As soon as I met Sarah and Ashton over Skype I prayed that they’d book me as their photographer. We instantly felt like longtime friends and we had so much in common! I’d been looking forward to their wedding at Onteora Mountain House for MONTHS and I cannot believe how beautiful the day turned out to be – even with a little rain. I think this is officially the longest blog post I’ve ever posted with over 200 pictures, so prepare yourself!!

 

Sarah and Ashton met at Duke University during their freshman year. They instantly connected and were best friends for the entire duration of college. When they went to part ways at graduation, they realized they were in love with each other and wouldn’t be able to live without each other!

 

They are the perfect Laura Lee couple who love adventuring and spending time together outside! Ashton is an avid rock climber. On one of Sarah’s first trips rock climbing outside of the gym, Ashton proposed on the side of a cliff! And best of all, the only way down was to repel! I cannot even imagine haha!

 

Last year, I photographed their engagement session at Bear Mountain, one of my absolute favorite places to have an engagement shoot. I couldn’t believe how crazy in love these two were that day and I have been anxiously awaiting their wedding since! (If you want to read more about their love story, it’s all in their engagement post!!)

 

The wedding was beautiful in every way! The wedding ceremony started with three minutes of mingling which is a way to show a sign of making new friends and blending two cultures together! It was SO beautiful to see and I kept hearing from all their guests say, “what a cool idea- this is so sweet!”. What a special way to begin the day!

 

The weather was less than ideal with threatening rain most of the day. It felt like we were literally sitting in a clouded rainforest. Their wedding was at Onteora Mountain House in the Catskills. If it wasn’t raining, we would have had floor to ceiling views of the mountains. But, the clouds made the scenery just as cool, similar to a cloud forest in Costa Rica! Sarah and Ashton were both still in incredible spirits despite the rain! Did I mention how amazing these two are?!  Their great attitudes about the weather only encouraged me more that the only important thing to them was each other and being surrounded by friends and family. The rain wasn’t going to ruin their day!

 

The First Look

We did their first look on the deck outside the house. My second shooter, Sara and I, went around the deck with towels drying it all and cleaning up as much mud as we could so Sarah’s dress wouldn’t get dirty! I had Ashton turn around as Sarah was a few feet away and his expression was absolutely priceless. He started laughing his Ashton laugh as he gave her a hug – his way of expressing all the joy his body could muster.  They talked and they talked and all the wedding party and family watched from the window (likely tearing up like I was) about what a sweet moment it was!

 

After the first look, I did some more convincing to do ALL the pictures outside – we had umbrellas ready! The whole family and wedding party were such troopers and were willing to go out for pictures without them. It was just misting most of the day. We ended up doing family formals and wedding party pictures on the outdoor ceremony deck overlooking the foggy mountain range and then did a few quick bride and groom portraits before their ceremony began.

 

The Ceremony

Since it was such a toss-up with the weather, the ceremony was held inside the reception hall. The venue was a beautiful wood pavilion with floor to ceiling windows – not a bad rain plan if you ask me! Everything from the decor to the lighting made it a perfect indoor alternative.

 

After the ceremony, the guests headed to the cocktail hour while we took Sarah and Ashton to do some more portraits around the property.  We embraced the gardens, the beautiful venue, and the surrounding woods before having Sarah and Ashton join in their cocktail hour. When the cocktail hour ended, the guests re-entered the pavilion for the reception for dinner and dancing! After all the entrances from the wedding party, Sarah and Ashton shared a beautiful choreographed first dance. It was absolutely perfect!

 

The Reception

Following their first dance, Ashton’s dad and Sarah’s mom shared wonderful and heartwarming toasts. Then, their friends shared toasts which were truly touching and showcased just how incredible Sarah and Ashton are as people.

 

It was such a joy for me to be surrounded by the wedding party and their families all day. Everyone was so thrilled about this marriage and it was so apparent throughout the day. Everyone welcomed Sara (my second shooter) and me with open arms and we felt like part of the family and wedding party all day. There’s no better gift then feeling completely welcomed to such an intimate, special day for two families!

 

Everyone danced the night away to tons of 90’s hits and today’s hits! One of my favorite moments on the dance floor was when everyone had an absolute blast belting their hearts out to Backstreet Boys. A 90’s classic!

 

The night ended with a sparkler exit in the rain and I couldn’t imagine it being any better! The combination of the night sky, clouds, mist, and sparklers was simply perfection!!

 

These two are like sparklers themselves when they look at each other, they can’t help but light up and I know they are destined for a beautiful marriage with epic adventures and decades of laughter!

 

Sarah and Ashton, it was SUCH an honor to be your wedding photographer, but mostly, your friend. I can’t wait for rock climbing dates, dinner dates, and epic adventures together in the years to come. I’m so glad you found me and I couldn’t be happier for the two of you! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Congratulations and Happy Honeymooning!

VENUE: Onteora Mountain House 

VENUE COORDINATOR: Jeremy Hudler

OFFICIANT: Jim Rooney

FLORIST: Heart & Soil Flowers 

DJ: 74 Events – Ben Carlin 

CEREMONY MUSIC: Anthology Strings – Antonia Nelson 

MAKE-UP ARTIST: Meg Rianne 

HAIR ARTIST: Kyra Tarquinio at Kyra Hair 

BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES: Watter’s Dress

TUXES: John Varvatos 

CATERING: Blue Mountain Bistro