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
Owl's Hoot Barn Wedding in Coxsackie, NY
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Jess + Kyle
Some of our couples find us through Instagram, some were guests at a wedding we worked, and others, like Jess, are best friends with the woman who delivered our baby, Capa. We actually met Jess for the first time at Stony Brook hospital a week after Capa was born when Heather had a postpartum appointment. I’d never visited a friend who works in medicine at their hospital before but boy were we grateful for Jess’s enthusiasm and warmth.
Long Island and Upstate New York Wedding Photographer
Even though most in attendance to Jess and Kyle’s wedding were from Long Island, they still opted to get married at Owl’s Hoot Barn in West Coxsackie, NY. It’s a beautiful venue with a cute bridge, little creek, a few ceremony sites to choose from, and a great combination of rustic and modern amenities. Jess and Kyle each had their own house on site to get ready in, maintain privacy, and have plenty of space. The light pouring in through the barn doors was perfect for the reception, and the cocktail hour under the covered back patio allowed for their guests to comfortably enjoy the day.
Have Your Friend Officiate Your Wedding
I may be a bit partial to Michelle, Jess’ best friend, officiant, and our midwife, but having someone close to you officiate your wedding is absolutely the way to go. They know your quirks, relationship, and will speak from the heart. Watching the ceremony allowed me into enter another world of Michelle’s life and of course it was consistent with her thoughtful, caring, and genuine self. You just won’t get the same type of emotional investment in those moments with an officiant-for-hire. We welcome all the feelings and all the tears!
That Time Your Wedding PHotographer Rapped with the Bride
So I don’t know exactly how it happened, but it did. That familiar guitar riff from “Lose Yourself” by Eminem came on and Jess got into the middle of the dance floor and started going for it! As a huge Eminem fan, I joined in on the rapping from the sidelines, but once her friends started peeling off as the song got into its lesser known verses, I found myself gravitating towards the center. I wasn’t going to let her rap by herself! Then all of a sudden, there I was, camera on my hip, rapping with Jess as we exchanged lines. If you prefer your wedding photographer to wear black and be a wallflower, please don’t play Eminem or classic hip-hop. You’ve been warned.
End your Wedding with a Bonfire
The music fades, the cake or ice cream has come and gone, and your friends aren’t done hanging out yet. Book yourself a venue like Owl’s Hoot and grab a bench or a stump to roast a marshmallow and assemble a s’more. The perfect wind down to an epic celebration, just don’t tell Heather, she gets waaay too competitive about her s’more technique.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Owl’s Hoot Barn | West Coxsackie, NY
Floral | River Garden Flower Farm
DJ | DJ Johnny B
Videography | Genuine Collective Films
Makeup | True Beauty Company
Suit | Advance Formal Wear | Rockville Centre, NY
Dress | Enzoani | Bridal Reflections
Invitations | Minted
Cupcakes | Dolce and Biscotti | Clifton Park, NY
Transportation | First Student Transportation
Riviera Waterfront Mansion Wedding Photos
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Kristen & Mike
Fall colors, a stiff but gentle breeze, your significant other nestling onto the shoulder of your flannel shirt. Genuine laughter, a pause, and the click of the shutter from Heather’s camera. Heather, Mike, Kristen, and I marched forward, brittle leaves crackling beneath our feet as we circled Stump Pond in Blydenburgh Park in Smithtown in fall 2019. Pre-Covid memories like these seem more like a dream, reminiscent of the pristine moments from Heather and I’s honeymoon in Jamaica. They manifest a clear division of before and after [quarantine] in my mind, where our relationships with our couples represent the light at both ends of a dark tunnel.
Kristen and Mike held their ceremony last year in East Northport, stopping in Heckscher Park in Huntington afterwards for family formals and romantics. They turned it up this year for their reception at the Riviera Waterfront Mansion in Massapequa and it did not disappoint! Although it rained, the beautifully renovated property right on South Oyster Bay allowed Kristen and Mike’s family and friends to mingle and explore, especially when the clouds let up for a short while.
Kristen and Mike took it all in stride, allowing themselves to enjoy the celebration that they waited so long for. When cocktail hour gave way to the reception, the grand entrances of the wedding party officially kick started the day. With a camera on one hip and a stuffed octopus on the other, Heather, Capa (with protective headphones) and I danced and documented these priceless moments. Seeing all of Kristen and Mike’s closest family and friends that we’d met the year before reminded us how grateful we are for being, albeit briefly, allowed into these intimate circles of our couple’s lives. Occasionally we’re even lucky enough to be invited to photograph one of their siblings or relative’s weddings!
