Tori and John, Wedding at the Capitol Theater

It’s always really fun when a couple finds a venue for their wedding that is different!  At the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY, Tori and John played up the dramatic elements of the vintage, renovated theater (using the stage with its spectacular red curtain and stage lighting for their ceremony) by hosting a cool cocktail party reception.

It was really fun to see the mix between old school style and modernity at Tori and John’s wedding.  The cocktail party in the theater space felt like a jazz club/speakeasy from the 1930s, but when the DJ put on the lights and music, it was surely a contemporary dance party!  And their enormously inclusive bridal party was decked to the nines in black cocktail dresses and handsome tuxes.  I just loved the flowers.  They were done by the mother of one of Tori’s bridesmaids who ordered custom wine bottle labels, then cut the tops off the bottles and used them as vases for bunches of those ever-elegant white calla lilies.

Congratulations again, Tori and John!

-Hillary

P.S.  View more images from Tori and John’s wedding on Facebook and at their web galleries!

We’re the Knot Best of Weddings 2012 Pick!

I’m super-excited to announce that Hillary Harvey Photography/HHP has been selected as a 2012 winner in the Knot Best of Weddings!  Our wedding photojournalism services will be listed in a special section of the Knot New York magazine and on the Knot website!  This is our third year running as a Knot pick, and we are truly honored and grateful for the award!  Especially since it comes from brides!  Thank you all so much.  We just love to work with you!

-Hillary

More on the Chronogram Feature!

I finally got my hands on a copy of the January issue of Chronogram.  And I am completely in love with the way the piece came out!

And I love that they used this one for the Table of Contents illustration!

Thanks to all the stylish couples whose body parts and wedding details are featured here!

Katy and David, Wedding in Kingston

It’s almost hard to write this post.  I’ve worked with Katy and David on their wedding plans for over a year, and with this late post (I am embarrassingly behind in my blogging), all their final wedding images have even already been delivered!  They are such a fun couple with super-sweet families and great friends.  (In fact, they’re members of the very cool, vintage bicycle gang, the Dusty Spokes, whose members’ I’ve photographed three times this year as they are all marrying!)  And Katy and David’s engagement shoot, site viewing, pre-wedding meeting, and wedding were all so much fun to be part of.

Katy and David’s wedding called upon their many talents and talented friends and family.  There were performances by Katy’s brother, their friends’ band (It was totally funny and cute when the drummer pretended to get hurt so they could call out to the audience for a replacement: David, an amazing drummer!), a special dance performance by Katy and her bridesmaids, and even a double drum stand-off between David and his brother, for old time’s sake.  The whole day was this great mix of elegance and fun.  Katy’s look involved two gorgeous dresses from her boutique while the tables were decorated with Star Wars action figures.  And her new Renaissance husband’s groom cake was just that – shaped like superheroes and homemade by David himself using his grandmother’s baking pans and special tricks for awesome decoration. 

I will miss them!  But luckily, I get to make some wedding albums and thank-you cards for these guys still. 

-Hillary

P.S.  See more images from their wedding on Facebook and at their web galleries!

Chronogram Seen

My old friend, David Perry, the art director at Chronogram recently got in touch with me to ask for wedding images to illustrate an article for their January issue.  It’s out now on stands, so be sure to pick one up when you’re in the Hudson Valley!  And some of the images made it to their website edition.  It’s great to be included again in the area’s best magazine!

Happy 2012!

Looking back through my files to find highlights from 2011 makes me feel so grateful to all the people who invited me and my camera into their lives.  I’m excited to see some of you again in 2012 and to highlight even more great moments in the coming year!

Happy New Year to everyone!

-Hillary

Season’s Greetings (of all kinds)

Several months ago, I photographed a new papa and his baby boy.  And I’ve been saving this photo to show off for the holiday season.  I just love the funny irony of it!

Please note:  No babies were harmed in the making of this picture.  This little guy barely got his protest voiced before he was swept back up into his big daddy’s arm, safe and sound.  (I work fast!)

Happy holidays!

-Hillary

Sara and David, Castle on the Hudson Wedding

From the first, Sara and David were bubbling with excitement about their upcoming wedding.  It was so fun to hear all their plans, and it was just amazing to watch it all come together.

