Celestine Brooklyn Wedding | Celestine Weddings | Brooklyn Wedding Photographer
If you dream of an intimate Brooklyn celebration with views of the Manhattan skyline, then a Celestine wedding may be exactly what you’re looking for.
Celestine wedding photos by Brooklyn wedding photographer Kathryn Cooper Weddings
Celestine Weddings in NYC
Mark and Katy knew they wanted an awesome Brooklyn wedding, but didn’t want to rent a traditional banquet hall and make everything fancy and formal. Instead, they wanted to prioritize fun with friends and family, and keep things simple. They found their perfect match at Celestine, a popular Brooklyn restaurant/wedding venue right on the water.
Celestine Brooklyn is a popular restaurant and wedding restaurant practically right under the Manhattan Bridge, in the popular part of NYC called DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Known for sweeping views of the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, and downtown Manhattan, you really have it all in a private backyard nook operated by Celestine. Because most of the tourists stay 2 streets over near Water Street, you can enjoy the Celestine terrace and nearby walk around less-trafficked John Street Park, which is incredible for summer and fall sunsets under the Manhattan Bridge. And that’s exactly where we headed for sunset photos.
A Restaurant Wedding in Brooklyn? They’re Quite Popular
Celestine weddings are perfect for more intimate gatherings of 75-100 people, and serves Mediterranean and modern Middle Eastern cuisine. Their glass doors open fully onto the private elevated terrace, giving you the feeling of a…how do I put this: A ground penthouse with backyard/rooftop views?! It’s a magical little place to celebrate, if you don’t mind the occasional subway on the bridge overpass, or occasional loud dog walkers. Most of the folks who pass by are locals, and will be fairly quiet while your ceremony is going on at golden hour.
As a candid documentary photographer with a funky, colorful style, Katy and Mark picked me because they wanted to capture all the moments and fun, and not worry about typical posed photos. Dancing, celebrating, eating + drinking, and talking were their wedding-day priorities. So, they loved that Celestine gave them a private space with minimal decoration or planning needed. The space is quite lovely, so just a few flowers and candles lit the way. The rest was taken care of by the relaxed-yet-knowledgeable staff, setting up the classy buffet stations, running the bar station, and making sure everyone was taken care of.
Restaurant weddings in Brooklyn are ever-more popular due to rising costs of weddings worldwide. Having a wedding at a restaurant in NYC is actually less popular in Manhattan than in Brooklyn! Many intimate restaurant wedding venues (I’ll put “venue” in quotes since they were built to be restaurant first, and then started accommodating weddings) are becoming all the rage, since they provide better food, all the seating and dining you need, and a lot less effort and planning than your standard wedding.
Other than Celestine Brooklyn, popular Brooklyn restaurants for wedding dinner/restaurant wedding venues include:
Rule of Thirds
Bacchus
Frankies 457 Spuntino
The River Café (very near Celestine, and also right on the water and with a beautiful little garden)
The Syndicated
MyMoon Restaurant Brooklyn
Aurora
…and many more. That said, Celestine is so easy, spacious in the public outdoor accessibility, and convenient—not to mention the amazing views—that it is a definite favorite of mine.
DUMBO Wedding Photos
I love photographing DUMBO weddings—and of course weddings at Celestine—because there’s so much to see. Couples who pick Celestine Brooklyn do it for the convenience and good food with beautiful views, knowing the mini chaos of NYC is a part of their day. For photos, there’s always so much to capture. You can do candids, editorial, night photos with the beautiful bridges, and more. Katy and Mark wanted beautiful portraits, but really in the end wanted to have a great time with their friends. And that they certainly did!
We skipped the crazy-crowded Water Street portraits that Instagram is famous for (or maybe it’s the other way around…but there are too many people in that area to even think straight), and instead photographed at points along the water. And once, the water even attempted to grab Katy (below)!
Getting Ready near the Brooklyn Bridge
Katy and Mark stayed at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge for their wedding weekend. While it’s not immediately close to the venue, it’s still within a nice walking distance, and was the perfect location for privacy for portraits and their first look, while giving us tons of time and locations to take Brooklyn wedding photos all along the waterfront.
NYC has really put work into the waterfront area, and places like Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Piers, the Greenway Terrace, and dozens of little paths, benches, hangout spots, fields, and more have really changed the face of this area. When I used to hang out here nearly 20 years ago, it didn’t look anything like this. Now? There are endless options for wedding photography with the NYC skyline in the background!
Where I Took Katy & Mark’s Brooklyn Wedding Photos
We started off with photos around Brooklyn Bridge Park, made our way to the lookout and gardens, and then continued our way through the throngs of people enjoying the walkways around Jane’s Carousel, Water Street, and DUMBO. Since I’m a Hudson Valley and NYC wedding photographer who frequently captures Brooklyn weddings, I had a bunch of locations picked out for shots. One of my favorites was The Max Family Garden, an oft-overlooked brick-surrounded garden and theatre that’s perfect for wedding photos.
Eventually we made it to Main Street Park, where we took a few more shots before arriving at Celestine for family photos. With no wedding party, it was quick and simple. After a short rehearsal directed by Henry of The Day Of Company, guests started arriving and pre-wedding drinks were served.
Celestine Weddings on the Water
An evening wedding at Celestine generally takes place on the backyard terrace, which allows you the perfect backdrop of the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge, all through the trees over the waterfront. As this was an October wedding, the staff at the restaurant timed the fall ceremony so the bright sun had just fallen and I could photograph these two with the soft golden light. They smiled, they laughed, they cried, and then they were married! The drinks and appetizers started flowing once again.
Everything was just fun, food, and drinks after that! A few family members gave toasts, family-style seating inside and on the terrace offered places to chat, and dancing took place right in the small restaurant’s main space, doors open right on the terrace.
A Celestine wedding cost breakdown: Weekend events are around $25,000 for rental, while non-peak days are closer to $20,000. With everything (coordinator, photo, hotel, extras, etc.), you’re looking at around $50,000. It’s not cheap, but for Brooklyn on the water, it’s not that bad. Heck, for any NYC wedding venue on the water, it’s pretty good in 2026! Plus, you buy out the restaurant and get complete privacy and customization.
Here’s an example Celestine menu as of 2026:
Celebrating M&K’s BK Wedding by Dancing Into the Night
For folks who want a more local, simple affair of under 100 people, Celestine is a fantastic choice. You can put minimal effort into coordinating, decorating, and transportation since everything can take place in one location.
Mark and Katy danced, talked, drank, and laughed the night away. They were so low stress, it was a fun, easy day for me! Plus, did I mention sunset? You basically have a world-class view of all of DUMBO.
Celestine NYC is such a rare bit of real estate that gives you gorgeous sunset views, privacy, and Brooklyn energy in NYC, so it’s no wonder that Celestine Restaurant is so popular for weddings and private events!
Below are a few more photos chronicling Katy & Mark’s Celestine wedding day, and all their personality and fun that went into creating the best wedding day of their lives. They were such a wonderful and easy couple to work with, and were happy for me to take the reigns in documenting their low-stress day.
Celestine Brooklyn
(718) 522-5356
celestinebk.com
1 John St. DUMBO, Brooklyn 11201
Instagram.com/celestinebklyn
Photography: @kathryncooperweddings
Coordinator: Henry of @thedayofcompany
Venue: @celestinebklyn
DJ: Navarro Stark of @74events
Flowers: @poppyflowersco
Beauty: @bespokebeautybridal
Hotel: @1Hotel.bklynbridge
Kathryn Cooper Weddings: Brooklyn Weddings | NYC Wedding Photographer | Celestine NYC