Then & Now: Lauren and Shaun Celebrate 7 Years!

With the every day hustle and bustle of life, doesn’t it sometimes feel like someone hit the fast forward button, and all of a sudden nearly a decade has gone by? To me, Lauren & Shaun’s wedding day feels like it was only maaaaybe 4 years ago, but somehow today they celebrate 7 years! Isn’t that amazing?! I’m so, so happy for them both and also very excited to feature them today in my Then & Now post series!

THEN

Lauren and Shaun were married on July 21, 2012 in Buffalo, NY with a beautiful ceremony at St. Aloysius Church in Cheektowaga and a unique brunch-style reception was at The Roycroft in East Aurora. We did wedding portraits at Knox Farms in East Aurora AFTER their reception, which not only allowed them to relax and enjoy the day with their guests, but gave us ample time (and better lighting) to get photos of the two of them together, without the pressure of needing to wrap up by a certain time. If you’re considering a brunch reception, I can’t even recommend it enough. Especially a brunch reception at the Roycroft!

Before diving into the photos, here’s a bit more from Lauren about their story and wedding day experience!

How and when did you meet?
Shaun and I met in Florida in the fall of 2007. His sister in law was in the same new teacher orientation group I was in during the summer of 2017! She invited me over for a game night over Labor Day weekend and that's when we met!

Looking back on your wedding day now, would you have chosen to do anything differently?
I absolutely LOVED our wedding day. It was absolutely magical. If there was one thing I would do differently, I think it would be to have videos of our wedding day!

What was/are your favorite memory/memories from your wedding day?
Oh just about everything! From seeing my bridal bouquet for the first time (my mom did an amazing job choosing the floral arrangements), to getting married in my childhood church, to our brunch reception. One of my favorite memories was actually going out to dinner that evening at Ricks on Main with Shaun. While we absolutely loved celebrating the day with our family and friends, it was wonderful to keep on celebrating with a private dinner!

Do you have any advice for couples planning their own wedding?
I was actually so relaxed planning our wedding, which is surprising since we were living in Tampa at the time. My mom helped with so much because she has such creative ideas. My advice is to let people help you and don't get overwhelmed with Pinterest and the beautiful images on Instagram. Be yourself! It's a beautiful day regardless of everything else. Oh - and one more thing: take a moment at your wedding reception and just be with your spouse. My husband and I broke away during the reception and just sat and talked for a few minutes. The day goes by so fast and you just have so many people around you - it's nice to just have a few minutes alone!

Now

Where has life taken you since your wedding day?
Shaun and I moved into our first house in December 2013 in Tampa, Florida. In August 2018, we welcomed a sweet baby girl. Then in March 2016, we welcomed another baby girl into our lives - which was a big surprise because I was convinced she was a boy (if you have the patience, I totally recommend not finding out the gender. It was the best surprise EVER). Then in the summer of 2017, we sold our house in Florida and relocated back to my hometown of Buffalo, NY. Shaun, the girls, and myself are completely overjoyed to be living in Buffalo and soaking in everything that the Queen City has to offer!

Words of Wisdom

Do you have any advice for newly married couples?
Married life is full of ups and downs - communicate with your spouse and never go to bed angry! Don't be afraid to tell your spouse how you're feeling so they're on the same page. Add in some children and life gets real crazy, real fast! Pregnancy is a beautiful phase of life - share it with your husband - tell him how you're feeling, let him rub your feet, and let him put his hand on your belly to feel the baby kick! Once your sweet baby is born, take turns with diapers, feedings, and everything else. Parenting is definitely a two person job and is much easier if everyone shares in the responsibilities. In the evening, don't forget to ask your spouse how their day went. While a mom who is staying home may have had a challenging day - a dad who was at work all day may have also had a rough day. Parenting is the best but hardest job ever.

Thank you, Lauren & Shaun for the honor of photographing not only your engagement photos and wedding day, but the last few years of family sessions here in Buffalo! It’s been so wonderful watching your family grow and I look forward to many more sessions together! Happy anniversary!!

