It was far from a letdown. Extremely strong family bonds kept every part of the wedding fresh and fun, from Ryan’s brother turning in a great set on the Bodhrán to a wedding band comprised of Siobahn’s uncles. It was a fantastic way to end my (American) wedding season. Thanks so much to Zack Delaune for coming along, helping out with everything from finding our way in the pitch-black darkness during the portraits to taking a few of the photos below.

You can trust me, but this time you don’t have to — I have proof. Chandeliers tell no lies, and Amanda and Glenn’s wedding rocked the Merion so hard the darned thing looked ready to come down.

Passionate, fun, and ready to tear the foundations off a building with merriment — these are my kind of people. Thanks to Dustin Finn for assisting the mayhem (and spotting the chandelier).

Elizabeth had elements of this day planned in her fancy three-ring binder for quite some time — some of them, I’m willing to bet, before she met Anthony. I don’t know if it said “Be fabulous” in there, but some things are just a given.

It’s been quite a journey for them, from playing Guess Who over cups of tea in the cafeteria to a fabulous fall day in Central Park. Weddings, of course, are not without challenges, which is something that keeps them interesting. The gods of the New Jersey Bridges and Tunnels were not kind, leaving the choice of either having the ceremony without 90 percent of the guests or having it in the pitch dark in the only place in Manhattan without lights. But it doesn’t say “problem solver” on the left-hand side for nothing. Under a canopy at night is too much for even my D3s or my eyeballs to see, but luckily I always travel with video lights. I used the help of the videographers (Peter Ferriero and team) to set up light in the corners of the gazebo, about 90 seconds before the processional had to start. Not only was there no disaster — they got to enjoy a stunning twilight ceremony with the lights of Southern Manhattan twinkling in the distance.

There’s nothing I can say about the emotion of the day, about their connection, about the fun that was had — both theirs and mine — that the images don’t say better. But it was a pleasure and honor to be there and to have my friend and phenomenal photographer John Edgar there to capture the day with me. John basically owns Canada. I hope there will be some more international team-ups in the coming year, because this was an amazing experience.

And more so with a kind, hilarious couple. I came in a few days early to make sure there were no flight problems, and because it was Aruba in November. I had my run of the island, but spent most of the time hanging out with Gary, Gina and their wedding party just because of how much fun we were having. It’s one thing to get on a wedding party’s good side … it’s another to hang out with them at the hotel pool until 3 a.m.

All you need to know is that Gina’s wedding gift to Gary was a pristine copy of The Incredible Hulk #181, the first appearance of a furry little fellow named Wolverine. They wanted to mix the traditions of a Filipino wedding with the laid-back nature of a beach wedding, so the ceremony was at a local church and then we boated out to a private island just in time to catch the last bits of sunset.

The reception was on the beach in the sand, with a court for dancing and speeches, and Gina and Gary thoughtfully provided sandals for every guest. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to photograph a reception barefoot, though — and so I did.

We spent part of the next day going around the island for a day-after shoot. I recommend post-wedding photos for everyone, because hey, why not get more photos? But especially for destination weddings. There’s nothing left to worry about — you can just relax and have fun together. I’ll be having fun in any case.

There are a lot worse places to be snowed in than Guastavino’s, though, a restaurant and event space with gorgeous architecture and style. The entire day from getting ready to the last moments of the reception was in the building, which eliminates about nine of the top 10 potential stressors on a wedding day.

Take Manhattan chic, add embarrassing and fun stories from family, a father rocking out on the mic with the band, belly dancers, rambunctious kids, and a kind, warm couple who couldn’t stop looking at each other all night, and you have a heck of a wedding.

There’s something about weddings at remote lodging like the Wintrop Estate in Lenox Massachusetts that makes it feel like a wonderful family getaway where they just happened to throw a gorgeous wedding. Family and guests were already milling around the area when I got there, having slept there the night before, so it was a communal celebration right from the start.

It was a long and not always easy road for Lisa Marie and Rudy to bring this wedding about, and so it ran the gamut of emotions, with tears flowing into laughter and back again in the space of seconds. The sort of people I’m happy to just be around for a day, taking their energy in, let alone photograph.

