So, it was finally time for Kim + Adam's wedding Saturday! It feels like forever since we got together with them at the tail end of last summer, and they are two of the cutest people ever, so we were super stoked to shoot them again. Adam + family = cutest reaction to an aisle walk ever!

Oh, no doubt. Kim was dying to have that reaction shot of Adam as she came down the aisle, and you nailed it.

When I walked into Kim and Adam's house Saturday morning, I was blown away by the sheer number of photos Kim and Adam have up on the walls, in albums, printed on wine labels, you name it - it's just kindof awesome to see and made me feel a ton of pressure to kick ass all day long...which is a good thing, I like that pressure.

I also loved Kim's details - like the photo in her bouquet of her mom (she had special photos in all the girls' bouquets - super rad). And, in case you're wondering - I actually did the blog order this week in our attempt to change things up a bit...no real rhyme or reason :).

I'm so proud of you :) For real, though, thanks for doing it - I think you did a great job... as did Kim + Adam on their couple's session. Way hot.

Maybe my fav...

We got to shoot at Chez Ann on Chippewa, which I was super, super stoked to shoot in, again. It's one of my favorite salon spots to shoot in - really funky, lots of light... loved being in there!

Nice - yeah, I remember you raving about shooting in that place before - I dig everything you pulled in there - some really great stuff at the beginning of the slideshow (you know, not that I'm trying to sell you on watching it or anything...). When we got the church with the guys, a surprise was waiting for Adam - a totally sweet piper playing for him (and who stayed for the wedding to play the couple up and down - it was awesome.)

As the daughter + grandkid of pipers, I'm always so excited to have pipers at weddings - especially because we just don't see them that often. This shot is gorgeous, babe.

Thanks - hey, don't praise the selection too much. I literally just went bw/color/bw/color and then came upstairs from the studio :) Hey - these aren't even necessarily our favorite photos. For instance, my very favorite from the whole day is in the slideshow, but not up here. But I'm done being all pseudo-meta about the blog and talking about it incessantly. I'm just psyched we're staying excited about what we're doing as the season winds down for us.

One thing I absolutely adore about Kim is how ridiculously happy she is - with the exception of the emotional parts of the day, she was laughing the entire time. Happy bride = major win.

Adam, too, man - it was one of those days where everyone was happy no matter what. Kim had the wedding day planned perfectly and even Adam's little wardrobe malfunction which will remain off the blog didn't slow the couple down.

Ha! I'd forgotten about that - I don't know how, but I totally forgot about that, like, hour of the day!

Kleinhan's for the reception was so dope. The only thing that could have made it better was having Strictly Hip play it - oh, wait, Adam and Kim locked that on, too! Live bands are a huge win for receptions.

So, we were shooting some of Adam + Kim, and Adam's like, so maybe you could just take some of Kim. Ha! But she killed it alone while Adam was definitely not finishing his beer :)

hah :)

I love this - and not just because of that gorgeous photographer in the background :)

You mean the video guy? Like, you didn't move that he wasn't shooting directly over your shoulder. I'm pretty happy I give us the air of being completely incompetent and you look SO competent doing your job that I never have to deal with stuff like that :P. I kid, the video guy was great to work with and I appreciated the shit out of him lending me that rim light all night long with his on-camera light.

Also - this is so $$$.

Emotional goodness between dad + daughter? Check!

Times two!

GREAT first dance, too. You know what one of my favorite parts of a wedding day has been lately? When a bride watches her new husband dancing with his mom and him watching her with her dad, etc. I really dig that.

Definitely my favorite of yours, babe. I love this.

Thanks - hey, you just can't get more or your tall grass than at Tifft, right?

For real, Kim you are the best.

Eh, you're okay, too, Adam. Thanks, again, bro for making me feel so welcome and gor having some really great friends and family to spend a day shooting with.

And Kim's totally rad morning-after gift for her dad :) Guys, thanks so much for being super rad, and for having us with you. You, your friends and family are awesome, and we had a blast shooting you!

