best things that ever happened to me because it made me really analyze what decisions I was making and why.
So when I saw Evan and Kelly’s families and the connection and respect that they all have for one another; it made me think of providing Capa the guiding hand that I did not have, while at the same time giving him the power of his own decisions as early as possible. For our families are the ones who show us our values, but it is up to us as individuals to choose the ones that we wish to celebrate.
Vendors
Apollo Fields | Photography
Venue | Shuttle Meadow Country Club | Kensington, CT
Floral | Kellie Rose Florals
Band | The Parachute Brigade
Dress | Lee-Ann Belter
Dress 2 | BHLDN
Suit | Bonobos
Rings | Traynham’s Jewelers
Hair and Makeup | Opal
Invitations | Minted
The Piermont Wedding Photography in Babylon, NY
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Justyna + Steve
As much as we love to travel, photographing local weddings continues to make me appreciate the place I grew up. Maybe not the Long Island Expressway or the incessant traffic, but discovering the little pocket towns that line the coast like buoys out in the water. It’s like walking into a familiar community that is just a notch different from where you are from. Last year, we shot a wedding at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville that felt like a combination of the Caribbean and Long Island vibe; then we went out to Three Village Inn in Stony Brook that gave us a sense of the 19th century history of the island that enamored figures like Walt Whitman and Teddy Roosevelt. This year we’ve gotten a closer look at Centerport Harbor just down the road from our house at the newly renovated Water’s Edge; and Babylon Cove at The Piermont for Justyna and Steve’s wedding.
Rainbow Wedding Photos
Okay I’m not sure what Justyna and Steve did to please the wedding gods but never have we ever seen a full rainbow at a wedding reception. I’m talking, arcing-across-the whole-blue-sky-there’s-gotta-be-a-pot-of-gold-at-the-end type of rainbow. There’s no planning this sort of thing at your wedding but we were in as much awe as the rest of Justyna and Steve’s wedding guests.
Best Wedding Photos
Most of our couples have a few things in common when it comes to wedding photos: they love candids, don’t know how to pose, and get nervous in front of the camera. Family formals are necessary for posterity but beyond that–you fill in the blanks when it comes to the rest. Justyna and Steve decided to do some of their formals outside of the church that they got married at, and wanted to stop at the bar where they had their first date for a few photos before we made our way to a local park for bridal party photos. We stole them for a few more golden hour shots at the venue and had them back with plenty of time to party. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to wedding photography, so make sure you prioritize what is most important to you within your timeline and we will handle the rest!
Long Island Wedding Photography
The more people I meet and tell them about Heather, Capa, and Apollo Fields, the happier I become. Somewhere between contentedness, fulfilled, tired, and grateful, I look at all of the places we get to visit and love we get to document and all of a sudden I’m going through a mental rolodex of rolling memories. I think about Andy’s (Ed Helms) line from The Office pretty often when he said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you left them.” That’s why I always make a conscious effort to take in a view, or kiss Heather on the head when a really tender first dance is happening or the sun is setting. No matter where we are, no matter whose wedding we’re working, at some point during the day Heather and I make eye contact and have an inside joke or shared glance that says “I love you.” It’s Long Island for now, but who knows what’s next.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | The Piermont | Babylon, NY
Band | Trade Winds
Floral | Flowers by Burton
Coastal Wedding at Water's Edge in Centerport, NY
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Erin + Gavin’s Wedding
Wedding season 2022 is upon us and it feels gooooood! Heather, Capa, and I spent most of our “off-season” traveling: a couple of work trips to Florida, and a few leisure trips to Mexico City, Aruba, and Vermont. Everything and everywhere seems to feel fuller, more enriching with Capa growing by our sides. The bigger he gets the more he engages, and the more I want to throw him on my shoulders and show him the world.
Water’s Edge Wedding Photos
The venue formerly known as Thatched Cottage on 25A in Centerport has gotten a fancy new facelift and it is stunning. Clean, marble surfaces, pristine white walls and columns, and a beautiful expansive patio out on the water. The decor is modern and inviting, well lit, and flattering. We were so excited to work in the space and Gavin and Erin’s wedding did not disappoint!
