Alexis + Krishna's Wedding @ UB's Center for the Arts | Buffalo and WNY Wedding Photographer

Alexis + Krishna planned an intimate wedding ceremony and celebration held inside the atrium at UB's Center for the Arts. It was the perfect space for their unique wedding celebration, which included a fusion of their Polish and Indian heritages. Filled with colorful decorations and wedding party attire, surprises for the bride and groom, and SO much emotion – it was one for the books for sure.

Prior to the ceremony, while Alexis and Krishna were tucked away, their ring bearers passed out tiny patches of fabric to all their family and friends, a surprise for the bride and groom played out by their officiants during the ceremony. The patches of fabric will be stitched into a quilt for the newlyweds, which I have to say is not only incredibly unique but incredibly thoughtful. It was also very thoughtful of Alexis to include several important people in her life on her walk down the isle.

The surprises didn't end at the ceremony. Prior to the wedding, Alexis had arranged Doug Allen – the man who sings the National Anthem at Sabres games – to come and sing at their wedding. Krishna is the biggest fan of his, so this surprise literally brought him to tears. It was such an incredible moment.

Huge shout out to all the vendors!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: UB Center for the Arts
Wedding Planner/Coordinator: The bride planned, Coordinator at UB is Moriah Hegmann
Officiant: Silpa Wainright & Sara Theriault
Photographer: Dawn M Gibson Photography (with second shooter: Kelly T)
Florist: The bride made the bouquets herself
Caterer: Amaretto Bistro & Taj Grill
Cake/Bakery: Oh My Goodies Cakery
DJ/Band/Entertainment: The Silver Arrow Band
Hair: KaLu Salon & Spa
Makeup: Genny's Glitter Box
Bride/Groom Attire: Bride's dress by JS Collections, Groom's suit by Calvin Klein
Shoes: Nine West (bride's shoes), Florsheim (groom's shoes)
Accessories (jewelry, hairpiece, cufflinks, ties, etc): Custom ties & pocket squares by Knotty Tie Co., Bridal jewelry- borrowed bracelet with finger chain, brides own tri-gold bracelet, earrings by Jaipurmahal, bridesmaids earrings found in Little India in Toronto, bangles from my mother in law, handkerchiefs by Keepsake Hankies
Wedding Party Attire: Mens suits and shoes from theblacktux.com, each girls dress is from somewhere different, based on their assigned color and budget
Decor: Chair cover rental from L-Egant Chair Covers, remainder of decorations by bride
Special Appearance: Doug Allen of the Buffalo Sabres – sang the national anthem

Do you have any recommendations for future couples planning a wedding?: It's going to be overwhelming and a bit stressful at times, but at the end of the day, remember that you're the ones getting married, so do what you want. The day is supposed to be one of the best days of your life, so remember to live in the moments & take a little breather from the reception to look at everything. And everyone says your wedding day goes by fast- and they're right! You don't realize it until you live it, so just be sure to enjoy yourself!

Kristy + Tim's WNY Wedding at the Delaware Park Rose Gardens and Marcy Casino | Buffalo Wedding Photographer

There are some people in this world who you'll meet, that will leave a lasting impression on you for their genuinely kind, thoughtful, and fun-filled personalities, and I'm positive if you've ever met Kristy or Tim, you'd agree they fit this description to a tee. Their wedding day was a complete reflection of their love for one another, all things Buffalo, and most of all, for the people in their lives. In their wedding planning, they included awesome personalized touches for their guests: custom bobble heads for each of the wedding party members, caricatures done on site as wedding favors for their guests, and table centerpieces that included photos of not just Kristy + Tim, but the people who were actually sitting at each table. They also added personal touches of things important to them, like photos of Kristy's dad who passed away a few months prior to the wedding, their favorite beer from throughout the region, and a cake showing off some Buffalove. They had the funniest and sweetest ceremony I've ever been fortunate enough to witness and they partied well into the night in one of the most epic receptions I've photographed to date. Every second of their day was incredible and I'm so excited to share a few of my favorite images with you today.

Special shout out to all the vendors:

