Ashley & Marty: Wedding - Buffalo, NY

There are those certain couples in this world that when you see them look at each other, you can tell they are a perfect match. They complete each other. Their personalities mesh in a way that make them each whole. Ashley and Marty are a perfect match. The best part is, you will never believe how they met...long story short, Marty had just been transferred to Madison, Wisconsin from Chicago with 3M and happened to meet Ashley's mom. They hit it off and she suggested that he call her daughter. Apparently he didn't call, but Ashley took the bull by the horns and she called him. They met up and the rest is history...

Marty was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, as was his dad, and his dad's dad. These are good people. After Marty got transferred to Chicago when he first started with 3M, we had always heard him talk about "Back in Buffalo..." Well it was sure nice to see where all those stories took place and it is easy to see why it is a place he holds dear to his heart. Ashley got some bonus points with Marty when she agreed to have the wedding in Buffalo instead of her hometown in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Their rehearsal dinner took place in Marty's Grandpa Joe's garage which has been converted into a living memoir to his life with his wife and all their kids and grandkids. It is loungy with a bar and the walls are covered in photos that document their lives. It was awesome to see the living history. It was also the first time the garage had been opened for a party since the passing of Marty's grandma in 1999. It was very cool to be a part of that.

Yes, that is a photo of Marty's dad and Grandpa Joe with Tim Russert, another loyal Buffalo man.

Ashley & Marty's first born. Their baby, Finnigan. He is a sweet boy.

Ashley did the coolest thing. She took a piece of her grandmother's old slip that she dug out of her grandfather's attic and gave it to her florist to wrap around her bouquet. It was so thoughtful and kept her close to her grandmother all day even though she was not there.

Ashley's sister and maid-of-honor, Heather, will also make a beautiful bride some day.

The matchmaker and MOB (mother of the bride) was also beautiful and not only do good looks run in this family, they are also one of the kindest and most welcoming family I have ever met.

Ashley gave her bridesmaids these adorable clutches and also gold pashminas which looked great with the purple dresses. They also came in handy since it got a little chilly later in the day.

This was my first trip to Buffalo and I was pleasantly surprised to find it is a really cute little city and I would go back in a heartbeat. If you are looking for some fun nightlife, Chippewa Street is the place to go. There isn't much going on during the day on this strip, but trust me, it comes to life at night.

Ashley is one of those people that after our first telephone conversation I felt like I knew her forever. She is articulate and considerate and we hit it off immediately. Her beauty truly radiates from the inside out.

I promised Marty I would get all the photos done as fast as I could...it didn't help that his cousin, Brian, the best man, was heckling us from afar. Thanks Brian ;)

Marty, you are smokin'.

He surprised his bride with an extra band to wear on top of her engagement ring in addition to the one that goes underneath. Her reaction was super sweet.

Ashley's dad's look as he saw his first daughter, the bride, to arrive at the church.

They got married at St. Louis Church in downtown Buffalo. It was the biggest church I have ever been in and the aisle has to be one of the longest in the world. It was a very big wedding also...300 guests, I think.

Funny story here with our friend, Bobby...let me just say this...when you are doing a reading in a wedding and the priest wants you to do a practice run through of your reading, just do it ;) If you do this, you will avoid causing the guests to get the church giggles, myself included.

This is when Marty gave her the extra wedding band. I loved her reaction. Also, that golden, warm light coming through the stained glass was priceless.

We had beautiful blue skies with white wispy clouds all day, but slowly a monsoon front started lurking on the horizon. The monsoon hit as soon as we got inside the reception at Shanghai Red's on the waterfront. You can see it in the distance here:

There are a few things that I have learned from my clients that make me wish I could do it all over again...this wedding created a whole new dynamic that I had always turned a blind eye to. Instead of a sit-down dinner, they had h'or dourves stations around the room with stand up cocktail tables as well as some regular tables. They had a pasta station, stir fry, cheese and crackers, egg rolls, etc. There was plenty to eat to keep everyone happy, but they didn't waste and hour and a half of down time to accomplish it. This created an atmosphere completely condusive to partying and the dancefloor was packed all night long. Everyone was happy.

Ashley was totally comfortable grabbing the mic and introducing her bridal party and giving a little background info about each person to make it a little more personable.

Did I mention it was an atmosphere condusive to partying? :D

The 3Mers.

Ashley & Marty, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your wonderful day. Chad and I are so glad we finally got to have the Buffalo experience. Niagra was awesome to see and your families made us so welcome. Thank you to Michael Barton to coming out with me to shoot this wonderful event. We had a ball! Have fun on your honeymoon!