I just can't do it. I cannot find an appropriate superlative or even set of adjectives to describe how much we love Adam and Ashlee, who just got married on one of the most fun, passionate, and happy freaking day we've ever gotten to be a part of.

We've been dying to get into these photos and get them posted, but we've been crazy sick all week, and we didn't want to rush through such a happy day. It's true, we linger a little longer on the photos we love the most and when we (as we often do) get emotionally involved in our work, this is a really, really rewarding job.

Oh yeah, and this is the start of us just randomly posting images. Our inspiration is our photo buddy Fer Juaristi, down in Mexico, who just lets it all hang out in his blog posts and makes them memorable and interesting while not necessarily posting (as Momma Love said in the comments last week :P ) the shots people expect us to post. Hopefully it'll work better for us and show folks how we think through a wedding day, visually. And a whole crapload more are in the slideshow, in order, so dig in :).

It was actually really freeing to pick my favorite photos and not feel obligated to chose shots that "tell the story." As Rich said, they're in the slideshow in order, so I really love the idea of just having our favorites in the post.

So, Adam + Ashlee - they're kind of awesome. You know how there's that six-degree of separation? I've said forever that I think Buffalo has about a three-degree of separation, and Ashlee's mom told me the coolest story at the reception. There was this photo of Ashlee when she was four, and it was always her mom's absolutely favorite photo of her. Holding flowers, sitting in front of this log cabinesque building in her jeans + sweater and being all adorable four-year-old Ashlee. Turns out, it was Adam's property and the spot he waited for the bus his whole life. I just thought that was the coolest story ever.

That is pretty rad :). We talk about that a lot, too - you know, taking a photo or set of photos that is going to be a touchstone for couples and their families. I know I have a single, defining photo for me of my grandparents and of my parents, etc. And, I have to point out, these aren't necessary MY favorite photos posted here - but I'm an awful self-editor (I think most photographers are) and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you doing the selecting and slideshow prep. Because, honestly - I tried to do the slideshow once and I couldn't get through the timing - I get distracted WAY too easily and forget to hit the transitions.

I will say that it was completely awesome when we arrived at Ashlee's folk's house and they were asking about Murphy and Ashlee's mom was having her move where she was getting her makeup done by Allie, her sister, into better light for photos...I mean, it was great. I love the hell out of a whole family who reads the blog. You guys are incredible. Both sides of the aisle, too. It was not hard to see where Adam and Ashlee come from and why they make such an incredible couple.

Thanks - I really do like selecting for the blog. I like having the power in our relationship :)

Yeah, both of these families were amazing, and I was so stoked we got to be there for this day. Also, I love this photo :)

I am also totally smitten with this shot of yours - gorgeous.

Right on - hey, just because you don't ever wear a dress doesn't mean you wear the pants. As our three-year-old would say, "Do we need to get in a fight?"

Ha! We walk into Ashlee's parents' home, and it is filled with all kinds of amazing - her mom likes vintage pieces, and I was in heaven shooting her details there. Seriously, awesome.

It was a crazy emotional day - I think my spouse over here even teared up a little when they finally saw each other. ;)

Good lord, yeah. Like, both sets of parents were crying, Adam and Ashlee were crying, so I said fuck-it and let my inner emotional cripple roll with it. Hey, I'm still a tough guy and have the Marine Corps ribbons to prove it - but, dammit, I'm gonna let a couple drop at an intense wedding like this - just a humbling amount of love and pure, happy relief to be getting married.

And we finally got to shoot a bridal party in a place we've been wanting to take a bridal party for a long time. And it didn't rain on us AT ALL while we were out shooting - rained like crazy during the reception, but for once this summer it worked out for us and we had a great couples session with a-squared.

I would've been crazy bummed if it had rained during our couple's session considering the last time we shot them, it was so cold, we would jump in the car, put our fingers in the heating vents, man up and jump out again for a couple shots. Winter photos are so rad, but man, can they be brutal. So, luckily this time, no rain. Just crazy, crazy heat...

