2021 Recap: Our Year in Review "What The Hell Just Happened!?"
Destination Wedding Photographer Based Out Of NY | Husband And Wife Wedding Photographers | Editorial Engagement and Wedding Photography NYC
2021 Recap: Our Year in Review "What The Hell Just Happened!?"
It is 9PM on a Tuesday and I am about six hours into editing a big job. The job is from our second-to-last wedding of the year and I’m only about 30% the way through the gallery when my mind begins to drift and reminisce on all the gigs we had this year: 54 weddings and at least as many other sessions, across thirteen different states. I look up from my monitor and think to myself, what the hell just happened??
What I mean by that is, what the hell was 2021!? What actually just happened??
This was bar none the craziest wedding season that I’ve seen in my seven-ish years of doing this, and that’s not even taking into consideration the fact that we had a tiny and completely dependent baby throughout the whole thing. It was the perfect storm, really– take all the covid rescheduled weddings (for us, approx 35) and then pile them on top of our organic biz, now funnel them down into the finite number of Saturdays in a year, and now hand pluck out all the vendors who peaced out of weddings after 2020, and you have yourself the 2021 wedding season.
Oh, and now add the baby back into the equation.
See our grand plan back in the beginning of 2020 was to go HAM on weddings while I was pregnant and then chillsies for 2021 when we had the baby. You know, take a *few* local weddings and some passion projects here and there, but sort of coast. Enjoy family life. Do newborn stuff, whatever that is.
Of course, the great cosmic joke was on us when the pandemic totally took us out at the knees. We were forced to halt everything, completely freeze, postpone, revise and re-plan everything. Not a single gig was unaffected and although we still managed to pull of 26 weddings in seven different states, I’d be remiss to act as if it wasn’t traumatic on both a personal and professional level. But we survived, and as we both will attest, even thrived in many ways. It was honestly… a great year… which feels like a weird thing to say given the complete dumpster fire that we were dealing with.
So when 2021 rolled around, things started really looking up.
Vaccines were a total game changer for large gatherings– in our case weddings, and you know, our entire livelihoods. We were just SO. DAMN. GRATEFUL. to have weddings actually happen on the dates they were scheduled for and in the locations they were contracted, that we sort of went blind. To say we had a whole new appreciation for the work we do is an understatement. And let’s be honest, it was also a lot easier on my body to work and travel without being hugely preggo lugging around a big belly and swollen feet for 15 hour long days.
But like I said, I think we sort of went blind. Like we were so grateful to be shooting and working and traveling that we didn’t even realize how bizarre the conditions still were.
We shot WAY heavier than ever before, out of complete necessity to our couples who have dealt with so many curveballs over the last two years.
We did weddings on Fridays and Sundays, which was becoming more normal anyway. But then there were Thursday weddings, a few Mondays, I think we even did a Tuesday. Double headers have always been my happy place but this year were triples and I even swung a quad in October. That’s four-in-a-row for those who aren’t in the know.
Capa, our sweet boy, bounced around strapped to our chests for twelve of our weddings and at least twice that amount of engagement and family sessions. God bless’em because he THRIVED on weddings. Thrived. We never imagined toting our kid around for more than one, maybe two, events but here we are now with a slightly quirky reputation as that husband and wife photographer team who worked with their baby in tow.
The pandemic loomed over every wedding this year and still continues to force us to adapt over and over again as we continue to navigate mask mandates, rapid testing, vax cards, and trying to avoid getting sick while also being completely swallowed by mobs of drunk people flailing to “Shout” like it’s the first time anyone has thought to lay down on a public floor in the name of dancing.
Guests went hard this year. For many couples, elopements and microweddings got all that pesky paperwork out of the way last year and so formalities be damned, they were just there to rage their faces off this time. We thought there would be a gentle transition back into cocktail hours and conga lines but pretty much once April hit, the floodgates opened and people were off to the races en masse. I’ll admit, it did make for good content, and I’ve never been one to turn down a sweet party, so I was more than happy to oblige.
In fact, we had some of our best couples of all time this year…
…and it’s truly impossible to narrow down even the top five. I could honestly go through each event and rave about our favorite parts of each wedding and couple, but I’ll try to keep it short and as unbiased as possible… My mind immediately jumps to Jess and Matt– who had an epic three-day celebration on the top of a mountain at Granite Ridge in Maine. We rented a cabin, brought my sister with us to babysit (unknowingly with a black bear hanging outside the house) and partied ALL night long with their sick wedding band. We still talk about their transition into Flashing Lights.
