The Ethel Walker School Wedding Photography
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Jess & Dan’s Wedding
I don’t know exactly when we became the unofficial Ethel Walker’s alumni wedding photographers--but after photographing Jess and Dan’s ceremony in the chapel on campus--it’s pretty safe to say “‘08 Don’t Hate!” That was the hilarious motto for Heather’s graduating class, which was less than 40 students. I love watching Heather talk to her old classmates and share the questionable teenage stories that are made of pure nostalgia. It’s like listening to The Goonies talk about their adventures, or hearing “Green Onions” come on when The Sandlot boys are walking on their turf to talk some trash. Nostalgia is so powerful because it connects senses (smells, tastes) with memories that immediately transport us back to a place in time. I’m just happy to be taking photos and coming along for the ride.
I’ve learned as a photographer that the lighting in churches is typically terrible. That being said, the chapel on Ethel Walker’s campus has pure New England church vibes. It has that immaculate white spire that pierces cloudless blue skies, and clean, dark wooden pews that contrast with all the white on the inside. The large, long windows allow natural light to pour in from all directions. There was an aura in the air during Jess and Dan’s ceremony, almost like an atmospheric halo floating above their guests’ collective heads. It’s probably one of the most divine scenes that I’ve experienced in a church.
After the ceremony, we borrowed Jess and Dan and took them up the hill from the church to take some romantics. The sun is already setting so early so we have to be precise when it comes to golden hour in the beautiful fall months. Jess and Dan danced around in the same space that Heather used to jump horses, with a quintessential New England backdrop in the background. Every time we have one of these perfect moments it makes me sad that Heather and I never quite got a romantics session for our own wedding. Between hosting it on Heather’s uncle’s farm, the on-and-off rain, and welcoming our guests, we simply didn’t carve out enough time. It does make me immensely happy to help deliver this experience to our couples like Dan and Jess, though!
From there we headed to The Riverview in Simsbury, Connecticut, a venue that we have worked at a few years ago. We rolled right into cocktail hour as the night came on quickly. Heather and I got to catch up with a few more of her classmates before dinner was served and dances and speeches began. Once the music kicked off people hit the dance floor and it was all partying from then on!
Heather and I are enjoying the connections she has to Ethel Walker and the friends of her past. We got a small tour of the gorgeous campus before Jess and Dan’s ceremony and we even found a mural that Heather painted back in 2008. It still hangs in the infirmary, right behind one of the nurses that has worked there since Heather was a student. As our partnership goes into its seventh year it’s always wonderful to see sides of Heather I haven’t seen before. Judging by all of the interactions with her friends and teachers it’s obvious that everyone knew that Heather was going somewhere. I’m just grateful that she was heading towards me.
Enjoy these photos from Dan & Jessica’s Simsbury, CT wedding:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Ceremony Location | The Ethel Walker School | Simsbury, CT
Reception Venue | The Riverview | Simsbury, CT
Back in my old stomping grounds…
And always up for a CT reunion. Reach out for your own wedding photography!
Best of 2020: Our Year in Pictures
Best of 2020: Our Year in Pics | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Destination Weddings During Quarantine
Apollo Fields 2020 Reflections
It will be impossible for us to ever look back on our business year of 2020 without thinking of COVID, but it is also important for us to acknowledge that in between all the quarantining and social distancing, there were a lot of celebrations and love that we were lucky to be a part of.
It’s easy to think of 2020 as a bust, but when I went back into each wedding, job, gig, etc and pulled one image from each one, I saw a year that was full of adventure and taking care of one another. It was a wild year, one with immense sentiment and adventure. We will never forget the ways in which our couples and families rallied to make their Plan B’s and even Plan C’s come to life.
So consider this complication mostly for funsies: a sweet throwback to a year that we will never forget. One where in the middle of a pandemic and my entire pregnancy, we still managed to capture 26 weddings and put almost 30k miles on our cars making it happen. A year where we said “yes” as much as we possibly could, despite all the curveballs and weird circumstances. Not a single one of our weddings was unaffected and I spent countless hours on the phone with couples who were devastated to leave their dream weddings behind, but through all the heartache, managed to find epic ways to celebrate nonetheless.
We will forever be grateful for everyone who cared for us last year— it was mostly the small things that carried our morale across the most unpredictable year of our lives. Kim and Alex sent us a package of specialty teas when they had to postpone their wedding, with a short and sweet note acknowledging the hardship of running a biz throughout the pandemic. Jackie and Eric handmade us an Apollo Fields Christmas tree ornament with our logo. My brother in law sewed us a blanket for our baby and stitched his name into the corner.
People sent us notes, gave us hand-me-downs, worked their reschedules around our calendars, and simply checked in when we needed it most. They offered to pay their balances early when they saw small businesses across the whole country hurting. We felt the reciprocity of real community in ways that we never could have imagined.
So year, 2020 was a bit of a trash year and we weren’t exactly sad to see it go. But looking back at these pictures, we have so much to be grateful for. Cheers to our Apollo Fields fam— the hodgepodge of beautiful souls that make up our livelihood and keep us hungry for more adventures.
