I haven’t done a vintage inspired wedding in awhile, but then I had two just last month!  Brianna and Joe planned a 1940′s World War II era wedding at West Point Military Academy, where Joe had graduated from a few years ago.  This retro theme carried through every part of the day, from the vintage shoes and classically designed dresses, to the reproduction WWII uniforms worn by the groomsmen, to the sound of big band and swing music that played all though the reception.  All the guests arrived dressed in 1940′s era clothing for a ceremony at the majestic Cadet’s Chapel at West Point.  Wingtip shoes, gloves and hats were the norm.  Brianna and Joe then exited the Cadet Chapel to the traditional Arch of Sabers before riding off in a reproduction Packard.

Having photographed many weddings at West Point before, I thought I knew alot about the history and grounds.  Joe proved me wrong – we went to places on the grounds I had never been before (Flirtation Walk and the Helipad at North Dock) and gave me more background on the history and traditions of West Point than I will ever be able to remember.  I had a great day as in addition to this beautiful wedding and fun couple, I had the pleasure of working again with filmaker Jen Cassaro!  After a drive around the grounds of West Point, we all headed to Herbert Hall for a reception full of swing dancing all night long.  Even the band came in 1940′s era costumes.  Official draft letters from the War Department were handed out assigning guests their table and MRE’s were given out as wedding favors.  Not a touch was missed.

Dress by Enzonal Blue Collection, Video by Jen Cassaro; Ceremony at West Point’s Cadet Chapel;  Photos at West Point;  Flowers by Main Street Florist; Music by Eric Nicolas & One Love; Reception at Herbert Hall at West Point Military Academy

Jim is in the Navy and Alanna is a dance instructor and works at a Harley dealership.  There was no way this could be a traditional wedding and I was excited as soon as I heard about some of the details.  Alanna’s style incorporated a retro pin-up look, birds, a french netted veil and the color turquoise.  A beautiful combo!  I don’t usually add a vintage look to my photos, but here it just seems to fit perfectly.  A beautiful sunny day at the Chateau Hathorn in Warwick, NY after what seemed like days of endless September rains.  It was another day with old friends as I had photographed Alanna’s sister, Alycia’s , wedding a few years ago – I love it when I get to see people again!

Flowers by Corwins Florist; Dress by David’s Bridal; Shoes by RSVP; Ceremony and Reception at Chateau Hathorn

Jen and Nish chose to see each other and do all their wedding photos before their ceremony at Patriot Hills Golf Club.   And yet their handwritten vows in a ceremony performed by a close friend brought both Jen and Nish to tears and laughter not once, but several times.  I was smiling and laughing plenty too, working once again with a great friend and even better videographer, Jen Cassaro.

When I fist met Nikki and Owen and they were describing their wedding to me, it just didn’t seem to fit with their personalities – they seemed soooo serious.  Wow was I wrong!  Nikki and Owen met while attending Vassar College.  So it seemed to make perfect sense that the place where they first met is where they planned to be married.  A whimsical wedding theme was planned around sunflowers, purple and yellow, parasols, boating hats and seersucker suits for the bridal party.  It was as it we had  stepped back in time to the early 1900′s on the Vassar College Campus.  Nikki and Owen did thier photo shoot about 2 hours before their ceremony.  They had been laughing and comical while getting ready earlier that day and that mood just seemed to carry on throughout the day.  I COULD NOT get a serious, straight face out of Owen – it just wasn’t happening!  Evidently Owen doesn’t like the way he smiles, so he just laughs and makes faces all the time.  I was hysterical and LOVED every moment I spent photographing these guys!

Coordination and Ceremony by Hudson Valley Ceremonies; Dress by Mika Inatome ; Shoes by Me Too ; Flowers by Seed to Fruit; Music by the Jim Osborn Orchestra; Catering by Fresh Company; Ceremony and Photos at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, Reception at Locust Grove

When I first saw Amanda on her wedding day, I was blown away by her resemblance to a 1940′s movie star – maybe Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner ?  But she was absolutely radiating glamour and elegance!  I have been to Belvedere Mansion in Rhinebeck dozens of times, but for some reason I’ve never been up on the 3rd floor.  Possible because there is already far to much to photograph on the first 2 floors, but wow is the 3rd floor great!  The whimsical bathroom with the antique clawfoot tub and bright blue walls with balloons painted on them.  Then a bride who hops into the antique bathtub in her wedding dress because she totally gets that this is a great photo moment.  The BEST.  Jesse and his groomsmen wore black chucks with red shoelaces – one of my favs.  The ceremony was beautiful, the party was fun, the shoes  and the couple were ultra cool – what a great way to start off a new wedding season!

