Kate & Chris' Wedding

We met Kate's sister Meghan a few years back when she was a bridesmaid for another Megan who's wedding we photographed and I guess we must have left a good impression on her because she was kind enough to recommend us to her sister Kate when she got engaged!

Kim met the girls as they were getting ready - here's Meghan with bride-to-be Kate..

Meanwhile I headed over to the church to get acquainted with Chris, his groomsmen and groomsgirl..



...while inside, two excited guests look over the ceremony program and key players...!





A couple of last minute instructions before the ring bearer and flower girl head off down the aisle..



...and then Kate's perfect entrance with her father...



...and Chris' reaction to seeing her as his bride...



When you choose to not have a receiving a line, what do you do as your guests filter out of the church? You find a cozy nook and hide out of course!
I love this photograph and if I wasn't being so nosey in the first place I probably would not have taken it as Kate and Chris were nicely hidden away in that corner.



Goofing around in the back of the bridal party trolley...





Kate and Chris had a great bridal party who were lots of fun - even Cindy and Elle made a brief appearance! Yep, that's Blue Steel on the left in case you were wondering..





Kate's veil must have been about a mile long and although well behaved for the most part got Chris tangled up once or twice...





A wedding is not complete in my opinion without a few cute kids doing what only kids can do best! (Acting cutely)



I wasn't exactly sure if I should include this next random image in the blog post but ended up deciding yes. I still have no idea what was going on here but the dollar and spoon filled wine glass was deposited on the dance floor and everyone danced around it like it was the Holy Grail! Maybe someone can shed some light with a comment below???..



Musical entertainment was provided by The Times Square Orchestra I have worked with this band probably more times than any other and can emphatically say that they rock the house each and every time! If you need a good wedding band, seriously check them out - this is what your party will end up like....



Kate and Chris, you are a great couple and a lot of fun to spend a day with! We wish you many happy years together as husband and wife and look forward to seeing you again in the not too distant future.

Cara & Eric's Wedding

We met Cara & Eric last December when we photographed Eric's sister, Melanie's wedding to Craig. It's always nice to work with familiar faces and having knowledge of family dynamics is always a plus.
I actually photographed Cara & Eric's engagement session for them a couple of months back and at that time noticed how completely in love they were. Not that all couples about to get married aren't, but they seem to have a very special bond, a deep respect and affection for each other that they are not afraid to show. And that is a very, very good thing!

Their wedding ceremony and reception all took place at the Bourne mansion in Oakdale on Long Island's south shore - this place is straight out of an F. Scott Fitgerald novel!



Cara looked absolutely stunning thanks to Theresa's incredible make up skills..



...and while Cara was being made up, Eric played some baseball with his father Bob and best man Steven!



As I was walking through the mansion, I noticed that the cake was already displayed in the reception room and felt compelled to photograph it. Now I don't usually do this until the room is completely set up with candles and place settings, etc. but this cake was so unbelievably cool I just couldn't pass it by. Not only was the cake unbelievably cool but Eric and Cara had a cake topping made of two look alike bobble heads!!



Cara looking beautiful in her wedding dress..



..and the big moment about to commence with Cara making her appearance with her father..







..a brief moment alone right after the ceremony is a special time to let it all sink in..







This next photograph is one of my favorite images of Cara and Eric - it's so unposed and natural and captures the love between them I think.



Art alert!!!

The back side of the mansion has an area of mirrored glass windows which are perfect for creating cool distorted images. Maybe not a great wall portrait idea for grandma but a great album filler...



The Bourne Mansion has many cool locations to photograph at, a tree lined walkway on the south patio...



..and the columned grand facade that greets you when you first drive up..





Cara and Eric had been practicing a Foxtrot routine to perform during the reception for quite some time. Apparently this had been kept secret from EVERYONE, except Kim and myself and was somewhat out of character for the two of them so there was a big WOW factor involved here.
This was an important dance for both of them and they were even practicing it during the final throes of cocktail hour! Behind the white door on the left is the Bridal Suite where their unsuspecting families and bridal party were getting ready for their introductions!



And then the actual performance!! I swear this knocked everyone's socks off - it was like watching Dancing With The Stars!!



..did I mention they had a fabulous cake?..





..and the cake cutting ceremony. Did I mention how cool that cake was?



Cara and Eric, thank you for trusting your wedding images with us. We had such a great time at your wedding with you and your families and all of your cakes!

Niki & Eli's Wedding

Let's start this blog entry with a photograph...



If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then this photograph is worth 10,000! This is our favorite Teschner family; Dani, Bill, Niki, Jo Ann and BJ and this is how they look 99% of the time. They are such an awesome family to be around as we found out when we photographed sister Dani's wedding to Carlo two and a half years ago and so we were naturally delighted to be photographing younger sister Niki's wedding this summer.

Kim met up with Niki at her parent's house for some getting ready photos..



I simply love this next portrait of Niki. It is so soft and the background is so pastelly ~ it kind of reminds me of a young Audrey Hepburn portrait.



Meanwhile at the Park Savoy, I met up with Eli and his best man/brother Joshua..



The Park Savoy had a very spacious and elegant bridal suite which allowed for us to get some wonderful natural light portraits when Niki arrived..



OK, so what's better than one beautiful bride? How about three beautiful brides and a gorgeous wedding dress!!



Dani helps her brother BJ with his tie..



Quirky angles and out of the ordinary images are often the most exciting for a bride and groom to see, things that they never really notice on the wedding day. This is a reflection of Niki in a mirror and although it's a tad unsharp, it does not detract from the overall mood of the photograph..





Emotional and passionate grooms are a joy to photograph and Eli was definitely both! He couldn't contain his feelings when he saw Niki appear for the first time as his bride and I'm glad he didn't ~ moments like this are priceless!



Although we had a spot of rain during the cocktail hour, we were blessed with glorious conditions for the entire outside ceremony..





Beauties....



....and the beast!
Just kidding Bill, you know we love you!





Physics 101: Cause...



..and Effect!



and a little bit of egging on and direction from the guests can help loosen the bride a little (not that Niki needed it!)







Eli's brother Joshua was a keen photographer himself and came armed with his Nikon D300..



The first dance was one to be remembered with Eli serenading Niki..





..and it wouldn't be a party without some good 'ole crazy dancing!

Niki and Eli, we had such a great time at your wedding and really enjoyed hanging out with the Teschners and Sieberts! Hopefully we will see you all again soon? :-)