Paul + Lauren - Giorgio's, Long Island NY Wedding

There is a certain calm about them. They are soft spoken. Dignified. Kind. Sweet. 

The tender glances, his hand an ever present sight on the small of her back.
They have a quiet confidence, which I loved.

That's Lauren and Paul in a nutshell from what I gathered.

I was invited to spend the morning with Lauren and then head on over to get some shot's of the groomsmen. There is nothing that I love more then the 'prepping' images.

There is a buzz in the air that is almost tangible.

The excitement and anticipation are almost unbearable.

The best part of this wedding was the time allotment. It was amazing.
When you allow enough time from start to finish, you can really get the whole story told.
The day began at 9am...and it was still going strong when I packed up at 1am. 

 This was my second time working with the Markowski family and I just loved every minute of it.

They are laid back, real and make you feel right at home.

Waiting in line for her turn to get gussied up!

I got a thing for bling...

Bridesmaid gifts...oooooh.

The bouquet was done beautifully by Burton's.

I was very impressed by their work and the brides choices.

Just wait until you see the centerpieces!

I love ring shots. I think they are so symbolic...

Oooh lala!

The stationary.

It actually makes my heart pitter pat a tad. I mean check out the color coordination. Very sharp.

The tri-fold envelope, so sophisticated.

Absolutely L-O-V-E-D it!

The Markowski's gave me carte blanche of their home.

As I was wondering around, I came upon the room where the wedding details came to life.

You see, Mrs. Markowski had a big hand in the creation of all of the stationary.

She designed (with the help of Lauren) the magical invites, amazing menu's, gorgeous personalized votive candles, and the favors...a family/friend recipe book.

Yep, it was nothing short of fantastic and all hand created with love.

Organization...ahhhh...so nice.

Now, off to Lauren and Paul's new beach home

where the men were gathered to get ready for the big day!

The man of the hour...

 

The guys were super sweet, polite and actually didn't harass me.

They even let me get about 15 minutes of pictures in too! 

Not bad. Not bad at all. ; )

I promise Mom's I got some with the sunglasses off!

So here's how this next series of pictures went down.

See the little man. He wasn't really into the whole picture thing...but then again, what guy is?!

So, we finally get him into the shot, for oh, I don't know, 3 seconds and something very funny happened. 

You think he is leaving the frame of the shot.

Kinda just moseying (yep, that's the way you spell it, I looked it up, it looked funny to me too ; ) away.

But no.

He was heading right towards the action.

Up front and center, thank you very much!

I couldn't have planned it any better...

Okay, I was hoping to pose a picture like this next one.

But as luck would have it...I didn't have to, it kind of just happened!

Pretty darn cute, right?

What a face!!

He thought I was hysterical...

Oooor maybe he thought he was hysterical?!

Either way, he obviously couldn't get enough of himself at this point...

neither could I.

lol

The next two shots are my 'out of the box' shots that all of you have come to know.

There is a feeling of intimacy in them to me.

It's the 'peering' in factor and the surroundings I think.

Also, the importance that we are witnessing such a huge milestone in this couples life.

That is what makes these next images so different and appealing to me. 

The symmetrical look of both sides of this image is pretty cool.

I like how the emotions of the guests almost become more important in the picture then the bride and groom. I think it adds so much to the over all happiness of the image.

Their life as Mr. and Mrs. Edwards begins right here.

This was just a quick shot. It is not perfect, but I like it anyway.

If that doesn't look like a man in love, I don't know what does.

The look of admiration, adoration and devotion is written all over it.

Love Lauren's steadfast gaze.

This next shot should probably be with my 'out of the box' shots.

It's a bit different but for some reason I'm drawn to it.
I like the hustle and bustle on the street surrounding the bride.
The happy chaos that her and her husband created.
I like that she looks isolated from the crowd even though she is walking through it. 
The street sign that says 'church steet', adds a cute final touch. 

The party begins...

Some more detail shots of Mama Markowski's coordinating stationary.

I'm a sucker for elevated centerpieces. I think it creates a bit of whimsy...and an elegant, regal look.

The thing usually is, is that it blocks the view of the guests sitting across the table.

Ugh, what to do?!

Well, check out this solution to that problem. 

L-O-V-E!

Very unique take on table seating...

"Salute"!

A few generations of Notre Dame alumni die hards who know how to par-taaay.

Huge shout out to one of the guests at the party (Paul, I believe), who braved the crowd and stood on a chair to get this shot for me.

Not too shabby, huh?

Hey, anytime you want to help me shoot buddy...

Thanks for the capture!

The first dance.

Dark and moody, but I kinda like it.

I think it adds to the ambiance.

Dare I say a bit cinematic?!

So tell me what you really think of me?

Ahhh, come on, it wasn't that bad now, was it?

Thanks Mr. Markowski for not just telling me the directions to the guys but actually showing me.

It was very kind of you to stop in the middle of the busy afternoon to do that for me!

Thank you Lauren and Paul for allowing me the opportunity to witness and be a part of such a special moment in your lives!

Family and friends of Lauren and Paul -

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