It’s hard to believe this was just a week and a half ago? The fall leaves were at their peak and it was 60 degrees. Caitlin and I had many wonderful conversations over the phone and this was our first meeting in person. I finally got to meet her fiance and Mom as well. By the end of the afternoon we were old friends. Caitlin and Chris, I can’t wait for the big day!
Jason and I not only wanted the best of the best vendors, but we also wanted ones who we bonded with. Vendors that we felt comfortable with and ones we knew would make our wedding day that much more special.
Krista and Jason after they said I Do! Outdoor ceremony at The Royalton Mansion, Roslyn New York
Introducing Our Newly Weds helping the Newly Engaged blog series. I thought it would be helpful to ask my clients to share some post wedding wisdom to accompany the blog post. I had such a great journey with Krista and Jason. We all have Lisa Marie from L. Marie Events to thank for bringing us together. We hit it off at our first meeting. Our one hour engagement shoot turned into 3 hours, (but felt like 10 minutes 🙂 Prepping, planning, fun meetings, the amazing wedding day and finally reliving it all at their In-Studio preview. One of the first things I remember Jason saying at our first meeting was, “We want to be able to have a drink with our vendors after the wedding is over”. How cool is that? I love that Krista and Jason understood that is was important to surround themselves with not just vendors, but with people they could connect with. Vendors who would care as much about the wedding day as they did and take care of them. They got it that not all vendors are the same and building a team of great wedding professionals to surround yourself with was critical in the success of your overall wedding day experience. Thank you Krista and Jason for such a wonderful experience and for all of the great moment you gave me:) OX,Denise
Guest Post by Krista Oliver-Here I am a couple months since my wedding has past and I couldn’t be happier with each and every decision Jason and I made. You always hear, read and sometimes experience those wedding “horrors” that are sometimes preventable, and sometimes not. I am still in complete awe with how lucky we truly were in having the absolute perfect wedding day. I firmly believe someone up there was looking down on us. The reality of it though is all within the vendors you hire. Jason and I not only wanted the best of the best vendors, but we also wanted ones who we bonded with. Vendors that we felt comfortable with and ones we knew would make our wedding day that much more special. To say we succeeded in this is an understatement. I had the BEST vendors, from start to finish. Every single one of them surpassed all my visions and dreams. I understand some couples have strict budgets, but my biggest piece of advice would be to never skimp on the services and vendors. You can always swap out a rose, for a hydrangea, or those silk napkins for cotton ones- chances are your guests won’t even notice. They will notice poor food, not so good music, lack of service and all those imperative aspects that make your wedding stand out. Jason and I would look forward to meeting with each and every one of our vendors. They all understood my visions and made me feel at ease. A lot of brides are worry stricken in the weeks leading up to their wedding. I had not a worry in the world. I had the utmost faith and trust in each of my vendors. I knew they would deliver on my wedding day and boy was I right. I was also lucky enough to have the world’s best wedding planner. When I say she is the “worlds” best, I mean every single word of that. She gave me the gift of being a guest at my own wedding. She handled everything for me in the weeks leading up to my wedding. On my wedding day, she and her team were godsends. My wedding would never have been what it was without her amazing services, and her dedication to Jason and me. Because of her I was introduced to most of my amazing vendors, Denise being one of them. I am so grateful for not only having the most perfect wedding day a girl could dream of, but for being able to relive and remember that perfect day through all our beautiful pictures and albums. We couldn’t have been more blessed.- Scroll below to see some moments of their beautiful wedding and check out their list of vendors!
Krista loved the way her dress looked from above, like a trumpet. So I was sure to bring my 8 foot ladder to the wedding 🙂 The sun was going down pretty fast at this point. Having them look up at the sky gave us the last rays of natural light.
Custom Stationary: Someday Designs
I love this image of Krista on the right, STUNNING!
Krista and her “gorgeous” girls!
This was not prompted at all. You rarely see the groom get helped an fused over like this. These men know how to get ready!
The happiest guy in the world and he looks fabulous!
Wedding Planner: Lisa Marie Blinn- L. Marie Events
Photography: Modern Wedding Photography
Videographer: PF Films
Venue: Royalton Mansion- Roslyn Heights, NY
Custom Stationary: Someday Designs
Florist: Spitz and Peck
Band: Central Park Orchestra
Makeup and Hair: Face Time Beauty Concierge
Rings: Carlos Morales Jewelry, Plainview
NY Bride’s Dress: Lazaro, Kleinfelds NYC
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bloomingdales and Nordstrom
Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo, Jimmy Choo NYC
Lounge Furniture: NY Lounge Décor
Cigar Roller: Andres De Leon After party
Flappers: Screaming Queens Entertainment
I photographed Emily’s sister Sara’s wedding about six years ago. It was a thrilled to be welcomed back to photograph Emily and Billy’s wedding. Check out the images below. Please feel free to comment and send your well wishes to Emily and Billy. Thank you Emily and Billy for an unforgettable day!
