The best way to describe the wedding of couple Marie and Brooks is in photographer Chellise Michael-Busse‘s own words on her blog: “Holy hot damn, this wedding was the tops! It started off with a Soka Gakkai Buddhist Ceremony right down the street from the Norwood Club, where the celebration took place. Get ready for a feast of decadent textures and massive amounts of warm and fuzzy feels for these two!”

All Photos © Chellise Michael Photography

Michael-Busse gives the couple credit for a very crucial part of being able to capture what she wanted. “I had a full hour with just the two of them at Norwood before guests arrived,” she says. “This gave me enough time to gather my surroundings and to focus on the space slowly and thoughtfully. I never felt rushed. I got to experiment in every area that I had hoped for without pressure, giving me time to set up a flash here and there and to allow myself a few minutes to really think about every image we were making together. After all of the great portrait time, I still had other hurdles to conquer. Like bouncing flash around all of the red walls and red velvet seating where dinner and speeches were happening.”

The focal point of this wedding, the photographer adds, was the post-ceremony location, Norwood Club in New York City. “It’s a members-only club that in a very particular manner grants access only to those who are crucial to contributing to the art scene in Manhattan,” Michael-Busse explains, “so as you could imagine, this four-story brownstone is a wonderland of well-curated art and magical conversations.” Her goal, she says, was to photograph the couple in every room.

She really wanted to honor the Norwood Club location and make sure she gave Marie and Brooks the photos she knew they wanted based on the art they shared with her. “They were especially fond of this huge choo-choo train sculpture that was coming out of the wall. Every hour, it hoots and lets off steam, and they wanted that steam. When we got there and the steam went off, poof, I got it. That was easy. But what happened after that shot ended up being the most liked photo I have ever had on Instagram—ever.” (We posted a Photo of the Day about how she got the shot.)

“This wedding really gave me the time to ensure I was able to shoot all of the guests in an unexpected, candid way,” Michael-Busse says.

GEAR OF THE DAY

Camera: Canon Mark III
Lenses: Canon 28mm f/1.8, 16-35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.2
Lighting: Canon 600EX-RT Flash

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