I’m so excited to share Jes and Matt’s beautiful Manhattan engagement session on Merci New York. Aside from the fact that I’m still totally giddy over the below photo, {the perfect precursor to a gorgeous shoot by W Studios New York }, the bigger bonus is that Jes is a total blogger godsend. She shared so many amazing details with us, from Matt’s adorable proposal, to their awesome e-shoot inspiration, down to the darling details of their winery wedding day. To be quite honest, it’s almost as if she’s guest-blogging… So, with that in mind, take it away Jes!
Matt and I wanted to veer away from the cliché NYC engagement shoot in Central Park, and it was our photographer Stephen’s suggestion to head over to the Meatpacking district. The Highline offers a unique mix of city bustle and serene surroundings, with lots of trees, plants, water views, and a Manhattan backdrop. We lucked out with a gorgeous, uncrowded day.
Here are a few favorites from the shoot….
Matt and I met through mutual friends, who were also a couple at the time. One could say that we were ‘set up’ and we hit it off immediately. And not long after first meeting, we had already made plans for weekends ahead. Our first official date happened at Jacques Brasserie, a local Upper East Side French Restaurant near Matt’s place. He will tell you that he knew I was “the one” almost immediately; I knew he was a keeper after I showed up for that first date, because he remembered that I love anything and everything French. That was February 4th, 2008.
I woke up on the morning of February 4th, 2010 with horrible food poisoning from the meal we had the night before, knowing I would have to cancel our planned dinner to celebrate our 2-year ‘dating’ Anniversary. Since Matt is a hopeless romantic, and he had made reservations to dine at Jacques, I…well… sucked it up. He had reserved the same corner booth where we had say 2 years ago to the day, nestled in the back of the restaurant. Just as Matt had planned, I looked at the wine list and coyly asked if we could order the bottle of Margaux that I’ve always wanted {it’s a bit pricey}. To my surprise, Matt ordered the bottle to which I quickly responded with a swift elbow to his side and a sharp: “What you are doing? I was joking! Save that for a special occasion!” In a moment that is still blurry to me, Matt stood up and went around the booth, knelt down on one knee and proposed: “I promise to give you the world, will you marry me?”
From the Principal Owner and Founder of W Studios New York:
I {Stephen Grande Jr} founded W Studios New York after many years of shooting weddings for top photography studios. One of my favorite experiences is to photograph a couple’s engagement session. It gives me more time to get to know the couple and their personalities, as well as how they act in front of a camera. The best part about having your own studio is being able to sit down and share a cup of coffee with them after a shoot instead of running off to my next appointment. In this day and age with all the automated technology nothing beats good customer service and face-time!
Photos courtesy of W Studios New York .
