I did my research and figured out that I could get a great shot of the shuttle flying past the Manhattan skyline from a park in Weehawken, NJ. I wasn’t the only one with this idea in mind and I found myself jockeying for a spot between a Japanese TV crew and some news photographers.

A large crowd had gathered and excitement was in the air. It reminded me of when my parents let us stay home from school to watch the Olympic torch relay. Watching the shuttle make its way up the Hudson river, I started thinking about how awesome it must have been to watch a space shuttle take off. I thought about the space shuttle iron-on that I had put on my jacket when I was a kid. I thought of when I learned about both space shuttle disasters. It made me realize that this was not just a photo op, but we were witnessing the end of an era.

As that shuttle flew over too high and close to get the skyline shot that I had hoped for, I got a little emotional and felt tears running down my face.

I quickly wiped them away before the Japanese TV crew on my right side or the news photographers on my left side noticed and I became the poster child for the end of the space shuttle program.

As the shuttle continued it’s piggyback ride up the Hudson, I recomposed myself and hoped it would fly closer to Manhattan on its way back down the river. Not sure if it was the wind, security issues or if they just didn’t care about the people watching from the NJ shore, but that plane flew almost directly above us on its way back down the Hudson.

What I expected to be just a photo op turned out to be a farewell of sorts to a program that started when I was at an age where we all wanted to be astronauts and continued for three decades. I am disappointed that I did not get the photo I had planned, but I am glad I got to say farewell to an old friend.

This is our favorite picture of the day.  A different take on a kiss at dusk – love it!

Nothing says “I do” more than those little blue Tiffany’s boxes.

First, to get married at St. John’s Church…

and then off to the gorgeous Greentree Country Club in New Rochelle, New York to celebrate.

Greentree Country Club has a scenic beach in the back where you can take some fantastic wedding photos.  Look at these pictures – don’t they make you feel like you’re in the Caribbean?  It was a nice March day, but it definitely wasn’t what you’d call “warm.”  Particularly with the wind blowing.  Kudos to Jessica and her bridesmaids for sticking it out with a happy smile on their faces!

Ignacio’s mother was the creative mind behind the reception decor.  We didn’t know until someone happened to mention it.  Look at these centerpieces and candles.  Absolutely breathtaking!  And all the more special since they were put together with love.

Dancing, speeches and an all-around good time – a great way to celebrate your wedding day.

Time to take a break from dancing and cut the wedding cake.  No need to be formal about it though.  As Jessica shows, you can have a little fun with the frosting and your new husband.

Many congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Torres!

This is our daughter, Lauren.  Unfortunately, we did not look as cute as she did in our holiday outfits.

First Place ($400 prize) – #87 Jen & Doug with 420 votes

Second Place ($250 prize) – #56 Dianne & Stephen with 399 votes

Third Place ($150 prize) – #69 Caroline & Michael with 287 votes

Fourth Place (consolation prize) – #16 Simone & Michael with 259 votes

Total votes are a combination of Facebook likes & comments and votes on our blog.

Simone & Michael’s #16 came in so close that we’d like to offer the couple a consolation prize of a 16×20 print ($85 value).

Jen, the First Place winner, happened to come in today to finalize her album.  When we realized this afternoon that she was the winner, we thought it’d be fun to present her with a trophy.  That is when we discovered there were no trophy shops in our neighborhood.  We then opted for a large check.  Who would have thought that it takes about 24 hours to have a large check made?  So, while Alice was showing Jen her wedding album designs, James was in the next room making a large check from scratch.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest.  Congrats to all the winners and congrats again to all of our 2011 newlyweds!  We will work on designing a trophy for next year’s contest.

We’ve been given the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards for 2012.  Since the award started in 2010, we’ve been honored with it all 3 years!  That means that we’ve consistently been among the top New York wedding photographers in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism.  Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds.

