Why do I choose to have the latest and greatest? Because I never want to miss a moment because of the gear I use.  Having the very best that a company offers allows me to photograph what I see.  There are many different lighting environments and restrictions during the wedding day.  Dark Ceremonies where no flash is allowed and quite moments where flash would be a distraction. Fast moving moments where focus needs to be maintained for every image.  Large groups photographs where distortion is not desired or wanted.  Distractions that can be limited by throwing them out of focus and keeping the main subject sharp.  All of these and many more reasons is why I want the very best equipment for my weddings that I photograph.  You will never hear me say “If I only had better gear, faster lenses, more flashes, bigger – faster media cards, etc. I could have captured that image.”

What I noticed going from the Nikon D3s to D4 is, faster focusing, seems lighter and better ergonomics.  I like having the XQD card slot included for faster speed and construction/design of the card. I think it would be VERY cool if Nikon allowed users to swap out the CF card for a second XQD slot.  The D800 has medium format sized files in a DSLR body.  The D800 will be used for all portraits and scene setters.  I did buy the grip in order to have a similar feeling to the D4 and it’s nice having two batteries.  I’m really happy with the performance of the Nikon SB-910′s with no over heating issues and they do work perfect with the Pocket Wizards Flex TT5 and Mini TT1′s.  Wish list from Nikon.  Please make a 135 1.8/2 VRII lens and radio SB flashes. Then my ultimate wedding kit will be complete.

As told by Suzie and Robert:

Where: We got married at Stage 6 at Steiner Studios, which is an event space at the active movie production set in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We wanted a modern venue that was a little off the beaten path, had character and was unique. Stage 6 is that. Since we were having a winter wedding, we also wanted a place that was beautiful and airy without being outside and since Stage Six is on the water with floor to ceiling glass windows in the ballroom and a glass enclosed rooftop terrace for cocktails, it worked perfectly!

Theme: We didn’t have a theme at all though we used the colors purple and silver throughout (flowers and bridesmaid dresses and linens). Throw in a lot of candles and low lighting and it was very romantic! As a side note, we did embrace the movie theme a bit since Steiner Studios is a movie production set. The lobby has real movie posters from movies that were shot there so we made one of our favorite engagement photos into our own movie poster to hang in the lobby where our guests were greeted. It was really fun.

Invitations: Our invitations were made by Crane’s paper. Very simple and classic, yet elegant.

Favorite image and why: It’s so hard to choose since we love them all! But if we had to choose it’s probably the color one with the two of us on the patio outside with Suzie’s veil blowing in the wind. It is obviously a beautiful photo, but it also conveys motion via the wind and veil and emotion as you can tell just how excited we both are to be marrying each other—really a unique photo in our view.

Groomsmen: Rob chose some of his oldest and best friends from various stages in his life. His older brother Jeff was the Best Man. Rob gave them each cashmere scarves with their initials embroidered into them as gifts. The groomsmen did a great job keeping Rob calm (ha) before the wedding and making sure the entire family went up in chairs during the Hora.

Jewelry: I wore traditional pearls – necklace, bracelet and earrings. The earrings and bracelet were originally my great grandmother’s so it was very special to wear.

Bride’s dress: I chose a strapless gown from Pronovias. The dress was lace and tulle with a few crystals to add a bit of sparkle. The dress was fitted with a slightly flared skirt and had a really long train. I tried on probably twenty dresses before this one at a few different stores and was leaning towards one that was big and puffy but as soon as I tried this sleek one on at Pronovias, I knew it was perfect.

Bride’s Shoes: I went with simple ivory silk peep toe shoes with a crystal ornament from Benjamin Adams. They had a small heel so they were super comfortable and let me dance the night away!

Memorable moment: One of our most memorable moments of the wedding was riding down the aisle in a NYC pedicab. After we were married, instead of a traditional recessional, we had a NYC pedicab and driver waiting for us at the top of the aisle to whisk us away. All of our guests were completely surprised and Rob and I were beaming as we rode out of the ballroom.

Food and drink: Abigail Kirsch was caterer extraordinaire for the evening. In fact she was one of the reasons we chose to get married at Stage 6 since we had sampled her food at other events and knew it was delicious. She lived up to our expectations and more with her creative take on a variety of foods. Our favorite was the Portobello mushroom steak fries hors d’oeuvre! The hot chocolate in to-go cups at the end of the night was also a special touch for our winter wedding. To be honest, we were so busy partying we didn’t get to sample much of our own food.

Flowers: Diana Gould Ltd. did our flowers and we couldn’t have been happier with how everything looked. They transformed the ceremony and reception ballroom room into a beautiful, romantic space. The flowers were high and low arrangements of different purple orchids and silver branches surrounded by votive candles. This mixed well with the candles lining the ledges of the huge windows, helping to accent the New York skyline and Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges lit up in the background. They also did an amazing job with the chuppah which was a beautiful white sheer fabric and lit from underneath and flanked by purple orchids.

Cake: Abigail Kirsch also made our gorgeous four tiered cake. It was our favorite of just the basics: yellow cake inside and chocolate buttercream filling. The cake was topped with two hand made felt mice dressed as a bride and groom that Suzie’s mom bought for her when she was 5 and have been saving for this day!

Music: Music was very important to us and so we couldn’t have been more thrilled with the Dexter Lake Club Band who helped make our wedding incredible. We didn’t want a traditional or typical “wedding band” and DLCB proved to be exactly what we were looking for. They are an awesome group of musicians who originally started out as an 80s cover band at Oberlin. They played acoustic guitar for the ceremony (including “I’m Yours” on the ukulele no less during the recessional) and tons of 80s and classic rock during the party. The crowd loved them and everyone was out on the dance floor the entire night. DLCB even got an encore.

Honeymoon: We honeymooned in South Africa and it was fantastic! It was filled with both relaxation and adventure. We enjoyed exploring Cape Town and the beaches on the coast and wine country but our favorite part was being on safari in the Kalahari Desert and the Madikwe Game Reserve. We also went shark cage diving with great whites off the coast of Hermanus – unforgettable!

Thank you Suzie and Robert…

Rashad had cards setup around the room with a rose peddles path to all of the places they visited why being together, the last card being NYC.  That is where he proposed

Wedding Gallery Brides last name – all lower case

Click To view gallery:  password is brides maiden name – all small cap.

Dana composed an orginal piece for Christine performed by Danny Gallagher

To view the wedding gallery please go here.  Password all lower case brides last name.