Williamsburg, Brooklyn · Wedding Photography & Film
A Brooklyn Wedding at Fandi Mata
Ciara and Drew got ready on a rooftop terrace, said their vows under a large tree in McCarren Park, made portraits in the streets of Brooklyn with One World Trade Center at the end of the block, and celebrated at Fandi Mata, a two-level restaurant under a skylight on Bayard Street in Williamsburg. BlackTie Brothers photographed and filmed the whole day.
Fandi Mata · Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A skylit restaurant hall where dinner, toasts and dancing share one room.
What the venue says. Fandi Mata describes itself as an industrial space of more than 8,000 square feet with 28-foot ceilings across a two-floor open layout: a main dining room with a floor-to-ceiling garage door entrance, exposed brick, mosaic tile tables, a DJ booth and a long bar, and a mezzanine above it with its own satellite bar, all under skylights and a lot of greenery. It is a working Williamsburg restaurant with Mediterranean-inspired food, and it books private events through its events page.
What we saw. The main room runs long under a round glass skylight framed by a ring of lights, with red-painted steel trusses overhead, round lamps hanging down the middle and plants trailing from the mezzanine rail. In daylight the skylight and the big front windows do most of the work; after dark it becomes candles on the mosaic tables, warm lamps, and purple uplighting on the wall of ivy behind the DJ. A tiled staircase leads up to the mezzanine, which is where we photographed the whole crowd from above.
Our part. Photography and film for Ciara and Drew, from getting ready through the ceremony in McCarren Park, portraits in the streets and the reception at Fandi Mata. This is the one Fandi Mata wedding we feature here, so the photographs show how the room worked for their day, not every space the venue offers.
Chapter one · Getting ready and the first look
A rooftop morning in Brooklyn
Ciara and Drew got ready on a rooftop terrace with Brooklyn all around. Her lace jumpsuit hung outside in the open air long before anyone was in it, the makeup happened by the window, and Drew adjusted his bow tie in the window light. Then came the first look, out on the terrace, with a row of yellow chairs as the only witnesses. Tap any photograph to see it larger.
Chapter two · The ceremony
Vows under a tree in McCarren Park
The ceremony was outside in McCarren Park, the big green park that Bayard Street runs along. Guests stood in a loose circle on the grass while Ciara and Drew said their vows under the branches of a large tree, with the sun coming low through the leaves. There was a white paper fan, there was a lot of laughing, and the first kiss got cheered on by the wedding party with a pair of fans.
Chapter three · Brooklyn portraits
Crosswalks, sidewalks and a painted gate
After the ceremony, the portraits moved to the streets of Brooklyn: a crosswalk with One World Trade Center at the end of the street, sunlit sidewalks with long shadows, and graffiti on the roll-down gates. The wedding party joined in for a few frames, and there was golden hour in the park too. None of these were made inside Fandi Mata; this is the city around the day.
Chapter four · The reception
Dinner, toasts and dancing at Fandi Mata
At Fandi Mata, Ciara and Drew made their entrance through the main dining room past tables of guests already on their feet. The toasts were given among the plants and candles, the first dance took the middle of the room under the skylight, and the tiled staircase to the mezzanine turned into the best portrait spot in the building. From the mezzanine rail we photographed the whole party at once.
See all 432 photographs
Ciara and Drew’s complete gallery shows the whole day, not just our favorites: the rooftop, the park, the streets and every part of the night at Fandi Mata. A complete gallery is the fairest way to judge any photographer.
The wedding film · McCarren Park and Fandi Mata
Watch the Wedding Film
Photographs hold a moment still; film brings back the sound, the movement and the pace of the day. Ciara and Drew’s 3:49 wedding film follows the same day as the photographs above, and it plays right here on the page.
Wedding film · Ciara & Drew · McCarren Park and Fandi Mata, Brooklyn · 3 min 49 s. The film plays from our YouTube channel when you press play. You can also watch it on YouTube (opens in a new tab).
Planning photography and film at Fandi Mata
Notes for a Brooklyn wedding day
Our recommendations, drawn from Ciara and Drew’s day and from how we plan city weddings in general. Access, timing and policies belong to Fandi Mata and to the places you use for the ceremony and portraits, so where something is theirs to decide we have written it as a question to ask.
Give every move its own line in the timeline.
Ciara and Drew’s day went from a rooftop to a park, into the streets and then to the restaurant. In the city every move means stairs, elevators, crosswalks and a car or a walk. We build each one into the timeline with a buffer, so portraits never eat into the ceremony start or the entrance.
Plan an outdoor ceremony like an outdoor ceremony.
Under the tree in McCarren Park the light was soft and dappled, which is lovely for photographs and film. It also means sun, shade, wind and whatever else the park is doing that day. Decide the rain plan early and tell us, so the photography and film plan can move with it.
