Christelle & Ben's New York City ,midtown loft & terrace, Wedding Photography!

this was a terrific wedding, a blending of different religions and cultures. christelle's entire family flew in from west africa. apparently there was some worry that they wouldn't be able to get out of the country so the u.s. ambassador had to step in to make sure everyone could be here for christelle's big day.

their day started at the carlton hotel http://www.carltonhotelny.com/ppc-offers.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=carlton+hotel+new+york+exact&utm_campaign=CRT01_2011_Branding&_vsrefdom=2010brand-ppc when the cab started to get close to drop us off i noticed that suddenly it was as if we entered the twilight zone. all of the cars and people on the street were straight out of the sixties. i'm telling you my assistant, videographer and i were seriously dumbfounded for a bit. thank fully the carlton doorman was in the know and was able to bring us back to earth. it just so happened that men in black 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPqZh-xh7Y was filming a sceene on madison ave. a very fun little "extra" for the folks from africa:)

we headed up to the brides suite where she was getting ready and by the time we arrived she was already looking gorgeous. tinka Tinikasadiku.com was putting the final touches on her hair and soon she was ready to get into her beautiful wedding gown http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Gowns-Shop-By-Designer-Galina-Signature

she and ben decided to see each other before the ceremony which, of course, is what every photographer hopes for. they decided to have a reveal moment on the front balcony of the hotel which had perfect light and a perfect backdrop for pictures. we decided to use the balcony for the formal family shots and when those were finished we headed out to the streets of new york. the wedding and reception was at the midtown loft & terrace http://www.midtownloft.com/ which is within walking distance of the hotel. midtown loft & terrace is an excellent place for an event because you can be indoors and out. the terrace is so new york city with the empire state building just a couple of blocks away and a beautiful gothic church across the street. you get a birdseye view of the streets and life in nyc which the guests marveled at. the ceremony was resided over by rabbi ronald broden http://www.jewish-ceremonies.com/ and minister denise smartt sears http://www.nyac.com/churches/detail/1933 and was both intimate and universal. the cocktail hour was also on the terrace and catered by dorrie pariser at world wide events http://www.worldwideeventsltd.com/ and let me tell you this was no "wedding food" i've been to many weddings and believe me food is not usually on the top of my list of things to mention in my blog...the food from world wide was exceptional, fresh and well presented...bravo.

the bride and groom changed into traditional west african attire mid-reception and headed to the dance floor for a traditional dance which had me running to itunes and searching "west african music". so colorful and fun. dj con http://www.74events.com/ kept everyone on the dance floor from the first dance to the cake cutting. http://thesweetpeace.com/

the wedding was unique and memorable to me for its melding of cultures. i loved seeing the two families from opposite ends of the earth coming together to celebrate christelle and ben's love and union. it was beautiful in a big picture sort of way....

xoxo