We haven’t worked with James Ferrara since last year, and now we get to work with him 2 weeks in a row! He’s such an innovative photographer with tons of energy and always inspires me to be more creative and think outside the “traditional photography box”. Janine and Dylan were very lucky to have him there to document their beautiful fall wedding at Tappan Hill.

Janine was stunning in her perfectly fitted gown and her killer Stuart Weitzman heels!  When we arrived in her room, she had an entourage of people helping her get ready. Her 2 sisters, mother, and mother-in-law were all just as excited as Janine!  Tappan Hill overlooks the Hudson and the fall scenery was at it’s peak. Janine and Dulan decided to see each other before the wedding and what a special moment it was!

Dylan was outside on a terrace looking at the river, when his bride unexpectantly appeared from behind a stone wall. Dylan turned at just the right moment, almost as if he sensed she was there. It could not have been more surprising or perfect. They both really enjoyed that moment and were completely calm and happy for the rest of the day.

It seems that all of Cornwall turned out for the ceremony and reception.  At the party, I was greeted by another familiar face-DJ Octavius, who I haven’t worked with in a while but was actually the DJ at my own wedding! He was as fun and energetic as ever – even getting out on the dance floor with the crowd and showing them his signature dance moves. Not to be outdone, the crowd showed him some fancy moves of their own – this crowd could dance!

What a great night with some old friends, new friends, and the brand new husband and wife team of Mr. and Mrs. Dylan Peck!

-jen

Whether it be an orange flower in the hair, blue ribbon trim on the dress, or red shoes, a big trend in weddings this year is to wear an unexpected pop of color somewhere in the bride’s attire.   But my October 17th bride, Erin made her “pop” into a tribute. She donned a pair of violet Kate Spade shoes to honor her dad, who passed away from leukemia.  Violet is the ribbon color for the Lymphoma/Leukemia society.  Her dad was definitely present in spirit – in the shoes, photos, purple centerpieces and speeches.  Erin and her new husband James even made a donation to the Leukemia Society on behalf of their wedding guests in lieu of a traditional favor.

On to the details……

The traditional Catholic mass was followed by some fun photos at the Pearl River Hilton  with my energetic photographer friend James Ferrara. Then it was off to the View on the Hudson in Piermont for tons of food, family and friends.  The bride and groom didn’t leave the dance floor the entire evening and really and truly enjoyed their party and each other.

Much love, happiness and luck of the Irish to the new Mr. and Mrs. James Donnelly!

-jen

Kristy and Ron’s Reflections of their wedding day in their own words. Very sweet!

http://www.vimeo.com/7298085

Fun photo session at Mt. Alvernia and Arbor Ridge.

http://www.vimeo.com/7299454

Kristy and Ronny’s love story.

http://www.vimeo.com/7295118

October 10th came early for me as I left the house at 7:15 a.m. to be at the bride’s hotel room by 9.  But it couldn’t come soon enough for Brenda and Eric, who have been together since high school, and have waited a long time for this day. Thier patience was well-rewarded with a spectacular Fall day, full of blue skies and plenty of dramatic leaf color.

They could not have picked a more  beautiful backdrop than the deck of the Grandview as the location for  their ceremony.  Afterwards, we took some stunning photos of their very large bridal with the Mid-Hudson Bridge as our backdrop. As always, it was tons of fun working with Elissa Davidson and our all-girl team of photo/video pros!

Once inside, Brenda’s leaf-themed decor and thoughtful touches were everywhere.  She loves photography, so the favors were pocket photo albums.  Her beloved poodle,  for some strange reason, was not allowed to attend the reception, so Brenda and Eric place a photo of him right on the head table where they could see his face!

When the bride and groom finally hit the dance floor, the party really rocked! My favorite band, Bill’s Toupee,  hit the mark as always with their music. I have never heard “Devil went down to Georgia” played live at a wedding, complete with the fiddle portion….absolutely awesome! Eric and Brenda did a version of “Footloose” that had me laughing when Eric kept leaping in the air to the beat.  Everyone at the wedding was completely in love with these two sweet people, and they are crazy in love with each other! I know that they’ll be happy forever. Much love to the new Mr. and Mrs. Eric Palmatier!

-jen

August 1st -

I love Summer weddings…more teachers! Catherine and Jacob met when Jacob was Catherine’s teaching assistant and these two are perfect for each other!

Super-organized……I had an itinerary, music selections, photos, and even a seating chart delivered to me 3 weeks before the wedding! Nothing was left to chance except the weather, which cooperated nicely! Blue skies and comfortable temperatures greeted us as we arrived at Cathy’s parents’ house.  Cathy was gorgeous! She looked so classic in her vintage yet modern dress and hair -very Audrey Hepburn!  She was relaxed, excited and eager to start the day that she had been planning for so long.

The theme of the day was peacocks….evidenced by the beautiful peacock feathers that adorned the aisle at Marist College Chapel.  Although I think that they chose the “blue” theme based on their love of the NY Yankees!

Following a very moving ceremony, we strolled the grounds of their alma-mater for some stunning formals of their large families and bridal party.

