Blue Hill at Stone Barns Wedding | Kate and Andrew

I had a little wedding photographer’s dream and it went like this… A bride would contact me about an intimate Blue Hill at Stone Barns wedding.  The bride would be sweet and unfussy and want a simple wedding that emphasized celebrating love with family and friends. Yeah, my dream was very specific but also seemingly simple. I mean, it is not like I was dreaming of photographing an elopement perched on Trolltunga in Norway?  Right? Though that would be pretty cool. Nonetheless, I did not think my simple dream would actually happen. 

And then Kate contacted me to inquire about me photographing her intimate and unfussy wedding in the private dining room at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.  When I read her first email, my excitement could not be contained and I actually screamed.  

Let me break down my Blue Hill at Stone Barns wedding dream

Part One, I work best with unfussy couples. I am a simple gal. Love and loved ones are what matter most. Everything else is just stuff. Why overcomplicate a wedding day with stuff? Find someone you love, stand somewhere with them, and profess your love and devotion. Allow yourself to be embraced by your dearest friends and family. Toast your new beginnings and share a meal. 

Having said such, I must tell you that “ there is really no such thing as a small wedding”. All weddings come with complications and stresses, whatever the cost or size.  However, the less moving parts you have, the fewer distractions you will have to move you away from what matters most – celebrating love. Kate and Andrew knew this instinctively, as well. 

Their wedding was planned for just months in advance. Their guest list included only their immediate family and friends – fourteen people. They did not stress over the details. Their wedding was calm, quiet, and filled with love. To sum it up, their Blue Hill at Stone Barns wedding felt “unprocessed”.  This leads to Part Two of my wedding daydream.

I don’t believe in processed food and the more local it hails the better. This is how I was raised. Born in the Arthur Avenue section of the Bronx, my mother was not raised shopping at a grocery store. You went to the butcher to get fresh meats.  To the bakery for fresh bread and pastries. To the cheese shop for fresh mozzarella. Canned and boxed food is not where I majority of our food came in my household – long after we left Arthur Avenue. My mother saw through the 50’s movement of processed and quick foods; tv dinners and Chef Boyardee in a can was sacrilegious in our home. My mom understood that food quality was lost in over-processing and passed this down to me.

Natural food is important to me. My farm photography, featured in books and magazines, has been my niche since I began photography.  Blue Hills at Stone Barns is the epitome of this movement. When I have an opportunity to combine my love for farms and wedding photography, I am a little bit giddy. Imagine then photographing Blue Hill at Stone Barns wedding?

Yeah, Kate and Andrew’s wedding checked off the major components of my dream wedding.  However, it exceeded my lofty expectations in a couple of other ways.

For instance, Kate was a magical bride.  She had a lovely delicate but unfussy grace to her. It seemed nearly impossible that her petite frame could contain so much grace. I was happy to see this come out in her photos.  Also, the light at the Tarrytown House Estate, where Andrew and Kate started their wedding day, was lovely.

The windows in Kate’s King House Mansion room were many and large. The natural light in the room was gorgeous.  They had a quick and sweet ceremony in the downstairs parlor. The parlor also had large, floor to ceiling windows and I was excited to begin Kate and Andrew’s portraits there. I love how the window light envelops them and then fades off to shadow.

You would have thought that I would have included large floor to ceiling window light in my initial dream wedding lustings, but I did not. Yet, there too was my most ideal light. I adore all the photos from Kate and Andrew’s wedding – however, the large shadowy window light was an amazing bonus.  In fact, their photos are my most favorite of all of 2019. 

Overall, I believe that natural and getting to the essence is best.  I especially appreciate this when it comes to food and my photography.  Kate and Andrew’s Blue Hill at Stone Barn wedding combined both. It was truly a dream. Thank you so much to Kate and Andrew for bringing my imaginings to reality and Happy One Year Anniversary!