“Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” —Franklin P. Jones

Life certainly can be one wild and unpredictable ride. It comes fully equipped with smooth and rough patches that nobody can seem to predict occurring no matter how much people emphasize planning ahead. But that’s one of the most beautiful things about life—how spontaneously it can shift with pleasant surprises, such as meeting the person you eventually marry (although when you meet that person, you aren’t going to know it’s your future spouse).

There’s probably no experiences in your life quite as amazing as your college years or your first day of newly wedded bliss. And when the two come together at once, with a mix of love and college you’ve got one great combination. Catherine, the Belgian bride, and her Greek-American groom David first encountered each other at Columbia University while both attended as graduate students. That first day they met left no indication that the two scholars would walk down the aisle; but thanks to fate’s intervention they are now together crossing the path into another first day together; the first one as newlyweds.

The immediate family of both the bride and groom chose the Carlton Hotel to stay at for the occasion, and the photography team started its professional coverage right on location at the hotel. My initial photography shots demonstrate some of the bride’s and groom’s soon-to-be worn accessories.

One of the most memorable snaps that took place during the getting ready stage is the groom’s quirky photo with his groomsmen, taken in the hotel’s signature Broadway Dive suite.

The styles selected by the bride helped set the stage for the design of the festivities. The bride donned a lovely custom-made wedding dress from Belgium and went even more multi-cultural with her shoes, which were purchased in Paris, France. One of the more unforgettable accessories worn by the groomsmen were their colored socks, which coordinated to match the colors of their wives’ dresses.Implementing creative photography, photos snapped of the shoes, the rings, the bride’s dress, and the groom’s watch. Once that aspect of the shoot was done, the photography crew moved to focusing in on the getting ready photos.

With a warm and sunny wedding day greeting all guests in attendance, the weather helped reflect the mood of utter happiness and love, allowing for many smiles to exchange and spread the good cheer. The wedding ceremony itself took place at St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University. This beautiful chapel acts as a venue for hundreds of religious and campus events each year. Performed according to Greek tradition, during the wedding ceremony the couple exchanged Stephana crowns, to important cultural symbols that each had been handed down for generations.

Following the ceremony, the reception followed, taking place at Midtown Loft & Terrace. 

With the end of the ceremony and the reception, the newly married couple was cemented together forever as a single entity. As Friedrich Halm stated, “Two souls with but a single thought; two hearts that beat as one.”

As the celebration wound down to a close, it ended in an unforgettable manner and mood, with the Greek folk custom of plate and glasses smashing, a tradition long known to apply to celebratory occasions.

Photography: ArtVesta Studio
Floral Designs: FLO NY Events
Wedding planning & day-of coordination: Allie Levine Events
Getting ready: Carlton hotel
Ceremony: St. Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University
Reception: Midtown Loft & Terrace
Reverent: Mary-Rose Engle