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Jonathan and I chose to have some of our engagement photographs done in Central Park, as it is a tranquil spot but you still see the sweeping skylines of New York City in the background. It is romantic and features some of the most amazing scenery in New York City with its natural woods, lakes and walking tracks. It is one of our favorite spots to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Times Square is a quintessential New York City location. We also chose this site as Times Square represents the energetic lifestyle we live on a day to day basis. Bright lights, tall buildings and tons of people encompass the world we live in.

My first look was a white silk Diane von Furstenberg dress. I wore a black Balenciaga dress in her second look with Christian Louboutin shoes. Jonathan wore a Charles Tyrwhitt button down with a charcoal Theory blazer and jeans.

The session was extremely fun! We really connected with Jenny, our photographer.  As the shoot progressed, we just became more and more comfortable with her. It was great to be able to relax and just have fun.

Photography: Captured Photography by Jenny / Bride’s Dresses: Diane von Furstenberg (white) & Balenciaga (black) / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin

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Post tags: Balenciaga, Captured Photography by Jenny, Central Park, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Emerald Cut Diamond, Engagement Sessions, Engagement Shoots, Manhattan, New York, New York City, Time Square, Wedding Photography
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, Wedding Photography

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From Carolina Wahnish Rivera Photography…This wedding was a very small and intimate ceremony at the beautiful Conservatory Gardens in Central Park NYC, a closed off section and very well kept part of the park, containing 3 different gardens (French, Italian, and English). Sandy and Jill were married under a quiet wisteria tree in the English gardens (Jill’s favorite part of the park because it’s less “trimmed”) by their friend who became licensed and officiated the ceremony (to keep it intimate and close!)… we started with Jill getting ready at her Chelsea apartment overlooking Manhattan, along with gorgeous details including a fluffy pink Watters wedding dress, Valentino shoes, and a very unique Alexander McQueen clutch purse.

And although we had a bit of a challenge going through the Manhattan traffic (on the same day as the UN meeting), and as it started to slowly rain and then downpour on our ceremony in the middle of the park, it was still a great time with their closest family and friends! Jill and Sandy also opted for a “day after” (a few days after) bridal session, since the rain caught us off-guard during the portraits, in order to truly capture the beauty of the park. During a bit more of a “dry” day we were lucky to have had beautiful weather, and Jill brought her 2nd wedding dress, a simple BCBG dress paired with an ode to her previous wedding dress, some fluffy pink Isaac Mizrahi shoes, and Sandy a lighter blue, more casual colored suit.

I loved this wedding for it’s “quaintness” and intimate setting, perfect for both of their personalities. 

Wedding Photography: Carolina Wahnish Rivera Photography / Ceremony Location: Central Park Conservatory Gardens / Wedding Dress: Watters / Bride’s Shoes: Valentino / Clutch: Alexander McQueen / Bouquets: Alice Stillman Inc. / Rings: Raffi Fine Jewelry / Earrings: Grandmother’s (vintage) / Veil: Custom Handmade / Bridal Session Wedding Dress: BCBG / Bridal Session Shoes: Isaac Mizrahi

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Post tags: Alexander McQueen, Alice Stillman Inc., BCBG, Carolina Wahnish Rivera Photography, Central Park, Conservatory Gardens, Isaac Mizrahi, New York Weddings, Raffi Fine Jewelry, Valentino, Watters
Post categories: New York City Weddings, New York Weddings, Traditional Elegance

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From the Bride…John and I met in New York. Our relationship has been long distance. We had actually not lived with each other before and prepared our apartment in advance of the wedding and our wedding night was the first night we spent in our new apartment. It was stressful setting up the apartment in a week, but it was more a lead up to the wedding day. We saw our wedding as an occasion to recognize our life starting together. We wanted the wedding to be stress-free and organic, so we tried not to include too many moving pieces.

Through the planning process my sister was there to remind me to not get too caught up in the “wedding day”. That every bride is beautiful and every guest is happy to be there so it will always be special. So stressing before, during and after (paying for it) is really not worth it when the outcome is the same. So I focussed on the details that made me happy (like finding the perfect cake topper, unique bottles and books for the centerpieces), when I noticed something was stressing me too much I brought in a friend or family member to think of a different solution that was either easier or cheaper. The whole process should be happy.

