THIS IS THE LAST POST HERE!!!!!

We are so, so happy to be writing that this is our last post at this blog address. About 100 posts after we started blogging here (prior to 2008's wedding season), we're ready to move on to greener pastures at the main site for our wedding photography. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW SITE!!! (If you've come here from a google search for wedding photography in Buffalo, etc - PLEASE CLICK HERE :), too)

If it doesn't show up right away, it's because your internet service provider will need to update to the new site sometime today...

We'll still be blogging weddings, engagements and portraits (yes, and Dear Murphy, too), we'll just be doing it with larger photos and in a cooler way to share them with you.

This blogger.com blog, along with its contents, will stay active at this address (http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/blog.html) for a while longer, but eventually we'll pull it off line and will just be blogging on our main site....which, thanks to the inspiration of everyone who has read and commented here over the last year, is now a blog, too :)

If you subscribe to our posts using an RSS reader, please update your program to pull from http://www.nickelcitystudios.com/rss.

THANK YOU, again and again and again for supporting us and our photography.

- Alyssa and Rich Mattingly (and Murphy)

Top 50 posed couple's shots of 2008

When we shoot weddings, we're really excited to spend the whole day capturing amazing documentary images.

However, we love getting to shoot our couples session, too. Usually right after the family and bridal party portraits, we take our couples for 15 minutes or so, and capture some great casual, super-relaxed portraits. A lot of times this is the only fully "alone" time our couples get on a whirlwind wedding day :).

These are some of our favorites from 2008!

Top 50 ceremony shots of 2008

It's time for another favorite's post! This time it's our favorite 50 ceremony shots from the season. Enjoy!

Top 50 preparation photos of 2008

It's time for another post of our favorites from 2008! This one is our favorite preparation shots. Actually, I should state that not all of them fell on both of our favorite lists -- who knew picking out some favorite photos would lead to marital dispute?!

Seriously, it was really rough trying to pick out favorites, and there were some that one or the other of us felt strongly about that got culled. Trying to get it down to our favorite 50 was pretty rough, but here they are 50 to 1:

Sneak Peek Post

So, you know what's lamer than posting a post about how you are sorry that you haven't posted a new post (that's a lot of posts)? Posting a "sneak peek" post because you've been running ragged on shoots for a week and are behind and the LOST premiere is on tonight!

The past week we've had several kids/baby/family shoots, and here's a preview of the adorableness, in no particular adorable order:

The full posts will be up over the next couple of days.

Seriously, we'll be back on top of things shortly because it's nearly the end of January and we still haven't hit your eyeballs with our giant "BEST OF WEDDINGS 2008" post!!! We can't wait...

Genevieve and Jonathan - Happy New Year!

Over the course of eight years, Genevieve and Jonathan had never done anything particular for New Year's Eve. So, this year, they decided to ring in the new year with a new marriage. We met up with Gen over at her house and were looking for a cool spot to take some dress shots when we peered in her bathroom and spotted the sweetest shower curtain ever (old CBGB's handbills). It's the first time I've shot a dress hanging from the shower, but it worked pretty well.

Even though it was a bit of a snowstorm yesterday morning, everyone was really relaxed and excited at Gen's house.

Sooo...if you're in Buffalo on your wedding day and there's some serious snow on the ground, you're definitely not going to hike to the church in your good shoes...a bride in boots is our kind of bride. :)

Here's Gen's gorgeous bouquet as she waited in the narthex at St. Joe's.

Rich was waiting outside for the ceremony to start and got this cute "peeking" shot of Gen and her bridesmaids just a few minutes before the ceremony began.

Look at St Joe's!! The church is beautifully decorated every year for Christmas, and they left the decorations up. The church just looked stunning.

Sometimes rings are a little snug, which is really important so that years later you don't put it on your watchband, hand the watch to a toddler in the supermarket and then proceed to lose an irreplacable band that your wife's father made for you. (Rich: I have no comment about what may or may not have happened to my wedding band when Murphy got a hold of it.) Luckily, Jon has nothing to worry about with his!

The kiss.

Right after the ceremony -- Rich and I have mentioned before that this is often our favorite moment of the day, and Gen and Jon didn't disappoint.

Gen and Jon really wanted to get a shot outside of St. Joe's right after the ceremony - so we worked VERY quickly seeing as how it felt like 2 degrees (though I think it was actually 12).

Right after the ceremony we all drove down to Babeville for the reception - one of our favorite places!

The next few shots are from the first dances. Once of the reasons we love the Church is the balcony that wraps around the former worship space. We can do a bunch of funky things with our lighting thanks to the layout.

This one is Rich's favorite shot from the evening...

And he also rocked this one of Gen and her dad!

So, we've been dying to have a couple rent a photo booth for their wedding - and on our last wedding of the year, we got our wish! The photo booth is a lot of fun for guests AND photographers.

Then it was on to some more dancing as the guests celebrated the coming new year.

"It's Raining Men" -- of course!

Usually, we try to take our couple right after the family formals to do some casual portraits -- most of the time, it just makes the most sense to do them at that break right before the evening begins (and that's often about when our favorite outdoor lighting is occuring too!), but since Gen and Jon were just enjoying their night without any formal traditions, we were able to sneak off for a few minutes and wander Babeville for a few photos.

Gen and Jon were both film majors and were really excited about doing more modern portraits. We played around with some film grain and textures, and I was pretty stoked about this shot I took in a hall full of concert posters.

Then Gen, Jon and their guests danced for the rest of the year (sorry -- I had to throw it in there at least once!). It was an amazing night, and we were really so happy to ring it in with their amazing friends and family. Congratulations you guys (and just so you know, we proofread this darn post about five times because we know you'll see our grammatical errors immediately!).

We want to send a big, giant, extra-appreciative THANK YOU to all of our brides, grooms and families who made 2008 such an amazingly successful year for us. So much changed in our worlds, from Rich leaving active duty in the Marines, to getting our studio running as a full-time business, to Murphy growing up WAY too fast, that our heads are still spinning...but we can't wait to jump into 2009 with both feet! We'll have a brand new blog-site (it'll make sense - you'll see) within the next month and we just can't wait to keep on shooting for the people who work with us to make the great photographs we love.

Happy New Year!!!

Andrea and Erik

Andrea was really excited about marrying Erik -- but in case you couldn't tell by looking at her radiant face, she had a shirt made, too!

The most photogenic flower girl ever! Seriously, how cute is she??

And before too long, we were off to the church...

Rich was over with Erik while he was putting on his finishing touches.

So, Andrea was pretty stoked about having a winter wedding -- she had a snowflake theme going from her invitations and programs to her reception decorations and favors. Needless to say, when it was 59 yesterday, and all the snow she was hoping for in her formals had melted, she was a little disappointed. But we got some great outdoor (really, who would've seen that coming?) portraits, and we tried to give some of her shots a winter feel, like this cute ring shot of Rich's.

Then Erik headed off to the church as well, and it was time to get married!

Andrea was pretty happy as her dad started their walk down the aisle...

but things got a little emotional for her when she laid eyes on Erik.

Here's a few of our favorite ceremony shots...

Then, since it was as gorgeous as you can get in late December, we headed down to the waterfront and did some portraits at the marina.

There is nothing I love more than a groom who carries his brides dress. Seriously -- I get giddy every time I see it!

So, it rained the whole morning of the wedding, and everyone in the bridal party kept looking outside and saying the helpful, "It's good luck if it rains on your wedding day," and the "I think it's stopping. Really, I think it might be stopping!" I don't know if any of that made Andrea feel better, but the truly great thing about it raining hard the morning of your wedding is that you can have a phenomenal sunset with those stormy clouds.

Why is that a giant red Christmas ornament? Yes, it is. Can I explain it? No, but it's fantastic for photos! I went for a vintage post-processing feel on this one because otherwise the giant ball of red was a bit overwhelming.

And then we headed over to the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. It is a really fantastic location for a reception -- but before they headed into the reception, we shot a few more photos on the balcony, overlooking the city.

Their cake was gorgeous -- with sweet snowflakes all over it to go with the winter theme.

