Reflections on 2008: The Links at Unionvale

One of my favorite places to shoot a wedding has always been at the Links at Unionvale. Last year I shot several there and had great weather (I always do at the Links!) and great couples. The grounds are always impeccable maintained and Terri makes sure that every wedding runs perfectly and that her guests enjoy themselves.

Joe and Mary had a lovely day filled with all the right sentiment and great company from their friends and family. As always, there were many guests of Irish descent and I SO enjoyed their beautiful accents. They could say anything and it would sound like music to me!!

I thought Mary's choice of a "dress of color" was both fun and appropriate.

More of the Links in my next post

The Hudson Valley Magazine Bridal guide is HERE!

Brides, run out and get your 2009 Hudson Valley Magazine Bridal guide, published each January. This year there are some great tips on how to have a great wedding for less, and some other great articles, plus all the info you need on a huge assortment of wedding vendors.
Each year for 4 consecutive years Hudson Valley Magazine has requested images I have made throughout the year for use in the magazine, which I am always excited about. This year they used three...one of which appears in this post. I am always so grateful when they choose to use my work!
So get moving brides, the grocery store magazine rack is calling you!!

Reflections on 2008: West Park Winery

In all the years I have been photographing weddings, I had not had the pleasure of doing one at West Park Winery until 2008! In fact, I was lucky enough to do 3 there this year and I really loved it for it's uniqueness and beauty.

Mikki-Jo and Jamie had a lovely day for their wedding and were such a great couple to photograph. They had a beautiful ceremony on the hill overlooking the winery with the company of their friends and family.

As you can see, the scenery there is breathtaking

Megan and Matt made the absolute most out of their rainy day wedding at the Winery and seemed to love every minute of it. I admired their attitude despite the rain and

we all worked hard to get them images they could love, despite Mother Nature!!

Brittany and Michael were a fun-loving couple and were blessed with a

gorgeous wedding day. Brittany is the face that appears at the top of my blog and was a super bride to photograp. As all my shutterbug friends will

agree, there is nothing like a "hammy" bride and groom!!

And WHAT a PARTY!!!!!

A break from Reflections on 2008....

So now that I am blogging....I have to express my frustration at the lack of control over where my images end up!! Since I am in the business of pesenting photographs in an aesthetically appealing layout...I am struggling to find the secrets to putting the images where you want them...and having them stay there. Those of you who share my opinion feel free to rant!

At left (well...I think it will end up left of this text!!! But who knows???) is a sunset image of a beautiful couple taken at Dutchess Manor in 2008. More on Dutchess manor as my Reflections on 2008 review of Hudson Valley venues continues!

I never knew you could have a wedding at Lake Taghkanic until this past September, when Megan and Rob tied there and had a beautiful tent wedding complete with personal, homemade touches and breathtaking scenery.

The couple's relaxed attitude and the beautiful natural light we had that day were a blessing during the photo sessions. Their was alot of good humor and sincere comraderie among this group of friends and family.

Interesting yellow paper lanterns adorned the tent interior as the couple enjoyed the company of friends and family.

Handmade paper place settings and festive floating apple center-pieces decorated the tent with anorganic fall flavor.

One of the flower girls donned a paper napkin on her head as
she vied for the attention of the groom...certainly she dreams of having a wedding someday and being as beautiful a bride as Megan was!

All in all, I would say a couple can put on a great wedding at Lake Taghkanic. All that's needed is a little creativity and ingenuity! Kudos to Megan and Rob...we loved your wedding!

Villa Borghese

I photographed two weddings at the Villa in 2008 and had the good fortune of two excellent days.

The first was Katie and Jason, who first said their vows at beautiful St. Joachim's Church in Beacon, NY, as pictured at left. I've seldom seen a more splendid church interior!

After their ceremony and a brief stop at the Beacon waterfront we moved on to Villa Borghese for a beautiful reception. The newly remodeled staircase gave us some oportunities to get some interesting portraits with wrought iron backgrounds. Katie and Jason were great sports as we photographed them in all the great interior spots at the Villa. The food and decor they chose was perfect, and Jeff and Stephanie from The DJ Solution were the finishing touch on a well planned and tasteful wedding. The Villa provided excellent food and service.

Our second wedding at Villa Borghese this year was for Jennifer and Luis, a beautiful couple who simply radiated love and graciousness to all. They were married at the gazebo site, with all the black-eyed-susans in full bloom that were the perfect backdrop for a couple with such sunny personalities. They were gracious enough to follow us out to the gazebo at just the right moment before the sun set to get a wonderful portrait amidst all the flowers in bloom along the aisle. Thanks Jen and Luis!

Reflections on 2008: A look at Hudson Valley wedding venues and the couples who enjoyed them!

Since I am so late getting into the blog craze, I knew it wouldn't be possible to have a separate post for each wedding I did throughout last year. Instead, I've decided to focus on the great wedding venues I have worked at this past year. The Hudson Valley has elegant reception halls, beautiful churches, and fantastic views that offer couples so much on their wedding day. Each venue will get it's own post, and I'll add pictures as I go. Hold on folks...this could take awhile!!

Please visit my blog often, especially if you are planning a wedding in this beautiful region. I have worked at just about every major catering hall in the area so chances are that your chosen venue will pop up at some point!

"...New Year's Resolution: Create a blog!!!"

Hello visitors and welcome to to my blog, the blog I finally got around to making whilst my peers and contemporaries have been blogging away for centuries it seems....
I am a wedding and event photographer in N.Y.'s beautiful Hudson Valley and I am enjoying my down season, taking time to be creative and get ready for a new season of nuptuals. I thought it was high time I got blogging to share with all of you my latest work, and to honor all those beautiful couples I have had the sincere pleasure of photographing on their happiest day.
I have never done a blog, but I am excited that I will finally be able to share, instantly, some of my favorite images and stories as I create them.