Emily and Billy’s First Look at Ocean Bleu West Hampton
Emily Inspects her dress. I thought this was a spontaneous alternative to the solo dress still-life.
Emily and Billy great ready. I always try my best not to get my reflection in these mirror shots.
Emily and her sister Sara. That hug tells it all!
Billy and his Mom laughing. I do not remember what happened, but it made for a lovely shot.
How great is this first look?
A lot of sunshine, blue skies and love in this big bridal party shot!
Since they saw each other before the ceremony, we got all of their portraits and family photos done before the wedding started.
I love these walking down the aisle shots.
Black and white images can really isolate the emotion and add a different mood to your wedding story.
Emily’s Uncle performed the ceremony, which really made the ceremony extra special:)
Billy built the beautiful and may I add sturdy, ceremony canopy.
Love that cake!
Great first dance!
The focus was on the toasters, but turn around you might just find a girl with a mustache.
One thing my clients all have in common is that they have the best parties!
A few quick evening shots. You have to grab them before it gets too dark.
They both cut the cake at the same time with their own knifes,(one knife, one server). It looked so much better than two people trying to cut a cake with one knife. I hate when the maitre d’ try’s to show the bride and groom how to cut the cake for the photo. It’s already a photo-op moment, do we really need to make it more contrived? I like when the bride and groom are left to do what comes naturally. You can see from these photos you can capture more authentic moments this way.
I always have to find that perfect shot to end the album on. This center image does just that.
This is our new 12 x 12 leather bound album with wooden box. Your image is printed on the wood cover.
We headed to Grand Central Terminal where Megan and Derek want to have their first look. One consequence of walking through such busy terminal is your wedding dress will get dirty no matter how hard you try to keep it clean. Even if your wedding planner is helping you all the way. Eventually she/he will have to let go of the dress and its photo time. By some type of divine intervention on a Saturday afternoon no commuters got in our way, (or we didn’t get in theirs). There weren’t any other wedding parties around either. I feel like each one of my client’s weddings has a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled on it. No matter what, everything always comes together. It’s always great to have some time alone with the bride and groom before the wedding and family formals. We were able to get all of the family photos done outside Guastavino’s before the wind storm. After that no one dared to step outside of the venue. The romantic, candlelight ceremony took place at the venue as well as the action packed reception. It was an exuberant day and my assistant and I were thrilled to be part of it. Thank you Meghan and Derek for being so wonderful to work with! – Denise
To see more work like this please visit : Modern Wedding Photography
Thank you all of Megan + Derek’s Vendors for making their day such a great success!
Lydia Ross Events, Guastavino’s and The Projekt (Band)
Modern Wedding Photography has been a Knot Best of Weddings Pick for many years. I have to thank The Knot and our amazing clients for all of their support. In 2014 The Knot implemented their hall of fame. As the owner of Modern Wedding Photography I am thrilled to be a recipient of this wonderful award and proud to be inducted during the inaugural year. I have been shooting weddings since the early 90s. I would shoot the weddings of many of my editorial clients. I always try to bring my magazine photography experience to my wedding photography. It’s one of the many things that make Modern Wedding Photography different. I believe it was 2001 or so when I first started working with the Knot. At the time I think there were only a few photographers in the Long Island section, or any New York section. It is unbelievable how many people have entered the field of wedding photography over the years. The internet has given you instant access to so many wedding photographers, but now you have more studios to cull through than ever. I imagine it must be so overwhelming trying to find a photographer to photograph your wedding day. Most people do not have a deep knowledge of photography. How do you decide which photographer to use? What are the studio’s credentials? How do they deal with a plethora of lighting and weather situations? Are they truly telling the story of their client’s wedding day with their images. In 20 years you will still love your wedding album? This means staying away from the current clichés, gimmicks and Photoshop trends of the moment. Photographing your wedding day is a huge responsibility, as well as an honor for me to document. I’m always around to answer all of your questions. Please feel free to call me today for a consultation. 516.823.7315 or 212.332.9696. E:mail me at denise@modwedphoto.com -Denise Chastain, Owner/Founder “You”ll Be Too Busy Having Fun To Know We Were Even There”
