There are a lot of ways to get married in New York City. You can rent out a fancy venue, invite 200 people, or do what Kayla and Johnny did: hop on a train from Baltimore, head back to the city where they first met, exchange vows in the middle of Washington Square Park, and finish the day dancing with champagne on a hotel rooftop.
Honestly, I think they nailed it.
Kayla and Johnny's story started in a pretty quintessential New York way: working together at Victoria's Secret in Times Square. Somewhere between the busy shifts, the customers, and the chaos of working in the middle of Manhattan, a friendship turned into something more. Eventually, they moved to Baltimore together, but when it came time to get married, they knew exactly where they wanted to go.
Back to New York.
So we boarded a train in Baltimore and headed north for a wedding day that was less about following a schedule and more about enjoying every minute of being together.
A wedding dress with a story of its own
We started our day at the Ludlow Hotel, where Kayla and Johnny were getting ready. There was plenty of excitement, including Kayla calling her sister for a video chat from the hotel bathroom almost as soon as they arrived. She couldn't wait to share the day with her family, even if they couldn't all be there in person.
One of the most meaningful details of the day was Kayla's wedding dress.The dress originally belonged to her mom, who had passed away just a year earlier. Kayla had it redesigned into something that felt completely her own, giving a family heirloom a fresh, modern look while keeping its history and meaning. The beautiful layered skirt, the tailored bodice, the whole look it was such a cool combination of old and new.I love when couples find ways to bring pieces of their lives and their families into their wedding day. I imagine having a piece of her mom with her as she walked into this next chapter made that dress even more special. It wasn't just a beautiful wedding dress. It carried a story, a connection, and a little piece of someone who should have been there.
And that's the thing about weddings. There's so much more happening than what you see on the surface. Sometimes it's the smallest details that hold the biggest stories.
A first look on the streets of New York
Once they were dressed and ready, it was time for Kayla and Johnny to see each other for the first time. Their first look happened right outside the Ludlow Hotel, on the streets of Manhattan. No elaborate setup, no secluded garden, no perfectly manicured wedding venue. Just the two of them, standing on a New York City sidewalk, taking in the fact that they were actually getting married. I love first looks like this. There's something about having the city carry on around you while you get to have this really personal moment. Cars, pedestrians, the neighborhood going about its day, and right in the middle of it all, two people seeing each other dressed for their wedding.
Afterward, we did what any proper New York wedding adventure should include: a stop at a neighborhood bodega to pick up flowers! Because why make everything complicated? We wandered into a local shop, found flowers, and continued on our way. I love these little unscripted pieces of an elopement. They're not necessarily the moments couples spend months planning, but they're often the ones that make the day feel so personal and uniquely theirs.
With flowers in hand, we headed toward Washington Square Park.
Washington Square Park: Where New York became part of the wedding story
If you've ever spent time in Washington Square Park, you know it's not exactly a quiet, secluded wedding venue. There are musicians playing, people chatting on benches, students hanging out, tourists taking photographs beneath the famous arch, locals passing through on their way somewhere, and about a hundred other things happening at once. That's exactly why I love photographing elopements in places like this. I don't think a location should just be a pretty backdrop that happens to look good in photographs. When I'm photographing an elopement, I want the location to become another character in the story. Its architecture, its history, its energy, and especially the people who live there all contribute to the feeling of the day.
For Kayla and Johnny, New York was especially important. This was the city where they met, where their friendship began, and where their relationship first took shape. The city wasn't just a convenient place to get married. It was part of their story long before I ever picked up my cameras that morning. Kayla and Johnny had planned a ceremony that gave their family a chance to be included, even from a distance. First, they shared their traditional vows while their family watched through video chat. Miles apart, but together in all the ways that mattered. Then they put the phones away and had a moment just for themselves.
With hundreds of people wandering around the park, completely oblivious to what was happening, Kayla and Johnny exchanged their personal vows. There was no need to clear the park, create a grand entrance, or ask everyone to turn around and watch. Their wedding wasn't a performance. It was a moment they wanted to share with each other, in a place that meant something to them. And while Kayla and Johnny were at the center of the story, New York was woven into every part of it.
That's one of the things that makes documentary elopement photography so much fun. You can't manufacture the personality of a place. You can't plan the perfect stranger walking through the background, the musician playing nearby, or the unexpected little interactions that make a photograph feel like it could only have happened right there, on that particular day.
You just have to be there, pay attention, and let the story unfold.
Margaritas, dulce de leche, and a rooftop celebration
After the ceremony, it was time to celebrate. We headed to one of Kayla and Johnny's favorite restaurants for margaritas and dulce de leche. Good food, a celebratory drink, and absolutely no need for a traditional wedding reception. When it was time to head back, we caught a New York City cab. Something as ordinary as hailing a cab became another little nod to the city where their relationship began. It's funny how the most everyday things can end up holding so much meaning when they're woven into your story.
Back at the Ludlow, we took a little walk around the neighborhood to create some portraits before heading up to the rooftop. I love exploring the streets around a hotel with my couples. There's always something happening, another interesting corner to discover, and a chance to make photographs that actually feel like the city you're in rather than a collection of wedding portraits that could have been taken anywhere.
And then came the champagne. With the New York skyline surrounding them, Kayla and Johnny popped open a bottle and danced on the rooftop, soaking up those first moments of being newly married. It was such a fun way to end a day that had taken us all over the city.
Looking back, I love how many little pieces of their story found their way into this wedding day. Returning to the city where they met, including family from afar, wearing a redesigned version of her mom's wedding dress, a first look on a Manhattan sidewalk, picking up flowers at a neighborhood bodega, exchanging vows in the middle of Washington Square Park, hopping into a familiar yellow cab, and finishing with margaritas, dulce de leche, champagne, and rooftop dancing.
None of it needed to be elaborate or perfectly orchestrated. The best parts were the things that meant something to them. It wasn't a production. It wasn't a traditional wedding. It was Kayla and Johnny spending a day in a city they love, celebrating their relationship in a way that felt completely their own. And that's what a wedding should be.
And I got to be there for it all.
One of my favorite parts of photographing weddings and elopements is the people. Somewhere along the way, between the conversations, the adventures, and all the little moments, my couples start to feel like old friends. By the time the wedding day arrives, it feels less like showing up to work and more like getting to spend the day with people I've known forever.
I also love getting to experience places through their eyes. To photograph a city, a neighborhood, or a little corner of the world that means something to a couple and let it become part of their wedding story. Every place has a personality, and every couple brings something different to it. That's what makes no two elopements ever quite the same. Kayla and Johnny, your day was such a wonderful reminder of why I love what I do.
Getting married in New York City? Whether you want to exchange vows in Washington Square Park, wander through Manhattan, stop at a neighborhood bodega, celebrate on a rooftop, or find a little corner of the city that means something to you, I'd love to help tell your story. I photograph NYC elopements, Washington DC weddings, Maryland weddings, and adventures wherever love takes us.