Luckily when Lindsay and Ron saw their wedding slideshow, they said pretty much the same thing. See you at the 10-year anniversary!

Even a cursory glance will show you how warm, funny, and ready to party Lindsay, Ron, and their friends were. As soon as I hear that a groom can do the “Put a Ring on It” dance, I know we’re in for a good night. The floor at Fox Hollow was packed with friends and family whose reactions let me know that I was right: Lindsay and Ron are fantastic people, and worth celebrating. Congratulations, you two.

Driving rain and zero visibility the night before couldn’t keep me from making it down to Baltimore for Amanda and Bennet’s wedding at Tabrizi’s. Luckily the rain broke overnight, and the day was absolutely perfect.

Amanda and Bennett are great guinea pigs for me. I shot part of their engagement as my first shoot with the Fuji X100, and I shot part of their wedding on film with the Hasselblad H2F. It’s hard to go wrong with the beauty and sense of form and style of ex-dancer Amanda.

Valerie, my summer 2012 intern, rocked it on this shoot, and a couple of the photos are hers from when she could get in places I couldn’t, either different angles on the ceremony or one memorable point where she scrambled up on the roof of their house. Pure gumption.

I’m on my way back from the Foundation conference in New Orleans, which is a fantastic gathering of wedding photojournalists devoted to storytelling, focusing on the moment and the really important things that got me excited about wedding photography in the first place. I am so motivated and buzzing to go out and tell my clients’ stories, so then I went back in time to September and photographed Jessica and Brian’s fantastic wedding at Stonehouse at Stirling Ridge, making sure to focus on the quirky, fun, and deeply emotional moments.

Or maybe it was just that the day was already so emotional and fun that I had all the energy I could use anyway. This is a family that really knows how to hug. They go in for it, they get squishy-faced and emotional and just let you know that “Yes. Now. This. I love you. I love this moment.”

I’m a non-stop mover on the wedding day — if I’m not shooting, I’m looking for a better photo, and often my assistants have to literally chase me down if they want to talk to me. But every once and a while I’ll get a few seconds of break and get so excited about something that I have to share it with Wendy. And so, halfway through the wedding, she got a message that read “Dude! S’Mores!”

S’Mores over a fire pit? That’s the perfect way to end any day, let alone a gorgeous wedding. Good job.

I was boarding a plane to Munich this past December when I saw a couple out of the corner of my eye. The first thing that registered was “Man, that’s a good-looking couple.” It took about three more seconds before I actually fully saw them and realized — wait a second — I’m shooting their wedding! Only I would bump into one of my couples in Munich.

But it’s not as unlikely as it seems. Kim is American by birth and Korbinian is German, and they both live in Munich. With so many of Kim’s friends and family here, I can only imagine the frequent flier miles they rack up. Due to their schedule, we’d done their engagement shoot the year before at mid-day on one of the hottest Manhattan days in years, and perhaps to make up for it the weather for their wedding was nice and cool, threatening rain at first but opening up into a partly cloudy day that made for another spectacular Battery Gardens sunset.

I know a lot of photographers think that the reception isn’t as integral a part of the day as the ceremony and portraits, but it’s weddings like this that remind me that the party is every bit as important. Before the ceremony, there’s still so much to worry about, from eyeing the weather to making sure about the timing and a thousand other things, and the ceremony at the gorgeous Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Steon is so personal and intimate, but to then see a couple get to unwind, laugh, cry, and dance, dance, dance with people they love and haven’t seen together in so long is a beautiful process. And boy, could they dance.

I could be a happy and well-fed photographer just shooting at Abagail Kirsch venues like Tappan Hill forever. Or at least with couples as kind, funny, and open as Lindsay and Adam.

Rain kept threatening their outdoor ceremony, but threaten was all it did, and they had a gorgeous ceremony overlooking the Hudson River. I can see where they get their good-natured personalities — it was clear how much fun their parents had helping this wedding come to fruition, forming bonds with each other along the way. I would have guessed the mothers to have been childhood friends from the way they all laughed together.

