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Kathrine and Juan love NYC! Last year they had a beautiful wedding in California, where they are both from, but part of them wonders what their wedding would have been like if they had celebrated in Manhattan. Kathrine and Juan celebrated their one year anniversary with a photo session in their neighborhood on the Lower East Side and a special dinner at One if by Land, Two if by Sea.

Juan shares, “The best part of our first year of marriage has been watching each other really mature in our careers and as a couple, the way you hear older couples talk about doing. My favorite part about this year was our honeymoon trip to Tulum, Mexico. It had been 10+ years since I had been to Mexico and never to its Riviera. Kathrine had never been to Mexico and had always wanted to know more about the Mexico she saw in movies. I was really hoping she wouldn’t be disappointed. The trip ended up being among the best things we have ever done together.”

During the photos session we walked around to a sweet little candy shop and one of the couple’s favorite restaurants, Cafe Petisco.

Kathrine shares, “We’ve been living in NYC for a few years now, but we are both from Orange County, California. It took us a while to decide whether to have the wedding in NYC or Southern California. In the end, we chose Southern California to make it easier for most of our family and friends to be there. It was definitely a lot more challenging than I anticipated to plan a wedding across the country, but we had such a great time celebrating with everyone that it was all worth it!

I love our wedding day, but a small part of me daydreams sometimes about what it would have been like if we had our wedding in NYC. I love this city and love sharing it with Juan – and friends and family who visit us. So I figured it would be fun to mark one year of marriage with some professional photos of us in our favorite neighborhood in this city. After we wrapped our photo shoot, we continued the anniversary celebration with dinner at One if by Land, Two if by Sea in the West Village.”

Happy anniversary Kathrine and Juan!

Ashlee and Elmo are known for taking the untraditional approach. They created a beautiful Brooklyn garden wedding surrounded by twinkly lights, natural dried lavender touches, excellent Italian food and lots of love.

The ceremony and reception were held in the beautiful Williamsburg restaurant, Acqua Santa. The ceremony began with the song Love Minus Zero by Bob Dylan and the bride’s entrance to Forever Young by Joan Baez.

Elmo had to ask Ashlee to marry him more than once before he got it right, and planned the perfect proposal. Ashlee shares, “Not being known for our traditional approach, marriage got a bit lost in the shuffle for the two of us. After starting a family the subject naturally came to the surface on occasion. Elmo found ways to ask me for my hand in marriage that seemed less than romantic, thus was denied. A few examples? While nursing our new daughter at the end of a long day, this new mother tired and just wanting to take a shower would hear Elmo (whilst taking a beer from the fridge) say, “We should just get married!” or, Elmo mentioning how silly it was to note her as “girlfriend” on his contact information for work, would state, “Let’s just get married!” Ever the romantic!

On July 5th, 2015, while visiting Elmo’s family in Alabama everything changed. We were taking the annual Ranelli family photos.  Elmo, diapering their daughter, Iris, said something about getting a beer and disappeared just when it was their turn for individual family pictures. When he finally emerged with Iris, being carried facing him, I noticed that she was no longer wearing her purposefully selected outfit. Instead she was in a plain white onesie. My reaction was to ask, over and over, “What had happened to her outfit?” as any mother would, fearing the worst, but was given no response. Confused by Elmo’s silence I found myself getting a bit frustrated, until he was about a foot away from me. At that point, he turned Iris around, held her up in the air (Lion King style) and dropped down on one knee. It was at that moment, I noticed the ring painted on the front of her onsie and I heard the simple question that followed from the man I loved, “Will you marry me now!?” Of course, the answer was finally yes!”

Ashlee and Elmo wanted to be surrounded by a small group of the people they loved the most, they wanted to laugh and relax and they wanted lots and lots of good food!  Ashlee shares, “We visited Acqua Santa and fell in love immediately. The space already had the magical garden setting that we knew would be the perfect backdrop and the food was amazing. We wanted a day where things seemed natural and easy, the style for the wedding reflected that with dried lavender and touches of sage and wheat and a fall garden with lots of sparkle coming from twinkling lights and candles. It also felt a bit bohemian with a touch of sophistication and class.”

Congratulations Ashlee and Elmo!

Special thanks to the team:
Venue: Acqua Santa
Flowers: Paula Jeans Garden, Etsy
Dress Designer: BLHLDN
Shoes: BeholdenBridal, Etsy
Makeup & Hair: Park Suhyun
Bride’s Ring: Catbird, Groom’s Ring: RobertWBruce, Etsy
Suit Designer:  Calvin Klein
Bride’s Earrings, Head Piece, Purse: Pippen Vintage Jewelry
Cake: Baked
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas

Kara and Gary will be getting married at the beautiful New York Botanical Garden next fall. We met there for a mini-engagement session.

Kara shares, “Gary and I met on Facebook, after I accepted his friend request during last year’s holiday season. I usually pay no attention to those requests but happened to be stuck at home nursing the flu. This was a blessing in disguise! I recognized Gary from my days at the College of the Holy Cross, where he continues to work today. I did not know him back then but I am so glad to know him now. Gary lives in Massachusetts, and I am in New York City, so the chance of us meeting in person was far from my mind when I accepted his request.”