I also love it when we can commiserate with our couples about the heinous conditions we've previously shot them in. That was brutal - like, what, I think it was 6 that day or something unbelievable?

I love this shot of yours - I love it when folks have both parents walk them down the aisle; I just think it's rad. And I love that you caught this moment.

Hah - thanks - it was a pretty effortless day. When there is so much going on that's so damned happy....well, like I said up there a few frames back, it was a great freaking day to be a wedding photographer.

Not only was there lots of tears at this wedding, there were lots of hugs :) Super cute.

Thanks - and how great was it that Ash rocked flip-flops all day on her wedding day? Hey - so did we.

Also, babies. I loved that there were kids running around like crazy at this wedding - Ashlee + Adam are maybe two of the most kid-friendly people ever. I loved that Ashlee dropped into casual conversation their kid-timeline. I can't wait to see the adorable you two make!

Yep - we're gonna have to get in on that with some cameras, guys. And I mean AFTER the kids are born, you know we don't shoot boudoir or porn. Sorry - I just realized I typed some weird shit about "getting in" your reproductive issues. I should just shut the hell up and get on out so we can post this for you guys :).

Hell yeah.

I'd never seen someone do custom pint glasses before - waaaay rad.

Boom, and we're done. Hey - that way to blog was pretty refreshing, considering we were starting to feel like we were getting somewhat repetitious. Anyway, like I said before - I promised 10:30 and it's 10:35 - so I've gotta press "save" and let you guys know how much we love ya and how happy we are how the whole wedding went down. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Blogging drives me nuts. For some reason, I have this weird sense of guilt and obligation to show photos from all parts of the day from each wedding we shoot. When sometimes, like this day, I just wanted to post photos from Jen + Nick's couples' session, because well I loved the whole day, I am just so in love with the photos from that session. So, I tried to convince myself this would be the post where I break out of this mold I've built on the blog and just show you what I wanted to. After all, selections from the whole day are in the slideshow, so if you want to see the whole day, you certainly can. So, why not use the blog just to show my favorites - even if they are all from getting ready or the portrait session or just from dancing?

But then I sat down to select, and I just couldn't do it. I totally felt guilty. I don't even know why - it's my blog, I should do what I want, but then I started over thinking things, like a mad man (or, well, a girl), and started thinking, what if Jen + Nick think I don't love their photos (which I totally do), and I'm only proud of their couple's session? What if they think I didn't like their wedding (which I totally did!) which is why their post is different from the rest of them?

So, that's where I'm at. I want to change how I do this blog, but I don't know how to begin. So, my past + future couples, would you be weirded out or start questioning why if your post was different then the rest? I feel like once I change how I post, then it's fine, but I also don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by having theirs be the first different one. Am I being a totally psycho here? Oy. Anyway...

So, Jen + Nick! We got to shoot their amazing day, Saturday, out in Orchard Park. We got to the house, and when I saw Jen's dress, I think I actually squealed. I loved it. So, of course, I asked where she found it - turns out she saw it on a national wedding blog, saw in the comments the type of dress it was, then tried like heck to find someone in town to carry the line (no one did), or who could order it for her (no one would), so she ended up ordering it from somewhere crazy, like Indiana (not that Indiana's crazy - just far for a wedding dress!) and having it shipped here. A lot of work for a dress, but when it's the perfect one... and it was. She looked stunning in it...

She also has an etsy fetish - which I totally get. What an addicting little corner of the internet. I can spend a lot of money there, but how can you not when people do such amazingly awesome, unique wedding details? Seriously, adorable.

So good! That dress is easily the prettiest dress I've ever seen on a bride. But to your blogging point, yeah - I'm right there with ya. Wedding photography blogs are so effing ubiquitous now. We shoot, we process, we post, we gush. Hey - we're often husband and wife teams - how original :P. And for good reason - our couples pick us and we pick them because we LIKE them and we really get into the idea of them being together forever and how we can be a tiny part of that during the wedding process. And we do work our asses off - this is the most demanding job I've ever had, and that's really saying something. But it does sometimes feel that we're all just waiting for the next thing to be told how to blog, or what to blog or how to process. There is nothing I have seen quite so lemming-like as the national wedding photography community after being part of it the past four years.

