"We ran away!"

​We had discussed marriage for years, but a traditional wedding wasn’t for us. Getting married in New York City seemed right. We had both been to the city several times and loved it, but more importantly, we had a special connection to that place. Crawford’s mother’s parents met and married in New York in the 1930s after emigrating there from Scotland and Ireland. We have a picture of their wedding, which took place at the Little Church Around the Corner, on East 29th Street with just two witnesses present. 

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Secretly, we booked flights and began planning our wedding at the City Clerk’s Office. There was one important detail that we struggled with - we needed a photographer (and a witness). We could have gone with one of the many photographers catering for tourist weddings, but thankfully I remembered that Kelli - my old neighbour from Glasgow - was a photographer now living in the East Coast of the USA. I contacted Kelli to ask for her advice and was delighted when she offered to travel to New York to photograph our wedding. 

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Without a doubt, Kelli’s photographs made our wedding. We were photographed at the City Clerk’s office during the ceremony but also in taxi cabs, crossing the city streets and of course at the Little Church Around the Corner.

Kelli went way beyond what we expected and really documented our special day. She was so flexible and accommodating. Regardless of whether you know Kelli or not, she puts you at ease. She took time to skillfully capture each moment. 

Kelli was incredibly unobtrusive so that during very emotional moments, such as the exchange of rings or saying our vows we weren’t aware of her presence - yet the images were intimate and seemed to show all of our excitement.

It is a testament to Kelli’s great skill as a photographer that she was able to show how much we love each other while photographing the differing parts of our day.  She was personal, genuine, and exceptional.

The photograph here is taken outside the City Clerk’s Office just after our ceremony. 

Lisa and Crawford, Glasgow, Scotland