And we'll end this post with some adorable first dance photos -- thanks for having us with you, guys. You were perfect and had a spectacular wedding. (And we're totally jealous that you're honeymooning at our favorite place on Earth!) Thanks, again!

Kevin and Kristine

Alyssa and I shot Kevin and Kristine's Vegas-inspired wedding at Marygold Manor last night, and we couldn't wait to get some of the photos up on the blog today.

We met up with Kristine as she was putting on her finishing touches -- a homemade veil that perfectly completed her 40's look.

Here's an Alyssa shot of her looking absolutely flawless:

The whole look...

Kristine incorporates a lot bead work in her art, and we were blown away by her bouquet - totally hand made! She also did her bridesmaid's bouquets and the groom and his party's boutonniere's. 

While Alyssa was with Kristine and her girls getting ready, I met up with Kevin and his crew at the manor to shoot some details before the ceremony. I couldn't resist getting some fun ring shots incorporating their theme. Wait until you see the cake!

This is one of my favorites Alyssa took during the day - if Kevin was stressed out, he sure didn't show it on camera. He was totally cool, calm and collected with a Joker card stuck in his fedora.

Kristine has an absolutely beautiful smile...Kevin is one lucky dude.

And our two favorite shots of "the moment."

We "borrowed" the happy couple for a few moments after the group formals, and Alyssa made some phenomenal relaxed portraits with them. I'm always amazed when I watch her work and then see her photos...of course, having a happy couple, totally in love and smiling helps a lot :).

Sailor Jerry Chucks get our seal of photographic approval every time!

And here's the cake I was talking about - complete with the mongrammed chip and little sugar dice:

And then it was time to dance...Thank you Kristine and Kevin! We had a wonderful time working with you on your wedding day, and we can't wait to show you guys the rest.

Jennifer and Mike

When we're first meeting with couples to explain how we work, it's super important to us that we hit it off...well, let's just say that when I met with Mike and Jennifer, we definitely had a good time..the meeting lasted for about three hours! I knew I had just met a couple of extraordinarily likable and friendly people, and I couldn't wait to shoot their wedding. So, this weekend was finally the big day!

If I had to choose, I would definitely want to do "dress shots" in rooms with funky murals ALL the time.

And the gorgeous tiara...

We hung out as Jennifer and her ten bridesmaids getting ready (and, believe it or not, all ten are sisters or sisters-in-law!!). Here's Jennifer getting her hair finished -- it looked gorgeous, of course.

After a bit, Rich headed over to hang with Mike and the boys... and rocked this sweet ring shot! Mike told Rich about how they had custom rings made - and the jeweler promised to break the ring molds so they're truly one-of-a-kind. That's pretty awesome.

Jennifer finished getting ready and looked stunning. It is such a joy to be around brides who are just soooo happy to be getting married!

Her aunt did all the flowers for the wedding -- they were perfect.

So, a friend of Jen's dad has this totally sweet vintage Cadillac, and he drove Jen and her dad to the church in it.

Rich caught her as she arrived.

And then it was time for the wedding. So, you'll notice Mike is wearing plaid. They had a piper pipe them in, and I totally dorked out -- my dad and grandpa were both pretty solid pipers, and there's that weird nostalgia every time I hear one. But not too many couples we shoot rock one at the wedding, so I was pretty stoked to see all the Scottish nods... only thing is, neither Jennifer nor Mike are Scottish. There's a reason for the tartan, though....but we'll get to that later... for now, some ceremony shots.

Here's Mike being stoic before the big walk...

And the ring bearer and flower girl...

I love the looks couples give each other during the ceremony. Rich caught this adorable moment between Jennifer and Mike.

So, I'm walking from one side of the back of the church to another, and I glance over at Rich as I often do, and I see him totally checking out his competition rocking their cameras. And WE get called the paparazzi!

After the ceremony, the did a bubble exit, and although it got a bit brisk after the sun went down, a lot of their guests braved the cold to give them a spectacular exit.

So, we get to the reception and freakin' Don Cherry is hanging out by the gift table, and out walks Mike whose changed into a very, very sweet jacket. That's when I found out that Mike is not Scottish, but just really, really likes Don Cherry.

Just one last thing - so, we don't actually see each other's shots until after we're done editing, whether it be a blog post or a full wedding's edits. So we both separately picked a bouquet toss photo to blog this week - almost the same exact moment! I think Rich's version (the bottom) is really funny...I mean, c'mon girls, clearly only one of you is really going for those flowers!

That's all for us - we'll be back blogging some baby photos later this week. Leave Mike and Jennifer some love in the comments!!!

Kristin and Jason

We met up with Kristin Saturday morning at Birgit's where she was getting ready for her beautiful fall wedding. She looked stunning and the great staff there finished her off by putting her veil in.

Then we headed back over to her parent's house to get ready. Her bouquet was absolutely stunning and had some pussy willow tucked in the back. As a girl who was forced to attend way too many Dingus Day parties growing up, I have to appreciate that!

Before she knew it, it was time to get her dress on -- it was a stunning gown. I love gowns that actually lace up in back -- it took a while to get the laces even and perfect, but it looked gorgeous when she was finally in it!

We took a couple quick portraits at the house before hopping in the limo bus to the church.

Kristin and Jason got married at Christ the King Chapel over at Canisius College.

Jason absolutely lit up when Kristin finally got down that aisle.

I know it's a little random to include a receiving line shot, but it was a beautiful day and Kristin wanted to go outside, and I loved this shot.

On the steps of the church.

Then we headed over to the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society for some bridal party formals.

Kristin and Jason's reception was at the stunning Williams-Butler House. It's a breath-taking venue, but they're in the process of deciding whether or not to hold weddings there in the future, so Kristin and Jason were potentially the last couple to have their party here. It would be a shame, because it is such a gorgeous venue.

The speeches!

And finally it was time for the first dance -- thanks for having us with you, Kristin and Jason. We hope you love Hawaii, and we'll talk to you soon!

JT and Carolyn

We couldn't wait to get home and start working on Carolyn and JT's wedding photos! We love shooting at "The Church" or "Babeville" or whatever it's being called these days.  Either way, it was a wonderful evening in a wonderful place we got to enjoy with a favorite couple of ours.

Alyssa headed downstairs with Carolyn to shoot some cool detail shots after we arrived. Carolyn and JT are artists, and the details of their wedding weren't lacking. Carolyn's shoes were, as she put it, the kind of shoes that come from the kind of store in NY that you can never actually afford to buy shoes from. And they worked perfectly with her (short!) repurposed wedding dress. She took her mother's dress and had it remade into an amazing wedding gown. The lace on the sleeves are all from the original and some of the lace on the bodice and back was new and matched the original perfectly.

I was hanging out with JT in the balcony, waiting for Carolyn so we could sortof engineer a "first look." JT and Carolyn had planned to see each other before the ceremony, but they still wanted to have a fun reveal and it totally worked. You can really see how excited they both are - no encouragement from us necessary!

JT checking out the AMAZING dress...

And then we rocked a mini wedding-day couple shoot! Carolyn put a lot of thought into the details of the wedding and really went for a "Mad Men" kind of of style - so I got a touch old-school with some of our processing. 

More from inside the church:

And into Hallwalls!

JT is a really talented musician and composer and we were treated to some marimba compositions by a friend of his, including a transposition by some Bach (I think?)  by the groom. Alyssa and I were both shutter-dragging...

This is one of my favorite shots from our first look at the wedding photos. We knew it was going to be really dark in the former sanctuary, so we had some stobes in strategic locations that let us do some fun things with spot-lighitng...

The is apropos of nothing - but we just love places with balconies for shooting - how else can you get a top-down shot of the perfectly set tables? 

Carolyn absolutely glowed during the ceremony - she and JT have been together for a long time now, and you could just see all the tension and pressure of the wedding day melt away in her smile.

Their first dance was so sweet...

Here' s a fun wide-angle of the Church from the balcony while the wedding guests were bellying up to the buffet...

And then some cake...

And some dancing :)

Awesome, Awesome wedding JT and Carolyn!

