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miquel + paul

Meet Miquel and Paul, one of our adorable 2011 wedding couples!! They decided on Niagara-On-The-Lake as their shoot location, which was really exciting for us since it is (by far) one of the most quaint little towns within driving distance, and has a TON of great buildings and such to work with. Oh, and a gorgeous lake, of course, hence it’s name. So, we all crossed the border into Canada, and had a blast just walking around town to find different spots to shoot. These two are so laid back, and so much fun to hang out with, that we hardly even noticed we were working (although the 97 degree weather was an unfortunate reminder)!

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.  :)
engaged couple poses for a photo with their dogs at the Niagara Falls rose gardenSo, 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!!
engagement photo session at Niagara On the LakeThe Prince of Wales Hotel is always a winner.
engagement photo taken in front of the Prince of Whales Hotel in Niagara on the Lake
fun black and white wide angle engagement photo in front of the Prince of Wales HotelI love this shot of Ben’s!  It’s totally perfect.  :)
engaged couple leans against a wall to pose for an engagement photo in Niagara on the Lake
a couple laughs together for engagement photos taken in Niagara on the Lake
an engaged couple kissing in a beautiful garden in the Niagara wine region
a couple leans against an ivy covered brick wall for an engagement photo
a beautiful portrait of a bride to be seated in front of her groom to be surrounded by lush greeneryMiquel is an English teacher, so we thought some book shots would be completely appropriate.  These are super cute!!
using books as props for an engagement photo session in front of the Old Niagara Bookstore
a modern yellow and grey wall makes a great backdrop for an engagement photo
bright orange marigolds really make this engagement photo popThere 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!)
black and white engagement photo with wine corks as a background
this engagement photo features the happy couple framed by a trellis with bright colored flowers in the foreground and background
engagement photo taken on a swing set in Niagara on the Lake
beautiful black and white engagement photo taken at sunsetToward the end of our shoot, we drove down to the lake in the hope of catching an amazing sunset (and hoping to cool off!!).
engaged couple poses for a photo at sunsetI am IN LOVE with this one.  Are those lashes for real???  Seriously…GORGEOUS.
gorgeous black and white engagement photo with the focus on the bride to beTaking in the sunset!
a couple sits on a park bench at sunset watching the sun go down over Lake Ontario
beautiful bride to be looks at the camera for an engagement photo while the groom watches 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. :)

Patti Murphy - Jenn/Ben…EVERY picture was soooo amazing…..can’t wait till you shoot our wedding! Beautiful couple…beautiful pictures

Stephanie - OMG these pictures turned out sooo good. I’m jealous. What a beautiful couple.

chris - You guys are the best! Fine work. Reminding me that I haven’t visited Niagara on the Lake in some time; gotta go. Lovely couple, lovely photos.

Ayres Photography - Oh, we’re SOOOOO happy you like them! YAY!!! :) You guys are too cute, and we really had fun hanging out with you! Thanks so much!

miquel - OMG!!! I’ve never been stricken to tears by looking at pics of us before!! My FAV is the one w/ “the girls”, it’s such a good one of Sadie (& we both know how scared she was!). AMAZINGGGG!!! I’m shocked at how great they turned out, considering it was the Hotest day of the year!!! You guys truly are the best :)

stacy + mike

A few weeks ago, we made the trip down to Olean, NY (land of the squirrels) for Mike and Stacy’s amazing wedding. These two lovebirds met while attending St. Bonaventure University, so, naturally, their wedding ceremony took place at the University Chapel. The St. Bona campus is absolutely gorgeous. I would even go so far as to say that it’s a photographer’s paradise. The reception was at The Old Library Restaurant in Olean, (which is an AWESOME place for a reception, in case anyone’s still looking). It was just an all-around perfect day!

