Adam & Rina’s Temple Emmanuel & Tavern on the Green Wedding

Adam and Rina are one of the sweetest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with! Their big day was chock full of overlapping worlds which was such a joy to witness! Adam is Jewish and the wedding was at beautiful Temple Emmanuel, and Rina comes from Japan, so on top of all the love, the day was a cultural learning experience for everyone (including me!).

After getting a few shots of Rina getting ready, we started with a first look outside the temple and a portrait session in Central Park.  It was clear right off the bat that Adam was so gentle with Rina and Rina was so taken by him. Adam had written a poem a day for a year, had them bound and published and delivered them to her on a quiet Central Park bench by the Bow Bridge when he proposed. Honestly, who wouldn’t be taken by a grand gesture of love like that!? They were a quiet couple, but I still got them to cuddle under the cherry blossoms and dance in the Bethesda tunnel!

Back at the temple, the families stood together to sign the Ketubah, a Jewish wedding agreement. Everyone was signing away in not one, but three languages; English, Hebrew, and Japanese! In a beautiful moment, The rabbi explained that an agreement of love was being forwarded to them from their parents and loved ones, and the Ketubah was passed from person to person infused with love and comittment until it reached the two of them.

Then came the ceremony! I think we can all agree that when little oopsies happen at weddings they’re little golden nuggets of hilarity and sweetness. Adam and Rina had a couple great moments. The first, in a Jewish wedding, the bride and groom circle each other three times and lovely Rina had a lovely long veil that wrapped around Adam and got momentarily plucked from her head. Second, when Adam and Rina stepped to break the glass it flew out into the audience! After the rabbi went out and got it, they stomped on it again and all was made official with a resounding “Mazel Tov!”

The reception at Tavern on the Green was beautiful. The weather was perfection and their family and friends gathered to celebrate them and have dinner. Adam’s family is from the Bay Area and Rina’s family flew in from Japan. The two families had just met but it was clearly the dawn of a wonderful new multicultural family. Adam read some of his poems, and they were beautiful. The entire day was the start of something magical!

Rina and Adam, I wish you two a lifetime of happiness; it was my pleasure to capture and be in the presence of your love.

HMU: Lauren Decosimo

Dress: RK Bridal

Chuppah: Chuppahs Are Us

Venues: Central Park, Temple Emmanuel NYC, Tavern on the Green

Florals: Alisan Florist

Videography: August Light Productions

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