City Hall Elopement in Kew Gardens, Queens
Everybody knows about Manhattan City Hall, but almost nobody talks about Queens…which is a shame!
This elopement was scheduled for one hour at the Queens City Clerk's Office, though like most civil ceremonies, the timeline ended up being more of a suggestion than a rule. Between check-in, waiting to be called, the ceremony itself, and portraits afterward, the coverage stretched closer to two hours.
What stood out most wasn't the delay, though. It was the location. I've photographed ceremonies at both the Manhattan and Queens offices, and Queens is one of the city's best-kept secrets for couples planning a civil wedding. The building itself is more attractive, significantly less crowded, and, most importantly, has a large, beautiful, fenced garden right outside that's actually maintained and pleasant to photograph in. Instead of immediately leaving to find a nearby park, couples can often get a full set of wedding portraits without ever leaving the property.
For couples considering a City Hall wedding, the location can make a bigger difference than you'd think. A beautiful venue isn't required for beautiful photos, but it certainly doesn't hurt when the ceremony space and portrait location are both built into the same place. Queens may not get the attention Manhattan does, but for many couples, it's the better choice.
Here are some of my favorite images from this shoot (click/tap to view full size and un-cropped):
To see more examples of this style of photography, visit my couples gallery >>
All images in this blog post were shot on a Nikon D850 using a variety of lenses, and all individually post-processed in Adobe Lightroom using custom-built presets.
Jinnifer Douglass is a full-time freelance photographer based in NYC, shooting for both individuals and brands such as Google, Sotheby’s, Uber, Make Up For Ever, Squarespace, and more! Specializing in portraits, food, and special events, she works to make every piece of your social and website content ‘Insta-worthy’ with high resolution, full-frame DSLR photography and expert Lightroom editing. Interested in chatting? Leave a comment below, or send an email to info@jinyc-photo.com!