NYC to Hudson Valley Film Wedding Photography
Private Property
Nearly every couple who wanders north to get married in the Hudson Valley or Catskills arrives with New York City still rattling around in their pockets.
We get it. We used to be one of them.
We lived in Brooklyn for a decade and relate to the carnal need to escape the city for some fresh air, to reconnect with nature, to touch some grass, and to ground ourselves. Those escapes weren't luxuries; they were oxygen!!
So it's hardly surprising that weddings up here have become something of a modern pilgrimage. People don't just come for a venue, they come for permission. Permission to slow down and gather under a sky and to catch some stars. To trade the city's relentless clock for the timing of rivers, mountains, and sunset. (Did your shoulders just drop?)
Our relationship with this landscape began through weddings. Love stories led us north. The Hudson Valley became a regular jaunt until eventually it convinced us to put down roots of our own.
As artists forged in the mecca of misfits that is Bushwick, we remain deeply shaped by the city. Being a Brooklyn-based wedding photographer, NYC taught us how to see: the poetry in contradiction and the elegance in chaos.
Even now, after fifteen years of photographing weddings, our work lives somewhere between the electric hum of the city and the slow heartbeat of the mountainside. We feel very lucky to have the best of both worlds on a regular basis.
And because we've spent so much time crossing that bridge between worlds, we've become fluent in a particular transformation: the moment a wedding stops being a single-day event and becomes an upstate weekend. A gathering. A retreat. A temporary village built from family, friends, stories, love, and champagne.
Old Mill Guesthouse
Why Our NYC Couples Choose the Hudson Valley
I mean… It's kind of obvious. She's so pretty and close to the city. It’s an easy escape and not a big ask for guests to make the trip. Ask any New Yorker about the Hudson Valley, and they instantly light up and usually say something like, “It's my dream to live there someday!”
Besides the beautiful landscapes, our city couples get married here because they want their wedding to feel less like a production that’s over in 8 short hours and more like a 2-3 day experience with all their favorite people, tied to a desire for nature, unplugging, and connection.
Guests arrive not for a single evening, but for a small chapter of time. They settle into cozy inns and tucked-away hotels, wander quiet main streets, and rediscover the luxury of having nowhere urgent to be. By night, the stars take over the work usually assigned to skyscrapers
For couples planning outside of NYC, our Hudson Valley film wedding photography page explores our approach to the region & the venues we love.
Stonehills
Film Wedding Coverage
Film is not just an “aesthetic” choice for us. Using 35mm and medium format cameras as our medium is a personal preference for our visual expression.
We have been shooting weddings on film in NYC, the Hudson Valley/Catskills, and beyond for over a decade now. From the dark, cavernous city venues that require tons of flash to the super-bright, harsh sun in Arizona to the soft, dappled light in the Hudson Valley.
No matter where we shoot, the light is always shifting, and we move right along with it, adjusting as necessary.
Our ability to know how the light will read on film, without the luxury of a screen telling us the outcome on demand, comes from our 15 years of experience and confidence with shooting on film cameras.
For couples who want to learn more about our analog process in more depth, we talk all about how we photograph weddings on film.
Foxfire Mountain House
What Changes Logistically Between NYC and Hudson Valley Weddings
Hudson Valley weddings are a completely different beast from city weddings.
The footprint is often larger, and surrendering to the weather gods is a greater consideration.
Ceremony sites are usually outdoors, so shade, direct sunlight, or spotty sunlight are important topics to discuss with your photographer, as they affect how the ceremony photos will look. We're here to guide you on this. :)
And lets not forget rain-plans… oh, rain-plans… hate to say it cause nobody wants to hear it, but the East Coast is a wet place, baby - so a rain plan is a must if youre going for a tented/lawn reception. If youre the type who doesnt want to let the weight of the weather gods haunt you, I'd suggest looking into Hudson Valley and Catskills wedding venues that have plenty of indoor options… they do exist!
The Henson
Hudson Valley Wedding Venues Were Crushing On Right Now
Some Hudson Valley venues check all the boxes because they stand out from the masses, leave room for atmosphere, movement, and versatility, and have plenty of indoor spaces should we need to rely on them.
A rare bird because they can host really intimate weddings (30-50 guests) without it feeling empty, or they can host big 150+ weddings with their newly acquired neighboring property. Also, the interior design, texture, color palette, and attention to detail are really stunning, which allows for plenty of indoor portrait locations ot use should we need to take cover from rain or heat. And for the NYC foodies, they will be extra pleased to have such a great restaurant, Matilda, tied in.
Another gem that makes an intimate wedding feel like a great house party, or a wedding of up to 140, feels intimate. The mountain house is tucked away in one of the most ideal parts of the Catskills. - The drive up to it alone is jaw-dropping. They have the coolest team, who are warm and inviting, INCREDIBLE food, and a true awareness of hospitality. Having a wedding at Foxfire feels like getting married at a friend’s really nice property. And I especially love their little afterparty house - I’ve had many a karaoke night up in there.
Get married in the Hudson Valley, but make it Italy. I dont know how they do it, but Glynwood is a beloved, massive working farm that doesnt scream farm. It’s elegant and so unique to this region, and only 60 miles north of the city. I have a feeling they only allow a few weddings per year, so definitely take a look. Theres nowhere esle like it… except Italy.
For more Hudson Valley & Catskill wedding venue location ideas, we put together a guide - go nuts.
Stonehills
How We Approach Wedding Weekends Up Here.
Since upstate weddings have so much more emphasis on the weekend experience as a whole, our packages include attending and documenting the initial gathering - specifically, the welcome party,
For us, that casual, approachable party gives us the chance to meet all of your favorite people and share the same collective experience as everyone else, which we, of course, document for you.
Come wedding day, we already have a super close rapport with you from your engagement shoot and pre-wedding communications, but because we devote our Friday nights to attending the welcome party, we now get ot have conversations with your families and besties.
Having this time to soak up your crew and be part of the pre-wedding-day festivities really sets us up for having more access to your loved ones, which leads to more trust, which means they, too, are more comfortable with our cameras on them.
Planning a Hudson Valley Wedding from NYC
If you are planning a Hudson Valley wedding from NYC, it helps to think of the weekend as its own environment.
Where are people staying? How are they moving between spaces? What parts of the weekend matter most to you? Is the energy more dinner-party, dance-floor, family reunion, art-school summer camp, or something else entirely? And lastly, do you genuinely like the rain plan? You dont have to love it, that's understandable, but just think to yourself, “would this put me in a bad mood on my wedding day?”
Our role as your photographer is not to force the day into some Pinterest formula. It is about understanding what kind of weekend you two are hoping to create, and photographing it with your values in mind and with awareness so that your images feel like they came from inside the experience.
If you are planning a wedding between NYC and the Hudson Valley, we would love to hear what you are building and are here to give you our honest feedback, recommendations, and advice. You can start with our Hudson Valley wedding photography page, or reach out to see if we still have your date open.