Ceremony Venue: Delaware Park Rose Garden
Reception Venue: The Marcy Casino
Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Kristina Schmitt - through Marcy Casino
Officiant: Michael Abbatoy - a friend of ours
Photographer: the amazing Dawn M. Gibson Photography!
Videographer: Monarch Productions - Paul Hare
Florist: Maureen's Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market Goods
Caterer: Magnolia Events - part of the Marcy Casino
Cake/Bakery: Muscoreil's Fine Desserts, Cakes and Gourmet Baskets
DJ/Band/Entertainment: Nik Lite - part of Nik Entertainment (their full band is Nik and the Nice Guys which is how we've known them - they suggested the 7-piece band for our wedding and they were awesome!)
Invitations: Lindsay van Harssel at Hoopla House Creative
Hair: Jennifer Cuttitta from J. Lynn Salon
Makeup: Amandalee Shamrock
Bride's Attire: Dalia's Bridal
Groom's Attire: Marty's Formal Wear
Shoes: Macy's: nine west and The Walking Company: Birkenstocks
Accessories (jewelry, hairpiece, cufflinks, ties, etc): Earrings and Hairpiece from USA Bride online and bracelet from Lord & Taylor
Wedding Party Attire: Bridesmaids: MA Carr Groomsmen: Marty's Formal Wear
Decorations/Decor Design or Rentals: Just flowers from Maureen's and lanterns from Michael's
Favors: Canalside Caricatures
Late night food/snacks: Charlie the Butcher's beef on weck (of course! how could we not! I hope you grabbed one for yourself!!)

Any additional vendors used you'd like to mention: Marriott Harborcenter is where I stayed the night before and got ready the day of and where we stayed the night of our wedding - they were AMAZING to us!!

Big Ditch is where we had our rehearsal dinner - they went so far above and beyond what I ever would have thought. I wouldn't hesitate to have another event there or recommend them to someone for their event - they were awesome!! We walked in and that space looked so much more than I ever would have anticipated. We had dropped off our gifts and some photo frames earlier in the day. They spread the frames around the room and made a beautiful display of all the gifts. They had simple table and room decorations. It was simple yet beautiful and just really was an awesome space to celebrate. And not to mention the food was out of this world! They were so top notch there and it was such an awesome way to kick off our celebrations!

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Tips from the bride & groom for future couples planning a wedding?

Plan YOUR wedding. Be careful not to get too caught up in pinterest or etsy. They are great to get your ideas going and find some examples of things but after awhile you just have to turn that stuff off or you'll end up at someone else's wedding the day of your wedding. The wedding planning timelines, too. Those just stressed me out!

And don't worry about the perfect this, or the perfect that - at the end of the day you've already found the perfect partner for you and that's all that matters. Sure, we wanted a beautiful ceremony in the rose garden but, had it rained, the day still would have been beautiful and perfect because I knew when we woke up on July 1st that we would be husband and wife and, at then end of the day, that was what mattered most.

Try not to stress. It's hard to do. I'm not one to stress too much about anything, and even when I do I usually keep it in. And I definitely felt it release the moment we turned around to walk down the aisle after our wedding. I know now why people do pictures in between! I think that would've been much more fun if I could have relaxed a little. But we are who we are, right? So do what will work best for you.

Try not to put things off. This is likely what added to some of my stress. (Maybe I should've watched those wedding planning timelines a little more closely!) And there will be things that need to be done in that last week. So try to have people lined up to help that week to minimize the stress that comes along with that.

And have fun with it! All of it. It is such an amazing experience - all of the time leading up to your wedding and even the time after - just embrace it all. Spread the love you feel and enjoy sharing all of the moments you are blessed to share with the people who are most important to you. It is an absolutely amazing way to celebrate and begin your life together with your partner. Enjoy!

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Rachel + Adam's NYC Engagement Session around Battery Park and the West Village

My visit to NYC last month brought me to many places for photo sessions with 3 of my amazing 2018 wedding clients. First up was a photo session with Rachel and Adam around areas of Manhattan that have been so special to them over the years. We met up at their now former apartment building for some beautiful rooftop views of the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson, and then headed down to Battery Park which was thankfully quiet for an early Saturday morning session. We wandered gardens and toughed some slightly windy conditions along the waterfront, before taking an Uber up to the West Village. There, we wandered charming, quiet streets with brownstones to drool over for days, took a stroll through another beautiful garden, and then wrapped up with one of Rachel and Adam's favorite things: breakfast at a diner! It was the perfect morning getting to know these two and I loved hearing how their lives took them from being Buffalo area natives, to Syracuse where they met, and now planning their next chapter as hubs and wife as they're currently living in NYC. I can't wait to document their wedding back here in Buffalo next summer! In the meantime, please enjoy a few favorites from this session (and try not to fall too in love with Rachel's dress while you're here)!

Solara + Zach's Brooklyn Engagement Session

A beautiful evening around Brooklyn with Solara + Zach felt more like hanging out with old friends than photographing a couple I had only ever met before over a Skype consult. We wandered for hours exploring side streets in their neighborhood, laughing, and sharing stories, and along the way I had the opportunity to photograph their sweet love. Sometimes photographing them in front of one stoop, then moving to the very next stoop, and maybe even more after that but really who was counting? From their regular train stop, we headed toward Brooklyn Bridge Park, where we were able to witness the most beautiful sunset skies with Manhattan in the background. Oh, and aren't they just complete naturals in front of the camera? The first photo below is the first of their session. NAILED IT.