Russian Tea Room wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

Like so many of those who keep making the choice to deal with the complication and expense of living in New York City, Tatiana and I are huge fans of its culture, idiosyncrasies, and history. So we were excited at the outset when Adriana and Stephen came to us with their wedding in New York's iconic Russian Tea Room, which has connections to Adriana's family. Of course, most excitement came from Adriana and Stephen themselves, and how fun they were to work with.

We asked Adriana what was most important to her while planning the wedding, and … well, we have to swear this isn't a paid advertisement: "Booking our photographers!" You see, Stephen wanted to become a wedding photographer himself in part from seeing our work, which is one of the biggest compliments we could possibly get. Adriana reached out to us the day after they got engaged, and kept it as a surprise to Stephen for a while. "I wasn't above planning our wedding around your schedule - anything to lock you in!"

As avid photographers themselves, it might not be a surprise that the photos were one of their favorite parts. When planning weddings, we know that the thought of mid-reception photos isn't for everyone, since it takes a few minutes away from valuable action, but for some couples it's a perfect time to actually get to see and talk to your new partner amidst all the chaos.  "It was so wonderful to just be able to steal a moment away and go off without anyone knowing where we went (or realizing we were gone) so we could enjoy some time alone and take more photos."  She also fondly remembers her brothers -- Ken, who officiated, and Adam, who "sobbing like a baby during my dance with my dad - it was super sweet."

Family appears prominently in their memories. Stephen remembers Adriana's sister having a brief but "extremely intense" show of emotion at the wedding. "(She's not one to ever really show emotion - so it was amazing!)"

Guastavino's Wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

There is something extra-special about photographing a wedding for a sibling of a previous client -- it's a sign of trust and appreciation, not just for us but of one sibling for the other. And we love stepping back into families that we had already come to appreciate. Ryan had photographed Ashley's sister's wedding in 2012, and it was such a thrill to see familiar faces in such a personal, lively setting.

It was also a thrill to get to know Max and his family, and to return to the amazing Guastavino's, a place as thrilling to photograph in as it is hard to spell. One of the great things about Guastavino's is how easy it is to host every part of the wedding day there, taking the extreme logistical difficulties of Manhattan traffic out of wedding planning.

It's a place made for a good party, and with the help of Hank Lane Music and countless additions like cotton candy passed out on the dance floor, it was a great one.

Of course, the only sad part is when one of these wonderful families runs out of siblings.

Chatham Bars Inn Wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

One of the many, many things we love about our job is that people tend to get married in the sorts of places you might want to go anyway, especially people with excellent taste like Pei and Ben. Early October in Cape Cod? Sure, we can do that.

It was a picture-perfect fall day … at first. But, you see, it was a wedding day, and part of the manic fun of weddings is that they bring a coterie of chaos. And so, right when we would be outside, on the water, far from shelter … came the rain. But Pei and Ben were troopers, and really, really wanted to spend some time on the water -- so much so that they didn't mind even when the rising tide trapped them on the dock, forcing them to be carried to shore by very strong and extremely helpful Inn staff.

That is just a small piece that shows a lot about them -- the fun they can have alone together, their drive, but also a sort of ability to roll with the punches required when walking on a wet beach in a wedding dress.

Thanks so much to Lindsay Arenson at Simple Details Events for making this such a beautiful day, and to Lindsay Hite for backing us up with her great work!

Park Ave Synagogue wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about synagogue weddings over the years, it is that they are going to be wild, and require, in the words of Liam Neeson, a special set of skills.

After the ceremony, the dance to the yichud might require making good pictures of people several inches away — all while running backward in what is more or less a mosh pit. The horahs will require timing, careful focus on rapidly-gyrating guests, and ever-mindfulness of stray elbows and stiletto heels (yes, Ryan has come out of horahs literally bloody). But through it all, it will be exhilarating.

Sometimes at weddings, women ready to dance will bring ballet flats, or the couple will provide them. We knew this wedding would be brimming with energy when we saw a number of the women changing into heavy-duty sneakers, like they were preparing for a basketball tournament. And man, did they need them.

But among all this, the couple, their love, and the wedding at the Park Ave Synagogue itself were beautiful and joyful. We have been so glad not just to document this wedding, but to know Julianna and Reuben and stay in contact since the wedding, watching as their incredible love and joy infuses their new life.