In turns gorgeous, elegant, hilarious and wild, Yvonne and Clyde’s wedding at the Palace at Somerset Park had me smiling behind my camera all day. We started with a Catholic ceremony at the gorgeous St. Lucy’s in Newark (a city that keep surprising me). Unlike Erika and Chip, Yvonne and Clyde just missed Hurricane Irene. I’m not sure if anyone would have noticed if it tore the roof off, given how wild the dance floor was, lead by Clyde’s extremele energetic twin brothers.

Thanks to Zack Delaune for helping me with this — that’s his photo of the bride being hoisted on the dance floor, since it was spontaneous and I was shooting elsewhere. In addition to being a great photographer who’s attended my workshops, Zack is a FEMA professional. That’s right, when a hurricane threatens, only I will bring FEMA with me to make sure that everything goes OK.

It looked like everything was going to be fine. The wedding was a day before Hurricane Irene was supposed to make landfall — a lavish, fun affair at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. “Look at it this way,” we’d joked, “You get to have the stories of a hurricane wedding without the hassle!”

But when Erika called me that morning, I knew plans had changed. In an unprecedented move, New York had shut down the entire subway system. It would be impossible for most of her guests to get in and out of the city. A wedding that had taken almost two years to plan had to be completely re-planned in two hours.

It was heartbreaking that this had happened to a couple as wonderful and fun as Erika and Chip, but I also knew that if anyone could manage to have a great time with each other and the friends and family that had made it, it would be them. I spent most of their engagement session cracking up at the way they poked at each other, a relentless barrage of laughing both with and at each other.

A little while later, she called again. They were getting married anyway, at a small midtown restaurant. It was right around the corner from their florist so their flowers could be delivered on foot, ensuring that this would be the most gorgeously decorated spur-of-the-moment wedding ever. Wendy and I walked to meet them at the Hotel Roger Williams and we headed out together from there.

They knew right from the start that they would still have their Botanic Gardens wedding, so there were no gowns or tuxes, just close friends and family and a gamut of emotion. I’ve seen people collapse into nervous wrecks because their catering hall had the wrong chair covering, but despite everything their good humor and strong connection prevailed, and it was a wonderful day to be a part of. I can’t wait to see everyone again for Round Two.

Within minutes, Kim told Wendy that she felt like a “sister from another mother,” and even though we’d just met them, this really felt like a wedding I was covering for close friends. It also helped that my brother Doug was also on hand to help with the (increasingly hilarious) photo booth, so it really was a family affair.

And this doesn’t even cover the wedding, a fantastic canival-themed day designed to make sure everyone had a great time, at the school where Kim and Esteban met. They’d both been official tour guides, so they knew every inch of their wedding venue, telling me stories of when it was Howard Hughes’ defense contracting headquarters, so it was deliberately built as a sort of labyrinth in case it was invaded. That’s the sort of security I like in a wedding.

From churro stations to a crazy dance floor to a heartfelt Catholic ceremony officiated by a close friend, and their infectious laughter, the day encapsulated so many aspects of their personalities, and they meshed perfectly.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/pleasantdale-chateau-wedding-meredith-and-joe/feed/ 12 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/woodbury-country-club-wedding-joanna-and-angel/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/woodbury-country-club-wedding-joanna-and-angel/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:08:06 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/?p=5772 Joanna and Angel came into my studio all smiles and holding hands, warm and open. I asked them to tell me a little bit about themselves.

“Well,” Angel said, “I’m a police officer…”

“Ahh …” I said, “So this is going to be a really good party.”

I was right.

Here’s all you need to know about what kind of guy Angel is. Joanna found halfway through the day that the shoes were cutting into her feet. Seems like a normal wedding-day pain? Well, Angel wouldn’t allow it — so he took the limo from the church to Grand Concourse, one of the busiest, craziest streets of the Bronx — and bought her new shoes.