A wild party followed at the Grandview, with the always-energetic Larry Mulligan from Much Music at the DJ controls. What better way to start out your life together than with a little confetti I always say!  Cathy and Jake really wanted to set the tone early for their guests to have a good time and celebrate with them!  What a treat when Cathy & Jake and her bridesmaids broke into a choreographed dance to “Aint No Other Man” for their guests! Cathy then really brought the house down when she donned a white sequined glove for a little Michael Jackson tribute dance, complete with a moonwalk…IN A GOWN!!  This girl is good! Jake, you are one lucky guy and in for a lifetime of fun!

Much love and happiness to Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Gardner.

p.s. no peacocks were harmed in the writing of this blog!

-Jen

Saturday, July 25th.

So, I think that I met Diane and Steve at a bridal show about 2 years ago….it seemed like their wedding day would never get here.  Alyssa and I called them our “dimple couple” – two of the cutest smiles you have ever seen!  We arrived at Diane’s house to find a sea of hot pink dresses! (we were a little late – got stuck in a fireman’s parade detour!)

We got some great shots of Diane getting ready with the always-fun Alistair from CEL images.  It was fun to watch 6ft-something Al pose the tiny 5 ft Diane!  Off to the ceremony we went, where the best man was trying to conceal from the groom the fact that he left the rings on the party bus, that was now on its way to pick up the girls!  All was well when the girls arrived and shuttled the rings in unseen. WHEW! I think that was the only crisis of this otherwise perfect day.

Steve was teary-eyed as his bride came down the aisle – you could tell that he was so proud!  After the ceremony, we were off to Vassar College for some dramatic shots with the bridal party and families, followed by cocktails and dinner at the gorgeous Grandview.

I love it when I get to work with good friends, so I was thrilled when I found out that Jeff and Stephanie from the DJ Solutionwere providing the entertainment!  It was class all the way for Diane and Steve.  Jeff and Steph usually begin the first dance by reading aloud some thoughts from the bride and groom about their new spouse.  Well, there was barely a dry eye when Steve read his comments aloud to his bride in front of everyone.  That takes some guts, or just takes a guy REALLY in love with his wife!

The party truly got started when the bride and fellow Cortland grads hit the dance floor to “Pour Some Sugar” by Def Leppard.  We all laughed as they put Diane on a chair in the middle of the dance floor so that we could see her (did I mention that she’s tiny?)

But the crowd really went wild when Steve got up on the chair and showed us his “Dirty Dancing” moves! These two are meant for each other and it was my priviledge to be there to document their love story – AND worth the wait! Lots of love to Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Farris!

-Jen

My Summer of teachers continued with the July 24th wedding of Marissa and Shawn. I LOVE teachers as brides! They are super-organized and know exactly what they want. Marissa was no exception to this rule. When we arrived at the Hotel Thayer, her hair and makeup were already done and she just had to get dressed – (a rare “On-time” bride in the wedding industry!)

Upon entering her bridal suite, we saw that everything was laid out perfectly…..the dress, shoes, flowers, jewelry and above all…the BIGGEST and most well-equipped bathroom emergency kit we had ever seen!

We got special permission to take photos in the Superintendant’s garden at West Point for Shawn to take his first peek at his gorgeous bride! He was floored when she appeared under the arbor and he later told me that that moment was the highlight of his day.  Her floral-embroidered gown was one of the prettiest that I can remember in a long time, and the garden setting was just a perfect complement.

Speaking of perfect….these two could not take a bad photo! I’m sure that my pal Lori O’Toole gave them more than enough superb images to choose from!

After the Catholic ceremony in Highland Falls, it was back through the gates for the celebration at the Hotel Thayer.  Continuing with the garden theme, the party was outside on the lawn overlooking the serene Hudson River.  We made it through most of the evening without rain, but when it hit – OH BOY! Lightning and rain raced across the sky for a spectacular light show.  It didn’t slow down the party however, as the band, DJ, and Irish musicians played right through.  The bride’s dad jammed with the band and Marissa showed off her Irish dancing skills – so much fun!

Thanks for letting me be a part of the garden party Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Tarkington!

-Jen

Cool couple and cool music at Patriot Hills! http://vimeo.com/6417846

Anyone who has met Trish and Anthony KNOWS who I am talking about! July 19th was a perfect day all the way around.  From the beautiful weather, to the very organized and beautiful bride, to the lovely and touching ceremony…….everything was PERFECT!

Trish is a teacher by trade, but this girl could easily be a wedding planner tomorrow! From the hair, makeup, flowers, music,etc…I can’t think of a thing that wasn’t perfect. Especially Anthony’s face when he saw her walk down the aisle inside the beautiful Poughkeepsie Grand Ballroom!  You just know that these two are meant to be.

We had lots of fun as usual with Lou and Leah Bedinotti when we took the Grand Trolley down to the waterfont by the bridge with just the couple. Lou got the crazy idea to put them out on the rocks along the river and Trish and Anthony were happy to oblige! The dramatic photos were worth it!

Later on, we re-created the opening to “Resevoir Dogs” with Anthony and the guys….awesome!  The reception got started out with some wacky get-ups worn by the bridal party for introductions by DJ Serge.

Guests had tons of fun in the photo booth provided by Lou and Leah and the bride and groom even made time for some fun shots in the booth.

The cake and the food were, (what else) perfect!

Alyssa and I were so happy to be a part of such an elegant and loving wedding day.  Thanks to the new Mr. and Mrs. Perfect! (oops, I mean Mr. and Mrs. Figueroa!)

-Jen

Click here to see how beautiful Catlin can be even in the rain!http://www.vimeo.com/5818912