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I met Cristina and John in Central Park for a sunrise engagement session. We had the whole terrace to ourselves! It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed capturing their playful personalities.

Cristina shares, “It all started with a “wink” and a few messages back and forth on Match.com. We had our first date at The Smith and sparked instantly, our chemistry was undeniable – the prelude to a 6-month journey of friendship and flirtation. On a cold February night at the historic Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, VT, John asked me to be his girlfriend and the rest was history.

John and I love to spend our time traveling. Over the last 6 years we have visited over 8 countries, our favorite trip is tied between our love of people and nature in Costa Rica and our thirst for culture, romance, history, nightlife and beauty in Italy. Puerto Rico also holds a very special place in our hearts, as it’s where my maternal family originated and John’s closest family members reside.”

She continues, “We were vacationing in Greece on the island of Mykonos after having visited Santorini and Kefalonia for our friends’ wedding. On our last day in Mykonos, I made it my mission to find the the island’s family of large pelicans that roam the streets. After a few hours of walking around, I finally found one. It was the highlight of my day and our trip felt complete.

Little did I know, John was about to steal the show. When we arrived in our room, red rose petals were layered across the room. I figured this was the hotel’s typical parting gesture on a couples’ last evening. As we were both preparing for our last night in Greece, I noticed John slipped away to our balcony and shut the door behind him. After a few minutes I opened the door to see what he was up to and saw he had rose petals and rose-flavored wine awaiting my entrance. Still I thought, “how romantic,” but this was not about to be “THE MOMENT.” Then suddenly, John dropped down on his knee and recited a speech I’ll never forget. I’m grateful he wrote his words down, because I blacked out in disbelief. I said “YES” and we went on to have a beautiful evening, enjoying our last dinner in Mykonos on the sand, beside the ocean as fiancés.”

Cristina grew up on the Upper East Side with The Met and Central Park as her backyard. It was a great backdrop for engagement photos!

The couple will be getting married at the Liberty House this December. Happy engagement, you two!

Megumi and Joomin are so sweet, full of smiles and so in love. We met for a sunrise session in Central Park at the Bethesda Terrace.

Megumi shares, “Joomin was born and raised in South Korea, he came to the US in 2013 as an exchange student to study vocal techniques. Joomin had a great career as a theater dancer in South Korea and has performed on world tours. He moved to New York City after graduating from college in Wisconsin two years ago. Joomin has been on multiple shows in New York. He is currently starring as a Kpop boy band star, TIMMY X, in an Off-Broadway show, Kpop.

I was born in Japan and grew up in Minnesota. I enjoy dancing, just like Joomin, but I am more of an “at home dancer.” I moved to New York City with Joomin after graduating from college. I had never imagined myself living and working in New York, but it has been nothing but an enjoyable and confident-boosting experience.”

Megumi continues, “Joomin and I met at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. I was a junior back then and Joomin was an exchange student who just arrived from South Korea. Joomin and I officially met each other on his birthday after begin invited to celebrate from a mutual friend. Joomin says that it was love at first sight :)”

Joomin proposed on May 12, 2016 at Pier 1 in Dumbo, Brooklyn. He pulled off a flash-mob with the help of some friends set to the backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. It was amazing! Check out the youtube video here.

They will be getting married next week at MyMoon in Brooklyn!

Leslie and Raj were married at the Manhattan Penthouse on a lovely summer day. Preparations began at the W Hotel in Union Square.

Raj waited anxious and excited to see Leslie for their first look.

We made our way to Gramercy Park for some portraits.

The ceremony took place at the Manhattan Penthouse with beautiful panoramic views of the city. Leslie shares, “Our vision for the look of our wedding was colorful flowers paired with black, gray, and gold for everything else. We wanted it to feel festive, yet sophisticated.”

Gorgeous rose garlands were exchanged during the wedding ceremony as a reference to Hindu wedding traditions.

Walking down the aisle and dancing the night away were some favorite moments from the day.

