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Melissa and Paul met at a bar in London, and little did Melissa know that it would make her into a Londoner. Melissa and Paul are a couple of extremely beautiful people. Their wedding was a blast and umm…gorgeous, with amazing views of Manhattan glittering over the river all day long, on a rare lucky sunny day in this rainy rainy June. I’m so lucky that I get to shoot these beautiful weddings among all these beautiful people!!
Whew! Nina and Mark. Sadly, we never quite had the time for an engagement session, but I look forward to their friendship in the future. What lovely, in love people. It was one of those, where we just hit it off completely and found ourselves a few drinks in a few hours later than planned. And that was just the first meeting - they hadn’t even hired me yet! They are the best kind of couple I ever get to work with, and I feel honored to have been a part of this emotional, beautiful day.
Did I mention Nina is gorgeous!!?
I had so much fun with Jessica and Moshe the other night that I could have forgotten to return home, had the Husbone not called me away. We did our shoot at the Brooklyn Museum, which is gorgeously amazing!!!
I am sitting here at 3:30 in the morning, and I can’t stop editing these images. Ada and Ben are awesome, to begin with, so I had a sneaking suspicion that today, the day of their wedding, was just going to be out of control with awesomeness. And. It. Was.
It was such a gift to be able to witness these two, amazing families totally and wholly embrace each other. Ada’s father gave the best wedding speech I’ve ever heard and was met with a standing ovation. There was such a hum of enthusiasm at this wedding, and it was a true sign that everyone couldn’t be more excited that these two remarkable people found each other.
Love was hemorrhaging from everyone all over the friggin’ place. But it was nothing to the way Ada and Ben look at each other, like the maid of honor mentioned in her speech. They look at each other as if they’ve found their perfect match.
I feel privileged to know them, and to have been chosen for the noble task of making pictures of their abundant love for each other, their families and their friends.
I met Caroline and Sung Ho in my favorite part of Brooklyn, an interlude of work in the midst of my minimoon with the Husbone, who had just returned from an epic 6 week journey across England. Caroline and Sung Ho turned out to be pretty much the easiest people to photograph ever, and then the evening made way to reveal itself as a double date over drinks and great conversation. I am so enamored with these two very lovely people, and for all that we have in common. I’m happy I met them. I was also lucky enough to have been chosen by Sung Ho’s amazing sister for her wedding too, and I can’t wait to hang with everyone again in June!
Prior to the shoot, I only spoke with Sydney over the phone. Hiring your wedding photographer should be somewhat of an audition - not just for the photographer, but for the client, too. There are so many great photographers who get burnt out in this business. I refuse to be one of them, by booking too many weddings with too many clients that don’t fully appreciate and trust what I do. And that I so love what I do.
So I like to sit, get to know my potential clients/future friends. If I can’t meet them in person, which is quite often, then we will both just have to work extra hard to get across to each other who we are and what we want. It’s a date. We are beginning a relationship that hopefully will last a long time. It’s just as invigorating getting to know beautiful people in love, as it is making images of the love that they have for each other, their families, their animals and the world.
When Sydney and I spoke over the phone, we were exactly on the same page about everything. She and Jeremy live in San Francisco, and since they were unable to have the wedding in their hometown (it’ll be at a summer camp in upstate NY!), I really wanted to be able to shoot their engagement session there. I feel like I know what it’s like to be connected to each other, and to be connected to a place together. So, when I booked my Alaska wedding, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do some vintage shopping in the Northwest and hop on down to San Francisco to capture these beautiful people in love, in their natural habitat. Looking through the photos, I couldn’t imagine having to do their session in New York City, without their amazing and beautiful dog, Kaili.
Sydney and Jeremy live in the gorgeous hills north of San Francisco and were very successful in convincing me to move there. As Husbone and I are considering a life of living bi-coastally, I think that when it happens (that is, probably winter 2010 - can’t wait!), we are very likely going to choose our new, sometime home among those same amazing, gorgeous, crazy California seaside hills. Seriously folks, it’s a done deal. Little did I know when I was so eager to leave home in my youth, that California would always hold a special place in my heart. And these East Coasters who transplanted there are a total picture of everything I love about that beautiful state, and the wonderful people (and animals!) who live there. And seriously, all you California photographers have it so friggin easy! Beautiful light, beautiful country. Sigh. 
