Earlier this summer, everyone in New York got quite a scare when Hurricane Irene passed through in a flurry of rain and high force winds.  I knew one very important thing about Shannon and Eric’s wedding ceremony – it HAD to be held outdoors. That was the only thing (well, besides getting married) that really mattered to Shannon. She picked a gorgeous lakeside location on the lawn of Belhurst Castle, but with the hurricane, all plans were up in the air (thankfully not literally!)

When Shone and I arrived at the Ramada Geneva where everyone was getting ready, spirits were low but not crushed. There was so much going on that weather reports got put on the back burner and everyone just concentrated on getting dressed and pampered.

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The girls got their make up done at the Ramada and then continued getting dressed at one of the beautiful suites in Belhurst. They were able to peek through the windows and make sure the ceremony site hadn’t blown away with the winds.

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Shannon and her whole bridal party sported fabulous 1940′s hair up-dos and make up.

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Stacy K Floral provided whimsical yet elegant boutonnieres for the guys, as always including her signature feather accents.

A funny thing happened on the way to… the ceremony. At that point of the day it had been decided that no matter what, the ceremony was going to be held outside. The wind was strong but the rain had slowed down from a sprinkle to barely anything at all. The music started, the grandparents got seated, the groomsmen walked to their designated spots… But where was the bridal party? Turns out, someone “lost” the wedding vows. The bride was panicking. Guests were waiting in their seats, getting blown about by the winds. People were dispatched back to the hotel to search for the elusive piece of paper, the bridal suite was getting turned inside out, and Eric, well, Eric was calm as a cucumber – he knew he’d get married no matter what, handwritten vows or not. I think his calm energy transferred to the bride, because soon the panic stopped, the vows were located, and the ceremony could begin. Again.

With plenty of anticipation built in, Eric finally saw his bride Shannon walk down the aisle toward him. Not a dry eye in the house with these two!

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Belhurst just recently installed a small romantic fountain area near the ceremony site, and it added to the overall rainy feel of the day. I enjoyed being able to walk around and get all perspectives of the ceremony, a great benefit of getting married on a big lawn! (Although I do wonder if somehow the whole shebang could be turned around so that the guests could look towards the castle instead of the lake as the couple gets married) Random thought, moving on.

Uh oh, sprinkles! Not an issue if you’re having a great time!

Reading the vows. It definitely was worth the wait.

Surprise! As the new Hoffmans were announced, the whole bridal party started dancing to “All the Single Ladies”

Amazing job, Stacy.

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A quick change later… (Stacy made the birdcage veil for Shannon using purple feathers and a gorgeous brooch that complemented her 1940′s style)

Bridal party formal

… and not so formal.

… and even LESS formal!

Thankfully, no one fell in!

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I may or may not have said something inappropriate.

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The elegant cake was expertly crafted by Premier Pastry

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A “cigarette” girl served jelly beans and candies to the guests at cocktail hour.

First dance

more cake. and rings.

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Thanks hurricane Irene for bringing us this amazing evening sky.

It also colored Belhurst Castle with purple hues.

Party time! (with Deb from Paper Moon Productions capturing every moment on video)

OMG is that swing music I hear? MUST. DANCE!!!

The best weddings are ones where I make new friends. You guys rocked.

Ok, now the CONTEST!!!
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I had the pleasure of photographing a wonderful wedding on the bank of Seneca lake at Belhurst Castle.  The day was warm and sunny and emotions were running high.  My assistant Amanda and I arrived at the castle just as the girls were starting to get ready.  We took a few shots of the dress and the shoes while Tara was getting her makeup done.  The girls were enjoying a bottle of Verdi and getting primped in the bathroom and in front of mirrors.  Tara’s dress was gorgeous and fit her perfectly.

The flowers were provided by the ever-awesome Bonnie Goldsmith of Bouquets By Bonnie. I love working with her!

Walking down the aisle

Awesome ceremony site at Belhurst.

First kiss!

It started sprinkling after the ceremony, but it was also really bright. We had to make do as best as we could.

First dance

We snuck away for a bit during the reception so that we could get a few shots around the castle.

I always try to do something fun with the wedding rings. This time, I put them on top of the DJ’s lights.

The DJ kept switching light colors for me and I got a few different cool effects.

Thanks for having me at your fabulous wedding Tara and Kevin! Hope you’re having an amazing time together, and that married life treats you both well.

I photographed Natalie and Jon’s wedding at the Geneva Ramada Lakefront.  They had a very sweet ceremony under a big white tent, and their reception was inside.

After the ceremony we were shooting formals, when the hotel manager quietly whispered in my ear that there was a storm brewing and that it would probably get there in about 30 minutes. So I had to scrap my regular routine and get started on just-them pictures before finishing formals.

You can see the storm in the background.

We had just enough time to do some quick bridal party shots and then it started raining cats and dogs! We had to quickly dash inside and watch the storm drown the lawn outside.

It was so perfectly timed! The ceremony was fine, the family formals went great, we got some awesome just-them shots, and then while it stormed outside, the bridal party got introduced, toasts offered, and dinner started. By the time dinner ended, so had the storm. Natalie was willing to go outside for just a few more photographs.

All in all this was a great day. I will be forever grateful to Ramada Lakefront‘s manager for alerting me about that storm! And thanks Natalie and Jon for trusting me to keep you outside up until the first drops started falling!