Leslie shares,  “My favorite moment was when Raj walked down the aisle to enter our ceremony. The crowd cheered and applauded like he was a rock star! I was around the corner waiting for my turn to enter so I couldn’t see any of this, but I could feel the love and enthusiasm in the room. I think that is the moment that we both let go of any nerves and got really excited for the rest of the evening.”

Raj shares, “My favorite memories of the night are the moments I took to look around and enjoy being on the dance floor with my wife, surrounded by everyone we love.”

This dulce de leche Momofuku Milkbar cake was incredible! It look stunning sitting in front of the backdrop of the city as the lights of the Freedom Tower and lower manhattan began to turn on.

Congratulations Leslie and Raj!

Check out their Long Island City engagement session here.

Special thanks to the team:
Venue: Manhattan Penthouse
Coordinator: Dominique Bell Events
Officiant: Peter Boruchowitz
Caterer: Green Mansions Catering through the Manhattan Penthouse
Cake: Milk Bar
Florist: Stylish Events
Invitations: Minted
Hair & Makeup: Truly Happy Beauty
Bride’s Dress Designer /Shop: Madison James/Kleinfeld
Jewelry: headband from Kleinfeld, jewelry from Macys
Bridesmaid Dresses Designer/Shop: David’s Bridal
Groom’s/Groomsmen Suit Designer/Shop: Robbie & Co Men’s Shop
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Lush greenery, a lovely summer evening in Riverside Park, and a very sweet pup made for one wonderful engagement session for Carla and Ben.

Ben shares, “Carla and I met in spring 2014 because we both attended the same weekly game night. We love to play board games and card games with this great group of people. We continued seeing each other weekly, and grew to be close friends. Eventually the chemistry was too strong to ignore! Our first date was at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, and we’ve been pretty much inseparable since then. We’ve had a lot of great times exploring all the arts and culture that NYC has to offer. And we love to travel–since we started dating we’ve been to Iceland, Vancouver, and Italy, with trips to Morocco and New Zealand planned soon!”

Ben shares, “We’re getting married in Union Square next winter, so we wanted to be sure our engagement photos included plenty of greenery. We chose to have them taken near our home in Morningside Heights, in Riverside Park. It’s near and dear to our hearts and (after our first attempt got rained out) we couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sunset over the Hudson, the stone walls, and the lovely trees all provided a beautiful atmosphere.

Carla jokes that I only started dating her to spend more time with her dog, Bessie–while that is not exactly true, it’s not entirely false either! Bessie is such a sweet old girl. One reason (among many) that we were excited to have Jess as our photographer was her love of dogs, and we were so happy to include Bessie in our engagement shoot.

We are thrilled to have these photos that capture our everyday lives–in our non-wedding attire, spending time in the park with our dog–and we look forward to working with Jess again on our wedding day!”

Congratulations Carla and Ben!

Kelly and Vincent love Georgetown. It is where they spent time together when they first started dating and where they will be getting married next year. It seemed perfect to also celebrate their engagement along the charming, historic streets of this beautiful neighborhood.

Kelly shares, “Vincent and I met through friends in the summer of 2014. Our relationship started off in a unique way since we were long distance–he was at law school in Florida and I was working and living in DC. While most people would think starting a relationship long distance sounds crazy, I found it was a great way to get to know each other since we would just spend hours talking to each other on the phone and through FaceTime. It also made us really take advantage of our time together when we got to visit for a weekend. Since I was living in Glover Park (right up Wisconsin Ave from Georgetown), many of our weekend adventures were in Georgetown–anything from shopping on M Street, getting drinks on the waterfront, or visiting the gardens of Dumbarton Oaks. Needless to say, Georgetown is a meaningful place for us as it is where our relationship really blossomed.”

Kelly continues, “We are getting married at a church in Georgetown this coming spring so we felt it was only appropriate to have our engagement shoot in the neighborhood as well. After a week of rain in July, the sky cleared and we had a beautiful evening shoot on P Street and on the grounds of Georgetown University! We hope our wedding date is just as lucky with the weather. We are so excited to tie the knot in front of our closest family and friends at a place that holds so many special memories for us.”

Congratulations Kelly and Vincent!