Then there was Mercie and Dan, our sweet friends who made actual magic on their wedding day by appointing their closest kiddo friends and family to take over traditionally adult duties. Their officiants and their MC and wedding party and speeches and everything were executed by munchkins. And you know what, they all CRUSHED it. These little beautiful humans who poured their whole souls into this heartfelt celebration. I can still hear Merc and Dan singing to one another before their ceremony, holding hands and grounding one another, with their voices almost swirling in harmony over the ceramic tiles in the bathroom they were getting ready in. I will admit that I cried a little behind my camera but I won’t ever forget that moment.
But then jump to August when we got to go back to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone to capture Ross and Michelle’s wedding. A literal dream come true. We were lucky enough to be out there last year for a wedding and vowed to return, which I think is a common thing to do when leaving a destination after a vacation, but getting to be back in those mountains again was another *pinch me* moment. And getting to show Capa one of our favorite places was priceless. I’ll always remember how much fun we were all having blasting music in our rental car, driving through the mountains chasing the light, trying to pierce through the haze and smoke to get the infamous views. And then when we finally found the spot to pull off of as the sun was setting over the plains, Ross and Michelle jumping out to go exchange their vows privately against the mountains made it all worth it.
Then there was Chris and Kristen’s amazing Hamptons wedding which pretty much left us speechless. The whole thing was set up on their family property on the highest point of Montauk with 360 degree views that did not disappoint. There were charcuterie boards that put anything on pinterest to shame. I stuffed my face with oysters. Life was good. But most memorable was their dance party– people went fucking nuts. Over the years we have learned that there is a delicate balance to a good party: a sweet spot for the number of wedding guests, the amount of space that they have to dance, the amount of intoxicants available, the quality of music, energy of the band, and overall cohesiveness to the party. Getting all the ingredients *just so* is a rarity, but when all these conditions are met, fun will be had. And Kristen and Chris certainly had fun.
Speaking of these kinds of nights, Lia and Brendan also top out at our favorite tent set up of all time. Two epic sperry tents, immaculate decor, another freaking gorgeous private residence with views that you can only dream of. And then their golden hour. Stealing a couple for these shots isn’t easy sometimes, but always worth it, and the ten minutes that we pulled these two onto the golf course next door was a dream. Lia was beaming, legitimately smiling from ear to ear. Her dress was off the charts gorgeous. Cotton candy clouds billowed in the sky behind them as they sprinted off the green together. The pictures are epic, but the image in my mind is honestly just as good.
Heather and Chase are our most recent holy-amaze-balls wedding and deserve all the shoutouts for their stunner of a Palm Beach wedding. While our dreams of escaping the cold north in exchange for sunny Florida didn’t happen until the last of our four days there (it POURED rain for most of the weekend, like legitimately dumped on us nonstop), they still managed to have a jaw dropping three days worth of celebrating. It’s hard to argue with chillin’ on the rooftop of the Ben hotel with a cold beer, sweet views, and our giggly pool-loving baby on a work trip.
In fact, many of our work trips look like this on the bookends of our trips. One thing that bringing Capa along with us has really forced me to do is slow down a bit, despite still having our busiest year to date. Slowing down might only be for an hour or two at a time, but sometimes that’s all you really need to cue in and appreciate how cool life can be. We set out to be busy, and none of this was an accident.
So yeah, what the hell happened totally rings true for 2021. Heck, we’re not even done as I write this– we’re about to get on another plane to Nashville to close out our season at a New Years Eve wedding. It’s going to be a banger, and we can’t wait. Midnight on Dec 31 will officially close out our work year, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Our lives are sort of wild but also beautiful and as I just begin to process what this whole season has meant to us personally and professionally, I can’t help but be left in awe at how full and inspiring it all is.
– xo, Heather
Enjoy some snapshots from this year:
Long Island Wedding Photography
Long Island Wedding Photography | North Fork Wedding Photographers | Apollo Fields
Meredith & Vince
Long Island City Elopement Photography
Long Island City Elopement Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers | NYC Weddings 2020
Lauren & Jayram
Fire Island Lighthouse Engagement Photography
Fire Island Engagement Lighthouse Photography in Long Island NY | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers | Robert Moses Beach Photos | Engagement Session Outfit Ideas
Stephanie & John
After a few days of debating “should we reschedule?” versus “should we hold out?” for this engagement session when an ominous rainy forecast loomed over the day, I had a gut feeling to hold out and I am SO glad that we did! For some reason, I just had an inkling that the weather and light would break, and luckily it did in the best way. I don’t always get this inclination (for example, today was supposed to be a shoot day for me and I ended up rescheduling because I didn’t get the feeling that the weather and light would break— and as I type this, I’m so glad because it’s just one of those East Coast *bleh* days that’s kind of crappy and gray).
