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.
Small Business; Big Family Values
Apollo Fields | Best Wedding Photos | Long Island wedding Photographers | New York Wedding Photos | New york Wedding Photography | Small Business Owners | Northport, New york | Terrence Huie | Writer
Capa on my shoulders, Oli strapped to Heather’s chest, we enter the same woods that I used to explore as a child. We’re looking for deer, for frogs, or anything that rustles in the leaves. We pass places that carry snapshots of memories in my mind when Capa decides to let out a coyote howl–awooooo–we all take a turn. We are a wild pack of animals.
It’s times like these that soften the bags under my eyes, the shade of the trees allowing me to open my eyelids a little wider. For all of the blurry hours of the day these minutes are crystal clear. Heather tells me to cling to these moments when things get hard; it’s too easy to let them pass.
All of a sudden it’s the weekend and Heather and I are in the middle of a dance floor, revolving around a mother and son as they cling to each other, and I catch a glimpse of a tear streaming down Heather’s face. She never used to cry during parent dances, but things are different now. Now she sees Capa or Oliver in a suit and she imagines looking into their eyes. I can’t help tearing up either.
And this is how most weeks go for us. We bounce between day care, grocery runs, engagement shoots, weddings, scheduling meetings, and the occasional jaunt in the woods. Weekdays and weekends are indistinguishable save the tuxes, white dresses, epic dance parties, and champagne toasts. Have you ever wondered why they say someone with a watch is “keeping the time” when you can’t really keep it at all? You can only really keep time to the point of telling it, at that specific moment, on that specific day. Thus, it is up to us to keep what was happening in that moment as time moves forward.
Walking in the woods will always remind me of the time before we had Capa and Oliver, when Heather and I explored trails from the Rockies to the Adirondacks. It’s what makes it so special when we get to share it with them, leading them along the path of our values that we’ve been trailblazing since we started dating in 2014. It’s been a steady climb from bartending to starting our own business, from date nights in Manhattan to hosting dinners at our homes in Colorado and Long Island. It’s helped us realize that we will always build upon who we are to figure out where we are going.
And at this point in time, we are a pack of wild animals. Sometimes we wear hiking shoes, other times we wear our precious Sabah’s, but you can catch us howling in the woods or on dance floors alike. Our next chapter will have us tying our aprons behind our backs again, so stay tuned, stay hungry, and stay wild.
White Trail Farm Wedding in Jupiter Florida
Apollo Fields | Florida Wedding Photographers | Best Wedding Photos | White Trail Farm Wedding | Jupiter Wedding Photography
Sami + Justin
I’m sorry Florida, I think I owe you an apology. I’ve been trashing you in my head for my entire life, thinking that all you had to offer was alligators, humidity, and the “Florida man” archetype. I’ve now seen parts of Fort Lauderdale, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter, and Wellington and can safely say I’m officially a snowbird. Spending almost two weeks of winter in your warm sunshine has softened my ashy, dried skin back to a springtime shine.
White Trail Farm Wedding Photography
We first met Sami and Justin in Brooklyn for their engagement photos in November in Williamsburg. We kept it quick and casual because engagement sessions are more about getting to know each other than shooting really heavy. We knew that Sami and Justin’s wedding was going to be a blast when we stopped off at Talea Beer Co. and grabbed a pie at Best Pizza before heading back to Northport. So when we pulled up to White Trail Farm in Jupiter, Florida, this past week we knew the kind of celebration it was going to be!
White Trail Farm is a sprawling green pasture that features: a tranquil pond, animal sanctuary, a stunning variety of flowers, a Spanish-style villa, and customizable indoor and outdoor barn space. We navigated the property with a golf cart and could not get enough of every inch of this place. The wedding planner, Rachel, and her team turned this property into a dreamlike place to celebrate Sami and Justin’s wedding.
A Literal Golden Hour
When Heather and I typically talk about golden hour we expect the light to last 10-15 minutes max, depending on cloud conditions, time of year, and horizon lines. We expect to work fast and efficiently, changing our settings on the fly. So when we pulled Sami and Justin for a few golden hour photos we expected our typical 10-15 minute interval and were pleasantly surprised that it lasted almost a full hour! This is most likely because we are used to shooting in mountains or in locations more north of the equator than Florida. I guess we'll just Have to shoot more weddings in Florida in the winter!
