stacey + brad // kleinhans music hall
Filed in weddings shot by Ayres Photography on atWe would be hard pressed to find a sweeter couple than these two. I don’t think we could have stopped Stacey and Brad from smiling on their wedding day for anything in the world! In fact, every single guest that attended this beautiful wedding simply could not stop smiling from ear to ear the entire day. What an incredible problem to have! True happiness radiating from every single photograph?? Yes, please!
The ladies spent a fun and relaxing morning being pampered and beautified at Morcelle Salon on Main Street in Williamsville. After Stacey and Brad’s beautiful wedding ceremony at Temple Beth Zion everyone proceeded to the always amazing and historical Kleinhan’s Music Hall just outside Downtown Buffalo, where Twilight (one of our absolute favorite wedding bands ever) kept the dance floor packed at all times!
Stacey and Brad shared their favorite wedding day memories with us to help really bring their photographs to life!
Stacey: “Our first look was both romantic and hilarious. I remember walking up the stairs with all the anticipation of tapping Brad on the shoulder and him seeing me in my dress for the first time. When I tapped his shoulder, he turned around and as I looked at his face, the first thing I noticed was that his glasses were completely fogged up. My first thought was that I spent all this time having my hair done, getting my makeup put on, and getting in my dress only to think: ‘Can he even see me right now?’ All I could do was smile and giggle. I was so happy because regardless how the first-look was ‘supposed’ to go, that moment was so ‘us.’ The other part that was incredibly memorable was that through all 8 and a half years of us dating, he never bought me red roses. He bought me all of the other colors, but never red. It became a joke between the two of us. But when he turned around holding a single red rose, and with fogged up glasses it completely warmed my heart and made me smile.“
Brad: “The first look was definitely one of the most memorable moments of not just the wedding but of my life. There is a certain nervousness that comes along with the first look. In all honesty, I wasn’t too keen on doing a it when we first started the process of wedding planning. I had heard of them before but wasn’t very enthralled by them. I always had this notion that the first time I would see my bride would be when she walked down the aisle. As it turned out, doing a first look was one of the best decisions we made. I knew exactly where she would be coming from but there was so much nervous excitement regardless. When Stacey tapped me on my shoulder and I turned around I was absolutely blown away by how stunning she looked. She’s always beautiful but on that day, in that moment, I’ve never seen someone so beautiful in my life.
We were together for a long time before we got married, and one of our inside jokes was that I gave her numerous flowers over the years, but never gave her red roses. When she tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around holding a single red rose. That is a moment I will never forget. There were definitely some tears which actually turned into one of the funnier parts of the day. Because it was so hot on the stairs where we did the first look the tears caused my glasses to fog up while we embraced. So, you could say, our first look got steamy :)“
Brad: “One of the most vivid memories was taking photos with our wedding party before the ceremony started. There is so much buildup and noise prior to the day actually happening that it was nice to be able to go outside with our wedding party, which included our siblings, and just goof off and have a good time. Stacey and I are very fun-loving, wacky people who don’t take things too seriously when we don’t have to. The picture time took off some of the edge of the day and allowed us to spend a lot of quality time with people who mean so much to us.“
Stacey: “I will never forget the Ketubah signing which took place minutes before the actual ceremony. It was so emotional and meaningful because we were surrounded by family and close friends as we signed our marriage contract.“
Brad: “The ceremony itself was memorable for so many reasons. First, having my family stand up there with me is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. My mom was beaming, my sisters looked gorgeous and were in our wedding party, and there was a palpable sense of how proud my dad was standing on the bimah. Second, it wouldn’t be an event for me and Stacey if there wasn’t a little humor. As the Rabbi reminded me previously, I needed to repeat the Hebrew words after him but say them while looking at Stacey. After all – I was marrying Stacey, not the Rabbi. But, to nobody’s surprise, I forgot the Rabbi’s advice and started speaking to him during the ceremony. He gently reminded me (loud enough for everyone to hear) that I should be telling Stacey how much I love her, not telling him. Humor and joking is a huge part of mine and Stacey’s relationship so it seemed perfectly appropriate that it would insert itself into our wedding ceremony.“