That’s love.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/woodbury-country-club-wedding-joanna-and-angel/feed/ 12 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/crest-hollow-country-club-wedding-ida-and-erjon/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/crest-hollow-country-club-wedding-ida-and-erjon/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:56:32 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5738 You may remember Marsida and Genc’s fantastic Albanian wedding — well, I didn’t have to wait very long after the wedding to see them again, since I photographed their good friends’ Ida and Erjon’s wedding soon after!

Another epic adventure that had us shooting all over the city, battling traffic and hot weather to show their deep connection, and yes, more awesome fire code violations. I am going to start demanding that people set things on fire at all of my weddings, so watch out.

In any case, I’m too stupidly excited about the photos to let any more words get between you and them.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/crest-hollow-country-club-wedding-ida-and-erjon/feed/ 27 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/sand-castle-wedding-marsida-and-genc/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/sand-castle-wedding-marsida-and-genc/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:55:35 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5660 One of the things I love about this job is how many cultures I get to peek into. These days, I often know the details of Jewish and Hindu wedding ceremonies better than the couples getting married do. And I especially love interacting with cultures I haven’t had much experience with, from Basque to Trinidadian and so on.

But none of it prepared me for the big, fat awesomeness of an Albanian wedding.

Belly dancers? Rituals that surely break all sorts of fire codes? I like it.

(And there’s even another Albanian wedding soon to follow).

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/09/sand-castle-wedding-marsida-and-genc/feed/ 18 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/studio-450-wedding-mila-and-igor/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/studio-450-wedding-mila-and-igor/#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:03:55 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5556 When I’m not shooting wedding photography, I’m usually thinking about or discussing wedding photography. Yes, it’s true. The other day I had a discussion about whether and how much wedding photography imposes overly dramatic forms on love. I was asked: “Do people dip-and-kiss in real life? Do they just feel like jumping into each other’s arms naturally?”

My first thought was “Well … I do (sometimes.)” But, of course, maybe that’s why I’m a wedding photographer.

My second that was “Mila and Igor. They do.”

Dramatic, lively, and ballroom-trained? You bet they do. It was a wet, grey day in NYC when they got married at Studio 450, but that didn’t slow them or their wedding party one bit, especially their equally fun-loving and dramatic parents. Mila’s dad had me cracking up most of the day (and, as you can see below, he has some impressive hang time on his jumps.) When they reached a puddle? Yes, without prompting, Mila just jumped into his arms and he carried her across.

I’m including a few photos from their engagement shoot because they show their personality well — visiting their old haunts like his favorite chess shop — and because they used the photos for a big part of their reception design, and I’d rather show the photos than photos of photos.

Congratulations, Mila and Igor — no imposed drama necessary.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/studio-450-wedding-mila-and-igor/feed/ 20 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/lake-champlain-wedding-stephanie-and-kevin/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/lake-champlain-wedding-stephanie-and-kevin/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:32:16 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5525 Before the wedding day, the last time I saw the bride was when she was 6 years old. I admit that when I saw her, part of me thought “Wait … what right do you have to be gorgeous? You’re supposed to be six!”

You see, this was more than a wedding, it was a homecoming. I have known Stephanie’s family all of my life. When I arrived in the morning, her grandmother hugged me for about three minutes straight. Her mother, who planned so many of the amazing, home-spun details, had made sure that they would only have the wedding on a day I was available. And the kid from Plattsburgh, who had so long laid dormant, came back in full-force. The kid in me was far more star-struck by the local weatherman being a guest than by a wedding I shot where Wolf Blitzer got down on the dance floor. Because, you know, he’s on TV, and kids from Plattsburgh don’t know anyone on TV.

It was everything a wedding should be, and things that I didn’t even know a wedding should be. You want to see bonding between a bride’s father and his new son-in-law? Well, it helps that the groom is a guitar hero, and brought his band a long so Dad could join him on drums for a 10-minute jam session. Hula hoops, cotton candy, gorgeous Lake Champlain sunsets, and Chinese sky lanterns? Got ‘em. And an environment of fun and love in every corner? Got it.