Wedding Photography: Mademoiselle Fiona / Flowers: DIY / Ceremony Location: Ladies’ Pavillon / Reception Location: Savoy Restaurant (SoHo) / Wedding Dress: Blessus

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Post tags: Blessus, Central Park, Garden Wedding, Ladies' Pavillon, Mademoiselle Fiona, New York Weddings, Savory Restaurant
Post categories: Casual Elegance, The Blog

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From Winding Violets…Kristin and Matt have been living in New York City for 3 years; they are the perfect New York City couple: smart, sexy, & sophisticated. Both Kristin and Matt moved to the city independent of one another, him from Connecticut & her from a small town in Ontario, Canada (Kingston).

Kristin and Matt met in New York and fell in love with each other and the city. They now live together on the Upper East Side near Central Park. Central Park has special significance for Kristin and Matt, as it was the site of their first date. Matt thought it would be a romantic idea to take Kristin skating on Wollman Rink. They spent a lovely evening circling Wollman with the city lights filling the Manhattan night’s sky. Matt did walk away a little emasculated, as Kristin has done some competitive figure skating in her past, so she showed him up a little. He should have known better though, taking a Canadian skating?

Following Central Park, we visited The High Line for sundown. The High Line is a relatively new feature of the great City of New York. Chelsea doesn’t have a proper green space, so the city thought it would be a great idea to renovate the old elevated train line that runs through Chelsea into a boardwalk/park. The High Line over looks the Hudson River and runs from 30th to 13th on the lower West Side. They maintain some terrific details that subtly remind the visitors of the train line that once ran where they now walk. Next time you’re in New York City, make sure to visit The High Line for yourselves it’s quite beautiful.

Photography: Winding Violets, Lucas Tingle + Melissa Howlett / Locations: Central Park + The High Line / Her Shoes: BCBG / Dress: Calvin Klein / Necklace: Tiffany & Co. / Earrings: DeScenza Diamonds / His Outfit: Astor & Black / His Shoes: Cole Haan / Watch: Citizen

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Post tags: Astor & Black, BCBG, Calvin Klein, Central Park, Citizen, Cole Haan, DeScenza Diamonds, New York Weddings, The Hight Line, Tiffany & Co., Winding Violets
Post categories: engagement session, New York City Weddings, New York Weddings

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From Sweet Little Photographs … Andrea and Garrette are from Alberta, Canada and they flew out to New York with three of their closest friends to get married on Easter Sunday in the Ladies Pavillion in Central Park. A buch of tourists were watching the entire ceremony and taking pictures, and even clapped after the first kiss. It was a lot of fun shooting the wedding and post wedding portrait session. The bride’s bouquet was from local flower market and the flowers were imported from France because those type of flowers are not available in NYC right now. This is just a fun shoot and proved you don’t have to go all out to still have a memorable wedding.

In case you missed them, here are the pretty posts from SMP New York this week:

a lovely Long Island affair
a sweet as can be soirée in Stony Brook
a mouth-watering prep to plate photo shoot
a seriously swoon-worthy SoHo photo shoot
a DIY Catskill celebration

A few pretty things we found around the web…

a funny take on people’s feelings on New York via Cup of Jo
a fabulous grilling buying guide via Oh Joy!
so many patio cushions so little time via Mrs. Lilien

Have SUCH a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend everyone! We’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo, A.Blaire

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Central Park, Elopement, NYC, Sweet Little Photographs
Post categories: New York Weddings

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From Katherine Harris of Mike Colón Photographers… Words that come to my mind when I think about the shoot with Johan and Gabi are: effortless class, East Coast, elegant, timeless, tailored, and polished.  What is so refreshing to me about Gabi is that she looked like herself.  Her hair and makeup were soft, natural, yet polished.  Johan was put together in a tailored classic suit that complimented her look.

What continually brings me back to the classic East Coast style is it is just that: classic.  You can look back to John F. Kennedy and Jackie O. and the tailored suits, cuffs, and dresses they donned are still wearable today and beyond.  When this look is chosen, you can look to the images and experience a “timelessness” as opposed to being able to pinpoint that such and such image was taken during this time period, because of what they’re wearing.

Jackie from Merci New York could not have created a better look or incorporated better details to really capture the essence of what we were going for.  On top of her fabulous styling, getting to shoot in Central Park on a cloudy overcast day completed the feel of the day.

While the details of a wedding are powerful, and can really set the tone and mood for the day, we went into this shoot really wanting to capture what the wedding day truly is all about.  Love.  The coming together of two different people.  Two different people, with different upbringings, with different pasts, different lives coming together to commit their lives together is so unique and beautiful.  Our goal was to really capture the essence of these two people coming together to be one couple, one story, one love.  Instead of finding contrived poses or moments, we wanted the couple to interact the way they interact with each other and capture real and intimate moments.  There is something about real moments that are moving.

