Marina and Sam say “I DO”

The house was filled with women getting ready, in each corner there was someone getting their hair or make-up done by Natasha. The commotion and excitement was coming from everywhere, you could feel how close each person was to the bride and how happy they were to be sharing this special day with her.

Marina emerged from the bedroom looking gorgeous, ready for her day to begin. As she stepped towards her wedding dress, it became clearer to her that it’s finally happening, the day she’s been dreaming of is finally here and she was ready to become Mrs. Mashevich.  The bride thought of every single details, from the hanger with her new last name to putting “I DO” on the back of her shoes. Even though her father and brother were not with her on this day, in memory of them, Marina carried their pictures attached to her bouquet.

After patiently waiting outside with the groomsmen, our groom Sam could hardly wait til he laid his eyes on his bride to be. What he saw far exceeded what he anticipated, when Sam saw Marina, he was speechless. Once his speech returned, all he could say was WOW…WOW..WOW!!!

Sam and Marina have been together for 5 years and even after so many years together, Sam was still in awe of how beautiful she looked, he could not take his eyes off of her and could not believe she was just hours of officially becoming his wife.

When the bridal party started coming outside, they were surprised by a white walkway covered in rose petals and heart shaped balloons. The onlookers stopped to admire this sight, as the bride and groom opened the front doors and began to take the steps down to join their wedding party.

The bridal party along with the bride and groom were exported in a white stretch limo to our destination of choice, DUMBO. Apparently, we were not the only ones with this idea since there were at least 3 other wedding parties taking their wedding pictures. This says something about the area, right between Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge overlooking the Manhattan skyline is a gorgeous view and compliments perfectly the special day. Even though it’s a popular place for wedding pictures, there are still many unique spots that make the pictures stand out and create a variety of looks and backgrounds.

While passing by Coney Island, we decided to stop for a minute and take advantage of the great scenery. It’s our goal to create unique images and we always try to think outside the box and go beyond what is expected of us. The photo ops by Coney Island turned out colorful, fun and unexpected which the bride and groom loved.

The weather forecast predicted rain but as most of Photo FX weddings go, the rain was delayed until we were done with our portrait shots and then continued for a little while just in time for us to come to the Reception Venue.

Sam and Marina have picked Riviera Catering as their ceremony and reception venue. Riviera is one of our favorite places not only for the way it looks but also the customer service which far exceeds what any catering hall offers and is one of the most important aspects in any wedding. It’s always a pleasure to work with them and the pictures come out amazing whether they be in the reception hall or outside in their private garden area with the waterfalls in the background.

The ceremony took place outside in the garden which was covered with red roses, white drapes covering the hoopah and hanging crystals. As the smallest members of the bridal party made their way, the bride walked in with her mother and uncle by her side.

After the ceremony, the guests made their way to the reception hall which had gorgeous flower centerpieces, with elegant red roses that looked straight from a magazine. The bride and groom made their way to the dance floor and wowed guests with their choreographed first dance.

As a surprise to the bride and groom, Photo FX Studio prepared a slideshow with all the pictures of the day. As all the guests sat down at their tables, the slideshow started playing showcasing our favorite pictures from Sam and Marina’s wedding day. There’s nothing that brings us more pleasure than seeing our bride and groom loving the memories we have created for them.

Entertainment makes the biggest impact on your wedding celebration. The couple hired D & E Entertainment, which in our opinion is one of the best option for a live band. Douglas, the band lead singer and the owner, always gives his 100% and makes sure that everyone invited is having a good time. As always D&E rocked the house with incredible music selection and kept the dance floor crowded all night. We are proudly recommend them to all of our clients and honored to be working side by side at many weddings. If you didn’t have a chance check out all of our highly recommended vendors through Elegant Events Group website.

Some traditions are worth keeping. Original design by no other then Henry from Master Sweets, provided a fabulous 4 layer red velvet cake. Continue with the wedding theme of red and white, the cake was decorated with a red bow & ribbon accompanied with lots of diamonds around it, giving it an elegant yet modern look. Most importantly it taste amazing.

One of the other great things about Riviera is how beautiful the garden gets when the sun goes down. We always make sure to capture the amazing lights and the waterfall in the night sky with just the bride and groom. Even after a long day and a night of dancing, Marina and Sam looked breathtaking and we ended this fabulous evening on a high note with gorgeous images that will be treasured for years to come.

Thank you to Marina and Sam for choosing our studio to document their wedding and Riviera Catering Hall for providing amazing service once again! Perfect place to say “I DO”!