Dress by San Patrick; Shoes by Nina; Flowers by Bella Fiori; music by Black Diamond DJ; Ceremony and Reception at Belvedere Mansion, Rhinebeck, New York

A hot summer evening with cool mountain breezes, parasols for all the wedding guests, a beautifully personalized wedding ceremony in the gardens at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, a great three piece trio playing music throughout the night- Dara and Will had it all.

Ceremony and Reception at Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY;  Hair and Makeup by Studio One Hair Design, New Paltz;  Ceremony by the Reverend Puja;  Dress by Kirstie Kelly;  Shoes by Cole Haan;  Music by Big Joe Fitz

The Pavillion at Mohonk Mountain House

Dress by Mikaella

Flowers by JoAnn

Shoes by Stuart Weitzman

Video by Jen Casarro of Masterpiece Video

Ceremony at St Mary’s, Washingtonville

Reception at The Clubhouse at Patriot Hills, Stony Point, NY

A touch of Irish and the NY Yankees wound it’s way around Erin and Dan’s late October wedding.  The Celtic cross decorated the church programs, menu cards and other elements of design in this beautiful fall wedding.  The grounds at Patriot Hills were gorgeous and popping with fall color.  Tall wheat colored grass with deep grey skies and the last light of the day made for a look that only the end of October light seems to create.  The bridal party and families were freezing after this chilly photo session, but that only seemed to give them more energy to generate some heat out on the dance floor as the party got going and kept going throughout the night.

Onteora Mountain House in Boiceville has always been a special place for me.  A romantic mountain retreat with amazing views of the Catskill Mountains.  Deborah and Jim’s wedding day had a steady drizzle all day, except for the one hour that the rain just completely stopped and allowed for the outdoor ceremony they had always wanted!  The ceremony was held under a beautiful Chuppah made of white birch with vines and sunflowers.  As the mist and rain settled back over the mountains, Deborah, Jim and their guests retreated into the toasty warmth of the heated pavillion while they dined and danced the evening away.

Dress by Romana Keveza

Music by Eric Ortner

Flowers by Steven Bruce Design

Ceremony by Rabbi Jaffe

Ceremony and Reception at Onteora Mountain House, Boiceville, NY

photos by Lori O’Toole

Margaret and Nick’s wedding was one I have been eagerly waiting for all year.  As the banquet manager at The Grandview, Margaret has seen hundreds, maybe even thousands of weddings.  So when you’ve seen it all, how do you top everything for your own wedding?  And as Nick is an executive chef, I was definitely looking forward to the food!  I knew they had been up til 3am Friday making homemade raviolis – I couldn’t wait.  The Grandview looks amazing on any day, but the stunning decor at this wedding just blew the roof off.  Black and white flock patterned napkins and tablecloths, black magic roses, red charger plates – the touches and color scheme was amazing.  The staff at The Grandview is always wonderful, but everyone really outdid themselves on this special day.

During the photo shoot, we almost had a snafu as my ladder wasn’t tall enough to get Margaret up on the old piano loading dock where I wanted her to be.  Nick stepped in and just swooped Margaret up 6 feet.  Then he just seemed to bounce up himself.  Thank you so much Nick!

Dress by Maggie Sottero

Flowers by David Anthony

Ceremony at Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel, Poughkeepsie

Video by Best of Times

Music by MC Fish

Reception at The Grandview

1 of 5 Ringbearers!

The Ringbearers ate the rice instead of throwing it

Wedding Shoe Collection of 2008

I think that some of my favorite details of the day are almost always the shoes!  Pink shoes, red shoes, bright blue shoes, custom chucks.  Manolo, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin…..I could go on forever.