Calling All Snowbirds
Do you live in the northeast but want to get married in Florida or another state in the south? Do you want to have the same photographer for your engagement photos as your wedding but are not sure where to look? Well Heather and I are officially snowbirds and would love to cover both of your events in both locations. We are open to waiving travel fees for couples who want consistency in their photography and service, and do not want to hassle with tracking down multiple photographers. So let us do your fall engagement photos in the Hudson Valley or atop a snowy mountain before we all head down south to celebrate your wedding in the warm sunshine!
vendors
Photography Apollo Fields
Planner: Rachel Leigh Events
Venue: White Trail Farm | Jupiter, Florida
HMUA: Majestic Hair & Gem Makeup Artistry and Hair
Rabbi: Marc Labowitz
Catering: Bill Hansen Catering
Florals: Anthology
Rentals: Atlas, MI VINTAGE, Events on the Loose
Band / Musicians: Tropics Entertainment
Lighting: W Event Design
Loving the FL winter wedding vibe!
We had a blast with Sami and Justin! Reach out for your own photography needs.
Bedford New Hampshire Winter Wedding
Apollo Fields | Candid Wedding Photography | New Hampshire Wedding Photographer | Bedford Wedding Photos | Best Wedding Photos | Bedford Village Inn Wedding | Bedford, NH
Liz & Nick
Every wedding trip begins with Heather and I going through a checklist as we pack the car: light stands, extra batteries, memory cards, and camera bodies, toothpaste and toothbrush, contact lenses, a cooler for snacks and beverages, Capa. Holy shit. Our son has officially become part of the workflow. During Heather’s pregnancy we were constantly told how much our lives would change when he arrived and we always pushed back with the phrase, “oh, we’re not slowing down for him, he’s just going to have to learn to keep up.” Seasoned parents typically responded with a smirk and playful eye roll so as to say, “you have no idea what you’re getting into.” Well I’m happy to report that Capa’s first wedding, Liz and Nick’s beautiful winter wedding at the Bedford Village Inn in New Hampshire was a huge success.
We did Liz and Nick’s engagement photos in Providence this summer, but they picked the Bedford Village Inn for their wedding because of its colonial architectural charm. The hall where they held their reception was anchored with large, rustic wooden beams connected with mortise and tenon joints. Brass chandeliers lit the large room, evoking a cozy warmth on a bitterly cold New England winter day. Both Liz and Nick got to enjoy a spacious suite to comfortably get ready in, and the venue’s classy restaurant rounded out the wonderful service and amenities that every bride and groom deserve.
Heather and I were happy to see Liz and Nick take the proper health safety precautions, asking each of their guests to wear masks and provide a negative Covid test in order to attend their celebration. We’ve seen many different approaches to weddings during the pandemic but it was really comforting to see the lengths that her family and friends took to assure every one’s safety. It not only made us feel more comfortable, but it also made the coziness and overall atmosphere of the wedding feel the closest thing to pre-Covid times that I can remember.
Heather wore Capa on her chest for most of the day, handing him off to me for important events like the ceremony, family formals, and speeches. Liz and Nick’s family and friends were so sweet to Capa, welcoming him to the celebration like he received a tiny little invitation in the mail. We heard tables buzzing as we walked past and it means so much to us that our couples and their guests are as willing as we are to welcome Capa into our professional lives. We don’t intend on slowing down any time soon.
I have a feeling that I will cherish the memory of Liz and Nick’s wedding for many years to come. Whether it was because of the way they welcomed Capa, or the many friendly faces behind the masks that made the event feel like a semblance of pre-Covid life; I will always be grateful for that warm wooden room on that cold winter day.
