I recently had a spur of the moment and perfectly timed opportunity come my way. (Don’t you love those?) My good NYC friend, Antonia, asked me if I would be available to document her family reunion in NYC. It just so happened that I would be in town during that time AND I was available! I’ve never documented a family reunion before, so I was pretty excited about what was to come. We chatted briefly about the events of that weekend but nothing could have prepared me for the experience that I was about to encounter. 

The Friday before the event, I started seeing posts on Facebook about the great times that members of the family were having around NYC. Many of the family members were visiting from out of town, so they gathered that evening to see Motown the Musical on Broadway. Then I saw another post announcing who the DJ for the event would be. DJ Fly Ty! *does happy dance* He’s from my neighborhood in the Clinton Hills section of Brooklyn and is KNOWN for his great parties. I knew then that this family intended to rock out for this family reunion. 

On Saturday morning I arrived at Giando on the Water. This venue has an amazing panoramic view of the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges. The weather was a little overcast with the threat of some rain, but it held out for the event. It wasn’t too hot either. Perfect!

Every two years, the McCullough family gets a committee together to plan the festivities for the next reunion. A lot of time and preparation is poured into an event of this magnitude. In addition to the booking of venues, vendors, securing show tickets and hotel rooms, members of the family research their genealogy, discovering new ancestors and family members along the way. They have accounted for at least 5 generations of McCullough’s! Pretty impressive! 

The McCullough 2014 Family Reunion planning committee.

From the laughter shared amongst family members…

…to the giving of scholarships to recent High School graduates…

…to a beautiful rendition of I Will Always Love You…

…to the proclamation by the Brooklyn Borough President stating that July 26th is officially Harry and Sharon McCullough day in Brooklyn…

I can only describe the McCullough Family Reunion (#mfr2014) as satisfying, touching and fulfilling. 

Then the McCullough’s partied! And each time they danced, the sun came out. I heard Antonia say that it was like their ancestors were smiling down on them every time they danced. DJ Fly Ty kept the party live and joined in with the crowd to teach the latest dances. Fun times!

Your love for one another was evident in the amount of planning and detail that went in to this event. I loved how you all enjoyed one another as a family, how you honor your family line and how though I was the photographer, you all welcomed me in. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of the experience. I can’t wait to see what you all do for New Orleans 2016!

P.S. Click here to see more in the official McCullough family reunion slideshow!