Love,
Heather, Terrence, and Capa
Holiday Album Sale 2020
Holiday Album Sale 2020 | Apollo Fields Wedding Albums | Lay Flat Leather Bound Archival Books
Apollo Fields Semi-Annual Album Sale
Staring at the reflection of the Tetons on Jenny Lake...watching as the clouds roll out of a valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains at sunset in North Carolina...those first moments when I paused the TV and Heather told me she was pregnant--these are the images that I will remember when I think about 2020.
Yet our brains have a funny habit of remembering the small awkward things we did during our childhood in vivid detail. It is much harder to remember all of the days that the sky was blue and everything went right. As Heather and I trudged our way through 2020 we set out to combat Covid and the political turmoil by creating as many positive memories as we could--doing our part to get some wins in a year that made some stretches of days feel like losing streaks.
It meant the world to us to be able to photograph your most intimate moments this year. Seeing each and every one of your smiling faces lifted us when it felt like there wasn’t that much to smile about. We were constantly reminded that we have a ton to be grateful for and despite everything that happened this year we still kicked ass and had fun while doing it. Heather and I hope that the memories we captured in 2020 make them that much easier to remember for you and your families.
Take advantage of our holiday album sale to remind yourselves or your relatives that 2020 wasn’t all bad. The albums are leatherbound and archival-quality so the prints are designed not to fade. They make amazing gifts and might just be exactly what your friends or family need!
Between now and midnight December 31, 2020 we will be selling ALL of our albums for 50% off!! Use promo code MAKEITMERRY at checkout to apply the discount.
Jersey Shore Engagement Photography at Avon-By-The-Sea
Apollo Fields | Beach Engagement Photos | New Jersey Wedding Photographer | Jersey Shore photographers | Jersey Shore weddings | Outdoor Engagement Photographer | Avon-By-The-Sea, NJ
As someone who grew up on Long Island, I never went to Jersey Shore. Ever. But after meeting up with Jane and James at Avon-by-the-Sea a couple weeks ago, I definitely see the allure of it. Avon-by-the-Sea didn’t have any of the carnival games or fist-pumping that the shore has become notorious for; instead it boasted beautiful new-england-meets-beach-house architecture with tons of wrap around porches, and old immigrant family vibes. Jane’s Polish uncle was actually having a small birthday gathering when we were finishing up the shoot.
Jane and James met while working at a bank a few years back, and have adapted well to the quarantine life of 2020. I think it’s the first time in my life when I (an extrovert) have been jealous of the introverted lifestyle that Jane and James prefer. I love puzzles and board games as much as the next guy, but after you work for years in crowded bars the constant ambient noise can make extended periods of silence feel jarring. Jane and James have been happy to stay in, work from home, and enjoy each other’s company.
We started the meetup at The Marina Grille to shake off some engagement session jitters with a beer and to get to know each other better. Heather and Jane actually did their undergraduate studies together at The College of New Jersey but they were both working so hard that they didn’t get to hang out much (My undergraduate experience was a very different story; or at least the beginning of it). We talked to Jane and James’s about their first date and how James had a firm policy about not dating other employees. He waited until she left the company to formally ask her out.
Jane and James have the kind of playful vibe you would imagine when you have a game night with friends who have a healthy competitive relationship. Heather and I on the other hand, push that envelope until we play a game so much we have to put it on the shelf for a few months. We all shared a laugh when James told a story of a relative finishing a puzzle without them that Jane and James had been working on for months. They just came home and the puzzle was done. I have no idea how I’d react if that happened, but I’m pretty sure that’s the kind of thing that gets you uninvited to dinner in the Huie household.
Jane and James will be getting married at a venue in Bayonne and Point Pleasant, NJ, in December 2020. We admire their steadfast dedication to getting married despite all that’s going on and will support our couples in any decision that they make. Next summer we’ll have to come visit them on the shore, bring some beers and board games, finish a puzzle or two, and enjoy an iconic Jersey Shore sunset.
Northport Long Island Elopement Photography
Jamie and Allison's Crab Meadow Beach Wedding Portraits | Northport NY Photographer | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
The birds of the beach soared over our heads, higher than the early morning rising summer sun, taking turns plunging into the Long Island Sound. Their impacts sent a sputter of splashes on the surface, wings flapping amidst the spray, almost like they were cooling off in a ceramic bird bath at the center of a peaceful garden. The air was fresh and only slightly saline as high tide swept up the shore, covering the thousands of small, hollowed-out sandy homes of Crab Meadow Beach with a shifting layer of foamy water. Allison and Jamie bowing their heads, gently closed their eyes, bringing their foreheads to softly rest upon one another like wings spread in the wind, floating above the earth, ready to take their dive at any moment.
Jamie and Allison took the proverbial “plunge” or “dive” a couple months prior under the tree cover of a forest in Maryland at the height of quarantine. They, like many other couples who planned to get married in 2020, had to decide what the celebration of their love would look like during a pandemic. It’s so hard to shift expectations when they’ve already been set, but if it’s anything we’ve learned from Jamie and Allison and the difficult situation in general, is that love, like water, will always find a way.