How To Run A Wedding Photography Business
Happiness in the Workplace: The Life of a Wedding Photographer
Apollo fields | Denver wedding photographer | New York wedding photographer | Wedding photos | Engagement photos | wedding writer
Most people don’t enjoy their jobs. Whether it’s the fluorescent lighting or the no windows casino approach to work environments, the tired early morning commute or the death by a thousand cliches like “happy wife, happy life,” working in the 21st century is at best and worst a dull sort of suffering. The intermittent good days make the job not quite bad enough to quit, and the benefits of a stable job outweigh childish millennial pursuits like happiness in the workplace. Lucky for us, we don’t have that problem.
Heather called me yesterday after her 4th wedding of the weekend (!!), and I could hear her smiling through the phone. She was beaming about being in the center of a 30-minute horah (Jewish wedding dance celebration) and reflecting upon how grateful she is to have an occupation that lands her in the middle of these powerful cultural traditions. Despite having no ties to any sort of religion ourselves, more often than not, we are educated on and included into these intimate spiritual circles rather than being forced to the perimeters and relegated to the role of outsiders. Take that “multicultural day” at the office!
This wedding season, Heather has already shot weddings in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, soon to be Maine, and at the tail end of the season, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Travel is part of our jobs and we’ve learned that there is love to be photographed everywhere! In the past, we’ve photographed weddings from the Dominican Republic to Quebec City, Canada, and we’re excited to the places our jobs will bring us in the future. Our ever-changing workspace keeps our eyes fresh and the hundreds of miles of open road keep our hearts for adventure well-fed.
That being said, the life of wedding photographers can be stressful and inconsistent. We don’t have work until we book it ourselves, making security and stability in our profession an autonomous responsibility of discipline and dedication. We don’t have windows in our office either, but that’s because the sun is on our shoulders; and we can’t hear cliches because we’re too busy dancing to the live band. Sure, it can be hard to keep the energy level high as the season wanes on, but every time it begins to fade there is a tear-jerking moment to bring us right back into the fold. I would trade the dynamic difficulties of our job for the static grinding of the human will that permeates office culture a hundred times over—because at the end of our workday—we’re growing towards love rather than withering towards retirement.
Wedding “I-Dos” and Don’ts: The Inside Scoop
Wedding Planning Tips from Photographers Who Have Shot Over 100 Weddings— The Inside Scoop on How To Prioritize Your Timeline and Budget
Wedding “I-Dos” and Don’ts:
Things You Should Know For Your Wedding Day
Some people have been thinking about saying “I Do” since they were marrying their stuffed animals in a fort underneath their coffee table; while others, well not so much. Whether or not you have a Monica-sized binder of wedding ideas, rest assured that your wedding day is going to be a wonderful experience. It’s a day where you’re doted upon like royalty as friends and family deliver their support, love, mimosas and/or whiskey and everything in between. There will inevitably be stresses, but if you safeguard the experience of your wedding day by heeding a few of our industry tips, you and your significant other will live happily ever after.
I Do…
Host Cocktail Hour Before the Ceremony
This one may be controversial as it goes against the tradition of not seeing the bride before the ceremony, but everyone knows the feeling of sitting through a wedding ceremony when cocktail hour starts to creep into your mind. By welcoming guests with hors d'oeuvres and beverages upon arrival, you’re able to ease your guests into the day, creating happy bellies and heads to fully enjoy your wedding ceremony. Yes, you may run the risk of your irresponsible relative or friend loading up on a few drinks, but as long as you keep it short they won’t have much of a chance; or better yet, save the hard liquor for after the ceremony.
You will find that you create a much more relaxed, welcoming atmosphere where people can be themselves, especially for those guests who arrive late. We initially thought of this for our wedding because we wanted to create the vibe of a dinner party, knowing how critical it is from a hospitality standpoint to make someone feel welcome as soon as they enter an event. We felt more like gracious-hosts than guests-of-honor, and encourage couples to create their own timelines to reflect their personalities as well.
