As a person who has spent her whole life living between the Hudson Valley and Brooklyn, I was super excited when Meg and George contacted me to see if I’d be interested in capturing their Hudson Valley elopement followed by a Brooklyn reception at a later date? Heck yeah I would.
Meg and George had an epic plan. They were going to elope in Putnam county at the private lake that Meg’s family has a summer home at. Then, they were going to spend the summer traveling across the country celebrating their marriage with family and friend units all over. The final leg of this celebration would take place in Brooklyn at Roberta’s Pizza (Brooklyn’s best pizza, don’t come at me with Grimaldi’s you’re wrong) where they’d host a final dance party. And the best part? Their dog Cody was coming along for it all.
Clearly I was pumped.
Fastforward to a warm June evening. The club house was situated down a winding road in the middle of a lovely private community. The log cabin styled building is adjacent to a small beach lined with canoes and lush foliage and natural rock walls; children’s sand toys scattered on the sand for residents to use. Idyllic indeed.
George and Meg decided against a first look and we went right into couples portraits before the ceremony started. The lake setting was gorgeous, and it was so much fun watching them interact with Cody who was having a blast running in the water and rolling around in the sand. We used a pretty rock and moss backdrop to do their formal photos, and they were married lakeside in an intimate ceremony with Meg’s brother officiating. Cocktail hour happened on the beach and cabin deck, and inside the single room clubhouse was decorated simple yet elegant.
As cocktail hour winded down, Meg and George decided to take a ride out in a canoe to celebrate before dinner began. Despite over a decade in, this was my first couple to jump into a canoe post ceremony. Somehow this simple gesture, jumping into a canoe after you’re married, summed up Meg and George’s adventurous energy perfectly. Seize the moment. Do what you want.
Fastforward to September 10th. The backdrop has changed tremendously but the fun and celebratory vibe is exactly the same. Meg has swapped out her formal wedding gown for a fuchsia party dress and looked absolutely fierce among the graffiti murals adorning Roberta’s facade. We did a quick portrait session and jumped into the party. Cody is hanging out on the dance floor socializing and sniffing the air for the wood fired pizza as it cooks continuously all evening long. I’ve never seen a dog just standing there in the middle of everything so completely calm, most wedding pups wind up somewhere more quiet as the celebration progresses, but not this dude. He was in his element.
The party was nonstop with the help of an awesome DJ. Meg and George opened the dance floor to their first song of the evening which was disco (yes, that’s how cool they are.) Pizza and handcrafted cocktails flowed non stop under the glow of the tent. As I stepped out onto the street to take photos of the scene before me, I noticed bystanders peeking in to see what the party was; it was that type of enticing vibe that made you wonder if you could somehow join too. This was my second time photographing a wedding at Roberta’s and I can say with full confidence that it is such an effortlessly cool place to celebrate.
Congratulations Meg and George, thank you for bringing me along for two portions of your wedding celebration. You two are a joy and I had the greatest time documenting your story.