Bethany and Adam

We've been looking forward to Bethany and Adam's wedding all summer (though, probably not as much as they were!), and finally, the weekend arrived. Going into it, we knew it was going to be a pretty large wedding as Bethany and Adam have the most amazing friends and family -- seriously, a lot of the time, you see groups of 200 and you wonder if the bride and groom even know everyone at the wedding, but at this wedding, we knew they had very personal realtionships with all their guests. And it's no surprise -- Bethany and Adam are some of the most warm, welcoming, relatable people we've met.

When we shot their engagement shoot this summer, we told them we needed to finish up by eight. Within seconds, Adam had us cracking up because he completely pegged as having to finish, not because of our child or a deadline shoot, but because of our fantasy football draft -- which he knew because he and Bethany had finished theirs up right before our shoot. What I'm trying to say (probably less eloquently than I'd like at 2 a.m.) is that we immediately clicked with them and knew that when we shot their wedding, it would be like shooting our friends.

And friends are very important to Adam and Bethany -- in fact, their friends and family helped them with virtually all the details of the wedding, including their flowers. They bought the flowers wholesale and had a big craft project. I think they came out perfectly (including the ivy from the front of Bethany's mom's house to add a really personal touch).

The rings!

We were outside Bethany's parent's house taking some photos before heading to the chuch, and Bethany's shadow was perfect!

When we got to the chuch, Bethany was waiting in the nursery for the ceremony to begin. While her girls made sure all her details were in order, she snuck off to the world's smallest table and chairs to read over her vows.

At the same time, Adam was in the hallway outside the sanctuary getting ready to get married!

Some of our favorites from the ridiculously touching ceremony...

The kiss!

In the movie 27 Dresses, Katherine Heigl's character talks about her favorite moment being when the groom first sees the bride. But Rich and my favorite moment is the first few seconds after the ceremony -- before the maid of honor and best man even exit the church, when the newlyweds have that first moment together. A lot of the time, that's the last moment they'll have alone as husband and wife until the end of the night, and the utter joy they have that they've just finally married without having a few hundred people looking at them is amazing.

We headed over to Chestnut Ridge Park for some portraits before heading to Lucarelli's for the reception.

This was a groom who seriously couldn't stop playing with his ring all evening. He and Bethany were both beyond thrilled to have them on their fingers.

Then it was time for their first dance!

Bethany and Adam put together a very personal, fun reception. After their first dance, they shared a slideshow of their lives.

Then it was time for the bouquet toss!

So, Bethany is from Buffalo and is very much a Bills fan. Adam is from Pittsburgh and likes (ahem) the Steelers. As Bethany sat down to start the garter ceremony, their friends ran up and put a custom t-shirt on her.

Now, Bethany and Adam have a great sense of humor. Instead of going the traditional route of pulling the garter out and tossing it, Adam found almost all of Bethany's earthly possesions up her absolutely unforgiving dress, which she perfectly pulled off -- to the point that Rich and I didn't even notice anything lumpy when she came out for the garter! First he found a Terrible Towel...

Then a Bills jersey!

Finally, he got the garter out and in the air.

A great dance shot of Rich's.

When Bethany and Adam left, they did through a whole boatload of sparklers. Totally sweet exit. Thank you, Bethany and Adam, and your families, for having us with you to celebrate your really amazing day.

Natalie and Brian

I love weddings. I know -- in our line of work, that's probably pretty obvious. But since we're working so hard at getting the shots we want during weddings, I sometimes take what's going on around me for granted. I just finished going through the shots from Natalie and Brian's wedding, and although it was only two days ago, it surprised me how beautiful, emotional and full the day was. When I see someone choking up, I'm thinking how I can get to the best angle for the lens I've currently got on me, where the light is coming from, how I want to manipulate the light and how to avoid the four people between my camera and the person starting to cry without climbing in the person's face and having them notice me and wipe the tears or turn away. I don't think about what's going on for them, but after going back and remembering the day and seeing it again through the photos, I got really sentimental. I hope that's how our photos are for the people we shoot, as well -- a way to relive the emotion of the most important day of their lives.

Anyway, here's some of my favorite's from Natalie and Brian's wedding. First, a couple detail shots of her shoes and dress.

Natalie was a stunning bride and her dress was gorgeous. Her mother and sister helped her get dressed, and she almost lost it when she finally saw herself in her wedding dress on her wedding day, but she kept it together. Well, for the most part :)

The rings with a bowl of peppers than Brian grew! That makes me so ridiculously jealous -- I pretty much manage to kill every plant I try to grow. Rich bought me an Aerogarden about a year ago, and while it's pretty much fool proof, I even killed those!

Natalie was dressed and ready to go!

They were married at the Annunciation Church which was the first time we'd been there. It was a gorgeous church and full of light, which is a dream for us.

After the ceremony, we went to Green Lake in Orchard Park for some pictures before heading to the waterfront downtown.

A shadow kiss!

The reception was at Shanghai Red's. Cocktail hour was up on the roof at sunset. And it was a beautiful sunset that day!

Then the sun set, and the moon rose and it was time to head into the reception.

I loved this shot of Natalie's bouquet on the table that Rich took.

And this one of the cake topper.

After some first dances, they did the bread dance -- Brian's family is Macedonian, and they have some of my favorite wedding traditions. The bread dance is a circle dance where guests can pay money to dance with the bread. It's hard to explain, but it's really cool to watch. And that's it for this blog post -- it was a beautiful wedding, and we were honored to be a part of it.

Chris and Jenn

We met with Chris and Jenn at Spot on Elmwood just a couple of months ago, and shot their engagement session just two days later since they live out of town. We loved working with them on that shoot and couldn't wait for this wedding to come around. These guys are super rad and they got everything JUST right for their day.

The wedding took place between two of our favorite places in Buffalo, the Mansion on Delaware, and the steps of the Albright Knox. As usual, here are some shots we liked. :)

So, for starters, it makes us feel really good when couples use our photos from a previous shoot in their wedding - but I don't think any of our shots have been edible before, and we were really stoked to see these M&Ms:

We kindof joked about having the wedding date stitched on a couple different items of clothing Chris was wearing (including his custom-made suit) so he'd always have a cheat-sheet to remind him of the date...but I'm not going to lie - Alyssa has our anniversary date tattooed on her ankle and I do occasionally check...not that I'd forget, you know, just to make sure...

Custom Jack Purcells for the groom and his groomsmen? Hell yes:

Fun Fact: Jack Purcell was a world champion badminton player....in case you were wondering.

Jenn and Chris wanted to do a "mini-shoot" before they got married, so we walked across the street from the Knox to Hoyt lake and had a good time while some neo-hippies drummed in the distance.

Just about now, Alyssa tried to go all Gene Kelly on a light pole and fell on her ass while demonstrating a pose we wanted to go for - all photographic evidence of this has been duly erased...just wanted to mention it...

If you're reading this and wondering, "So, how do you get permission to get married on the steps of the Albright Knox?" Never fear, we have the answer for you - you just show up with your friends and family and a judge and you do it because that's what you want to do and it's your wedding day. When they said they were going to get married there, we thought that was awesome. I always say it's better to ask forgiveness than permission.

How good does that look? The ceremony was beautiful. As Chris knows, it is one of THE Buffalo things to do to get photos taken after your wedding on the steps. If you walk into a home in Buffalo, I'd say 8 out of 10 times you'll see the shot above the mantle is there...so what not take it a step further?

After the ceremony, we all shot back down Delaware to the Mansion and Chris and Jenn hosted their cocktail hour in the gardens.

So, Chris really took a super active role in the wedding, which is awesome for a groom - particularly when the bride is a very, very busy doctor. He wanted his love for the city of Buffalo and its art scene to shine through the details - and it definitely did. However, as the wedding date crept closer, he was afraid that Jenn might think things were getting a little "too" Buffalo (is that possible?) on her - so he made a modification to their cake order. The cake is reminicent of a Piet Mondrian piece that hangs at the Albright Knox...