Such is the case with Kristen’s brother, Mike, and his fiance, Caity. We’ll be photographing their wedding at Sunken Meadow State Park in August 2022 and we’re already pumped. Caity and Mike, like Kristen and Mike, are fun loving, salt-of-the-earth type people. They’re the kind of people you want to sit around a bonfire with, sharing stories, ‘smores, and a drink or two. They’re the kind of people you can count on.
And in this last year I think we’ve all needed and found the people in our lives that we can count on. I was surprised that my five siblings and I kept a weekly Zoom chat going all year. It culminated into our first family vacation together with all of our partners and children. For all of the turmoil that each one of us have been through, having a friend or family member you can count on is one of the most valuable assets you can have in life. Lucky for Mike and Kristen, Caity and Mike, and Heather and I, we all have our partners, and now we all have each other to follow the light outside the tunnel.
Enjoy these photos from Kristen & Mike’s Riviera Waterfront wedding reception:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Riviera Waterfront Mansion | Massapequa, NY
Videography | Chris Lobello Productions
Suits | Karako
Dress | Madi Lane Bridal
Hair Vine | Green Alaska
Shoes | Betsey Johnson
Floral | Tim’s Florist | Massapequa, NY
Having the best time!
With Kristen & Mike ANDDDD one of our couples for next year, Caity & Mike!!
Waterside Restaurant Weddings New Jersey
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Heather and Scott’s Wedding
“This is actually the park where Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton,” Scott told me, his eyebrows raised with the enthusiasm that comes with sharing a juicy factoid. Heather (my wife), Heather (the bride-to-be), Scott, Capa, and I were walking through Hamilton Park in Weehawken, New Jersey, just on the other side of the Hudson from Manhattan, snapping some pre-wedding celebration photos before we made our way up to their venue. I have to say, the view of the skyline from Hamilton Park is unparalleled--and I do love me some views from Brooklyn Bridge Park, The Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Liberty State Park (NJ), and Gantry Plaza--but the combination of the elevation and the location of the park (across from ~ 48th Street in NYC) truly takes the cake.
I met Heather and Scott about seven years ago in my favorite community that I’ve ever been a part of in New York--Sheep’s Meadow Ultimate [Frisbee]. Led by a dear friend, Ben, Sheep’s Meadow Ultimate is an ever-increasing group of performers, hospitality professionals, tourists, and pretty much anyone who ever wanted to join in on our ultimate frisbee game. We spent so many hot summer days out there, sweating, laughing, and trying not to get kicked out by the park rangers. I knew Heather and Scott before they were Heather and Scott--and it’s amazing that our frisbee community led to Heather and I being their wedding photographers.
Heather and Scott are performers through-and-through. They’ve both been on Broadway and it had me wondering how people who love the spotlight fared through quarantine. They said that they both found ways to redirect their unspent energy: exercising, eating healthy, exploring career options that don’t rely on rooms filled with hundreds of people. They’ve fallen in love with biking up and down the coast of New Jersey, staring across the Hudson at the city that brought them together. “We love it here,” Scott said.
I was so excited to see Heather and Scott dance together because I know the energy and skill that each of them bring to the table. So when the music started and the smoke machine started pumping I put headphones on Capa and Heather and I started snapping away. Heather and Scott immediately locked right in, synchronizing steps, movements, and looks toward the crowd, baiting their guests with confident stares that said, I know you want more. Things started getting really spicy when Scott heard Michael Jackson come on. I’m so jealous of performers like Heather and Scott who can own a stage like that--Heather and I talk a big game--but when all the lights are on us we pick up a camera, pen, or meet for a beer at the bar.
When you make a connection with someone you never know how long it’s going to last. I’ve seen so many friends disappear over the years, and sadly enough, most of the time it’s for the better. Yet the ones that come back, the ones that reach out, and say, “hey, heard you were in town, want to grab a beer?” Are the ones who are growing right along with you; the ones who aren’t just living life but taking center stage.
Enjoy Scott & Heather’s Wedding Reception Photos:
vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Waterside Weddings
Team Apollo!
Having a blast, as usual, with baby Capa in tow!