To our past couples – thanks so much for your “two thumbs up”!  To our future brides (and grooms!) – we promise to keep up the quality.

Weddings are all about love. We’d like to share some of the love we captured in 2011. While you’re looking at these New Jersey and New York wedding pictures, please vote for your favorite! We selected a few photos from each of our 2011 weddings and put them in the slide show below. Each image has a number at the bottom. After watching the show, make a comment on this blog entry telling us which image number gets your vote! To be fair and prevent someone from stuffing the ballot box, we will only count 1 vote per valid email address per day. So you can vote more than once, just not more than once a day. If you have a Facebook account you can also vote once a day by visiting our Facebook Album.

The 3 newlyweds with the most votes will win $800 in prizes and a priceless amount of bragging rights. Starting today, you have until 11:59PM EST on February 29th to vote for your favorite photo. The couple’s photo with the most votes from the blog and Facebook will get a $400 Funico Studios credit to be used for anything they’d like (extra album pages, parent books, etc.). The 2nd place winner will receive a $250 credit and the 3rd place winner will receive a $150 credit. To be fair, we will only give 1 prize per couple, meaning one couple cannot win the entire $800 booty. Good luck to the newlyweds! We will post the results on Wednesday, 03/07/12.

Look at this gorgeous gown…

…matched only by the beautiful bride who put it on.

For Caroline, the day started with preparations at the snazzy Crosby Street Hotel.

After some final touches, she was ready to see her hubby-to-be for the first time.  Usually, we scope out a location for the first glance, but Caroline had this marvelous idea – why not have Michael wait outside and she would walk out through the hotel’s majestic front doors to greet him?  We loved it!

Then off to The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers to take some nice portraits…

and to get married.

Time to celebrate and what an elegant room to have a celebration – wow!  Of course, the wedding party had to come in to start the party and these guys sure knew how to make an entrance to start off the fun.

A first dance to music by Led Zeppelin (a first for us and something that James loved),

then a heartwarming speech by the groom, and then an evening

of dancing & laughing with friends & family.

Congrats again to the new Mr. & Mrs. Butler!  May your years together always be filled with laughter and unforgettable memories!

We met Susan when we were her wedding photographers a few years ago. Since then, she has tried a few times to organize an event to raise money for Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue. Her efforts have paid off and we are thrilled to announce the Blue Gala! We will of course be helping out as the gala’s official photographers.

According to the ASPCA, each year approximately 5-7 million companion animals enter the shelter system nationwide. Unfortunately, 3-4 million of these animals are euthanized due to illness, temperament and not enough room at the shelter. The mission at Louie’s Legacy is to give as many of these animals as possible a second chance at life. They saved nearly 1,000 animals in 2011 and are on track to significantly raise that number in 2012.

The gala will also launch the Tommy Monahan Educational Program, a program aimed at helping people understand the plight of shelter animals and how we can save them. Who is Tommy Monahan you may ask? Tommy Monahan was a Staten Islander with a love for animals. When he was only 9 years old, he gave up his life trying to save them. In December 2007, the home Tommy lived in caught on fire. The rest of the family escaped, but Tommy was trying to get his dog Sophie and his lizard to safety when the fumes overtook him. He did not survive, nor did his beloved pets. This new program was named in his honor.

On behalf of Louie’s Legacy, we invite you to put on your best BLUE “upscale chic outfit” and join them for a Valentine’s Day celebration. There will be a cocktail party with open bar, raffles, silent auction and music.

If you are able to make the event, make sure you say “hi” to us so that we can get a photo of you in your blue outfit! We will be donating all proceeds from print sales to the Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue.

What a great way to start the new year – we just got word that we made Momentville’s 2012 Hot List!  Meaning that of all the wedding photographers in New York, we were among the top in reviews.  To all of our past brides & grooms, thanks so much for your trust in us.  To all of our future happy couples-to-be, we look forward to capturing the fun and unforgettable memories of your wedding day!