When this couple reached out to Brooklyn-based photographer Quyn Duong of One Night Cereus to photograph their wedding, they told her the entire affair would be an intimate ceremony with just 20 of their closest friends and family, followed by a brunch. “They were going to have the ‘official wedding’ out in Montauk later that year,” Duong explains, “but then decided they also wanted to have this intimate day close to home before they moved away from New York City. They wanted photos that captured that intimacy and the city where they fell in love.”

While most weddings keep photographers going all day, Duong only had a couple hours total to capture it all. Still, she says, “I instantly felt like I’d known them forever, especially after hearing their vows and getting to know each of their guests. You could tell there was a lot of thought and love put into it.”

At one point, Duong was heading toward the church’s entrance when she spotted the bride and her father doing practice walks around the property’s courtyard. “I wanted to give them privacy in this moment,” she says, “so I ducked behind a bush—then they both started crying! I had to rush to get in place before the ceremony started, but I’m so glad I caught that special moment between them.”

Photographing in the streets of New York was a challenge with the limited time Duong had—they could only really walk a couple blocks from the ceremony and reception to capture portraits. “Overall we didn’t have that much time for portraits,” she says, “so I kept shooting while we were in transit in the taxi cab. That became one of my all-time favorite photos!”

GEAR FOR THE DAY
Cameras: Canon 5D Mark IV’s
Lenses: Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art and Canon 35mm f/1.4L, 50mm f/1.2L, 85mm f/1.8 and 135mm f/2L

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