For awhile now I have been listening to advice from some of the best wedding photographers about how to improve as an artist. Conferences like Mystic5 and WPPI have helped me so much learn and grow as a photographer. Many times I have been asked by photographers who are just starting out in wedding photography […]
Pouya and Lisa were married at the Essex House in NYC, a beautiful and luxurious venue on Central Park South.
Wedding days are, by their nature, very emotional events. One may think, however, that as a professional photographer, having witnessed and photographed so many ceremonies, that I would become detached with time- just another couple or just another wedding. But for me that is truly not the case. I really feel connected to my couples and to the moments I am witnessing, and sometimes, such as in Pouya and Lisa’s wedding, it is especially poignant and emotional for me.
For I felt it was just yesterday that I was trying to hide behind a bush in the courtyard of the New York Palace hotel, ready to shoot Pouya’s proposal. I ended up acting instead like a wandering, awestruck, and camera-ready tourist, but I remember the instant shock and surprise on Lisa’s face when she immediately perceived the significance of the moment. And now here she was again, looking perhaps a little less stunned but all the more stunning, and ready to embrace the full promise and lifelong commitment represented by that simple “Yes!” of two years ago.
After sending Pouya a link to this blog post he wrote this touching response,
Shira,
We have been taking looks at your blog and we are so very excited bout the pictures we have seen. Even more than that, we are deeply touched and moved by your kind words – please know that we would not have wanted anyone else in the world to be there with us!
Here is a sneak peak of some of their photos:
Heather and Matthew were married at Grand Central, in the presence of dear friends and family, and perhaps most importantly, their adorable baby Genevieve.
Heather’s preparation was at the Mandarin Oriental, while Matt got ready at their apartment, which by sheer coincidence is the building directly across the street from where I live. Sojouner Auguste at Erganic Design was their planner and did a spectacular job. I must say I was thoroughly impressed with Sojourner’s work and dedication. I have never in fact received a more detail oriented and well organized schedule from a planner before and I would highly recommend her services.
The wedding and reception took place at Charlie Palmer’s Metrazure, which sits perched above the Main Concourse of the terminal and under the famous astronomical murals of the night sky.
There is something poetic about being married at Grand Central. Manhattan is a city bursting with energy, and Grand Central is an iconic symbol of that. Commuters, travelers, and sightseers bustle through its halls and corridors in that famous NYC rush, brushing in haste past each other with barely a thought or glance on their way to their next stop. So, one must take a certain pleasure when a wedding take place there, when amidst the usual bustle a moment is frozen, when lives rather than racing unbeknownst past each other, become instead inextricably linked, and rather than the fleeting glances of rushed commuters, we witness eyes intently locked in loving vows.
This was the first wedding I actually had where the couple had such a young baby with them. I love the way Heather and Matthew incorporated her into the ceremony, presenting her with a locket after reciting a vow they entitled “Honoring Genevieve.” While Kelly, Heather’s amazing friend, was thankfully there to tend and care for the baby, I must give great credit to Genevieve for not crying once through the whole event. She must have known that it was an important and special day she would look back on.
Vendors:
Cake: Ivy League Confections (Ayana Kimi 917.570.0504)
Flowers: Designs by Ahn
Hairstylist: Jeff Chastain
DJ: djkanbeats@gmail.com
Officiant: Rev Susanna Stefanachi Macomb
Videographer: Brian Sarkinen Wedding
Transportation: Silver Star Limousine
Make-up Artist: Nam Vo makeupnv@gamil.com
Quartet: Ambiance Quartet (Shane Thor Galligan 516.313.9581)
