[karen and mike]

I have been so lucky this summer. My clients have been phenominal, so much so that I wonder if I should just quit teaching and do this full time? Ok, I know that is ridiculous, but in any case Karen and Mike have been more than phenominal. You may remember them from their engagement session in Lewiston.....awesome then, even better now. After a bit of a driving fiasco, (let's just say that Niagara Falls Blvd. is not always 55 mph in Wheatfield...) I made it to Karen's place to get some prep pictures....




So Karen and I have the exact same aesthetic....she had scoped out this barn to use as a backdrop for some photos before going to the church...and it was rather funny seeing the little old man who owned it peeking out of his house and wondering why the heck this limo was parked in his driveway. As one of the bridesmaids commented, it was like a guerilla photo shoot.




And on to the Church...Karen designed the programs which were awesome.












The ring bearer held this tiny porcelain bowl, made by Paloma's Nest which Karen and Mike found on Etsy.


Saturday was the start of our awful windy stormy weather....


But aside from the raindrops, it was a perfect day to go to Niagara University for pictures after the ceremony.








Karen and Mike are super fun people, so of course they picked the most fun bridal party ever. Jonathan the ring bearer got into some heavy play fighting (he was promised WWE tix in exchange for good ring bearer behavior) which resulted in Mike's flower flying...





Then the guys decided to have a bouquet toss....


Because the girls had traded their bouquets for the guy's jackets and accessories.


And then on to the Crown Plaza Hotel in the Falls for the reception...






Mike and his best man reliving the better days of their childhood together.....

I loved watching Karen's dad taking many little glimpses of her all throughout their dance.


Now that I have a son, I can't keep from getting a little misty when I see Mother/son dances like this.

I could have pulled maybe 50 shots from the reception alone....Karen and Mike had a little set up in the foyer for people to make crazy portraits, complete with costumes and props. Ironically, the DJ also had lots of fun props to play with, so it was pretty wild.

Then Uncle Chuck sang a song....





This is hilarious....the difference between the men and the women and their excitement level for the garter/bouquet tradition.






I had one of the best times *ever* photographing this wedding...thanks Mike and Karen!