Jamie and Allison’s Zoom wedding celebration in June was intimate and endearing, heartfelt, and natural. Figuring out how to get hundreds of little faces to fill a series of screens on several different devices changes the physical landscape of the audience but not the nature of the celebration. Love is—and always will be—at the core of weddings, and we’re watching in real time how we are all adapting to our expression of it. While a few family members were on hand to photograph the ceremony and first dance on the day of, Jamie and Allison decided they would take a trip up to us in Long Island, NY, to further honor and document their love and connection.
The idyllic found a home in circumstances less than ideal that morning on Crab Meadow Beach. Jamie and Allison moved effortlessly in the sand in their stunning wedding clothes as we watched and snapped away in awe. Heather is a sucker for evening golden hour and sunrise wedding photography and our morning with Allison and Jamie further solidified her resolve. The golden shape of their smiles and the aura around their faces hit the lens and our hearts with equal emotion. It was hard not to be happy.
And that’s what many couples think they are missing during this tough time. There’s definitely some truth to it but Heather and I and Jamie and Allison are the silver (or golden) lining kind of people; we are the kind of people who know that our love and our effort will carry us through the tough times and lift us even higher in the lighter ones; we are the kind of people who commit and take a plunge when we need to but extend our wings and float in the breeze while we can.
Enjoy some of the pics from Allison & Jamie’s Wedding portraits:
Theme of 2019: Bet on Yourself
Apollo Fields’ Theme of 2019: Bet on Yourself.
Sometimes you lose (see above). Sometimes you win (see above). For the last five years Heather and I have been making silly bets like the loser has to take Riddle out to pee while blindfolded, and meaningful bets like starting a business together. We have taken some losses but our gains have transcended any scale that uses a bottom line. Of course, a business has to be lucrative, but we bet on who we are because we know when we connect with a couple it isn’t just a vendor relationship it is the beginning of a friendship.
Just last night Heather and I shared a meal with one of our 2020 couples, Michelle and Igor. Michelle and Igor just moved to New York as Igor received a job as the new executive chef for the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. In a meal of delicious fresh oysters, a wonderfully rich fresh cavatelli ragu, a steaming pot of mussels, a few drinks, and two scrumptious chocolate-y desserts, I still have to say the best thing about dinner was the company we found ourselves in. With a balance of silly humor, distinct professionalism, and personal stories of our respective family and friends, we laughed and talked for hours.
This type of night was the norm for 2019. From when we photographed Rob & Lizzie’s performance-based wedding in the woods of Cazenovia, NY, to Emily & Augie’s intimate and classy backyard wedding in Cape Cod, MA, we didn’t seem to have a night where we weren’t genuinely emotionally invested in the people who surrounded us. We hosted another 20-friend Friendsgiving dinner in our home and accumulated another guest-book rolling-pin to memorialize the friendships in the room that night. Cultivating friendships is difficult but when you realize that they are the things we turn to in times of loss and of levity their worth becomes much more apparent.
We are lucky to run a business where our ideal client is also our ideal friend. Hard-working people who love to feel almost as much as they love to be themselves. The kind of people who pretend a wooden spoon is a microphone and sing into it like “the piano sounds like a carnival, and the microphone smells like a beer!” The kind of people who look you in the eye and hold a hug just a second or two longer. The kind of people who create their lives rather than let it consume them. The kind of people who bet on themselves.
We have taken our lumps this year, coming off the tragic ending of 2018, but Heather and I married one another because we will always bet on one another as individuals. We know how quickly things can turn for the worse but by hedging our bets with one another our losses will never be that great. If 2019 is any indication for the future, our gains will be less volatile and more rewarding for years to come.
Here’s to you you fine friends and fellow feelers: Here’s to the tears we shed and the hugs we hold on to. Here’s to those we lost and the future we’re creating. Here’s to betting on yourself and living with love in your heart.
Happy New Year,
Terrence & Heather
The Apollo Fields Fam
Some of our favorite 2019 venues we worked at:
The Evergreen Lake House | Evergreen CO
Granite Ridge Barn and Estate | Norway ME
Wedgewood Boulder Creek | Boulder CO
The Art Factory | Paterson NY
Top of the Rock | NYC
Normandy Farm | Blue Bell PA
Six Harbors Brewery | Huntington NY
620 Loft and Garden | NYC
Perona Farms | Anderson NJ
The Box House Hotel | Brooklyn NY
Wedgewood Boulder Creek Wedding Photographer
Apollo Fields | Wedgewood Weddings at Boulder Creek | Intimate Wedding Photos | Candid Wedding Photography
The modernization of traditions keeps our jobs as wedding photographers fresh and inventive. From DIY ceremonies and weddings in the woods to more conventional rituals in churches; each wedding reveals each couple’s unique relationship to their respective belief systems. Kelly and Alec’s catholic wedding at Sacred Heart of Mary and reception at Wedgewood-Boulder Creek in Boulder, Colorado, showed us that you can both honor your past and embrace the new.
Before Kelly and Alec’s wedding, I never knew the significance of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment. But when we went to photograph Kelly and Alec’s first touch (a version of a “first look” where a couple doesn’t see each other) right near a fountain with a golden statue of St. Francis, Alec filled me in after they shared a few moments of beautiful tension. Alec spoke about St. Francis the same way that an environmentalist speaks about Jane Goodall, worshipping the person for what they mean to the natural world rather than elevating them as an idol outside the realm of natural phenomena. It was incredibly refreshing to see someone who holds a monotheistic belief system so close to their heart also share a deep love for Mother Nature.
