Central Park Zoo Wedding : Ashley & Kip : New York, NY

Ashley & Kip were married on a Spring afternoon at the Central Park Zoo in New York City.

I met up with the bride and groom with umbrella in hand at the Park Lane Hotel which was especially gracious is allowing us to use their rooftop bar for 5 minutes. This is a very rare occurrence as most hotels common spaces are totally off limits in NYC for photography. We staged a first look there and then hopped in cars to go to Grand Central Terminal for some portraits. If you show up at GCT with a bridal party you’ll need a permit, but they’re always cool if you keep a small footprint with a bride & groom.

At the Central Park Zoo, Ashley & Kip’s ceremony took place under a covered walkway which offered a long and anticipation building aisle. A lovely tent was erected nearby which kept everyone high and dry. Fortunately by the time cocktails rolled around the sky dried up a bit and the guests were ushered over to the sea lion tank for a demonstration with drink in hand.

Photography: Brian Hatton
Getting Ready: Park Lane Hotel
Ceremony & Reception: Central Park Zoo
Wedding Planner: Alinato Events
Catering: Bartleby & Sage
Florist: Rosehip Social
Stationery: Swell Press/Little Black Dress Paperie
Hair: JC Hair Design
Makeup: Beauty on Location NJ
Lighting: Frost Lighting & Production
Band: Silver Arrow Band
Wedding Dress: Ines di Santo
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale
Rings: Howard Engle

SECOND Floor NYC Wedding : Kevin & michael : New York, NY

Kevin and Michael tied the knot in early spring at SECOND Floor NYC, situated within the Eventi Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

This unique venue combines the charm of an urban industrial loft in Brooklyn with all the amenities of a towering NYC hotel. The location is perfect as Madison Square Park is just a stone’s throw away, providing a stunning backdrop for couples portraits. During cocktail hour, the entire wall of windows surrounding the bar can be raised to create an indoor/outdoor ambiance, weather permitting. A distinctive feature is the massive Jumbotron screen, which projects a slideshow of images across a courtyard. The grooms chose to showcase their beloved cat, making it seem like he was present at the event. What really stood out to me about this particular wedding reception was the use of an amazing disco ball. I think all weddings should have these! When it comes on - people go nuts haha.

I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to shoot at SECOND again, and the vibe was nothing short of fantastic.

Vendor Team:

Photographer: Brian Hatton Photography
Event Planning: The Union Studio
Cake: Lulu
Florist: Rosehip Social
Stationary: Bella Figura
Groom's’ Attire: Brooks Brothers
Grooming: Salon SCK
Lighting: Universal Light & Sound
Ceremony Music: Venus Ensembles
DJ: James Mulry
Rings: Tiffany

Tribeca Rooftop Wedding : Julia & Ezra : New York, nY

Julia & Ezra were married in late Summer at TriBeCa Rooftop in New York, NY.

I have been photographing weddings and events at TriBeCa Rooftop for a decade or more. I’m still continuously reminded of how unique it is as a wedding venue in NYC. There just aren’t many places out there with a rooftop so large that there is a completely separate and dedicated ceremony area from an equally (if not more) expansive outdoor space for cocktails. And then downstairs in the event space it’s just massive. Plenty of room to have a lounge set up for guests to wander over after dinner and hang out as well as plenty of room for a photo booth without being crammed into a corner. And then for portraits, you can either use the venue or go right outside for cobblestone covered streets and quintessential TriBeCa industrial facades. Pretty fantastic.

Supported by the fantastic Shay Castro of Runway Events, my day began with Julia at The Dominick Hotel on Spring Street located within reasonable walking distance of the venue. I photographed her final touches with Beautini’s Brittany Lo before we met up with Ezra on Staple Street for a first look with the iconic Staple Street Skybridge in the background. Making our way back to TriBeCa Rooftop, the bridal party met us at street level for some photos before we made our way upstairs to prepare for the ceremony. At this point for any wedding with a first look, it really feels like things are kicking into gear as all the staged photos are compete and guests begin to arrive. It’s fun to see the look on people’s faces as they step out onto the roof positively surrounded by the NYC skyline.

Cocktail hour here tends to be timed to coincide with sunset which sets the perfect stage for venturing down the main staircase to dinner. The steps and upper tier always make a perfect platform for getting the money shots during the hora and open dancing. Forever in Bloom’s design was stunning giving a classic yet modern feel to the space. While many loft spaces can be somewhat stark, TriBeCa Rooftop has a warmer feel and the florals work to complement this rather than pick up all the slack.

High line Hotel Wedding : Brittany & Ben : New York, NY

Brittany & Ben were married at The High Line Hotel downtown in Chelsea, New York, NY.

Getting married in the late fall and wintertime in Manhattan brings a special feeling to the event. Perhaps it suggests a large scale holiday bash in the form of a wedding. With the expert guidance of Sojourner Auguste of Erganic Design and the absolutely exquisite decor by Rebecca Shepherd, this wedding was a stunning event which was the sum of a unique choice in venue, an expanse private courtyard and towering ceilings which made the florals stand out like works of art. Glancing quickly through the photos just now I was reminded of a certain radiance to everything.

Joined by the great wedding cinematographer Ray Roman, we photographed Brittany’s and Ben’s final touches before a ceremony in the chapel of the on site seminary. A complimentary but separate entity to the High Line Hotel, the chapel is a short stroll down a stone path from the getting ready suite to the ceremony where the guests are positioned facing the aisle rather than the altar. This trains all the eyes on the bride in such a fashion that reminds you of a royal wedding.

Brittany looked stunning in Ellie Saab entering with her father as Ben in Tom Ford waited at the end of the aisle. It was a lovely ceremony followed by an outdoor cocktail hour while we photographed the family, bridal party and bride and groom. They made a grand entrance into the ballroom lit by Shades of Grey filled with their family and friends as Cool Rulers Band kept the songs rolling. The scene had this take your breath away feel to it which makes it a breeze to photograph. You can really focus on capturing real moments of guests interacting as the setting drapes everything in a moody gorgeousness.

Roundhouse Wedding : Ashley & Evan : Beacon, NY

Ashley & Evan were married in August at The Roundhouse in Beacon, NY located in the Hudson Valley.

My fourth of five weddings last season at The Roundhouse, this particular one was pushing more in the modern direction accented with the clean lines and bright color palette. It’s fun to shift gears and go classic one day and a bit more structural the next. This is one of the fun parts of being a photographer with a pretty varied client base. I was flying solo on this one and began my day with a few minutes in Evan’s room while he threw his tie and jacket on. I ran across the parking lot to the restaurant building to catch the end of Ashley’s prep and then it was time for a first look on the balcony. We hit up some gorgeous spots on the property for photos before guests started to filter into the ceremony space. The striking A frame “arch” set the tone for the vibe and I was treated to some cool directional light which was highlighting guests in various ways.

Weather can be an unpredictable variable in the summer so cocktails began inside but guests filtered outside as the sun sat on the horizon. We took the opportunity to take a few portraits in that delicious golden light and then made our way into the ballroom which had been transformed by Raven Rose florists.