74 Wythe NYC Rooftop Wedding in Brooklyn
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Hiro + Janel
The wedding season winding down feels like those last couple hours of an amazing dinner party: you’ve got a good buzz going and you’re looking around as the crowd starts to wane--but you’re not quite done yet. You start striking up conversations with people you’ve never met and you open one of the leftover bottles of wine. As guests continue to file out you find yourself finishing your last few sips and you begin to admit that the night is coming to a close. It’s bittersweet--but you know that rest is important and you say good night to the hosts for an amazing evening. 2021 was (and is) Heather and I’s best year of our lives, both professionally and personally, so it’s only fitting that Hiro and Janel are one of the last few incredible hosts to bring our year to a close.
The week leading up to a wedding Heather and I are always keeping an eye on the weather report. Even if the forecast says rain we typically carry a bit of optimism because you never really know. Contingency plans are important, of course, but maintaining a positive attitude is even more critical. I’ve learned to watch how a couple manages their emotions during their wedding day--it often tells you most of what you need to know about how they handle difficulties in their relationship. Well despite hail, sideways wind, and an immense wall of fog sweeping through Manhattan like an early morning in San Francisco, Hiro and Janel were class and charm all the way through.
When Heather and I started snapping Hiro and Janel’s getting ready photos at The William Vale in Williasmburg, Brooklyn, the sky was tame and the atmosphere clear. I took Hiro and his family members and groomsmen out onto the gorgeous balcony overlooking the east river and took advantage of the beautiful, diffracted light. Within minutes the sky went black and little white pebbles began to fall from the sky. I could no longer see a single building in Manhattan. Hiro and Janel’s wedding venue, 74Wythe, was just across the street but the hail gave way to a downpour of rain. Crossing that block would feel like an avenue in the city. Heather and I told Hiro and Janel that we’d go scout the venue and come back with a contingency plan.
We all decided to do Hiro and Janel’s first look in the rooftop greenhouse where they would later hold their ceremony and reception. After they climbed the stairs and turned to look at each other their gazes still carried such a depth of appreciation: of each other, the day, and the moment. It definitely wasn’t easy for them to look past the things they couldn’t control but watching the way they looked at each other I saw how strong they were together--not to mention that they looked absolutely stunning.
The night would continue on as planned, and the band brought down the house. Each of Hiro and Janel’s brothers gave speeches that further proved the caliber of their families and friends, and the depth of their connection. At the end of the night they thanked us for being calm amidst the storm and we commended them for doing the same. They invited us to the after party, and we would’ve 100% taken them up on their warm invitation if we didn’t have to get home to Capa. As we said our goodbyes and I started ratcheting down the light stands, I found a glass of wine that a guest put in my hand from 30 minutes before--and I couldn’t help but take a sip and want to stay a little longer.
Closing out the night
with Hiro and Janel! Contact us below for your own photography.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Reception | 74Wythe | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Getting Ready Photos | William Vale | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Florals | Eriko Nagata | EriN Design INTL | New York, NY
Caterer | Nuhma NYC | New York, NY
Astoria Wedding Photographers
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Alexis & Dan’s Wedding
Ever since Heather and I lived on the Upper West Side over five years ago, people have always talked about “the beer garden” in Astoria, Queens. For us, it was always too far to trek to from the UWS--kind of like Williamsburg or Bushwick in Brooklyn--but the thought of this little German-themed beer and brat oasis has never eluded me. I was so stoked to hear that Alexis and Dan planned to hold their wedding reception at Bohemian Hall because that’s where they had their informal first dates among friends.
We first met Alexis and Dan when we photographed their elopement in Gantry Plaza last year. It was a sweet, intimate outdoor ceremony with the skyline of Manhattan in the backdrop. Champagne was popped, cake cups were served, and smiles and giggles were seen and heard through cloth masks. It was evident that Alexis and Dan’s relationship is light and heartfelt, sincere and silly. They are so thoughtful that they gave us a thank you card with a typewriter print on the outside and a handwritten message on the inside--things like that go really far with us.