Following the ceremony inside the church, the caravan climbed Boulder Creek Canyon Road to the reception hall a few minutes into the foothills of the Rockies. Wedgewood-Boulder Creek is an immaculately designed, accessible, and romantic setting to host one of life’s most precious gatherings. Upon entering the space you can hear the trickle of Boulder Creek, just as the friendly staff of the venue greet you with your favorite refreshments and libations. The flow of the property mimics the way the creek carves its way through the mountains, allowing for family and friends to naturally convene on patios and berms of fresh green grass. There is no doubt in my mind that St. Francis helped Kelly and Alec choose this venue to celebrate their love.
On a day where clouds were kept at bay, golden hour floated in the early evening air like lightning bugs on a summer night. We borrowed Kelly and Alec from their celebration for a few romantics down by the creek and thanks to their genuine chemistry we didn’t keep them for long. They spun and smiled and danced and frolicked. They kissed. They unabashedly enjoyed themselves, wrapping their arms around one another like vines around a tree. Undeniably in love, we laughed, snapped pictures, and danced with them. When love is as natural as the trees, the breeze, or the trickle of the creek, you better believe that you’re doing something right. If Kelly and Alec wouldn’t take credit themselves, I’m sure they’ll be thanking St. Francis for a long time to come.
AS SEEN IN COUTURE COLORADO MAGAZINE
Vendors:
Venue | Wedgewood - Boulder Creek
Dress | Madison James
Floral | Painted Primrose, Sabia Magrun
DJ/Band | Diamond Empire Band
Suit | Generation Tux
Rings | Shane Co.
Hair & Makeup | Serenity Salon- Arvada
Cake | Kelly Leigh Cakes
Oh Hey!
It’s us at the end of the night having the best time with Kelly & Alec.
Rollins Pass Nederland Colorado Engagement Session
Mercie & Dan’s Engagement Session | Rollins Pass Nederland, Colorado | Mountain Engagements | Apollo Fields
As night gave way to day, rays of sunshine swept away the shadows on the trees, lifting golden purples and greens to contrast with the muted blue sky. The morning chill still lingering in the air brought our breaths and bodies closer together as our reflections shivered upon the reservoir’s still surface. Movements warm our bodies just as emotions stir our souls; and there’s always that one look during these engagement sessions that reveals this inward dance in the eyes of our couples—a sort of intimate revelation—that leaps from their irises like the first light over a dark horizon.
Mercie and Dan were first set up in high school and their relationship still shines with an optimistic and exuberant young energy. Bolstered by their strong and confident characters, it’s hard not to be enamored by the story of how Mercie asked Dan to prom by spelling it out in sushi at Dan’s first experience with the Japanese culinary tradition. Cuter still is how Mercie doubled down on this romantic gesture when asking Dan to marry her! (If that doesn’t immediately make you think of a scene in a romantic comedy I don’t know what does.) Their happiness during their engagement shoot in Nederland was as palpable as the smiles on their faces. Kind of like what Dan said about the first time she told Mercie she loved her (at prom), “[the words] just sort of fell out of my face.”
Bearing witness and documenting relationships like Mercie and Dan’s is just one of the many reasons why Heather and I love running Apollo Fields. Whether it’s the privilege of connecting with such loving people, or appreciating a love in an idyllic yin-and-yang, conditional-meeting-unconditional balance that serves as a reminder for Heather and I’s own symbiotic relationship, or perhaps the most practical and paramount point— what these photos mean to them. Around every corner of every moment of these engagement sessions are parts of life to be appreciated. We promise to never to forget that. For our sake—and for Apollo Fields’ sake.
Mercie and Dan aren’t sure where or when they are going to get married, but we hope to be there. They’re moving to California in a couple months and we’d follow them coast-to-coast, hell maybe even continent-to-continent if they asked us. We’re so excited for them to start this next journey together and know that they have all of the support they will ever need.
Sometimes in life you take leaps and sometimes you take bruises. “You learn to figure things out,” Mercie said, “I am who I am through trial and error.” I believe that the freedom to explore the world inside and outside ourselves is the key to finding enduring happiness and supportive partners. By staying close to home, or refusing to acknowledge the movements of the emotions inside our bodies and minds, our worldviews become myopic and close-minded. Learning to take risks and choosing to be brave opens an entire world of experiences, so if you’re looking for that little push—just remember—that first light is just on the other side of the dark horizon.
Here’s to you Mercie and Dan!
Colorado Engagement Photography:
Colorado Wedding Photography | Apollo Fields
Granite Ridge Estate Wedding Photographers
Outdoor barn wedding in maine | apollo fields | granite ridge estate and barn | best maine wedding photographers | wedding in the woods
Highways lined with tall green trees and deep blue lakes. A soaring summer sun casting shadows upon the open road, swaying the silhouettes of Maine over faded yellow lines. Distant laughter echoing from a canoe, heard between splashes and shrieks of joy. Just a stone’s throw away, atop one of the many peaks in Norway, Maine, Anna and Jeff were to be wed at Granite Ridge Estate, an irresistibly charming barn venue tucked into the backwoods in jaw dropping view of the Appalachian Mountains.