My favorite part of their day was seeing how well they achieved their fairytale wedding theme, from the castle backdrop to the theatrically-lit dream cake.  Sara and her bridesmaids wore dresses that were lovingly handmade by Sara’s mom (a retired custom seamstress turned author) that featured 17th century style.  There were designer bustles and intricate detailing, unique to each.  Elements of Sara’s dress incorporated flowers from Sara’s grandmother’s wedding headpiece, which was such a great nod to a wonderful woman.  The ladies looked like they were ready to grace Louis XIV’s court, just like Cinderella.  And the castle seemed ready to receive them with amazing floral centerpieces that were just dripping with crystals and candlelight.  (I just loved their catwalk runway entrances into the party!)  Everything was done in decadent style.

May Sara and David live happily ever after…

-Hillary

P.S.  See more photos from Sara and David’s wedding on Facebook and at their web galleries.

Carrie and Thomas, Whitby Castle Wedding

I love getting to know the various connections between people’s lives whom I photograph.  Carrie is one of the very talented doctors who helped Michelle deliver her deliciously adorable baby boy.  So when Carrie was preparing for her wedding, Michelle recommended me.  (Thank you!)  And then it turned out that Carrie was getting married in the very same gorgeous church in Rye that Maureen recently did.  Such a small world.  And yet, three beautifully different weddings.

Carrie and Thomas’ day was marked with classic style and fun, personal touches.  I knew that their party was going to be smooth as soon as I learned that Thomas was an experienced event planner, which was obvious from the first conversation with him.  My favorite elements of their day were the Valentine-red color theme (perfect for a wedding), the timeless Rolls that Thomas slyly reserved for Carrie as a surprise transport to the church (one of my all-time favorite places to photograph a bride), the amazing vocal performance conducted by Thomas’ friend during the ceremony,  and the fun table designations of favorite Republican presidents (a nod to Thomas’ background in politics).

The weekend started off great, too, when I got to photograph the rehearsal and dinner the night before the big day.  It was a great chance to get to know the families and key players involved for the next day; and it gave me the opportunity to get additional photo angles and details in the church and to familiarize myself with the ceremony.  Plus, we were able to get the signing board – my new favorite guest book – started that night, so when guests arrived for the wedding the next day, they could already see what Carrie and Thomas were going for in displaying the photo from our very fun engagement shoot.

This is the photo they used for their thank-you cards… which might even be on their way to family and friends right now!

All the best to Thomas and Carrie for a bright and happy future together!

-Hillary

P.S. See more photos from Carrie and Thomas’ wedding on Facebook and at their web galleries!

Katie and Sean, Crabtree’s Kittle House Wedding

I knew at the engagement shoot that Katie and Sean were going to have an awesome wedding!  (And I knew from that shoot that Katie was going to wear the coolest wedding shoes ever!)  Katie and Sean were both just too much fun, not to mention ravishing and madly in love, to have a wedding that was anything less.  And it turned out to be so true!

This was my first time shooting at the Kittle House, and it was such a pleasure.  The place is so well-kept and so well-run.  Katie’s room for getting ready was a  photographer’s dream, with great natural light, a really fun wall color, and classy, photogenic furniture!  And despite the incessant rain, we still had a great spot outside using the front of the gorgeous house as a backdrop for family pictures.

I knew that Katie and Sean had choreographed their first dance, but I almost had to laugh at remembering Katie asking me to try to make them look good because they both turned out to be amazing dancers.  And they were both on the dance floor all night!  As were their friends, parents and even the oldest members of the family… in wheelchairs!  (Alex and his assistant from Jimmy Dee totally rocked the house.)

I loved all the special touches that went into their fantastic day: the baskets of flip flops, alongside the regular offerings, like aspirin and hairspray, in the ladies’ room, the flowers and faux pearl decorations, of course, the signing board I made from their engagement photo!, and most especially, Katie’s hip surprise change between ceremony and reception!

The whole day was such a pleasure!  Here’s to many more nights of crazy, awesome dancing for you two!

-Hillary

P.S. See more pictures from Katie and Sean’s wedding on Facebook and in their web galleries.