Oyster Bay Engagement Photography
We began the day at Gavin and Erin’s gorgeous home in Oyster Bay, where the girls were getting ready while the guys relaxed at the Marriot hotel in Melville. As a photographer, there are a few things you come to expect when you walk in the door: clouds of hairspray, half-drunken mimosas, curling irons, makeup kits, and empty water bottles, and a bride slightly on edge. Everything is finally coming together and the reality of their wedding day is beginning to set in. We like to plan to arrive 30 minutes before the bride gets in her dress, and Gavin and Erin’s home checked all of the boxes except that Erin was as calm as a breeze passing over Oyster Bay.
Wedding Vibes Come From the Top Down
You can pretty much tell how a wedding day is going to go when you see a couple engage with each other after their “first look.” Up until then, the jitters of marrying your partner play in your mind like those nostalgic butterflies on the playground—except they feel a lot larger. Before Gavin even turned around to see Erin he turned to me and said, “I know I’m gonna cry,” and that’s all you really need to know about their relationship. They have a kind tenderness to the way they look at each other; and we knew that when we did their engagement session a few months earlier.
Bridal Parties Amplify the Vibe
A proper bridal party knows their couple inside and out, tends to their wants and needs, and parties their faces off. Whether that means packing the dance floor, carrying the bride’s train, or pouring her a baby shot of vodka to curb the jitters, a bridal party knows what to do. That couldn’t have been more true for both sides of Gavin and Erin’s bridal parties, who gave support and care when their best friends needed it, and were the first ones to lift them off the ground when they asked for that too. They were a photographer’s dream: photogenic, packed with energy, and followed direction to a tee. Bravo to the couple for picking solid crews to surround them!
Rain Happens, But Don’t Let it Cloud Your Wedding Day
The more perfect you expect your wedding to be the more upset you will be when things out of your control happen. I’m not saying don’t get excited, I’m saying be prepared to embrace contingency plans. On an otherwise gorgeous day, Gavin and Erin had to shift their ceremony location change at the last minute due to rain in the area, but they didn’t let it get them down. The strength of their relationship and their connection to each other permeated the stress of the situation and they still had a beautiful ceremony thanks to the fast-moving team at Water’s Edge. Love is a top-down thing on your wedding day, and that is even more true for the rest of your life!
vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Water’s Edge | Centerport, NY
Band | Silver Arrow Band
Cake | Dortoni Bakery
Floral | Verbena Designs
Rings | Catbird | Brooklyn, NY
Dress | BHLDN
Suit | Men’s Wearhouse
Invitations | Minted / The Printery (Oyster Bay, NY)
Transportation | Mark of Elegance
Chart House Wedding Photography in NJ
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Lily + Dan’s Wedding
Being invited to photograph any wedding is a privilege. But being invited to photograph the wedding of my childhood bestie is an extra special privilege and one that isn’t lost on me.
Lily and I met in pre-school and were fast friends, despite the fact that she came home from school to tell her mom about her new buddy “Feather” and promptly decided that I must be the spawn of hippie parents. (Little did they know, my dad wanted to name me Pinecone, so the assumptions weren’t that far off).
But as we grew closer, so did our parents, and for the next decade we had lived within walking distance of each other so there were endless playdates, hiking adventures, sleep overs, and I even managed to coerce Lily and her sister onto a horse one or two times. We went to the same schools and rode the same bus all the way up until 9th grade when I left for boarding school, but despite the distance, still managed to maintain our friendship as we formally grew up, went to college, began our careers, and eventually “settled down”.
“Settled down” is a term I mostly loathe, so please don’t take it too seriously. There is an inherent resignation in the phrase, which is precisely the opposite of how I feel at this point in my life. But it does sort of blow my mind to think that we are at the age where we can be getting married and having babies and it’s not scandalous.