The natural beauty and lush greenery of Maine called to Anna and Jeff’s adventurous hearts, harkening to their love for the outdoors from their childhoods. In fact, Jeff’s family has been going to Camp Winona, a summer camp just down the block from Granite Ridge for generations. It may have been the family ties in the area that brought them to the venue, but it was the gorgeous views and cozy and intimate feel of the barn and estate that solidified it as the location to celebrate their love.
Anna and Jeff’s wedding was the perfect example of a laid back couple setting the tone for the day. There are so many moving parts to a wedding day that can pile up on the minds of brides and grooms, but a strong relationship and a willingness to roll with the punches can turn a bumpy ride into a smooth cruise down an open road with the top down. From the bridesmaids lounging in the rustic and comfortable leather sofas; to the groomsmen exploring a brand new treehouse and tinkering with power tools and construction materials, personalities and laughter were not in short supply.
Hosting a ceremony between the trees provided the perfect refuge for Anna and Jeff’s guests from the blaring summer sun as the crisp air buzzed with adoring anticipation. As words of love left the lips of those around the altar, the eyes and ears of guests drifted between the beauties of nature and the hallmarks of romance. Too often we forget to use our words, our gestures, and our energy to tell those in our lives how much we love them, but a wedding ceremony is the forum to air any and all of the love we carry in our hearts. It is an atmosphere of sensitivity and acceptance, the ethereal realization of the privation nestled in our souls. I can’t think of a better spot to sink into this headspace than in the natural sounds of the woods.
The reception and cocktail hour continued with the theme of natural serenity. Before the sun set towards the horizon, the outline of Mount Washington stood proudly in the distance as sunshine poured through the large windows of the reception hall like warmth into an empty cabin. The pristine decoration and detail adorned the space with a natural elegance, equal parts class and greenery. Refracted rays painted the room with an ethereal glow made of fairy tales and storybooks. It was the scene that children who cannot wait to get married dream of. This was Anna and Jeff’s reality.
It is a luxury and dream of ours to be part of days like this. We are constantly reminding ourselves that we get to enjoy some of the best moments of people’s lives, delivering a product that helps them relive them. Here’s to Anna and Jeff, the latest saga in Apollo Fields that proves that love is real.
As seen in: Mountainside Bride Magazine
The Vendor Team:
Venue: Granite Ridge Estate and Barn
Suits: Joseph A Bank
Day-of Coordinator/Catering: Blue Elephant
Wedding Band: East Coast Soul
Florist: Pooh Corner Farm
Cake/Bakery: Baked with Love
Decor/Party Rentals: Affordable Events
Dress | Designer: WTOO / Andrea’s Bridal
Shoes: Kate Spade Blue and Sparkly
Rings: Creative Gold
Hair and Makeup: Studio 88 Salon
Invitations: Little Ivy Paper Goods
Another happy couple…
Our favorite part about being wedding photographers is getting to know our couples. Apollo Fields is more than a vendor or service, it is a place for us to connect with people who care about creating and preserving timeless memories—it’s a place for us to make people happy and make new friends. If this sounds like you, click the button below!
Montauk NY Engagement Photographers
Bri & Tyler’s Engagement Session | Montauk NY | The Hamptons Destination Weddings | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers
An early evening summer breeze coming off the Atlantic reminds the Montauk locals of the sun and the salt on their skin, but that same breeze that warms a beach bum’s heart can chill a Texan to the bone. A kind memory of home to Bri is a reminder to Tyler just how far he is from his, but come October 2020 their families will join to celebrate their love in a half-homegrown, half-destination wedding.
Many would consider it a luxury to grow up in a destination wedding town, embracing the lifestyle and culture that seems as light as a day on the beach. Others might say that the summer months that bring tourists and city slickers who clog the one road, two-lane streets like the sidewalks in Manhattan are killing their vibes. The reality is that the sun shines no matter what and despite the traffic we are all going to enjoy our drink of choice on the beach for one reason or another.
For Bri, hosting her wedding in Montauk will be like having her own personal welcoming parade of family and neighbors, smiling faces lining either side of the aisle like a beach version of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. While Tyler and his family, although no strangers to coastal waters, will mostly likely be dipping their toes into the Atlantic a bit more timidly than they do in the Gulf of Mexico. The thing about the locations of weddings is—whether a new or familiar experience—the love in the room is all the same.
Weddings offer us wonderful opportunities to connect with groups of people we might not speak to in our daily lives. Too often our occupations and locations restrict us to familiar routines that can limit our world experience, but when love is the accepted common ground all conversations and connections are possible. There is simply no space for judgment when love is in the air. Breathe it in, take it in, and clink glasses with someone you might otherwise not meet.
Heather and I are so lucky to share these spaces in places all over the world, snapping photos and writing down all of the emotions that we see. I’ve said before that our emotions are our secrets until we share them with someone, but on wedding days most people wear them as proudly as their finest suit or most elegant dress. Restraining the contents of our hearts would be like putting those garments back in the closet and throwing on the wrinkled clothes that adorn the floor. Instead we see tears trickle down cheeks like rain down window panes and eyes well up like dams that are about to burst.
