New York is an amazing city with a lot of amazing locations for photography and cinematography on your wedding day.
It can get difficult trying to figure out which locations to go to on your wedding day. That’s why we’d love to share with you our top 5 favorites.
We strongly believe on a wedding day, you should pick locations that have some meaning to you. But just Incase you need an additional push, below are some of our favorites!
Brooklyn Bridge - Dumbo
When you think about New York, what usually comes to mind is the skylines, like the Brooklyn Bridge, and it’s amazing views. Which makes it one of the best places to take wedding photography and cinematography on your wedding day. You can take great photos/videos either on the bridge or from the Brooklyn side of the bridge where there’s a park and lots of cute, aesthetically pleasing areas around.
It’s always crowded, so arrive during sunrise if you don’t want people in your shot. Make sure to have a wide lens to be able to take full advantage of the bridges beauty and a portrait lens just in case you need to cut some strangers out of your frame.
The best times to arrive here are during sunrise or one and a half hour before sunset. Those times will help you take advantage of the great natural lighting the sun provides 🧡
Permits for wedding or engagement photography are not required unless your group is larger than 20 people or you plan to use more than handheld photography equipment. This is applicable to non-commercial wedding or engagement photos only.
You can contact permits@bbp.nyc for ceremony permits and further questions.
Central Park - Bethesda Terrace
Central Park is an urban park in Manhattan. It will take you over an hour to walk along its length, and along the way there are plenty of opportunities for wedding photography and cinematography, but our favorite location hands down inside the park would have to be Bethesda Terrace!
It’s always crowded, so arrive during sunrise if you don’t want people in your shot. Make sure to have a wide lens to be able to take full advantage of the terraces beauty and a portrait lens just in case you need to cut some strangers out of your frame. You may get some people relaxing around the fountain so a portrait lens would definitely help.
The best times to arrive here are during sunrise or one and a half hour before sunset. Those times will help you take advantage of the great natural lighting the sun provides 🧡
You don’t need a permit to photograph in Central Park if you're using handheld equipment or a tripod. However, even when a permit is not required, permission is still necessary to ensure the space is available. If you're bringing other equipment — or if you have any other questions about photography in the Park — please email film@centralparknyc.org
Fort Tryon Park
Spectacular vistas of the Hudson River and Palisades, Landmarked gardens, historic sites, and meandering paths combine to make Fort Tryon Park a popular location for wedding photography and cinematography.
Not many know about this place, which makes it unique and less crowded as other landmarks. This is definitely one of our favorite places to shoot! Our favorite spots to photograph/cinematograph are at the waterfront, under the arches and along the paths full of trees.
The best times to arrive here are during sunrise or one and a half hour before sunset. Those times will help you take advantage of the great natural lighting the sun provides 🧡
No photo permit is required but you may want to make sure you will be able to use a specific area in the park and that no one else has been issued a permit to use that area – as in the case of wedding photography/cinematography. Also, applying for a permit alerts their staff of your plans; they can then make recommendations on the most popular photoshoot locations or dates for your gathering. Please contact the administrator’s office at (212) 795-1388 ext 301.
The High Line
Add the High Line as another super popular/crowded location. An elevated park in NYC, it stretches 1 1/2 miles above Manhattan’s West Side. It is very diverse in areas to photograph- between art work, train tracks, greenery and views of the City.
It’s always crowded, so arrive during sunrise if you don’t want people in your shot. Make sure to have a wide lens to be able to take full advantage of the High Line and it’s views and a portrait lens just in case you need to cut some strangers out of your frame.
The best times to arrive here are during sunrise or one and a half hour before sunset. Those times will help you take advantage of the great natural lighting the sun provides 🧡
Permits for wedding or engagement photography are not required unless your group is larger than 20 people or you plan to use more than handheld photography equipment.
Untermyer Park and Gardens
With its majestic garden spaces open to spectacular views of the Hudson River and Palisades, Untermyer Park and Gardens offers one of the most elegant settings for a wedding in the New York metropolitan region.
Another one of our favorite locations to shoot! This place can also get very quiet, which is good, because you’ll be able to capture its beauty and have enough time to get all your wedding photos and videos done. This location is very beautiful, definitely top 2
The best times to arrive here are during sunrise or one and a half hour before sunset. Those times will help you take advantage of the great natural lighting the sun provides 🧡
Permits for special occasion photography are handled by the Yonkers Parks Department. You can reach them during regular business hours at (914) 377-6450. Special occasion photography includes portrait photography as well as all wedding, engagement, quinceañera, family, maternity, portfolio, prom, graduation, and any other posed portraiture of individuals by professional photographers, as well as semi-pro, pro-am or amateur photographers, whether paid or unpaid. The permit form is available on the City of Yonkers website. After making arrangements to book a time for your permit, you will pick up your permit at the Yonkers Parks Department at 285 Nepperhan Ave, Yonkers, NY. Only the City of Yonkers can issue permits for this site.