Central Park Wedding in Shakespeare's Garden
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Emily + David
Damn it feels good to be back! I’m finally beginning to feel like myself again after such a tumultuous year. With every conversation my mind is making new connections to old memories like fresh breaths of spring air. Heather and I are back on the road, this time with Capa’s squishy napping face in the seatback mirror. First stop, Emily and David’s intimate wedding at Shakespeare’s Garden in Central Park!
Like many other couples, Emily and David’s wedding plans changed several times, but their pivot to an intimate ceremony near Shakespeare’s Garden in Central Park struck all of the right chords. Tucked into a small picnic area directly behind the steps of Belvedere’s Castle, Emily and David’s ceremony was light, heartfelt, and honest. Small drizzles of rain dropped upon our heads but the clouds held off, creating an almost fantasy-like novel atmosphere of refracted light.
We strolled through Shakespeare’s Garden, stopping to take a series of photos in front of the blossoming tulips that bursted with color. We turned a corner and stumbled across a couple of surprised locals when Heather was clicking away on her Nikon while at the same time nursing Capa. “You are my idol,” one woman shouted, “You go girl,” said another. Integrating the development of our son into our business will be a constant give-and-take relationship, but it is one that we find deeply important as parents and partners.
We continued on through the paths between the trees towards Bethesda Fountain, where Emily and David first wanted to have their ceremony. A nice group of teenagers moved when they saw us beginning to pose them in front of the fountain--an act of kindness that I will never forget. Just as we were about to wrap the close shots of them at the fountain a gust of wind swept through and drenched Emily and David like a log flume at Six Flags. They laughed it off and began to dance and share space with one another on the side.
Emily’s dress was the perfect combination of class and comfort, as she was able to navigate the park and look absolutely stunning. David’s great smile and fun personality popped from the lapels of his grey suit as we moved beneath the terrace where there were a couple of quintessential New York City buskers. Heather encouraged Emily and David to take a moment and enjoy a dance in the spot where they wanted to get married, when suddenly one of the buskers began tenderly singing Lean on Me by Bill Withers, and the entire moment came together so serendipitously. It was impossible not to become emotional in a beautiful happenstance like that given all that Emily, David and all of us have been through this last year.
Emily and David went on to have a small reception at a local Irish pub where they spent a lot of time early in their relationship. I think everyone who has spent a good amount of time in NYC has their own Irish pub; maybe a year from now we can all go back and celebrate the one year anniversary when the warm spring air begins to smell like tulips again.
Team Apollo
In our favorite park (Central Park, duh!) doing what we do best.
Greek Wedding Photographers in Upstate New York
Greek Wedding Traditions | Upstate New York Weddings and Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
Planning a wedding can be a big, elaborate affair but when you come from a big Greek family, the traditions and expectations can really pile on! In a good way, of course, but Greek weddings can be a real to-do! We love them because of how dynamic everything is and the energy level can really escalade into a good party, which always makes our job that much more fun and the photos come out so energetic.
The morning of Paris and Dayna’s wedding was buzzing with friends and family and each other’s houses. Paris got dressed with his groomsmen and participated in a Greek tradition where his Best Man will shave him and then friends and family will take turns afterwards. This symbolizes trust on your wedding day, because OBVIOUSLY things could go very wrong with an untrustworthy person— from a bad job to cutting your face— it’s important that you have a good crew there!
The wedding ceremony took place in a church where the rings were blessed three times by the priest before officially exchanged, in addition to their personalized vows that were read aloud (this isn’t as traditional, but was a fun way for this couple to give their own personal and modern take on the ceremony). One of my favorite elements of Greek ceremonies is the crowns that symbolize the union of two people into a singular entity. They are connected and worn by both partners, which I think is so sweet but also meaningful.
I loved the large wedding parties that they had and they were certainly ready to have a good time! Those portraits were probably some of my favorites, with exception of the bride and groom shots, because everyone was having so much fun together despite the hot summer day. We were able to find some shade and a nice big white wall which was a double whammy for us because the reflector that naturally occurs with all that white!
One of the most recognizable parts of a Greek wedding is the money throwing at the dancing part of the evening and it never disappoints! It feels so surreal to be out on the dance floor with tons of cash just flying in every direction! The older guests always seem to have a blast with this tradition, as well as the kids who love to dance around in all the piles of money. It always cracks me up when you see one of the staff members come up with a big sweep broom and just push the money into a big pile. It makes me think about where any dollar bill could have been— you might not imagine on a dance floor but who knows!?
Shot by Apollo Fields for Sloane Dakota
