Nicole and Nastassia’s elopement began in the same place their relationship did: the Brooklyn Public Library. It was where they’d had their first date, so returning there to exchange vows felt less like choosing a pretty backdrop and more like coming back to the beginning of something they’d already built together.
Their day was simple in structure, but it held plenty of meaning. They gathered with a small group of guests at the library, exchanged personal vows, took portraits around the building, and then made their way to Brooklyn City Hall for their legal ceremony. Nothing needed to be stretched into an all-day production for the day to feel full!
Returning to the Brooklyn Public Library for Their Vows
Nicole and Nastassia first met through Hinge. Nicole was drawn to Nastassia’s smile, grounded personality, and love of running, while Nastassia noticed Nicole’s humor and warmth almost immediately. After their first date, they never really looked back.
So when they started thinking about their elopement, returning to the library made perfect sense. We began with portraits around the building while their guests arrived and settled in, then slowed everything down for their vows. It gave them a little pocket of the day that felt completely personal before moving into the structure of City Hall.
I love when couples make space for vows during a City Hall wedding or elopement because it’s one of the pieces that can easily get skipped. The legal ceremony itself moves quickly, and sometimes that’s exactly what couples want, but it doesn’t mean you have to miss the chance to say something meaningful to each other. Your vows can happen somewhere quiet, familiar, or significant to your relationship before you ever walk through the City Hall doors.
A Wedding Day That Felt Like Them
Nicole and Nastassia’s relationship is built around a lot of small, intentional routines. They make a point to sit down for dinner together without their phones; they share slow weekend breakfasts, and they like finding local cafés when they aren’t making something at home. Those details say so much more about a relationship than anything performative ever could. Their elopement had that same feeling: thoughtful without being overly planned, meaningful without needing to announce itself. It felt like an extension of the way they already make space for one another.
That’s one of the things I love most about smaller wedding days. There’s room to notice how people interact when no one’s rushing them into the next big moment. You get to pay attention to the quiet parts too, which are often the ones that feel most like real life.
From the Library to Brooklyn City Hall
After their vows, we made the short trip from the Brooklyn Public Library to City Hall for their ceremony appointment. The transition was easy and gave the day a natural rhythm: something personal first, something official second. They didn’t have to choose between having meaningful vows and keeping the simplicity of a City Hall wedding.
After the ceremony, we stepped outside for a few quick portraits near Brooklyn Borough Hall before wrapping coverage. The entire day fit comfortably into a few hours, which is a good reminder that an elopement doesn’t need to be packed with activities to feel complete. A thoughtful plan can still leave plenty of room for pauses, conversations, and simply being together!
Making Your City Hall Elopement More Personal
One of the most common assumptions about City Hall weddings is that there isn’t much room to personalize them, but the legal ceremony is only one part of the day. You can build around it with vows somewhere meaningful, breakfast at a favorite café, portraits in your neighborhood, or time with a handful of people who matter most.
That flexibility is part of what makes City Hall weddings so good for couples who don’t want the pressure of a traditional wedding timeline. There’s no requirement to turn the day into something bigger than it needs to be. You can keep the parts that feel meaningful to you and leave the rest alone.
Nicole and Nastassia did exactly that. Their day connected the beginning of their relationship to the beginning of their marriage, without adding anything just because they felt like they were supposed to.
Queer Love, Fully Celebrated
It’s important to me that couples can arrive here and see themselves celebrated without qualification. Queer love deserves to be photographed with the same tenderness, joy, and care as anyone else’s, and no one should feel like they need to look a certain way or fit a specific version of what a wedding couple is “supposed” to be in order to have their story shown.
Nicole and Nastassia’s elopement was soft, joyful, and completely theirs. That’s the kind of wedding day I want to keep making space for: one where people feel safe enough to be present, trust that they’ll be guided when they need it, and don’t have to perform for the camera.
Vendor Team
Florals: NYC Flower Pop
Dresses: Lulus and Anthropologie
Rings: Holden Rings and Kay Jewelers
Hair: Slayed With Nay
Makeup: Joliedens Beauty Bar
Photography: Stef Reyes Photo
Planning a Brooklyn City Hall Elopement?
If you’re planning a Brooklyn City Hall wedding, an intimate elopement, or something that falls somewhere in between, you don’t have to build your day around a traditional wedding formula. I help couples create a timeline that feels calm, manageable, and personal, with guidance through the logistics and plenty of room for the moments that matter to you. Inquire here to start planning coverage for a wedding day that feels like your actual life, just with a marriage license at the end of it.
