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.
Little Compton Rhode Island Wedding
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Brendan & Lia’s Wedding
When Heather first mentioned that we were shooting a wedding in Little Compton my first thoughts were of N.W.A and Kendrick Lamar. I clearly had never heard of the luxurious tight-knit Rhode Island community across the Sakonnet River from Newport. The landscape wasn’t all unlike where I’m from on the north shore of Long Island, but the beautiful properties sprawled along the coast boasted more horses and acreage than any of my town’s similar neighborhoods. Heather, Capa, and I stared in awe out towards the bright horizon as we pulled into our AirBnB the day before Brendan and Lia’s wedding.
Heather and Lia have known each other since riding horses back in their teenage years at the Ethel Walker School. I’ve come to understand that the bond between equestrian riders is pretty deep--it’s a camaraderie like being in the trenches--but instead of being at war with another army, you share war stories about being at war with the army of one between your legs. Danger is omnipresent and your survival is a combination of: skill, communication, keeping your cool, and good old fashioned luck. There’s a reason Heather took up photography.
Lia on the other hand, still trains riders on horseback and she’s apparently damned good at it. She’s so good that when we playfully asked Brendan to compare Lia to any object, animate or inanimate, he replied, “triple crown winning horse that wows the world.” With a healthy combination of playfulness and discipline, Brendan and Lia are one of those couples that like to work hard and play hard. Lia recounted a story on Christmas Eve one year when during a family tradition of “fun family tennis paddle” she rocked a forehand right into Brendan’s face and he wore it like a champ. “When he didn’t drop like a stone--I knew I had a keeper,” she declared.
Heather and I love when other couples are competitive. We are constantly competing in games, but we draw the line when it comes to more important things like raising Capa, business operations, or daily household responsibilities. There’s a sort of unwritten rule when it comes to those things because we both think it’s not a healthy habit to keep score with things that can stress us out. We trust each other to do our best--and we both see each other stretching ourselves thin to make things happen--so we leave competition to the gaming arena. Once we enter, all bets are off.
Heather and I are kind of becoming the unofficial Ethel Walkers wedding photographers. In fact we have a wedding coming up in the chapel on campus. It makes me happy to see Heather connect with old friends and to hear stories of Heather’s equestrian past. I’ve obviously known that Heather’s a tough competitor and fervent worker, but it’s nice to get a behind-the-scenes look on how she became the amazing woman she is today. Especially when one of her old classmates slips in an embarrassing story about her--those are my favorite. The best thing about it is that she usually laughs it off and wears the embarrassment, kind of like a tennis ball to the face six months into a relationship.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Wedding Planner | Mary Powers, Meadowlea Events
Band | Radiance | Wilson Stevens
Cake / Bakery | Easy Entertaining
Party Rentals | Exquisite Events Decor
Suit | Peter Millar
Dress | Stella York | VOWS (Watertown, MA)
Rings | MK Bennati Jewelers
Hair/Makeup | Allison Barber Beauty
Stationery/Invitations | Ink Papery | Shayne Wolf
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!
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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Candlelight Farms Inn Wedding in CT
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Joe + Ashleigh
An empty back seat is a strange feeling as a new parent. No rustling or jangling of a toy, no chirps or squeals, no eyes peering back at you through the rearview mirror. It’s a very real void that manifests itself when you leave your baby under another person’s care--like the feeling you get when you forget something at home on a road trip--except that thing you forgot is a living, breathing, human. Heather and I joke that having Capa is like having a regular at your bar 24/7 who always needs something. “You think this milk is warm enough!? Warm it up again!!”
We were just pulling out of Aunt Pam and Uncle Rick’s farm in Ramsey, New Jersey, en route to Ashleigh and Joe’s wedding at Candlelight Farms Inn in New Milford, Connecticut. Heather and Ashleigh know each other from back in the day when they went to The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, an established private school with a great equestrian program. Ashleigh’s mom, Dee, was actually the athletic director of the school at the time and her competitive spirit can be traced through the tightly knit relationship between Ashleigh and her other three siblings.
Two of Ashleigh’s sisters, Lexi and Sandra, gave a joint-maid-of-honor speech that spoke to just how close they’ve all become. Lexi and Sandra regaled with stories from childhood and during quarantine, and extended the same love that they have for Ashleigh to Joe. “In my eyes, I was pretty sure no one was quite good enough for my sister--but then you met Joe. Joe, to be honest, I don’t even remember the beginning of your relationship because it feels like you’ve always been a part of the fam,” Sandra read through teary eyes and trembling lips. Lexi added how much Joe has challenged her in the last year, both in the gym and intellectually, and how he’s become one of her best friends. Behind the delivery of every one of Lexi and Sandra’s words was the bittersweet knowledge that Ashleigh and Joe would soon be moving down to North Carolina.
After trying to discreetly wipe the tears from the viewfinder of my camera one of the bridesmaids called me out and yelled, “even the photographer is crying!” No shame, I replied, “how could you not?” Heather and I document speeches all of the time and few are as raw, honest, and real as the ones that Lexi and Sandra delivered. Plus, it brought back memories of when Heather and I first moved to Colorado from NYC and the blubbering messes we were at our going away parties. We admire Joe and Ashleigh for pursuing their careers and taking on a new adventure, knowing the amazing friends and experiences we accrued in our little cozy cottage in Arvada, CO.
Over the course of Ashleigh and Joe’s wedding day we barely had to give them any direction for photos. It is a wedding photographer’s dream to be able to move through the logistics seamlessly, to pull the couple aside and merely snap away as they do their thing. This wedding season I’m trying to invent a word or term or pinpoint exactly what it is when two people are so obviously in love. I can safely say that being able to be part of Ashleigh and Joe’s wedding in Connecticut got me one giant step closer.
vendors:
Venue | Candlelight Farms Inn
Photography | Apollo Fields
Dress | Jenny Yoo; The White Dress by the Shore
Shoes | Jack Rogers
Suit | Joseph A. Bank
DJ | Troy Ramcharran
Rings | Michael’s Jewelers
Hair & Make Up | Beauty Entourage
Invitations | Minted
Decor/Party Rentals | All Seasons Party Rentals
Wassup
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As seen in B’Loved Magazine
This was such a fun publication for us to see Ashleigh and Joe in this mag :)