I started out the day with Kim and all of her ladies, at The Spa at Falling Waters in Orchard Park.  It’s such a beautiful place, and they did an amazing job getting all the girls ready for the big day!

Checking out the completed up-do…SUCCESS!!  Kim looked amazing!
Make-up time!

Then, we all headed over to the Hampton Inn and Suites in downtown Buffalo, to get Kim into her dress and FABULOUS shoes!


The finished product – a STUNNING bride!
Meanwhile, Ben was hanging out with Josh and the guys to capture some “getting ready” action!

Then, Ben and all the guys made their way over to what is probably the most amazing church we’ve ever seen – Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawana.  This one jumped out at me while selecting blog images…what a cool, fun shot of all the guys outside the church, Ben!  LOVE IT!
A few last minute preparations…
…and then, Kim and her father make their grand entrance!
I love these next two shots…right before the kiss, and right after!


A beautiful grand exit.  :)
Then, it was over to the Botanical Gardens to get the party started!
The weather that day was all over the place.  Kim and Josh chose Delaware Park as the spot for their wedding party shots, but as soon as we got there, the skies opened up and everyone had to run for cover!  Luckily, it stopped raining when we got to the Gardens.  The sun came out, and we got to take some awesome wedding party shots after all!


The Botanical Gardens are such a lovely place for a wedding reception…and, for adorable bride and groom shots!  YAY!

This shot of Ben’s made me laugh out loud!  While there’s no denying that the Gardens are absolutely gorgeous, the staff is fabulous, and the weddings that take place there are top notch, there is one downside – it’s unbelievably FREAKING HOT in there!!!  Hotter than hot…sweating through your clothes hot!  But, in spite of the hot and sticky environment, we managed to have a great time.  :)
Cake cutting time!!

LOVE this one!

Aaaahhhhh!!!  We see so many “first dances,” and all of them are wonderful in their own ways; but, this one was in a league of its own.  It was completely choreographed, rehearsed, and practiced until it was pure perfection!  Kim and Josh did an amazing job!  :)

Check out these moves!

The dance floor opened up and people were sweatin’ to the oldies…LITERALLY!  I think this might have been the Macarena, though…






At the very end of the evening, we borrowed Kim and Josh to grab just a few more “bride and groom” portraits.  I love everything about this couple, and everything about these shots!  :)

Kim and Josh – you guys are the best! Your wedding day was one to be remembered! Thank-you SO much for choosing us to be a part of your day – we had a blast!! :)

We started with some portraits of the entire clan…
…then, we just hung out for a while and shot some candids.  I love this one of grandmother and grandson…so precious!!!
We did some portraits of the individual Gersh families, too.  With people as photogenic as this, our job was a piece of cake!

The three Gersh siblings…this part of the session had us laughing out loud.  These three must’ve had a great time growing up together!
This little guy had so many great expressions.  Just look at those CHEEKS!!!

Babies and pinwheels are an adorable combination…

What a sweet face!!  Isn’t she a doll?  ;)

Father and daughter…
…and some more individual family portraits.  :)


By the end, the kiddos were completely wiped out (and so were we)!!!

A great big “THANK-YOU” to the whole Gersh family!! We had such a wonderful time hanging out with all of you! It was a pleasure to photograph such an amazing family! :)

We started out the session with a few fabulous portraits of Jolyne and Greg with their “fur kids!” We love dogs a ton, so it’s always a treat when our couples include them. :)

Look at that face!!!  OMG, she is ridiculously cute!
Our plan was to hit up Canal Fest, but on our way there, we stopped by the river to grab a few shots there.
L-O-V-E!!

We were lucky enough to be near the water at the most perfect time of day – the light was AMAZING (and these two are too cute for words).


