Jeanne + Paul
What's your story?
Paul and I met 9 years ago when we were both living in NYC after college. He is an artist and I'm an art historian. We first met because he was going to be documenting an art show that I organized. We've moved across the country together three separate times (twice for our respective grad school programs), and have settled (hopefully for good!) in LA. We're going back to the Hudson Valley to get married because we both have ties there. He went to Bard as an undergrad, and I worked at Dia Art Foundation for several years.
What are you looking for in a photographer?
Someone who is sensitive enough to their subjects to highlight their attributes and work with their tastes/sensibilities while also bringing their own tasteful, natural, beautiful aesthetic to the process. They'll make the photos look even better than I imagined!
Do you have a favorite photo?
The photo inside city hall is a favorite because it shows off why we were so happy to land on the venue that we did. We knew we wanted a city hall in the Hudson Valley, and finding a municipal building that both hosted ceremonies and had beautiful, historic elements was more of a challenge than we expected! But once we found Kingston City Hall, it was immediately obvious that it was the one. It's a landmarked Gothic Revival building that was originally finished in 1875 and restored in 2000. We fell in love with several of its striking features, like Renaissance-style chandeliers, coffered ceilings, and gorgeous marble floors in the hallways. This photo really displays some of the building's inner beauty!
What influenced your decision to go to the courthouse versus a traditional wedding?
We knew we wanted to cut down on the "performative" aspects of a big ceremony, especially because we've been together for 9 years and the official aspects of the marriage were more for us personally. We did want to include our families in it, though, since they've gotten to know each other well over the course of our relationship and we knew that they'd really love to be there for the official day. Having a small ceremony was exactly what we wanted in the end — less stress, less expense, and the opportunity to have an intimate event with our closest family.