Shannon + Jeremy's Ceremony Destination-Themed Ceremony & Reception at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School

Shannon and Jeremy just recently celebrated their second year of marriage, and holy smokes, it still feels like this perfect day was just a short bit ago. While living overseas in Europe, they planned their wedding at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, NY – not too far from where Shannon grew up. Family and friends traveled from all over the world – Ireland, Australia, London, etc – to celebrate their day with them and a celebration it most certainly was. Happy anniversary (+1 day) you two!! <3

A Beautiful, Laid-Back Wedding at the Historic Knox Farms Estate | Buffalo Wedding Photographer

You know how sometimes in life you meet someone and you just instantly want to be their best friend? Well, I’ve been very fortunate in my business to create great relationships with nearly all of my clients, and in many instances, it’s as if I’ve been adopted into their families. Beyond the wedding day, they invite me back year and after year to document their love as it expands to fur babies, real babies, or even just more for one another. It’s undeniably the biggest honor and I’m so grateful for all the amazing friendships that have come from photographing so many couples on their wedding days.

Natalie and Dan are no exception to this. From day one, I knew we’d become lifelong friends. They’re so goddamn nice. Like, legit the nicest people you’ll ever, ever meet. They LOVE hard – whether just each other, their loved ones, life all around. And they are such joyful, positive souls. Even my husband wants to hang out with them, and no lie he and I are both over here living life viacariously through them these days post-babe and may or may not be waiting for them to have children of their own so we can all just get together for baby play dates. Needless to say, they are my type of people and therefore, this wedding day was soooo beyond special to be a part of.

Natalie and her girls got ready in the Knox Farms bridal suite, with Natalie’s baby brother doing some of the girls’ makeup. (How awesome is that to have a built-in makeup fixer on hand all day?) Dan and his crew got ready downstairs, and helped with setting up everything for the ceremony, including the big heptagon piece Dan MADE for the ceremony. Natalie had the vision, and he built it for her. (Ladies… marry a man who will build you things or make your visions come true. I’m serious.) Once ready, Natalie exchanged a first look with her father, and then did a First Look with Dan – both times her eyes swelling up with tears before they even turned around to see her. The ceremony was another tear-jerker as Natalie and Dan exchanged their own personalized vows. And the incredibly beautiful speeches at dinner brought on more tears. Needless to say, there were emotionally-charged moments of happiness and joy like that throughout the day, and it was perfectly beautiful, and perfectly true to who they are as a couple. To even out the tears, there was a fun pig roast style dinner catered by Occassions by Osteria, capped with yummy homemade pies from Everything Pie Farm Bakery, and A LOT of dancing. The dance floor was packed all night long, with everyone parting the night away to the music of Saxman Slim under the tent provided by McCarthy’s Tents and Events.

From start to finish, it was a beautiful day to be a part of, and I am so excited to share a few highlights here today. But first, some stellar recommendations for any couples currently wedding planning:

Do you have any recommendations for future couples planning a wedding? Stay true to yourselves every step of the way. Try not to get caught up in the little details. One day I found myself browsing monogrammed cocktail napkins, and I was like, “WHAT. AM. I. DOING?!” Just make sure you have good food, good booze, good music, and most importantly a great photographer because photographs are all that will be left of that whirlwind day. We wish we could’ve been ten people at one time in order to see everyone, do everything and be everywhere, but thankfully the photos give us glimpses of those unseen moments for us! Lastly... if you can, go on a honeymoon right away! It gives you something to look forward to during those final days of planning/stressing, and it was the perfect way to celebrate and relax as husband and wife.