That being said, the details we did have we really wanted to choose specifically and carefully.  Gabi and Johan’s attire consisted mainly of a neutral color palette.  The jewelry chosen for Gabi accentuated the timeless east coast feel of her gown, hair and makeup.  The pops of color we added were just to show that you can still have class with being modern!  The green sash on Gabi’s party dress, the pop of color in her bouquet, Johan’s pink tailored shirt all gave hints of their respective personalities.

Photography: Mike Colón Photographers + Anna Epp Photography + Kristyn Kimball + Magdiel Sanchez + Marc Douglas Photography + Michael Rousseau Photography + By Petronella Photography + Johan Khalilian / Stylist: Jacqueline Weppner of Merci New York / Floral design: Lori Meigel of Merci New York / Wedding Gowns: Sassi Holford (Long Gown) via Gabriella New York Bridal Salon + Allison Paris (Short Dress) via Gabriella New York Bridal Salon / Hair Accessories: Preston & Olivia + Sara Gabriel / Ballet Flats: J.Crew / Faux Fur Cropped Jacket: Club Monaco / Jewelry: Miriam Haskell via Rent the Runway + Nicole Miller via Rent the Runway + Erickson Beamon via Rent the Runway / Groom’s Attire: Rothman’s New York + Tallia + Hugo Boss + J.Crew

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2011. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Allison Paris, Anna Epp Photography, Central Park, Club Monaco, Erickson Beamon, Gabriella Bridal Salon, Hugo Boss, J. Crew, Kristyn Kimball, Magdiel Sanchez, Marc Douglas Photography, Merci New York, Michael Rosseau Photography, Mike Colon Photographers, Miriam Haskell, New York, New York City, Nicole Miller, NY, Petronella Photography, Preston & Olivia, Rent the Runway, Rothman's New York, Sara Gabriel, Sassi Holford, Tallia
Post categories: New York City Weddings, New York Weddings, Photo Shoot

see more of this gorgeous shoot here!

I did an engagement shoot for Natalie and Donnie in November 2010 at Central Park in New York City. We were so lucky as the weather was unseasonably warm that day…60 degrees in November! Natalie is a Ph.D student at Columbia and Donnie works in Finance. They will be getting married later this year.

Photography: Judy Pak / Location: Central Park, New York

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Post tags: Central Park, engagement session, Judy Pak Photography, New York City, New York Weddings
Post categories: engagement session, New York City Weddings, New York Weddings

Sarah ~ today’s beautiful bride ~ did NOT want to do a first look session. But, sometimes you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do. And her wedding day timing dictated a first look. According to Carla (on her blog), Sarah & Jose’s first look session now ranks as one of her personal all-time favorites!

Let’s back it up a bit … a few of the details.

After some fabulous first look shots and loads of wedding party fun in Central Park, when Sarah and Jose met once again, it was as if they were seeing each other for the first time!

See the full gallery here!

The reception was held at The Central Park Boathouse and was full to overflowing with brilliant colors, yummy cupcakes and love oozing out of every nook and cranny …

From Sarah … Jose and I met through his best friend and one of my best friends (who are actually a married couple). We met at a bar one night, but it wasn’t until our friends had a New Year’s Eve party that we really connected.  Jose struck up a conversation with me and I was immediately intrigued by his cute accent and good looks. Long story short, the ball dropped at midnight and he kissed me … the rest is history. Carla has posted a ton of gorgeous photos from Sarah and Jose’s wedding on her blog {here}. Lots and lots of beauty!

Congrats to Sarah & Jose and thanks to Carla for sharing!

Photography: Carla Ten Eyck / Dress: Kleinfeld’s of NY, Melissa Sweet / Flowers: Lenox Hill Florists of NY / Cupcakes: Cupcake Cafe of NYC / Video: Tom Morlock of Vantage Point Films

To see more of Carla’s creative genious ~ check out these posts …

Tim + Minday: Don’t Trash The Dress

Emily + Pat: Wedding At Saltwater Farm Vineyard

Callie + Niels: Wedding At The Webb Barn

© Style Me Pretty : The Ultimate Wedding Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Boat House, Carla Ten Eyck, Central Park, Cupcake Tower, Melissa Sweet, New York City, Priscilla of Boston, Simple Silhouettes, Summer
Post categories: Little Black Book Blog, New York City Weddings, New York Weddings, Traditional Elegance, Wedding Photography