When Lily and Dan first began dating, I was living in the UWS of the city at the time. And I remember joining them at the tail end of one of their early dates in midtown actually, but my fatal flaw was that it was during my "sober week” that I do the first week of each new year. We had a great time, but I do remember the bartender getting a little sassy with me for just ordering an iced tea late night at a bar….
Over the years though, their relationship grew and grew so I was both delighted and unsurprised when they got engaged! Getting the opportunity to photograph their wedding meant so much to me, as I was able to be so hands-on with both of them on one of the biggest days of their lives! And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up at least a few times during their big day.
Capa's First Birthday
Happy Birthday to my beautiful son, Capa, my constant reminder of how everything we experience in this life is relative. My previous 32 revolutions around the sun should’ve made the 33rd just another spin around the old block—but you have made every turn around the corner feel anew. Every week and every month you blew past a milestone like a road marker on a never ending highway. I’ll always remember the first time you opened your eyes in the bright winter light shining through the window, your eyelids creaking open like a pair of attic doors. How your smile has changed from a gummy smirk to your best impression of Michael Jordan with your tongue out, to a brief hillbilly phase, and now a hungry shark. The cliches and adages come true one at a time and the best I can do is watch in awe.
I can’t help but think of the way I am going to screw you up in one way or another, knowing full well that it is an inevitability. Every time I hold your hands to help you walk I flip through a rolodex of life advice in my head, finding fault in almost every single kernel. I can already see us playing catch in the backyard as I start in on a forced aphorism: “Well son, life is about balance–but not too much–because the real fun is on the extremes–but make sure you always come back to center–or at least try to, because nobody likes a square.” Then as we continue to chase mom around the house you let out a squeal–a release of an overabundance of joy and excitement that you simply can’t contain any longer– and I realize that parents are just people doing the best that they can do.
My childhood as one of six children in a household with divorced parents resembled a chicken coop more than it did a home. We all wandered around aimlessly, trying to find a direction or something to eat–yet here we are–years later and we all survived and turned out to be self-sufficient, albeit very different adults. Not a single one of us got nabbed by life’s proverbial hawks. So it’s hard for me to say, given my sibling’s similar circumstances, the best way a person can be an effective parent. The free-range method has seemed to work out for the Huies.
I can safely say that I will have more of a presence in your life than a chicken handler, Capa, even if it is at whatever cost that I cannot predict. It is our responsibility as parents to raise our children in the positive ways that we weren’t as kids with the hope of “giving them a better life than we had.” This is not to disparage my roots, my parents, or my childhood, all of which I am grateful for, but rather to gain clarity on what effective parenting will look like for my relationship to you.
I hope that the amount you have grown in your first year creates a trend in your life, Capa. Not one borne out of mammalian physical necessity but one that reminds you when you’re my age that a plateau is your worst enemy. After the age of 30 people jokingly say that they stop counting. I admit that at times I have gotten lost in the years, but thanks to you, my beautiful little reminder, I’m going to start again with one.
RGNY Winery Wedding Photos on Long Island
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Stephanie + John
I’m beginning to fall in love with autumn skies. How the white wispy clouds seem to be suspended in the pale blue sea like stuffed toys spinning above a child’s crib. And how the chill in the air creates tears in the corners of my eyes but somehow the atmosphere appears more clear the longer that I hold them open. I love how the smoke from fireplaces in the distance smells totally different from the beach bonfires on those late summer nights. I can practically see the couple or the family cuddling around the couch and coffee table with the hooting and hollering and clicking and clacking of dice in a pair of hands. My nose begins to sniffle and I take one last inhale and exhale before I head inside to Heather, Capa, and the dogs to do something of the same.
A week before John and Stephanie’s wedding at RG|NY in Riverhead, NY, Heather, Capa, and I headed out to the north fork of Long Island to check out a ciderhouse and try to get lost in a corn maze. After laughing our way through the corn stalks and warming up with some great local cider, we decided to stop at the shopping outlets to pick up a couple outfits. We were in a store when I caught a very well-dressed, good looking guy looking at me like he had a question for someone who worked there--I was immediately confused because I was in a black sweatshirt with Capa’s drool stains all over it. He said, “I’m sorry,” and nodded over towards Heather with a smile that said, “I’m pretty sure we know each other.”
