kristen + brian

“A man travels the world in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.” – George Moore

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! :)