Matt + Nichole Wedding Portraits | Oak Knolls Manor | Caledonia, NY

The Engagement Session

I first met Nichole when my daughter was in cheer camp a couple of years ago. While we didn’t have a chance to really get to know each other, but I always was excited to see her whenever I did the teams annual Christmas photos. When she contacted me that she was going to be getting married in May of 2021, I was elated to hear that she was going to be marrying a colleagues son that I had a chance to work with before a while back. We discussed their Engagement Session and when we would like to schedule it and they booked their wedding after our bridal consult!

We had their Engagement session at a private location in Caledonia and it was so fun to teach them the simple poses we use the day of their wedding to get natural and beautiful images.

 

We had a few phone calls the days leading up to their wedding day and we were growing more and more excited the closer we got! We met them at St James Episcopal Church in Batavia, NY for their rehearsal and got to see everything come together perfectly. Once everyone felt comfortable, we parted ways, but not for long. The next morning, I made my way to Oak Knolls Manor a little early to get a sneak peak at the barn and all of the glorious details that were waiting for everyone once the ceremony was complete. What a sight to see! What a barn! It was built by J.T. Wells & Sons which are known for their amazing structurally sound barns and it is still amazing people this many years later.

 

The Wedding Day

I made my way into the beautiful house where I first found balloons and sprinkled rose petals throughout the entire house. I found Nichole getting her makeup perfected and then hair. I went into the bedroom to find her breathtaking dress hanging on the mirror and a box full of invitations, rings, her necklace, ribbons and shoes and used her veil to create a nice little background for them to lie on.

 

After details, Nichole got in her dress and we made our way to a first look with her Father and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. We then made our way to St James Episcopal Church in Batavia for the ceremony.

Violinists, scriptures, blessings, communion, piano playing and praying, were just parts of a beautiful ceremony in the church that has also married Nichole’s parents and grandparents; but after all that, they were now pronounced, Mr and Mrs Heins! After their kiss, they made their way outside to an intimate toast of champagne between the two of them.

After family formals, we made our way to a requested area of Caledonia on Main Street to capture a few images and then back to Oak Knolls Manor for their reception and of course we had to wait until sunset to go capture the bridal party and bridal portraits of the day! We then made our way back in the barn for cake cutting and dancing the rest of the night away. I also couldn’t help sneak their rings and STUNNING wooden flower bouquet out for a quick photo session while everyone was eating. (Bouquets and boutonnieres made by the incredibly talented Dusty Dog Designs)

Their day was filled with such love and laughter and I am so humbled to have been trusted with their memories. Here’s just a few of my favorites from their day!