Remember Lana and Phil? Well, I had a feeling that their wedding was going to be an awesome party, and I think I may have underestimated the situation. Of course, I do hold a special place in my heart for two people in love who hit the dance floor with epic enthusiasm.
At one point there was even a mosh pit, and we hadn’t even made it to the Hora by that time! And though the rain (that never quite manifested) pushed the wedding indoors, the result was awesomely beautiful and intimate. I had such an amazing time at this crazy party of a wedding with these crazy-in-love people. In the morning, every time she mentioned Phil, she couldn’t help but cry, “He’s such a good man!”
I’m kind of in love with them, and I’m so glad I got to be there.
Oh Alaska.
I met Jack and Andrea at my very first I-didn’t-have-to-beg-for-the-job wedding (I can’t believe that was only last year - so much has happened since!). Some of you may know Mrs. Tulip (Tara) from Weddingbee. Well Andrea is Mr. Tulip’s sister. And when I met her, and she told me that she was in love and living in Alaska, not so deep down inside I really hoped she called me when wedding bells came a ringin’. But not just because she lives in the foothills of Mt. McKinley, which I can finally confirm is the most amazing place I’ve ever seen in my life, but because from the moment I met her, I was so deeply struck by the open and deep sincerity she beams in her easy smile.
I was further struck by the sincerity of Jack and Andrea’s love for each other. I took a picture of them looking at each other fondly at Tara and Ed’s wedding. Whenever I went through the photos, I always found this simple photo striking. It always made me pause and smile at the love they so obviously share.
Please forgive me. Travels to the northwest, though refreshing and warm, have not been internet friendly until this evening. I’m sitting here in my little hotel room, that’s like a small apartment in the Pearl, in my future home of Portland, Oregon.
Ada and Ben - I think it’s safe to say that they are madly in love. They light each other up! It’s so rich to be near this connection they have, that I think I can also safely say that I’m a little in love with them myself. It doesn’t hurt that our first meeting turned into a veritable all-nighter filled with drinks, good cheer, and in depth descriptions of amazing food across the world. It also doesn’t hurt that they were kind enough to treat me to skewers of fried chicken skin, whole smelt and beef tongue. Ada said it best - “we three are culinary kindred spirits.” If there is anything in this world that I love as much as love, it’s definitely food.
We embarked upon our photographic journey at the Strand Bookstore in Union Square, took a break to stuff our faces with all sorts of amazing meats on skewers, and went to frolic in my hometown of Long Island City at night. So, it was pretty much the perfect day. I had so much fun with you both, and I can’t wait until your wedding!! It’s so soon!! Yay!
“Damn, you’re short!” she said, and thus was the beginning of Emily and Bobby. To be fair though, she was his “two year plan”. 
Em and Bob are a hoot to be around, to say the least. I’m not sure that I’ve ever laughed so hard and from so deep down in my guts with any other couple. I’m so glad they took me with them for their Saint Maarten wedding, because I got to hang out with their extremely and similarly-goofy and hilarious, dear friends.
Looking through these images over and over again, I keep cracking up at all the hilarity that ensued. And I’m so excited that the fun’s not over yet -I’ll be shooting their US wedding in August (weddings all over the world is how they roll), and I can’t wait to see everyone again!
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Punam Bean, New York City
Vendor: Photographer
Website: Punam Bean Photography
About Me: Punam Bean is an international destination wedding and portrait photographer based out of New York City. She loves animals, and particularly longs for the companionship of a bulldog, in addition to that of her ever loving Husband. She eats pizza for breakfast every single day, and spends too much money on dresses. In this, her first year of business, she's booked 30 weddings all around the world, in New York City, California, Jamaica, Venezuela and Nigeria. Her images have been described as emotional, whimsical and elegant.
