Asher Gardner Photography — Local services in New York

My husband and I wholeheartedly believe that hiring Asher as our photographer was the best decision we made during our wedding planning process.

To say that I performed extensive due diligence on wedding photographers for months on end would be a gross understatement – from perusing every wedding publication for articles listing the best wedding photographers, to going down deep Instagram dives, to torturing my inner circle with portfolio after portfolio, to interviewing more photographers than either of us could count. I thank my lucky stars that we eventually hired a wedding planner who promptly pointed us in Asher’s direction. The rest is history.

Asher’s work speaks for itself – she produces crisp, clean, beautiful, romantic, timeless, airy photos. She knows how to make even the most orchestrated portraits look organic and natural. She has incredible instinct when it comes to capturing candid shots that no one (except Asher) knows are coming. Asher’s attention to detail is unmatched. She’ll never let a good dress/shoe moment, tablescape, dessert table, floral arrangement or invitation suite go to waste. She makes it a point to inquire about personal touches you’ve taken the time to incorporate into your special day and then she takes the time to photograph them. She is professional. She is calm, very cool, and even more collected. Asher is a calming presence amidst all the wedding chaos and stress. Admittedly, many things went wrong on our wedding day but Asher didn’t let on at all. We had torrential rain accompanied by 40 mph wind gusts, a constantly shifting timeline, late arrivals due to weather, and a large wedding party (10 bridesmaids, 9 groomsmen, 1 junior bridesmaid, 3 flower girls + 2 ring bearers) but Asher remained unfazed and laser focused throughout. She even somehow had time to edit and display ~20 first look previews by the time our cocktail hour started and email them to us by the time we woke up the next morning – I’m convinced it was only to show us that she captured incredible photos despite the weather so we didn’t have to spend the next six weeks worrying about the final product. She knows what she’s doing, asks the right questions to gather the right information, thoughtfully curates a shot list and then expertly and effortlessly executes. Every. Single. Time.

On a more administrative (but no less important) note, Asher is responsive, organized, methodical and reliable. She was always there to answer my questions about engagement shoot outfits, bridesmaids dress palettes, floral arrangements, bowtie and cummerbund prints, timelines, and the list goes on. I never once hesitated to email or text her when I had a question and she never once made me feel like my doing so was an imposition. Asher arrived early to all events and gave herself time to scout the location. She delivered all galleries on time or earlier than anticipated and they never, ever disappointed. Our rehearsal dinner and wedding galleries just recently came in and we were blown away during our first look through – we still don’t have the words to describe them. They are simply gorgeous. My family members who have seen the galleries so far haven’t stopped raving about how incredible the pictures are (and I haven’t even posted them on Instagram yet because I’m so overwhelmed by the volume + talent!).

On a more personal note, my husband and I couldn’t have dreamt up a better person (or personality) to photograph us at each of our engagement/wedding milestones. Asher is not only a pleasure to be around but a genuinely good person who is as sweet as she is professional. I have a big Greek family but Asher won everyone over almost immediately. By the end of our wedding night, she knew the names of our siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and nieces and I even overheard my cousins making future dinner plans to get together with Asher because “this just can’t be goodbye”.

In case I haven’t made it painfully clear, HIRE ASHER!!! You...

It's been over two years since my wedding, but asking Asher to document our day is still one of the best decisions I've ever made. Wedding planning is so stressful, but from the very first phone call, I felt so taken care of. Asher is a wonderful listener who genuinely loves her job, would be cool to hang out with, and truly cares about her clients. Hearing about her wedding experiences convinced me that she was flexible, creative, and really good at thinking on her feet - everything you want in a wedding photographer! Every step of the way, I was so impressed with how she provided all the info I wanted and answered so many questions without me even having to ask (so rare!), and she was one of the few photographers I saw whose galleries were more diverse, helping me to get a sense of whether her style would work with our faces. Spoiler alert: it did!

Once we decided to go ahead with her, Asher was not only responsive, but her proactive guidance made wedding planning so much easier with all the resources and questionnaires she sent. I would have been lost without her! She virtually held my hand while I worried about the engagement shoot (she made us look perfect), had a (fortunately unneeded) backup plan for the rain forecast on the wedding day, and threw a Brides and Besties brunch, which was a great example of how dedicated she is to giving her clients a first-class experience that feels totally genuine and natural. I felt so special getting to go to that brunch, and it was such a nice, indulgent treat during the wedding planning process.

On the actual wedding day, Asher's presence was so natural, positive, and reassuring. When we left for the first look, the car drove past us, and she got annoyed at the driver on my behalf. It made me feel like she was completely in my corner, and I could relax, because she would take care of things. And she did! From directing the videographers, to finding our best angles, to deft handling of reluctant/distracted children and a crying baby, Asher had complete control over everything without ever once being intrusive or in anyone's face. And while my husband had been on the fence about paying more than he expected for the photography, after the wedding, he was totally convinced and actually said that she was undercharging!

To this day, I still get comments on how amazing our photos are. And all the photography experiences I've had since then have reminded me how lucky we were to have someone who is so good at capturing special moments while letting us stay present, instead of pausing every second to pose or do something that feels unnatural to us. The photos she took of our family and guests were just as wonderful of a gift - the photo she took of a mentor who has since passed away captured his spirit so perfectly that it has been a joy to look at and remember him, rather than a sorrow. And the best part is, Asher is someone we can trust to document each stage of our lives - we just had a maternity shoot with her! As per her usual amazing dedication to her clients, she went out of her way to get some preview photos developed for my baby shower the same weekend. It can be so hard to feel beautiful as a 36 week pregnant woman, but she made me look and feel like a movie star. And now that our baby has been born, I can't wait to book our first family shoot with the best photographer in the business.

In sum: you will never, ever find a better photographer, so book her now before your...

Asher is an absolute dream to work with!! I had no idea just how influential the photographer is an orchestrating the big day, and I thank my lucky stars that I ended up with a photographer as professional, detail oriented, and talented as Asher. First, I just fell in love with her style. I'm obsessed with the natural light and bright and airy feel of her photos. She does an amazing job of capturing the little details of the day as well as capturing the candid "in between" moments that in my opinion, are even more beautiful than the staged photos. My husband and I were in constant communication with Asher during the wedding planning process and I found myself turning to Asher for advice and guidance on so many different aspects of the wedding such as how the flowers would photograph, how handle the sometimes complicated nuances of family photos, chatting about the timeline and our goals. She was almost like a mentor through the entire planning process which meant so much to us. By the time our big day came, my husband and I already felt like close friends with her. As a bride, you're actually spending most of your wedding day with the photographer and again, I was so grateful that Asher was as wonderful as she is because I didn't realize just how much time we'd be spending together on the wedding day. The second photographer and assistant Asher brought with her were equally as wonderful. During our first look I was STARVING and her assistant gave me the granola bar out of her purse. So sweet and thoughtful! We also had a few unexpected challenges come up - including a parade that was blocking our entrance to the first look and unpredicted rain. Asher handled these challenges with grace and was never panicked or stressed which also kept my calm. At the end of the night when it came time for her and her staff to leave, my husband and I were sad to say goodbye. Asher is absolutely the full package and you will have no regrets with your decision to...