Month: August 2016

mary + nate // Hotel @ the Lafayette

Filed in weddings shot by on at

Mary and Nate are the kind of people that make you feel instantly comfortable. They both have an incredibly calming presence, and put you immediately at ease. They are soft spoken, genuine, kind, and thoughtful, and we enjoyed every minute we have spent with them :)

These images tell the story of all the love – past and present – that brought Mary and Nate to this day. It was a day filled with laughter and tears, warm hugs and knowing glances, grateful hearts and sweet dance moves, and I’m just so happy that we got to be a part of it.

Mary and Nate were kind enough to share some of their favorite memories from the day with us, so that we’d be able to share them with you! Be sure to read them as you scroll through the post!

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 001
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 002
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 003
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 004
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 006

Mary: “Getting ready with my bridesmaids was so fun! The morning of our wedding was fantastic. It was such a relaxing and calm morning. Having our hair and makeup done together was great!” 

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 007
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 005
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 008
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 009
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 012
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 011
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 010
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 013
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 014
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 015
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 016

Nate: “Getting dressed with the guys at our house was a little hectic.  Our little puppy Marcy (who is very photogenic!) was very excited from all the commotion and wanted to jump and slobber on all the guys.  I have to give a big shout out to Zak, the Matron of Honor’s husband and expert puppy occupier.  Without him there to distract the crazy pup I may have had a tattered suit for the ceremony!”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 017
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 018

Nate: “I made absolutely sure to get to the church with time to spare – I had nightmares of being late and did not want them to come true!  Spending that extra time in the beautiful cathedral really helped to calm things down after the eventful morning.  By the time the ceremony got started I was completely relaxed and ready to make things official.”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 020

Nate: “Seeing Mary in her dress for the first time was probably the highlight of the whole day for me.  I remember not being able to stop smiling as she was walking down the aisle because I was so happy to see her and how beautiful she looked in her dress.  I had been told so many times that it was poofy and blush colored and had no idea what to make from that description.  All I knew seeing her for the first time in it was that she looked absolutely amazing.”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 021
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 022
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 023

Mary: “One thing I will never forget was the sermon given by our priest. He spoke about how the foundation of any marriage is friendship. This is something I will forever cherish because first and foremost, I married my best friend, and I am forever grateful for the friendship we have that has turned into an everlasting love.”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 025
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 024
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 026
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 027

Mary: “Nathan and I always tell each other that we are one another’s one and only, forever and always. When we repeated our vows to each other, and looked one another in the eye, I truly felt that promise, and felt an incredible sense of appreciation for the man I have in my life.”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 029
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 030
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 033
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 034
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 032
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 036
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 037
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 039

Nate: “Taking pictures at Silo City was the perfect choice for us.  Anyone who knows us will tell you that we are Buffalo evangelists and love everything about the city.  To make the Buffalo and its history a part of our wedding day was very important.  Jenn and Ben knew exactly where to get the best pictures at Silo City, which was good since neither of us had ever had the chance to visit!”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 038
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 040
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 041
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 042
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 043
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 044
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 045
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 046
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 047
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 049
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 048
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 050
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 051
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 053
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 054
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 056
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 069
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 058
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 059
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 061
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 062
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 063
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 066
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 068
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 055

Mary: “I was so worried about everything turning out exactly the way I had envisioned it in my mind, and that worrying was SO not worth it. Walking into the reception and seeing my vision come to life was one of the best feelings I had the whole night. Everything was absolutely perfect. The floral arrangements were so gorgeous, and each table was decorated perfectly. There was not one detail lacking or anything that I would even think to change about the décor of the wedding. Although it is an oxymoron, I would describe it as simple, yet sophisticated with a hint of a rustic touch.” 

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 070
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 071

Nate: “Sitting down to dinner with Mary at the sweetheart table I remember looking around and seeing our friends and family gathered and having a great time.  Seeing smiles on everyone’s faces and knowing that people were enjoying themselves made me realize that all the planning had paid off.”  

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 072
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 073
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 076
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 077

Mary: “The reception was an absolute BLAST. I was probably told a hundred times that I looked like a Disney princess. The night was incredible. Dancing around with my dress and twirling it around was hands-down my favorite part of the whole day. I felt amazing, beautiful, and was overcome with absolute pure happiness. I honestly had the most outstanding time.”

Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 078
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 079
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 080
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 081
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 082
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 083
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 084
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 085
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 086
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 087
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 088
Hotel At The Lafayette Wedding 089

And now, a little advice from the beautiful, happy couple:

Our piece of advice to couples, as hard as this may be, is to make your day YOUR day. So many people think too much about pleasing other people, which is understandable especially if money is involved, but the most important thing is to make one another happy through the process. Enjoy every moment of planning, and stick to your dreams and visions. Plan for yourself and no one else. And when the day finally comes, RELAX. Take in all the moments.

Working with Ben and Jenn was so fun! Jenn always responded quickly to emails and answered any of our questions. When we did engagement photos, she helped us to feel comfortable in front of the camera. They were both so great on the day of the wedding. They really have an incredible skill and talent to seek out the perfect lighting. We loved that they capture moments, and do not try to take overly posed pictures. The natural look and the stunning beauty of the photos truly make them the best!


Wedding Vendors Include:
Ceremony: Saint Joseph Cathedral
Reception: Hotel @ the Lafayette Greenhouse Room
Hair and Makeup: Elizabeth Dugan
Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal from Victoria’s Bridal Shoppe
Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew
Groom’s Look: Men’s Wearhouse
Invitations: Minted
Florist: Linda Brem
Cake: Carriage Trade Pastries 
DJ: Soundwave DJ

  • Molly SAYS...