Take The Edge Off With A Little Bubbly Before The Ceremony
I Don’t…
Schedule Your Itinerary Down to the Minute
With all of the moving parts of a wedding day, it makes sense to want to be hyper-organized when it comes to your itinerary. The thing that most couples don’t realize is that while you may be organized, that doesn’t mean the rest of your guests and event staff will be up to the task. It is all too often that we get a four-page timeline that goes something like, “6:47PM Welcome Toast, 6:51PM Blessing By Bride’s Father,” and we know how impossible it is to adhere to that tight of a schedule. So when you’re charting out your day, keep in mind that you have to account for things like: wrangling your uncle’s four cranky kids when taking family formals, finding a chair for grandma to sit on, the changes in location when the weatherman was wrong yet again, and how the staff forgot to set up for your special seating arrangement sign.
I’m not trying to say all of these things will go wrong -- but I am saying that something inevitably will -- and when it does, your perfectly laid plans will start to stress you out because you’re quickly 4 minutes, then 7 minutes, and then 10 minutes behind schedule. Our advice is to treat your itinerary like a guideline, not a schedule, that way you have a structure to follow, but you can still be flexible to accommodate for the many variables of your wedding day. Figure out what actually needs a concrete time and let everything else bend with the breeze. For us, those were our guests arrival time and when the DJ would begin playing music—everything else—had some room to breathe. One of our favorite 2017 brides put it best when she said:
“Our wedding (and life) was rough around the edges, but straight from the heart.”
Roll With The Punches And You’re Guaranteed To Have A Good Time
I Do…
Have a Backup Location for the Ceremony
Most venues accommodate for this, but you would be surprised how many weddings we’ve been to that when the weather got cranky, everyone stood around staring at each other wondering what to do. It is super important that when you book your venue, you know where the backup ceremony location is and that you’re happy with it.
We could tell you some war stories about shooting in torrential rains, subzero temps, nor’easter floods, sideways hail, and hotter-than-hell sun because there either: (A) was no backup plan, or (B) the bride simply would not get married anywhere else. I have literally watched a group of 200+ guests get pelted by hail while the couple is standing at the altar pretending like shit isn’t hitting the fan.
Maybe we’re superstitious, but we tend to believe that the more content you are with your backup location, the less likely it is that you will actually need to use it! Similar to the itinerary advice, you have to gauge your expectations to the many variables of the day, and this is especially true for the weather. Be realistic and aware about the seasonal weather patterns of your locations, friends! (i.e. it is probably going to be crazy-humid in NYC in August / you can expect a wet day in Seattle in May / and it’s not unheard of to have a September blizzard in CO.)
We’ll Be There, Come Hail Or High Water
I Don’t…
Spend Big on the Cake
Yes, we all want to mush cake on our significant other’s face to get back at them for beating us at Scrabble (is it just me?). And yes, we all want to seize the opportunity of having a tiered custom cake made to our specific wishes and desires—but think for a minute—can you specifically remember any cake you had at a wedding? According to WeddingWire, the average couple spends about $500 on their wedding cakes. I’m not saying that the bakeries are over-charging because they really aren’t, but maybe your wedding isn’t the time to live out your Cake Boss fantasies. This is a great place to trim the fat (literally) and reallocate some of those funds to some real memory-makers.
Chances are you’re going to be too busy tearing up the dance floor to actually tear into the cake with grandma over a cup of decaf coffee anyway. So instead of shelling out for something that will most likely wind up in the trash (we see it ALL the time), go for a dessert that your guests can enjoy on the fly, like an assortment of cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or try thinking of a fun and healthier option! (We had a caramel apple bar with slices of apple on sticks and melted chocolate and caramel for dipping.)
Cupcakes Are A Great Money-Saving Alternative To A Traditional Cake
I Do…
Take a Few Minutes for Yourselves
The other side of being treated like royalty on your wedding day is that everyone wants a piece of your time. As wedding photographers, we’re almost part-paparazzi part-security in how we snap pictures of a couple as we shuffle them along through gauntlets of friends and family. The flow of the day can quickly feel like you’re being shuttled from one place to another without stopping to enjoy the day that you spent so much time and money planning.