As it was explained to us, Jenn works with a lot of mice in her lab, so Chris thought that would be fitting for their cake. I'd like to have been at the cake maker's shop after that phone call came in...like, "Uh sir, are SURE about that....."

We found out once we got to the reception that a few of Chris and Jenn's friends would be spinning sets in lieu of a standard DJ - and of course the music was killer all night long. The coupled danced to the Velvet Underground for their first dance - rad.

It was a great wedding day and night, and we're really happy to have been part of it. All congratulations are due to Chris and Jenn!

Lindsay and Tim

Tim and Lindsay were married Saturday, and we met up with Lindsay for a few shots at their house before the wedding. Here's Lindsay and her girls.

And her totally cute shoes!

Then we headed over to Banchetti's by Rizzo for the wedding and reception. They were married in the beautiful garden grove. Both of Lindsay's parents walked her down the aisle, which I always think is really cool. Check out her flowers - we love fall weddings!

And the hand-off to Tim, who was looking dapper in brown to stay with the fall theme.

It was a very emotional, beautiful ceremony and we saw a LOT of people were getting choked up in the standing room only crowd.

And then they were married!

One of our bridal party shots from just after the ceremony - we always do some more formal posing for group shots, but we've been meaning to bring this shot back more too. There's nothing wrong with a little slow shutter speed.

And then we grabbed Tim and Lindsay for some shots of the two of them.

And then the sun started to set, and we got the most beautiful sky to play with. Tim and Lindsay has just gotten through posing for us, but Rich convinced me we should go ask them if they were up for one more shot - after all, you only get to pose with the sunset on your wedding day once!

The wedding, of course, had a fall theme, and the cake was absolutely stunning! Lindsay actually has an Etsy store (if she says it's okay, we'll post a link to her stuff -it's so rad. The first thing Rich said he saw when getting to Tim's parents' house was a custom-made set of cuff links she made for Tim's dad out of scrabble pieces - being a huge word nerd, I think that is totally amazing). So the cake topper is handmade and came from a store on Etsy. We can't wait until we get out new blog up in a couple months so we can show even larger photos - this cake was PERFECT.

Tim and Lindsay had the sweetest (literally) favors ever. Mini bottles of maple syrup - the real kind. We're not going to to lie - Rich totally made pancakes Sunday morning :) .

Then it was time for some dancing under the tent - the weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. Buffalo can be tricky in September for weather, but we think they made a great call on their date.

Thanks for having us with you, you two. You were adorable, and we can't wait to show you the rest of your photos! Congrats, again, and we'll chat with you soon!

Mariko and Brandon

This past weekend, Alyssa and I met up with Mariko and Brandon before their beautiful wedding at the Arrowhead Golf Course. We started off with Mariko getting ready...totally gorgeous bride in a stunning dress:

Brandon stood with his "best girl," for the ceremony - and check out the white suit! I know when guys go to the tuxedo places they'll tell you things like, "wear an off-white shirt with a dark suit to accentuate the bride's dress, yadda yadda...," but Brandon looked awesome in white, and I think it only helped Mariko's gorgeous dress really stand out against the beautiful outdoor fall palette. Good call, my man.

And, apparently, mom approved as well :)!

Mariko walked down the aisle with her grandfather who made a long, hard trip to be there for his girl - and isn't that what weddings are all about? The whole scene was amazingly touching.

The ceremony was short and sweet, and the weather was absolutely perfect. Western New York is a wonderful place to be as Summer gives way to Fall.

I love the "post-kiss" celebration!

And then, of course, Alyssa and I "borrowed" the bride and groom after their formal and family shots for a few, relaxed minutes alone.

We take tons of detail shots at our receptions - but I kept coming back to the cake this time - we loved the color scheme and the spun sugar flowers - Alyssa took the first and I took the second:

At one point during the reception, I saw Mariko and Brandon leaning up against a post on the porch area, and it was just so romantic...I glanced around for Alyssa as I started to shoot...but of course, there she was, already all over it and taking some long exposures from out on the patio. That's the wonderful thing about getting to shoot with someone you trust and respect as much as I do Alyssa - she makes me a better photographer every time we go out, and she still surprises me with her unique ideas and imaginative ways to show a couple's love through their photographs.

Thank you, Mariko and Brandon, for having us at your wedding!

Jen and Johnathan

When I met Jen and Johnathan, the first thing they did was make fun of me. They are a couple who love to have fun, who love to laugh and who love each other very much. We chatted about the details of their wedding, and Jen was super excited about her red wedding dress. She decided to buck tradition and wore a beautiful red gown, and I thought that was really cool.

When she started walking down the aisle, Johnathan totally lit up.

As they got to their vows, things got a little emotional. Johnathan was completely prepared and handed Jen a tissue. While she wiped her tears, he took the opportunity to wipe his sweat, which cracked Jen up. As I said, they really do love to laugh and even at their most emotional, spent a good amount of time laughing and enjoying each other.

We headed over to their reception at the gorgeous Beaver Hollow Conference Center , and we started off with a portrait session of the two out on a dock.

We walked the grounds for a minute and stopped at a wooden swing and got distracted by some visitors.

Then they headed into their awesome reception which continued the red-dress theme with a stunning red cake.

The night wound down with some dancing (and, of course, laughing). We had a blast shooting you guys -- thanks, again, for having us with you. Your wedding was beautiful and you, your friends and family are amazing.

Bethany and Adam's Engagement Session

Back in May, when we shot Ryan and Danielle's wedding, we met Bethany and Adam, an adorable couple who were secretly contemplating the big E. When Adam proposed to Bethany a few months ago, they contacted us to shoot their wedding. We were totally excited to see them again when they popped into town this week, and we hung out with them and shot some engagement portraits. We started out in Bethany's parents' gorgeous yard.

We shot a few before heading over to the hammock where Adam first told Bethany he loved her. Of course, in keeping with the romance of the spot, Bethany and Adam climbed into the hammock, and promptly fell over.

We shot a few more portraits at the house before heading over to Woodlawn Beach.

Bethany and Adam are really a very personable couple -- you spend a few minutes with them, and you feel like you've known them forever. They also have a great sense of humor. When we hit the beach, we gave them a suggested pose, and then asked them to do what felt right.

We didn't have long at the beach before the sun started to go down, so we shot a little while and then started playing with the gorgeous sunset.

A lot of the time, things go perfectly during shoots -- the light, the personalities... and then some times, a helicopter flies into your neck.

Thanks for hanging out with us guys; we're really looking forward to your wedding. You clearly have a lot of friends and family who love you a lot, and it's going to be a beautiful day.

Erika and Steve

For a town so readily identified by its winter storms, Buffalo has the best beach on Lake Erie in Woodlawn Beach State Park. A short trip down the 5 will have you thinking you've made a really long trip to the Pacific, except you can still see the "Steel Winds" project, turning with the same gusts that wash up massive amounts of sand onto the beach.

On the private end of the mile-long beach is where Erika and Steve got married this past weekend. It was a gorgeous ceremony and reception and nobody seemed to mind the sand or the sun - I know we didn't! After a short ceremony, this perfect couple danced the night away with their friends and family. I'm inclined to shut the heck up to let the photos do most of the talking for this blog post :).

When I first met with Erika and Steve they were already excited about their surfboard - it served as a killer photo prop as well as their guest book, which you'll see below!

Shooting with Alyssa is amazing - every time I get ready to grab some images from a shoot to blog or whatever, I see hers and she just kills it every time...it makes my job a lot harder trying to take ones that match her. In the next shot, she took a lens made for shooting large architecture and turned it into a portrait lens with a funky look - I love it.

And we had to take some silhouettes, seeing as we had the world's biggest back light, aka the setting sun.

And now some reception shots:

That's all for this post. A memorable day with a very memorable couple, and we were very glad to be there :). Thank you, again, guys for being so wonderful to work with - and thanks to everyone else who stops by our blog. Don't be shy - leave us some comments!

Tony and Rebecca

It seems like only a few days passed since Alyssa and I hiked down into the Gorge with Tony and Rebecca, but there we were, really excited to be shooting them again! I say it all the time, but what makes our job so amazing is the wonderful families we get to photograph and it's just so, so easy to make beautiful images when two people are in love and everyone in their lives is on board, helping to make their wedding day special.

