NYC City Hall Wedding at Golden Hour in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Ask almost any photographer and they will agree: golden hour photos are special. And ask any couple who timed their NYC City Hall wedding and golden hour portraits to capture that warm halo, and they’d agree: yeah, it was worth it.

Stefanie and Zach make the trek from Boston with their two kids, a pet bird and dog all smushed into the car for a four-hour drive, all to get married on Zach’s old stomping grounds in NYC. And though the bird and dog didn’t make it to the ceremony, a whole gaggle of their friends and family did, making for a crazy and exciting wait for their number to be called. One quick ceremony later, the two were pronounced man and wife, and the fun could begin.

We grabbed a yellow cab and headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park for golden hour. This time of day is typically revered by photographers for the magic warmth it adds to photos, but honestly, Zach and Stefanie didn’t need any enhancements. The happiness and intimacy between the two was so obvious, and the banter with them so fun, there was hardly enough time to document all the goodness they were giving me before the light faded away, strolling along the waterfront and watching the sun set behind the Manhattan skyline.

Congratulations to the happy couple, and I emphatically agree: Brooklyn is always a good idea.