A forum to express the version of ourselves that is too often buttoned up and hidden away is one of the many reasons that make our jobs more than an occupation or service. According to our tax documents we are wedding photographers, but according to ourselves we are photojournalists who never settle for the surface, always scanning the room for people to show us the best version of themselves.
Enjoy these pics from Bri & Tyler’s Montauk Engagement Session:
Hi! We’re Terrence & Heather…
…we are the husband-and-wife duo of Apollo Fields! Thanks for checking out Bri & Tyler’s engagement photos. We are so stoked to shoot their 2020 Wedding at Gosman’s Dock in Montauk!
Our Wedding Video Compliments of Mary Erny
Our Wedding Video | Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | DIY Weddings | Farm Wedding Video
When we began wedding planning, the photography was a no-brainer: We knew that we would want to go through the business and use our associate shooters. But when it came to doing a video, we didn’t really have a specific vision. We knew we wanted something but somehow it kept falling lower and lower on the to-do list as our season was flying by with shooting our own weddings and prepping for the big move!
My sister is also in media and has spent most of her career camera-in-hand as well. We didn’t have a formal “wedding party” but she was part of the crew that we wanted up there with us and as so, we didn’t want to put too much pressure on her to also shoot video. But she was so awesome and stepped up and got some great coverage and put together this sweet video for us!
I just love watching it and seeing everyone’s faces and getting to re-live the awesomeness of that day. Everyone talks about how fast it goes by and I can 100% say that is true! The whole thing feels like a blur but watching the video and going through the pictures is the best way to bring back all of the celebrations and joy of the day. Also, Rumor is way too cute during the ceremony. I mean, how many dogs literally jump on their owners during the first kiss!? Unreal.
The farm looked so beautiful and we loved having all of the animals around. We couldn’t imagine getting married without the dogs there, but having the horse and donkey and pig and goats and all of the other four legged friends just made it that much more indicative of us. We love casual and personal weddings so we knew when we were planning what we wanted that we weren’t about to have a formal or traditional wedding! Instead, we broke outdated traditions but embraced the ones that actually spoke to us. We made it our own and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way!
So here’s a huge thank you to my sister, Mary, for not only helping us the whole weekend, but also sneaking in some great footage of the day!
– watch our wedding video below –
Video: Mary Peterson
Venue: Honeymoon Acres | Ramsey, NJ
Flower Crown: Allendale Flowers
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Photography: Derek Morf & Alexis Cohen for Apollo Fields
Our Wedding at Honeymoon Acres in Ramsey, NJ
Our Wedding | Heather and Terrence Huie | Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ | Apollo Fields
Despite attending and photographing countless weddings, I never knew how I would feel on my wedding day. Would I get cold feet? Would I cry helplessly at the altar? Would my vows live up to what I hear in my heart? I really wasn’t sure, but now I can say that it was without question the best day of my life. Typically I avoid using superlatives and hyperbolic statements like “the best day of my life,” because I believe they don’t really tell you anything, but it was the best fucking day of my life. (I usually don’t use curses either, but I guess I’m breaking all my rules today.)
On Saturday, October 6th, 2018, a quintessentially grim and misty northeastern autumnal day, I wed Heather Erny in front of our closest friends and family at her aunt and uncle’s farm in Ramsey, NJ. Honeymoon Acres, as aunt Pam and uncle Rick like to call it, is a beautifully-manicured farm splashed with wild sunflowers and potted mums, a vintage 1950’s Ford with big round headlights and an entire family of farm animals. The amount of work that Pam, Rick, and both of our families and friends put in to wrangling all of the animals (roll call: 1 pig, 1 horse, 1 donkey, 2 goats, 1 cat, and 4 dogs), making all of the food, and assisting in the general logistics of the day will have me grateful for many years to come.
For those of you who don’t know, Heather and I decided to make and serve all of the food for our wedding day. Many called us crazy, as we only arrived in New York on October 1st from our road trip back from Colorado, leaving us five days to set the place up and prepare all the food—but with the help of our family and friends we did it. We made a fresh pasta bar consisting of truffle mushroom linguini, vegetable lasagna, pumpkin and butternut squash ravioli and a classic spaghetti and meat sauce. As we ladled and scooped generous portions to our guests donning our respective aprons, I couldn’t help but speak with an Italian-American accent to move the line along like I was running my own Long Island deli. We didn’t plan to serve everyone ourselves but we were having fun, so we did—to our relief nobody went hungry.
As dinner waned and the scotch shed opened, our wedding was now in full swing. The small potting shed that we converted into a whiskey tasting room exploded with laughter, warmth, and old stories. The dance floor in the garage-turned-banquet-room jumped beneath the Edison lights, uniting the older and the younger in a musically-induced exuberance. All around there were smiles, especially from the farm animals living their best lives as moonlight entertainers. Fairytales aren’t just for storybooks, anymore, I thought.
Then came the speeches. Justin and Grace spoke on mine and Heather’s behalf’s like they knew the most intimate thoughts inside our diaries. Great friends never fail to recognize the greatness in those closest to them, for they keep their company for those exact reasons. It’s only until we throw each other on stages with microphones that we realize how well our friends really know us. We should do it more often, for all of our sakes.
