DUMBO Wedding Photography – Even in the rain, DUMBO is the perfect backdrop for wedding photos
Update: After shooting Lotte and Chris’ wedding photos in DUMBO Brooklyn, we’ll be traveling to photograph their celebration with their family in Amsterdam. DUMBO is a fantastic place for wedding photography – there’s no place like it in Brooklyn or New York City or anywhere in the world. Getting to DUMBO is easy enough by subway and is walkable with plenty of options for engagement photos or wedding photos. If you take the NYC subway into the DUMBO area – Jay Street or High Street subways stations would be your stops – the waterfront and the promenade are just a few blocks away.
Lotte and Chris’ New York City wedding took place downtown at City Hall. When we arrived in DUMBO for their wedding photos we found an empty promenade where there would normally be tourists and pedestrians. There was rain and all the better. There is beauty in weather, especially here. The cobblestone in this area of Brooklyn glistens and the streets reflect light back. The energy – even in New York City, becomes calmer… quieter, hushed by the rain drops and the wind. And on this rainy wedding day, we had DUMBO Brooklyn- the whole thing mostly to ourselves.
Before knowing about the rainy weather, I had thought about walking through Brooklyn Heights for a neighborhood feel to see the brownstones and historic streets glistening in the rain. We were happy enough to stay in DUMBO for wedding photos- close to the water and the piers and the backdrop of downtown Manhattan.
We skipped past Jane’s Carousel in DUMBO and opted for the city blocks to shield us from the wind and rain. Along the promenade is Pebble Beach which is deserted in times of weather. An overcast scene brings out the colors in Brooklyn’s historic district- the rust and blue of Manhattan Bridge. The classic brownstone tonality of Brooklyn Bridge against the choppy waters of the East River.
We made our way to Furman Street to 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge Lookout to find an empty pier overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Maybe a tourist or two in hooded rain gear were walking around. Or the lone jogger getting in her midday run. Brooklyn Bridge Park is fantastic in this weather if you are open to it. I am one for places that avoid the wild hustle of the city. At the park there is a small walkway that creates a path with a view of the old pier and the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn side. It was a wonderful place to end our wedding photo shoot.
We end here. Happy, our afternoon shoot concluded with windblown hair but without a care. Our faces were a bit raw and rosy and yet still full of warmth. But everything still so beautiful.
Weeks later I look back at our rainy afternoon in DUMBO. And I still see a carefree and liberating energy about it all. As we plan for Lotte and Chris’ wedding in Amsterdam I wonder how those streets would treat us. Both Dutch cities of bridges and side streets and gritty corners to duck into and with more stories to tell.
For more DUMBO Wedding Photography see this post
If you are planning for your wedding I’d love to hear from you.






















Jose Melgarejo is a wedding photographer in Brooklyn, New York City. He works in the United States and travels worldwide.
If you are looking for wedding photography in DUMBO Brooklyn, contact Jose here.
New York City Wedding Photographer | Brooklyn Wedding Photographer | Manhattan Wedding Photographer