new york wedding photographer and destination wedding photographer brian dorsey studios
Editors were fighting over which magazine was going to get to feature our photographs of Jane and Mac’s wedding. (ok, so maybe there were no fisticuffs but we had a number of great new york wedding magazines looking to use these images with everyone wanting exclusive rights to them. )
The first to ask – and therefore the winner in this first come – first served wedding world…
so few people are familiar with “the wedding industry” that, when you meet someone who worked in it, it’s like you have a bond – as if we had served in the same military unit together years ago or something. carin worked for vera wang here in nyc so this is a girl who knows about weddings and wedding dresses. she ultimately served out her tour of duty and she and dan live in boston now. this weekend though they came down so that we could do an engagement session.
of course, the challenge with winter engagement sessions is that it’s freezing outside and you don’t want to look like you’re dressed up like an eskimo – although looking cold and uncomfortable is far worse. but despite the frigid temps – carin pulled out the warm smile.
how cute a couple do they make? they made the day look almost warm.
first of all, you have to know that the st. regis holds a special place in my heart. as more and more of grand old new york fades into condoblivion, places like this become even greater treasures. back when celeste and i were dating, the company that she was working for would put her up in the st. regis (even though she had an apartment on 78th st.) and we would have our own little vacation from the city in the city there. they were such great memories and such a special time for us that ultimately i proposed to her there. (on valentine’s day no less – how out of character for me! – but what better way to catch her completely by surprise).
so when we went there again for amy & scott’s wedding day – it was special for us too.
every bride approaches her wedding differently. amy was intent on having a blast. and that she did.
first off, I knew she was planning for fun when I saw her shoes…
how fun are they?
amy beamed the entire day.
on the way to the altar…
during the vows… (and scott beams back)
ok, you can’t see her in this shot of the room and the cake but she’s still beaming.
the first dance…
and in the st. regis tradition – the cake cutting (with sabre) – (while john, the captain, gives the old, “be careful, it’s sharp!” warning….
so she beams while yielding a sword…
now, as an aside, people are always asking how we do our “still live display”, since showing images during a reception isn’t something that most people have seen done in an elegant environment. so we thought we’d show you… (as she beams looking at the images we took of them that day)
and the beaming continued all night long…
weddings are all about smiles after all, aren’t they?
The Knot and E! Television have been busy developing a TV special entitled My Celebrity Wedding. The show’s concept is that they take a star’s lavish wedding (in this case, Christina Aguilera’s) and recreate it for a deserving couple that wouldn’t otherwise be able to swing doing “lavish” and getting the best of the best for themselves.
Apparently the producers come up with a list of those vendor/partners they think are the best in their category and then they ultimately whittle that list down to a short list of 3. The bride and groom then get to make the final decision from that set.
Well, wouldn’t you know, when it came to wedding photographers, brian dorsey studios was selected as one of the three finalists. (Incidentally, yesterday one of the other photographers in the final three won a “Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World” title.) And while that’s a pretty sweet honor that I have not yet (yet!) been graced with, guess who the bride picked…
Me.
I’m thinking that’s a pretty sweet honor too.
So keep an eye out for us on The Style Channel’s My Celebrity Wedding.
tanya and steve have been heading to the great white north together for winter festivities for years – picking up on steve’s family’s long-standing tradition. last year at this time, steve proposed to tanya while staying at le chateau frontenac in quebec city so they figured what better place to get married. and to top if off, they scheduled it to coincide with the city’s annual winter carnivale.
it was actually my 2nd event at the frontenac so i knew how to pack for the subzero temps. brrr. but i’m probably one of the few people packing gloves with holes cut in the right hand thumb and index finger. alas my friends at canon have little incentive to develop a glove friendly camera.
the frontenac is a wonderful huge castle in the old city section of quebec – peering over the even older section of le petite champlain. to get there you take the funiculare (think of crossing an escalator with an elevator and a toll bridge and you get the idea).
the quebequoise have mastered the art of ice carving – and unlike the ice art made here in the states which gets to live for but a few hours – their ice last for months – even in the sun.
so that’s the setting.
as for the bride – tanya is one of those people whose smile can light up a room. she was one of the most relaxed brides i’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. so easy going, she really had a chance to enjoy her wedding day.
she and steve even braved the cold for a few moments for a quick outdoors shot before the ceremony.
what you don’t see under her dress in that shot above are the heavy winter boots that she’s wearing to contend with the ever present slushy grit, gravel, sand and salt mixture that is EVERYWHERE in quebec. (you DON’T bring your uggs to quebec or you’ll ruin them inside of 2 minutes) so even though the church where they were married was just across the square, chunky boots were de riguer and you changed into shoes when you arrived at the church.
in my book, of course, that sounds like it might have the makings of a romantic kiss picture should the bride and groom take a quick moment for themselves immediately following their ceremony. pure photojournalism.
then it was back on the with boots for the hike back uphill to the chateau… if only jimmy choo could design … oh nevermind.
back at the chateau…
and they danced the night away. some of the guests joined the band onstage and a few even managed to dance their pants off – but you’ll have to ask tanya and steve to share those pics with you directly…
and as with any wedding that takes place in a castle… they lived happily ever after.
>>> And here’s a quick follow up… an email that we received from Tanya following her wedding:
Brian and Celeste:
Just a quick note before we head to bora bora to thank you for your participation in our wedding. You set my very nervous groom at ease, and all of our friends and family marveled at how quickly and seamlessly you were able to herd the cats with the group photos. It really felt like we were working with friends, which made things a lot easier for both of us!!
Hope you also had a minute here and there to enjoy our beloved quebec!
We can’t wait to see the photos and look forward to catching up with you in the hood post wedding. Until then, I hope you know how thrilled and honored we were to work with you.
Love from
Tanya and Steve.
>>>
Tanya and Steve – the honor was truly ours.
So you’re having this bash and you need an cool centerpiece – – but you want something different – something a bit different, more creative, more personal. Then it hits you – you need a life size ice sculpture of Klimt’s The Kiss. But to personalize it, you’re going to replace Klimt’s models with the bride and groom…
Voila!
Ice Sculpture by Okamoto Studio. How good are these guys?
And of course, the cake (another great one by Ron Ben-Israel)
Exquisite food and decor by the wonderful Serena Bass.
Lauren and Emile had already had their ceremony (several ceremonies actually) in Korea – so this was a celebration of sorts rather than a full wedding. Lauren and Emile celebrate.
Later in the evening Emile even picked up the guitar and treated everyone to a few tunes off his latest album.
