Esther and Osher's Sephardic and Ashkenazi, Orthodox Jewish Wedding

Da Mikelle Illagio, New york

For those who live the Jewish way of life on the daily, sometimes, being enthralled in the culture and the lifestyle of it all, one tends to forget to look over the fence (so to speak) to see what's outside of their immediate circle of influence.

As a practicing Jew, one of the very biggest gifts I feel G-d blessed me with is in fact photography. It is not, however, what it seems. The gear, the freedom and the creative expression it allows me is just one small part of it as all the things I mentioned are just tools that allow me to really live the gift (the blessing) I feel to be uniquely mine. There was a time when I was just starting out when the only clients I would be able to attract were those that were close to where I would live. Today, having shot close to two thousand events, my clients come from all walks of live and all over the world and that is exactly the gift I feel I was working up to my whole professional career. There's absolutely nothing more rewarding than seeing young Jewish couples coming together from completely two different ends of the Orthodox Jewish spectrum as a new Jewish family. Esther and Osher is one of those couples.

Esther and Osher got wed at Damikelle Ellagio, one of Queens' most iconic venues for the Sephardic Bukharian community. Their wedding fused both Sephardic and Ashkenazi wedding traditions where Esther had both a Badeken and encricled Osher seven times under the chuppah. Given that this was an Orthodox event, the couple kept things kosher, however, that didn't keep us from walking away with photos that I believe captivated them perfectly.

We started out taking photos at The Rvel Hotel in downtown Brooklyn and then after doing the first look at the rooftop, we made our way to New York's Iconic Bethesda Terrace in Central Park. The super calm and demure vibes Esther and Osher exuded were felt throughout the day were even the park, typically filled with people was also quiet which made the romance Esther and Osher felt for one another truly palatable.