Jolyne’s dad has a sweet boat docked right near where we were going, so we decided to stop and grab a few shots there, too!  This one’s pretty fun!  :)



Then, we entered the Canal Fest craziness…

…but, clearly, it was worth it…
…to get shots like these!!  ”Kissing on top of the ferris wheel” shot?  CHECK.
We walked around the back of the ferris wheel, and happened to bump into a classic car show.  Loving the color of this truck!
We played around with some slow exposures for a few…I loved this one of Ben’s.  It’s different, and cool, and definitely a picture I wish I had of us.  :)
Our very last stop on the Tonawanda tour, was this fabulous alley.  The block glass was a major win (as was this adorable “un-posed” pose)!

Jolyne and Greg – have we expressed enough that we think you’re a ridiculously adorable couple?? You guys are just waaaaay too cute together, and we honestly cannot wait to shoot your wedding! :)

Joanna and Nathaniel are one of those couples. Their love is contagious, and their wedding day was absolutely beautiful. They wanted their ceremony to be intimate, so they got married right in the backyard of Nathanial’s family’s home, surrounded by their closest friends and family! It could not have been more perfect. :)

Joanna gets ready for her big day!

She had her grandmother’s wedding ring sewn into her dress for good luck!  What a cool idea!


Joanna and her dad make the walk down the aisle!
Ben got right behind Nathanial to grab this shot of Joanna’s entrance – great capture, Ben!  Love it!

I love the look on Joanna’s face…”you’re mine now, bi-aaatch!”  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  Sooooo cute!
Toward the end of the ceremony, Joanna’s maid of honor read Dr. Suess’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” Out of all the weddings we’ve been to, we’ve never heard that done as a reading before; it was absolutely perfect!



The cake cutting…
…and Nathaniel’s face post-cake smash!  LOVE it!
Then, we were off to do some portraits of the bride and groom with the ultimate wedding photo prop – a classic, cherry red Chevy!  We knew that the car would look awesome in pictures, but we didn’t really know how awesome until we saw it with our own eyeballs.  WOW!  We’re pretty happy with the way these turned out.  ;)

Yay, super shiny red paint!!


I didn’t have a chance to grab a shoe shot before the ceremony, but these shoes are too fabulous for words; so, this shoe shot will have to do.  You guys both look smokin’ hot! ;)
Joanna, you should probably take up modeling…just sayin’…

L-O-V-E this shot!
We wrapped things up with a little wedding party action!I wasn’t joking when I said “action!!” Can you guess how happy we were to get shots of a wedding party bouncing on a trampoline? Pretty happy. ;)

Joanna and Nathaniel – thanks so much for choosing us to be a part of your wedding day! You two are such a great couple, and we really enjoyed working with you! :)

I started out the day with Shauna and her girls, for a little “getting ready” action…

…and Ben met up with the guys at Trinity Church to grab some pre-ceremony groomsmen shots!

Trinity Church is an absolutely gorgeous place for a wedding ceremony.  They’re not very “photography-friendly” – no flash allowed!! It was no sweat, though…we love a good challenge!

A gorgeous ceremony shot taken by Ben from up in the balcony!  Yay, Nikon 200mm f2!!
It seriously is such a beautiful church…



Okay, I totally love this.  I almost always include a shot of “the kiss” in every wedding blog post; but, this shot (immeditately following “the kiss”) totally wins the prize for adorable-ness.  Have you ever seen a happier bride and groom?

I’ve said it before, but I’ll happily say it again – Pearl Street Grill & Brewery does an AMAZING job with weddings. We’ve shot enough receptions there to know that it’s one of our favorite reception spots in all of Buffalo. The staff is great, the food is delicious, and the general atmosphere is totally unique and low key at the same time.

And, of course, they have the coolest beer taps EVER.
Shauna and Jay’s wedding party was ALL ABOUT having fun!  They were great!  ;)

Shauna even looks adorable with cake smooshed in her face…now, that’s talent!!
Two fabulously hilarious speeches…

…and a super cute first dance as husband and wife!!
L-O-V-E this shot!!
Love this one, too!!  Jay’s face is priceless!



NEWLYWEDS!!!  I love how happy Shauna looks in this shot.  :)
The dance floor was bumpin’ all night long!


