CLAIRE & HEATHER GET MARRIED: I had the pleasure of photographing Claire and Heather’s wedding celebration which began on a sunlit Sunday afternoon in Long Island City (This couple was officially married at City Hall on July 24th, 2011 – the first day same sex couples could legally marry in New York). Upon arrival, the guests were treated to passed brunch goodies before everyone settled down for the “Un-ceremony” which featured hilarious, yet heartfelt, speeches and toasts from the couple’s many friends. In what was pure serendipity, the Empire State Building (a backdrop in some of these photos) was lit in pink! 

DESIGNER & PLANNER:  Dominique Bell, Big Juicy Events
VENUE: Attic Studios
FLOWERS: Big Juicy Events
CATERING: Great Performances
DJ: Brian Pennington; brian.pennington@gmail.com

KEVIN & JAMES GET MARRIED: Together for 15 years now, this couple formalized their union last weekend in New York with an elegant ceremony followed by a luncheon with family and friends. Kevin’s Scottish heritage is clearly evident and his exquisite aesthetic sensibility (Kevin’s an architect) lent itself to the execution of the beautiful floral and cake designs.

CHURCH: Church of the Heavenly Rest
LUNCHEON VENUE: Amaranth

KAREN & JENNI GET ENGAGED, CO-WINNER of ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SESSION CONTEST: When Karen and Jenni first contacted me about participating in the contest, I was immediately drawn to their decision to make their lives very public, to use their voices to discuss the discrimination they (we) endure on a personal & policy level. The same-sex union of this multi-ethnic couple will be celebrated over a wedding weekend in September.

Karen is East Indian from the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. She is strongly connected to her culture and religion. Their favorite Hindu holiday, as a family, is Holi or Phagwah as it is called in Trinidad. It’s a celebration of color and symbolizes the welcoming of Spring. As a concept for the Engagement Photo Contest I sponsored in the spring, Karen and Jenni chose to incorporate the Holi tradition complete with Abeer (or Abir) — the bright and beautifully colored powders that you see in the photos. They felt their engagement portrait would not be complete without their son Jadon and dog Max to symbolically portray their family through playfulness, in celebration of color.

CHRISTOPHER & JEREMY GET MARRIED: Quite a wedding this past Friday — lots of great shots to choose from! Here are some highlights:

> Christoper’s favorite movie is Wizard of Oz and his aunt made them figurines the grooms for the cake mimicking their gray suits, red Converse (the sneakers say “Oz” on the back) — and, of course, a yellow brick road;

> Unbeknownst to the grooms, Jeremy’s mother organized a flash mob of guests that came out in top hats singing “Puttin on the Ritz” (Ritz connects to a family name). — that’s why Jeremy and Chris looked so surprised in a couple of those photos.

VENUE: Ramscale
CATERERS:  The Upper Crust

MITCHELL & NATE’s PRE-WEDDING PARTY: Sometimes referred to as a rehearsal dinner, this gathering took place the evening before the wedding — at the same site as the wedding was to take place the following day — the site of a wonderful restaurant on Seneca Lake called Dano’s. It’s located the Finger Lakes region, an area of New York that Mitchell & Nate are particularly fond of.

The patio of the restaurant can be scene in one the photos to the left and additional tents were erected out back overlooking the lake. It was a wonderful weekend — the weather and the setting really coming together for some lovely moments.

+ View a preview selection of photos from the wedding day

JOSIE & PANKTI GET MARRIED: Wonderful wedding I shot last summer in Provincetown! I posted a few photos from this event on my previous blog, but the warm, sunny weather we’ve experienced lately — for the most part — has me longing for another trip to the Cape.

CATERER: Ancora Organic Catering Company (owner Raina Stefani shown in one photo carrying ice into the venue)

ADAM & DAVON GET MARRIED: This couple was married a week ago today in New York City at City Hall — the first full day of spring. Both Adam and Davon are, originally, from the Midwest now living in Queens. By day, one is lawyer and the other is a marketing professional. They both like living on “this side of the East River and wanted that to come through” in their photos. Thus, to commemorate their union, I shot this handsome couple at various locations in Long Island City and mainly in the Socrates Sculpture Park on the East River.

MITCHELL & NATE ARE ENGAGED: This handsome couple with a wonderful sense of humor is due to get married in May. Mitchell (in the glasses) is in the culinary arts and Nate is a physician.