Funny enough it was John and Stephanie picking out an outfit for his son, Ryan, for the wedding! I was taken aback by their warmth and friendliness because I’m usually an overly friendly person. This was my first time meeting them but Heather had previously done their amazing engagement photos on Fire Island where they popped champagne and had a blast despite having a sketchy weather forecast. They were a little worried like most couples getting married about how the weather was going to be on their wedding day, but with their even-keeled demeanor I knew it was going to be a great wedding no matter what.
And it was. Stephanie and John got a beautiful, cool fall day and they both looked absolutely stunning. I learned of the stories of their relationship in its early stages and how they used to take the cross-sound ferry to each other. They both never wanted their dates to end and it reminded me of the romance of my first relationships ever. The feeling of how nothing else existed beyond the words and coy glances from the person you’re spending time with. Like being trapped in a bubble that you never want to pop. “There’s always the next ferry,” John and Stephanie would say to each other.
It’s hard to bottle up the idyllic images or experiences in our lives, harder still to even remember to recollect them. Days pass and we spend most of them with our eyes on the road, down at our phones, or working. Part of what makes my job great is that my mind is peppered with these idyllic images and experiences every year. I do my best to relive them through writing these words, and remembering to take in an extra deep breath or two when I smell a fire in the distance on a cold, autumn night.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | RG|NY | Riverhead, New York
“There’s always the next ferry”
Enjoying the heck out of Stephanie and John’s wedding!
Oyster Bay Engagement Photography
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It’s November 12th, 2021, and it’s just starting to get cold. There are still a ton of leaves on the trees and it looks like we’re going to skip fall and go straight to winter. Two weeks ago the darkness began stealing the daylight from us and I’m kind of okay with it. We’re approaching Capa’s first birthday and the long nights remind me of his first few months of life: hunkering down, cuddling and watching The Sopranos on our pull-out couch, and waking up to crisp, cold, and bright mornings. Pristine memories as clear as photographs. We are very lucky people.
Erin + Gavin
I first met Erin at Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington, NY. I mentioned that Heather and I run a wedding photography business and we exchanged info on the fly. Erin and her fiance, Gavin, are set to get married at Water’s Edge in Centerport in the spring of 2022 and we can’t wait!
We decided to begin with Erin and Gavin’s engagement photos in Oyster Bay at their house. The session started in their front yard, right in front of a couple of large, beautiful trees, one of which Gavin used to climb as a child. From there we headed to the backyard to involve their two adorable pups who were more interested in showing us what zoomies looked like. We eventually wrangled them for a couple of cute shots before hopping into the car and heading to a beach on Oyster Bay. The golden light poured over the trees from a pure blue sky that only a late afternoon in the fall can deliver. When there is that slight chill in the air that makes you want to throw on a sweatshirt and fall into the arms of someone you love.
Fall has always been Heather’s favorite season but I’m partial to the first warm days of spring. One of the things she loves to do is collect a few colorful leaves every year, trying to capture that autumnal feeling like a ship in a bottle. I love that first run or sporting event in the spring where I can open up my lungs and eyes and truly breathe. Staring at my pale, dry, complexion in the fogged up mirrors of the gym just doesn’t quite do it for me. The idea of 70 degree weather year round is alluring, but I think the changing of the seasons helps us connect to the cycle of the earth and reminds us that we are alive.
For the first year of Capa’s life it has been difficult to schedule time to exercise--it’s been even harder to resist comfort food and find the energy to do it! Having a child sends your priorities for a loop and the dust is just beginning to settle. Being able to spend time with couples like Gavin and Erin reminds Heather and I of the early stages of our relationship at a time when it’s also hard to make time for each other. It makes taking those pictures and printing out engagement photos that much more special. We are all lucky people and it’s up to us to try to create as many pristine memories as possible. Whichever season is your favorite, I just hope that it makes you feel alive.
