Project Wedding Feature...Times Two! An Artsy-Chic Brooklyn Engagement

Last fall I had the absolute pleasure of working with a talented team to celebrate the engagement of Masha & Colin here in Brooklyn. These two are so ridiculously good-looking, it made my job incredibly easy. You can check out the full two-part feature over on Project Wedding.

Masha and I had so much fun with her makeup. The girl is not afraid of color and going the non-traditional route. She actually created the watercolor Save-the-Dates that inspired the entire shoot. So we of course wanted to tie in some color with her makeup. For look one we opted for a natural, soft color palette with just a subtle pop of lime green on the lid, and a smokey sage blurred into the lash lines.

For the second look, I was dying to see a rich jewel tone on Masha's lips. We also added some metallics and smokey plums on her eyes to dress it up to match the cool and effortless glamour these two just naturally ooze. 

Check out the two part feature on Project Wedding here and here. Thanks to the lovely couple for letting us share in their joy, and thanks to the fabulous team for making some serious magic!

Photos by Amber Gress Photography 
Hair Accessories by Thea Block-Neal of Hushed Commotion
Styling by Jenna Cantagallo 
Flowers by Kelly Cobb of 2h Flowers 
Makeup by Morgan Gates 
Cookies by Sarah Dorkin 
Save the Date and Menu by Masha D’yans

Girlrillaz: My Life For the Month of October!

Working with actress Lola Kirke on set of Girlrillaz

For the last month I've been working all over New York City and Brooklyn on a new independent feature film called Girlrillaz. It's been a wild ride with lots of unexpected hurdles to overcome, but most of all tons of fun. Seriously the best cast and crew.

Due to the unfortunate hurricane/tropical storm that has ravaged the east coast, we have been set back a few days in what was supposed to be our last week of filming. But we are a resilient (and luckily safe and unharmed) bunch, and will be back at it later this week.

For now I've had time to reorganize my kit, sort out the mess on my digital desktop that has built up over the last few weeks, and most importantly spend some quality time with my other half in our new apartment! Seeing his sleepy, blanket-shrouded face in the dark at 4:30am when I left to catch the train every day just wasn't cutting it!

Be sure to read more about Girlrillaz on Facebook and keep up with us on Instagram (@mgmua #girlrillaz).

NYC Wedding: Melissa & Justin

So remember that time I got to work with this beautiful and funny bride at a castle in Long Island? No? Well then check out the rest of the photos from Shira Weinberger Photography over on her blog. Gorgeous.

XO
Morgan

California Wedding: Christina & Paul

Meet Christina and Paul. Their wedding a few months ago in California was such a great time. You can just feel the love, can't you? For a wedding with so many incredibly tattooed folks in attendance, you may be surprised to know just how many tears (of joy) were shed. These two just make everything seem right in the world.

The fabulous Rock N' Roll Bride featured Christina and Paul's big day recently. Head over there or to photographer Matt Miller of Our Labor of Love's blog to see more.

XO

Morgan

NYC Wedding: Judith & Paul

Here's a sneak peak at Judith & Paul's wedding from back in June. They had a fabulous celebration in Southampton with their family and friends. Fun fact: The Hamptons are smack dab in the middle between the bride's hometown in England and the groom's in Texas. What a great location for the families to meet! I can't wait to share the rest of the beautiful photos by the talented Jen Huang in the coming months. For now here's a peek from right before Judith put her dress on.

XO
Morgan

Behind the Scenes

I recently worked on a short horror film called Tibieblas that my friend Niki directed. Here's a little behind the scenes photo of filming at 3:00am out in the woods & a "just got beat up and shot" touch up on the fly. Sometimes the best tools are your fingers and a palette of color.

XO
Morgan

NYC Wedding: Racheal & David

I feel so blessed to be in the midst of my busiest wedding season ever while I am still so new in this big city. I owe so much to all the amazing artists I have met out here, who have all been so wonderfully supportive. Who also recently reminded me that I haven't posted here in a while. Shame on me! So I figured what better way to get back in the swing of things than to share a beautiful New York City wedding with you!

Last month Racheal and David got married. From the moment I met Racheal I knew I loved her! She had a Pandora station going with the coolest songs (she works in music, so that was a given!), and I'm a sucker for a lady with killer bangs! We created a really timeless, yet young and fresh look for her that fit perfectly with her amazing tea length wedding dress. She brought her ideas to me as far as what she liked and wanted, then I put my spin on it. On the big day we ended up with a soft palette of pale pinks and taupey grey for her eyes, winged liner, glossy pink lips, and glowing skin. I can't wait to see more photos of their big day! For now, check out these wonderful shots that photographer Eddy Vallante shared on his blog. And congrats to the happy couple!

XO

Morgan