We managed to grab these two social butterflies just long enough to get a few night portraits on the Pearl Street balcony, and I’m SOOOOO glad we did!

Shauna and Jay – thanks so much for choosing us to capture all the fun and excitement of your wedding day! You guys and your friends and families are all amazing people…we had a blast! We wish you all the best! :)

I definitely love Buffalo. It’s a wonderful city, and I’m very proud to say that I live here; but, my heart belongs to Utica, NY – the city where I was born and raised. Being able to shoot a wedding in Utica was an amazing experience for me. Going back to places that I’ve seen all my life, familiar Utica landmarks, and looking at them now through the eyes of a photographer was pretty incredible. It’s so funny…growing up in a city as small as Utica, I couldn’t wait to move away, to see and experience what I thought were bigger and better things and places. But the older I get, the more I realize, that Utica – the quirky little city where I spent most of my life – is actually the one place that really feels like home. I love the places, the people, the food…but most of all, I love how much I feel like myself when I’m there.

Kristen and Brian are an incredible couple. Everything about their day was perfect, and we enjoyed every minute of it! I started out the day with Kristen and the girls at Hotel Utica.

Kristen and Brian’s daughter, Abby, was a very important part of their day.  She held the prestigious title of “mini bride!”  These are her darling wedding shoes.  :)

Abby was less than thrilled about me sticking my camera in her face, but she did allow me to capture a few shots of her getting ready for the big day.  I love this one!!




Kristen’s sister helps her put on her garter…
Ben grabbed this great shot of the boys right before they hopped in the limo to head over to the church!
Abby the mini bride and the other wedding kiddos were anxious to get the show on the road!!
Brian and his best man, waiting patiently for Kristen to make her walk down the aisle.  :)




Aren’t they a STUNNING couple??  Seriously…AMAZING!!!

After the ceremony, we headed over to Hotel Utica.  K and B’s wedding party was fabulous!  For such a large group, in 97 degree weather, they did remarkably well.  Great job, guys!
The mezzanine area of the Hotel Utica is perfect…
…as is the lobby, or grand foyer, or whatever it’s called.  LOVE this shot!!

A classic Utica mural across the street from the hotel…
Then, we headed over to the beautiful grounds of  The Masonic Home for a few more wedding party shots.  This was one of our favorites!

Ben grabbed this shot while I was busy setting up the wedding party for another one.  I am totally IN LOVE with it!!

Ben is awesome.  :)
There were a TON of amazing details at this wedding, (and you all know how much of a sucker I am for the details), so here are few of my fave detail shots.

 
An adorable first dance…

After their first dance, Kristen and Brian both took a turn dancing with their daughter.  It was just the sweetest thing EVER!


The kids at this wedding had a separate room all to themselves! I went in to check it out, and ended up finding inspiration for an awesome ring shot in an unlikely place.

I heart this so much…
Totally action packed bouquet/garter toss shots…the flowers got major air!



Brian, rockin’ out to “Don’t Stop Believing…”
Ahhhh, night portraits…my FAVORITE!!  I think these are particularly AWESOME night portraits, but I also think it has a lot to do with this particularly AWESOME couple.  ;)





Kristen and Brian – It goes without saying that we adore you, and that we feel absolutely honored to have been a part of your day. Thank you so much for choosing us to be your wedding photographers!! We wish you all the best! :)

Before we headed up to Canada, we stopped at a park near Miquel and Paul’s house to grab some pictures of them with “the girls.”  This was my favorite.  :)
So, like I said, Niagara-On-The-Lake has a ton of cool stuff to shoot around.  Like this triangle-shaped bike rack, for example…FUN!!
The Prince of Wales Hotel is always a winner.

I love this shot of Ben’s!  It’s totally perfect.  :)




Miquel is an English teacher, so we thought some book shots would be completely appropriate.  These are super cute!!


There was a wine shop on the main strip in NOTL that had its front windows stuffed with corks, and we thought it would make a sweet backdrop.  LOVE the way this turned out!!  (Of course, being as gorgeous as Miquel is definitely helps!)