But those of you who swing by when we have a new post (and maybe or maybe not even read the crap we say), we really do appreciate it. We'll keep on thinking of how we can change the site to make it more interesting and more valuable to everybody. The bottom line is we want to make what we post work for our clients, first and foremost, but we also want to make sure we're working to keep things true to our general vision of the quality we want to be producing.

Anyway, back to your regularly-scheduled wedding photography post :).

I loved this - one of my favorites from the day...

Nice, really awesome stuff, hon. These are some of the best getting-ready photos I've ever seen!

Jen's folks had a beautiful home with lots of natural light coming in - it really makes a difference to get ready in a space with nice window light coming in and not with the curtains drawn and solely lit with an overhead, yellow light fixture. I had a blast shooting in this light!

Wedding tiiiiiime.

Thank you, guest flash!

So, we headed to this little naturey-trail area, and it was a bit overcast, so I mistakingly thought it would be a reasonable temperature. It wasn't. I think, and this is a ballpark, it may have been about 15,000 degrees outside. These two, in full-formal attire, still managed to kill their shoot. I cannot begin to thank them for being up for their photos, when clearly, all any sane person wanted to do was sit in some AC with a cup of ice.

Jen wanted her photos - and Jen GOT her photos. We picked a place off of Google Maps, checked it out, and it turned out that it worked perfectly. We got the tall grass, we got the light - we got really sweaty, too...but it was all worth it.

We let them hop in the limo for maybe 15 seconds before we got to this little spot - I couldn't help it - I loved this fence. Gorgeous, guys!

And then, the field of purple flowers. Sigh. This, while sweating like mad and turning purple, may have been the happiest I've ever been on a wedding day. We saw this field and knew we had to go here, and Jen + Nick were amazing. Nick, in these photos, is currently miserable. See, this field also had an immense amount of bees swarming in it, and Nick had just recently been stung for the first time since childhood, and really wasn't all that stoked about being near the bees, but Jen's one thing she wanted in her wedding photos was tall grassy/fieldy photos. And Nick, being an awesome new husband, totally dealt with the incredible heat, but also the possibility of getting stung to make her happy. Go Nick!

So, here's the thing. We've been with a few brides on their wedding days, and most are pretty paranoid about getting their dress dirty. To the point where I won't suggest them sitting or laying down, because I won't be the person who gets pollen or mud or a grass stain on the most expensive article of clothing they'll ever purchase. I would feel awful and guilty and miserable if I caused some sort of problem with the dress. Of course, only standing limits the different feels of the wedding photos, but that's something that just is on a wedding day. So, when Jen was like, so, I really just want to lay in this field, I about kissed her. For real - that was the greatest thing anyone has ever said to me, because of course I was dying to have her lay in the field, but I was totally nervous her dress would get a spot on it, then I'd be the idiot who ruined her dress. So, yay Jen for being the awesome-est ever! I love everything about this.

So the reception was at the Orchard Park Country Club, which is a great place to have your wedding reception if you're out there looking. Colleen has always been really amazing to work with for us and we've heard nothing but good things from all of our clients who use the OPCC.

Check out the surprise groom's cake!

And we'll wrap up with a few dances...we had so much fun Saturday. A big, big, big thank you to both of you guys, all of your friends and your family. Yes, I have a couple of amazing photos of your groomsman getting his ass powder vacuumed up by your Dad, Nick. You're going to love them - but Alyssa decided we'd back off that since we had so many other photos that, you know, focused on you guys and were really good....so no ass-vacuuming. This time. (EDIT - Alyssa just told me there is, in fact, a classic, ass-vacuuming shot in the slideshow. Now you know you have to watch.)

My favorite here at the end. Have a great day, everybody - thanks to all of ya, and hit the slideshow for more!