There are weddings where you can feel, from the very first moment of the day, that everyone in the room is exactly where they're supposed to be. Ramy and Tyler's wedding was one of those. Gay camp energy, a Taylor Swift quiz, a weeping groom who supposedly never cries, a boba tea vendor, a peacock with an identity crisis, and a Mr. Brightside sing-along.

Their Westbury Manor wedding was loud, loving, and completely, perfectly them.

Westbury Manor: A Long Island Wedding Venue

Westbury Manor sits on five acres of meticulously landscaped grounds in Westbury, NY, and it is genuinely, legitimately beautiful. We're talking varied trees, garden paths, water features, little bridges…Every corner I turned, there was another great backdrop.

A lot of credit for that goes to their Maitre D, George, who made me an espresso approximately eleven seconds after I walked through the door, then immediately had a completely earnest debate with me about NYC mayoral candidates. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about the vibe at Westbury Manor, I don't know what will.

The indoor spaces are classic Long Island estate ballroom aesthetic, being elegant, warm, and spacious enough for a full raucous dance floor situation (which, spoiler, very much happened).

There’s also a peacock that lives on the property, whose name I think is Poppy? We had a running joke all day about whether his name was Poppy or pronounced like the Spanish "papi". Or maybe something else entirely. No one on staff seemed fully confident, and we just kept making up new names for him.

He is extremely beautiful and completely unbothered by wedding guests, which is honestly a vibe I aspire to.

The Chinese Tea Ceremony

Before the main ceremony, Ramy and Tyler held a Chinese tea ceremony with their parents. The quiet tenderness of it, the parents' faces, the way it carved out a different kind of intentional time before the chaos of a full wedding reception was genuinely beautiful.

Their Westbury Manor Wedding Ceremony

I was told that Tyler is not a crier. Does not cry. Not a crying person.

Reader. Tyler cried through the entire ceremony. Just absolutely, thoroughly, joyfully wept. It was wonderful, and I have extensive photographic evidence. Too much love to contain, which is, if you ask me, exactly the right way to get married.

The Reception: Gay Camp, Taylor Swift Edition

The dance floor at this wedding was one of those dance floors that was packed from the first song. The energy was loud, celebratory, and deeply, joyfully gay. There was a Taylor Swift trivia quiz at the reception, which I assume was a blood sport, given the crowd. There was a boba tea vendor doing their thing during cocktail hour, which was an objectively excellent call. And then — Mr. Brightside came on.

If you have never witnessed a room full of people absolutely obliterating a Mr. Brightside sing-along, I don't know what to tell you except that it is a spiritual experience and I am so grateful I was there for it.

Testimonial

"Caroline is just a gem of a human being, in addition to being a truly talented photographer. My now-husband and I hired Caroline for both our engagement photos in fall 2024 and our wedding just last month. They blew us away! Our engagement shoot was in Prospect Park, and Caroline framed our photos so beautifully to capture our love for each other while taking advantage of the changing leaves and sunset. Neither of us had ever had this type of professional photo taken, and Caroline helped us feel so comfortable. Their approach is that of capturing natural moments, and it really results in gorgeous shots.

Beyond that, Caroline showed that they care about us as people right from the beginning. They take care to ask for pronouns and other ways to validate our identity as a queer couple. They supported us in both enacting traditions we felt comfortable with and creating new traditions for ourselves. As a couple of color, one thing we considered up front was finding a photographer who could make us both look good in all of our melanin, and Caroline was absolutely superb at that. I cannot sing Caroline's praises enough!"

Planning Your Westbury Manor Wedding Next?

Westbury Manor is an amazing choice for your Long Island wedding day. The grounds give you real flexibility for portraits, because you don’t have to go hunting for one decent backdrop, it's just beautiful everywhere you look. And the staff here is amazing!

And if you’re looking for a queer wedding photographer who’s fully on board for the weird, the wonderful, and the wildly personal, I’m here for it. Ready to make some magic — and maybe become besties in the process? Get in touch and let’s plan your New York wedding next!