Nassau Museum of Art Wedding in Long Island
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Rachael & George
A garden of modern art installations, wooden chairs arranged between beautiful flowers and bushes, and an old 20th century building displaying an Andy Warhol exhibit. Walk by the Campbell’s Soup section and past a group of work from Warhol’s portraiture period and a door creaks open to a group of bridesmaids seeing Rachael in her dress for the first time. Our job as wedding photographers takes us to a ton of amazing places, and sometimes the best ones are the ones you had no idea existed—like Rachael and George’s wedding photos at the Nassau Museum of Art in Roslyn on Long Island.
The first time I met Rachael was either in middle school or high school. I used to go over her house in Northport to play basketball with her older brother, Brett, in their beautiful backyard. A few years younger, Rachael used to run around the neighborhood with her group of friends while we did our thing. I vaguely remember playing capture the flag and climbing over the fence into the neighbors yard and getting in trouble. Who could’ve guessed that I would be photographing her wedding 15-20 years later!
When we asked Rachael and George if they wanted any particular photos during their engagement session at the Vanderbilt Museum—both of their eyes lit up as they shouted—“we need the chest bump picture!” Apparently for every gathering where there is a photographer they take position 5-10 feet from one another, and then enthusiastically run up, jump, and give each other a chest bump. It was a hilarious sight to see and we love when our couples have traditions and inside jokes. Each instance gives you an insight into their relationship and showcases their sense of humor.
That’s part of why doing an engagement session is so important. It’s not just for the photos, or to do something cute with your partner—it’s about getting in front of our camera, getting to know us, and letting us into your world. It’s about getting to a place to feel comfortable enough to be goofy and silly because in our opinion, that’s when human beings are in their most beautiful state. Of course we throw on some makeup and put on nice clothes, but you cannot replicate an individual’s unique genuine joy with material products. Please take our advice: book an engagement session and take up our offer to grab a beer after—trust me—you’ll feel that much better come wedding day.
We had a blast with Rachael and George at their wedding at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Rachael did an impeccable job of planning and execution and their friends and family did the rest. The outdoor art installations provided great props for wedding party photos, and the artwork and white walls of the inside of the buildings glowed with a curated elegance. Of all of the places we traveled to this year, I never expected to take a bride’s first look next to the work of a world renowned artist—I guess we will just have to start setting the bar a little higher.
Enjoy these photos from George & Rachael’s Nassau Museum of Art Wedding:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Nassau Museum of Art | Roslyn, NY
Catering | Elegant Affairs
Dress | Bridal Reflections | Massapequa, NY
Rings | Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay
Invitations | Lion in the Sun | Park Slope, Brooklyn
Hair and Makeup | The Look Spa Salon | Greenlawn, NY
Transportation | Trans-Star Executive
Band | J-Riz Entertainment
Wrapping up a great night
With Rachael & George! Reach out for your own wedding photography needs below!
Bear Mountain State Park Engagement Photos
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Carly + Kyle’s Bear Mountain Engagement Photos
Waking up on Heather’s family farm, Honeymoon Acres, feels like being part of a child’s storybook. One of the potbelly pigs, either Johnny Walker Tito Cash (yes that is his full name) or Rose grunts to be let outside or serve them breakfast. The silkie chicken that is trying to become a rooster attempts to crow but sounds like the cracking voice of a teenage boy going through puberty. Billy, the arthritic goat, walks through the backyard on her knees because her hooves ache too much. Then I release the dogs: Riddle, Rumor, Bertie, and Ms. Jean to do their business and run around the yard like a pack of wild hyenas. The donkey, Brownie, and pony, Amber, neigh from the barn as I take my first sip of coffee. It’s kind of like Old Macdonalds Farm meets a Tim Burton movie--a motley, quirky crew of animals and family and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Heather and I were in the neighborhood to do Carly and Kyle’s engagement photos at Bear Mountain State Park. I surprisingly had never been to the mountain before and was completely blown away by the panoramic views of the orange, red, and yellow leaves. It was like we still lived in Colorado but the Aspen Trees were swapped out for Maples and Oaks. I’m glad that despite being spoiled for two years in the Rockies that my home back east could still evoke that feeling of smallness; where all you want to do is take a deep breath and exhale above the treetops.