When we got to the "Princess's Castle" (I'll explain later), Rebecca was getting the finishing touches on her make-up...not that she needed it.

And you'll have to indulge me - a habit I've picked up from Alyssa is having to shoot into every mirror or generally reflective surface I can find:

So, anyway, "the Tone" was running around like crazy making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be and taking care of some last minute things (typical sergeant, I should know) - but he took time to remind everyone about the important things in life...

...and then, of course, he proceeded to take care of some crucial details - like tying some Guinness draught cans to the bumper of their AMAZING car. Smart move for car-dangling cans - the Guinness cans have those little ping-pong ball widgets in them so they make a lot of noise. That, and it's an accepted fact that Guinness is the best beer in the world - so you're making a statement about your taste, too.

Also speaking of the small stuff - Tony had Rebecca do a spot inspection of his shave.

Rebecca's gorgeous flowers...

...and Tony's.

Tony and his best man took a walk to the local church. Don't worry, it was only a block away!

But you don't make a bride walk on her wedding day...ever.

You think Rebecca and her bridesmaids were excited?

And then they were married! So, I mentioned the car earlier, right? Check out the Dodge Challenger. We were super-focused on the couple, but I definitely could have photographed that car for a while. Best part? It's been in the family for the entire life of the vehicle, and it just recently came back from the shop after several years of restoration. So here's a couple shots of Rebecca and Tony leaving the church.

And then Alyssa and I settled in for a relaxed portrait session after shooting the formals...

Here's some shots from the reception - enjoy!

And it wasn't just us - pretty much everyone had to take a picture of the stunning couple. I mentioned calling Rebecca's house the "Princess's Castle" earlier. Well, one of the sweetest moments of the reception came when one of the guest's young daughters asked, no demanded, that her father go up and get "A picture of the princess." It was a really, really cute moment.

Great night, amazing couple - thank you Tony and Rebecca for having us capture your wedding day, we can't wait to show you the rest of your photos!

Kristy and Tom

When we met Kristy and Tom, we immediately liked them -- and not just because of the Driveshaft bumper sticker on their car. They're a really down-to-Earth couple, and we couldn't wait to work with them on their wedding day. Here are a couple shots of Kristy getting ready:

The rings!

And a shot of Tom and his best man, clearly very nervous and stressed about his impending nuptials.

While Kristy waited in the limo, outside.

Finally, it was time!

Kristy and Tom rocked the bubble exit.

Over at the gorgeous Wanakah Country Club, we shot some formals before the reception.

And then it was time for the reception. The bridal party all entered dancing and having a blast -- the best man totally won the "best entrance" competition, though.

A couple detail shots from the reception.

And then it was time for dancing.

Thanks for having us with you, guys and have a blast on the honeymoon! We'll talk to you soon!

Jenn and Jeff

We met up with Jennifer on her wedding day at Merle Norman to get her makeup done. She had an early morning, marathon hair braiding session, and it definately rocked.

Jenn and Jeff decided to see each other before the ceremony, so we did some formals at the Garden Place Hotel. It's always nice when couples do decide to see each other first -- it allows us to get the formals and allows couples to get right into their receptions.

One of the first things we loved about Jenn and Jeff were how funny and relaxed they both were. It made for some seriously fun pictures throughout the day. This one was supposed to be romantic...

And how can you not love the mohawk-tux look?

They picked up these cool silver rose ring-carriers for the ceremony.

And before they knew it, it was time to head down the aisle:

Exchange some rings:

And then they were married:

Right after the ceremony, the chose to do a dove release via the White Dove Company, which Rich and I thought was really fun (They're technically white pigeons, so they aren't just being released -- they fly home).

We took Jenn and Jeff away for a mini-portrait session, and these are a few shots we loved from it...

So, one of Jenn's sisters joined the military and couldn't be at the wedding to be with her sister. Jenn absolutely lit up when the DJ announced he had a very special phone call for her -- of course, it was her sister. She chatted for a little while, then the DJ played a really special radio clip. Jeff had actually proposed to Jenn on a radio show, and one of the groomsmen recorded the clip and saved it to be played at the wedding. It was seriously cool -- especially since Jeff and Jenn are both pretty hard rockers. She had warned us it wouldn't be a typical wedding -- that it was going to be a metal wedding. And, they were, in fact, our first head-banging newlyweds.

I really liked this shot of Jenn's ring.

Everyone got into a celebratory mood.

And these were a couple of quiet portraits toward the end of the evening.

Congratulations, again, guys. We seriously had a lot of fun with you -- you've got a great group of friends and family, and we can't wait to show you the rest of your photos!

Courtney and Cory

The scene was "Babeville," as it is now known...and down in the basement, next to the hulks of now-defunct boilers and crazy colors of paint on the new walls, we found ourselves shooting another great couple with Buffalo in their hearts.

When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was Cory looking over his vows cheatsheet. I was really touched at his last-minute changes...that's one determined groom who wants everyone to know it.

And this is Courtney, who was working out some last-minute nerves.

Cory wasn't nearly as relaxed as he looks here, either. It was definitely a case of two people who really, really could not wait to be married as we got closer to the ceremony time.

After the ceremony we got the chance to do some portrait work with the "C's"

And then it was party time...

Wow - another great wedding...Thank you again, guys, and we can't wait to show you the rest of your photos!

Yang and Ben

When I first met Yang, I was floored by what an amazing, beautiful and gracious woman she is. I couldn't wait to shoot her wedding, and we got a treat in that she got married twice in one day! We started the day meeting up with her and her future mother-in-law at Capello's Salon in Williamsville to get her hair and makeup done. She was nervous, but already glowing.

The wedding was held at Samuel's Grande Manor. Yang had a lot of planning to do solo as her fiance, Ben, had recently moved to Zurich. Her mother-in-law stepped in and helped Yang with a lot of the planning details, and even made her gorgeous wedding dress.

Now, Ben's best man is holding a trombone because he and Ben are both professional trombone players.

Actually, strike that -- make that the groomsmen all are trombone players. The groomsmen (and a couple guests) played the bridal party down the aisle in what was probably the coolest entrance I've ever seen.

The ceremony was in the Manor's beautiful gardens.

Then we took some portraits of Ben and Yang before changing for their second ceremony.

Yang is from Beijing, so in addition to a western ceremony, they decided to also do a Chinese wedding ceremony. This is a shot of dress number two.

And a couple shots from the ceremony.

A Chinese wedding is a ceremony in which the couple offer all the parents tea.

And then share some together, along with some figs, for a sweet life.

Then it was time for a third dress change and some dancing.

And a parting shot of Ben and Yang dancing. Thank you guys for having us with you on your wedding(s) day. It was a great day, and we wish you the best of luck in Switzerland!

Leigh and Tom

Last weekend we also got the cameras firing for Leigh and Tom, yet another awesome couple who we were so excited to see again! They got married at the classic Avanti Mansion and the weather cooperated for an absolutely glorious outdoor wedding.

The first shot is a pre-wedding present Leigh got from her mom: a beautifully framed copy of her invitation:

And, of course, here are some of Alyssa's signature detail shots. I really, really like the how the bouquet came out - it's so simple and perfect...

Leigh, her sisters and her mom are clearly very close. Leigh and her Mom were posing for a shot together just before Leigh headed downstairs to be married when they had a truly beautiful moment together.

And enter our man, Tom:

He was so obviously excited to get married...and it was beautiful how he walked down part of the aisle with Leigh.

Here's a long shot just to give you an idea...the Avanti is really amazing for outdoor weddings and I love the amphitheater style seating - I've never really seen another venue set up quite like this.

The kiss...

And the couple...

And then we were off to the reception - another great thing about the Avanti? The massive reception tent is in the front yard...and that's where things got started with the toasts.

And then they danced...

And loved each other...

And danced some more...

Even Grandma got in on the action!

