New York, United States
The HamptonsWedding photography
Tented weddings on private lawns, in the flattest and best light on the East Coast.
We photograph weddings across the East End — tented estates on private lawns in East Hampton, Southampton and Sagaponack, farms and vineyards inland, and the historic shingled clubs along the shore. Two photographers, full-day coverage, from $14,000.
The light out here is the reason and it is not a romantic claim: the land is flat, the ocean is on one side and the bay on the other, and on a clear July evening the good light runs for well over an hour. Almost everything else follows from using it.
The light out here is the reason, and it is not a romantic claim: the land is flat, the Atlantic is on one side and the bay on the other, and the whole of the East End sits under an enormous unobstructed sky. Sunset lasts. On a clear evening in July the good light runs for well over an hour, which is roughly three times what a wedding in a wooded valley gets.
Almost everything here is a private house with a tent on the lawn, which is a specific photographic situation: no venue lighting to work with, no interior to retreat into when the weather turns, and a marquee that goes from beautiful to orange the moment the string lights carry the room. The hour either side of that transition is the one that matters, and it is the hour most schedules put the toasts in.
We have one recommendation for the East End above all others, and it is about the schedule rather than the place: do the ceremony earlier than feels right. An hour earlier gives you the entire sunset as portrait time instead of the fifteen minutes left over after the receiving line.
The light
When to marry in The Hamptons.
The part a visitor cannot look up, and the reason this page exists rather than a list of packages.
Late May to June
Green, cool and still quiet before the season proper. Long evenings and a real chance of sea fog rolling across a lawn, which is a gift rather than a problem.
July to August
The peak. Enormous golden evenings, and heat and humidity through the middle of the day that no tent solves.
September to mid-October
The best month out here and the local secret. The crowds have gone, the water is still warm, the light has turned amber, and the hedges are still green.
The venues
Where to be married in The Hamptons.
The rooms this market is built on, and what each one does to a photograph. Listed as places rather than as partnerships — we have no preferred-supplier arrangement with any of them.
Private estates, Further Lane and Lily Pond
Oceanfront lawns, East Hampton
A marquee on a lawn with no interior to retreat to and no venue lighting to work with. The hour the string lights take over the room is the hour that decides the evening.
Wolffer Estate
Vineyard, Sagaponack
Rows running east to west, so the late sun comes straight down them. A barn for the weather, which an oceanfront lawn does not have.
The Maidstone Club
Historic shingled club, East Hampton
Shingle, dune and Atlantic. The architecture does the work and the lighting does not, which means the ceremony hour matters more here than the setup.
Montauk bluffs
Coastal headland, Montauk
Exposed and windy at the eastern end of the island, with sea fog that rolls in without much warning. That fog is a gift rather than a problem.
Town beaches
East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk
A ceremony on one requires a permit from the relevant town and the rules differ between them. A permit question before it is a photographic one.
The kind of place
- Private oceanfront and bayfront estates with a marquee on the lawn
- Working farms and vineyards inland, with barns that hold a room of two hundred
- Historic shingled clubs, where the architecture does the work and the lighting does not
- Beach ceremonies, which are a permit question before they are a photographic one
What a The Hamptons wedding plans around
- Beach ceremonies on town beaches require a permit from the relevant town, and the rules differ between East Hampton, Southampton and Montauk. Your planner will know which applies; we will plan for the light either way.
- Traffic east on a summer Friday is the single most reliable fact about this place. We travel the day before, always.
- Most private-house weddings here operate under a local noise ordinance with a hard finish. It is worth knowing the hour before the band is booked.
- There is no interior fallback at a tented wedding. A weather plan is a real plan or it is a hope.
Frames
From The Hamptons.
The commission
Photographing a wedding in The Hamptons.
A Hamptons wedding is a full day with two photographers, from $14,000, and we travel out the day before and stay near the venue. That is quoted at cost and it removes the one variable — a Friday afternoon on Route 27 — that could otherwise decide whether we are there for the preparations.
We have one recommendation for the East End above all others and it is about the schedule rather than the place: put the ceremony earlier than feels right. Work backwards from sunset, minus an hour for portraits, minus the receiving line, minus the ceremony. In July that usually lands at half past four, and every couple who has done it says the same thing afterwards.
There is no interior fallback at a tented wedding, so the weather plan is a real plan or it is a hope. Preview within seven days, the complete set within eight weeks, full-resolution files, private archive, print release with no expiry, nothing published without your consent.
- Wedding, from
- $14,000
- Photographers
- Two
- Preview
- 7 days
- Full delivery
- 8 weeks
The Hamptons wedding photography — questions
How much is a Hamptons wedding photographer?
From $14,000 for a full day with two photographers. We travel out the day before and stay locally, quoted at cost. Most East End weddings land between that and $22,000 once a welcome dinner or a brunch is added.
What time should the ceremony be?
Earlier than the invitation you have already drafted. Sunset, minus an hour for portraits, minus the receiving line, minus the ceremony itself — in July that is half past four, and it buys you the entire golden hour rather than the fifteen minutes left over.
Do we need a permit for a beach ceremony?
On a town beach, yes, and the rules differ between East Hampton, Southampton and Montauk. Your planner will know which applies; we plan for the light either way.
Which month is best?
September and the first half of October — the local secret. The crowds have gone, the water is still warm, the light has turned amber and the hedges are still green. Late May and June are quieter and greener with a real chance of sea fog, which photographs beautifully.
What happens if it rains at a tented wedding?
The plan has to be real rather than hoped for, because there is no building to move into. A sidewalled marquee changes the light completely, and knowing that in advance is what lets us light the evening rather than react to it.
When does the music have to stop?
Most private-house weddings here run under a local noise ordinance with a hard finish. Worth knowing the hour before the band is booked rather than after.
Nearby
Married in The Hamptons?
Tell us the date and what you are planning. We reply personally, usually within two business days.