Gianna and Ed

A New York Summer Wedding at Hotel Chelsea

The Setting

There are few places in New York City that feel quite as layered, storied, and inherently cool as Hotel Chelsea. For this fashion-forward wedding weekend, the iconic New York City hotel became more than a venue, it became part of the story.

With a celebration rooted in design, fashion, art, and the unmistakable energy of New York, every detail of the weekend felt intentional without ever feeling overly styled. The photography followed suit: a mix of digital and film photography that captured the polished details alongside the in-between moments, the movement, the texture, and everything that made the weekend feel uniquely theirs.

The Day

A New York City Engagement Session in the West Village

The weekend began with an engagement session in New York City, wandering through the West Village with no real need to rush. Ivy-covered brownstones, cobblestone streets, tucked-away corners, and the effortless energy of downtown Manhattan provided the backdrop. Rather than creating something overly posed or traditional, we leaned into the feeling of simply being in New York together.

The result was an engagement session that felt candid, editorial, and distinctly New York - part fashion editorial, part love story, and entirely personal.

For couples planning a New York City engagement session, the West Village is hard to beat. The architecture, narrow streets, vintage storefronts, and abundance of texture make it especially beautiful for couples who want photographs that feel cinematic and lived-in rather than overly polished.

And for me, this is where the combination of film photography and digital photography really shines. Film brings an organic softness and nostalgic quality to the images, while digital allows for a little more freedom and immediacy. Together, they create a gallery that feels both timeless and current.

The Vibe

Welcome to New York at Hotel Chelsea

From the West Village, the celebration moved to Hotel Chelsea for an intimate welcome dinner at Café à Vin, the private dining space adjacent to Café Chelsea. The room already had a visual language of its own - rich, moody, layered, and unmistakably Chelsea. Rather than competing with those interiors, the design embraced them. A palette of merlot, mustard, and varying shades of pink brought color and depth into the space. Art became layered upon art. Pattern met texture. Old met new.

It felt like a natural extension of Hotel Chelsea itself.

That became a quiet theme throughout the entire wedding weekend: layering art upon art. The couple's fashion, the florals, the tablescapes, the architecture, and even the photography all worked together without feeling like they were trying too hard.

For a wedding photographer, Hotel Chelsea is the kind of place that gives you something to work with at every turn. There is texture everywhere - ornate details, dramatic interiors, vintage character, unexpected corners, and an atmosphere that photographs beautifully in both color and black and white.

The Vibe, Continued

A Fashion-Focused Wedding Day in New York City

For the wedding day, the color palette softened.

Champagne, neutrals, soft pinks, and shades of blue replaced the deeper tones of the welcome dinner. The overall feeling became delicate and feminine while still maintaining the visual impact of the weekend. There were subtle references to summers spent out East, with nods to the sea woven throughout the design. Iridescent details and shells brought in a sense of coastal nostalgia without turning the celebration into a traditional beach-inspired wedding. Instead, the references were understated.

Elegant. A little unexpected. And very New York.

Gianna’s fashion and the overall design of the day were an important part of the visual story. Rather than photographing the details in isolation, I wanted the imagery to show how everything existed together - the fashion, architecture, flowers, movement, and people.

This is one of my favorite things about photographing fashion-forward weddings in New York City. There is an opportunity to approach the wedding day almost like an editorial while still preserving the emotional reality of it.

The perfectly composed portrait can exist alongside the blurry dance floor photograph. The carefully considered tablescape can exist alongside a stolen glance. The fashion-forward detail can exist alongside the completely unplanned moment.

That's where the magic happens.

The Photography

Digital + Film Wedding Photography at Hotel Chelsea

For this Hotel Chelsea wedding, the photography was intentionally split between digital and film.

Film photography has always felt particularly at home in New York City. There is something about the grain, color, softness, and imperfection of film that complements the city's architecture and energy. It also lends itself beautifully to a wedding weekend that is so heavily influenced by fashion and design.

I photographed the weekend with an editorial eye, but never at the expense of the experience itself. The goal was never to manufacture moments. It was to notice them.

The End

An Editorial Wedding With a Documentary Heart

At its core, this was a wedding weekend about art, fashion, design, and feeling. It was sophisticated without being stiff. Fashion-forward without feeling trendy. Romantic without becoming overly traditional. And that's exactly what I love about photographing weddings in New York City.

There is room for personality. There is room for experimentation.

And there is certainly room for photographs that don't look like everyone else's.

For couples drawn to editorial wedding photography, documentary wedding photography, film photography, and fashion-inspired imagery, New York offers an incredible backdrop. From Hotel Chelsea and the West Village to Tribeca, SoHo, the Lower East Side, and beyond, the city becomes part of the visual language of the day.

The Vendors. . .

Venue Hotel Chelsea

Planning & Design Britt Jones Co

Photography Rachel Bond Photo

stationery Ivy & Linen Design

Florals One Flower by L

wedding dress Mia Atelier

bridal hair Jen Lagers Beauty

bridal makeup Jen Lagers Beauty

Content creation Lo and Co. Creative

Planning your own New York City celebration?

Based in Pennsylvania and available for weddings throughout New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, and destinations worldwide.