Lathan & Jenny’s NYC City Hall Wedding

A Joyful NYC City Hall Wedding

Getting to photograph multiple chapters of people’s lives is one of the most meaningful parts of this job, so when Lathan and Jenny reached back out after their Central Park proposal to tell me they had decided to get married at City Hall, I was so excited to document this next step for them too.

Their wedding came during a season of huge life transitions for both of them. Lathan had just graduated from medical school the week before, Jenny was graduating from nursing school the following week, and the two of them were preparing to move to Boston only a few weeks later.

While they still absolutely want to have a larger wedding celebration someday, they realized this season of life was not the right time to take on the financial and logistical stress of planning a huge event. At the same time, they knew they simply wanted to be married.

So they decided to elope at NYC City Hall surrounded by the people closest to them.

A Sweet Ceremony at the NYC City Clerk’s Office

I met them at the NYC City Clerk’s Office for their wedding ceremony appointment along with Lathan’s parents, who came as witnesses for the ceremony. The entire day felt incredibly joyful and relaxed from the moment they arrived.

One thing I immediately noticed again was how similar their energy felt to their proposal session months earlier. They were still just as giggly, affectionate, and visibly excited to be together as they had been during their engagement photos in Central Park. There was such an easy sweetness between them throughout the entire day.

Jenny looked amazing in an outfit she had rented somewhat last minute for the wedding, and Lathan wore a classic suit that made the entire day feel elevated while still keeping things simple and intimate.

City Hall weddings always have this unique energy where couples are balancing excitement, nerves, paperwork, and emotion all at once, and I love documenting those little in-between moments just as much as the ceremony itself.

Portraits Around Manhattan After the Ceremony

After the ceremony, we spent time taking portraits both inside and outside the City Clerk’s Office. One thing I love about NYC City Hall weddings is that they naturally feel tied to the city itself. Even simple portraits outside the building immediately feel iconic and unmistakably New York.

Lathan and Jenny were completely wrapped up in each other throughout the entire session. A lot of the afternoon involved laughing together, holding hands while walking through lower Manhattan, and soaking in the reality that they had just gotten married. Their gallery ended up feeling incredibly personal because the day itself was rooted in exactly where they are right now in life: graduating, moving cities, building careers, and choosing each other in the middle of all that transition.

City Hall weddings may be smaller and simpler than traditional weddings, but they often feel deeply emotional because the focus stays entirely on the couple and the commitment they are making together. Photographing this chapter for Lathan and Jenny after already documenting their proposal felt incredibly special, and I cannot wait to see what comes next for them in Boston.