Thank you, Nan & Dan for everything!!
And for being the sweetest people ever and asking me to be in a photo, too.
You’re the best. <3

Special shout-out to all the vendors:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Knox Farms
Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Basically [our photographer] and our caterer!
Officiant: Glo McDonald
Photographer: Dawn M Gibson Photography <3
Florist: Flowers by Nature, plus Trader Joe’s and Sam’s Club for mantel decor and centerpieces made by the bride!
Caterer: Occasions by Osteria - Alyssa Sumers the coordinator is a godsend
Pies: Everything Pie Farm Bakery
DJ/Band/Entertainment: Saxman Slim - Matthew Tritto
Invitations: Lisa Santoro (Bride’s Aunt) at Seaboard Graphics
Hair: Fawn and Fox Salon
Makeup: Adam John Beauty (Bride’s brother) and Grace Suzanne Makeup
Bride/Groom Attire: Bride: Lillian West from Bliss Bridal in Hamburg. Groom: theblacktux.com Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Wedding Party Attire: Maids: azazie.com and Groomsmen: theblacktux.com
Decorations/Decor Design or Rentals: Our living room and dining room, ha!
Favors: Custom matchbooks from foryourparty.com
Tent, Table, and Chair Rental: McCarthy’s Tents & Events

Zoe and Jon's Laid back, Boho Chic wedding at East Aurora's Knox Farms Historic Estate | Buffalo Wedding Photographer

In contrast to their snowy, at-home engagement session last winter, Zoe and Jon were married on what felt like one of the hottest days all year, exchanging vows under a grand tree on the property of the estate at Knox Farms in East Aurora, NY this September.

With fans and music on full blast in the morning, Zoe got ready with her side of the party in an upstairs bridal suite, while Jon and his guys prepped in a room on the first floor. Once dressed – Jon in his custom-made suit from Bureau and Zoe in a boho-style dress from Lovely Bride – they shared an intimate first look, followed by an exchange of love notes to one another (Zoe’s note to Jon was actually a notebook she had been filling in for the past year when they lived on opposite ends of the state). Guests arrived to the estate welcomed with large-scale printed signs of Zoe and Jon’s beloved fur baby, Olive, and hand-passed flutes of champagne as they took their seats for the ceremony. Zoe was walked down the isle by her brother, with her father’s coat and photo thoughtfully laid on the back of chair beside her mom, and all their siblings sharing special readings as everyone listened on with tears filling their eyes. It was a heartwarming ceremony that conveyed to all the love they have for one another and how much they both cherish those they love. After the ceremony, they celebrated with their guests over drinks and food catered by the Roycroft in an hors d’oeuvres style reception and late night food from Lloyd’s Food Truck. Plush couches from Quaint Rentals were set up on the lawn, and a beautifully decorated tent gathered everyone together to dance the night away with live music from the band, Geno McManus & Stoneflower.

After meeting while volunteering at Cradle Beach Camp in 2005, Zoe and Jon developed a friendship that later brought them together in love in 2009. They have spent most of the past almost decade of their relationship living apart from one another, which made their bond and love for one another even stronger, and consequently, made this wedding day even more special for them. This day not only marked the beginning of a new chapter for them becoming husband and wife, but it also was the start in their next life adventure: selling their home in the Allentown area of Buffalo (where Zoe has lived solo most of the last year) to embark on a grand move across the country, together (where Jon’s job has them now resettled in Pasedena). Needless to say, this wedding day was a long time coming; well worth the wait but simultaneously highly anticipated by all those who know and love them.

Congratulations again, Zoe and Jon! It was an honor to be a part of your day and I can’t wish you both enough happiness as you soak up husband and life in tandem with all the sunshine and new experiences California has to offer!

Special Shout-Out to all the vendors:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Knox Farms
Caterer: Roycroft
Wedding Planner: Social Maven (Syrie)
Photographer: Dawn M Gibson Photography
Videographer: Brian Debottis
Hair and Makeup: Salon Elizabeth
Bride’s Dress: Rue DeSeine from Lovely Bride
Groom’s Suit: Bureau (Custom made)
Florist: Fern Croft
Cake & Desserts: Blue Eyed Baker
Late Night Food: Lloyd
Band: Geno McManus & Stoneflower
Rentals: Quaint, All season
Transportation: Buffalo Limousine
Signage: T 2 Printing