After some messaging, a lunch meeting, and many phone calls, they were ready for their first date–ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Kara continues, “While others had discouraged him from planning such an activity-oriented date, it was a smashing success! The moment I saw him I knew he was meant for me. Gary felt the same way. Things only got better as we joked and laughed all afternoon, feeling totally comfortable with one another. A few spills on the ice only added to the fun.  We didn’t want the date to end!

Since our first date, we logged hundreds of hours on the phone and, thankfully, Gary has logged many miles traveling back and forth to New York City every weekend so we can spend time together. I guess distance is no obstacle when you are falling in love. Later that summer, Gary asked me to marry him while we were on vacation in San Diego.

We look forward to sharing our continuing happiness with family and friends at the New York Botanical Garden’s Stone Mill on October 1, 2016. We love this location because it reflects who we are–people who enjoy the beauty of nature and the simple things that life has to offer. We had a great time scouting the location with Jessica in preparation for our wedding. She is not only a phenomenal photographer but a warm and endearing person who put us immediately at ease during the photo shoot. Thank you, Jessica!”

Happy engagement Kara and Gary!

Cammy and Josh were married on a beautiful day in September at the Ravel Hotel in Long Island City.

After getting ready with their friends and family, Cammy and Josh met in Queensbridge Park for some beautiful portraits with the Manhattan skyline.

Cammy shares, “My favorite moment of the day was walking up to Josh before the first look. When I saw him from behind standing near the river, I was overcome with emotion. Even thinking back to the image now takes me back to that feeling. I’m so glad I got to see him before our ceremony; it put me at ease, and I loved having that moment between us.”

The ceremony took place on the rooftop of the Ravel Hotel, Penthouse 808. Their open air rooftop has amazing views of the skyline and the Queensboro Bridge.

Cammy shares, “At first Josh and I weren’t sure if we wanted to have a wedding, and even after Josh was on board, I still needed some extra convincing. In the end, we’re both so glad we decided to do it.  The day was absolutely perfect, and we felt surrounded by so much love and excitement from our family and friends.

It took us almost nine months to choose a venue (I was very picky), but when I saw Penthouse 808 I fell in love with how unique it was, and how beautifully it showed off the New York skyline.”

Josh shares “For the wedding, Cammy and I decided to write our own vows but not to share them with each other before the ceremony. One of my favorite memories from the day was hearing all of the thought and care that she had put into writing hers through various inside jokes (in particular a modification on a Winnie the Pooh quote that caused me to almost lose it during the ceremony). Hearing her vows for the first time during the ceremony would have been emotional for me regardless, but to have so much of the humor from our relationship took it to a completely different level. I laughed, came very close to crying, and I’m smiling now just thinking about them.”

The reception began as the sun set. The chic decor looked very elegant with an urban twist, with beautiful centerpieces by Petals and Roots.

Josh adds, “Being from New Jersey, I love my Bon Jovi, so the most memorable moment of the wedding for me was when the DJ played Living on a Prayer.  Everybody on the dance floor went nuts and friends who weren’t on the floor rushed in knowing that I’d be going nuts. The energy and the memory of singing Living on a Prayer at the top of my lungs surrounded by friends and family is something that I will remember forever.  The fact that the next song was R. Kelly’s Ignition (Remix) was a cherry on top!”

Congratulations Cammy and Josh!

Special thanks to the team:
Venue and Caterer: Penthouse 808
Officiant: Gary Katz
Florist: Petals and Roots
Invitations: Vera Wang
Makeup: Monica Martelo
Hair: Monica Martelo
Bride’s Dress: Demetrios Bridal
Jewelry: Rafi Designs (by the bride’s mom!)
Groom’s Suit: Robbie & Co
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Louise and Simone eloped from the U.K. to get married in Central Park with an intimate gathering of friends and family. The joyful ceremony took place at the Ladies Pavilion.

Louise shares, “Simone and I met at work, he’s a paediatric cardiac surgeon and I am a nurse and I was working on the paediatric cardiac ward. He came to the U.K. in 2009 from Italy for a one year post in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. At that time I had been working there for six years. We happened to live near one another and used to bump into each other on the tube on the way to work. We started out socialising as a group of people including other nurses and doctors. Toward the end of the first year, we started dating and so he extended his post for another year. Nobody at work knew we were together so when his next job took us to India for one year, everyone was very shocked that I was leaving! After spending a tough year together in India we knew we could cope with anything.

Simone knows I am way too fussy so for the proposal so he took me to Tiffany’s in Regent St, London, to buy me my perfect ring.

We decided to get married in New York as it’s our favourite city in the world. One of our first holidays together was to NYC. We both wanted a small wedding with only our nearest and dearest there so we decided that NYC was the perfect place. Central Park is one of the most beautiful places in the city so we wanted our ceremony to be held there. It was the perfect day and everything we could have dreamed.”

Congratulations Louise and Simone!

Special thanks to A Central Park Wedding.