Tag Archives: New York City Wedding Photographer
Destination Wedding in Antigua, Guatemala: Andrea + Andrew
I’m dreaming that my last wedding of 2014 was an incredible destination wedding in Central America with a beautiful couple that I photographed in collaboration with my very good friend from Mexico Daniel Diaz who is like a brother to me (click his name to see his blog post of the same wedding). In particular I was in Antigua, Guatemala which appeared to be frozen in time as it retained its cobblestone streets, its Spanish Baroque architecture, and its beautifully maintained historical ruins. Intertwined with much of its beauty, Antigua has a tragic past. The former capital of Guatemala was nearly destroyed by two major earthquakes in the 1700’s and another as recently as 1976. Antigua is also flanked by three volcanoes one of which remains active (Volcán de Fuego). There’s almost a beautiful yet fatalistic zeitgeist among the locals here that any day could be their last so they live everyday like it is their last – familiar words to live by yet such an alien concept to us New Yorkers. Our beautiful and generous couple Andrea and Andrew treated us like family and gave us their complete trust in capturing their dream wedding. They worked hard and had fun in the process of helping us nail the shots. They saw what we were willing to do just to get different perspectives. Climb a boulder? Not a problem. Scale a roof? Sure. Get our backs against the wall with a nest filled with angry wasps? Piece of cake. Lie down in a field of fire ants? What else you got for me? There was no doubt in Andrea’s mind that Antigua was the place where she wanted to get married. Antigua had a deep personal significance to her as both her parents were born in Guatemala. The most inspiring experience of this trip for me was witnessing Andrea’s strength and determination as this dream wedding almost fell short of happening due to a serious illness that occurred a few weeks before. Thankfully she made a quick recovery in time but she was still in a lot of pain. You almost couldn’t tell how much pain she was in as she intrepidly climbed boulders at the ruins (with a little help of course) and walked down cobblestone streets in heels. We started the first day with portraits at the beautiful ruins of La Recolección followed by a Trash-the-Dress session at our hotel’s swimming pool (Porta Hotel Antigua). The rehearsal dinner took place that night at the beautiful Casa Rosal villa. The wedding ceremony was held at the breathtaking ruins of San José El Viejo and the reception followed at the Porta Hotel Antigua. The hardest part was leaving, saying goodbye to both the city and the couple I fell in love with. When do we do this again?
Published on Junebug Weddings (June 23, 2015)
Destination Wedding Photographer | Antigua Wedding Photographer | New York City Wedding Photographer
All Photos by Dave Paek ©
In my opinion, there’s no better way to start the New Year other than having a great time shooting an engagement session. This portrait session felt more like an editorial session with this beautiful couple. It was a perfect day to go from location to location as Manhattan was practically a ghost town the day after New Year’s Day. We hit some chic spots in Manhattan as well as some more obscure locations – hidden gems such as a parking garage decorated with graffiti and neon lights as well as a stairway hiding in plain sight replete with a red bench adorned with Thai etchings. With Jennifer and Jared’s wedding just around the corner, we had the opportunity to create some stylized portraits and also get them warmed up for their big day.
New York City Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photographer
Shooting conditions could not have been more ideal for me. It was essentially a perfect day for an outdoor wedding, it was sunny and cool. The ceremony took place during the late afternoon/evening in one of the outdoor corridors adjacent to the main ballroom with an inset Chuppah. Lighting conditions were all over the place with uneven pockets of harsh light coupled with pockets of open shade – I couldn’t have been more happy with how things turned out!
It was truly great to see them again and meet their family and friends. A big heartfelt thank you Jessica and Larry for trusting me with your most special day – Mozel Tov!
Special thanks to William Chang for assisting and second shooting.
It’s July 5th and there are still more fireworks going off in the New York City skyline!
Megan and Sean were eye candy to photograph on their wedding day as they’re both not only beautiful but have lovable personalities to match. I got to know them quite well as we had two engagement sessions together and we had a blast on each occasion (first and second). Both are amazing athletes; Sean is an avid water polo player and Megan is a phenomenal triathlete – I’ll tell you why later. I really fell in love with this couple as they treated me like family and they even invited me to the rehearsal dinner under the condition that I leave my cameras at home.
“Getting ready” took place at the spectacular Hilton Millenium Hotel in the financial district and we took the ferry to Maritime Parc, a beautiful venue, located in Liberty State Park. On the way to the ferry station, the two did an unforgettable first look at the walkway behind the Conrad Hotel. Both the ceremony and reception were spectacular – filled with so much joy and celebration. I will miss photographing these two but I’m sure I’ll find another occasion to photograph them. After the reception, we boarded a private ferry that took us near the Statue of Liberty, Megan pointed to the water and said “You know I swam here at a competition just a few years ago” – my jaw dropped.
Congratulations guys and enjoy the rest of your honeymoon!
Special thanks to Kevin Ferguson and Daria Wheaton for the fantastic assistance and second shooting.
I’ve just been named one of the Top 50 U.S. Wedding Photographers by Weddzilla – what an honor it is to be mentioned on the same list as those who have inspired me! Thank you Weddzilla, I am truly grateful!
[…] My brother from NYC Dave Paek second shoot with me and couldn’t have asked for a better shooter than him. Thanks Dave for sharing this experience with me. Check out Dave’s blog post here. […]
After viewing these images, I’ve decided that I’ll be getting married at the same location! …no idea to whom and when but I’m hiring YOU!
You’re too kind Natasha!
WOWZA!
Thanks David Pun.
I love that city. Shot my very first destination wedding there. Oh how I wish I could do it all over again. Gorgeous pics, man. You killed it.
Beautiful!
Can’t wait to go back and shoot another wedding there with you amigo. Dave + Daniel team!
I still cannot believe the pictures you took. Still the highlight of our wedding! You guys are incredible! You and Daniel both!! Maybe we’ll renew our vows already next year just so we can do round 2 asap.
[…] you Junebug Weddings for featuring Andrea and Andrew’s Antigua, Guatemala Wedding on your Blog! We are beyond excited and honored to be featured alongside with the super talented […]