Special thanks to all the vendors who have contributed your special talents and making their wedding an unforgettable celebration of love.

Catering Hall – Riviera

Hair and Make up – Natasha

Flowers – InFlowers

Entertainment – Live band by D & E Entertainment

Wedding Cake – Master Sweets

Wedding Ceremony – Rabbi Groysman 

Groom’s Clothing – Isabellas Wedding Center

Photo and Video – Photo FX Studio

Elegant Events Group

The wedding story of Olga and Boris

Each wedding is special and unique and no matter how many weddings we shoot, it’s always nice to be surprised by something different. Our bride Olga chose to get ready in private and enjoy her time alone while preparing for the most special day in her life. She came downstairs looking breathtaking in her one of a kind wedding dress and gazed over to meet her husband to be. The first look holds so much love, it brings back the moment you fell in love.

The weather could not have been better, having rained the night before and the bride to be and groom were worried, but in the morning the air was fresh and the sun was peeking through! This is what we call a perfect wedding weather!

There are many choices when it comes time to pick a location to shoot wedding pictures prior to the ceremony, while New York has a lot to offer, you want something that speaks to you and feels special. The bride and groom chose the Staten Island Botanical Garden based on our recommendation, when they saw it for the first time, they knew they made the right decision. We joined Olga and Boris in their limo on the way to Staten Island and were able to sneak in a few candid shots of the bride and groom.

The location was something out of a fairy tale, with luscious trees and blooming flowers everywhere. Olga and Boris were joined just by the maid of honor Ellen, which made the whole wedding shoot much more relaxed and intimate. It’s important to remember to be relaxed during your wedding day, it passes by so fast, you want to remember it and not rush through or be pulled in many directions. Having a smaller wedding party definitely makes the whole process less stressful and much more enjoyable.

We made our way through the Japanese Garden, stopping to take gorgeous pictures of Olga and Boris, their kisses and laughs filling the garden. Little girls were running around the garden and would stop and hold their breath while looking at the beautiful bride, you just knew what they were thinking, that one day, they would be that beautiful bride on their dream wedding day!

We walked throughout the grounds, capturing the love between the bride and groom from every angle. The finishing touch was the rose garden right by the entrance to the park. June is one of the best months for blooming roses, having a wedding couple surrounded by all the shades of pink made the garden that much more beautiful.

On the way back from the Botanical Gardens, we stopped by Snug Harbor in Staten Island to capture the bride and the groom in front of the gorgeous backdrop of the city.

The venue of choice was one of the more popular catering halls of Brooklyn, Orion Palace. It has 2 floors and is able to accommodate weddings big and small. The ceremony hall was elegantly decorated in pink and white roses and hanging crystals. While all the guests were enjoying the cocktail hour, we caught a few of the younger guests sneaking in to the ceremony hall. They just couldn’t wait to see the magic happen.

The wedding day has so many layers and so many people involved. Our advice is try to relax and everything will flow smoothly, and if it’s not, keep in mind that you are marrying the love of your life! Luckily for us, we had a bride who understood just that. Olga was relaxed and tried to remain calm even with a few very minor mishaps. She kept the final goal in mind, which was walking down the aisle and seeing Boris on the other side.

As I put the veil over her face, she smiled and you could sense her happiness. Nothing around her mattered, she was waiting for the moment. The moment that the curtain opened and she walked out with two of the closest people in her life on her arm. With her mom and dad, Olga stepped her right foot in the direction of her future. When the curtain opened, all eyes were upon her but all she saw was her groom. Boris was looking at his bride, grinning with happiness and in amazement that the moment has come and they are about to embark on a journey of marriage together.

Once all the formalities were complete, our bride and groom were ready to have fun and enjoy the company of their guests. Many of the guests were out of town so it was a big celebration and a family reunion. The toasts flowed as was the champagne and then the real party began. The dance floor got packed and Olga and Boris danced as husband and wife.

Shall we dance?

Music is such an integral part of any event, especially a wedding. Planning a wedding can be stressful and a lot of times putting together a playlist is put on back burner or forgotten all together. A lot of our clients ask us for recommendations on songs for wedding slideshow as well as the wedding DVD.

To help our brides and grooms, we have put together our favorite songs to a youtube channel. Feel free to listen and save your favorites.

Here are a few points to consider when making your selections:

* If your wedding has a specific theme you should choose music that would match and compliment it.

