The last rain drops had fallen just a few hours before Gretchen and Doro’s wedding. Quite literally, the atmosphere was approving their plans for their outdoor ceremony in Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. While things were a bit wet, it absolutely lent itself well to their wedding full of love and positive energy.
Where to begin… I really couldn’t narrow down photos for this post. I have a whole log of photos that I wanted to share. Unfortunately, you might be here for a month scrolling through them if I did that! I can’t be blamed if you did not show up for work tomorrow because you spent all night looking at their photos, so I had to cut them down to some favorites!
We met Doro and Gretchen at the ceremony, as the gardens opened. One of the most creative aspects of the wedding, was their spiral ceremony. The guests arrived to their programs held down by stones with their names on them, and held a spiral formation. Doro and Gretchen approached from opposite sides of the fountain to see each other for the first time, and meet before walking through the spiral together.
Their unique ceremony did not end there. When they had arrived at the officiant, the guests then circled around Doro and Gretchen. Their rings were passed around for guests to give positive thoughts and energy. This was followed by a foot washing ceremony, in which they washed each others feet and hands, before they officially became Wife and Wife.
We were so lucky to have been able to have the beautiful Brooklyn Botanical Gardens as the backdrop for our family formals as well as the formal portraits for these two. It could not have been more beautiful.
From there we headed off to Aurora Restaurant in Brooklyn, where a 3 course brunch graced everyones tables. The food was so delicious, there was no way not to photograph it! My mouth is watering looking at these photos. First dance began with a dirty dancing re-enactment, that was absolutely spot on and exciting to watch! With delicious cake, fantastic toasts, great music, great food, and an energy healer, we literally could not stop enjoying this fantastic reception.
Congratulations Doro and Gretchen, you both looked absolutely stunning! We could not have been luckier to be a part of your day!
To book your wedding email us at justin@jbensonphotography.com
Special Thanks to:
Wedding Coordinator: Elizabeth Jordan
Florist: Sprout www.sprouthome.com
Cake: Patisserie Tomoko www.patisserietomoko.com
DJ: Dj Jane Stylus www.stylusnyc.com
Suit: Bindle and Keep
Dress: Saks 5th Avenue
Officiant: Debra Helsebush
Ceremony Band: Kirtan Soul Revival
Energy Healer: Kerrie Anne www.kerrieanne.net
Huge thank you to Hoan at HKT Photography for making the journey all the way down from Connecticut with me to help shoot!
