it’s no secret that new york city is one of our favorite places on earth. one of the things that makes these east-coast living prices worth it is our proximity to new york city! some may not realize it, but as dc-based destination wedding photographers and filmmakers, we are only a stone’s throw from some of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the country– philly, nyc, and even boston and charleston! we feel so incredibly blessed to have the chance to head up to new york a few times a year for shoots + weddings; every time we use the lincoln tunnel or go across the GW bridge, we’re overwhelmed with all of the excitement and motion of the city… between the architecture, the smells, and the people, there’s  instant inspiration!

so when akiko + peter reached out to us about their fall lotte new york palace wedding, we couldn’t have been more excited! the inspiration for their fusion japanese-american wedding was perfect, and we loved hearing about their love story since we also experienced a trans-continental engagement. and scheduling pre-wedding skype consultations in the tokyo time zone kept things interesting, too! 😉

peter and akiko are the kindest pair. their love and respect for one another is apparent, and their wedding day was such a party! we loved seeing peter’s family from new york and aikiko’s from japan come together and celebrate their nuptials. they had a elegant ceremony in the hotel and later celebrated in a decked-out ballroom with the most energetic wedding band and delicious food! we loved capturing aikido’s three completely different, but beautiful, looks, as well as their family’s surprise flash mob at the end of the night.

thank you so much for letting us be a part of your day, akiko and peter! we wish you nothing but the best. and for the rest of you all– check back for more new york city shoots + weddings on the blog in the future! we’ve got some good ones coming up; i promise.

XO,
anna + mateo