* If you are selecting music for your first dance, you should carefully consider the song you pick. Make sure you read the lyrics thoroughly and try to watch the music video so it is appropriate for a wedding.

* Try not to choose songs that are very popular or trendy at the moment but instead songs that have special meaning to you both.

Hopefully this will be one more thing to make the planning process easier. Our goal is to make this experience go as flawless as possible and make you enjoy your special day to the fullest and leave the work to us.

The Wedding of Aja and Paul

I met Aja, the bride a few months back at our photo studio in DUMBO. She was recommended to us by Dawn who is currently working for Photo FX Studio as an album designer. She was impressed with our wedding albums and loved our photography.  We had a brief meeting and kept our correspondence through our new client area website. It allows us to gather all the important information as well as do online confirmations and payments. We are happy with our new online system and hope it will help all of our future bride and grooms to plan their big day and stay in touch with us.

The wedding day started in Manhattan Hotel Lola. I came early with my assistant photographer Eric just to make sure we had plenty of time to get all the details of the day. Aja was getting her make up done by a talented artist Danielle Vincent the owner of Kimoko, the very first complete cosmeceutical makeup brand. Typically the make up does take a long time to apply but I can appreciate a flawless skin. By the way if you are curious, all the pictures in this blog are not photoshoped thanks to Danielle’s amazing talent.

The bride had a chance to sneak out and visit her father, who was also staying in the hotel. After a few warm hugs, her father Charles Certain surprised her with news that her brother, Sage Certain also will walk her down the isle. It was a very emotional moment for everyone and a group hug was enedivable.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to see a modern Wedding Dress by Nicole Miller. Not every bride can get away wearing a tight dress. Luckily our bride had curves in all the right places and the dress looked absolutely stunning on her.

Mother of the bride helped with all the finishing touches and gave a last hug before leaving.

Let’s not forget about the wedding shoes. Every bride has a style and want to be comfortable, yet stylish. Aja couldn’t find a better choice by getting her favorite christian louboutin as part of “something Blue” with a touch of red.

This was our first time in the Hotel Lola located in New York. Even though we were very limited on time, I was able to capture a few great pictures in the main lobby. Special thanks to Daniele, the make up artist, for helping me with some creative lighting. It’s great to meet someone who is a team player and sincerely want to make sure bride gets the best on this special day.

By arriving to Chelsea Piers we were directed to Sunset Terrace which was located right above The Lighthouse. With a spectacular view over the Hudson river, the ceremony took place as our groom Paul was impatiently waiting to see his bride. As the bride went down the isle, escorted by her brother and father, all of the guest were excited to see them get married.

It was truly a magical moment to see the ceremony conducted by Wedding Officiant Samora with a sunset in the background.

With a help of Sherwin H. Johnson, Co-Director of Special Events at Chelsea Piers, we were able to get on the outside deck to take some romantic photographs of the newly married couple.

While the guests were waiting for the main room to be set up, I had an opportunity to capture all of the wedding details in the main room.

The wedding toast by maid of honor and best man, definitely gave us some inside of their personalities.

Another beautiful surprise was to see Bride’s father play on the saxophone.

Once in a while we see a different wedding cake design but this one took the prize.

We had an amazing time capturing Aja and Paul’s wedding photographs. On behalf of everyone from Photo FX Studio, we would like to wish them a long and happy journey together. Thanks to everyone who contributed in making this unforgettable wedding.

Please connect with us on Facebook to tag or leave a comment.

This story was photographed and published by Mark Salner

New Flyer for Riviera Catering Hall in Brooklyn, NY

Thanks to all of our wedding clients for trusting us and allowing our team to be creative and capture their special day. We looking forward to share many happy occasions with all of you.

Special thanks to Pat, Zack and Andrew for giving as the opportunity to work with their clients and selecting us as a recommended wedding photographers and videographers. We are proud and honored to be the chosen studio among so many.

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For more information about this beautiful venue visit their website

http://rivieracaterers.com/

All of the pictures and design of their brochure and website was done by our studio

www.PhotoFXstudio.com

Great Bridal Expo – Wedding Showcase

If you’re getting married and still looking to hire professional vendors, don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet Elegant Events Group at an upcoming bridal show, Great Bridal Expo on April 16. For more details visit http://www.greatbridalexpo.com

We will have many great offers at this expo.

