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Monthly Archives: March 2011

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Merri-Makers at Water’s Edge Wedding – Dana and Brian are married!

March 31, 2011 – 6:13 pm

Dana and Brian had a fabulous (and cold) wedding day and I’m so excited to share these images on the blog! Their ceremony was held at Our lady of Mount Carmel, Asbury Park and we headed to the boardwalk to take photos, but mother nature was against us. It was FREEEEEEEEEEZING. I’m so thankful to their wedding party for sticking it out and letting me get the shots I asked for. I did try to be sensitive to their lack of stockings, open toed shoes and no-sleeves! We then headed to Monmouth University to, get this, the building where Annie was filmed. It’s true, I photographed in Daddy Warbuck’s house! You might know this, but I’m a musical theater geek, so this was like a dream come true. I did resist my urge to bust out singing ‘I think I’m gonna like it here!’ and recite Annie lines word for word…

Finally, their reception took place at the gorgeous Merri-Makers at Water’s Edge in Sea Bright, NJ. And like every New Jersey wedding I’ve ever shot, their friends and family killed it on the dancefloor. As a Jersey girl myself, there is nothing I like to see more than a rowdy dance floor! Thank you Dana and Brian for having me capture your day. I hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon!

dres




I love how Dana tied her Grandparents’ wedding rings into the pocket of her dress.


























(Vendor credits coming soon!)

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Dyker Beach Golf Course Wedding – Nicoletta and Jacob are married!

March 25, 2011 – 11:59 am

What an amazing time this wedding was! The Dyker Beach Golf Course was a stunning venue (the dessert room, yes room, was one of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen!). And the music? Unbelievable! I love me some dance floor photos and this dance floor was out of control thanks to their amazing DJs Rhythm of the Night Entertainment. Nicoletta and Jacob were such a joy to work with. Congrats to them and their families – enjoy the photos!


















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Travel To I Do Feature

March 23, 2011 – 2:11 pm

How exciting is this? I woke up this morning (to… snow?) to find that Vusala and Gurban’s Jamaica wedding was featured on the gorgeous blog, Travel To I Do! Definitely stop by and check it out. It’s a great blog filled with stunning real weddings and helpful tips for planning a destination wedding. Enjoy!

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Me and My iPhone – Last Week

March 21, 2011 – 2:07 pm

This (rainy/snowy/slushy) Monday’s iPhone post is a round up of things I did last week. Enjoy them!!!

Last Sunday I took the train to Connecticut to see Jasmine Star and Justin & Mary speak at CTPPA.

I got back to New York feeling really motivated and ready to jump into wedding season! Then, my Chinese food gave me some additional words of wisdom…

I also took some motivation from the street!

On my walk home from the subway, I couldn’t stop noticing how bright everything felt. I loved the way the sun hit this blue wall & pipes.

Towards the end of the week it started to really warm up! I got excited about spring and started to notice flowers popping up around the neighborhood.

Even fake ones!

Who doesn’t love a perfectly blue sky filled with birds?

I shot a wedding on Saturday…

At a golf course!

On Sunday I walked to a family shoot a few neighborhoods away. On the way home I spotted this mural.

I know today doesn’t feel so ‘springy’ but happy spring anyway!

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Five Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer (A Wedding Crasher’s Recap)

March 18, 2011 – 6:28 pm

At this year’s Wedding Crashers event I was honored to be asked to speak on the experts’ panel along side some of the best vendors in the industry. My talk was based around the most important questions to ask your potential wedding photographer. What follows is a condensed version of my speech. While asking questions is important, ultimately you want to go with your gut and chose the wedding photographer who you feel that you bond best with. But here are five important questions that can help you make the right choice.


When you’re looking at a photographer’s blog or website, keep in mind that what you’re seeing is the ‘best of the best’. And it should be – that’s what a portfolio is. But often you’re seeing just 10 or 20 images from what can be a (sometimes) 12-hour day. Or you could be viewing a styled shoot – which means there was a stylist on set, time to design, adjust and readjust the lighting, and that the bride and the groom posed in the photos may even be models. Styled shoots are great fun to take part in and ideal for testing out creative portraiture, but they’re the opposite of what shooting a wedding is like.

Click to continue reading “Five Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer (A Wedding Crasher’s Recap)”

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Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain – A Vintage Love Shoot

March 16, 2011 – 5:35 pm

If you’re in Brooklyn you have to check out Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Shop. Oh my, it’s a beautiful, stunning venue (and delicious too)! Recently I was asked to capture a vintage evening put together by Kathy Malone of Clementine Events and featuring some of my favorite wedding vendors. I adore all things vintage. As a kid, I was often known to wear poodle skirts and cat-eye glasses just for fun, and my appreciation for vintage elements has continued to grow (although I don’t rock poodle skirts any more!). Enjoy the photos!











