Monkey Bar : NYC restaurant wedding in December

Winter is an overlooked season for weddings on the east coast. A classic affair that leans on the holiday season is a welcome reprieve from the blue and white summer celebrations that dominate so many calendars. Iconic locations like Monkey Bar make a NYC restaurant wedding. When Lousia reached out to me about photographing her day I was intrigued right away.

As a wedding photographer of 18 years I shoot a limited number of events each year. Therefore, it’s important to feel a connection to each one. Understanding the story behind the day and having a video call with my couples is the place I like to start. Reach out for availability and to schedule a call here. Based in the Adirondacks I travel to Boston and New York regularly to meet my clients, who have a variety of destination weddings. I love the energy of both the mountains and the city, and welcome a chance to shoot in a new location.

NYC restaurant weddings have something that other venues don’t have… and it’s the fact that they aren’t a wedding venue. While this can present some challenges, with the right planner you can use it to your advantage. Most couples interested in a non-wedding specific location value something else : the food, the ease of the city, the feeling of the best dinner party / night out. Since all of these things were a priority for Louisa + Miller it’s easy to see how comfortable they are in this setting. Planning a wedding that is truly them gave them the experience and photographs they wanted.

a 5 hour first date in NYC

from the bride : Miller and I were set up on a true blind date (no names, no nothing, no ability to do some pre-date internet sleuthing), which turned into a 5-hour first date exploring some of downtown Manhattan’s beloved bars and restaurants. Since that successful first meeting, one of our favorite things to do as a couple is discover new restaurant openings and revisit timeless gems. That translated into a desire to host our wedding at a restaurant, and transform it into a dinner and dance party with all of our favorite people.

A cozy vibe for winter weddings in New York City at the University Club

A native New Yorker myself, and Miller a Southern gentleman turned official New Yorker after living here for over a decade, we settled on the University Club for our ceremony, followed by dinner and dancing at the Monkey Bar, just a few blocks away. We buried the bourbon, a Southern tradition in the hopes of good weather, under the cloak of night in a New Yorker’s equivalent of a backyard: a small patch of grass between the concrete in front of our apartment building, with a serving spoon instead of a shovel. But it worked!

Our wedding day was a crisp December day, perfect for a classic New York, black-tie winter wedding. After the ceremony in a gilded room at the UClub, guests crossed 5th Avenue, at the height of New York’s festive holiday season, to arrive at the Monkey Bar, an iconic muraled restaurant dating back to 1936.

A memorable menu at this NYC restaurant wedding

Guests were welcomed with seafood towers, French 75s and Negronis (a nod to my parents’ favorite cocktails), personalized handwritten notes to each guest at their seat, and custom party crackers filled with matches, mints, and the traditional paper crowns and jokes. Our friends and family tucked in at red banquettes and cozy booths, and the menu featured white truffle pasta, prime rib, and croquembouche — an extremely delicate tower of cream puffs that miraculously survived the trip through Rockefeller Center at the height of the Christmas tree crowds. Once dinner and speeches were over, tables were removed to make room for the disco-ball flecked dance floor, and our dream of turning an iconic NY restaurant into our own dinner party came true.

An editorial career at Vanity Fair that sparked it all

As an assistant at Vanity Fair, where I began my career, I worked the door at parties at the Monkey Bar, which was then owned by VF editor-in-chief Graydon Carter. I never left my post at the door, but I dreamt of crossing that threshold one day to join the epic party inside. I guess all it takes is becoming a bride! 

Photographing a restaurant wedding on film + digital

Using a variety of cameras is my preferred method of shooting. Digital is the main camera, with the opportunity of film on medium format + 35mm. For this wedding I shot on the contax G2 for 35mm film with flash and medium format on a holga with flash. I love a double exposure like you will see below to capture the energy of a party, and the surprise of waiting to see how it will turn out.