Jordana and Brad’s Wedding: April 17th

While I’ve recently shared with you the great little story of how Jordana and Brad met, along with some photos from their engagement session, and also some pictures of Brad’s adorable niece Molly (the creation of Brad’s sister Andrea and her husband Joe, whose wedding I photographed eight years ago-still with me?), I now present to you: Jordana and Brad’s wedding day, which took place a couple of weeks ago in Westchester.

A rather typical blustery April day, lots of sunshine, but winds whipping around the sound, we managed to take the bridal party outside for a few photos and then returned inside for the family pictures and the beautiful ceremony by the water. Adding to the special nature of the day for both Jordana, Brad and me, one of the officiants was their good friend Diana, soon to be a rabbi, and whose wedding I also photographed. Particularly significant in that it was Diana’s first time officiating at a wedding, and amazing job that she did, standing alongside her mom Donna, whose extraordinary voice graced the ceremony as well. In fact it was a day surrounded by some of my favorite people, brides and grooms whose weddings I’ve previously photographed or the parents of couples who I’ve worked with or both. What could be more fun.

And the total pleasure of having the opportunity to photograph Jordana and Brad’s wonderful wedding day, a non-stop celebration of love and laughter and family. Thanks to both of them for including me. Looking forward to sharing many more memorable events with all of you.

Allie and Justin’s engagement session

A few weeks ago, on a picture perfect early April day, I headed down to Jersey City, NJ to spend the afternoon with Allie and Justin, and their larger than life “best friend” Joey, exploring the streets of Jersey City, where they’re proud home owners, and Hoboken, just next door. And while we’d all met up at my place a month or two previously, Allie and I, in fact, go way back. Although I hadn’t seen her in many years, I’ve known her since she was a baby. Not only that, but I’d had the opportunity to photograph her many times when she was a little one.

Back “in the day”, when I was an advertising and magazine photographer with a studio in NYC, one of my long-time and most wonderful of clients was a kids’ fashion catalogue called Brights Creek. Allie’s dad and my good buddy Arnie was the Senior Product Manager and at its peak, we spent as many as forty days a year together taking pictures in the studio of the latest (in ’80’s) kids’ clothing. And while most of the kids were actually models, each of us managed to, at times, sneak in our own kids to the mix, including young and adorable Allie.

But enough about the past. A bit about Allie and Justin today, and how they first met. Allie’s best friend Andi went on the Birthright trip to Israel in July 2009. When she returned she told Allie that she met the perfect guy for her, that they had so much in common, both went to and loved Penn State, both were Jewish with close families, and that their personalities were extremely similar. Allie was finishing up her masters from Penn State, and Andi informed Allie that this “perfect guy” was going to be at the Penn State football game the last weekend of September. She gave Allie his number, she called and introduced herself, and asked him if he and his friends wanted to meet at a bar for a few drinks. They ended up doing just that, at a bar called “The G-Man”, and the two instantly clicked. They met a few times that same weekend at various bars and restaurants, and they’ve been together ever since. She would make the long drive from PSU to Jersey City, where Justin was already living, and he would make the same trip in reverse to see Allie. They were engaged on February 6th, 2010 on a skiing weekend at Hunter Mountain in Upstate New York and their wedding will be taking place on Memorial Day weekend 2011.

So while all my relationships with my brides and grooms is special and “personal” for me, once in awhile I have the unique opportunity to work with a couple with whom there’s already a long history, whether it was the fact that my dad had photographed their parents’ wedding, or that I’d had a personal long-standing friendship with the family, as in the case of Allie and hers. So its with great anticipation that I eagerly await the wedding of Allie and Justin next year and with great excitement that I share with you these pictures of our day spent on the streets of Jersey. Enjoy.

Ashley and Dan’s NYC Wedding

Those of us that had the wonderful opportunity to attend sleep-away summer camp as kids often might have wished that the experience had never ended, frequently being the first time away from home and sometimes even giving us the chance to establish life-long friendships. Well, for a few lucky souls the camp experience has indeed never come to an end. Ashley and Dan are a case in point and in fact they’ve managed to turn “camping” into their life’s work. You see, for a number of years they’ve both worked for camps on a year-round basis, for summer camps from the Poconos to New Hampshire.

They met at a camp fair in Westchester (NY). They were both recruiting for their respective camps. They talked for only a few minutes, but then two months later at the Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City (how fun does that sound?!) they really got to talk, at which point Ashley suggested to Dan that he ask her out sometime, which of course he did-later that night. She knew Dan was the one the first time she was at his place and saw the inside of his refrigerator. He had it filled with ginger ale…she had mentioned to him that she has a very sensitive stomach on one of their first dates, so he went out and stocked it, just in case. The rest is history, and camping.

We met on their wedding day at the very chic Bryant Park Hotel, where Ashley and the girls were getting ready. From there we strolled across the street to Bryant Park, which was just starting to really come into bloom, for photos of the two of them and their outrageously fun bridal party. While my original vision might have been to get the entire group on the little carousel in the park, at the risk of making a lot of little kids in line cry, we opted for some great moments with just Ashley and Dan. From there off to the ceremony and reception, all of which took place at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, overlooking the Hudson River. It was a beautiful early Spring day, if just a bit windy. Ashley, glowing in her gorgeous Monique Lhuillier gown, her sister Hayley, with her own wedding planned for next year, flawlessly functioning not only as maid of honor, but as wedding planner extraordinaire, and Dan with his ever-present charm and cool.

As the sun set over the Hudson and Ashley and Dan exchanged their vows, I couldn’t help but think that this was truly a match made in heaven, in this case “camping heaven”. Congratulations Ashley and Dan.

Ashley and Dan: celebration to follow

Does anyone even need to ask why we’re so excited about the wedding of Ashley and Dan on Saturday? Location, back to the streets of NYC and The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Weather prediction: sunny and 60 degrees. Party prediction: out of of this world. Can’t wait!

Baxter’s Birthday

A special day in our house as we celebrate our old friend Baxter’s 14th birthday. Seems like just yesterday, but then it wasn’t. As I reflect on our “life together”, when we picked Baxter up from the breeder our daughter Hannah was just 9 and Molly was 6 (now nearly 24 and 21). We lived in a different house, in a different town, and I was commuting into my NYC studio every day, taking pictures for magazine, advertising and catalog clients. My how our lives have changed, all in good ways.
But enough about me, today’s Baxter’s day. Baxter, “champion” Portuguese Water Dog that he is, whose name when we picked him up from the breeder was, interestingly enough, Bo Diddley (long before the President’s “Bo”), is truly our “best friend”, for the most part still with the energy of a puppy (his sister Bibi keeps him in shape), and in spite of being deaf as a doornail, continues to warm our hearts with his loyalty and good nature on a daily basis. To know Baxter is to love him and we look forward to more wonderful senior years with our old buddy and his frisky “sister”.
Below are a couple of pictures of Baxter, shot on the front steps earlier today, and one of Baxter, Bibi and their chum and ours Murphy, who unfortunately is no longer with us. Together they were truly our “three amigos”, and our lives will forever be better because of them.