On Sunday afternoon I drove westbound on NYS I-90 through absolutely driving rain, wondering what on earth I was going to find at my destination, knowing that I had been hired for a backyard wedding with no “plan B” for an indoor location. I mean sure, anyone who gets married in WNY knows they’re going to need a tent for an outdoor wedding, but still – actually having the ceremony underneath that tent is far from what they actually want.
As I passed the Fredonia/Dunkirk exit, I started to see blue sky to the south and I started to feel more hopeful. When I passed Chautauqua Institution and pulled up the long wooded driveway, I saw the hustle & bustle of people in t-shirts & cargo shorts, running here & there with boxes & table cloths, and forded a considerable puddle to get to the parking area behind the garage. Very few people seemed to be dressed in their wedding clothes, and I was told they had spent most of the day so far trying to keep everything from getting wet, putting the walls of the tent up, taking them down, putting them back up, and looking skyward, waiting for blue to arrive.
Thankfully, the sky stayed blue and the sun shone for the rest of the afternoon. Last minute details were hammered out, Tina & Shelly and their kids got dressed, and the ceremony got underway. The cakes, cupcakes & cookies were all provided by the bakery where Tina works – Icing on the Lake in Erie, PA.
After the ceremony, I couldn’t help but photograph all the kids. It was great.
On my way home I drove through some more rainstorms, and I quickly pulled off at the Blasdell exit to snap this composite:
Congratulations Shelly & Tina – I am so happy to have been the photographer for this step in your family’s life!
show hide 3 comments
Chris McPhie - Beautiful photography ! Lois…Do you have more shots of the guests you can send me?
jenn ayres - These are so beautiful! Looks like it was a very joyful celebration!
Heidi - Beautiful pics! Great shot of the rainbow.