Leanne Gelish Studio

Elopement of a Lifetime

My husband and I had a fairytale courtship. We started dating in February of 2019 and were engaged by June. We both felt a lot of stress and pressure from both sides of our family as soon as we announced our engagement. We decided that we wanted our wedding day to be just about us, and we would do a reception later on that would include our family and friends. We were engaged on Sunday June 9th and by Monday I was scouting the internet for photographers. I’m not from Long Island, so I’m not familiar with vendors here. However, being the daughter of two photographers, I knew that the most important part of my wedding (besides the bride & groom) was the pictures. I reached out to so many photographers and no one was the right fit. We were under a time crunch, so some weren’t available on short notice. I wanted my pictures taken with a Nikon camera, not all vendors are loyal to that brand. Then I found Leanne. Not only were her pictures GORGEOUS, she took pictures with a Nikon, and she was available! Under her excellent guidance, I reached out to the local town hall and secured our wedding date 7/12/19. Leanne was up for the challenge of taking pictures of a couple she had never met at a wedding in just over a month. Over the course of that month she made us feel so comfortable. She had so many beautiful and creative portraits planned, and also listened to all of the images I wanted. We asked her to be our witness at the wedding ceremony. It just felt right. The day of the wedding was beyond anything I had ever imagined. Leanne (having never met me) jumped right into action when I was in the middle of a wardrobe malfunction. She then expertly guided us through portraits before, during, and after the ceremony. She gave us the space to enjoy our day and captured our love in such a stunning way. We went to a lovely park after the ceremony for more portraits. We took breaks here and there and unbeknownst to us, she captured those candid, intimate moments that we shared. Those pictures are some of my favorites. My husband isn’t as comfortable in front of the camera as I am, but Leanne was so wonderful in helping him pose and stand in ways that didn’t feel super awkward to him. She even got him up in a tree! We both have that picture as our background on our phones. I really feel like Leanne went above and beyond what I had envisioned. She gave me all of the images I requested, and also made them her own using smoke bombs and prisms and really unique poses. Two and a half years later, Leanne is the only person we trust with taking our pictures. She has also become a close friend of ours. She is the most talented photographer, and we are so lucky that she was the one to capture our special day!