Queer Housing Works Bookstore Wedding in SoHo by Photographer Ezlan Powers

When you get home from an amazing trip, you just have to tell people all about it in great detail! I finally went to NYC ya’ll! I wish I’d taken more street photography while I was there. I was too busy saving my energy for this epic wedding and a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. 

The locations was the popular local bookstore that doubled as a coffee shop. Smart, right? This is the place where one can read an entire book without paying much mind to buying it. No guilt, either. They encourage it. Which I really admired reading upon doing my research on this venue. As a bookworm in my youth, I couldn’t just buy all the books I wanted. We had book fairs back in the 00’s. We’d get $20 to spend on some chapter books if you had the means. Most places outside of the public libraries had a rule about reading too long in the store and book fairs were timed shopping trips. I am grateful Housing Works vibes differently.

When Alix (they/them) and Angie (she/her) first reached out to me they were planning an intimate backyard wedding in Alix’s parents backyard in Chicago. I was excited to work with them and have a chill day with their families but COVID put our plans on hold. While they waited to host a larger event for their loved ones they decided to elope at the courthouse to speed things up a bit.

The moment in front of all their closest friends and family was the main focus for the day. They cared about portraits, but they mainly wanted to have a lot of options for their ceremony and reception.