Chelsea Piers Wedding Photography

Cait and Max met at work.

Chelsea Piers Wedding Photography by Angela Cappetta

Just like in any NYC-themed rom-com, these two beautiful wedding photography clients worked together at a trattoria Max’s family owns. Then, like magic, the sparks started to fly. When he proposed, it was an immediate decision for them to get married at Chelsea Piers Pier 60 /Abigail Kirsch. This venue was the ideal place for their wedding. It offers not only white-glove service and spectacular food. Moreover, it has breathtaking views at sunset, for the perfect NYC on-the-water fantasy space. Importantly though, it offered parking spaces which is a luxury in NY. Lots of it. And it is validated parking for Chelsea Piers guests. Many of the families had to drive in. A validated parking venue in Manhattan is no small thing.

The couple’s guests enjoyed a tear-jerker of a ceremony at Chelsea Piers Sunset Terrace. The nuptials overlooked the Hudson River. The two of them wrote their own vows. Cait’s brother presided. He was ordained just so he could marry his sister and her sweetie. It was a real family affair. Right after the I-do’s, the couple went right into hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails. Then, the night flowed into a seated dinner and dancing. Even the littlest kids had some sweet moves on the dance floor. Furthermore, this suave and elegant couple made sure everyone had what they needed. They checked on everyone during their table walk.

A Little Bit About NYC Wedding Photography at a Chelsea Piers

Simply put, as an NYC wedding photographer, I can honestly say this is the perfect location for remarkable wedding photography. This venue can accommodate weddings for extremely large parties. So if you have a gigantic family-like Cait and Max both do, you’re in luck. The venue is set up like an old school, downtown loft. It is very flexible. And, you can customize it in almost any way your imagination leads you. They even have electronic shades in case the sun is blasting in. And don’t worry about the air conditioning. They can make it as cold as a meat locker. For when the party is at full tilt.

Furthermore, to make the wedding photography even sweeter, the venue has epic-sized, floor-to-ceiling windows. It frames the magnificent Hudson River views like a painting. The Hudson is so close it’ll splash you. Literally. As in, we got splashed with ocean spray while we were shooting. We shot the most gorgeous sunset silhouettes using nothing but natural light wedding photography at sundown. To enumerate, both of these families are gigantic. And they needed a place that was big enough for their two cultures to collide. And collide they did. In one, giant, joyful miasma.

We used a combo of DSLR and real film wedding photography to cover their event of 250 people. The greatest thing about this wedding was without a doubt, the sunset visible from every window in the place. It was like an oil-painted light show for the whole wedding. What a night. A Chelsea Piers wedding for the ages.

The Chelsea Piers Brief History

In short, The Chelsea Piers has always been unlike any other place in NYC. in 1907, even before the piers were completed, the first of the new fabled luxury liners, the Lusitania and the  Mauretania had docked there. So, in 1910, the opening of the Chelsea Piers was marked with ribbon-cutting and lots of back-patting. It took thirty years of talk and eight years of construction to bring to fruition.

The person who was responsible for the completion of the piers was Mayor George B. McClellan. He wasn’t even in office when the liner Oceanic broke ribbon. It was the arrival of this ocean liner that signaled the official opening of the Chelsea Piers. The next day The New York Times called the Piers one of “the most remarkable urban design achievements of their day.” The unsinkable Titanic was scheduled to arrive at the Chelsea Piers on April 16, 1912. This was to be the conclusion of her maiden voyage. Yet, fate intervened. She struck an iceberg and sank on April 14, 1912. Of the 2,200 passengers aboard, 675 were rescued by the Cunard liner Carpathia, which arrived at the Chelsea Piers on April 20th,1912.