Daylight first, then candles and color.
Fandi Mata changes a lot between afternoon and night. Early on, the skylight and the front windows light the room; after dark it is candles, warm lamps and colored uplighting by the DJ. We light the evening portraits and the dance floor so skin tones stay natural, and we time the entrance and toasts with the light in mind.
Use the stairs and the mezzanine.
The tiled staircase and the mezzanine rail gave us two of our favorite frames: Ciara on the stairs and the whole party from above. Ask Fandi Mata whether the mezzanine is part of your booking, and if it is, save five minutes for a crowd photo from up there.
Protect the vows and the toasts.
A park and a lively restaurant are both loud in their own way. For film we put small microphones on the people speaking and, when the DJ allows it, record a feed from their board. At Ciara and Drew’s reception the toasts were given with a handheld microphone, which helped the room and the film. Tell us early who is speaking.
Photography and film on the same timeline.
Street portraits are where a coordinated team pays off: one set of locations, one portrait window, and a photographer and a filmmaker who already know where the other one is standing, so nobody repeats every walk twice.
Questions worth asking Fandi Mata (and the park)
- Which spaces come with our booking: the main dining room, the mezzanine, or both?
- Is the restaurant closed to the public for our event, and for which hours?
- When can our vendors arrive, and where do they load in?
- Can our DJ or lighting vendor add uplighting, and where is power available?
- Is the front garage door opened during events, weather permitting?
- Where can we step away for ten quiet minutes during the reception?
- For a McCarren Park ceremony: does it need a permit from NYC Parks, and what is our rain plan?
- What is the timing for moving guests from the park to the restaurant?
Nothing on this page is a venue policy. The two-level layout, the 28-foot ceilings, the skylights, the mosaic tile tables, the DJ booth and the garage door entrance come from Fandi Mata’s own website. Confirm them for your date.
Photography and film, one team
One plan, two crafts, the same day.
Most couples come to us for photography first. Ciara and Drew wanted film as well, and on a day that moves from a rooftop to a park, through the streets and into a restaurant, having both from the same team keeps it simple: one timeline, portrait time agreed once, and a photographer and a filmmaker who plan their positions together, so the photographs keep clean backgrounds and the film keeps clean sound.
That is a coordination benefit, not a claim that one person working alone does worse work. It simply takes a layer of logistics off your list. Collections and current details are on our pricing page.
- A shared scheduleOne timeline built with you and your planner, so photography and film are never competing for the same five minutes.
- Portrait time planned onceWe agree where and when portraits happen, then both crafts work from the same walk instead of repeating it.
- Positions agreed in advanceFor the vows, the entrance and the first dance we decide who stands where, so neither camera ends up in the other’s shot.
Fandi Mata wedding questions
A few things couples ask.
Have you photographed a wedding at Fandi Mata?
Yes. BlackTie Brothers photographed and filmed Ciara and Drew’s wedding, with their reception at Fandi Mata in Williamsburg after a ceremony in McCarren Park. It is the wedding shown on this page, and it is our one featured Fandi Mata wedding so far.
Can we see a complete wedding gallery from Fandi Mata?
Yes. Ciara and Drew’s complete gallery, all 432 photographs, is linked on this page, from the rooftop in the morning to the dance floor at night. A whole gallery is the fairest way to judge any photographer, so we are always glad to share one.
Does the wedding film play on this page?
Yes. Their 3:49 wedding film plays right here when you press play, and nothing loads from YouTube until you do. There is also a link to watch it on YouTube.
Can we book photography and film together?
Yes. Most couples come to us for photography first, and film is available through the same team, with one coordinated plan and one timeline. Current collections are on our pricing page, and we recommend coverage once we know your date and how your day moves through the city.
How much time should we plan for Brooklyn street portraits?
Plan a portrait window after the ceremony and add the travel on top of it: walking or driving between spots, crosswalks and the occasional delivery truck. A few streets close to your ceremony or venue give you more time in front of the camera and less in transit. If you want golden hour, we check sunset for your date and plan around it.
How do we check whether you are available for our date?
Send us your date, your venue and whether you are thinking about photography, film or both through the inquiry form linked on this page. We reply with availability and a coverage recommendation that fits your day.
Wedding team
Credits
- ReceptionFandi Mata (opens in a new tab), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- CeremonyMcCarren Park, Brooklyn
- Photography and filmBlackTie Brothers
Planning a wedding at Fandi Mata or elsewhere in Brooklyn?
Tell us your date and what matters most.
Share your wedding date, your venue and whether you want photography, film or both. We will confirm availability and recommend coverage that fits the way your day moves through the city. BlackTie Brothers is a national wedding photography and film company with artists in New York, Florida and Hawaii, and we build each team around the couple and the place.