Winter engagement shoot in Owl's Head Park /  by Ryan Brenizer

We love Brooklyn parks … all of the greenery and glory of Manhattan Parks, and far, far fewer random people moseying around in the background of photos. This is especially true for people like Gina and Pat, who were willing to brave Owl’s Head Park on a blustery winter day in nothing more than sweaters and jeans. We warmed up with a quick indoor session at the Brooklyn Firefly.

Gina headed the astonishingly great CxRAstaff who catered our wedding, and so we’re doubly excited to document hers in the (we hope) warmer month of August.

Lyndhurst Castle wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

One of the ways Allie and Luke express their love is through regular dance-offs in their home … and it showed. Their Lyndhurst Castle wedding was not only incredibly beautiful, but ridiculously, incredibly fun. You know you’re in for a good time when an extremely elegant long-sleeve wedding gown is traded in for a party outfit specifically designed for maximum get-downage.

This is one of those weddings where I feel like each word I say is just a road block between you and photos of a deeply emotional, completely gorgeous day. I could tell you about the importance they place on family, but it’s more important that you see that in their every action. I could tell you the weather was perfect, but … well in that case I’d be lying. It was raining hard in the morning and I had to pull my full-fledged weather geek card to provide some calm and promise that the 37 weather forecasts I read every morning all agreed that there was a zero percent chance of rain by ceremony time, so there was no need to cancel their dreams of an outdoor ceremony.

(Thank you, assorted weather forecasters, for getting that right. I had to stick my neck out a bit on that one.)

Newport, RI wedding at the Rosecliff Mansion: Emilie and Nicole /  by Ryan Brenizer

Nicole and Emilie’s Rosecliff Mansion wedding celebrated Independence Day on many levels — there were countless couture nods, from the red, white and blue clothes they wore to the oh-so-Northeastern rehearsal dinner at Kempenaar’s Clambake Club to the custom color worn by their Instagram-famous dog, Charlie. There were all the trappings of a Newport summer weekend, from casual fun over seafood and fireworks, to impossibly ornate settings like the Rosecliff and The Elms. But it was given a deeper, sweeter meaning when, shortly before the wedding day, the Supreme Court invalidated any laws keeping same-sex couples from marrying in any of the United States

When I started shooting weddings, only one state allowed same-sex couples to marry, and though it was right next door, it wasn’t recognized in Rhode Island until 2013. So not only could Nicole and Emilie show what a smart, driven, devoted couple they are, this can be recognized in every inch of their country. It was a good reason to wave the flag even harder that day.

But there’s a lot more to them, and to the unbelievably gorgeous wedding. They drip intelligence; you feel a bit smarter being near them. They’re the sort of people who use “alacrity” in common conversation, but also the sort to turn into emotive puddles when their dog is nearby. It was such a great feeling to share this day with them, and to share the coverage with my own love, Tatiana Breslow. I’m smiling just looking at these photos again, so I’m going to get out of the way and share them:

Harvard Club of New York wedding: Courteney and Tim /  by Ryan Brenizer

When I think of the Harvard Club, a lot comes to mind … elegance, pedigree, luxuriousness, blue plastic hats…

Well, now it does, after Courteney and Tim’s wedding. Amid all the grandeur, they and their friends found lots of time for hilarity and joy. It was harder to find photos from they day when they weren’t laughing. (Not that we tried hard — we’re solidly pro-joy here.)

This is what it’s about for us. Yes, they looked absolutely amazing. Yes, it was a gorgeous day in New York and the Harvard Club staff knocked it out of the park like always. But when you plan an event for so long and invest so much of it for the benefit of your loved ones, more than anything else you want them to have an amazing time, and that’s what we want to remember. And for us, there are nothing but great memories below.

3 West Club wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

Angela and Sean's wedding at the beautiful 3 West Club merged a taste of Korean tradition with Western elegance. Emotional speeches and a lively reception capped off the day.

Tatiana was joined by the excellent Diane Stredicke to document this wedding.

NYC Elopement and Tribeca Grill Wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

Tatiana and I love NYC elopements — so much that we had one. Simply making your way through New York life is stressful enough, and it can be a blessing to strip away some of the complications of a big wedding and focus on the closest friends and family.

