Wedding

Nathan & Vanessa’s NYC City Hall Elopement | Friday Morning Wedding Photography

There’s something timeless and super impactful about a New York City Hall elopement. On a late August Friday morning, I photographed Nathan and Vanessa as they tied the knot at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau (Aka City Hall). Their moment was simple, intimate, and honest. It’s what make NYC elopements so special. Our time together can be broken down in 3 parts, which I discussed later on in this blog post after the photos:

  1. Posed photos before their appointment

  2. Documenting the ceremony and the details unique to them, and a City Hall Elopement

  3. Post-ceremony portraits around City Hall / Lower Manhattan

Posed Photos Before Their Appointment

We met bright and early to take advantage of the soft morning light before their 8:30am appointment. The energy of the city was just beginning to wake up, which gave us plenty of space for relaxed, posed portraits. Nathan and Vanessa shared a quiet moment together as I guided them through poses that captured both their excitement and calm anticipation before walking into City Hall.

Documenting the Ceremony and Details

Once inside the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, I shifted focus to the details that make a City Hall elopement so unique—the couple’s license, wedding bands, and the brief but meaningful ceremony. The vows may have been short, but the emotion between Nathan and Vanessa spoke volumes. I captured their smiles, laughter, and the joy of officially becoming husband and wife in the heart of New York City.

Portraits Around City Hall

After the ceremony, we explored the elegant architecture of the building and the surrounding City Hall area for more posed portraits. From the classic marble staircases to the greenery of City Hall Park, each backdrop added variety and character to their gallery. These photos celebrated both their love story and the unmistakable charm of downtown Manhattan.

Why Choose a NYC City Hall Elopement Photographer?

Elopements and City Hall weddings may be intimate, but they are just as deserving of thoughtful photography. From candid documentary moments to timeless portraits, having a professional photographer ensures your story is beautifully preserved.

Nathan and Vanessa’s Friday morning ceremony was a reminder that sometimes the simplest celebrations are the most meaningful.

Eli and Alexandra NYC City Hall Wedding

Simplicity and authenticity are the best two words to describe Eli and Alexandra. Capturing their happiness, authenticity, and eagerness to marry one another, their best friend, was really exciting. As a seasoned wedding photographer, with thousands of weddings under my belt, their city hall wedding in the heart of NYC was special. It was nice that there was no big catering hall, big cake, and a complicated dress to cloud the focus of the day.

Instead of detail shots consisting of uber expensive watches and shoes, the details of their day were the little things; their call number for the wedding paperwork, the pen Alexandra gave Eli, their wedding rings, and Eli’s UVA binder where they first met.

Jonathan Heisler Photography is comprised of New York City photographers specializing in photographing private NYC proposals, as well as engagement sessions and weddings.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HIRING A PROPOSAL PHOTOGRAPHER IN NYC

Alex and Dan's Port Washington, Long Island Backyard Wedding

Congrats Alex and Dan! I loved photographing Alex and Dan’s backyard wedding in Port Washington, NY. The backyard of their 1920s colonial was the perfect place for a fall “micro-wedding”. The setting was not only intimate, but beautiful. Working with this couple was super easy. All they wanted photographed was a few brief getting ready photos, the ceremony, family photos, and of course photos of themselves.

Photographing a backyard Long Island Wedding

You don’t need 150+ guests, a catering hall or a country club, and large expenses to get married. That’s what COVID-19 taught so many of us.

As a Long Island Wedding Photographer, I get to capture weddings of all sizes and complexities both here on the island and elsewhere. What I really enjoy about photographing smaller weddings is the simplicity of the day and seeing how at ease everyone is. I still get to capture all of the same photos without the stress of “Are we running on time?”. The same moments occur and the same level of detail exists on these wedding days.

Joanne and Nick's Plainview Wedding

Joanne and Nick’s wedding was all about family and close friends, and when photographing their weddings I made sure to capture their unique connection with their family and friends. All of Nick’s Groomsmen were his high school buddies and for Joanne the same was true. As a wedding photographer, my goal is to capture what I call “the story of the day”. I love to capture the details that often go unnoticed and obviously the big moments, and everything in-between.

what makes the best wedding photographer?

Capturing the moments that matter not only now, but in 10, 20, 50 years and to generations to come, make wedding photos worth the investment. Hiring a wedding photographer based on price to be honest is short sighted. Hire a professional wedding photographer / wedding studio who can tell a story with their photos, shows emotion in their photographs, and gets excited when he/she talks about photographing.

Lisa and Liliana Harbor Links Wedding

Congrats to Lisa and Liliana on tying that knot! As a Long Island wedding photographer I love meeting new couples and being a part of their wedding day.

photographing weddings in September on long island is great

Saturday evening provided us the perfect mid-September weather and Harbor Links Golf Course was the most picturesque place for a wedding. As a New York wedding photographer, I pray for great weather (temperature, humidity, light), and a happy easy to work with couple. Lisa and Liliana, and their guests provided me all of the right tools to successfully photograph their wedding.

Harbor links golf course makes great wedding photos and leaves you forgetting you are on a man made course.

As a wedding photographer I visit venue after venue, and I know what the go to photos are to capture at each location. Weddings at Harbor Links in Port Washington, NY offer more than just a golf course behind the couple in their photographs. The landscaping offers prairie grasses, water features, walking paths, and woods. Our wedding photos of the couple and of ceremony at Harbor Links are not just greenways or sand traps.

Venue: Harbor Links Golf Course

Lizzy and Max's Bomoseen Lake Vermont Wedding

As a NY based wedding photographer, it’s a real treat to photograph a simple Vermont Summer Wedding.

In the southern part of Vermont’s Green Mountains sits Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Taproom. The lodge features an unobstructed view of the pristine undeveloped lake and its simple accommodations. The lake is perfect for paddling and small watercraft; an ideal backdrop for their wedding. For Max and Lizzy’s wedding day, the waters of Lake Bomoseen were almost mirror-like in the morning and throughout the day.

Where to get married in Vermont? … Where to get married period.

Lizzy and Max chose Lake Bomoseen Lodge because it would be a mini-vacation for both of their families and their guests after a year of quarantine. Lizzy’s family travelled from Rochester, NY and Max’s family from Central New Jersey. Neither family would have the “home field advantage” as Lizzy informed me.

A full wedding weekend.

The weekend kicked off lake side with a family barbecue at Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Tap Room on Friday night. Guests arrived from all over the northeast as the smell of BBQ, bonfire, and s’mores filled the air. The next morning, Family and friends gathered early in the morning for water-sports, while the girls started to get ready.

Venue: Lake Bomoseen Lodge