Housing Works Bookstore Wedding | Em & Olive

Few weddings eminate such a strong feeling of utter happiness and love as Em and Olive’s. From their unique choice of venue to their exuberant parent dances, the couple’s close bond with each other and their community shined thoughout the day. The Housing Works bookstore was the perfect setting for Em and Olive’s wedding, Olive herself being a librarian and the couple sharing a deep love for queer literature.

Housing Works Bookstore Wedding Ceremony Space

Wedding Invitation Detail with Wedding Rings and Autumnal Florals

Wedding Corsage Detail with Autumnal Florals

Housing Works Bookstore Wedding Space Detail

Getting Ready & First Look

Mother of the bride helping the bride put on jewelry

Mother of the bride helping the bride put on her shoes

Bride in her wedding dress, taken from behind

Brides looking at each other during first look and smiling

Bride kissing the other bride on the cheek during the first look

Close up photo of bride putting on her heels

Newlywed Portraits

Smack dab in the middle of Soho, you could feel the city energy throughout the day. As Olive passed crosswalks with her white gown trailing, bouquet in hand, the slieu of “congratulations!” from stranger after stranger created an infectious joy.

Bride walking across the street in NYC with her maid of honor holding the back of her dress

Close up of bride's bouquet and engagement ring

Bride smiling walking down the street in new york city with her maid of honor

For newlywed portraits, we wanted to find a tranquil spot within the city bustle (somewhere devoid of tourists and trashcans). We ended up ubering to an East Village community garden, a short drive away. It was the perfect location for Em and Olive, allowing us to document them in a romantic nature setting, a rarety for New York City weddings. The couple blended in to the greenery and autumnal florals of the garden perfectly.

Brides walking through a garden holding hands

Brides standing on a balcony looking at each other

Brides kissing, taken through a closed window

Brides kissing under a gazebo with plants framing the image

Brides kissing in the middle of a garden

Brides sitting on a bench in a garden, taken from behind

Polaroid of brides sitting on a bench, looking at each other

Polaroid of brides on a balcony, looking at each other

Close up of bridal bouquet on bride's lap

Brides looking at each other in a garden

Close up of bride holding her bouquet in the air

Em and Olive had a selection of their own LQBTQ+ books on display for the wedding. Even inside a retail space, the couple managed to make it their own.

Close up of brides holding stacks of their favorite books at their housing works bookstore wedding

Brides holding stacks of their favorite books at their housing works bookstore wedding

Film photo of brides kissing on the stairs in their housing works bookstore wedding venue

The Ceremony

Bookstores often illicit a cozy energy, and a bookstore wedding ceremony was no different. With limited seating space, guests took to lining the back wall and crowding the upper level of the store. It made the ceremony feel like an intimate production, the audience watching from above. It helped that the officiant read aloud the couple’s love story in the form of a narrative, Em and Olive being our friends-to-lovers protagonists.

Guest reactions during housing works bookstore wedding ceremony

Bride walking down the aisle with her parents in a housing works bookstore wedding ceremony

Brides' first kiss as a married couple during their housing works bookstore wedding ceremony

Bride breaking the glass during the wedding ceremony

Housing Works bookstore wedding ceremony, taken from second level

Brides holding hands and smiling during their wedding ceremony

Brides laughing and walking back down the aisle as a married couple after wedding ceremony

Marriage License Signing

Close up of bride signing the marriage license

The Reception

Tablescape at Housing Works Bookstore Wedding

Sweetheart Table at Housing Works Bookstore Wedding

Film photo of bride interacting with guests at her housing works bookstore wedding

Close up shot of wedding guest dinner table

Maid of honor giving a toast at a housing works bookstore wedding

Film photo of wedding guests during the reception dinner

Cake Cutting

Custom branded wedding napkins with the couple's pet's faces on them

Detail shot of slice of cake and custom branded wedding napkins with the brides' cats on them

Dancing

Both the brides made a point to honor both of their parents at the wedding, not just their fathers. Em and Olive walked down the aisle linking arms with their mom on one side and dad on the other. Later in the night, they both performed a dance with their parents as a trio. Em’s song was Marlo Thomas’s “Free to Be You & Me” and Olive’s was “American Pie” by Don McLean .

After Em and Olive’s first dance to Waxahatchee’s “Right Back To It,” everyone crowded the floor, dancing away the rest of the night to gay classics like “Dancing Queen” and “Hot To Go.” Em and Olive’s wedding day ended the way it began, brimming with laughter and excitement.