The Flagler Museum Wedding Photography in Palm Beach, FL
Apollo Fields | Palm Beach Island Wedding Photographers | Flagler Museum Wedding | Luxury Wedding Photographers | Wedding Photographers Near Me | Best Wedding Photos
Chase & Heather
I’ve never liked Florida. Ever. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a New Yorker or because of all the Florida man memes, but it’s never been my thing. But the idea of leaving New York for the beach while it’s starting to get cold-- that was an idea I could get behind. I’d never been to West Palm Beach and I try to keep an open mind. Heather, Capa, and I arrived around midnight and woke up to torrential rain the next morning. It was the kind of rain that makes you eat at the hotel rather than try out some local digs. Lucky for us I found a french bakery around the corner that I could sprint to and bring in some of the best baguettes we’ve ever had. We were off to a very good start.
Heather met Heather (the bride) when they were really young. They grew up riding horses together and Heather’s fiance, Chase, actually used to ride with them too. Capa and I are still learning to be comfortable around horses but it’s always a joy to see Heather talk about something she loves very deeply. Heather and Heather used to come down to West Palm for competitions so Heather knew that I was going to like West Palm. I still wasn’t so sure.
Heather and Chase hosted a welcome dinner at a local staple, E.R Bradleys, and after the party ended, the staff began clearing the tables and setting up a mechanical bull. We all had the same idea--I hope Heather and Chase ride the bull--but we also knew that maybe it wasn’t the best idea the night before their wedding. Well there’s a first time for everything, and sure enough, Heather and Chase were the first to hop on. They each showed off their strong legs and held on with muscles that probably don’t exist on my body. They went from riding bulls one day to getting married the next and their wedding weekend was officially in full swing.
Heather and Chase hosted their wedding at The Flagler Museum on Palm Beach Island and despite gusting winds the rain held off for most of the day. The grounds were absolutely stunning and the museum was immaculate. It felt like I was back at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Between the rowdiness of the night before and the class of the Flagler, Florida and Palm Beach were really starting to grow on me. The greenhouse where Heather and Chase held their reception was something out of The Great Gatsby or a movie. String lights in an open space with windows all around and the lights of the city in the distance. I can’t believe I’m saying take me back when speaking about Florida but I have to give credit where credit’s due.
Our final day in Palm Beach we spent most of it floating in a rooftop pool. I waded with Capa in the water, pretending like he was riding a dolphin in the Caribbean and he loved it. The Florida sun finally came out and it made it really hard to want to go back to 40-degree New York weather. I thought back to all of the times that I heard people complain about how cold it was when it was still 50 degrees outside but the first time I understood. Maybe Florida isn’t so bad after all.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | The Flagler Museum | Palm Beach Island
Welcome Party Venue | E.R. Bradleys
Jackson Lake Lodge Wedding Photos at Grand Teton National Park
Apollo Fields | Grand Tetons Wedding | National Park Wedding Photos | Best Wedding Photos | Destination Wedding Photographer | Jackson Hole Wedding Photographer
Ross & MIchelle’s Wedding
Flying back from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I look over to see Capa pulling at Heather’s mask as she nurses him. When the mask snaps back it hits Heather in the face and she playfully whips her head back against the seat. Capa laughs. It’s his fourth flight in eight months and he’s been a doll through three of them: Falls asleep at takeoff, naps for two hours, then wakes up playing and trying to make friends. The one he struggled through we were taxi-ing for over an hour and a half. You learn to take the good times with the bad when you have a baby, and with Capa there’s been plenty more of the former.
We first met Ross and Michelle at Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington on Long Island. Heather was filling in for a bartender and I came in to keep her company with one of our favorite board games, Azul. Ross and Michelle sat right next to us and laughed at the way Heather and I talked smack to each other. We quickly invited them to play with us and we wound up laughing all night and closing the brewery down together.
Ross and Michelle are the kind of people you want to go on vacation with. They always bring a bunch of energy, love to goof around, and don’t take things too seriously. They know how to keep it loose while putting things in motion and they never lose sight of the big picture. When Heather and I met Ross and Michelle they weren’t sure what kind of wedding they wanted—actually—they weren’t even engaged yet. But once we told them about one of our couples eloping in Grand Teton National Park, their eyes lit up. “Now that’s something I can imagine us doing, Michelley” Ross said.
Ross and Michelle wound up holding an intimate wedding in Grand Teton National Park at the Jackson Lake Lodge. The morning of the wedding, Heather, Capa, Ross, Michelle and I piled into our rental car at sunrise and we headed for a few overlooks off the main road. Unfortunately, smoke from forest fires to the west clouded the atmosphere, hiding most of the national park’s dramatic peaks. We adjusted on the fly and hoped for a clearer afternoon.
The haze hung in the air through Ross and Michelle’s ceremony but we came up with a game plan to get them a view of the mountains. Once again we all piled into the car to head for Jenny Lake. Windows down, we blasted the radio as the mountains grew closer and closer. We all whooped and hollered as we climbed out of the car to get the shots that we all came here for. We then took Ross and Michelle to a secluded field to share their vows in private.
As we made our way back to their wedding at Jackson Lake Lodge, we all couldn’t believe that our connection came from a game of Azul. To share such a special time together in a place so far away from our homes. We were all riding high, enjoying an adventure with friends who decided to create a good time when the bad tried to cloud the experience. If Ross and Michelle’s wedding was any indication, there there will plenty more of the former rather than the latter. After all, another adventure awaits.