    Amazing pictures of an amazing couple!

  • Sara SAYS...

    Absolutely gorgeous! These truly capture the spirit of such a fun day!

  • Kelly Fuetterer SAYS...

    Nate and Mary are a beautiful couple that share a timeless love for one another. The pictures are only another reflection of that. All my love to you both!

  • Colleen sutorius SAYS...

    This story And photos are so beautiful!! Best wedding ever! the cathedral was so majestic! just one wonderful memoRy after another! The most fun PEOPLE! Magical setting! Not to mention how delish the dinner was! Everyone dancing! The bEst! Looking at these gorgeous photos Lets us relive an unforgeTable day! Thank you!

  • Michele Cosmann SAYS...

    Mary and nate’s wedding day was awesome! we are so grateful to have nate and his family a part of ours!

  • Jeannie henry SAYS...

    What beautifUl pictures and what a beautifUl day it was for mary and nate. Their pHOtos capture perfectly their wedding day and the love they share!

  • SaRa SAYS...

    Love these!!! ????????????????

  • SamaRa steinbrenner SAYS...

    I met mary in college when we were both arudyinf psychology at ub and i reMember when she met nate. She would talk about Him when they were friends, and i knew There was something more There. i couldnt haVe Chosen a more perfect man for my best friend. They are such a relaxed, fun couple and i am so happy they found Their person. the wedding was beautiful and i love looking at the pictures and reliVing the day. The pictures pefectly captured The most serene and little momEnts that show mary and nate as a couple.

  • Caitlin s SAYS...

    Ahhh!! This is so beautiful!!! Lets do it again! Bo big deal right?!

  • Margaret coSmAnn SAYS...

    The whole wedding day was absolutely spectacular. ThE photos capture the magic of the day and the love that was in the Air. Jenn and ben, you did a great job at snap shotting the moments that meant the most. every photo is jaw droppingly beautiful.

the mentoring sessions // 2016 – shannon + nicole

Filed in for photogs, mentoring shot by on at

Shannon and Nicole both planned on doing individual mentoring sessions, but since they wanted to work on the same things (and I knew they were friends!), I asked if they were up for combining their sessions. I was so happy they were up for it, because three = a party. ;)  We had such a great time talking about photography, motherhood, and business.  Teaching is the thing that has been missing from my life for far too long; I’m so grateful to be able to share knowledge and experience, and make wonderful friends in the process. I left feeling totally inspired by these ladies!

The main focus of our time together was how to improve the look of on-camera flash, so we met up at a local wedding venue to allow for practice in a low light situation. We talked about what settings to use to bring more ambient light into reception photos, and avoid that “black hole” effect. We talked about how cameras read light, and how making a few very minor tweaks can make a big impact. We also briefly touched on slow exposure light painting, and crept into a dark, empty room at the hotel to practice our technique. (Light painting is an easy way to create gorgeous, high impact night portraits of couples, and all you need is a tripod and a video light!)

We stood there in that dark empty room for a while longer, and chatted about their business goals. I shared my thoughts on “the competition,” and why that’s not something to be concerned about. Focusing on what other people are doing is the quickest way to lose momentum as a creative and as a business owner. No one else can offer exactly what you can offer, or shoot the exact way you shoot, or see the world the same way you do, because there is only one you; that is what you should focus your energy on. I am confident that these two are going to go on to do some pretty incredible things. I am so excited to see their businesses grow in the coming months!

Nicole owns New Photography, and specializes in newborns, children, and families.  You can check out her work here: New Photography

Shannon owns Shannon Glurich Photography and specializes in weddings, children, and families.  You can check out here work here: Shannon Glurich Photography

Shannon and Nicole 01
Shannon and Nicole 02
Shannon and Nicole 03
Shannon and Nicole 04
Shannon and Nicole 05
Shannon and Nicole 06
Shannon and Nicole 07
Shannon and Nicole 08
Shannon and Nicole 09
Shannon and Nicole 10
Shannon and Nicole 11
Shannon and Nicole 12
Shannon and Nicole 13
Shannon and Nicole 14
Shannon and Nicole 15
Shannon and Nicole 16
Shannon and Nicole 17
Shannon and Nicole 18
Shannon and Nicole 19
Shannon and Nicole 20
Shannon and Nicole 21
Shannon and Nicole 22
Shannon: “Jenn was a true pleasure to work with. She was so kind and with her many years of experience she gave me a lot of helpful tricks to improve my techniques. Jenn answered all of my questions and if she was unsure of the answer she took the time to help me find it. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone who is looking to improve their photography skills. I cannot wait to put my new skills to the test and continue to learn and grow my in photography business.”

Nicole: “I have had a chance to mentor with Jenn twice now. She is an open book and loves to help other people learn instead of turning people away. She wants to build a community of good honest people and I appreciate that more then she will ever know. The experience of meeting with Jenn is easy and comfortable; she really gives great advice. I loved working with her and I hope to take more mentoring sessions from Jenn throughout my photography journey. She really is a wonderful person and if you are on the fence of whether or not to do a mentoring session with her, then its time to JUMP! It’s worth every second. Thank you, Jenn, so much for such a wonderful experience! I cant wait until we set up another session!”

Interested in growing YOUR business this year??  Click HERE to learn more!!

Read more testimonials HERE.