When we asked Alexis to compare Dan to an animal, inanimate object, scene, song, or movie in our questionnaire, she said “every entrance Kramer makes into Jerry’s apartment in Seinfeld,” and I can’t stop laughing. That is such a specific reference and vibe that I don’t think I know anyone else that can fit that description. Additionally, Alexis is as ruthless when playing games with Dan as Heather and I are and I love it. She made him spell an answer in Trivial Pursuit once and he said “Vellagio” instead of “Bellagio” and it makes me think of all of the times Heather used a bullshit word in Scrabble and I called her out on it. Relationships are all fun and games until you unfold the cardboard and put the pieces on the board.
Heather and I have always loved to play and bet on games like mini-golf, Scrabble, Patchwork, Tokaido, Sequence, and Rummy. Sometimes we make silly bets like you have to wear two different shoes on a date and other times it’s more serious like you’re picking up the tab at the brewery. There always has to be some element of embarrassment to the wager to really spice up the competition. I fondly remember one time where Heather had to wear her pants backwards at a dinner party we hosted. Somehow, people didn’t really notice--and the one person that did thought it was a style choice, lol.
It’s easy to get caught up with work and other responsibilities and forget to give your partner the same amount of attention that you did at the beginning of your relationship. Over time romance waxes and wanes and life inevitably becomes more complicated. Since having Capa Heather and I have barely played any board games and made any bets. We said we’d make a concerted effort to spend time with each other before he was born, but time management is really difficult with a little one. We both understand that we are doing all we can and before we know it we will be embarrassing one another. I just can’t wait to get Capa in on the action.
Enjoy these pics from Alexis & Dan’s Bohemian Beer Garden Wedding:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Reception Venue | Bohemian Hall [Beer Garden] | Astoria, Queens | NYC
It’s Us!
With Alexis and Dan having a great time at their wedding!! Reach out for your own photography below:
We're Not Just an Instagram Couple
Farm Venues in Hudson Valley NY | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Husband and Wife Team | Small Business Owners
“We’re not just an Instagram couple,” I playfully declared to Heather while carrying a handful of dirty dishes to the sink. “If people knew that we really live this way all the time—I think they’d be sick,” I added. We were just putting the finishing touches on a delicious candlelit dinner of baked tofu in a spicy yellow coconut curry sauce, when Heather and I both realized that that declaration was just begging to be the beginning of a blog post.
What I meant in that moment was that it’s not just that we do “‘Gram-worthy” things all the time in our everyday lives, but that we do them because we really enjoy them rather than “doing them for the ‘Gram.” Thinking on this topic made me realize that Heather and I are motivated by connecting with each other and other people—that’s why we cook healthy, homemade meals with spices we can barely pronounce for people that we love—because that’s what makes us happy. Where most people see a moment to get some likes and promote themselves (and we’re not blind to the fact that we’re doing this also), we see a moment to express ourselves and connect with like-minded people.
Social media platforms like Instagram are the 21st century soapboxes for us to climb upon and speak our truths to the town (or more accurately, our local city, country and world). They are magnificent microphones of unlimited potential, but we all know that their feeds tend to hide the dirty dishes and legwork, tucking away the hours of unsexy tedium in favor of the curated moments of short-lived perfection. While it is important to celebrate the beautiful products of our hard work it is equally important to acknowledge the reality of success, that success is built upon aches and pains, empty cups of coffee, expletives, and endless amounts of frustration. To ignore that is to fail to tell the whole story of our success or truth.
Heather and I lean into the ugly side of our truths because we know that to ignore them is to live an incomplete life. Yes, we may not be as perfect or as “‘Grammable”, but because we are honest with ourselves we feel more whole as individuals, as a couple, and as a business. It allows us to connect with each other and connect with you. It is part of our brand because we are our brand, through and through. Apollo Fields is the whole meal: the rickety chair, the dirty dishes, the colorful plate and flickering candlelight; the stubbed toe, spilt red wine, and dabbed club soda; and as such our stomachs and hearts are always full to the brim. “We are not an Instagram couple” — we are an Apollo Fields couple and are damned proud of it.
As we enter 2020 may we give equal voice to our pains as we do to our peaks, embracing bravery in our weakness as much as humility in our strength. May we help each other do the dirty dishes while we polish off that last bottle of champagne. May we remember that success and failure are not mutually exclusive but rather are inextricably linked.
Cheers, friends, let us cry and create our truths together, Instagram and other social media be damned.
Photography: Apollo Fields
