Full Weddings

Villa Sheherezade Dubrovnik wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

180813-050916 ILCE-7M3 85 mm.jpg

When Lynn inquired with us, we thought for sure we were being scammed. What would you think if your phone chimed and you read a text message from a strange number: “Quick question. Are you available for our destination wedding in Dubrovnik, Croatia this year? We live in London. I’m from Taiwan and he is from Belgium :-)” And the date happened to be fast approaching and the only weekend that month we were free? It all sounded too good to be true: She might as well have said that she’s a Nigerian prince.

But it turns out that not only are Lynn and Kristof very real, they are also an amazing couple who match each other in zeal for life and each other, if not in height. And so we were on our way to Dubrovnik, an area long known for its beauty and now exploding in fame as the site of much of the otherworldly beauty of Game of Thrones.

Under the planning guidance of Matthew and Bertie at Matthew Oliver Weddings and local coordinator Marcela at Dubrovnik Wedding Inspiration, their wedding took advantage of all the amazingness the area has to offer. The rehearsal dinner was set on Lokrum Island, where Lynn was overjoyed by the preponderance of peacocks and bunnies that have overtaken the island.

The ceremony was a gorgeous affair in the five-century-old Sponza Palace, officiated by a dear friend and mentor, who ensured it was touching and deeply personal. Afterward, Lynn and Kristof headed to the reception on their own boat, speeding down the harbor to the fantastic Villa Sheherezade.

The reception was filled with surprises. Kristof’s best man is a rare combination of entrepreneur and professionally trained clown, and he gave a lion dance performance before revealing himself to the crowd … by taking off the head and blowing a giant fireball.

But nothing could top what Kristof had for Lynn. To begin the dancing, he took her over to the cake-cutting and said “Lynn, I promise I will never stop surprising you.”

And then the sky exploded into fireworks.

That’s the sort of energy and love we’re talking about, and we are so excited that we were able to tell this story.

Stylist: Christine from CC Wedding Studio in Taiwan
DJ: Jordi Ruz from Ibiza
Venue and staff: Anamarija and Lindita Adriatic Luxury Hotels
Video: Justina from HDmoments (their video teaser from the wedding here!)

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

We know we will vividly remember Sarah and Joseph’s wedding for the rest of our lives. It wasn’t just that Sarah and Jospeh leave an indelible mark on every person they meet. But this wedding stood on the brink of a precipice larger than any of us knew at the time, as our last wedding before the full effect of the Coronavirus pandemic hit the United States.

This wedding exemplified everything that we have missed so much about large weddings — the energy, the hilarity, the multitudes contained in a day that has both incredibly intimate love and commitment and loud, intense, hysterical celebration.

In a year where most of us have been separated from so many loved ones, it was a blessing to be a part of an awesome celebration like this. Special thanks to Masi Events who somehow amplified one of the most already gorgeous places in America - the Fairchild Botanic Gardens.

Onteora Mountain House wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

I’m not going to spend too much time here, because each word I write comes between you and the photos of this fantastic wedding for a few hundredths of a second. But a lot of people ask my advice for how to have a good wedding, and my advice is the same for a good relationship: If you’re having fun, most of the other stuff falls into place. This doesn’t mean that planning isn’t important — it’s not really so much fun to have a wedding in a field during a thunderstorm because you didn’t have a good plan — but it’s too easy to forget that having fun together comes first.

So yes, it’s pretty great that Crista and Robert chose the beautiful Onteora Mountain House for their wedding, and that the weather — while chilly — allowed everyone to enjoy the mountain views. It doesn’t hurt that Crista and Robert are basically action heroes, with Robert trained in every sort of theatrical movement and Crista … well, none of Crista’s bridesmaids even batted an eye when she started walking around on her hands. But what matters is how much fun everyone had together, how deep and boisterous and joyful the connections, from streaming tears to bendy backs on the dance floor. And it’s what we all remember.

Just as importantly, I remember how much fun I had in my own partnership, shooting this with the incredible Tatiana Breslow. I will never get over the fact that the woman I fell so deeply in love with happens to also be my favorite shooting partner out of everyone I’ve worked with, that our eyes and our choices are so in sync. We are going to be merging not only our lives but also our businesses, and I am so excited for this future on every level, and to show the world what we can do together. It’s going to be fun.

Reading Terminal Market wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

We have always said that the highest compliment we can give a wedding is that we would have loved to attend even if we weren’t photographing that — well, Ally and Andrew’s wedding was all of that and a bit more, since it was in a venue we would love to explore even when there isn’t a wedding there!

The wedding was in the culinary cornucopia of Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, and it took full advantage of the numerous stalls and marketplaces, as well as a dance floor in the middle of a usually-crowded terminal. To balance the industrial feel of the reception, the ceremony was in the gorgeous and historic Masonic Temple Library and Museum.

We knew from the engagement shoot how much fun this would be — it was sometimes hard to find pictures of them not laughing together, enjoying each other’s and their friends’ raucous energy. It did not disappoint from beginning to end, and we smile just looking back.

The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers Wedding /  by Ryan Brenizer

While New York is on pause, we are going back to amazing weddings of the past that came when we were too busy to show them off. For good reason, Amy and Jan were one of the first that came to mind. We don’t need to tell you how fun they are or how magnetically attracted they are to each other or how much fun the wedding was … you’re about to see that for yourself. And we don’t need to tell you that The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers pulled it off incredibly well — they’re managed by Abigail Kirch; that comes with the territory.

It was a thrill both to tell this story and to look back at a wedding like this.