Toward the end of our shoot, we drove down to the lake in the hope of catching an amazing sunset (and hoping to cool off!!).
I am IN LOVE with this one.  Are those lashes for real???  Seriously…GORGEOUS.
Taking in the sunset!

Miquel and Paul – Thanks so much for spending some time with us up in NOTL!! We had such a great time just hanging out with you guys, and we’re totally looking forward to the wedding! It’ll be here before you know it. :)

Right next door to the restaurant, is The Old Library Inn, where Stacy and her girls got ready. There’s all kinds of amazing woodwork, and antique furniture at The Inn, so I had a blast with my pre-ceremony shots!

Stacy’s bridesmaids help her get laced up and ready to go!


Stacy, opening her wedding gift from Mike…it was a Kindle!!  WOO HOO!!  What an awesome gift!  I think she likes it.  ;)

What a gorgeous color palette for a bouquet!  I just love it!
Stacy looked absolutely STUNNING.

The Old Library Inn had all of this amazing woodwork, and a bright blue carpeted stairway with beautiful window light, so I thought this would be a good spot to show off the fabulous train on Stacy’s dress.  I’m pretty darn happy with the way this turned out.  ;)
Meanwhile, over at the St. Bonaventure campus, Ben was hanging out with the boys, and capturing some AWESOME pre-ceremony moments!
These might be some of the best groomsmen shots I’ve ever seen…nice work, Ben!!  Of course, it definitely helps if your groomsmen are as laid back and cooperative as Mike’s were – thanks guys!  :)


The ceremony was in St. Bonaventure’s University Chapel, which was actually pretty cool and modern looking, as far as churches go.  Stacy making “the walk” down the aisle with her dad…







I love this shot SO MUCH.  They walked back up the aisle, past all of their guests, and as soon as they got to the door, they both had these huge smiles on their faces.  It was such a great moment to capture!
The St. Bonaventure campus was absolutely loaded with amazing things to shoot.  I think they must’ve have built this building with wedding photography in mind.  Double fire escapes?? C’mon…what are the odds?
I heart ivy-covered anything.


The famous bushes that spell out “St. Bonaventure…”
Then, we got to spend a few minutes alone with the bride and groom for some fabulous wedding day portraits.  These two are SO easy to photograph – they are so comfortable with each other, and so obviously in love – an absolute pleasure to work with. :)


After we left the St. Bona campus, we headed on over to the reception at The Old Library Restaurant.  Mike and Stacy make their grand entrance, and go right into their first dance (there was a lot of twirling involved – it was very cute)!


Rumor has it that Mike had a hand in the making/assembly of this cake.  (If this rumor is true, then color me impressed!!)  The chocolate tuxedo is the groom’s cake – so cute!

A little wedding cake feeding…

Normally, I would never post two ring shots, but I couldn’t decide between my favorite one of Ben’s and my favorite one of mine.  Usually, we borrow the rings from the bride and groom at the start of dinner, and we each take a turn with the macro lens.  It’s become sort of a friendly competition between Ben and I (and it gives us something to do while people are eating).  The rules of the competition?  We can’t watch what the other person is doing during their turn, the ring shots have to correlate (if possible) to the theme of the wedding, and we can’t tell the other where we went or what we shot during our 10 minute turn.  The results are usually very interesting indeed.  But, anyway, I thought both of these shots were stellar.  :)
The garter/bouquet toss happened after dinner, and then the dance floor opened up and it was PACKED all night long!






I have never seen anyone pull off this dance move at a wedding reception before.  It’s probably one of those things you get to see only once in a lifetime, like Haley’s Comet, or a Blue Moon.  I feel honored to have caught it.  This girl and this guy:   you are the bomb.  ;)

Stacy and Mike – Thank you so much for choosing us to be your wedding photographers! We have really enjoyed working with you guys over the past year, and we wish you all the best! :)

To view more images or to order prints from Stacy and Mike’s Wedding, click here!

