Whenever I visit New York City, no matter the season, Bryant Park is one of my do-not-miss spots, but in the summer it truly blossoms. Saying your “I do’s” here, among all the big city beauty, is one for the books and Lane Dittoe captured this elegant summer celebration in all its glory. This gallery has me not only aching for the sweetness of summer but for a Big Apple adventure as well.
From the Bride… Our wedding from start to finish was a dream come true. Richard Chiu and I (Diana Her) met in a college class in New York City but didn’t start dating until many years later with a chance meeting on a cold winters day in a coffee shop.
After dating a little under a year we knew we wanted to be together forever. It was a match neither of us could thought would ever happen. Richard is Taiwanese American and I am Brazilian-Taiwanese, and we both grew up away from our parents, so we matched together on many levels.
On Valentine’s Day 2013, us forever became a reality. I really had no idea it was coming and I’m usually keen on picking up surprises. Richard cleverly botched dinner reservations to a restaurant I wanted to try to fluster me, which worked perfectly, because I was quite annoyed. We had to scramble and find any place to eat given many restaurants were booked for Valentine’s Day. He surprised me towards the end of dinner with Broadway tickets. As the show concluded, I thought that was the end of the evening as we walked towards the subway station to head home, until he wanted me to close my eyes in front of the subway station. With my eyes closed and not knowing at all what was happening, he guided me towards a path and I felt us riding an elevator going up. When I finally could open my eyes I was staring at Richard on his knees on top of Times Square with a bed of roses spelling out “Will You Marry Me?” I pretty much obliged and said “Yes!” with tears in my eyes. And little did I know he had already asked my parents for their permission to marry me. That was the sweetest thing.
The very next day I immediately started to plan the wedding I always wanted. We explored venues throughout New York City and Long Island, but nowhere seemed quite right until we went back to Bryant Park the second time, with the thought of having a wedding there. Bryant Park was perfect – summer in New York City to me is always majestic and grand. There is just something about towering skyscrapers surrounding a lush green lawn and landscape. As I stood on the grass and took in the view of the park, there was a sense of peace and beauty among the dense crowd of people and the bustling sounds of the Big Apple. This was it! This is where I wanted to marry the love of my life.
We were thrilled with Lane Dittoe’s photography as we met him for the first time in San Francisco and Napa Valley for our engagement photo shoot at Castello di Amorosa. It was like having a bit of Italy here in the US, we felt like we were in a movie.
Richard and I had the time of our lives, and I’ll never forget the joy and love on the faces of all of our friends and family gathered around us in this special day.
Photography: lane Dittoe fine art wedding photographs | Floral Design: Occasion9 | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Wedding Cake: Sugar Flower Cake Shop | Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas | Reception Venue: Sequoia Restaurant | Bride's Shoes: Louboutin | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Hair And Makeup: VickyC5 | Groom's Tux: Calvin Klein | Photo Site: Times Square | Photo Site: New York Public Library | Photo Site: Bryant Park Hotel | Veil: Vera Wang | Wedding Bands And Engagement Rings: Cartier