I knew right away with Stephanie & John that we were about to have some fun— they brought a few fun outfits, lots of energy, and a little champagne. The perfect trio in my opinion! We got to explore the Fire Island Lighthouse together and follow the sunset back towards the ocean. It is always a bit windier down by the beach, and this day was no exception, but we all just laughed through the gusts of wind and these guys braved the elements like champs!
I loved the fun, flirty, and playful vibes that Stephanie and John had and it just made me so happy to watch them embrace the evening together. The lighthouse is one of my favorite places to shoot because it gives such a variation of architecture and scenery— you can get awesome boardwalk shots with fun vantage points, beach shots, and the beautiful lighthouse all in one easy spot.
My absolute favorite part of the night was towards the end when Stephanie and John were running around by the water together. The light was closing in on us fast and the waves were pretty wild from the storm the night before. Of course, the photographer and artist in me was dying to get them in the waves but there was no way I could have asked them to do that in their clothes, but just then they got that twinkle in their eyes and suggested in first. Yes, yes, YES!!! They grabbed each other’s hands and just ran into the waves and made my creative dreams come true!
We wrapped the night and began to drive away when someone called attention to the Harvest Moon that had begun to rise. I’m so glad they did because we hopped back out, with Stephanie and John both cold and soaked and wrapped up in a blanket, and got a few quick moon shots with the epic autumn Harvest Moon! I’m so excited to share this sweet engagement session and feel so lucky to have been apart of their story!
Enjoy these pics from Stephanie & John’s beach engagement session:
Photography: Apollo Fields
Heckscher Park Engagement Photos in Huntington, NY
Vince & Meredith’s Engagement Session | Heckscher Park Engagement Photos in Huntington, NY | Long Island Photographers | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
We first met Merideth at her sister-in-law Sage’s wedding in September 2019 when we walked into Sage and John’s home on Long Island. Hair spray was in the air, bagels on the table, and mimosas in hand. Meredith and Sage made sure we had anything that we wanted and we really felt the warmth of their welcome. Their kind of hospitality never goes unnoticed on our end.
We met up with Merideth and Vince almost a year later in Huntington for their engagement photos at Heckscher Park. We walked and talked and laughed as the early autumn sun warmed us in the breeze. They spoke about how excited they are for us to become parents and how they’re in the process of moving. I’ve definitely noticed a pattern of families becoming closer both literally and figuratively during 2020, and it makes me grateful to come from a large family. We can bicker and fight each other all we want, but when it comes down to it, there is nothing more valuable in life than having people in your corner.
For me, part of the fun of doing engagement photos is seeing how a couple reacts to one another. Are they playful, does PDA come naturally, or is this whole experience an exercise in torture. Heather and I love to make the experience as light as possible because the vast majority of people have not been in front of a camera like this before. There are different strokes for different folks but we can guarantee by the end of it that we will capture the nature of your relationship because it will naturally pour out of you. There is no putting a lid on love.
Right from the get-go Merideth and Vince had their hands on each other, whispering things into each other's ears, and giggling. People think that engagement photos have to be something more than this but at Apollo Fields this is all we want--for you to be unabashedly yourselves. In a world where our social media lives are as curated as the art that hangs on museum walls, authenticity still reigns supreme. No photo will ever be as good as the one that you let yourself go and exist as naturally possible. That kind of peaceful confidence is the best outfit any of us could wear.
It’s the kind of confidence that we have when we’re around our families, catching up in the living room on a holiday or summer vacation. It’s so easy for us to slip into the roles that we’ve been carving our whole lives and our egos wind up taking the back seat to the speed of a witty family back-and-forth. There is no time to wonder what we look like or where our hands are when a relative walks by and either physically or verbally jabs us. We just exist naturally.
And that’s what I’ll remember from Merideth and Vince’s engagement photos. How they and we just walked in the park and took some pictures. It was as easy as a summer night and that’s all it had to be.
Planning a wedding can be stressful —especially if the cost is coming out of your own pockets
Planning a wedding can be stressful —especially if the cost is coming out of your own pockets!
Wedding etiquette used to be that the bride’s family shouldered the entire cost of the wedding and the groom’s family would cover the rehearsal dinner. The couple was only expected to pay for the gifts that they would exchange with one another and their wedding party… Well, it’s 2019 and we happen to think that this uber-traditional arrangement is a bit antiquated and unrealistic. According to WeddingWire, about 44% of modern couples are paying for the majority of their wedding themselves. At Apollo Fields, we probably see an even higher percentage of our couples footing their own bills and honestly, we think that’s super rad! We really “click” with the word hard / play hard kind of couples who are more focused on their weddings being a unique and sentimental experience rather than a trendy, over-the-top social affair.