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!
white and rhinestone wedge heel wedding shoes
gorgeous wedding dress hanging in a sunlit bay window in Olean NYStacy’s bridesmaids help her get laced up and ready to go!
the bridesmaids help the bride get ready for her big wedding at the St. Bonaventure chapel
stunning black and white wedding day image of a bride looking down at her dress for the first time
the bride puts on her wedding jewelry at The Old Library InnStacy, opening her wedding gift from Mike…it was a Kindle!!  WOO HOO!!  What an awesome gift!  I think she likes it.  ;)
the bride opens up her gift from the groom on their wedding day and is happy to find a Kindle
the grooms mother helps the flower girl put on some lip gloss before the weddingWhat a gorgeous color palette for a bouquet!  I just love it!
the bride's gorgeous bouquet made up of white and light green flowersStacy looked absolutely STUNNING.
beautiful window lit portrait of the bride looking away
gorgeous window lit close ups of the bride at The Old Library Inn in OleanThe 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.  ;)
the back of the brides dress on the stairs at The Old Library InnMeanwhile, over at the St. Bonaventure campus, Ben was hanging out with the boys, and capturing some AWESOME pre-ceremony moments!
the groom getting ready for the ceremony on the St. Bonaventure campusThese 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 groom hangs from the basketball hoop in the St. Bonaventure gymnasium
the ring bearer and the groomsmen standing in front of some blue lockers in the St. Bonaventure gym
the groom and groomsmen on the baseball diamond of St. Bonaventure UniversityThe 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…
the brides father walks her down the aisle
the best man and maid of honor hand over the rings to be blessed by the priest during the wedding ceremony
the groom puts the ring on the brides finger during their wedding ceremony in Olean NY
the bride and groom light their unity candle
black and white photo of the bride and groom looking at each other during their wedding ceremony
wide angle shot of the bride and groom during their St. Bonaventure ceremony
the bride and grooms first kiss which concludes the ceremony
the newly married couple walks back up the aisle as man and wifeI 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 newly married couple steals a few moments of alone time right after their walk down the aisleThe 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?
large building with double fire escapes on the St. Bonaventure campus is perfect for wedding party photosI heart ivy-covered anything.
newly married couple kisses while bridal party is spread out around them in this photo taken at St. Bonaventure
black and white shot of wedding party in front of ivy covered brick building on Bonaventure campus
bride and groom hold hands in an ornate archway in this wedding photoThe famous bushes that spell out “St. Bonaventure…”
unique wedding party shot of whole group standing behind St. Bonaventure shrubsThen, 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. :)
wedding day portrait of bride and groom standing in front of clock tower on Bonaventure campus
bride and groom kissing in front of castle like structure on Bonaventure campus
close up black and white photo of bride and groom on their wedding dayAfter 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)!
black and white photography of bride and groom being announced into their wedding reception
bride and groom have their first dance at their wedding reception at The Old Library
the groom twirls the bride around during their first dance as husband and wifeRumor 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!
green and white monogrammed wedding cake
close up of chocolate tuxedo grooms cake A little wedding cake feeding…
black and white photo of bride and groom feeding each other cake at their wedding reception
black and white wedding photography of bride and groom feeding each other cakeNormally, 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.  :)
fine art close ups of wedding rings taken at The Old Library in Olean NYThe garter/bouquet toss happened after dinner, and then the dance floor opened up and it was PACKED all night long!
wedding photo of the groom removing the bride's garter
the groom kisses the bride while removing her garter
black and white candid wedding photo of the bride with her bridesmaid and flower girl
wedding photo of a bridesmaid doing a seventies funk dance with her partner
black and white photo of a drunk groomsman leading a conga line
custom photo wine label wedding favor
the groom spins his groomsman around on the floor in a weak attempt at breakdancingI 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.  ;)
wedding guests doing advanced dance moves at a wedding reception at The Old Library in Olean NY

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!

Wendy - Love the wedding party shot (color) against the ivy backdrop with the sun streaming down! Love the rings shots, and that last one… looks like a slightly different angle could have taken on a whole different tone! LOL, but great capture!

Ayres Photography - Thanks so much, Stephanie! Yeah, I love that shot, too! That fire escape building was absolutely perrrrrrfect for a bridal party! It was definitely a good time…Mike and Stacy are a great couple! :)

Ayres Photography - Thanks, Chris! We’re lucky to have such awesome couples to work with! :)

Ayres Photography - Thanks, Miquel! The details are such a huge part of all the planning that goes into a wedding; I love when we’re able to document them for the couple!! :)

Stephanie - I love the double fire escape picture…one of the best i think you guys ever did! looks like everyone had a good time and the couple is super happy. good job guys…

miquel - I love the dress shot early in the blog! you pay such great attention to detail!! I also love the fact that the beautiful couple met & were wed at St Bone! awesome!! :)

chris - Again, you’ve done a fine job. I loved them all, and enjoyed both ring shots. I’d have to look a long while to decide which is better …. but I’d never say! The couples you work w/ are all fortunate to have you.