As hospitality professionals, Heather and I recognize when this is happening and always encourage a couple to take a moment to duck out in a room to take a few breaths and steal a few kisses. Everyone who has gotten married will tell you how “the day goes too fast,” so slow it down by finding some quiet time to take it all in. Go to the bathroom, drink some water— it sounds obvious, but you might be surprised at how even the most basic of needs can fall by the wayside on your big day. According to The Knot, the average wedding celebration clocks in only around 5 hours (although it feels like five minutes). What good is having a wedding if you don’t thoroughly enjoy it!?
Sneak Away For Sunset
I Don’t…
Stress About Wedding Favors
Have you ever taken a wedding favor and thought, “this is amazing, I can’t wait to use it?” Us neither. Yet we’ve heard so many couples talk about how difficult it was to choose something to give as favors to their guests. Some ideas can get expensive very quickly, so what are some ideas that are inexpensive but not “cheap,” and won’t go directly into the trash?
We like to suggest things that are edible (especially if it’s good for soaking up booze), like specialized cookies or popcorn you can make at home, or something that is eco-friendly like wildflower seeds. The average wedding produces about 400lbs of trash and 63 tons of CO2 according to the Green Bride Guide, so we love the idea of doing something to give back to Mother Nature in lieu of a crappy present.
Another great option is to donate some money to a charity of your choice and tastefully let your guests know which organization you went with. The reality is, like wedding cake, odds are people aren’t going to remember it, so direct your stress and your funds to something that actually adds to yours and your guests’ experience! Take it from a Pro Event Coordinator with The Pines at Genesee:
“Less can definitely be more, people don’t miss what they don’t know isn’t there!!”
Eco-Friendly Flower Favors
Hi and Welcome!!
We are Heather & Terrence Huie— the husband-and-wife team behind Apollo Fields. We are a photojournalist duo who have worked weddings big and small all over the United States as well as International Destination Weddings. As vendors who have also been through the process of planning and executing a wedding ourselves, we have a unique perspective on the good, the bad, and the ugly that can happen on your “big day”. What works for us certainly won’t work for everyone, our hope is that our inside scoop can help you and your fiancé prioritize your wedding timeline and budget in a way that actually serves you (and your guests).
Apollo Fields: Let Us Tell Your Story
Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Wedding Writers | New York City | Colorado
It’s officially launch day for Apollo Fields, Heather and I’s new photojournalistic approach to wedding storytelling! After working together on The Immeasurable Cookbook: An Ode to the Dirty Apron and countless weddings in between, our new installment, Apollo Fields, represents an extension of our brand, relationship, and ideology.
With a literal interpretation of photojournalism, Heather and I will work your wedding, capturing every moment in photo and word while we laugh and smile along the way. Equipped with an intimate understanding of how to communicate with others both professionally and personally, Apollo Fields is a wedding experience that turns your wedding day into the story it deserves, providing a creative and hospitable service available nowhere else.
Through creating The Immeasurable Cookbook and working on-site together, Heather and I have developed a love for telling stories. Whether it was writing our first recipe together or dancing in Chautauqua Park with one of our favorite couples, Alli & Dylan, we couldn’t get enough of putting onto paper the stories that make our lives worthwhile. Things come and go and people change, but we’ve learned that the way you feel at pivotal points in your life are the peaks of your personal story and they deserve to be more than fleeting memories. Apollo Fields is a wedding service that eases your mind on the day of your wedding and delivers a handcrafted memento that brings you back to it in the years that follow.
Invite us to your wedding and let us tell your story through the eyes of your loved ones. Allow us to help navigate your experience photo-by-photo and sentence-by-sentence until your cheeks hurt from smiling and your stomach hurts from laughing. When we arrive on-site we are less like vendors and more like family members, immersing ourselves in dance circles and listening to grandpa’s stories for the hundredth time. Our goal is to let you spend these precious hours floating about your family and friends, sharing stories and reliving the memories that are usually tucked in the back of your mind next to your dreams.
Don’t let planning, logistics, or traditions get in the way of the celebration of your love. Honor the people and institutions that have given you the smiles you wear today and don’t look back. Keep your eyes towards the future and the adventures you will embark upon. As for your wedding day – enjoy yourselves – and let us at Apollo Fields tell the story of your love.