Delicious cupcakes and cake by Betsy of Nine Cakes
Gorgeous flowers and Jewelry by Rebecca Shepherd Floral Design
Hats by Anastasia of Lachina Loca
Additional jewelery by Maryanne Loverme
Make-up by Genavieve
Paper products by Ruth Irving
Dresses by Melissa Bell
A special thank you to guest bar tender Aaron Gretzinger of Colonie and Nadia Stieglitz for the generous Hendricks donation.
Also a big thanks to Bieje of Mindful Dance and Melissa Smith for modeling!

And last (but most certainly not least) a heartfelt thank you to Gia Giasullo and Peter Freeman, owners of Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Shop.

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Me and My iPhone – Moo

March 14, 2011 – 10:03 pm

Today’s iPhone post is all about Moo, our cat. Moo cracks me up. Everyday, without fail, I belly-laugh because of something she has done. She is super playful and has to get into everything. Best of all, she is always waiting by the door when I get home ready to be ‘scooped’ up and to give me kisses – kind of like a puppy!










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Brooklyn Promenade Surprise Proposal and a CD Cover

March 11, 2011 – 5:27 pm

I captured an adorable surprise engagement proposal on the Brooklyn Promenade a year ago. When Will hired me and told me about his idea to surprise his girlfriend, Lindsay, on the Promenade, he mentioned that he wanted a guitarist to play “Stand By Me” – their song – as he got down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage (I know, swoon!). Straight away, I thought to ask the musically-talented folks at my favorite coffee spot, Roots Cafe. Sure enough, one of their baristas, Gypsy George, was available and willing!

Come the hour of the surprise proposal I was nervous: Not only did I have to sneak around the Promenade to make sure that I wasn’t spotted snapping shots before the proposal went down, but I also had to signal to Gypsy George to let him know when to start playing “Stand By Me.” Needless to say, my heart was racing! Luckily, it all went down smoothly, it was really romantic, and Lindsay said yes!

It’s now a year later and Gypsy George has used one of the images from the surprise proposal for his CD cover! (It’s the first image of the post below.) There’s also a CD release party tonight at Roots Cafe. If you’re local or in the neighborhood, it goes from 7:30-10:30 p.m. (Oh, and click here to check out a sweet love shoot I did at Roots with the owners!)





For more information about the show, visit this link

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Wedding Crashers 2011

March 2, 2011 – 5:08 pm

This weekend I was honored to be a speaker at Wedding Crashers, a wedding fair that took place at the Bell House in Brooklyn. It was put on by Brooklyn Based and featured some of my favorite wedding vendors. When I wasn’t speaking, I was running around snapping photos and I’m super excited to share them with you! I plan on posting a little post on my talk, so stay tuned for that. But for now check out what went down.

How pretty is this entrance done by Rock Paper Scissors Events?

Rebecca Shepherd Floral Design had one of the most beautiful tables I’ve ever seen. Her arrangements are always unique and just so stunning to look at!


The lovely Anni Bruno of NYC Faces doing an impromptu make over (she’s the make up artist behind Sam’s beautiful face in this wedding!).

The beautiful (and delicious!) cakes by Nine Cakes !

I love this shot of the Nine Cakes ladies being goofy in the photobooth.

I also got to meet talented wedding planner Tammy Golson who helped organize the event. I was totally in love with her table (being a scrabble fanatic!).


Oh! And check out this stunning designs by Inspired Goodness!

Afterwards, everyone headed over to The Green Building in Gowanus for some more fantastic vendors and a fashion show by Gabriella Bridal Salon and JFK Jean. I got a chance to hang out backstage with the gals and guys. I am so in love with this first dress!

Makeup artist Jessa Blades at work.



I loved this first dance demo from Orange Grove Dance. How in love do these two look?

The entire day was a total blast! Additional images can be seen here: Wedding Crashers Album

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Central Park Day After Shoot

March 1, 2011 – 7:03 pm

Say hello (again) to the lovely Marisa and Matt. I shot their wedding last October (check it out here). Now here they are rocking a really fun day after shoot in Central Park. A lot of people ask what a ‘day after shoot’ is, so here is a look. They’re great fun photo sessions that happen post wedding. I love them because I get to see my clients again and couples love them because they get a portrait session without the stress and pressures they’re feeling on their wedding day. We lucked out with some unseasonably warm weather and got some really fun, stunning photographs.




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