It is always an honor for us to photograph a wedding… but it was extra special to be there to support our cousin Nikki, as she married the man of her dreams in upstate New York.  And what a wedding it was!  With a church ceremony followed by a spectacular reception on the shores of Lake Delta, we felt lucky to be there!

Getting ready to be married!

Coming down the aisle of the church with her dad… beautiful.

Steve waiting for their arrival.

A beautiful old church.  What a wonderful location for a ceremony.

Nikki’s sister sang beautifully at the ceremony.  What a gift!

The big kiss!

Coming back down to the aisle.  Husband and wife.

Real joy… captured immediately after the ceremony concluded.

A simple, but beautiful detail: Nikki’s veil.  Gorgeous.

We took to the golf cart for about 10 minutes of photos, just as the sun was setting.

Timeless and beautiful.

Fading light… just as the sun sets, and moments before their introductions to the reception.

Hand in hand: their first dance as husband and wife.

There was no trouble getting people out on the dancefloor.

Freshly made donuts during the reception.  They were incredible (we had to try them), and had to wonder why everyone doesn’t do this at their wedding reception!  Great idea!

We also brought our photo booth along so guests could leave photo messages for Steve and Nikki.

Let’s just say folks got creative with their photos.

A+ to the guy in the tux doing John Travolta.  A++ to the guy with the chicken who needed to quench his thirst at the very moment that the flash bulbs went off!

More creativity.

We never cease to be amazed by wedding guests and a photobooth.

The mustaches were a big hit.

Nikki and Steve: THANK YOU for having us at your wedding.  THANK YOU for coordinating your dates with our insane schedule… we were so honored to be there, to celebrate with you, and to support both amazing families.  Have fun on your Croatian honeymoon!!  You deserve it!

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The complete photos are all available online: just click here to see them!

Also, we’ve posted lots of photos on our Facebook Fan Page: just click here to join us and share them!

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Details/Vendor Links:

Ceremony:  First Presbyterian Church, Rome, NY

Reception:  Teugega Country Club, Rome, NY

Caterer:  Teugega Country Club, Rome, NY

Florist:  Coriale Flowers

Band: The Billionaires

Cake: Desserts Beyond The Ordinary

Photography:  Brian Wedge Photography

Add a raging blizzard that shuts down most of the Eastern Seaboard to that quaint image, along with the boundless energy of Caroline and Mark… and you get a truly unique, once in a lifetime, storybook wedding that retains all the grace of traditional Newport… and all the fun of an incredible party with a hundred of your favorite snowbound friends and family.

Engagement ring on her right hand, Caroline & Mark instinctually reach out to hold hands during the mass.

Caroline and Mark were featured on our blog last April (link here) when I flew down to Washington DC for a photo shoot amongst the cherry blossoms.  I instantly liked spending time with them, and as I reported upon return, their infectious enthusiasm turned a two hour long engagement photo shoot into a 6+ hour walking tour of DC.  Most of the time was spent laughing, having fun and getting them some amazing photographs almost effortlessly.

Just gorgeous…

Caroline’s Dad sees her for the first time as she wipes away a tear upon seeing him.

Her dad practices lifting her veil… you can sense the emotion in the room as they are just moments from leaving for the ceremony.

Caroline and Mark’s winter wedding was everything they dreamed of.  They were EXCITED about the blizzard, and they weren’t daunted for a moment by the cold, the wet or the logistical difficulties of the day.  One of my favorite moments was watching Caroline tip toe through 6 inches of slushy frozen snow in clean white shoes, strapless wedding gown, bouquet in hand and leaning into a 30 knot sub zero arctic breeze… with a GIANT smile on her face.  She saw me photographing her and just looked up and started laughing.

Husband and Wife.

Look at these two… they’re SO HAPPY!

Off to the New York Yacht Club!

“Living on a Prayer” never looked so good!  Bon Jovi has nothing on this group.

The ring bearer was adorable… and an incredible dancer.

Mark, sharing his vocal talents with the band!

The sparkler departure.

The absolute key to a winter wedding (and any wedding) in my opinion, is to have fun with whatever the weather or circumstances bring to you.  If it’s a blizzard, a power outage or a rain storm… the most important element is how you embrace it.  Mark & Caroline’s wedding was freezing cold, had at times blinding snow, required constant use of 4 wheel drive and it honestly didn’t hamper the party one bit.

Caroline and Mark never lost sight of the fact that they were there to celebrate, to have fun and to enjoy their friends and family.  We were so impressed by how gracious and welcoming everyone was… and felt lucky to help document the beauty of their wedding!  THANK YOU FOR HAVING US!!!

Want to see the COMPLETE wedding photos?  They’re all right here.

Vendors:

Band: “Night Shift” (Amazing, fun and super talented)… they’re out of Boston and they were truly incredible.

Reception: New York Yacht Club (the events coordinator Julie could not have been a nicer, more professional, easy going host.  Thank you Julie, we can’t wait to come back!)

Ceremony Site: St. Mary’s Church, Newport, RI

After Party: Cooke House, Bannister’s Wharf, Newport, RI

Hair:  Jane Sincere

Bride’s Hair: Blaine Rice

Makeup: Christina Squier

Florist: Sayles Livingston Flowers

Cake: Confectionery Designs (Mark Soliday)