Carly and Kyle live and met in Stamford, Connecticut, and trekked over to Bear Mountain to get some peak foliage engagement photos. They couldn’t have timed it any better and Heather and I were immediately jealous just looking at the raw images in the back of the camera. We started down at Hessian Lake near the lodge for their first casual outfit, then finished at the top next to Perkins Memorial Tower for their more chic look. The top of the mountain was a little crowded with tourists but Carly and Kyle rolled through their paparazzi moment with laughter and smiles.
And that’s why we say having an engagement session is so important! It’s not just to grab some photos for save the dates and invitations--it’s to get in front of our cameras and start to feel comfortable. We know from experience that (almost) no one feels comfortable in front of a camera; ourselves included! You should see my camera reel with all of the photos of Heather hiding her face behind a mask, our baby, or any inanimate object she can get her hands on. It doesn’t feel natural to be the center of attention but that’s exactly what we are on our wedding day. So book an engagement session, peek at our style guide, show up, and we’ll do the rest.
As we drove back down the switchbacks of Bear Mountain we kept fawning over Carly and Kyle and the views. This wedding season has been one for the ages and if Carly and Kyle are any indication, 2023 (!!) is already beginning to take on a beautiful shape.
Montauk Wedding Photography in the Hamptons, NY
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Chris & Kristen
Walking along a beach in Montauk at midnight, Heather and I watched the waves crash in the moonlight. It was the first night we got to spend together sans Capa since he was born. Eight months of long nights, groggy mornings, and “you got this one [diaper change]?” What made the moment even sweeter was the memory of my after prom on the same beach 15 years ago. Just the thought of reliving some of those memories made me cringe. It was like the feeling of regret--but deeper, more intimate. Like I wanted to go back in time to tell myself to relax because it was all going to work out. Just then, Heather and I took a seat, leaned back, and let our heads fall into the sand.
Heather first met Chris back when she was going to equestrian school with his younger sister, Bri. Chris and Bri’s family is the kind of family to invite you over for dinner or ask you to tag along when they are going out for the night. Such was the case when Heather and I snapped Bri and her husband Tyler’s Montauk engagement photos when we all went out to dinner after. Kristen and Chris were just dating at the time, but you could tell by the relaxed way that they engaged with one another that this was just the beginning.
Maybe it’s because they both live in Montauk, but Kristen ahd Chris are laid back through-and-through. I’d never met a couple so relaxed on their wedding day. Kristen was getting ready at a beautiful harborfront spot with her closest girls, while Chris kicked it back at the family house with the boys. The overcast day created a cool afternoon, and Chris and Kristen and their bridal parties took full advantage.
From there we all went up to Chris’s family property atop a hill in Montauk with waterviews all around. A light drizzle began to come down during the ceremony right before the clouds opened up for a moment in the distance. A few sun rays popped right through and the moisture in the atmosphere appeared. The drizzle stopped but the same breeze from the afternoon had guests wrapping their sport coats around bare shoulders. A hybrid audience, half-seated and half-standing, roared at the ceremony’s conclusion and the party was set to begin.
From a full raw bar to a raucous live band, Kristen and Chris’s wedding celebration was one for the ages. There were always feet on the dance floor and someone screaming at the top of their lungs. When the sun went down on their property in Montauk you couldn’t see the water anymore but you could hear it--you could feel it. And maybe that’s what keeps us Long Islanders from leaving--when you’re only so far from the beach you can just close your eyes and feel the breeze--and know that everything is going to work out.
Enjoy these photos from Chris & Kristen’s Montauk Wedding:
Photography: Apollo Fields
Wedding Planning: Forever Young Events
Catering: Janet O’Brien Caterers
Apollo Fields
We love a good party, and Kristen and Chris certainly delivered! For your own wedding photography, reach out below:
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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