I wish I could be (and believe me, I have tried to be) one of those girls who is an actual sports fan. Not an “I’ll-pretend-to-like-sports-until-he-marries-me” kind of girl, but an actual sports fan. The kind of girl who pays attention enough to know who’s being traded to where, or which sport is played in which season, or even the kind of girl who loves football so much that she would sit in the nosebleed section at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the freezing cold, while the semi-incoherent drunk men behind her scream in her ear and spill beer on her head, just because she loves the game that much. Those girls are impressive, and I applaud them. Unfortunately, that’s just never going to be me sitting up there in those bleachers, all half-deaf and beer-soaked. I would rather spend my time elsewhere, I suppose. Is that wrong? Hopefully, no one will judge me.

Lindsey and Joe happen to be huge Sabres fans, (and I’m 100% positive that Lindsey is the actual kind of awesome sports fan I mentioned above), so they wanted to start off their session in front of the good ‘ol HSBC arena!
Love and Sabres jerseys…ADORABLE!

Standing on tiptoes is also ridiculously adorable…
GO SABRES!!!
Shortly after the super fun jump shot, they changed out of their jerseys and we took a few more cool shots around the arena.


From the top of the parking garage next to the arena…gotta love the Buffalo News trucks in the background!!
Then, we went inside the parking garage, and played around with all the cool stuff in there for a while.  Awesome stairs…

Awesome circle thing-y…

…awesome cables, and an AWESOME COUPLE!!!
The rain tried to crash our party, but we pressed on throughout the sprinkles to grab this sweet shot.  We were both loving the “Queen City” signage.

I love this one of Ben’s!!  It started to rain a lot harder at this point, but Lindsey and Joe didn’t even care!  How great is that??  They are HARD CORE.
Raining, raining, raining…but, I love this shot (and I love the man who let us use his building)!!
The sprinkles turned into monsoon like conditions, but we still decided to go check out the newer, more modern-looking lighthouse at the Marina.  We climbed up a billion flights of stairs to get there…no, I kid.  It was about 5 flights, but it felt like a billion.  :)
It may have been a wild, wet, and windy storm outside, but these two hardly even noticed.  Now that’s TRUE LOVE!!  :)



Lindsey and Joe – thanks so much for being such a fabulous, easy-to-work-with couple!! We had a blast with you two, (in spite of the crazy weather), and look forward to seeing you both again in October! :)

I’ve been looking forward to this post for a while, now. Sandi and Romie are super fun people, which made their whole shoot super fun! We started out in Allentown, and walked around to see what we could see. One of the most noteworthy and photograph-able spots in Allentown, is the “wall of flames” outside of The Pink. It’s definitely Ben’s favorite old “haunt” from his days of being a pool-shark-bar-fly. Trust me…he has many stories to tell about his days of living on Mariner, just in case anyone is ever interested.

Sandi’s neon pink shoes are bomb-tastic…

A few doors down from The Pink, is this awesome wall mural (I think this is the side of Hardware, if I’m not mistaken).  We stopped here for a few fun shots.  :)

This random parking lot/courtyard is the coolest of its kind I’ve ever seen.  By the way, isn’t this an adorable couple?  They are SO ridiculously cute together…

PURE PERFECTION!!




This shop on Allen Street was my favorite out of all the locations we stumbled upon during the shoot…it had the most unique collections of perfectly organized random objects that I’ve ever seen under one roof.

Fun with vinyl…

Possibly my favorite of the day…
…but this one is definitely in the running for favorite of the day, as well.

So, I didn’t yet mention that Sandi and Romie are both champion bartenders, who can flip/toss/juggle liquor bottles.  Think Tom Cruise in Cocktail, only a little less 1980′s, and a lot more awesome-ness.
The main attraction of the bottle-flipping sequence was Romie’s flaming bottles.  I’m pretty sure that this wins the prize for the coolest bartending skills EVER.

Sandi and Romie – thanks so much for hanging out with us in Allentown for some engagement photo session fun! You guys are such an amazing couple, and we know like we know like we know that your wedding will be beyond spectacular!!!