QUOTE FROM A PREVIOUS COUPLE
Planning a wedding can be stressful —especially if the cost is coming out of your own pockets. Around every corner there seems to be an expense waiting for you; from bigger costs like renting a venue, catering, and stocking the bar, to unforeseen expenses like chair and table rentals, glassware and silverware rentals, and single-use items like decorations and stationery. That’s not even to mention services like a DJ or live band, the serving staff, and the totally unbiased, most important cost of your wedding: photography! Well, coming from a couple of industry-tested wedding photographers who have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, including the full planning and execution of our own wedding in October 2018, please heed our advice from one proud, professional couple to another!
Establish Your Priorities As A Couple
As soon as you post your engagement on social media, every aunt and uncle, sister and brother, mother and father, and friend will have an opinion on what your wedding should be like. Where you should get married, who you need to invite, what food you should serve and what music should be played. As you will see (or already have seen), the planning of your wedding can quickly become less about you and more about the people who surround you. Don’t forget that the biggest benefit of paying for your own wedding is that you don’t have to answer to anyone! It doesn’t have to be as cliché and rigid as “this is your day” or “this is the bride’s day,” of course you can listen to those closest to you for advice, but the fact of the matter is-- you’re paying for it--so don’t allow others to dictate the way you want to celebrate your love. Your wedding day is just as much a romantic symbol of your relationship as it is an opportunity to showcase its strength by making important decisions together. So take the time to sit down and hash out what’s most important to each of you individually, that way each of you feels represented in the atmosphere of your wedding day, from the decorations to the guest list to the dance floor.
Apollo Fields List of Priorities:
1. Location – Family hobby farm in Ramsey, NJ.
2. Guest List – Immediate family and close friends (tough to keep <100 guests)
3. Food and Beverage – Beer, wine, and N/A bev., whiskey/scotch room, homemade fresh pasta bar, salad, candy apple dessert bar.
4. Photography – Associate/friend of Apollo Fields.
5. Entertainment – Inexpensive but trusted DJ of family friend.
6. Décor – Mainly rustic tools from farm’s history, table cloths from amazon, glassware, dishware, and silverware from second-hand stores.
7. Rentals – Tables, chairs, portapotty.
QUOTES FROM PAST COUPLES?
Tackle One Thing At A Time
When you have to pay for your own wedding, you have to work the planning around your already busy schedule. The best way to do this is to start at the top of your list of priorities and work down one at a time. This way it is more manageable, enjoyable, and hopefully never becomes overwhelming. If a venue is at the top of your priority list, start there, and then determine your guest list as per different venue’s respective guest maximums; if the guest list is paramount, then start there and find which venues are best for your guest count. Leverage your priority list into the planning process. Take a weekend to hit a few venues, taste their food, and check out nearby towns and hotel accommodations. Over dinner at a restaurant, discuss who or what is not negotiable come wedding day. Let it be light and fun, it doesn’t have to be stressful! I still remember putting the playlist together for the DJ in our cottage in Colorado, laughing and singing to all of our favorite tunes. But bear in mind, get a start as far in advance as possible, as venues, DJs, and photographers become booked up as far as a year to two years in advance, and we all know the feeling of being in the mall the day before your significant other’s birthday, only to settle for a gift that doesn’t truly represent how much you care. Don’t let this happen for your wedding day.
Apollo Fields Planning Workflow:
1. Location - Heather and I planned trips to New Jersey from Colorado in advance of the wedding, purchasing things that wouldn’t spoil, measuring space as per rental table dimensions, and helping set up the property as much as possible.
2. Guest List - The guest list is a common battleground for couples. There are going to be those left behind. You can try to divide the count 50-50 but it’s never that cut and dry. For us, we began with what the space allowed, and then it was all about who was currently contributing something to our lives that made the difference.
3. Food/Bev. - Getting a Costco membership can save you tons. We shopped around for the best prices for whiskey, beer, and wine, and grabbed a package or two of non-alcoholic beverages.
4. Photography – This was obviously easy for us as it is right up our wheelhouse.
5. Entertainment – We prioritized cost effectiveness on this one, and a family friend who had good reviews online came at the right price and delivered (literally and figuratively).
6. Décor – We built these purchases into our trips to NJ from Colorado, and found things on Amazon that were much better quality and cheaper than renting from a wedding company.
7. Tables and Chairs – At first I wanted to build all of them. In the week leading up to the wedding. Yeah, I was over-ambitious. We rented them at a great price from a company that dropped off and picked up at the location. We also rented a portapotty, which was a funny conundrum getting stressed about where people were going to use the restroom.
