New York City Wedding Photographer | Vintage Modern Southern California Wedding Photography » Maggie Harkov is an international modern wedding & lifestyle photographer based in New York City.

English.  It may not be the language of love, per say, but it did bring a New York City girl and a Maryland boy together when they met while teaching our lovely native tongue in China.  And, in no time at all, they fell hard.  Hard enough to maintain a long distance relationship from Maryland to New York for five, yes, five years.  This year, though, as Sharon & Chris prepare to start their lives of matrimonial bliss, they are finally together in the same place.

Chris was supposed to be out of town.  And, I guess, technically he was “out of town” in that he was out of the “town” of Maryland and was instead in New York City, planning to propose to beautiful Sharon.  Waiting for her friend to show up, Sharon was surprised when she saw Chris show up across the street instead.  She said at that moment she knew it was coming, but she couldn’t have been more thrilled when he got down on one knee in the middle of Madison Square Park and asked her to be his wife.

Sharon and Chris, now residing in Maryland came into the city for their engagement session and we had a blast!  We had planned to start off at the yummy yummy Shake Shack, but the weather had other thoughts in mind.  We ended up having  such fun playing in the rain and visited Grand Central Station, and the Soda Shop. 

I simply adore how joyful Sharon and Chris are together.  It’s such a genuine happiness and it is such a pleasure to witness.  Chris and Sharon are the perfect fit and I know their wedding day next month will be equally as perfect.

Grandpa Stein, my last living grandparent passed away this morning.  He was 91 years old. 

It’s hard to believe this man I’ve always known to be a part of my world is no longer a physical part of it.  It’s hard to believe that I’ll never hear his voice again or see his bright blue eyes light up when we gather together as a family.  It’s hard to believe I’ll never see or hear him laugh or have him ask about the countless details of our lives.  It’s hard to believe my Grandpa is gone.

My Grandpa was a man that made me laugh and feel unbelievably special.  He taught me many things, but mostly he taught me about the value of family and of tradition.  He taught me that I was never too cool to skip through the mall with him, even when I was the big and important age of 13.  He’d squeeze my hand so tight I thought it might break as we skipped throughout the mall, letting me know with each squeeze how much he treasured this time together.  He taught me about caring about others’  lives by constantly asking about mine.  He taught me about encouraging, supporting, and believing in others even when they don’t believe in themselves and about how good it makes others feel to light up in their presence by always being my biggest cheerleader.  He taught me about beauty by giving me my Mother and best friend, and by showing unyielding generosity, care, joy, and love throughout every stage of my life.
 
I’ll never forget riding in his convertible, waving frantically at everyone throughout our neighborhood, as he honked the horn,  feeling like the biggest movie star on earth.  I’ll never forget seeing myself on TV as a young girl at Christmas from a home video he’d made and watching him chuckle over how excited I got.  I’ll never forget driving to his house for Christmas every year and having the time of my life.  I will never forget swimming in the pool with him, the plaid red vest he wore every Christmas, or his love of family and tradition.  I will never forget how special he made me feel.  I’ll never forget his love of jazz or Cheez-its.  I’ll never forget the way he touched each of our lives or the way he loved his family.  I’ll never forget how he’d light up when he looked at his great grandchildren.  I will never forget the way he helped me when I was starting out in New York and had nothing.  I will never forget his great laugh, his way of calling my Mom “darlin”, or his asking me if I asked for his permission to get sick when I had a cold. I will never forget him giving me my favorite doll as a young girl, or the bracelet that I still wear today.  I will never forget the way he’d try to intimidate my boyfriends by informing them he was a member of the Mafia with a totally straight face, or his wonderful presence on our wedding day.  I will never forget the way he’d tell me I was “looking good” over the phone.  I’ll never forget his ability to make me and anyone laugh.  I will never forget you, Grandpa, and all that you were.  I love you more than you know and am so grateful and proud to have called you my Grandpa.  I will enjoy telling our future children about you and the man that you were and how you lit up looking at your grandchildren - that I’m sure you are smiling now as you look down upon us. 
 
I miss you more than I can possibly express, Grandpa, and I will forever keep you close to my heart.
 
May you always be filled with the peace, joy and love you brought to our lives and every life you’ve touched.

With all my love, gratitude, and admiration now and always,
Maggie

This is the last photograph I took of my Grandfather and I love that he is lit up, just like I will always remember him.

It happened on a trip to Nicaragua.  They met and fell in love and when you look at them look at each other you can’t help but see why.  Jody and Mark are two of the sweetest people you will ever meet.  They are the kind of people that you can’t help but love.  I had spoken with Jody over the phone and through emails, but we never actually met until their wedding day.  When she appeared at the door, she was simply glowing and looked absolutely stunning.   She gave me a big hug and introduced me to her family and I instantly fell in love with them all.

Jody makes you feel like you’ve just made an instant friend.  She’s warm, genuine, down to earth, and constantly smiling.  When I met Mark, it was no surprise to find that her partner in life was equally as wonderful and kind, greeting me with a big smile, anxious to see his lovely bride.  I could see it right away.  He and Jody were the perfect match.

Jody and Mark had a really beautiful private ceremony with only their children and minister present and it was such a gift to document.  Following the ceremony was a fabulous reception at the Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York where 200 of their closest friends and family were there smiling and ready to greet them.  It was such an awesome wedding and I was so honored to capture it.

Here are a few of my favorites from their special day…

Jody = Gorgeous!

Check out the very dapper Mark, watch out GQ…

Like Mother, like daughter…

Congratulations Jody & Mark!  Wishing you a lifetime filled with love & laughter!

The smitten kittens are back!   Without further ado, here are a few more of my favorites from Erica & Matt’s engagement session!

Doesn’t Ms. Erica have the most beautiful smile?

I LOVED Erica’s orange shoes!  Can you tell?!

Um, hello, gorgeous!