Church Wedding

Jacquie and Josh met over a decade ago in their hometown of Caledonia, NY. They attended prom together and stayed together through college. We first got to know each other when they contacted me for their engagement session in January of 2019. It was a blast to say the least and their photos remain to be some of my favorites to this day!

Fast forward to June of 2020 when Jacquie told me that they had picked a date for their wedding for 2021 and would be thrilled to have me photograph their big day! I was so humbled and excited! 2020 came and went with all it’s glory and Jacquie and Josh made the hard decision to have a smaller, more intimate wedding this year and a full reception in 2022. Twice the party, why not!?

I arrived on their wedding day to Oak Knolls Manor, a gorgeous home with a breathtaking wedding barn in the back. I had a photographed here before so I knew it would be stunning. I found Jacquie’s dress hanging from the mirror when I walked in and her little sister-to-be thought it was the most amazing sight.

Once Jacquie was dressed and ready to head to the church, they made their way in the limo to First United Presbyterian Church; a charming stone church set on a quiet road in Mumford. Josh had already made his way to the front of the church and was awaiting her arrival. After their parents and puppies walked down the aisle, Jacquie and her Dad opened the doors to the church and made their way down to the front to greet Josh. Jacquie had told me ahead of time that she would be surprising her Mother with a rose from her stunning bouquet (by Justice Florist,) just as she had done for her Mother on her wedding day. They both were brought to tears and it was a beautiful moment to witness.

They had a beautiful ceremony with lots of love and laughter throughout and even a few tears. Following the ceremony, we made our way outside for some group photos then to the Genesee Country Inn Bed and Breakfast just down the street.

We spent some time with family portraits down by this beautiful little pond and the lighting was absolutely perfect!

After family formals, I knew they had reservations at the Caledonia Village Inn but I wanted to make sure that we captured some bridal portraits before leaving this stunning location!

We didn’t have a lot of time so I went through some natural posing and in no time we were capturing amazing images and within 10-15 minutes, we already had an amazing gallery of bridal portraits. As we were getting ready to leave, Josh asked me to recreate their prom photo near the sprinkler, as they had taken almost a decade ago. I was happy to make this happen and we headed over to the location. Within seconds, I saw a beautiful opportunity of some foreground in the photo and we ended up having another little photo session here before jetting off to our next stop.

Before heading in to their reception, we took advantage of some great lighting on Main Street in Caledonia and had a little bridal portrait session there, right where we had done their Engagement session a couple years before! It truly was amazing and what a fun day celebrating these two with their families.

Josh and Jacquie, thank you for allowing me to share your day with you! It was my honor!

Below are some of my favorite images from their day! Enjoy!

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.

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!