Tangible Items vs. Intangible Services
Similar to creating a pros-and-cons list to help make tough decisions, separating costs into tangible items and intangible services can help clarify where you should direct the bulk of your time and budget. It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of designing your wedding to be the perfect, dream-like experience, all the way down to the way the napkins are folded, but to be honest, the quicker you depart from that pipe dream, the better. The reality is that something always goes wrong at weddings and the more value you put into each small detail the more you risk that stress eventually coming back on you when/if it doesn’t pan out. If you do have your heart set on a lavish extensive wedding experience, it can pay to hire a wedding planner, but if not, or they’re too expensive, we say cut the corners on immaculately matching silverware, dishware, glassware, and single-use items like decorations, invitations, wedding favors and the like. It will drive you crazy and the pursuit of perfection will make everything else seem imperfect. Instead, consider hiring a Day-Of Coordinator to take the stress off without breaking the bank. This is one of the biggest “I wish I had _____” feedback that we hear from past couples. Having a point of contact for the day to make sure things are running smoothly and on time will take the pressure off of you guys without maxing out your credit card.
MAYBE GET A QUOTE FROM A LOCAL DAY OF COORDINATOR HERE?
Invest in the things that people will remember: your beautiful ceremony in an historic barn, the tunes blaring from horns and reverberating from the strings of an electric guitar, and of course the photography that will capture all of these moments for you “to have and to hold” (see what I did there?).
(INDUSTRY SECRET: You wouldn’t believe how much cake goes untouched (and often thrown away) while your guests are tearing it up the dance floor. We say ditch the elaborate multi-tiered cake and direct the funds elsewhere. Dessert bars with cupcakes and cookies are great alternatives. Or think outside the box-- we had an autumn wedding so we went with bite-sized pumpkin pie nibbles and caramel apples).
Apollo Fields Tangible Items vs. Intangible Services Cost Breakdown
1. 70% Services: DJ, photographers, venue, staff.
2. 30% Items: Rented tables and chairs, second-hand silverware, avoiding glassware via bottled beer and large stock of wine glasses.
Planning a Big Queer Wedding
Through Another Lens Guest Blog Series: Mercie & Dan’s Conscientious Decision to Plan a Big, Queer, Love-Forward Wedding:
So much more than “clients”, our couples are human beings that have a lifetime of stories to tell. We are happy to announce our new blog series aptly titled Through Another Lens, which captures the backstories of our most compelling couples, who voluntarily share their personal stories. From profound to mundane, silly to serious, and everything in between, please join us on these journeys as we experience life Through Another Lens.
– Mercie & Danika –
When chatting with this soulful, energetic, and beautiful couple about their wedding planning, they described how, “we considered eloping but decided that we could really make a statement with our unapologetic love for all friends and family that have supported us”.
The wedding industry is seeing a big shift in couples choosing to downsize their weddings in order to honor their love, but when Mercie told me about them upsizing their celebration as a platform to celebrate queer marriage, we couldn’t help but feel inspired and curious. But writing this simply from a straight person’s perspective felt like a disservice, so Mercie and Dan graciously jumped on a Q&A session with us, and just like that, Through Another Lens was born.
Here’s what it is like to plan a big, queer, loving wedding from two of the most qualified people we know:
“The legalization of gay marriage in the United States is so meaningful to us. Not because it’s a huge statement of equality for all, or because we have to have the right to marry to know that our love is true. It means that the sacrifices of the people that came before us and paved the way were not for nothing. It means that we will respect and honor their legacy by exercising our right to marry. It is a statement of perseverance for our community.”
It is funny how quickly a wedding can become less about the couple and more about those in attendance. We have seen it a million times. Whether it’s the parents who are paying for the celebration that want to call the shots, the internal family quibbles, the I’m not sitting at the same table as so-and-so, or the religious dogmatist that insists on lengthy ceremonial traditions. We’ve seen it all.
What we haven’t seen is a couple who has looked back at their relationship and decided that they are going to host a big wedding rather than an intimate elopement because of what it means to posterity and gay rights; that they are going to celebrate their love not only because it’s real—but because the celebration itself has a greater purpose.
We first got to know Mercie and Dan at their sunrise engagement session in Nederland, CO, learning about the origin of their relationship while marveling at their perceptive, bubbly, and unwavering connection. Between the bouts of early-morning-induced delirium and laughter, we stumbled across big topics like same-sex and interracial marriage and Mercie and Dan handled the questions with ease.
