Morgan and James: Mansion at Woodside Wedding Photos

Morgan and James told us what they wanted before anything else was decided. They wanted to be at their own reception.

Plenty of couples say a version of that. What was different is that they said it early enough to build the day around. The build is the only thing that ever delivers it.

We finished almost every photograph that needed them before they left for the church. The first look, the couple portraits, the immediate family, the wedding party. A handful of extended family groups were waiting when they got back, and that was the whole of it.

How Their Mothers Found Us

At a bridal showcase at the TWA Hotel.

One of them mentioned where she lived, and it turned out to be our town. A few sentences later we had reached a family we already knew, whose daughter’s wedding we were booked to photograph at Hiland Park Country Club up in Queensbury. Long Island is smaller than it looks.

Morgan and James live in New Hampshire, so their mothers carried most of the local planning. They were on top of all of it, and that deserves saying plainly. A couple planning from out of state depends entirely on whoever does the legwork at home. These two had people who did it well.

Morgan and James came back to the same building for their engagement session at the TWA Hotel.

The Morning in the House

Their day started at the venue, which is part of why the rest of it went the way it did. No travel happened before the photographs began.

The bridal suite at The Mansion at Woodside is not a room, it is a floor. Two large spaces, and the group moved between them all morning. Morgan got ready upstairs, and the dress hung in a window that did most of the work for us.

James was downstairs in a room with a pool table and a television, where he and his friends spent the morning enjoying themselves instead of waiting around. Both rooms gave us space to work, and a large share of their gallery comes out of those hours.

Where the Portraits Happened

The property has an area near the pool that is close to purpose built for photographs. Look in any direction and the background works.

We did the first look there. Then the couple portraits, then the families, then the wedding party, all in that one spot. We never walked anyone across the property, gathered them again, and reset them three times.

The staff made it easier still. They ran people between the house and the pool area on golf carts, so each group arrived together instead of straggling in.

Because we had planned the family photographs in detail months earlier, we got through them faster than the schedule allowed for. That handed Morgan and James a block of unscheduled time before they had to leave. They spent part of it with the Rolls Royce that was taking Morgan and her father to the church.

St. Rose of Lima

They married at St. Rose of Lima, with a mass, then came back to the venue with their friends. A church near the families and a reception somewhere else is the classic Long Island shape.

That shape adds a drive and two extra transitions to a day, and when the portraits are still outstanding, those transitions come straight out of the time a couple would otherwise spend with their guests. It cost Morgan and James very little, because the list was already nearly empty.

What Was Left

A few extended family groups who had been at the mass. Then we took Morgan and James and the wedding party to a different part of the property for a second look, which we finally had the time to go and get.

After that, we were finished for the night and did not ask anything else of them.

The Reception

Cocktail hour at this venue is an event in its own right. The club used its outdoor space, and the amount and range of the food went well past what a cocktail hour usually involves.

Everything moved into the ballroom after that, and the dance floor filled early and stayed full for the rest of the night.

When we say Morgan and James were at their own wedding, it is not a figure of speech. They were not standing in a hallway waiting on a photographer. They spent the whole night with their people because we had already finished the work that would have pulled them away.

What Made Their Day Work

Three decisions, all of them made months before the wedding.

They named their priority before we built the timeline, so we built the timeline around it. We planned every family photograph down to who appeared in each group. That helped us finish the list early instead of letting it run long. And they chose a venue where we could finish the portraits before anyone traveled.

None of it was about working faster on the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which photographs did Morgan and James finish before their ceremony?

The first look, the couple portraits, the immediate family groups and the wedding party, all of it in the area near the pool at The Mansion at Woodside. Afterward, we only needed to photograph a handful of extended family groups who had attended the Mass, plus a second look with the wedding party.

Where did Morgan and James get married?

They had a mass at St. Rose of Lima, then returned to The Mansion at Woodside in Muttontown for the cocktail hour and reception. They also got ready at the venue, so the church was the only place they had to travel to all day.

How did Morgan and James plan a Long Island wedding from New Hampshire?

Their mothers carried most of the local work, and the reason it functioned is that the people on the ground were organized and in regular contact with the vendors. If you are planning from a distance, decide early who is able to make decisions locally and make sure every vendor knows who that is.

How long did the family photographs take at their wedding?

We finished in less time than we had scheduled because we had worked out the groups in detail months beforehand, down to who stood in each photograph. When you wait until the wedding day to build the list, it runs long.Theirs finished early and gave them unscheduled time they had not expected.

About the Photographer

Stephen Mayo is the founder and lead photographer of Heritage House, a boutique wedding photography studio. We serve Long Island, New York City, Westchester, New Jersey and the East End. Stephen is a member of Fearless Photographers, and his work has been featured in Sophisticated Weddings and hamptonBRIDE.

We build the photography plan around the shape of a wedding months before it happens. Morgan and James are what that looks like when a couple names their priority early and we get to design around it.

More About The Mansion at Woodside

Our Mansion at Woodside venue guide covers the property in detail, including the portrait area, the getting ready spaces and what to ask the club before you book.

Planning Your Own Wedding Day?

If being at your own reception matters to you, say so in the first conversation with your photographer instead of the last. That one sentence, early, is what lets a timeline get built around it.

Tell us what you want your wedding day to feel like and we will tell you what the photography has to look like to protect it. Contact Heritage House to start the conversation.

Vendors

Photographer: Heritage House Photography
Venue: The Mansion at Woodside
Ceremony: St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church
Florist: Bayview Florist & Montage
Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero
Bridal Boutique: Lotus Bridal
Hair: Salon Fringe
Invitations: Fairy Tale Affairs
Groom’s and Groomsmen’s Attire: The Black Tux
Cake Designer: Dortoni Bakery
Jeweler: Gennaro Jewelers