Remember when I wrote in my last blog that I was going to start toning down the amount of pictures I shared?
Let’s everyone laugh at how funny I am.
I tried. I really tried. But I couldn’t do it. I’m madly in love Rachel and Ben’s wedding. They put so much thought into the details of their wedding day and there was SO much for me to photograph. This wedding was a photographer’s dream.
AND ELVIS WAS THERE YOU GUYS. We’ll get to that later on.
Rachel and Ben’s wedding day started at a couple of airbnb’s right on Owasco lake in Auburn, NY.
Ashley Roth was there doing makeup. Trust me when I say not all makeup artists are created equal. Ashley does a really beautiful job and understands how to naturally highlight features without the makeup being too much. I recently bumped into her at another wedding and she said she’s already booking dates for next year so if you’re looking for someone to do your makeup, get in touch! (I’ll post contact details at the end of this blog.)
Rachel bought this ring as her “something blue” and a way to celebrate her making partner at her law firm. When she walked in the room wearing bright red lipstick I knew exactly how to capture it. I’m so happy she was on board because this might be one of my most favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. Such a beautiful bride!Rachel bought her dress at Dress Your Fancy in Vestal, NY. I have a lot of Dress Your Fancy brides and the dresses are always stunning. Check out this bead work…While I was with Rachel getting ready, Brittni was off with the guys. As always, they take 30 seconds to get ready which is why there’s so many pictures.Before Rachel and Ben did their first look, Rachel chose to do a first look with her dad. I literally teared up while editing these photos. This was such a sweet moment. I love the picture where he’s applauding her. Best reaction ever!Rachel’s family has a fine appreciation for antique boats and cars. Both were incorporated into her wedding day and for that I am SO grateful because it made for some awesome portraits. I love the unique character of this boat.Sassy AF and I love it.While we got Ben ready for the first look Rachel and her dad took off in the boat.
Side note – This dock was pretty skinny as one can see. I have a history of walking right off of docks and falling into the water. (Never while working THANKGOD but there’s a first time for everything, you know?) I was fully prepared to assist the bride out of the boat and keep my feet square while capturing a moment that can’t be authentically recreated while balancing thousands of dollars worth of gear. I was constantly keeping myself in check and taking note of my footing while ensuring I nailed these super sentimental shots but my hands were sweaty and I might have been holding my breath through out the majority of these pictures. There’s a reason wedding photographers come onto the scene and quickly flee to pursue another line of work. The pressure is REAL. But I nailed it. And I’m still applauding myself.
AND I JUST WANTED YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT. lol First looks are great on a wedding day because it gives you the opportunity to get the majority of portraits out of the way before the ceremony. Then once the ceremony is over all you have to worry about is enjoying yourself. I’m a huge fan of a first look. And also all of these bride and groom portraits I’m about to shower you with.
Get ready to scroll!We were still working with a time crunch and wanted to get in as many wedding portraits as possible before the ceremony so we cut corners where we could. Getting in and out of a boat is kind of a hassle so instead of heaving Rachel’s dad get out, we just had him duck down. At one point you could see his hair poking up which made me crack up so I made sure to capture a picture of him riding in the back. He’s such a good dad!Rachel and Ben rented some seating set ups from She Rents Vintage out of Skaneateles and placed them around their reception space at Emerson park. Such a cool idea and it made for some awesome photos.Emerson park has this beautiful fountain surrounded by flowers. I know it’s such a cliche to love pink but I DO. Pops of bright color light me up. When you can only be serious for so long…Check out this car! Honestly why don’t cars look like this anymore? I feel like clothes fashion has a way of making a full circle (bell bottoms anyone?) so why can’t we do that with cars as well? I would drive a car like this any day of the week. After we were done with wedding portraits it was time for the most important part of the day; the ceremony.Rachel arrived in style. First kiss as husband and wife!The reception space was BEAUTIFUL! I love that bright and airy white light with bursts of color. It’s kind of my thing. The staff did an incredible job preparing the space and they were wonderful to work with. You know I’m all about the desserts. These cupcakes were made by Bake It Er Leave It. They should have been called Bake It and EAT IT. Because that’s definitely what I did and the ones I sampled were delicious. The reception was MC’d and entertained by the Silver Arrow Band while dinner was catered by A&M Catering at Emerson Park. The food was delicious and the energy was up all night.
Also, ELVIS. We had so much fun shooting this wedding and I can’t wait to go back to Emerson Park in Auburn to shoot another wedding.
A huge shout out to all of these vendors for helping make the day so special…
Venue: A&M Catering at Emerson Park, Auburn – http://myamcatering.com
Dress : Dress Your Fancy – http://dressyourfancy.com