5/17/18 5/17/18

NY Athletic Club Wedding : Alea & Matt : New York, NY

Alea & Matt were married April 7 with a wedding ceremony at Christ Church and reception following at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. The NY Athletic Club exudes a certain kind of understated elegance, unlike most any other NYC venue. Nestled on the Southern end of Central Park, the ballroom looks over the trees and out across the park with a vantage point that brings a peaceful feeling despite being in the middle of Manhattan. Beginning with Alea and her bridesmaids, I photographed the tail end of her preparation before capturing a first look with Matt on the club's rooftop. It was an unusually crisp April day with bright, clean sunlight. A perfect compliment to Alea's stunning Marchesa wedding gown. Although I find myself at St Ignatius Loyola frequently when shooting at NYAC, another beautiful space is Christ Church located nearby on Park Avenue. A United Methodist church, ceremonies are only 30-40 minutes and late in the day! This allows you to go straight from ceremony into cocktails. Doing just that, we went from first kiss to the venue in a matter of minutes. The ballroom of the club was decorated in cherry blossoms as the bride and groom entered for their first dance and live music by Silver Arrow Band. I loved photographing Alea & Matt's wedding. There was a positive, easy energy throughout the day that made it a breeze to document. Enjoy!

Venue: New York Athletic ClubFlorist: Rosa RosaStationary: Rosemont PressHair: Crystal TushinskyMakeup: Erica GonzalezOfficiant: Leslie Houseworth-FieldsBand: Silver Arrow BandWedding Gown: MarchesaBride's Shoes: Manolo BlahnikGroom's Attire: My Suit

8/23/17 8/23/17

Restaurant Daniel Wedding : JoAnn and Tim : New York City

Christ Church New York City Wedding Brian Hatton Photography

JoAnn and Tim were married on July 22^nd, with a ceremony at Christ Church and a reception at Daniel.

JoAnn and Tim got ready at Le Parker Meridien on 56^th Street in Manhattan. They had a beautiful room overlooking Central Park, which was only 3 blocks away. That made it for us to have a first look in the hotel and then walk over to the park for some portraits.

The wedding itself was in the morning, and while it was an early start to the day, I fully enjoyed the chance to get out around Central Park in the early hours. The park was almost completely empty, which was such a luxury. It was so much easier to choose spots for pictures without having to work around a crowd.

The ceremony was held in the chapel at Christ Church, which is one of the few United Methodist churches in NYC. The sanctuary here was beautiful, with rich hues echoing some of the more ornate Greek Orthodox churches in New York. Add to that the flowers and ceremony décor provided by Designs by Ahn, and it was simply stunning. The flowers perfectly complemented the clean, airy, classic feeling of the day.

I really enjoyed the intimacy of their ceremony, with JoAnn’s brother singing—to the great delight of their nieces and nephews. I think you can tell they were enjoying themselves by the pictures.

After some family photos at the church, we made our way to the renowned restaurant, Daniel, which closed down just for the reception. The benefits of holding a wedding at a Michelin-starred restaurant are numerous, with the exceptional service and delectable cuisine at the top of the list. The same servers setting out slices of wedding cake would be pouring 30-year-old bottles of rare champagne at the next dinner service. And with its beautiful décor and elegant ambiance, Daniel is a perfect choice for a reception.

JoAnn & Tim, I loved photographing your beautiful ceremony and reception, and I wish you the best!

Christ Church New York City Wedding Brian Hatton Photography