“We were never huge wedding people. Neither of us were the type of little girls that dreamed hard about the perfect day and what it would look like.” Actually, Mercie and Dan originally planned to elope, thinking that a small intimate setting was more appropriate to celebrate their love than a huge wedding, but then they got to thinking what their same-sex marriage celebration could mean to their families and communities.
They eventually came to the conclusion that the most important thing was “the impact that we could have on our friends/family/supporters by including them in the celebration of our love. We realized how neither of us had ever been to a queer wedding and likely many of our friends and family hadn’t either.”
Q:
This will be the first queer wedding that many of your guests will be attending. What are your hopes for these guests?
A: One of our greatest focuses in most aspects of life is the next generation. This is also true for our wedding day. For them, we hope they will be inspired to love whomever they see fit in their future and to know that they can find love and support and resources to live their best, most authentic life.
For the adults, we hope to instill a feeling of hope, inspiration, and pride. We hope they can also take a few moments to reflect on the sacrifices and time it took to be where we are today.
Just like so many of their LGBTQ+ allies, Mercie and Dan fought through their childhoods against imposed familial, religious, and social values, fighting a war on so many external fronts, realizing that their internal psychological warfare was like “[a] fight against the human brain. For hundreds and hundreds of years we have been conditioned to believe that gay people are the enemy; that we are sick.” It will never cease to impress me; the bravery and self-analyzation that the members of the queer community have had to possess to overcome such a multi-faceted adversity at such formative times in their lives.
“Coming out can mean so many different things for so many different people,” Mercie said. Dan (and to some extent Mercie), like so many others, “had to sacrifice communication with her whole family,” and it took awhile to get there because there is “never a “right” time to do it. For some it is fear of losing everything they know, for others it is a fear of the unknown, or changes in how you are perceived by the world and more importantly by yourself.” Thus, rather than privately celebrate their love in an intimate group, Mercie and Dan are planning to show the world the values they’ve come to be so proud of.
By enthusiastically having a large queer wedding, Mercie and Dan are showing that “[We] have made a decision to be aware rather than ignorant...coming to an understanding that we’ve learned more from the tough times than the privileges we weren’t always aware of.”
Mercie and Dan’s wedding is more than a celebration of love– it is an authentic experience of life set to show the next generation a symbol of hope, inspiration and pride, liberating everyone in attendance to promote an atmosphere of consistent support to all of those that need it. In a coincidental way, Mercie and Dan’s wedding is less about them and more about someone something else—posterity—but we know that they will cherish the memory anyway, because they “are grateful for every experience.”
“We absolutely love our love, and are pretty obsessed with each other, but in our day to day some things that are more apparent than our queerness include:
– Dan’s passion for creating, admiring, and being inspired by art in all forms.
– Merc’s love for music, learning, and aiding in growth. – Dan’s uncontainable love for all things Star Wars. (When she was 10 years old she wanted to be a boy for the sole purpose of marrying Padme Amidala. News Flash: you can be a girl and still do that!)
– We both have an immense amount of love for our jobs as nannies, which includes impromptu dance parties, reading allll the children’s books, and transforming into dozens of fictional characters every day.
– And we love love love our friends and families that have chosen to love and support us as we grow. (and yoga. We love yoga.)”
Estancia 460 NYC Engagement Session
Igor and Michelle’s Engagement Photos in New York City | Estancia 460 NYC | Destination Wedding Photographers
There’s something so exciting about moving to a new city that makes you feel like everything is possible. Somehow all of the stresses, restraints, or regrets from the past are quickly forgotten and your new surroundings shine in the sunlight. Igor and Michelle just moved to New York from Los Angeles and before this engagement shoot had never even been to Central Park. I get giddy just thinking about them walking around on the winding paths I love so much. There’s something special about sharing something dear to your heart with others, and Igor and Michelle have an endless amount of avenues and streets and paths to explore. Everything is possible to them.
Igor and Michelle moved to New York with 4-year-old Harrison because Igor was offered the executive chef position at The Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. Foodies through and through, they can’t wait to share delicious meals in one of the toughest cities to run a successful restaurant. Partly because rent is so damn high and partly because competition exists on every corner and down every alley—if you’re running a restaurant in New York City you have to be consistent and service-forward. With Igor’s experience at Intercontinental Hotel Downtown Los Angeles you better believe he can bring it.
The other aspect of New York that really excites Igor and Michelle is the architecture. They particularly love to go on architectural boat tours that showcase the history of Manhattan. From the quirky, cobblestone streets of the Financial District to the iconic buildings like the Flatiron or the Chrysler, the structures are almost as unique as the people. Almost.
