mary + nate // Hotel @ the Lafayette

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!

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!” 

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!”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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!”

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.” 

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.”  

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.”

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!“

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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

sabrina + aaron // The Mansion on Delaware

We first met Sabrina and Aaron over Skype and instantly loved them! We knew they were going to be a great fit for us. When we finally got to meet them in person on their wedding day everything fell seamlessly into place just like we all knew it would. They did a fantastic job with their long distance planning (they live in Oklahoma!) and pulled off a stunning day filled to the brim with glamour, sophistication and tons of wide smiles and genuine laughter! We had such a fun time getting to know this wonderful duo and wish them a lifetime of silly, beautiful love.

Sabrina and Aaron were kind enough to share some very sweet memories with us. Read along as your scroll through their beautiful day!

Aaron: “I was a bit torn over the whole First Look business since it’s not necessarily traditional. Sabrina was really pushing for it so I conceded.  I think I was actually a bit speechless when I saw her.  It definitely took the edge off and put me at ease before we got into the ceremony. It reminded me that it was just us, nothing else, other than some fancy clothes.“

Aaron: “A tip- Don’t feed your fiancé under-cooked food three days before the wedding. I thought I was doing her a favor making her a turkey burger with vegetables, keeping myself trim, but the nonstop illness for the next 24 hours makes me think she wasn’t so thankful. Sabrina really struggled during the rehearsal dinner and wedding day, but she fought through with a smile the whole time.  Unless you’re one of the thousand people she’s informed since, you would have never guessed she was sick! She still mentions my getting her sick to anyone that’ll listen. ‘I only had one french fry,’ she recalls. I’m still paying the price.“

Sabrina: “Growing up, people often asked me who would walk me down the aisle.  There was never a question…the answer was always my mom.  Having my Mom give me away was a truly special moment that I won’t ever forget.”

Sabrina: “I learned something about myself this day. I’ve always known that I am that person who always cries at weddings, but apparently when it is my own wedding…I straight up sob.  Catholic wedding ceremonies are long…that is a lot of sobbing, people.  Luckily my Maid of Honor was sick of hearing the sniffles and wasn’t scared to rescue me with tissues.  In all seriousness, though, the ceremony was gorgeous. Words can’t describe walking down the aisle and seeing your future husband (in all his handsomeness) waiting at the end of the aisle.  Every time I felt nervous (or that I might really lose it and start emitting audible sobs) I would look at Aaron and he would make one of his goofy faces and squeeze my hand and it would hit me that I was truly marrying my best friend.  There is something really special about that feeling.  Those glances between us during that long (and happily-weepy) ceremony are what I remember most fondly.“

Aaron: “We were worried that having such a ridiculously large group would affect the ease of the day, but I wouldn’t do it any other way.  We had a bunch of family and friends that we needed to have involved to make the day right.  It was a hassle getting everyone moving for pictures and group things, but all of them being involved made the day better.“

Aaron: “Working with Jenn and Ben was great.  Ben fit in with the guys and helped make everything feel comfortable.  They were very accommodating throughout the day, letting us decide where we wanted pictures done.  But they knew when to point us in the right direction; they are the professionals after all.  They convinced us to take a set of pictures of just the two of us in front of an industrial spot downtown with just a gray brick back drop.  It seemed a bit artsy for my liking, but when we got the pictures back they were some of our favorites.  They were awesome to work with and the day would not have been the same without them!“

Sabrina: “Autumn is both mine and Aaron’s favorite season, so obviously we always wanted a fall wedding.  October in Buffalo did not disappoint.  Not only did we get fall, but we got several other seasons that day as well. We had rain, sunshine, rainbows, oh…and let us not forget the hail.  Honestly, in all the excitement we just ran with it.  Our bus driver offered us an umbrella (thank goodness) and we had fun with it!  People seriously do not believe us when we say that it rained and hailed on our wedding day.  Jenn and Ben captured our day in a way that made it look like we had nothing but sunshine all day.  We barely even noticed that it was hailing when we ran through the line of sparklers that evening.  Luckily our friends and family were all champs about it!“

Sabrina: “One of my favorite memories of our wedding day was going around and taking pictures with Aaron.  Wedding days are seriously rushed, busy, and stressful.  These moments just taking pictures gave us an opportunity to unwind, recharge, and catch up just the two of us.  Not to mention, it gave Aaron a chance to be his goofy-self and make me laugh like he always does.“

Aaron: “One of my favorite parts of the day was our stop at the Blue Monk on Elmwood Ave. It gave us a moment to ourselves between the ceremony and before things were about to get crazy at the reception.  We’d never actually been, but my nickname growing up was Monk (and still is with my brothers) and it looked right up our alley.  The limo dropped us off and the bartender was super friendly and served us quickly knowing we didn’t have much time.  Jenn and Ben got some great shots of us sharing our first few moments to ourselves on the day.  I surprised Sabrina with a giant framed print of one of the shots, she loved it just as much as I did.“

Sabrina: “The Mansion on Delaware was absolutely breathtaking.  Besides the very obvious history, architecture, and all around gorgeousness, they took such great care of us and did so much of the planning that it took a lot of the stress of the details off our shoulders so that we could just relax and enjoy our reception.”

Sabrina: “The whole day went by so fast.  Literally we would blink and an hour had gone by and it was time for dinner.  Another blink and we were running outside to do sparklers.  Before we knew it, the day was over and we were left looking back on all of our amazing memories from our wedding day, just soaking it all in.“

Sabrina: “It was so important to us that we book Jenn and Ben to photograph our wedding day.  During the planning process I stalked (I know you think I’m kidding, but I legitimately stalked) their blog to scout venues, churches, and spots for photos.  Throughout the planning process I continually found myself back on their blog looking at their beautiful work.  When we finally booked them and had our Skype date, I rattled off all the couples’ beautiful weddings that they had shared on their website.  Jenn was so patient with me trying to plan photography spots in Buffalo all the way from Oklahoma.  In the end, Jenn and Ben were so wonderful to work with and I’m so thankful they were a part of our wedding day.  Thanks, Jenn and Ben, for making our crazy, chaotic, awesome wedding day look like it went off without a hitch!  You guys are absolutely wonderful and your photos are always gorgeous (still stalking your blog)!“

A bit of wedding advice: “For the soon-to-be-married folks…honestly it sounds so cheesy, but just enjoy yourself.  Of course, everyone told us this going in, but it. is. so. true.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the details and everything being perfect.  The truth is, the sooner you realize that it won’t be perfect, the more enjoyable it will be.  Things will go wrong but it won’t make your day any less perfect!  Keep focused on what is important, your new husband/wife, marrying your best friend, and celebrating it with your family and friends that traveled to party with you.  Just go with it!  Who cares if you get rained (or hailed) on, that the bride and bridal party were 2 songs late for the ceremony, or that you couldn’t eat for 72 hours leading up to and including the wedding day due to food poisoning.  At the end of the day, if you focus on what’s important, you’ll laugh about all those details that went disastrously wrong.  They just add to all the wonderful memories!!“

Wedding Vendors Include

Ceremony: Alumni Chapel at Niagara University
Reception: The Mansion on Delaware
Hair and Makeup: Glam on Location
Wedding Dress: Stella York
Bridesmaid Dresses: Mori Lee
Groom’s Look: Marty’s Formal Wear
Florist: Flowers by Johnny
Cake: Vin-Chet’s Gluten Free Bakery
DJ: Signature Entertainment