Leigh and Tom - you guys were so great to shoot and so much fun to get to know throughout this process! And with one last shot, we'll sign off for this post...you always have to be ready to shoot, because you never know when someone's guest will stand on their head :)

Melissa and Jason

We just shot two more amazing weddings this past weekend, and we couldn't wait to post the first. Alyssa and I traveled down to Erie, PA on Saturday to shoot Melissa and Jason's big day:

Here's some shots taken while Alyssa was hanging out with the girls at the salon...

...and showing off Jason's pre-wedding gift...

...and then putting on Melissa's stunning Maggie Sottero dress.

Meanwhile, I was with the guys getting ready. Jason is really, really into comics among other things, so he and his groomsmen represented the "S" with some awesome Superman cuff links.

I would be extremely remiss in describing the wedding day if I didn't mention Melissa's gift to Jason - a monogrammed bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Oh, and do you see the tv screen? That's a pretty cool coincidence, all things considered...there is even more comic-themed goodness later.

We headed to St Peter's Cathedral in Erie for the ceremony and I totally caught Melissa peeking over the screen before she started her walk:

Here's some quick shots from inside the cathedral during the ceremony:

Right after the wedding we went to Mercyhurst College for some fun, informal shots with the wedding party.

This one was my favorite that Alyssa took - the bridesmaids look like they approve :).

M and J had their reception at the Avalon. Jason put together a really awesome slide show for the reception.

And then they had their first dances.

And now I finally get to pimp Jason's amazingly re-done classic comic book covers. Each one was made with Jason and Melissa as the subject...really, these were absolutely incredible and I'm sure Jason is going to continue to have an amazing career.

My favorite detail shot:

And as our parting shots - the circle serenade.

Thanks for everything, guys!

Jessica and Jon

Jessica had two goals for her wedding day: marrying the man of her dreams, Jon, and not wiping out walking down the aisle. She probably should have added: avoiding evacuations of her hotel, but we'll get to that in a minute. First, some getting ready shots of the breathtaking Jessica.

And a quick detail shot of her shoes:

One thing you notice immediately about Jessica is how happy she is. If she isn't laughing, give her about ten minutes, and something will make her crack up. As a photographer, that's the best quality someone can have -- a big, genuine smile.

And a quick portrait of Jessica after she got into her dress.

So toward the end of her getting ready, the fire alarm went off in the hotel. Normally, it's a bit of a pain to have to evacuate a building, but when you have to climb down seven flights of stairs in heels and a wedding gown, through cobwebs and dirt from the room you were preparing for your wedding in, it could ruin your entire day. Luckily, Jessica is very much not the bride who let it bother her. She laughed and made her grand exit from the hotel down it's back stairwell,

with about one hundred strangers,

and the Buffalo Fire Department.

Meanwhile, Rich was over with Jon and the gentlemen at the 1-1-3.

Jon rocked the sweet monogramed cufflinks.

And I really dug this portrait Rich shot at the church of Jon and his best man.

Jessica and Jon were married at the Christ the King Chapel at Canisius College. Here are a couple shots from the ceremony.

And Jon breaking the glass.

Then we headed to the reception at the Buffalo Yacht Club.

We took Jessica and Jon for an intimate portrait shoot on the docks of the club. Taking fifteen minutes to walk around alone and shoot a couple is one of our favorite things to do. We get to take photos without 100 people watching, and that allows our couples to be a little more intimate on a day when they really often spend a bulk of their time talking to other people. We always find these shoots give us our favorite shots of the couples such as these of Jessica and Jon.

I'm going to dork out a little for a minute. We really fell in love with Jessica and Jon taking these photos. They are a couple who clearly are very much in love, and they were even adorable when we weren't around.

Another thing we loved about them is that they are really into surprising each other. Jon is taking Jessica on a surprise honeymoon. They leave Wednesday, and she will have no idea where they are headed until they get to the airport. I don't know how many brides would really love that, but I think it's amazing. Rich and I weren't going to honeymoon, but he surprised me with one, as well. Though, I found out about mine the week before, and I got to know the destination. But if she has any reservations about where they may end up, you can't tell. I'd even wager she loves the idea. But back to the photos! Jessica surprised Jon, an avid hockey fan, with an amazing groom's cake. That's right, a replica HSBC Arena cake.

And we'll leave you with some dancing photos from the reception. I just want to thank Jessica and Jon, again, for having us with them on their wedding day. It was amazing.

Erin and Jon

I'll start off this post with one of those cool, "in-between" moments that we like. Meet Erin, gathering herself before making "the walk":

Erin and Jon got married last weekend at Niagara University's Alumni Chapel. Jon had gone to school there and since he played sports there, well - let's just say there were a couple of different reasons this couple chose their venue that will be revealed in a few photos...

Erin and Jon had their little one, Alex, along - which is really tough. We know, because Alex is just a few months older than Murphy. Luckily, bubbles are the solution to most two-year-old problems!

So, we knew things were going to be a little different when Erin told us about her sparkly wedding Converse slip-ons, but we weren't sure if she was joking or not when she asked us if we could skate. Well, we got the message when it was goodbye Chucks, hello Bauers!

Pretty rad, huh? Jon had gotten a hold of one of his buddies from his days at Niagara - and we got access to the rink!
I'm not sure, but I might have seen Jon putting on the foil. Nevertheless, Alyssa caught the couple "between the pipes," being cute during our group portrait session.

Jon did give me a little assist in keeping the girls' session loose...

Nice wrister! Seriously, getting to hang out on a rink with Erin and Jon and their bridal party was pretty rad, especially on such a hot day. We can even forgive the fact that Jon was definitely wearing a Red Wings t-shirt under his tux :).

Erin and Jon had their reception in Amherst, and we got to hang out with some really fun people all night! We'll leave this off with one last shot...we were loving Alex and his fascination with the giant cake :).

Kate and Josh

Kate and Josh got married this past weekend at the historic St. Louis Church in downtown Buffalo. If you're looking around Buffalo for an absolutely stunning, traditional tableau for your wedding - St. Louis should be on your short list. They held their reception at the Statler Towers, which was the second time in as many weeks we got to see the awesome receptions our friends at Park Lane Catering put on at the Towers.

Here's some shots from our day with Kate and Josh - Alyssa and I hope you enjoy them!

I was hanging out with the guys, of course - and we got there a few minutes early, which allowed us some time to chill out on the steps.

Then we headed to the sacristy to make sure Kate and her party could arrive unseen before the wedding.

When choosing a more traditional Roman Catholic ceremony, a lot of couples don't necessarily get a chance to add personal touches. Josh's dad playing guitar and singing, both solo and with a bridesmaid, was awesome.

Here's Alyssa and I doubling up for the big exit - can you play, "spot the photographer?" This is an easy one...

By the way - good job on the bubbles, guests! Let me pause here for a moment and explain the "bubble exit" thing...It's awesome in theory, but you really have to get your family and friends on board to pull it off. Of course, you could get something like this - but that might be considered overkill...

As I mentioned, we were back at the Statler this weekend - but this time we were in the Golden Ballroom. Kate and Josh had great-looking table cards made with old postcards from traditional Buffalo sites...

Best feature for us in the ballroom? The second tier, which lets us get a higher angle on things like the couple's first dance...

...or the Maid of Honor's toast.

So that's all for now, but well be back with more posts later in the week. I'll leave off this wedding with one of the more typical sights from the reception...let's just say everyone had a really good time.

Juli and Willie

I wanted to subtitle this post, "The Best Wedding Present Ever," because I truely could have done an entire blog post about Juli's amazing present to Willie. However, this post is not about her wedding present, it's about her fantastic wedding. I don't think I've ever seen the level of family participation in the wedding preparation as I did at Juli's. She got ready at her parents home, while her family ran around putting the final touches on the reception site -- their backyard.

When the van arrived with the flowers, I was a bit floored by the never-ending supply of flora that was carried into the house and yard. They were, in a word, stunning arrangements. The bouquets were some of the most beautiful I've seen. Juli told me she told the florist she wanted each of the bouquets to be different and unique, but similar and ended the direction at that. They each had a unique flower, but all the same color palette. I don't think florists often get brides who give them so much artistic freedom, and in the end, Juli was thrilled with result. This is one of the bouquets with the rings.