Here is a preview of our wedding invite:

For more information about our professional wedding network visit:

www.ElegantEventsGroup.com

Engagement Photo-shoot of Marina and Sam

I had a great photo-shoot today in Coney Island with our future wedding couple Marina and Sam. It was really exciting to capture their true romance and fun personalities. Click here to view the slide show

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Looking forward to their wedding day.

Mark Salner

www.PhotoFXstudio.com

Please join our first FINE ART EXHIBITION this Thursday, March 22

Please join our first FINE ART EXHIBITION this Thursday, March 22.

Wedding Album Cover Option

Our Wedding Albums in Designer Collections have 5 different option to choose from Each option has many variations. Please look through and let us know which is your favorite. Keep in mind that all covers except Leather is the same price. Parent albums by default get Hardback Cover. with Parent album of 8×12 you can also upgrade to any of these covers as well. To view our recent Album Designs please CLICK HERE

 

For more information about our services and products please visit our main website at www.PhotoFXstudio.com

The wedding of Heather and Yury at Russo’s on the Bay

It was a long day but full of exciting moments and a fun wedding reception.

Our day started in Staten Island where Heather and Yury were getting ready.We planned things ahead of time just to make sure we dedicated enough time for everything and to avoid rushing through the day.

It’s important to start the day on the right note and set the tone with the bridal party. We were happy to find out that the guys had a great sense of humor and were easy going. It makes our life easier and allows us to be more creative.

Here are some getting ready photos at the groom’s house:

The bride was getting ready only 15 minutes away. When we got to the house it was a bit crowded but everyone was very excited. All the bride’s details, wedding dress, wedding shoes, wedding jewelry came together as a beautiful addition to a fabulous bride.

I always look at small details and capturing a small picture of her father on her wedding bouquet was a very important photograph to take for the bride and her mother.

As always the precious flower girls steal the spotlight and this wedding was no exception.

The bridesmaid dresses were absolutely gorgeous. The color and the way they elegantly hugged the body made them look angelic. Irene, one of the bridesmaids, was the one who recommended Photo FX Studio to Yury and Heather. We went to High School together and it was nice to reminisce about our not so distant past.

Seeing each other for the first time is always an emotional and a special moment for the bride and groom. We always try to give the couple a few minutes to just enjoy this moment privately.

Heather and Yury picked a new park in DUMBO by the Brooklyn Bridge for the photo shoot location. Although it was a bit chilly outside, everyone in the bridal party went along with the plan.

We spend a little more time with bride and groom, as a result we were able to capture their true romance.

The ceremony and reception was held at one of our favorite halls, Russo’s on the Bay. This is one of the few places that can hold numerous weddings at one time and still make you feel like you were the only one there. The owner personally came by to check on all the details to make sure the wedding went smoothly.

The family pictures are not the most creative, are more traditional and less modern, but in my opinion the most important.

The ceremony was attended by all of the family and friends. Although the bride and groom come from different religions backgrounds, they decided to have a reformed rabbi. Being in a mixed marriage myself, it’s always nice to see other couples finding true love regardless of their race and religious beliefs. After all love sees no color.

During the cocktail hour, the staff of Russo’s on the Bay, merged the ceremony room with the other half of the reception hall, making it into a spacious room for about 150 guests. Up-lighting has been a new wedding trend for a while now and DJ company Dash of Class did not disappoint with their professional set up. Together with a beautiful floral centerpieces, the room was transformed into a spectacular event space.

Grand entrance sets the mood for the wedding celebration. Russo’s on the Bay definitely got this covered in style.

Dash of Class Entertainment has been around for a long time and their reputation proves once again that they bring a lot of energy to the dance-floor regardless of difference in cultures.

Every wedding has something unique about it. This time around bride and groom invited a Russian Show “Gypsy Nights” It was very entertaining to all guests. Some even got up and danced with the show.

During the reception we had a few minutes to take our newlyweds outside for some romantic pictures. Luckily we managed to capture a few shots by the gazebo for the sunset.

The cake is the sweetest part of the day. Over time we’ve seen many different shapes and colors. This 5 layer cake looked modern and elegant with bride and groom initials engraved.

Even though it was a long night, Heather and Yury agreed to come outside with us for a few final shots

A perfect ending to a perfect day, a spotlight dance with Dash of Class intelligent lighting performance. We wish our newlyweds a lifetime of happiness.

Thank you for giving Photo FX Studio a chance to capture your wedding day. This is just a preview of some of our favorite pictures. There is a lot more to come as well as wedding video. Please join our fan page on Facebook and get our latest wedding photography and video news updates.