Congratulations to friends old and new.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/lake-champlain-wedding-stephanie-and-kevin/feed/ 25 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/gramercy-vineyards-wedding-tiffany-and-bartow/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/gramercy-vineyards-wedding-tiffany-and-bartow/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:05:16 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5463 When I meet with prospective couples, I give them access to every wedding I’ve photographed recently, whether conditions were perfect at a wedding or whether Murphy’s Law was in full effect. I do this to say: “Don’t panic. Sometimes things aren’t perfect, but we’ll get good photos anyway.”

And you shouldn’t panic, because every so-called wedding disaster simply becomes a great story to tell … and sometimes it becomes something more. When it started raining on Tiffany and Bartow’s gorgeous outdoor wedding at Gramercy Vineyards? That’s a story to tell — how everyone huddled close together under the tents and in the small barn and talked and laughed, how everyone cheered when the staff figured out how to turn the lights back on. But when a cask of wine cracked open on the dance floor, filling the room with an inch of sweet, pungent liquid? That’s something more, something that shows how awesome Tiffany, Bartow, and their loved ones are. Because it just made them party even harder. Out came the rain boots, off came the shoes, and they danced, kicking up wine, splashing all over, simply celebrating the day.

Sometimes I see a wedding and say “Yes, this is everything a wedding should be.” And it’s not the awesome details or the gorgeous collections of cakes they had, or the fantastic setting of a lush vineyard. It’s the people. Always the people.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/gramercy-vineyards-wedding-tiffany-and-bartow/feed/ 31 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/grace/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/grace/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:03:03 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5426

Little preview from yesterday’s wedding at the Pleasantdale Chateau…

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/grace/feed/ 6 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/central-park-boathouse-wedding-leonor-and-ben/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/central-park-boathouse-wedding-leonor-and-ben/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:17:25 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5421 A fun, extremely nice couple? Great weather? The Central Park Boathouse? If it sounds like a nice day, wait until you get to the part with the crazy dance floor, the free-flowing tears and deep family connections, the gorgeous styling, and their obvious passion for each other.

We began the day in my old stomping grounds near Columbia University, and from there everything was in Central Park. There is so much less possible stress on a wedding day when you can simply walk from the ceremony to gorgeous locations and back again, and that allowed them a day laser-focused on just having a great time with their friends and family. Perfect.

A few photos in the slideshow from Erica Camille

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/central-park-boathouse-wedding-leonor-and-ben/feed/ 25 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/jackie-and-anthonys-cescaphe-ballroom-wedding/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/jackie-and-anthonys-cescaphe-ballroom-wedding/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:39:34 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5368 I’d been shooting portraits of Jackie and her bridesmaids on a sunny Philadelphia pier when I looked back toward land and saw Anthony walking toward me with his groomsmen. In unison. In slow motion.

I started laughing. “Did you just Reservoir Dogs yourselves?”

It describes Jackie and Anthony well. Funny, care-free, and visually-oriented (Anthony is an avid photographer himself). It was bound to be a good time, and it was. Philadelphia’s Cescaphe Ballroom was elegant, convenient and, I hope, impervious to flame, since their wedding featured indoor fireworks and an indoor cigar bar. I wasn’t in Bloomberg’s NYC anymore…

I couldn’t have had a better time with them and their family. Congratulations, all.

]]> http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/08/jackie-and-anthonys-cescaphe-ballroom-wedding/feed/ 23 http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/07/ali-and-dougs-studio-square-wedding/ http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/2011/07/ali-and-dougs-studio-square-wedding/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:42:07 +0000 Ryan Brenizer http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/?p=5330 It’s hard to go wrong with a couple as smart, funny, and friendly as Ali and Doug … and it doesn’t hurt that Ali looks like Anne Hathaway, either. Their wedding at Studio Square had everything you need for a great time — good friends, family, a giant pig on a spit and a Lionel Ritchie impersonator. That’s a party.

It was a rainy day, but that didn’t slow us down at all — we managed to do an entire portrait session in Central Park with Ali standing in one spot to protect the dress. On my vest, actually, for total protection — full-service wedding photography comes with chivalry.

Congratulations!

(Three photos in the slideshow by Erica Camille)

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