Perhaps the thing I was most excited about our wedding, with exception to swigging whiskey on the dance floor as “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by George Thorogood played, was to announce the surprise Heather and I had for Pam and Rick. For twenty years, Pam and Rick have been going to Negril, Jamaica, in late winter, but for the past few years financial troubles have stymied their tradition. As a way to say thank you for hosting our wedding, Heather and I asked the Dj to play their wedding song from when they got married on Honeymoon Acres in 1996. When they tried to retreat to their seats after the song’s conclusion, we kept them out there and told them we’re all going to Jamaica in three weeks and the animals are already taken care of. They cried. We cried. Everyone cried.
On a day filled with so much love, I cherished every minute. Even when Heather and I stood at the “altar,” a bunch of red begonias that Rick planted in the shape of the heart, as a light rain fell upon our shoulders, I remained grateful. During our ceremony, our officiant, David “Killer” Miller, spoke with equal parts comedy and soul, the very reasons we chose him. On a day where the bride and groom are supposed to be celebrated, I’ve never felt more part of our communities.
Here’s to everyone who helped, whether giving the animals haircuts or drinking whiskey in the scotch shed, because without you, it wouldn’t of been the best fucking day of my life.
Photography: Alexis Cohen & Derek Morf for Apollo Fields
Venue: Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Flower Crown: Allendale Flowers
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“Did you guys miss New York?”
This is one of those questions we have been asked by everyone since moving back East. And it’s a good question, but the answer is complicated… When we moved to Colorado in 2016, we were veryready to move. But it wasn’t because we hated NYC, it was just time. It was time to be in nature and time to be in an unknown place together. Big moves like that can make or break a relationship, and for us I guess we got lucky.
When I first moved to New York City a few years before that, I barely knew anyone and the people that I did know were in different boroughs. Despite always having the city close by, the UWS was as much of a mystery to me as if I had moved to Los Angeles by myself. I learned a lot about myself in that first year while I was getting my MA and living in a tiny studio apartment on 105thStreet. It was just me and Riddle, a mini fridge, an oven that leaked Carbon Monoxide, and a sort-of-view of the Hudson River if you hung your head out of the prison-sized window.
I was still living in that death trap of an apartment when I met Terrence. I was riding out my lease before moving farther uptown, but I can still remember one of our first dinners together there. We were eating on the couch because I only had one dining room chair and Terrence was cautioning me about how he didn’t eat onions, fish, tomatoes, etc. I had no idea how to feed such a picky eater, so I just went ahead cooking like I normally did anyway. How far we’ve come since those days.
For as much as I learned about myself being single in NYC, I think we learned as much about each other when we made the move to the mountains together. We had very few connections in CO when we first moved and had to learn how to lean on one another in ways that we hadn’t before. Even though we had lived together in New York, we always had additional roommates (such is life in Manhattan). We had a very familiar neighborhood in New York filled to the brim with drinking buddies, walk-able pubs, and enough libations to stay busy until 4am any time we felt like it.
We landed in Colorado and everything quieted down. We only had each other and our little cottage. We found ourselves less intrigued by urban life and much more content hanging at a local brewery in town with a couple beers and a board game. We got bikes and went hiking, we spent afternoons at the dog park and evenings cuddled up on our couch. Life was good and it was hard to miss NYC at that time.
We were still flying back East multiple times a year for weddings and holidays. We were always happy to come back to familiar faces and good ethnic food. Distance helps you weed out the drinking buddies and bring family to the surface, or at least that was the case for us. Don’t get me wrong, we can still throw back a few shots at a dive bar, but suddenly, we were more interested in making a push for spending time with our siblings instead.
Our decision to move back was multidimensional. We are looking to buy a farm to turn into a wedding venue and the numbers just weren’t adding up in Colorado. The real estate market there was pretty volatile: we were part of a huge boom of fellow transplants making the Rocky Mountain move and we got in too late. By the time we were ready to look at properties, everything was selling above already-high asking prices. Zoning was a nightmare, and anything with a mountain view was just plain cost prohibitive. With the average all-in price of a CO wedding coming in at $26k and NY suburbs at roughly $65k+, we weren’t about to take that kind of business risk just to keep our beloved mountains in our backyard.
So as you all know, at the end of September we packed up our little cottage into our Highlander and drove back East. Animals and cameras in tow, we hit the ground running—getting married, wrapping up busy season, and honeymooning in Jamaica while settling into a new house. We are finally slowing down (but not for long).
We’ve moved into a cute yellow house in East Northport, five minutes from Terrence’s dad and stepmom. We went from a 550sq foot cottage to a real house, which after a few Salvation Army raids is beginning to feel like a home. We are living well by Long Island standards: fenced-in backyard, walking distance to the LIRR, and a ten-minute drive to the North Shore.
Despite being an hour train or car ride from the city, this is a very different lifestyle than when we were actually living in NYC. We are very much in a commuter / family town. The delis and pizzerias are good, but that’s about it in the way of local flavor and small town charm. It is nice to be closer to family again. We have been into the city a few times and it’s been great. We hit The Whitney for the Andy Warhol exhibit and gorged ourselves on international food. We ride the subways like nothing has changed, and traversed up and down the blocks with the sharp cold air lingering on our cheeks.