Igor and Michelle will be getting married in Los Angeles in 2020 and we look forward to getting to know their former hometown. Heather and I love the beach almost as much as we love the mountains, as they provide us the natural sounds that we long for. These are a far cry from the horns and sirens of big cities, and give us an energy that only the natural world possesses. That was a huge reason why we moved to Denver and plan to return one day. I imagine Igor and Michelle will head out to the beaches of Long Island come summer time to fill the void of the west coast.
Everything seems possible when you move to a new place because everything is. Sometimes we forget that when we’ve been in one place for too long, but if you always welcome change you will always be allowing new possibilities. Cheers to Igor and Michelle starting the next chapter of their lives.
As seen in: Popped! Mag
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).
Top Of The Rock Photographers in NYC
Callie & Tyler | Top of the Rock NYC | Central Park New York | Rockefeller Center | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
I’m really excited about this session for a lot of reasons but I think the biggest reason is because it really represents both of the worlds that I love – skyscrapers and mountains – since Callie & Tyler came out from Colorado to visit NYC for their anniversary! It was so fun to connect with them in the city and get to show an awesome CO couple this city that I love so much. Callie is also a wedding photographer in Colorado and runs Callie Riesling Photography. She loves to travel and has a great blog of her own about all of the places that she goes for work and play with her family!
I was so excited when I found out that they would be in NYC at the same time as me. We chatted about their itinerary and decided that we would begin the afternoon skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park and then head over to Top of the Rock for golden hour. This was the perfect blend of iconic New York without being too touristy for me and it seemed to match their styles, too.
Callie and Tyler both love skating but are used to wearing hockey skates so they had me laughing when we first began since (I didn’t know this) regular skates are different than hockey skates, so they told me that they might be super clumsy on the ice and hanging onto each other to avoid falling. Well, of course they got out there and still looked like champs, so I was happy to be on the sidelines because I would have definitely been eating the ice if that were me!
Then we walked down to Rockefeller Center and headed up to the observation deck at Top of the Rock. Our timing was perfect because the sun was just beginning to set and the golden light was approaching. It was cloudy and we didn’t get a true “golden” hour, but the light was super soft and dreamy and the city was pretty magnificent anyway! We got to watch the sun set and the city lights all begin to turn on while snapping photos away in one of NYC’s best locations. A perfect end to a session, I’d say!
I was so happy to spend the afternoon with this couple because we immediately clicked about the wedding industry, Colorado life, and the contrasts and similarities with NYC. It was great to show them around my city for a bit and play tour guide since I’m so used to seeing New York from a local’s point of view now that I forget sometimes how amazing it truly is.
New York City Photography: Apollo Fields
Locations:
Top of the Rock | NYC
Central Park | NYC
Rockefeller Center | NYC
Non-Traditional Wedding Planning and Inspiration
DIY Wedding Ideas | Non-Traditional Wedding | Farm Wedding Photographers | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography | Ramsey, NJ
As wedding photojournalists we’ve had the privilege of documenting people on the best day of their lives. Surrounded by friends and family, our wedding couples celebrate their love with the traditions their families have taught them. But what happens if a couple doesn’t have any traditions? Or what if they do but they don’t have any connection to them? Please take these words as a license to create the wedding that best defines your relationship. Borrow from different traditions or create your own. There are no rules.
Heather and I chose to have our wedding at her aunt and uncle’s private farm in Ramsey, NJ, because: 1) they allowed us to, and 2) it was our closest connection to a meaningful tradition. The owners of Honeymoon Acres, Aunt Pam and Uncle Rick got married there in 1996 and we wanted to honor their union by following in their footsteps. Far from perfect, the farm is a haven for animals and family gatherings, treating four legged creatures with an equal-if-not-greater-hand than our relatives. There’s humility in recognizing the value of every animal on this earth and Pam and Rick never forget that and neither will we.
When you’re planning your wedding and getting caught up in the inevitable whirlwind of varying opinions remember this: you are the stewards of your own love. It is you and your significant other who are taking this expedition together — your brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, other relatives and friends can be safe places to stop along the way — but you two are the captains. It is you two who determine the course and to cede control of your wedding day is to allow others to briefly steer the ship. If you are okay with that, fine, but know that a ship with interim captains can wind up in uncharted waters. Please forgive the dramatic analogy but I cannot overemphasize the peace and fulfillment that comes with choosing the way you wish to celebrate your love.
