Most wedding photographers goal is to make it big so they can travel the world to gorgeous destinations and shoot over the top weddings. That is not one of my goals, though i’m not knocking it either! 😉

My goal is to shoot the weddings where my clients have really put thought into what their day will look like, feel like, & taste like. It could be 5 people on top of a mountain and as long as my clients have thought through their vision I know it will be an amazing wedding to shoot!

Catharine & Ben did just that. Their sweet rustic wedding came together so perfectly. I met them both at Notleymere Cottage in Cazenovia and was greeted by an opulent spread of photo opportunities! I set up Catharine & Ben’s sweet “First Look” and got some of my favorite images from the day. You can tell that they are a fun, easy going couple, who share an intimate love. The photo opportunities didn’t stop at Notleymere. We ventured up to Deer Hill for their ceremony & reception and as soon as I saw the view I knew why Catharine & Ben chose that venue. It was breathtaking! The rest of the day was a relaxing expression of Catharine & Ben, we then snuck away from the reception briefly to take a few epic shots of the area. The day was so lovely & heart felt. I was so blessed to be a part of it! Thank you Catharine & Ben!

xoxoxo,
Mabyn

How did you meet? 
In a old airplane hangar down in Austin, Texas.  We both had independently signed up to work on a project to build an off-grid, solar powered house with The University of Texas.  The summer was spent constructing the house in that hot old hangar.  The discovery was made of a fantastic view of the Austin sky line from the roof.  So, one evening after a long, hot day of work, we shared a Shiner and watched the Texas sun set.  The rest as they say, is history.

How did your fiance propose?  
He subtly suggested that we should spend our lives together while we took a walk at sunset.

Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding (how did you pick the venue, colors, funny stories, etc..): 
Picking the venue was simple.  We knew that we wanted everything to be outside because a perfect upstate New York evening can be pure magic.  The view from Deer Hill and the grounds sold us instantly.  As far as colors and general design, I knew that I wanted simple sophistication.  This translated to warm grays, champagne colors, and a pop of orange which showed up in the form of fresh cut tulips.  I also wanted to make sure there was plenty of mingling so we opted for a stations style food display and a variety of table sizes.  It felt more like a fancy picnic.

What details at your wedding had special significance?  
Well, we can’t say that there was one particular detail.  The entire evening was really special because we kept the whole thing pretty small (under 100 people) and just invited our family and very close friends, so there was time to chat, time to eat, and time to dance! Which everyone did.

What was the most memorable moment(s) of your day?  
There were many of course, but one was the speech given by Andrew, Ben’s younger brother.  It was funny and sweet and made everyone happy.

Not one single thing.

Funniest memory from your wedding day?  
A good friend was so overjoyed by the music that he broke out in dance…literally he took over the dance floor and started breakdancing.  

What was your favorite wedding purchase? 
My dress.  It had pockets.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?  
We were limited on time, so we took a couple nights at The Sagamore in the Adirondacks.

Any advice for future bride & grooms?  
Just go with the flow because people will undoubtedly remember the fun that they had and not the fact that the napkins were not cotton.  Hire reputable people to work with and let them do what they do.  Also, eat some of that food you spent hours deliberating over…and definitely have fun!

Catharine & Ben opted for a “First Look” session. It made me melt a little bit, aren’t they the cutest?!

Then we got to spend some time bashing around Notleymere, it is a seriously cool place to take pictures!