Ayres Photography - Thanks, Hege!! YAY! We’re totally looking forward to your wedding, too! SO EXCITING!! ;)

Hege - LOVE the photos!! Can’t wait to have you guys shoot our wedding in just a few weeks!

Ayres Photography - The pleasure was all ours, Stacy! You guys are a wonderful couple to work with! :)

Stacy Swope - Jenn and Ben -
Thank you for your amazing work. We are so happy to have these important moments captured for us.

Ayres Photography - Thanks, Steve! It definitely was a great wedding. :)

Stephen Po-chedley - That baseball field shot is great. The group shots really stuck out in this set. Great, great work – looked like a great wedding.

lindsey + joe

I’m starting to really dig the sports-related engagement sessions. I think it’s pretty cool when a couple can go to games together, and watch their favorite teams win together…that’s just adorable. :)

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!
engaged couple poses for a picture on a hockey player bench outside of the HlSBC ArenaLove and Sabres jerseys…ADORABLE!
soon to be married couple holds each other for a photo during their engagement photo session at HSBC Arena
engagement photos taken of a couple of Sabres fans in downtown BuffaloStanding on tiptoes is also ridiculously adorable…
bride to be stands on her tiptoes to kiss her very tall husband to be in front of the HSBC ArenaGO SABRES!!!
an engaged couple who loves the Buffalo Sabres jumps for joy for a photo during their engagement photo sessionShortly after the super fun jump shot, they changed out of their jerseys and we took a few more cool shots around the arena.
the HSBC Arena in downtown Buffalo has a very nice courtyard for engagement photos
engaged couple sitting on some rocks for a photo in front of the HSBC Arena parking garage
a unique close up of the bride to be's engagement ring during a photo shoot in downtown BuffaloFrom the top of the parking garage next to the arena…gotta love the Buffalo News trucks in the background!!
engagement photo session on the roof of the HSBC Arena parking garage with the city in the backgroundThen, we went inside the parking garage, and played around with all the cool stuff in there for a while.  Awesome stairs…
sitting on some stairs in downtown Buffalo for an engagement photo session
an engaged couple poses for a photo during a photo session in downtown buffaloAwesome circle thing-y…
using a circle in the HSBC parking garage as a natural frame during an engagement photo session
adorable engaged couple hangs out in a circle during their engagement photo session in downtown Buffalo…awesome cables, and an AWESOME COUPLE!!!
sometimes it's ok to separate people in engagement photos as it creates good symmetryThe 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.
engagement photos being taken in downtown buffalo the queen city in the pouring rain
cute engaged couple poses for a photo in the rain with a green umbrella on the brick street near the HSBC Arena in downtown buffalo nyI 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.
groom to be kisses his bride to be on the cheek during an engagement photo session in downtown buffaloRaining, raining, raining…but, I love this shot (and I love the man who let us use his building)!!
awesome shot of engaged couple standing to the left of a classic car in its workshop in downtown buffalo nyThe 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.  :)
an engaged couple stands next to each other in the newer lighthouse at the downtown buffalo waterfrontIt may have been a wild, wet, and windy storm outside, but these two hardly even noticed.  Now that’s TRUE LOVE!!  :)
gorgeous black and white close up of a soon to be married couple looking into each other's eyes
a couple cuddles during their stormy night engagement session in downtown Buffalo
gorgeous black and white engagement photo of a couple embracing in front of City Hall at night in Buffalo NY
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! :)

Wendy - That shot of them in front of the building with the doors open & the car is a big-time winner!

chris - Success again!

Colleen - Awesome pictures!! There were so many I liked that I couldn’t pick a favorite!! The jumping one was pretty nice and LOVED the one in front of that man’s workshop!! Well done!!

Lindsey and Joe - Amazing pictures! Thanks for capturing “us” :) Great job-can’t wait until October!