This weekend was the weekend in which Hurricane Irene was to have wreaked havoc of historic porportions up and down the East coast. Obviously all eyes were on the weather forecast for today and with a bit of luck, Kristin & Sam were able to dodge the worst of the weather. Remarkably, while it rained for most of the early part of the day, by the time I arrived at the Fontainebleau Inn, the rain had stopped and all that remained was some cloudiness. It was a great relief to everyone.

The Fontainebleau Inn is a historic location and the original property included a beautiful chapel, Lawrence chapel, just a short walk through the woods. It was in the chapel that the wedding ceremony took place.

The caterer for the wedding reception was Word of Mouth. Tina and her staff provided attentive service and great hors d’oeuvres followed by a beaufiully presented and delicious buffet meal. Prior to the meal, Toasts were given by the Best Man, Tony and the Matron of Honor, Julie. The Bride and Groom chose “Only You Can Love Me This Way” by Keith Urban as their first dance. At the end of the meal, Kristin and her Father danced to “In My Daughter’s Eyes” by Martina McBride.

I remember speaking with Kristin a week prior to the wedding day and she explained how her family loves to dance and enjoys all the participation type dances. I was not surprised then to have practically every single guest join into a conga line during the very first song I played to kick of the open dancing.

What was really great was that we got a little ahead of schedule during the meal which extended the open dancing time that enabled this group of dance lovers to really enjoy themselves. It was awesome to see everyone dancing and that continued the entire evening.

It was so obvious to see the love that exists between Kristin and Sam. It was a joyful day and one that I feel so fortunate to have been a part of. This is the kind of wedding that I remember and I give thanks to the Bride’s Mother, Janet and the Bride and Groom, Kristin and Sam, for letting me share in this special day.

I wish you a long and happy marriage Kristin and Sam and hope you enjoy these photos that I took.

Neither earthquakes or hurricanes could deter the wedding of Jessica and Jason. Upstate New York had experienced some of the shudders accompanying the earthquake in Virginia recently and with the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene, I wasn’t sure what to expect… would the winds be howling? Would it be raining? In fact, it was a beautiful day and because of the amount of thin, milky clouds, an amazing sunset appeared which cast such a beautiful pinkish light over the scene.

The wedding ceremony and reception both took place at Miles Wine Cellars on the West side of Seneca Lake, a magnificent location right on the water. How I have not been aware of this beautiful place until now I can’t understand but now that I’ve met the owners, Suzy and Doug, and visited this amazing place, I’ll be back for certain. The owners are in the midst of adding a B&B and café and this will only make a great place to visit even better.

Once the ceremony was completed, guests enjoyed a leisurely cocktail/hors d’oeuvres hour. Catering was provided by Pure Catering and Events; simply outstanding service & quality of food presentation.  Formal Introductions took place which were followed by the Bride and Groom first dance, “My One & Only Love” by Ella Fitzgerald. Between meal courses, Jessica and her Father danced to “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright III and Jason dance with his Mother to “The Man You Have Become” by Molly Pasutti.

It was a very relaxed evening with gentle breezes, pleasant temperatures, music and dancing enjoyed by close friends and family. Pure Catering and Events provided a level of service that you just don’t experience very often and the photographer Michelle Neumayer covered all the angles and captured beautiful images that will surely be cherished for a lifetime. Kate of Lovewell Celebration Design did a fantastic job coordinating everything. I was fortunate to be able to share this day with Jessica and Jason and wish them well in their new life together.

Here are a few photos I took during the wedding reception. Enjoy!

Amy and Luke had their wedding and reception at Tioga Gardens, in Owego, NY.  This was the first time I had been to Tioga Gardens so I gave myself a lot of extra time to make the drive to ensure I would have some time to familiarize myself with the venue. I was so glad I had extra time because the drive down Route 38, through Dryden, and all the small towns along the way was beautiful with spectacular scenic beauty around every bend in the road.

I arrived at Tioga Gardens and immediately fell in love. Primarily a Florist and Garden Center, it also has gorgeous grounds with meticulously maintained perennial gardens, a separate area to have a wedding ceremony surrounded by lush, exotic water features including an arched bridge & small gazebo and a pavilion. Photo opportunities abound.

After the ceremony, everyone leisurely made their way to the reception area while enjoying the gardens and peaceful bucolic setting that Tioga Gardens offered. Guests enjoyed a nice assortment of hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour and then a delicious meal provided by Red & White Catering.

For their first dance, Amy and Luke selected a tune by Bunny Wailer, “Dreamland.” Toasts were then given by the Best Man, Michael, the Maid of Honor, Genna and the Bride’s Father, Phil.

Amy and her Father danced to “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys and then Luke and his Mother danced to “A Song For My Son” by Donna Lee Honeywell. A short time later the wedding cake was cut and the dance floor was opened for dancing.

Highlighting the evening was a Slovak wedding ceremony called the Redovy. In this ceremony, the bridal veil is removed by the Godmother who then gives it to the Mother of the Bride. Following this, the Mother of the Bride places a bridal cap (The Cepec) on the Bride’s head and the Bridal Dance begins (The Redovy.) The Bridal Dance is an opportunity for the guests to dance with the bride and then each guest receives a drink and a small piece of wedding cake. It was wonderful traditional dance that I had not experienced before.

And then there were the Polkas! Wow, did the guests enjoy that as well as the rest of the dance music that was played. All in all, it was a fantastic time for everyone and the bride and groom enjoyed every second of it.

It was great fun to be able to share this day with Amy and Luke. Congratulations to the bride and groom and here are a few more photos that I took during the evening. Enjoy.

This wedding reception was fantastic. Sure, it was at the Statler Hotel Ballroom on the Cornell University campus, but that’s not really why it was fantastic (although that helped.) It really boiled down to the fact that the Bride, Groom and guests were just fantastic people and everyone was having a great time dancing and enjoying the special moments of the wedding reception. What special moments? The well-produced video montage during the Father of the Bride’s welcoming greeting was one such moment. The family tradition of the dancing alligator was another special event that I shall not soon forget. But most of all it was the fun-loving spirit of the families and guests in attendance there to celebrate the marriage of Sarah and Robbie. I’ll say it again, this wedding was fantastic.

Once the doors to the ballroom opened, formal introductions took place followed by the Bride and Groom’s first dance. They chose a song that was previously unknown to me however it was a great choice… “More Love” by Tim O’Brien. After the first dance, toasts were given by the Best Man, Derek and Matron of Honor, Lauren.

The staff at the Statler always does an exemplary job and the meal and service provided by the Statler was perfect. Between the meal courses we had the other formal dances.Sarah and her father danced to “Father & Daughter” by Paul Simon while Robbie and his mother danced to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.

Once the open dancing started, it was simply exhilarating to witness the enthusiasm of everyone on the dancefloor. But the highlight of the evening had to have been when I started playing “Wipe Out” by the Beach Boys to hearld the arrival of the dancing alligator. This is a long-standing family tradition and pretty much mayhem ensued as the dancefloor transformed itself into a quivering blob of bodies wriggling around on their backs. Let’s just say it was hilarious and you would have had to have seen it to fully appreciate it. Bravo for family traditions like that!

The evening closed with a wonderful Frank Sinatra song, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Sarah and Robbie, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your wedding. It really was a memorable wedding reception for so many reasons. Enjoy these photos that I took during the evening.