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Woodstock lives on at a Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Wedding!

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:21:21 +0000

The Magic Bus at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Reception and Photos at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Event Gallery, Museum and Site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival

Flowers by Monticello Greenhouse, Dress by Essence of Australia, Shoes by Jimmy Choo, Rings by Tiffany, Music by Common Ground Orchestra

Speedboats, a Psychdelic Bus, The site of the 1969 Woodstock festival… what more could I ask for as a photographer! Allison and Russ’s wedding plans excited me from the moment I first heard of them. Or almost all of them – they left the antique speedboat part out until the day of (I thought we’d be doing a few photos posed in front of an old rowboat for some reason). Allison’s dad had me popped into a boat and speeding across Masten Lake behind Allison and Russ before I could even think clearly about my lack of good swimming skills. Then we zipped off to the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts – site of the 1969 Woodstock festival – for a cruise through the fabulous and psychedelic Woodstock Museum and then into the gorgeous event gallery for a rocking reception kicked off by the Common Ground Orchestra.

If you get the chance, the museum at Bethel Woods is not to be missed!

The Event Center at Bethel Woods

Russ, the groom, is a pilot, so these luggage tags as guest placecards were the perfect touch of detail!

Peace & Love on the Great Lawn

Holley’s Trash the Dress Session

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:38:36 +0000

Holley has been my assistant, second shooter, my second brain for the past 4 years. And then she decided to get married and move to Alabama – I’m not sure I will ever forgive her for this. But, one of the highlights of my year was having the privilege of shooting her and Matt’s trash the dress session a few weeks after their wedding. Holley wore her vintage wedding dress, which had also been her great aunt’s wedding dress 58 years ago! And Love Love Love the birdcage veil. Matt wore his West Point uniform first and then did a quick change into the suit and flip flops he had worn for their actual wedding day. We did everything on one block in the City of Poughkeepsie – I love the mix of waterfalls and urban street scenes. The waterfall spot is only about 20 feet off the road, but it took about 30 minutes to get Holley down onto the rocks – moss, mud and cliffs don’t work on the actual wedding day – but this is what a trash the dress is all about!

Matt's West Point ring

The Old Piano Factory

Lower Main Street, Poughkeepsie

Margaret and Nick’s Engagement Photos!

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:22:57 +0000

When Margaret asked me to photograph her and Nick’s wedding last year, I was so excited I really didn’t want to have to wait an entire year for the date to arrive. Her and Nick are both so sweet and so in love. Margaret and Nick picked Kingston Point Beach and the Rondout section of Kingston for their engagement photos. I’ve lived here for years and had no idea that Kingston had a sand beach on the Hudson River! Actually, I had no idea there was a sand beach anywhere on the Hudson River. Leave it to a couple of Long Island transplants to find these little local gems. We pretty much had the beach to ourselves and after some fun water photos, headed to the Rondout in Kingston a change of scenery. The day of their engagement photo session looked like rain all day and I really thought that maybe we should reschedule, but the weather held out until about 5 minutes after we wrapped things up – perfect timing!

Well, Margaret asked me to please send her my favorite photo from her and Nick’s engagement session as a preview. The only problem is that I have at least 29 favorite photos – I really can’t choose just one! Margaret and Nick’s wedding at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie is one wedding I have been looking forward to for a long time, and now it is only a few months away. Stay tuned for wedding photos in September!

Kingston Point Beach, Kingston, NY

Jaclyn and Brendan at the Chateau Hathorn, Warwick, NY

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:15:09 +0000

One of my favorite wedding venues is the Chateau Hathorn in Warwick New York. The grounds are beautiful, the reception room is always decorated to a ‘Wow’ factor, and the food is always amazing! Jaclyn and Brendan picked April for their wedding date because they were hoping for a nice cool April day. Jaclyn had told me to expect rain because it always seemed to rain on their important dates. Instead we had record breaking 90 degree heat – a gorgeous and HOT sunny day. I wasn’t expecting to be packing frozen water bottles so soon in the wedding season! Apple blossoms seemed to be everywhere, from the embossing on the invitations, to the huge apple blossom branches decorating the church, to all the apple blossom trees in full bloom at the Chateau Hathorn. What a perfect and gorgeous April theme. …and many thanks to Beth who referred this great couple and their fun bridal party to me!

Ceremony at St Joseph’s Church, Warwick, New York

Reception at Chateau Hathorn, Warwick, New York

Dress design by Paloma Blanca

Flowers by Thomas of Next Level Floral Design, Warwick and Manhatten

Music by DJ Joey

St Joseph's Church, Warwick, New York

The Rolls Royce

Jaclyn and Brendan

Chateau Hathorn

Chelsea Pier Lighthouse Wedding in NYC

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:07:10 +0000

The Flatiron Building in NYC

Chelsea Pier Lighthouse is one the top 10 New York wedding venues for very good reason. The stunning views of the Hudson River, delicious food and amazing staff made this mid-January trip to New York one worth making. I headed to the city the night before to beat the snowstorm heading for the Hudson Valley and found myself at an amazing little hotel in Gramercy that i spent the rest of the night taking pictures of. The following day was Robin and Dan’s wedding and since I was staying at their hotel, I was in the perfect spot to capture all the action. A trip over to the Flatiron Building, one of the most well known and romantic buildings in New York was an added bonus. The weather was VERY cold, but Robin was amazing as she didn’t even look chilled as myself and Holley got into the 1st wedding of 2009 for us! A gorgeous sunset ceremony at the Lighthouse was followed by a wonderful evening dancing to the JK Band.

