Top 43 Upper and Midtown Manhattan Wedding Photography Locations
As an NYC wedding photographer, one of the most common pieces of advice I’m asked for is where to shoot beautiful wedding photos in New York. Many factors come into play when making this important decision; New York is full of incredible places to take wedding photos! I can safely say that having your wedding photography done in upper or mid-Manhattan is a New York wedding photographer’s dream come true.
Manhattan is the epicenter of elegance and luxury. This makes it a perfect location to shoot wedding photos in NYC. Manhattan has a timeless and trendy one-of-a-kind charm from the iconic Central Park to the various industrial-chic warehouse locations. This provides a stylish and editorial backdrop that I can’t get enough of as an NYC wedding photographer. With that being said, there are so many stunning locations to shoot wedding photos in Manhattan. It can sometimes be overwhelming to choose.
So, without further ado, welcome to my first NYC Wedding Guide. I’ll be starting with my top picks for the best wedding photography locations in Upper and mid-Manhattan! Each week, I will compile a new list to help you plan your NYC wedding. From venues to hotels and more, all of my selections come from my personal experience as an NYC wedding photographer. I hope this will help you plan your dream wedding in New York City no matter what aesthetic you’re looking for! Let’s get started.
Central Park
Need I say more? Central Park is the largest and most important public park in Manhattan. It serves as one of the most iconic wedding photography locations in New York City.
Belvedere Castle
Belvedere Castle is a folly in Central Park, where I love to shoot at when capturing a rustic, royal aesthetic in my wedding photography.
Bow Bridge
The Bow Bridge is the cast-iron bridge that crosses over the beautiful lake in Central Park, making it a classic setting for wedding photos in Manhattan.
The Loeb Boathouse
Designed to coexist with its natural surroundings beautifully, The Loeb Boathouse is the only Manhattan venue right on a lake. The Loeb makes for a glamorous backdrop for wedding photos in Central Park.
Bethesda Terrace and Fountain
The Bethesda Terrace and Fountain are two architectural features overlooking the lake’s southern shore in New York City’s Central Park and make for great wedding photography locations in NYC.
Cherry Hill
Cherry Hill Fountain is a water fountain in New York City’s Central Park and a favorite spot for NYC wedding photography. It is located just to the west of Bethesda Fountain, enclosed in a circular plaza in Cherry Hill.
The Mall and Literary Walk
Statues of Shakespeare, Robert Burns, and other writers dot this wide promenade shaded by elm trees, making it a regal and romantic spot for wedding photos in Manhattan.
Cop Cot
Cop Cot is one of the older structures in Central Park; it is a reproduction of one of the original wooden shelters common in the park in the late 1860s.
Sheep Meadow
Sheep Meadow is a 15-acre meadow near the southwestern section of Central Park. Between West 66th and 69th Streets in Manhattan, it is one of the rare and most luscious settings for your wedding photos in NYC.
Central Park Carousel
The Carousel is one of Central Park’s most famous attractions, providing a whimsical and playful aesthetic for wedding photos in NYC.
Gapstow Bridge
Elegantly suspended over the neck of the pond, Gapstow Bridge is one of the first landmarks to discover after entering the southeast corner of Central Park.
The Pond
The stunning lake set against the city skyline, with winter ice-skating and trees renowned for bright fall colors, is a beautiful setting for wedding photos in NYC.
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre landscaped section in New York City’s Central Park, designed by the landscape architect Bruce Kelly, dedicated to the memory of former Beatles member John Lennon.
Ladies Pavilion
The Ladies Pavilion’s antique-style construction, location, and beauty have made it one of the most sought-after locations for special events, especially weddings in New York.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums and one of the most captivating spots to take your wedding photos in NYC.
Wagner Cove
Wagner Cove is a secluded cove on Central Park’s lake, with a small pavilion for quiet contemplation or wedding photography.
The Great Lawn
The Great Lawn and Turtle Pond are two connected features of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City, United States.
Conservatory Garden
The Conservatory Garden is a formal garden near the northeastern corner of Central Park in Upper Manhattan, New York City—the perfect spot for lush wedding photos in NYC.
Untermyer Fountain
The Untermyer Fountain is a memorial fountain with a bronze cast of Walter Schott’s sculpture Three Dancing Maidens, located in the Conservatory Garden of Central Park in New York City.
Wollman Rink
Wollman Rink is a public ice rink in the southern part of Central Park, Manhattan, New York City—a picture-perfect location for NYC wedding photography.
Upper Manhattan
Upper East Side
The posh, residential Upper East Side is known for its wealthy denizens, fancy restaurants, and designer shops along Madison Avenue. It’s a pretty neighborhood, with a mix of classic brownstones and upscale high-rises, perfect for wedding photography in NYC.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum located at 1071 Fifth Avenue on East 89th Street in the Upper East Side and makes for romantic, majestic wedding photos in Manhattan.
Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a picture-perfect 14.9-acre public park in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Ladurée
Laduree is a stunning Parisian cafe and bakery that offers a wide range of unique classic and seasonal macaron flavors in Manhattan, NYC. The Laduree is a romantic favorite for NYC wedding photography.
5th Ave
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City and is considered one of the most expensive and elegant streets globally.
Park Ave
Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in the borough of Manhattan and is a glamorous, urban spot for wedding photos in New York.
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 million visitors annually.
Columbus Circle
Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Columbus Circle is located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South, and Central Park West, southwest of Central Park.
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This is an iconic landmark in NYC and a perfect spot for wedding photos.
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection. It is also a tourist destination, entertainment center, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan that makes for very NYC wedding photos.
Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock Observation Deck is full of incredible sights and unique discoveries. Seventy floors above the city, it’s the perfect place for stunning New York wedding photography.
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings. 30 Rockefeller covers 22 acres between 48th Street and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
620 Loft and Garden
620 Loft and Garden at Rockefeller Center is NYC’s one of the most sought-after outdoor event spaces and Manhattan wedding photography locations.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a decorated neo-gothic Catholic cathedral in Manhattan and a classic spot for wedding photos in New York.
The Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It sits on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art. The MOMA is often identified as one of the largest and most influential museums of modern art globally.
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The terminal serves the northern parts of the New York metropolitan area. It is the southern terminus of the Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven Lines.
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a beloved, year-round New York City destination. Known as Manhattan’s Town Square, the park is famous for its lush seasonal gardens, free activities, world-class restrooms, and al fresco dining.
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States. It is also the third-largest in the world.
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States.
Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards is a 28-acre real estate development in the Chelsea and Hudson Yards neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. Upon completion, 13 of the 16 planned structures on the West Side of Midtown South would sit on a platform built over the West Side Yard, a storage yard for Long Island Rail Road trains.
The Morgan Library and Museum
The Morgan Library and Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is home to Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center hosts performing-arts institutions like the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet. Amid the grand apartment buildings of Central Park West, the American Museum of Natural History presents everything from dinosaurs to outer-space exhibits.
Hell’s Kitchen
Adjacent to the theater district, Hell’s Kitchen has long been the home of actors and arts organizations. It’s also a hub of gay culture. Tourists from Times Square and workers from office high-rises jam the restaurants, bars, and pubs along Avenues Eight and Nine.
