Ali & Jeff's Wedding

Ali and Jeff had their wedding at the beautiful Atlantica resort in Westhampton here on Long Island. We have shot there several times and never get bored of this amazing venue located right on the beach.
It was a perfect match for their laid back, fun personalities and the weather was picture perfect for us all day!

The blue and white chrysanthimums made for a perfect centerpiece and tied in nicely with Atlantica's blue and white decor..

Jeff's sisters, Kerry and Kimberly, handing out programs prior to the Ceremony..

A key member of the processional (you'll see in the next photo) was Jeff and Ali's Pug named 'Pickles'. He fulfilled the role of ring bearer very well and even had time for a quick game of hide and seek before the Ceremony was underway.

Ali's sister Lauren escorts Pickles down the aisle...

The Ceremony was held in the 'tent' that connects Atlantica to the beach. To call it a tent though is quite an understatement! Here is a shot of the beautiful fabric vaulted ceiling..

Nap time for Pickles!!

Ali and Jeff decided to have a Sand Ceremony in lieu of a Unity Candle...

As I mentioned earlier, the weather was perfect and we headed down to the ocean to shoot some formals..

..then came back up the beach a little when a wave came crashing in a little too close for comfort!

En route to the ocean and Kim was running backward taking photos of Jeff, Ali and Pickles and trying to get the perfect shot!

Meanwhile, from another angle, I was instructing them to walk faster and faster at Kim, but they played nice and stopped short of forcing her to get wet!

Jeff giving Ali a 'dip'...

...and Kerry and Jeff's mom shows them how it should be done!

A nice little touch for beach weddings is to have some flip flops on hand for the female guests who want to kick off their heels and get comfortable at the reception..

I particularly like this silhouette shot of the percussionist in the band...

And finally, the cake.. yum!!

Ali and Jeff, thank you for letting us share your wedding day with you and capture so many beautiful memories!!

Heather & John's Wedding

There were a couple of coincidences surrounding Heather & John's wedding which confirmed my notion that the World is indeed a very small place. The first being how we booked the job; although Heather had found us through an internet search, Kim recognized her name and it turned out that she had gone to school with Kim's sister! Another uncanny incident cropped up during the reception - you'll see that in a minute..

John is a New York City fireman and I came across his wedding day schedule when I showed up at the house. I like the 5:00pm entry from Heather but it was nice to see my name in print also!

The obligatory Reservoir Dogs shot always works well when you have a large bridal party..

Meanwhile Kim met Heather at The Royalton in Roslyn. This is a beautiful old home with spiral staircases and elegant decor...

There's something about this limo shot I particularly like. I think it's the way it seems to be peaking around the bushes to see if the coast is clear..

Heather and her father entering the Church as the doors are opened. The back lighting makes for a nice framing around their bodies..

We shot the formal photos at a nearby beach. Although we did shoot on the actual beach, the lighting and backdrop was perfect off to the side where this tall grass was growing..

John sneaking a whiff of the flowers while Heather was getting her dress in order..

On the way to the reception the limo sped past me leaving me in the dust!
Luckily I noticed the car approaching me in the rear view mirror and was able to grab my camera from the passenger seat and get one frame as they were passing! I love the way Heather looked back at me from the rear seat in this shot!..

Coincidence number 2!
As I was taking photos on the reception dance floor, an attractive young lady grabbed the groom and posed for a photograph. Her expression turned from big smile to astonishment as she recognized me and I recognized her and it turned out we had shot her wedding several years earlier. She told me that she has known John for years and he was a guest at her wedding along with most of the other guests there. So, for old time's sake, here is Bernadette with John..

Nothing gets the crowd dancing like Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". We have worked with 'Times Square Orchestra' a few times and they ROCK THE HOUSE!!
Check out the guy on the far right as he lets loose on the chorus!!

Kate & Jared's Wedding

Kate and Jared's wedding was at the beautiful Seawanhaka Yacht Club in Oyster Bay overlooking the Long Island Sound. This was a fine example of a Gold Coast, Gatsby style wedding and I must say I had a very hard time narrowing down the photo selections to post on this blog - there were just too many great photos! Kate and Jared are a wonderful couple who Kim and I enjoyed spending the day with - photogenic, stress free and fun - just how we like it!!

I'm not sure how they built up their Karma bank but they must be doing something right! The weather forecast had called for thunderstorms all day but they threw caution to the wind and didn't think twice about holding the entire ceremony and cocktail hour out on the yacht club's lawn. I'm happy to say that not a single raindrop fell on them until it was time for the reception inside the yacht club - it was at this time the sky turned black and the rain came down in buckets!!!

Standing at the rear of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club overlooking the Long Island Sound toward Oyster Bay Cove...

The wait staff get their last minute instructions..

It's always a good idea to get a back up wedding dress!!

Wait a minute, it's the full length mirror trick...

Kate looked absolutely stunning - she reminded me of Gwyneth Paltrow...

I love this photo of Kate as she was going upstairs to shoot some portraits..

The ceremony was held overlooking Long Island Sound..

The Seawanhaka yacht club makes a spectacular back drop!

Jared looking very Jay Gatsby like...

Kate coming into the reception at the end of cocktail hour..

...and the first dance

Listening to the Best Man's toast! Look at the sky through the windows behind Kate and Jared just before the storm came - it's like an upside down glass of Guiness!!

Another shot of the yacht club at dusk..

Shoes as earrings - this could be a new fashion craze perhaps..

Kate and Jared - your wedding was perfect in every detail and I'm so glad you chose us to photograph the day for you. We wish you many years of good luck and happiness!!