Planting Fields Arboretum Wedding - Oyster Bay, NY - Christina & Frank
wedding photography | ny wedding photography | apollo fields | intimate wedding | ny wedding | elopement photography | planting fields arboretum | oyster bay, ny |
Chrstina & Frank Wedding
wedding day
Christina and Frank’s wedding day was gorgeously intimate and filled with heart-warming moments that we won’t soon forget. When we found out that Christina and Frank were planning an intimate elopement style New York wedding we were absolutely honored to capture their memories! From their laid back personalities to their playfulness in front of the lens, we were enthralled to take part in their wedding day.
ceremony
One thing that we absolutely adore about intimate weddings is just that, the intimate moments that a large wedding ceremony misses out on. From the quiet whispers of love to the laid back nature of it all, an elopement is always a great choice! Just make sure to still bring us along…someone’s got to take the photos! We headed into the park for Christina and Frank to exchange their vows. Christina’s dress was the epitome of city elopement with elegant lines and design. After the “I do’s” we headed to the Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, NY for an epic photo session.
photo session
The Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, NY was the perfect place for epic photo opportunities! We were so happy that Christina and Frank were up for multiple locations on the property! We headed into the greenhouse where these loves strolled hand in hand taking in the beautiful greenery, plants, and fountains and escaping the cold outside for a little while. The history of the buildings provided the perfect backdrop for their wedding photos and captured the essence of their love story perfectly.
conclusion
We wish Christina and Frank the absolute best as they begin their new journey as husband and wife! Cheers!
If you’re newly engaged and looking for your NY wedding photographer we’d love to chat with you!
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
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.