New York will always be our city, even though if we’re being honest I don’t think I’ll ever live in it again. It doesn’t fit our lifestyle, business trajectory, or relationship anymore. In a perfect world, we won’t be on Long Island for very long, either. We would love to end up on a farm in Bucks County PA or upstate NY. We have big dreams of hosting weddings, homesteading, and photographing more and more amazing couples. We envision an old barn, a big fireplace, chickens and kiddos running through the fields, and a labor-of-love property that gives us as much as we give it.
So the short answer is, yes we missed New York but we also miss Colorado. We like walking through museums as well as walking up mountains. We love our family here and love our friends in CO. We miss the big western skies and the “300 days of sunshine” that we got so used to. But we’re glad to get a decent bagel again. We are lucky because we get to experience such a range of landscapes, and because of our business, we don’t have to choose one or the other. We get to go back to the Rockies for work and play, and in the meantime we are stoked to start to look to the future to find the quirky farm venue that will turn into the biggest passion project we’ve taken on so far.
Selina & Evan's Wedding at The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park in Colorado
Selina & Evan’s Wedding at The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park | Colorado Barn Venues | Rustic Weddings | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
We just love a good barn wedding– for us it’s not a trend, it’s a way of life. I grew up as a “barn rat”, an affectionate name for the scrappy barn kids who just never seem to leave. I mucked stalls, I scrubbed buckets, I dragged hay bales that were my size up and down the stairs to work off my riding lessons. I loved every minute of it. In the summers, I got dropped off at the barn in the morning. We had to do all of the barn chores before we were allowed to even look at a saddle. Then in the afternoons, we rode. I took group lessons and plotted around x-rails until I was told to stop. On the weekends, we would trail ride, flying through the woods on the ponies, running through the trails and dragging our horses through the streams. By the time the sun had gone down, someone would pick me back up from the barn and take me home.
Then I went off to a boarding school for riding horses and continued spending most of my time in barns. When I graduated, I got an apartment over a barn and began training horses to pay off my tuition. I love it, it’s where I stay active, I work out my frustrations on horseback, I find my sense of peace when I’m all alone at night with the horses feeding them treats. This is all to say that as a wedding photographer now, barn venues are MY JAM. For me, rustic wasn’t a hashtag, it was a reality.
The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park
This Colorado venue is situated in a beautiful little town along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The landscape is amazing and the little barn is nestled off of the road. It has these amazing stained glass windows adorning the front and an open concept inside that is perfect for weddings. We were lucky to have a great golden hour where we went behind the barn for some romantic couple’s portraits.
I loved all of the personal touches that Selina and Evan had at their wedding. They are such a sweet couple and I just loved working with them and capturing their special day!
The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park in Colorado
Selina and Evan are a fun loving and caring couple.
They're very sentimental and family oriented, so they opted for a more traditional wedding ceremony at the Cherry Hills Community Center in Denver, Colorado.
After the wedding ceremony, they moved their guests over to their Barn at Evergreen Memorial wedding reception. And it was everything a wedding reception should be! They laughed and danced with their guests all night long. It was a blast to be a part of!
One of my favorite parts of their wedding day was their "blind look". They really wanted the first time they saw each other to be when Selina was walking down the aisle, but they also wanted a private moment for themselves before the ceremony. So instead of a first look, where a couple sees each other privately before the wedding ceremony, they held hands through a curtain and prayed together. It was so intimate, and personal. The perfect choice for Selina and Evan.
FARM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | AUTHENTIC WORKING BARNS | FARM TO TABLE
Heather Erny is a Colorado Wedding Photographer who specializes in telling your unique story in a timeless, photo journalistic way. If you're interested in having her photograph your wedding, get in touch!
Denver Ceremony: Cherry Hills Community Church
Farm Reception: The Barn at Evergreen Memorial Park
Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields
The Best of 2016 Wedding Photography
THE BEST OF 2016 | WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AND ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER IN NEW YORK AND COLORADO | Apollo Fields
As 2016 comes to a close, it's hard not to get nostalgic about all of the great celebrations of love, fun people, and spectacular places that my business has introduced me to. I always say – even though it's cheesy – that the best part of my job is being surrounded by people during what is oftentimes some of the happiest moments of their lives. How much better does it get??
We got to travel to a lot of different places for weddings this year which was great, including our big move to Colorado from NYC. Some of our favorite places included getting to shoot upstate at The Roxbury Barn and Estate, heading up to Canada for Jen and Jon’s wedding in Quebec, and finding some awesome mountain locations in the Rockies for engagements and weddings. We love traveling and it’s been such a great part of our lives and the business. We’re excited to book more destinations and get the chance to find new places and couples and everything in between!
So, to commemorate an epic year, here is a compilation of some of my personal faves...
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE VENUES OF THE YEAR:
Denver Art Museum | Denver, Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park | Colorado
Jack Studios | New York, NY
The Roxbury Barn | The Catskills, New York
Le Chateau Frontenac | Old Quebec City, Canada
NOAH's Event Center | Westminster, CO
The Loeb Boathouse | Central Park, NYC
Chatfield Farms | Denver Botanic Gardens, Littleton
Lionsgate Event Center | Lafayette, Colorado
Historic Red Barn | Golden Gate Canyon State Park, CO