Southern Charm Comes To NYC

Mary and Geoff are a delightful couple that met in Nashville and now live in NYC. They are the kind of people that have you smiling instantly and I was super excited to kick off my spring wedding season with their big day.

Geoff looking dapper....and not the least bit nervous.



Geoff has a great profile.



The guys doing their guy thing.






I've often said that one of my favorite parts of a wedding are the bridal preparations. A giddy bride surrounded by her girls.



Pretty antique lace detail in Mary's dress.



Geoff proposed with a ring that covets several generations of family diamonds. I was obsessed with this ring! (More on that later.) Fortunately my balancing act between Mary's funky wedding shoes worked.



I love hand shots.



The church was full of family and friends, Mary was stunning and the church details were awesome.



The emotions in this series of shots is the whole point of documentary style wedding photography.









I love how the graphics of the tile floor lead your eye to the couple's profile.



The floor reflected great light. It was a springboard for so much creativity.



Here's a modest couple - cheering on their bridal party and families as they walked down the aisle to finish the ceremony. Mary and Geoff, your sense of friendship and family is awesome.



Lovely ladies.



This is what family shots are all about.



A special shot with "sissy."



In between formal shots, I think Mary and Geoff were chatting with the Reverend here. Depth of field and a slightly angled lends can make for a great image.



After the ceremony, Mary, Geoff and I cruised around the city to a few special spots.

Greenwich Village.



Washington Square Park for some more romance....



Married!



When the sun illuminated Mary's already sparkling green eyes, I just clicked.



It was a sunny but windy day. Love Mary's face here.



When you get a blue sky like this, you shoot UPWARDS!



Mary and Geoff elicited lots of great reactions from people in the park. This shot was taken right after a group of girls sang them a love song - and Mary and Geoff obliged with a dance. I was seriously pinching myself to see if this was actually happening - and it looks like they were, too.



For more traditional portraits, we headed into the shade to capture the most flattering light.



Gorgeous, gorgeous Mary!











I used the bright sun to my advantage and captured some flare. What I particularly love about this photo is the romantic little world Mary and Geoff are sharing between them while the city just bustles around them.



Off to Times Square. Somehow Mary and Geoff ended up carrying their stuff with them. Thought it was pretty funny.



Taking it all in.



Just the perfect gust of wind.



Some windy moments were not so perfect, but lots of fun anyway.





It's fun to juxtapose a traditional image versus a silly one. I love them both, but totally prefer the silly one.





This is a man who completely adores his new bride.



Just hangin' out in Times Square. Like any other day.



Two of my favorite shots of the day.





A sure fire way to hail a cab in NYC.



Love shooting against walls with a shallow depth of field.



Chillaxin'.





These two are so adorable, I can't stand it!



Here's where I got, um, a little obsessed with the ring shots.







Mary was having a ball.



It doesn't get more romantic than this....





Mary and Geoff's first dance is deserving of its very own blog post. They told me beforehand they had a big number planned and so I was prepared for some slick moves. Once they started, I seriously had to lift my jaw off the floor in order to maintain a professional composure for this one.

The dance started off slowly and I felt a wide scene-setting image captured this mood best.



Midway through, they surprised their guests and picked up the pace with an OUTRAGEOUS dance.

Complete with all sorts of flashy moves....twists, turns, you name it!












Yes, she did a split.


And yes, they did a flip. (!!!!!)



Their lighting designer had a spotlight on them so I turned my flash off to capture something a little funky. I love the way you see her dress spinning.



I don't know if I had more fun capturing the dance moves or the crowd's reactions.







The reception was held at the spectacular Desmond Tutu Center in Chelsea. You can see from some of the images below that the room exhibited a unique, old world feel. The space was large with high ceilings yet the decor made it very intimate and personal.



I loved the shape of the head table.



Mary also did a very impressive dance with her dad.



Mary and Geoff knew how to enjoy their party, something I encourage all newlywed couples to do.









Having a great time right to the very end....







Amidst all the excitement, dancing and partying, Mary and Geoff managed to steal some intimate moments. My favorite shot of the day.


Congrats, Mary and Geoff! What a wedding!