Brad: “One other memory that will stick with me is when Stacey and I arrived at Kleinhans for the reception. The reception was to take place in the Mary Seaton Room, but when we arrived at Kleinhans we were immediately whisked away to the main auditorium. There was a single two-person circular table on the stage at the front of the auditorium with two champagne glasses. When Stacey and I sat down the doors were shut and we just had some time to ourselves to reflect on the ceremony and how incredibly happy we were in that moment. Typical of us, after whispering some sweet nothings, we started talking about how hungry we were and that we were ready to party with all our family and friends. As we sat there our personal waiter, Nicholas, came to greet us. Nicholas was a fantastic guy with a French accent. For the rest of our lives Stacey and I will remember Nicholas’s words of wisdom (in a thick French accent) as he poured us some Champagne: ‘On special occasions we celebrate with bubbles.’ It was the perfect comment at the perfect time. … And then we devoured some appetizers.“
Stacey: “I remember looking into the reception space and thinking ‘wow.’ It looked amazing- like a dream. It truly was beyond anything I could have imagined. My parents and our wedding planner (Bonnie Gersh) did a magnificent job executing our vision beyond our wildest dreams.“
Stacey: “I will never forget the father-daughter dance. My dad took dance lessons for weeks to prepare, constantly updating me on the phone about what new moves he learned that day. Brad and I came in to Buffalo one weekend and in a single dance session I learned the entire semi-choreographed dance. We then practiced a few times at my parent’s house on the back porch. When the time came I was so proud of my dad for having so much fun, performing perfectly, and most of all for not dropping me!“
Stacey: “I had so much fun at the reception. I danced all night long! I remember the waiter coming by to ask what we wanted to eat, and telling the waiter to wrap up my food to-go, because I was going to be too busy dancing. Brad and I ended up sharing one plate of food and taking the other plate for leftovers…which we ate later that night.“
Brad: “There’s no way to think about our reception and not immediately recall the hora. Our band (Twilight) was simply amazing. Prior to hiring them we had heard that one of the things they’re known for with Jewish weddings is their extended hora. Well, the morning after the reception I must have had at least 10-15 people come up to me talking about it. I don’t know how long it actually lasted but if it was anything short of 20 minutes I’d be shocked. It was unreal. I have never clapped and danced continuously for so long in my life. I’m pretty sure I sweat more during the hora than during any hockey game I ever played. And that’s a lot of sweat. We went right into the hora at the beginning of the reception and there’s no doubt it set the stage for the rest of the night. People were up dancing and partying from the second it started until the second it ended and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.“
Stacey: “One of the most fun moments of the reception was when our band, Twilight, played the Buffalo version of ‘Shout’ twice. After they finished playing for the evening, they started packing up and announced that the reception was over. The crowd, including all of my Buffalo friends and family, started chanting ‘Shout!’ repeatedly. The wedding ended in a ‘Shout’ encore – the perfect way to end a Buffalo wedding!“
A little advice from Stacey and Brad to everyone out there planning their wedding:
“Get a wedding planner if you want the least amount of stress possible. With all the internet websites, Pinterest, magazines, etc… there are so many perspectives and options. Bonnie got to know us and narrowed down our options of vendors that would fit us and our vision. It made everything so much easier. Another piece of advice is to remember that your wedding day goes incredibly fast and there is no stopping it. From getting ready in the morning, to photographs before the ceremony, to the ceremony itself, to the reception, there is hardly any downtime on wedding day. And then it’s over. Take the day slow and soak it all in. This will be the only time you do this and should be one of the most memorable days of your life. Take time to take mental snapshots of moments throughout the day. And above all else – breathe! It’s fun!“
And last, but not least, some very sweet and thoughtful words about us:
“From the moment we met Jenn and Ben we felt comfortable with them. Allowing someone to photograph the most meaningful moments of your life is not a decision to take lightly. We felt and instant connection with Jenn and Ben and there’s no doubt they were perfect for us. Although the wedding was in Stacey’s hometown of Buffalo, we live in Indianapolis. Never in a million years could we have imagined that our photographers, based in Buffalo, would drive 8 hours to Indianapolis to do our engagement session. But they did, because they’re awesome. We had 2 wonderful days in Indy with Jenn and Ben as we took them to some of our favorite spots including the spot we got engaged. Following that up with our wedding we knew there would be no issues whatsoever. Ben spent some time with the guys the morning of the wedding and Jenn with the girls. While we knew they were there, their style is so unobtrusive that you sometimes just think they’re part of the wedding party. We had a great time with them and couldn’t have imagined anyone else capturing our special day. Thanks Jenn and Ben!!“
Wedding Vendors Include
Ceremony: Temple Beth Zion
Reception: Kleinhan’s Music Hall
Hair and Makeup: Morcelle Salon
Wedding Dress: Demetrios
Bridesmaid Dresses: Weddington Way
Grooms Look: Jos A. Bank
Wedding Coordinator: Bonnie Gersh
Florist: Woyshner’s Flower Shop
Cake: Dessert Deli
Band: Twilight Entertainment