Enjoy these photos from Ross & Michelle’s Grand Teton microwedding:
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Jackson Lake Lodge | Moran, WY
Northport NY Wedding Photographers
apollo fields wedding photography | outdoor wedding photos | long island wedding photographer | candid wedding photos | huntington wedding photography
Kristen & Mike
I remember meeting up with Kristen and Mike a couple months ago when they just re-locked in their wedding date for 2020. “I bet we’re like the only ones still getting married this year,” Kristen said, half-joking, half-relieved. I’m not usually one for hashtags, but it’s hard not to think of the tag #loveisnotcancelled when it comes to Kristen and Mike and so many others that have decided to host their weddings this year. As our crazy wedding season continues to take shape, gratitude is at the forefront of my mind; if not just for the opportunity to get back to work, then for the privilege to be safely surrounded by people who refused to let a pandemic cancel a celebration of love.
Mike and Kristen were still able to hold their ceremony at their original church, St. Anthony of Padua in East Northport on Long Island. Just a stones throw away from our house, Heather and I welcome any opportunity to reduce travel when we’re not off on one of our many trips to Colorado or any of the states lining the eastern seaboard. Because the church had such a large capacity, Kristen and Mike were still able to invite a significant amount of their guest list, even with the reduced capacity requirement due to Covid. They held a full mass and made a grand exit to the front steps of the church where they were received by an enthusiastic crowd in a sea of bubbles.
It’s fun to think back when we first got to know Kristen and Mike when we did their engagement photos in Blydenburgh Park. Mike grew up fishing with his father on the small lake, and I couldn’t believe I had never even been there before. We gave a small posing direction to Kristen to give a small bend to her leg and kick a foot out behind her and Mike, thinking it was for him, immediately popped his classic Timberland boot out and said, “like this?” We were all doubled over in laughter. If only every one of our grooms to be were so eager to take direction!
After the church, we met Kristen and Mike at Heckscher Park in Huntington, the gorgeous location they chose to do their formals. At one point, the adorable ring bearer and flower girl got into a territorial dispute with the local Canadian geese—thankfully it ended peacefully. The bridal party could barely contain themselves with how well everything turned out as Kristen planned, and how beautiful she looked in her custom dress. There’s nothing quite like seeing a stunning bride in an immaculate dress on her wedding day and offering her and her partner congratulations, stirring memories of hope and love’s beginnings.
In a world where too many things are politicized, let us protect weddings from judgment; let us rejoice in the moments that lift us up, especially in uncertain times like these, for this is when we need them most. Cheers to Kristen and Mike, and all of the other couples who refused to cancel their love.
Say Hey!
It’s team Apollo! Having the best time with Kristen & Mike. We can’t wait to celebrate with them again next year!!
the vendor squad:
Apollo Fields | Photography
Karako | Suits
Madi Lane Bridal | Dress
Green Alaska | Hair Vine
Betsey Johnson | Shoes
Tim’s Florist | Massapequa, NY | Floral
Chris Lobello Productions | Videography
Heirlooms and Squires | Rings
Dinglewood Design | Invites/Save the Dates
Mark of Elegance | Limo
St. Anthony of Padua | Church Ceremony Venue
Liriodendron Mansion Wedding Photography in Bel Air, MD
Lauren & Ethan’s Liriodendron Mansion Wedding | Bel Air Maryland Photographer | Apollo Fields Wedding Photography
“Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before,” read Lauren’s sister, Lindsay, from a speech that their other sister, Leah, wrote. The quote is from C.S. Lewis and I think I am going to take my own advice and begin with a quote more often; between the choice and the succinct nature of them they tend to drive home the vibe of the couple more than my first words ever could.
Lauren and Ethan are an Air Force couple that have a surreal connection. The way they looked at and interacted with one another on their wedding day was like watching a story unfold in real time. The first word that came to mind during their first look was envious--as Heather and I photographed the natural way they fell into each other’s arms. Lauren’s body language immediately shifted from tensed up shoulders to relaxed and smooth, and she began to laugh and smile as the logistics of the day began to work themselves out.
Lauren and Ethan held their wedding at The Liriodendron Mansion in Bel Air, Maryland, a picturesque regal historic property that doubles as an art and cultural center. The 19th century structure boasts two large, gorgeous porches on both sides, an elegant wrap-around staircase straight from a storybook, and an arching trellis that covers the back patio like a green, natural tunnel. They held the ceremony on the back lawn, standing on the steps before the patio, using the rear face of the mansion as an epic backdrop. Lauren and Ethan did it right.
In a time in the United States where everything feels so heavy it’s important to take any moments that make us feel light. When Lauren saw Ethan for the first time it was like a physical and emotional embodiment of that point. I know it’s hard to look around on your wedding day and see all the things that could have been--but at some point, when you let go--you’ll see everything that is. You’ll see your partner looking the best they’ve ever looked, the people who’ve shown up for you, and you’ll remember how light you felt in those moments. You deserve it.
I admit that I’ve fallen victim to the weight of the world of 2020, forgetting to put effort into things that make me feel light. Some of that is due to quarantine or the political climate but I can’t scapegoat all of my frustration. A friend of ours recently gave me a book on the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park and I read it on our recent flight to Colorado. It is surprisingly well-written and my brain immediately began to churn in a way it hasn’t in awhile. I was inspired by the dynamics of wolf packs, the positive impact that even apex predators can have on an ecosystem, and the cost-benefit analysis of the introduction project. More than anything else I felt light again; remembering that I, Lauren, Ethan, or even a lone wolf in Yellowstone is the main character in a “...Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
Enjoy these sneak peek photos from Lauren & Ethan’s wedding:
vendors:
Apollo Fields | Photography
The Liriodendron Mansion | Venue
Dean and Brown Catering | Catering
Something Borrowed Blooms | Floral
Pronovias Oreste | Dress
K&Co Salon | Hair and Makeup
Vistaprint | Save the Dates
