Intimate Backyard Wedding in Greenport, NY — Ryan & Evelyn
There are big weddings. Hundreds of guests, ballroom venues, a timeline so tight they need a coordinator and a coordinator’s assitant just to run them. And this is not a diss. Big weddings are beautiful in their own way.
And then there’s Ryan and Evelyn’s intimate backyard wedding.
Ninety people in a private waterfront property in Greenport, New York. A beach ceremony with neighbors witnessing it from their decks. And a reception in the backyard with string lights, a wooden dance floor, and absolutely zero pretense. This is a kind of wedding that lives forever in my heart.
The Setting: A Private Waterfront Home in Greenport, NY
Greenport sits at the tip of the North Fork of Long Island, about two hours east of Manhattan. It’s quieter than the Hamptons and a lot more honest about itself. Farms, water, a main street that still feels like a town.
Ryan’s parents own a property right on the water. The backyard opens onto a sandy beach with views across the bay. For the ceremony, guests sat in white chairs on the sand while the Long Island Sound stretched out behind them.
It’s one of those wedding that doesn’t feel like a performance or a show for guests at all and that’s exactly the point.
Getting Ready
Ryan was relaxed all morning. The kind of relaxed where you’re drinking a stout at the kitchen counter and casually preparing pesto and pasta for their guests to enjoy later that day.
Evelyn was getting into her dress in a sun-filled room upstairs, laughing at something someone said right before the photos happened. That laugh is one of my favorite frames from the whole day.
The Ceremony
Evelyn walked down the aisle with her mom. Her dad passed two years ago. You could feel his absence and also the fullness of that moment, her mom holding her arm the whole way down.
Nobody was stiff. Nobody was performing. The guests were close enough that you could hear them react.
That’s what a small wedding does best. It collapses the distance between people. That’s what makes a small, intimate wedding so special.
Portraits on the Water
After the ceremony, we kept portraits quick. The light was good and nobody wanted to be pulled away from their people for long.
We stayed on the property. Sandy patches, tall marsh grass, the bay behind them. Shot some on film some on digital. The goal was to make it easy for everyone and keep it real and candid.
The Reception
The cocktail hour had toasts. The dinner went until dark. And then Ryan and Evelyn pulled everyone onto the dance floor.
The string lights went over the backyard. Kids were dancing. Ryan’s dad gave a toast. Evelyn’s cousin did too. There were laughs, there were tears, there were big hugs. At some point I had a chance to fly a drone to capture the dance floor from above.
Why Backyard and Intimate Weddings Work
A smaller guest list means you can actually talk to people. A backyard means nobody’s watching the clock. And when the venue is someone’s home, the photos feel like they belong to a real life, not a wedding magazine.
Intimate weddings aren’t a compromise. For a lot of couples, they’re the better version.
This day had 90 people, a ceremony on the sand, and dancing until stars came out.
It was whole and nothing was missing.
Vendors
Venue: Private residence, Greenport, NY
DJ: @74events and @benthebeyonder
Catering: @startupscatering
Cake: @mrsnupes
Videographer: Alex Palumbo (@alxpalumbo)
Planning an Intimate or Backyard Wedding in New York?
If you’re planning a small wedding, a backyard wedding, or something that just doesn’t fit the standard venue concept, I’d love to hear about it. I photograph weddings in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond.
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