Of course, this means there are going to be a lot of other people interested in what’s going on, and Kristin and Samir solved this in a very modern way, making it our first Facebook Live’d wedding.

They brought impeccable style and child-like joy to a warm winter day, making even the more-than-a-bit-DMV-like environment of the New York City Marriage Bureau a beautiful, emotional scene. We traipsed around Lower Manhattan with them a bit before heading to a small family dinner at the Tribeca Grill.

A Central Park Elopement: Katherine and Zak /  by Ryan Brenizer

One of the things I’ve forced myself to specialize in is getting good photos in terrible conditions, especially bad weather. Time after time I’ve been assaulted by rain or wind or cold or heat. I’m waiting for the cloud of locusts.

But sometimes you catch a break. When Katherine told me she wanted to spend three hours in Central Park in an amazing but not-very-warm dress in February, I said “OK, time to keep an emergency coffee thermos for her in my supply bag.”

It was SIXTY-THREE degrees. Or 17 degrees, since Katherine and Zak hail from Australia.

Absolute intimacy, absolute love, absolute beauty. I couldn’t think of a better way to start my wedding season. Also this is the first time I got to choose the ceremony location based on how it would look in photos. I think I did all right.

Gotham Hall wedding: Jackie and Paul /  by Ryan Brenizer

We sometimes wonder if we tempt fate when we tell couples we very nearly specialize in bad weather. Hurricanes, blizzards, floods — you name it, and we’ve navigated our way through them all on wedding days, and Mother Nature loves to throw it at us. For Jackie and Paul, we had another kind of challenge – a New York City wedding as August-y as it could be … hitting a heat index of 115 degrees right when we were slated to be walking around midtown on the way to the opulent Gotham Hall.

But if trapped in sidewalk-egg-frying weather, it helped so much to be in the company of a couple like Jackie and Paul, who not only took all this in stride, but were happy even to jump up on the hot hood of a taxi for a portrait. Armed with instant ice packs and unrelenting can-do attitudes, they kept focused on the things that really matter: their love for each other, celebrating that love with friends and family, and great air conditioning:)

We loved getting to know Jackie and Paul throughout the whole wedding planning process. From their engagement shoot where we visited their first date spot and home to their reception where sweetness abounded even with a serenade to Jackie by her dad, we loved it all. Thank you Jackie and Paul for making us a part of these happy days, and thank you to our good friend Jashim Jalal for all of your talent and help and planner-so-great-we-used-her-for-our-own-wedding Sara Landon at SL Events for bringing the awesome yet again.

Shangri-La Spa wedding: Anna and Kerry /  by Ryan Brenizer

Let me tell you a story about pressure. Pressure is when the bride for your January 2016 wedding first contacts you in April … April, 2009. Pressure is when said bride is also a wedding photographer … and goes on a wedding photography show … still years before she actually planned a wedding, saying that she would hire you for her wedding even if she had to wear a trash bag as a dress to do it.

That was the pressure of Anna and Kerry’s wedding. How could I, just some guy who likes to take pretty pictures of people enjoying themselves, live up to seven years of Anna’s hopes and dreams? I’m not sure I ever could, but thankfully I had an advantage that she never considered for most of that time … Tatiana, still the biggest secret weapon in wedding photography.

The biggest advantage, though, was the outsized personalities, hospitality, and general awesomeness of the bride and groom. Yes, we are blessed to have couples that seem to have a staggeringly high number of people maintaining their niceness through stressful, expensive wedding days, but it is something else when you find yourself using the bride and groom’s apartment as an ad hoc office the entire day after their wedding. Consider the smiles that you will see below, and consider how large they are despite their original venue being damaged by tornadoes right before their wedding, and that their gorgeous new venue, the Shangri-La Springs, was rained out on the morning of their wedding. Of course, there may have been some pent-up energy that was released when the sun peaked through the clouds, since at that moment Anna told the officiants to shorten the ceremony to exactly three minutes from processional to first kiss so they could run outside and soak it up.

It ended up being a beautiful day for them, whatever the weather. I barely remember the wetness, the dirty shoes … what I remember is the ringing laughter, the no small amount of tears, the beautiful decor put together by CocoLuna Events, and the bonds of new friendship I myself had made through this process. It was such a wonderful, terrifying honor … and thankfully, Anna got to wear a beautiful dress, and not a trash bag in sight.