Marriage Equality: Love Wins

Today is a huge day in the entire country as the Supreme Court just ruled that gay marriage is legal across all 50 states! As photographers who celebrate love and marriage as our profession, we couldn’t be happier. Obama delivered an address this morning sharing the idea the gay marriage ruling is a “…big step in our march toward equality”.

“There’s so much work to be done to extend the full promise of America to every American. But today we can say — in no uncertain terms — that we’ve made our union a little more perfect.”-President Obama

Back in 2011 when New York was one of the few states to rule gay marriage legal, Craig and the team set up shop outside the courthouse to capture all the happy couples exiting with their marriage licenses. Here’s a recap of that happy day, plus a few more LGBT weddings we’ve captured over the years!

Photographs by the team at Craig Paulson Photography

Bridal Fashion: Different Dresses we’ve seen over the years

We love the moment a couple see each other for the first time, it’s such a pinnacle of the day. When we meet with couples one month before their big day, usually the bride excitedly hands us her phone so we can sneak a peak at the dress! Typically every bride spends a lot of time over the course of her life dreaming of her dress that she’ll wear all day. It’s the dress you wear when you transition from a daughter to someone’s wife, on one of the most important days of your life! While it’s traditional to wear white, some brides get creative and we are in love with the uniqueness of a alternative dress! Here are some of our personal favorites from the past few years of brides who take fashion or tradition to another level.

Photographed by the team at Craig Paulson Photography

Melody (first pictured in slideshow) here designed her own dress, it’s a one of a kind:

Friday Venue Spotlight: Tribeca Rooftop

What’s not to love about Tribeca? It’s one of New York’s most prestigious neighborhoods with an old world feel and home to a venue we shoot at quite often: Tribeca Rooftop. This open layout space and glass canopy ceiling is amazing, mostly for the view from up top but also for its versatility. You can turn the main space into anything your creative mind can dream up, we’ve seen it go from whimsical to retro to gatsby! We’ve seen it take on so many looks and feels and we love capturing its grandeur. Plus, we have the cobblestone streets right outside for portraits which makes for a great break during the party!

Photos by all of us here at Craig Paulson Photography:

Tuesday Venue Spotlight: The Foundry

There are just some venues around the city where it seems every frame is amazing-the architecture, decor and general vibe of the place all lend to this. The Foundry is one of our favorite places to shoot-from the ivy covered brick walls, the industrial main space, hanging candle tea lights in the foyer and not to mention the sun drenched courtyard with original cobblestone! Their preferred team of vendors is always incredible, which makes it even more of a joy to shoot at! If you are considering a modern wedding in Long Island City, look no further.

Photos by all of us here at Craig Paulson Photography

Lauren & Kyle’s Wedding at the Mandarin Oriental

We couldn’t wait to share this one with you all, Lauren and Kyle were giddy and laughing the entire day and it made our job so much fun! With everything in one location, the stunning Mandarin Oriental, their day went by smoothly. Lauren prepped with her ladies while Kyle got ready at their apartment. They met in Central Park (where Kyle proposed to Lauren) for their first look and his expression when he turned around was priceless! Their bridal party awaited eagerly just down the path (with their best friend and officiant Vincent ever so kindly holding everyone’s jackets) before joining in the fun for pictures. The ceremony was sweet, touching on the lives of both Lauren and Kyle individually and as a couple, ending with a ceremonial wine glass for them to share as newlyweds! At the cocktail hour immediately following, Kyle’s dad serenaded them on the piano while everyone listened and cheered. The ballroom was turned into a stunning night time beauty complete with table markers signifying each place in the world these two travel bugs have been. We had so much fun capturing the dancing, listening to the hilarious and touching speeches, and witnessing an overall amazing party (these people know how to have a good time!).

Flowers by Floralies, Inc and Music by Hank Lane.

Photographed by Kim Espinosa and Caleb with Lorraine Ciccarelli.

Emily & Matthew’s Wedding at Tribeca Rooftop

Emily and Matthew had such a beautiful wedding in January at St.Francis Church. Emily chose to prep at her parents’ home with her family and ladies while Matthew got ready at The Conrad with his gents. The couple did not see each other until the actual ceremony! After prepping, Emily and Matthew headed over to the church where everyone was waiting. Matthew looked so happy when he saw Emily for the first time. Sarah (Bridesmaid) performed a solo during the ceremony to congratulate the newlyweds. Soon after the ceremony, the couple hopped on the party bus with all their family and friends. After taking lots of photos, everyone headed to the Tribeca Rooftop. The rain outside couldn’t stop the happy couple and people from smiling. With umbrellas in hand, we took some of the most romantic photos of the night! Everyone enjoyed the party with amazing food, toasts, and dancing. Music by Creations Band, flowers by Laura Clare, hair by Le Grand Salon, makeup by Alexandra Gregorek, and gown by Lela Rose.

Photographed by Courtney Dudley with Caleb.

Siobhan & Kevin’s Wedding at Manhattan Penthouse

Every year we get a few of those classic New York weddings that just make you fall in love with the city all over again-Siobhan and Kevin’s was one of those! NYC born and raised, Siobhan wanted the view to be a part of it. The Manhattan Penthouse offered an intimate environment with amazing views of both uptown and downtown. After prepping for the day separately, they both saw each other for the first time walking down the aisle at the nearby St. Francis Xavier. Soon after the ceremony and some family formals, the entire bridal party hopped into the party bus and off we went! Grand Central was the perfect timeless backdrop for portraits. The rain outside couldn’t stop these two and their giggles of happiness. With umbrellas in hand, we went outside for a bit-making for some pretty awesome New York City moments! Cocktail hour was soon underway back at the penthouse with dinner, dancing and toasts on into the night. The party was pretty epic and we have to say-everyone was such a great dancer!

Photographed by Kim Espinosa and Caleb.

Lauren & Justin’s Wedding at The Park

Lauren & Justin had a lovely and beautifully planned wedding at The Park in November. Sarah True of True Events planned and coordinated the day to make sure everything went as smooth as possible-and she went above and beyond! They picked the Dream Downtown to get ready and see each other for the first time, couldn’t have been a better place for these two. We led Justin around the pool area and when Lauren was ready, he turned around to see his bride for the first time. After a sweet moment, the bridal party and family joined for photos outside while keeping warm and cozy just inside the bar area while waiting turns. Soon we headed to The Park where final details were being placed; Lauren went for a beautiful ombre blush theme to compliment the space’s warm and twinkly atmosphere. With the ceremony quickly approaching, we took some portraits before hiding when guests started trickling in. The ceremony was candid and sweet, officiated by Reverend Annie Lawrence. After, a fun cocktail hour transitioned smoothly into the fun evening of dinner, toasts and ultimately LOTS of dancing.

Photographed by Caleb and Kim Espinosa.