Heather and I decided to celebrate ours by having our friend, David Miller, officiate our mala bead ceremony (see previous post). We took this route because of something that, ironically enough, a pastor said to us at a wedding: “it’s funny, I’m probably the person in this room who knows the least about the couple getting married, yet I’m the one speaking to their loved ones about their relationship.” It was all backwards for us, so picking a friend was a no-brainer. One of the other things that David did was pass our rings around to everyone in little nests, letting our guests cradle the symbols of our love in their trusted hands. We later tried to swap out the garter/bouquet toss for a stuffed animal toss to remind ourselves of our inner children — but just like children we somehow misplaced our stuffed animals. We ended the night with a Jewish tradition, the horah, because who doesn’t want to be lifted into the air to look upon the faces of your friends and family as they have the time of their lives?
Your wedding day can be many things. Why settle for traditions that are outdated and empty? Why not borrow the ones you like? Why not create something new? Why not take the opportunity to create a community that celebrates all the best things in your life. Your wedding doesn’t have to be lavish or expensive, all it has to be is you.
Photography: Alexis Cohen & Derek Morf for Apollo Fields
Farm Venue: Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ
City Park Denver Engagement Photography
Frances & Bryce's Engagement Session | City Park Urban Photography | Denver, Colorado | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographers | Doberman Pinscher
This engagement session is a little extra special for me (not to play favorites but Frances is a total favorite). I love shooting fellow photographers because they * get it * but we can also always laugh about what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera. Frances is a super, super talented wedding photographer and one of the few industry gals that I regularly second shoot for. She’s the owner of Frances Photography and to put it bluntly, is a total badass. She’s been in the industry way longer than I have, and has a reputation for being an awesome boss babe who doesn’t take shit from anyone. She has an immaculate eye for detail and is also business savvy while being a total blast to shoot with. We are two peas in a pod which is almost surprising considering that she is basically my older-sister-twinsy-photographer-stunt-double.
Anyway, these guys got engaged shortly after we did, so it’s been super fun shooting weddings with Frances while simultaneously chatting about planning our own weddings. Right off the bat, we knew we’d want to do a fun session in City Park since she and Bryce had recently bought a house in uptown Denver. When I first met these guys, they were living in Arvada near Standley Lake, so we’d frequently bump into each other in Olde Towne hanging at the same digs (spoiler alert, we love all of the same restaurants and bars too). But then they eventually found this edgy house in the city of Denver and the kicker was this epic artists studio that Frances had bigs plans to turn into her full time boudoir studio. Her house in Denver was set up for her amazing boudoir business, but the only downside was flipping it for shoots. This new space meant that she could ROCK sessions with tons of natural diffused light and tall ceilings, while having a designated space for all of her gear and editing. It was a no-brainer.
The only downside was stricter leash laws and smaller open-spaces for their Doberman, Bodhi. Oh yeah, did I mention that they are also Dobie people!? Our similarities are a little freaky at times, and Terrence and Bryce love to jokingly commiserate about what it is like living and loving this personality type ;) We had a great time shooting in City Park and then wrapped up the night absolutely indulging in Sushi Den because the four of us do a great job at eating out like champs!! I’m very excited for their wedding in Denver later this year and just love this awesome couple.
Photography: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields | Weddings
Location: City Park | Denver, Colorado
Denver Colorado Wedding Photography
Julie & Marty’s Wedding | Cherry Hills Community Church, Colorado | Denver Wedding Photography | Apollo Fields Wedding Photographer
Julie and Marty had such a sweet and sentimental wedding in Denver, Colorado. I met them on recommendation from Cherry Hills Community Church and was so excited when we had breakfast together in Golden to chat and get to know one another. I immediately sensed that they had a very caring and sentimental relationship, so I knew their wedding would be no different!
The day began at the church with the guys and gals busy getting ready, everyone had an upbeat and calm vibe which is also a relief to walk into as a wedding photographer! Before long, it was time for Julie to get in her dress and Marty’s finishing touches on his suit. It was really important for them to do a first touch between the curtains at the church, which I’ve done with past couples in that space so I was excited that they were also on board for this sweet touch. They held hands and prayed together and it was such a sentimental moment for them to share before the day got hectic.
The ceremony was so meaningful and included songs and special readings. Afterwards, we did family photos in the sanctuary before moving over to the Riverwalk Club House for the reception. Julie and Marty did a fun grand entrance and went straight into their first dance. I was really excited for this dance because ballroom dancing is one of their all-time favorite things to do and they had been rehearsing this special dance for a long time prepping for the wedding! Of course, they nailed it and I was just so impressed!
Their speeches were also one of my favorite parts of the day. This was a second marriage for both of them and it was really great to see how their love has matured and where they place their values for a wedding. I’ve learned a lot personally by shooting second marriages because I think they are able to prioritize the right stuff and really trim the fat off of the frivolous and extraneous stressors.
Colorado Wedding Photography: Heather Huie for Apollo Fields
Venue: Cherry Hills Community Church, Colorado