A Hamptons Wedding at Si Si East Hampton — Allison & Matt

113 of their closest people, handpainted shells, and a sunset that showed up right on time.

I'll be honest the Hamptons historically have been foreign to me. I grew up in New England, and if you want to send me to the beach, I'm a Cape Cod person through and through. So when Allison and Matt asked me to photograph their late May wedding in Sag Harbor and East Hampton, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

What I found was something that felt a lot like home.

There's a quiet serenity to the Hamptons in late May that I didn't anticipate — before the summer crowds arrive and the city follows. It reminded me more of a Cape Cod morning than the NYC escape I'd always imagined it to be. And for a wedding as warm and unhurried as Allison and Matt's, it was exactly the right backdrop.

Getting ready in Sag Harbor

The day started at the bride's family home in Sag Harbor and from the moment I walked in, the tone was set. Relaxed, warm, full of people who clearly loved each other. Allison was surrounded by her mom, her sister, and her closest friends, and the energy in the room was less pre-wedding nerves and more a really good Saturday morning.

When Matt arrived with his groomsmen, three genuinely kind and energetic guys, we took a few photos before slipping away for the first look on the porch. He teared up a little when he saw her. Then he smiled the biggest smile. That was all you needed to know about the two of them.

We finished the morning with portraits — each set of parents, the bride with her closest friends, quiet moments between Allison and Matt before the day picked up pace.

Si Si, East Hampton

The wedding was held at Si Si, a Mediterranean restaurant set on a resort-like property in East Hampton. It’s the kind of venue that feels both elevated and completely unpretentious at the same time. As a documentary wedding photographer, these are the venues I love most. Spaces with enough personality that the photos find themselves.

We arrived to more family portraits, and I managed to steal the bride and groom for a few frames along the boat dock before the ceremony began. The ceremony itself was intimate — 113 of their closest family and friends gathered together in a space that felt just the right size for the kind of wedding this was.

The details that made it theirs

This is what I'm always looking for. The things that couldn't have belonged to anyone else's wedding.

Allison and her mom had spent time together making the small details by hand. Each table setting had a shell with a guest's name painted on it for seating. The floral arrangements sat in handmade pots paired with simple table numbers that were crafted by her mom, friends, and family. Nothing about it was overwrought or overly styled. It was personal in the quietest, most meaningful way..

The evening

Cocktail hour flowed into dancing in an open air room with a live band and heat lamps glowing against the cool May evening. First dances, family speakers, a European-style dinner kept the night paced smoothly and relaxed.

Just as Allison and Matt sat down for dinner and the speeches began, the sun came out. I slipped the two of them outside for a few minutes. The light was soft and golden and completely worth it. The Hamptons, it turns out, knows how to make an entrance.

The night ended with cake cutting and more dancing — which is always exactly how it should end.

Ready to make it official?

If you're planning a Hamptons wedding and looking for a documentary wedding photographer who will show up, blend in, and capture the day exactly as it unfolds — I'd love to hear from you. You can also read more about what to look for when choosing your NYC wedding photographer here.