Ceremony and Reception at Chelsea Pier Lighthouse, New York City

Dress by Exclusive by Allure

Flowers by Botanical Design

Music by the JK Band

The ceremony at Chelsea Pier Lighthouse

Chelsea Pier Lighthouse, New York City

Belvedere Mansion, Rhinebeck, New York

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:00:04 +0000

the veil moment

Tears of joy flowed throughout the day at Jessica and Peter’s October wedding. Peter cried when he saw Jessica for the first time near the gazebo and then Jessica cried as she read her vows to Peter in a touching ceremony by the pond at the stunning Belvedere Mansion in Rhinebeck. Belvedere has to be one of my favorite places to photograph a wedding at. I just can’t find a bad place to take pictures – rain or shine! Probably the hardest part of the day for me was photographing the sunset that evening as it kepy getting better and better! The best time to do sunset photos is after the sun has dropped below the horizon, but this night, the colors of the sky seemed to get deeper and richer as the night wore on. I could have taken sunset photos for about an hour, but we had a packed dance floor to get this fun couple back onto!

Ceremony and Reception at The Belvedere Mansion

Hair and Makeup by Setsuko Hosami

Dress by Amsale

Flowers by Stew Leonards

Music by Frank Banks of Boss Systems

Jessica and Peter

Jessica

A magnificent sunset

The Eagles Nest in Bloomingburg, New York

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:52:11 +0000

Megan and Joe had envisioned a outdoors ski lodge feel to their wedding without having to send their guests up a ski lift in formal wear; so when they found the Eagles Nest in Bloomingburg, they knew that they had a ceremony and reception site. A perfect October day and the brightest blue skies I had ever seen at the Eagles Nest. Having Rebel, their dog, was an important part of Megan and Joe’s day and he was full of sloppy wet kisses for their photos!

Ceremony and Reception at The Eagles Nest

Flowers by The Floral Cottage

Music by Fred Purdy

Video by Digital Weddings

Vanderbilt Mansion and Vassar College

admin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:00:31 +0000

Jackie had always wanted wedding photos at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, but I ended up shooting their engagement session there instead. A hot June day with a very cool couple.

The Rose Garden at Vanderbilt Mansion

Jackie at Vassar College

The wedding day itself seemed to come up pretty quickly after Jackie and Tony’s engagement session. A touching ceremony was performed by Jackie’s cousin at Vassar College Chapel with a stunning bride and a very handsome and happy groom! The photo session after the ceremony was in the beautiful Shakespeare Gardens on the grounds of Vassar College and then on to an evening of dinner and dancing at The Grandview in Poughkeepsie. I was able do some cool photos with Tony and the guys earlier in the day – a nice switch up for me. The reception in the tent at The Grandview had more food than I have ever seen at a wedding before. The centerpieces of gerber daisies and photos from the engagement session were gorgeous. What a wonderful day!
Ceremony at Vassar College Chapel
Dress by Maggie Sottero
Flowers by Morgan’s Florist
Music by DJ Dom
Reception at The Grandview

The Shakespeare Gardens at Vassar College

Janelle and Michael at The Grandview

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:20:10 +0000

The stunning Japanese style architecture and koi ponds at Janelle’s family home made an elegant and impressive backdrop for Janelle and Mike’s formal wedding photos. The decks wove up and down around the house and I got lost a few times trying to figure out where I was. Janelle and Mike’s easy going laid back style made the day delightful for all – what a pleasure!

Ceremony & Reception at The Grandview, Poughkeepsie, NY
Ceremony by Rev David James
Music by DJ Domenic
Video by Futures Past Videography

Sunset at The Grandview

Vassar College and The Grandview

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:09:49 +0000

Jackie at Vassar College

I had just photographed Jackie and Tony’s engagement photos a few weeks before, so it seemed like the wedding day arrived so quickly! Jackie was stunning in a Maggie Sottero gown that was absolutely perfect for her. Her makeup was done perfectly by the fabulous Makeup by Jenny. Although the day was hot, her makeup didn’t move a bit.
I got to do some cool photos with Tony and the guys earlier in the day – a nice switch up for me. A beautiful ceremony was performed by Jackie’s cousin at Vassar College Chapel followed by a walk in the Shakespeare Gardens for a great photo session.
The reception in the tent at The Grandview had more food than I have ever seen at a wedding before. The centerpieces of gerber daisies and photos from the engagement session were gorgeous. What a wonderful day!
Ceremony at Vassar College Chapel
Dress by Maggie Sottero
Flowers by Morgan’s Florist
Music by DJ Dom
Reception at The Grandview