Meanwhile, Rich was with Willie and the groomsmen getting ready. I loved this portrait of the group. It's difficult to get a shot like this -- to get the reflection well-lit and sharp, you often have to blow out the skin, but Rich nailed it and was able to keep all the detail.

At Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Juli walked down the aisle with her father and a piece of her mother -- that's her mom's veil. She changed into a shorter one after the ceremony, but I thought it was a really amazing gesture. Plus, the veil worked perfectly with her absolutely stunning (though, I'm told, quite heavy) lace and beaded gown.

We only shot a couple of quick portraits on the steps of the church. Again, this is why I totally love having the both of us shooting -- Rich took this informal portrait (that also set the stage for a Fourth of July weekend wedding) while I was setting up the second shot of the bridal party.

Then we headed back over to her family's land for some more intimate portraits of the two of them. When I went out to Juli's parent's house a few months ago, we chatted around their table and Juli mentioned she wasn't sure where to do the portraits. Then we walked out back and I saw the small lake (they call it a pond, but it must be 50 feet across), perfectly landscaped gardens and the grape fields. And I thought, "Huh, I think this might do." These first two, again, are a simultaneous moment -- I'm able to set up a posed shot, and Rich can get a little creative with the angle, without taking extra time to set up different poses.

This is one of my favorite shots of the day, because I love a daytime silhouette, and you don't often get the right lighting and the right landscape at the same time. But they had a beautiful hill, some grape fields, and the sun in the right direction to make it work.

Okay, so I've already raved about the flowers, but I have to give a shout out to the cake, as well. It was straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine. She had each tier separated by a different color of fresh flowers, and I think it's just gorgeous.

As I mentioned before, Juli had a surprise present for Willie that made the rest of us recent brides look terrible. Seriously, how do you compete with a Mister Softee truck arriving at the reception?

As you can tell by his affection for the truck, Willie loves Mister Softee. Apparently, he's known to chase the truck down, and, rumor has it, that the Mister Softee in his neighborhood knows him by name. Clearly, Willie was thrilled by the present, and he made sure everyone knew, he married the best woman, ever. And seriously, with a surprise like that, I think he just might have.

After everyone got their ice cream, it was time for some dancing under the tent. Juli's parents worked so hard, personally, on getting all the details to work perfectly for the wedding. I'm told, shy of setting up the tent, her dad did almost everything else. I think it was a family effort, though. One of Juli's bridesmaids told me when she'd talked to Juli earlier in the week, she was busy toasting walnuts for the salads.

The evening wrapped up with a spectacular fireworks display. From across the "pond," her uncle set off a phenomenal 30-minute show. It was a perfect way to end an amazing day, and Rich and I were so thrilled to be a part of it. Congratulations, you two.

Jeff and Cherae

We got to shoot two amazing couples this past weekend and we are really, really excited after going through the photos for our initial edits. The first couple was Jeff and Cherae, who got married at the Statler Towers in the Terrace Room.

I want to digress for a moment before I get into the photos. Alyssa always goes with the Bride while I hang out with the groom and his party for our "getting ready" shots. This means I don't get to really see the cool, bridal behind-the-scenes stuff until I see the photos Alyssa is pulling for our final edit. Since I'm not around before the dress goes on, I get to experience that part of the wedding vicariously and only through her work. What I love about her photos is how she very purposely unveils the bride's day, moment-by-moment, little-by-little through her images...

She always catches the little things...like Bride and Dad checking out the dress...

And, of course, getting dolled up for the walk down the aisle...

I really liked this one that I grabbed from behind one of the Terrace Room's pillars as Cherae was making "the walk" with her parents. All three faces tell the story: Dad is thinking about his little girl and her future with the new man in her life - so he's focused on Jeff. Cherae is positively beaming at how all of her friends and family have come to celebrate her love. On the right, Mom is barely holding back tears of joy.

Speaking of beaming, I hate to be super cheesy - but Cherae's smile was easily brighter than the Statler's huge windows, streaming in the afternoon light.

Soon, the marriage was complete!

After the vows and the formal portraits, the four of us headed down to Niagara Square to get some more posed shots with Buffalo as our canvas backdrop.

Then it was time to celebrate!

This wedding rocked - Jeff and Cherae were an awesome couple to work with (Thanks guys!!!). Check back with us tomorrow and we'll have some photos from the other wedding we shot this weekend up - Juli and Willie!

Stephen and Judy

When Stephen and Judy told us they were going to be having their wedding at Buffalo's Botanical Gardens with a reception to follow at the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora, I started daydreaming about their wedding. Honestly, if we were getting married in Buffalo and had to do it all over again - that's exactly how I would want to do it. Both locations are amazing, and the Botanical Gardens are a photographer's best friend with all that wonderful available light and brilliant flora. The Roycroft speaks for itself - they put on a great spread from cocktail hour through dinner and it is easily one of the most elegant reception facilities in New York State.

I was also excited because we could already tell how much fun this couple was going to be to work with, even if we had to photograph them in a cave. And speaking of the photographs, here they are :)

Judy looked GORGEOUS all day long. Alyssa, of course, headed down to the Roycroft to get some shots of her and her bridesmaids getting ready.

And here is just one of the many reasons we like the Gardens:

Judy and Stephen both had little suprises for each other on their wedding day, which was really sweet to see. Judy decided to wear a veil even though it really wasn't her thing - but she knew Stephen wanted that "lifting the veil" moment after she walked down the aisle....and so he got it (and got a beautiful smile from underneath)!

Stephen's suprise was singing, "Grow Old With You," from Wedding Singer, which was hilarious and really set the mood for the whole day. Stephen - you sounded great!

Now that I've buttered Stephen up, I have to let him down a little - We had to include at least one of the "Stephen sweats" series - it wasn't his fault, the downside I didn't mention when I was glowing about the Gardens earlier is that there isn't much of a breeze in there on a hot day:

No worries, though - Judy was all over it.

Alyssa wanted to include this celebratory shot because she thought it so Stephen and Judy. They have a great time together and aren't afraid to dork out a little bit and just have fun...which is huge as a couple.

Then it was on to the Roycroft Inn, and Stephen's brother gave the couple this amazing water color of the two of them together! He immediately showed it off to everyone - and Alyssa managed to shoot the front and the back of the painting at the same time...my gal is a special lady with the lens...

The favors were a nod to both of their heritages - a traditional wedding coin and some sweet, engraved chop sticks!

So, the wedding turned out to be everything we hoped for and more: Gorgeoues settings and a bride and groom absolutely, completely in love.

Our congratulations to Stephen and Judy!

Jennifer and Michael and Susan and Tyler

We shot the weddings of Jennifer and Michael and Susan and Tyler down in Allegany State Park. It was the first time we'd been to the park -- a gorgeous, enormous park, and the first time we'd shot a double wedding. Michael and Susan are siblings who married Jennifer and Tyler at a double wedding ceremony in the woods. It was beautiful, but being the woods, it did require some nontraditional wedding preparations.

Jennifer and Susan got ready in some cabins at the park (this one is Jennifer).

And then hid behind tented areas at the wedding site while the guests and grooms arrived (this one is Susan).

The ceremony was a double wedding, but it was still broken up to allow each couple to experience the elements of the wedding independently. The way they planned it was really neat to watch. You know the brides are good friends to be willing to share their day!

We took some quick outdoor portraits of the couples before heading over to the luau-themed reception.

The couples did their first dances in an area drapped with lights. As the first dances were coming to a close, a light rain started to fall, and the girls danced in the rain. It was a beautiful day, and while it ended being a very wet day, I've never seen two brides less bothered by a little water.

Jenn and Dennis

It's obviously become a huge trend among modern wedding and portrait photographers to blog about their weddings and other photo shoots. I think the general idea is that it lets you reach out to your most recent clients while you're editing their event and show them a few sneak peaks so they get excited about your work. Maybe more important to some shutterbugs, though, is that it also shows everybody your most recent work. I think most photographers are like us and have galleries on their site that are at least a year old or more...I love our blog, but we're awful at updating the site!

