Wendy Mitchell Photography | Buffalo Wedding Photography » Gorgeous wedding photography in the Buffalo area and all of Western New York

On Saturday I made the 2 hour drive out to the north end of Keuka Lake for the second time this summer, but this time it was not raining! I drove only a few miles past my previous destination (the Esperanza Mansion) down the bluff to a private summer home overlooking the west branch of the lake. It was a gorgeous day and I was excited at the prospect of shooting in a vineyard for the first time!

For Margaret & Dave, little touches were everything. Old family photos, microbrewed beer, a picnic basket for the cards… everything seemed very homey and comfy while looking refined enough to make it straight into a guide to backyard Finger Lakes weddings.

The ceremony itself took place right outside the house her mom built on their family’s old summer campground. About 15 years ago, Margaret’s dad passed away right there on the site, and Dave & Margaret said their vows right next to her dad’s memorial stone. It was one of the most touching ways I’ve seen to include a missing loved one. Margaret’s brother walked her down the aisle and gave her away, and her other brother bagpiped for them. Dave’s three children stood up as his attendants during the ceremony. Definitely one of the most family oriented weddings I’ve ever done, and it was wonderful.

Being in such a beautiful setting, we took most of the photos right on site, but we also drove down the bluff a little further to a neighbor’s house where we had a really wonderful view down the lake. Can you imagine having this view from your living room?

We quickly got back to the reception (just on the other side of the house from where the ceremony took place – everything was very compact and convenient!) and when the bride’s brother already has his fly down (on purpose) before dinner even starts, you know you’re in for a fun evening.

I wish I could take credit for the idea for these next two photos – the photos are mine, but the idea was my assistant Brie’s! She drove up from Sayre, PA to assist me after also assisting me at my July 18 wedding and I think she did a great job! Here’s her blog: Brie Homer Photogaphy.

Once the dancing started, I wasn’t sure whether to get right in the mix or stay out of the way… these people got into it for sure! It was a wonderful evening, and definitely worth the drive. I’m so glad I got to be there.

I’ll end this post by saying something for the photography enthusiasts out there… when I got my hands on a camera with ISO capabilities making it possible for me to take that last shot handheld, and not have to run any kind of noise reduction, I knew I had something wonderful. Canon 5D Mark II – love you.

On Saturday, the younger sister of my good friend Amy got married, making it the second family wedding this year! Their brother David married Danielle back in April – link. A stark contrast from Dave’s low-40′s wedding, Saturday was in the mid-80′s and although I made the poor choice of wearing a black shirt to an outdoor ceremony (read: HOT) I was so happy to be a part of it.

Just before noon I arrived at Jena’s aunt’s salon, Jefferson Terrace Salon & Spa, which is just gorgeous inside. It was a pleasure to shoot there! A bunch of the pictures from there are actually funny/embarrassing and I’ll spare you (and them!).

From there we drove to The Rose Garden to finish prep for the ceremony.

The ceremony itself was short, which was great for Ron who was sweating bullets and waited til the absolute last minute to put on his jacket!

We sneaked in a few posed pictures before getting out of the sun and into the reception!!

Two words: Milk dispenser.

Three more words: Black Eyed Peas.

The cake cutting was good times to remember always. Ron said, “I wasn’t going to, but I saw her eyes get big!” After Jena got his face a second time, someone shouted, “Get her back Ron!” to which he replied, “I can’t see her!”

To end the post on a sweet note (sweeter than frosting?) – Jena’s parents, whom I’ve known for almost 15 years:

Congratulations, Masons – I hope you had fun on your minimoon and I’ll be in touch as soon as your pictures are ready!

Saturday afternoon I shot a wedding in Jamestown, so that morning I drove down early to visit a couple of my high school friends who got married and had a beautiful little girl! We went to three great locations that all conveniently happened to be within less than a mile of each other, and I’m so glad they agreed to be in some of the pictures because they turned out just great.

I’m glad we found a time to get together and do this – they’re little for such a short time!

This morning I met 20-month-old Jack and we did fun pictures! His Matchbox firetruck came along for the ride, but we managed to get some pictures without it. He did great and thanks to some funny dancing by Mommy, I even got a bunch of smiles!

Once we finished up, Jack couldn’t resist trying on Mommy’s sunglasses, which of course was adorable!

I hope to see Jack again someday… what a cutie!

It makes me laugh when people say, “Your house must be like walking into a gallery/photo exhibit/shrine to your son!” You might think that, but we only have three pictures hanging in our house, and two of those were only hung up in the last 6 months. Two are pictures of our son, and one is a picture I took of his feet when he was a little baby (about 6 weeks old). It is hanging on the wall in our bedroom, 11×14″, so it’s pretty much the first thing I see when I get up in the morning.

I used to say I wished I could eat his feet like an ice cream cone. When he was tiny, I put his feet in my mouth on a regular basis. Anyone who knows me well will know why that’s a big deal… I hate feet. It used to be almost phobic. I almost cried once when a friend used his toes to dial a phone (he did it just to bother me). Seriously, feet are pretty yucky.

However, motherhood changes a lot of things. This is Nate (age almost 2 1/2) and daddy from this morning, and I treasure it.