Asuka & Anthony's Wedding at the Merchant's House Museum

In November of 2018, Asuka and Anthony asked me to photograph their cozy little NYC wedding at the wonderfully quaint Merchant House Museum in New York, NY. I would have never discovered this place had it not been for Asuka and Anthony and I can’t thank them enough for letting me experience the day with them.

Merchant’s House Museum Wedding Photography

New York as a lot of little hidden gems strewn across the city, one of which being The Merchant’s House Museum. This tiny little museum goes overlooked a lot, tucked away and sometimes hard to find in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A lot of little places like this in New York have stood the test of time, and in a way, they are very symbolic to the marriages that take place in them.

Merchant’s House has a very rich and dear history to Manhattan, dating all the way back to 1835. That’s over 180 years ago! Built by Joseph Brewster out of brick and marble and purchased just three years later by a prosperous hardware merchant, Seabury Treadwell, this cozy little row house is packed full of heirlooms and artifacts of that industrious time period. Everything from the original home furniture and decor to the Treadwell’s personal belongings has been beautifully restored and reinstalled in the Merchant’s House Museum. It really is an amazing to visit, even if it’s not for a wedding. Luckily for me, it was.

Asuka and Anthony are both extraordinarily unique individuals who decided to tie the knot in a historically unique place. I just love how they chose to make one of the biggest commitments of their lives in a building that has such a long-lasting relationship with history.

During their ceremony, I heard one of the most beautiful readings that I’ve ever heard at a wedding. They brought out the children’s book, “I Like You” by Sandol Stoddard Warburg and read passages from it that reminded them of the love they shared for each other. It was such a beautiful feeling to experience as a guest. I was so moved by what I heard and felt while they read that I’d like to share one of my favorite passages with you:

You really like me, don’t you?

And I really like you back.

And you like me back and I like you back.

And that’s the way we keep on going every day.

If you go away, then I go away too;

or if I stay home, you send me a postcard.

You don’t just say,

Well, see you around sometime, bye!

I like you a lot because of that.

The whole wedding was just so heartwarming! Asuka and Anthony have so much love for each other, it just pours out of them, no matter what time of day or season. I always find my self rooting a bit extra for couples who find each other and unite despite the differences of culture and religion. There are a million little things that make up who we are and I feel couples like Asuka and Anthony fight just a little bit harder to break down the barriers of culture and religion that separate us, making it easier for future generations to follow suit.

So, congrats to these two, I’m really rooting for them and I just know they’re going to make a wonderful life together! And I promise, we’re almost to the wedding photos, but I wanted to leave you with one more passage from “I Like You” that I found very touching. Cheers.

If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one.

If I find four, I give you two.

If we only find three, we keep on looking.