For me, the most important part about blogging is quickly becoming the opposite of the first point above. When I blog a few photographs from a wedding of a couple like Jen and Dennis, I totally get excited about wrapping up the editing and getting the images ready for delivery. It really energizes me.

When Alyssa and I are watching a wedding day unfold in front of our cameras, we're working our butts off to capture moments and get exposures just right, etc. When we get back to the studio and start going through our selection and post-processing of an event - that's when we can really step back and appreciate the magic of a couple and their passion for one another.

Sorry for rambling, but Jenn and Dennis put it all in perspective for me this morning. What a fantastic couple:

Alyssa captured this "moment between" while she was setting the girls up for a more posed portrait of the bridesmaids...I love it. Alyssa told me Jenn's maid of honor is just off-camera and may or may not have been the source of hilarity.

Meanwhile I was hanging with the man himself, looking debonair despite what I imagined was a decent case of the butterflies. I could never tell because Dennis was just very relaxed and happy to be marrying Jenn. Some couples overly stress about the details of their day, and I'm sure they did in the days prior at least a little - but on the big day the important part was being together.

Alyssa took up position above while I shot below. Did I mention she is completely addicted to capturing other peoples' flashes?

She's also into reflections - like the mirror on the organ!

I was into Jenn's mega-watt smile, which she was saving for Dennis when they knelt at the altar.

This was a shot I really dug from the reception at Kloc's Blossom Grove in West Seneca, just outside of Buffalo.

And then I started playing with some guerrilla off-camera flash. Basically, I'll sync a radio-control unit to one of my small flash units and set it off from some oddball location - usually to create a cross-lighting or back-lighting effect for something different. This is Dennis helping Jenn out with the family tradition of the wedding wine skin while his dad looks on.

In this shot, Alyssa is doing her best ninja impression, holding the flash behind them while I snap away - good thing we wear all black suits!

And one last one for the road...Congratulations, Jenn and Dennis!

Cathy and Arvind

I should start by saying when Cathy and Arvind did an engagement session with us, we got really excited to shoot their wedding. You know, that's a pretty dumb statement, actually, because shooting couples a few months before their wedding is always awesome - and it always makes for a better relationship between us on the big day.

Our day started out like it usually does, with Alyssa spending time with Cathy and her family...

I cracked up when I saw this shot Alyssa took of Cathy's parents' cat. I mean, we have a cat (Wilma) that we're pretty fond of even though she looks at us sometimes with serious disdain and maybe even a little loathing...and their cat has definitely got the general feline, "I'm not all that impressed" look going:

All that aside, Alyssa and I met back up at the church, SS Columba-Brigid church in Buffalo. The church was recently built when the parish lost their old building to a massive fire. The huge stained glass window made a wonderful backdrop, even though I think these two are so in love they could have gotten married in a cave and been beaming like this.

Since Cathy and Arvind were having their reception at the UB Center for Tomorrow, we headed over to Baird Point for some group photos. I think Alyssa did some really nice work on this image. Instead of trying to force something involving rows and seated/standing people, yadda yadda with such a large group, we just had everyone stand naturally and we made Cathy and Arvind more of the focal point of the image...which is as it should be. I like the obvious symbolism of having the entire new family standing together behind them.

So, the hi-light of the reception was definitely the "stick dance," which everyone learned and then performed together. The whole reception was really neat, with nods to Cathy's home of Buffalo and Arvind's home of India. There were Buffalo wings in steam trays right next to samosas and two serving lines of food with traditional Indian and Americana. All the hard work to honor both traditions really paid off in a really classy reception.

Thanks for reading, and thank you, Cathy and Arvind!

Carrie and Eric

When we went to get directions to Carrie and Eric's wedding, we laughed. They were married at the Twentieth Century Club, a gorgeous mansion a block from our studio. In all honesty, we've passed this building once a day for the past two years, and we had no idea it existed. What an amazing venue for a wedding. It's a women's club and has been for a century, with an absolutely gorgeous garden where they held the ceremony. Here's a shot of the stunning bride getting ready.

As well as a shot of Eric, right before he headed down to the gardens.

The bridal party was getting ready in a wing of the mansion with these heavy sliding doors that lead to a central room upstairs where the guys were getting some pictures taken. The following shots are why I absolutely love having both of us at weddings.

The garden was set up with pristine, white chairs and the aisle perfectly lined with fresh rose petals for Carrie's entrance.

This shot is one of Rich's. When I was looking to make certain he had a good angle coming up on the kiss, I couldn't help but smile as I played, "Where's the photographer?" and found him hiding in a bush. Here's a few of my favorites from the ceremony.

You can never go wrong with a bubble exit. I'm still waiting for a wedding planner to have some Gazillions of Bubbles lining the aisle. Seriously -- Best. Toy. Ever.

The next few are a few dancing shots from the reception. It really was a fun crowd, doing some really serious dancing, and a wedding we loved being a part of. Congratulations, again, guys. You were perfect.

Muralee and Abhi

We've been involved in some really breathtaking weddings so far this summer, and Abhi and Muralee's marriage was certainly no exception. As photographers, it was a joy to be working with the incredibly rich visuals of a traditional Hindu ceremony. I met up with Muralee the night before at Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam (near Rochester, NY) while Abhi was performing Puja.

The temple was buzzing with activity as Abhi and Muralee's family and friends prepared for the celebration.

The next morning, Alyssa went to Abhi's parent's house while she was getting ready for the day. She told me that the amount of work that went into preparing Abhi was amazing. She looked stunning in all of her photos!

Meanwhile, I was with Muralee while he prepared. Yes, he rode a horse to the temple - I wish all grooms would mount up prior to the wedding...just awesome.

We have so many shots from the ceremony, I couldn't figure out which ones to feature (a cop out, I know). I picked the first one because it was one of my favories that I shot - and the second and third are from Alyssa. The second one is the priest and some pretty stealthy "other-people's-flashes" use by Alyssa. The third makes the cut because of Muralee's giant smile. Most of the ceremony was serious and everyone obviously put a lot of time into making sure it all went exactly right - but there were moments when Abhi and Muralee's pure joy to be together broke through like the sun. Cheers!

We'll have even more photos later in the week. We're in our massive wedding-season crunch right now, so the blog posts should get a lot more frequent!

Dana and Brian

Dana and Brian (aka, "The Doctors") have some serious extended family with diverse ethnic roots - evidenced by their beautiful wedding ceremony with readings in at least five different languages! Their wedding day was hi-lighted by what were easily the largest "group formal" shots we've done this summer (thanks for being patient, everyone!).

As you can see, they make a great couple and it was wonderful to be part of the wedding. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Saturn Club in Buffalo this past weekend, just a few blocks up from our studio

Thanks, Dana and Brian, and we can't wait to get you the rest of your photos this week!

Rachele and Ian

Growing up on Grand Island, I must have seen the Grand Lady a thousand times driving up and down the river, but I'd never stepped foot onto the boat until this past weekend for Ian and Rachele's wedding. It's really funny how you can come full circle in life - there I was, photographing a gorgeous wedding while floating by the house I spent practically my entire life in prior to joining the Navy as a photojournalist...nearly a decade ago (ouch).

We were a little nervous about the lighting inside the boat, but it turned out to be perfect. Rachele, the girls and I got there before everyone else did to make sure everything was just right on the boat for the ceremony.

Rachele's bridesmaids kept yelling at her, but she couldn't help peaking at her guests boarding the boat.

The ceremony was held pier-side and was officiated by the boat's captain. After the ceremony, we all went for a cruise up and down the Niagara before heading off to the reception.

This is Rachele and Ian totally driving the boat. She (and the captain) did a great job -- it was a beautiful ride.

We decided to stick with the nautical theme of the wedding for the semi-formal shots back on the dock. There is absolutely nothing better than a bride, groom and their wedding party who are excited about their photos. Rachele and Ian and everyone - thank you guys soooo much for being amazing to work with.

And as a parting shot, one of my favorites that Rich took. Congrats, you guys!