We’re stuck at home. Time to have a fun FaceTime photoshoot!

With all this time on my hand, I have a lot of room to think about what the future will hold for my loved ones, my clients, and the wedding industry.

How can I keep shooting if we can’t all be in the same room? Weddings and family photography are all about contact and intimacy. And don’t get me started on the sweaty dance floor dance parties. But then it dawned on me that physical distancing didn’t have to be the end of people-related photography.

It was late one night and I was going down an Instagram rabbit hole (who hasn’t, since the beginning of lockdown?! Don’t lie to me.), thinking how strange it was that I could just dive into someone’s personal life so easily; looking at their pets, their kids, their home.

That’s when it all started to make sense. My phone was the answer to bridging the gap between my couples and me. I researched it a bit, and found out that FaceTime allows one user to take a photo of the other user’s screen when they are on a video call. Creep-much? Yes. But also very useful.

How does a FaceTime engagement or wedding work?

I did a test with my husband Chris, which was a bit ridiculous since we were in the same apartment. Then I did another more serious test with my best friend who happens to have a lovely place with tons of sunlight going through her huge windows. We decided on the perfect time to catch the best light in her apartment, which was 10am, and off we went.

The shoot was hilarious and very challenging, because I couldn’t move around. My friend was my camera and my body, and I was the eyes only. I had to have her start by showing me all the nooks and crannies of her place to decide which room to shoot in, then she had to prop the phone up at various angles and distances before I hit the virtual shutter on the screen to take a picture. The pictures were taken through her phone camera but they were saved directly to my camera roll (I told you. Creep-much). It took a lot of directing on my part, a lot of “go back this way” and “pivot the phone a hair that way” but the results were surprisingly good for a first time!

After a bit more training, I decided to make this my thing. My lockdown thing. I will be the FaceTime photographer who shoots engagement pictures and weddings via her phone. And it felt like fate when Andrew Cuomo announced a day later that he would allow virtual weddings to take place in the state of New-York.

So finally, after speaking with wedding officiant Daniela – half of the awesome duo behind Once Upon a Vow – we decided to join forces and offer virtual weddings to our couples.

Daniela and her sister Karla were as excited as I was to hear Cuomo’s big news, and in the next few days they will be sharing a bunch of cool and useful information for couples to get hitched over Zoom and how to proceed. Stay tuned, because those two are a well of information.

And if you want somebody to take pictures of your big-small day, I am available to be your gal for the photo portion of the day. I am offering ceremony-only FaceTime coverage for $50 and ceremony + a choice of FaceTime engagement pictures or wedding pictures for $125.

So hit me up if you want to get married in 2D! We might all be stuck at home, but FaceTime engagement shoots and weddings will connect all of us again.

EDIT: you can find a complete FAQ on virtual weddings over here as well as the procedure to follow to make your FaceTime wedding official.

Covid crashed your wedding? You can turn your big celebration into a sweet and intimate micro wedding

Man, I thought I had seen it all. Then a virus came along, and I realized I had seen nothing at all. Life has been shaken in more ways than one, and as a wedding photographer my whole year has been turned upside down. 2020 dates became 2021 dates, Spring weddings became Winter weddings. And some folks have decided to hold off altogether until the horizon gets a little clearer.

But having to postpone your wedding doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate. Although social distancing is fundamental right now and I am not advising anyone to have any sort of elopement unless it really is just the two of you (like those badass ladies somewhere in the city), planning a micro wedding can be a great way to celebrate the end of these crazy times – soon, I hope! – and shout your love from the rooftops. You can always have your bigger wedding later this year.

Don’t feel overwhelmed, it is much easier than you think. Micro weddings are very simple to organize. I had a 48 hour engagement before I eloped six years ago and we had 4 people in attendance, so I know how easy -and fast!- it can be to get married, so here are my tips on how to organize a sweet and intimate wedding in New-York.

1. Keep the guest list as tiny as possible

Whether you’re having 200 or 80 guests, the guest list is always a headache. How to decide who to keep off your list? Should you invite people who invited you to their wedding, even if theirs was much larger than yours? Should you invite all your cousins even if you are close to a couple of them only? How do you break the news to the people you cannot invite?

Having a very small and last minute elopement gives you a very good excuse to not invite everyone. Include your parents and siblings, and a handful of your dearest friends. This should keep the guest list under 20. If your family is far away and you don’t want them flying twice this year to come see your get married, have a friends-only elopement. These can be a ton of fun, and have a whole different dynamic than a family wedding.

2. Chose your backdrop

The point of having an elopement is to simplify the planning process. By choosing a spot with a gorgeous backdrop, you will need nothing else than yourselves and your guests to make it beautiful. Central Park allows parties of 20 guests or less to have a wedding on their ground without a permit. Although the gazebos such as the Cop Cot or the Ladies Pavilion are usually quite busy, it isn’t hard to find a great spot to have a ceremony in the park. How about one of the beautiful bridges or Hernshead, which boasts beautiful views over Midtown?

Dumbo, in Brooklyn, also has a lot of great spots for an impromptu ceremony, such as the beach, St Ann’s Warehouse, or even the promenade in front of Jane’s Carousel.

There are many small parks all around the city that would be a great fit for a small elopement. Some of them are technically private, but they are so secret that you can easily find a good time to go and have a quick ceremony. These spots are better for very small elopements with 10 people or less though, so keep that in mind if you decide to go the “guerilla”wedding” route! Some of those spots include: Amster Yard and Greenache Park in Midtown East, Alice’s Garden in Midtown West, or the McDougal-Sullivan park downtown.

You can also pick a quiet street in the West Village and have your ceremony out there for the world to see. A street like Gay Street could be ideal for this, since it is stunning and very quiet. You can also check if any of your friends has a rooftop you can use to have your celebration. Most of us have one, and the views are usually quite awesome!

And of course, you can also get married in your own home. This will ensure that your venue will hold no matter what virus is trying to kill the planet on your wedding date (let’s hope none, but we never know), plus it will allow you to wrap yourselves in those memories anytime you step into the room later on.

3. Pick must-have vendors

An officiant is all you need to make your wedding official, and New-Yorkers are lucky enough to be allowed to get married anywhere by anyone who has been ordained. But if you want to make your day even more special, you can hire more people to beautify your day.

A florist can make you a bouquet or a boutonniere, a cake maker can make a small cake for you and your guests, and a photographer can capture your celebration. Most vendors have special prices for elopements, so make sure to check with them when you inquire about your elopement. With those must-have vendors, your wedding will be as stunning as any other, and you won’t break the bank.

4. Find the perfect dress or tux for the day

Most dress designers will have a whole line of elopement outfits, from midi dresses to comfy and stylish jumpers. Check out Loulette Bride’s elopement line for example; you will find cheaper dress models that are easy to wear for an urban elopement.

As far as tuxedos are concerned, renting one from The Black Tux is a great option for grooms to look dapper for the day.

There. With those tips, you have a solid base to build on top of. Now let’s show this virus who’s the boss (hint: not it) and let’s get married already!