Engagements |

August 9, 2012

| Darren

1940s Inspired Engagement Shoot, Long Island, NY – Amanda & Ryan

So a while back you might remember that we ran a little contest for ideas on an engagement shoot. We were looking for an idea that went a little different from the typical shots that you see on the web. We received lots of great ideas and we put them to a public vote. In the end, a 1940s inspired photo shoot won out. We didn’t want to make a full blown 1940s era styled shoot with set pieces and everything. But we took a number of key cues to help fulfill what the couple wanted to accomplish the look, feel and mood of that historic period in American history.

Make Up: Francesca Manzella

Weddings |

July 26, 2012

| Darren

Frost Valley, Catskills, NY Wedding – Jenny & Michael

As an outdoor-sy couple at heart and living in New York City, Jenny and Michael wanted their wedding to embody what they really love. They wanted a casual and laid back ceremony with close friends in place that was special to them. So crafted an entire weekend that would appeal to the child in them and all their friends. They decided to have summer camp themed weekend. They invited everyone to the Frost Valley YMCA for a weekend of learning archery, rockclimbing, canoeing, zip-lining, and an epic cornhole tournament that pinned “Team Jenny” against “Team Michael”. Everyone was even given pins to wear, so they can identify their teammates.

Their ceremony was set against the backdrop of beautifully still, reflective lake and the Catskill Mountains in the beyond that. And the reception was picnic style and concluded with a bonfire roasting marshmallows!

We have to admit, it definitely took us back to our childhood!

And just a note on the design of the cards, Jenny did that herself and she even made the dress herself! How’s that for being a resourceful bride!?

Engagements |

May 16, 2012

| Darren

New York City Engagement Photos: Christina & Stuart

So you’re sitting at a bar and you’re hanging out with your friends when a very attractive guy/girl walks into the room. You say to yourself (with an old English accent, of course), “Be still my beating heart, for one day he/she will be my husband/wife.” That’s how Christina and Stuart met, in a nutshell, and maybe with a little less Shakespearean drama. It was a modern day version of “love at first sight” that continued into chatting the night away until the sun came up. This is the kind of love that great novels or plays are made of.

Engagements |

March 7, 2012

| Darren

engagement shoot finalists – kristyn & christopher

Time to meet our next engagement shoot contest finalists Kristyn and Christopher! Kristyn and Christopher both love craft beer and want to be photographed at a Long Island brewery brewing beer, tasting beer, and picking hops/grains/ingredients. Don’t you just love couples who share hobbies together? To vote for Kristyn and Christopher simply click here and write their names on the post in the comments section. Please only one vote per reader.

Be sure to check back in with us this week to read more about our last finalists. We will feature each couple throughout the voting period, which ends Sunday, March 11. And don’t forget! Our winner will be announced Thursday, March 15!

*Photography in this post is not the work of Esvy Photography and was provided to Esvy by Kristyn and Christopher.

How did you and your fiance meet?

Ironically, Chris’s best friend, Brian, and my best friend, Lauren, were going to school together at NYIT and were in the same classes studying physical therapy. When they went out to celebrate the end of their fall semester, they each invited us along. Chris always says that he noticed me from across the bar. He was involved in a sports conversation when he thought I was looking at him. So he left the guys to come join my conversation. It turns out I really was just looking out the window, not at him, but he had my attention now. Eventually it was just the two of us who talked the rest of the night. We exchanged numbers and planned to meet for lunch in NYC because as it turned out, we worked a half block away from each other. A few days later we went out to lunch at what my coworkers affectionately called the “dirty deli” and the rest is history.

How did he propose?

Sometime in October, Chris had asked me if we could go to Rehoboth Beach, DE for his birthday and visit his favorite brewery Dogfish Head. That same weekend was also homecoming at my alma mater, the University of Delaware, in Newark so I happily said “of course.” We had planned to spend Chris’ birthday starting the day by watching the sunrise and then visiting the brewery and local shore shops. Chris was really eager to see the sunrise since he wanted to “see the sun rise in the east” and “set in the west” since we would be on the east coast (Delaware) for his birthday and then the west coast (California) for vacation a couple weeks later. So, on Monday, November 14, Chris’ birthday, Chris woke me up to see the sunrise.

I was going to go in my pajamas but when I saw Chris fully dressed and ready at 6am, I changed with his encouragement. We then walked to the beach and Chris laid out a blanket for us to sit on. As the sun rose, we took pictures of each other with the sunrise and then while I was standing for a picture, Chris got down on one knee and reached for his pocket. I said, “yes” without Chris even saying a word (he was shaking so much). Chris then said something but those words are lost in time to the both of us. I really should have known it was coming since there was a photographer on the beach at 6:30 in the morning on a cold, windy day but I really thought he was there to photograph the sunrise! Chris actually hired him to capture the moment.

Why should readers vote for your idea?

Doing a photography shoot combining love and beer doesn’t sound like a “wedding” but weddings aren’t about being like everyone else. They don’t all have to have the same elements, involve all the elegance and class, or be conventional. With weddings today being about things a couple have a common interest in like boats, movies and music, why not have an engagement shoot about beer. I’ve never seen an engagement shoot about beer or at a brewery so it would be unique, new, creative, interesting and challenging (but who’s not up for a challenge!). Chris and I have traveled the country visiting breweries and some have better architecture than museums with vibrant history painted in murals on walls and equipment dating back to when our country’s ancestors were only traveling here. We’ve tasted hundreds (maybe thousands of beers), each with it’s own sense of style and creativity. We’ve meet hundreds of brewers all demonstrating passion for their beer and the beer community. It’s with the beer community’s style, creativity and passion that Chris and I will make one amazing engagement photo shoot. People should vote for us to see something different, encourage individuality in weddings and give Esvy Photographers something they’ve never done before.

Engagements |

March 1, 2012

| Darren

engagement shoot finalists – lindsay & jason

Please meet our next engagement shoot contest finalists Lindsay and Jason! Lindsay and Jason are hoping to show their love for each other and for sailing in the their engagement photographs. They’d liked their shoot to be at the yacht club where Lindsay first learned to sail. Doesn’t this playful concept on the water sound fun? To vote for Lindsay and Jason simply click here and write their names on the post in the comments section. Please only one vote per reader.

Be sure to check back in with us throughout the rest of February and early March to read more about our other finalists. We will feature each couple throughout the voting period, which ends Sunday, March 11. And don’t forget! Our winner will be announced Thursday, March 15!

*Photography in this post is not the work of Esvy Photography and was provided to Esvy by Lindsay and Jason.