Disclaimer: This is one of the longest blogs I’ve done in awhile, but tooooooootaly worth it!

I woke on a cloudy Saturday morning with a giant grin on my face. One of my absolute favorite couples was about to be married, and guess who got to capture it all? Why yours truly! I’ve been good friends with Elaine & Mike for years and when they finally decided to tie the knot I wouldn’t let them choose anyone else as their wedding photographer…literally, it was non-negotiable!

When I pulled up to the Frog Pond Bed & Breakfast in Skateateles it was pouring rain, but that didn’t stop Elaine’s sunny disposition! Today was the day she got to marry her other half, her puzzle piece, her Michael!  Even though person after person kept asking to move things inside, Elaine & Mike had faith that their wedding would still go on as planned. Their faith proved founded as the pouring rain turned into a drizzle which then turned into a fine mist. Good enough! People pulled out chairs & umbrella’s and got ready!

During all of the rain hullabaloo, Elaine and Mike opted to see each other before the wedding. We set up the “First Look” session on the front porch of the Frog Pond. I felt so privileged to be the one behind the camera, to witness their love, and document their tears of joy. My heart went to mush right then and there! Their ceremony essentially took place in a cloud! Mist hovered around the tree tops as the bridesmaids bicycled down the isle! Their ceremony was so beautiful & full of emotion from their hand written vows to the foot washing, I was practically tearing up the whole time! As they took their first kiss the sun broke through the clouds like we were at the epic conclusion of a movie! It was such a confirmation of their union! They celebrated by journeying down the isle together on a tandem bicycle while their wedding party joyfully skipped behind them! The sun stayed out in celebration as the rest of the day consisted of photo shoots, amazing home made food, & a rockin’ dance party (which I did eventually partake in)! My eyes and heart couldn’t get enough of this glorious day. Everything was unique, beautiful, and heart felt. Thank you so much Elaine and Mike! I love you guys and it was truly an honor to capture your day!

xoxoxo,
Mabyn

How did you meet? 
We met at a young adults Bible study at our church Faith Chapel in Syracuse. Jesus is spectacular!
How did your fiancé propose?
Michael proposed shortly after our one-year anniversary when we were exchanging Christmas gifts at his apartment. I opened his gift, which was a book that he had printed with all of our stories written in a fairytale fashion. When he got to the end of the book the last two pages were taped together but stated make this be our next memory. I opened the pages to see a picture of him down on one knee asking if I would marry him. He then proceeded to get down on one knee and ask me in person. ☺
Tell me a bit about the planning process for your wedding (how did you pick the venue, colors, funny stories, etc.):
Well I am a tad bit untraditional in many ways so from the very start of my planning I knew that I wanted a “different” type of wedding. Many of my ideas people (including my fiancé!) thought I was crazy for until they actually saw them pan out including riding Bicycles down the aisle to making pinky promises at the altar to having the bridal party ribbon dance during the first dance. Most of all I wanted a laid back artistic wedding where people could just have fun and celebrate with us.
What details at your wedding had special significance?
A lot of the decorations were taken from my Mom or from vintage things that we have collected over the years so it was special to see things that I saw growing up on my wedding day
What was the most memorable moment(s) of your day?
Michael: First Look Elaine: Exchanging Vows
If you had to do it all over, would you change anything?
If I had a rewind button I’d take pictures of the set up process and make sure it wasn’t going to rain!
Funniest memory from your wedding day?
This memory was technically from the rehearsal the day before but it was hilarious so here goes… At the ceremony rehearsal we were figuring out the kinks of having the bridal party ride down the aisle. After we figured out how the bridesmaids were riding into the ceremony it came time for Michael and I to practice riding away on our tandem bike. Well when we reached the end of the row of chairs the front tire literally exploded and started smoking because it had been pumped up too much. Everyone was looking around because we thought a gunshot had gone off somewhere but then we realized it was the tire of the bicycle. Come to find out the tire had been pumped up to a PSI of 85 because I jokingly told a friend to pump it up to 100 PSI (In my defense I was making a road bike joke). In the end I think Michael and I did a great job considering we only got to practice once haha.
What was your favorite wedding purchase?
Our wedding bands.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Costa Rica!
Any advice for future bride & grooms?
Relax; everything will work out one-way or the other. Save room for dessert!!
Anything else you’d like to add that will help me tell your story?
The wedding was a very big do it yourself wedding with a tight budget. Our families did a fantastic job of helping us make the wedding exactly how we pictured it in our heads. I wanted the wedding to have a vintage feel to it so I made all of the linen napkins and screen-printed old-fashioned bicycles on them. Overall we told our family what we pictured and they did everything in their power to make it happen including hanging candles in mason jars from the trees, helping us fix up a bunch of beat up vintage bicycles, setting up the tables, chairs, and place settings and not to mention making food for 130 people! Thank you to everyone that made our special day possible!

The Frog Pond in Skaneateles was gorgeous! Filled to the brim with antiques and nick knacks galore! I especially loved the vintage camera!

Mike & the groomsmen we rockin‘ the suspenders too! I love the Newsie look!

Isn’t Elaine ridiculously beautiful?! She’s also the most rockin’ DIY bride ever!
Mike constantly cracks me up aaaand you can see why!

The misty rain that encompassed their wedding just added to the romance. Who else can say they got married in a cloud?!

Plus the bicycles were the coolest thing since sliced bread and cheese in a can! AH! Everyone should ride bicycles down the isle!

Seriously some of my favorite wedding formals ever! Who else gets to take pictures of bridesmaids getting chased by groomsmen on bicycles?

Elaine’s vision for the Frog Pond was hands down the coolest thing this season! She spent the whole year collecting cute little vintage things & pictures for the shelves. PLUS she screen printed all of the hand made napkins, made all of the invitations, AND painted a portrait of the two of them….Uh can we say AMAZING?!!!

Here are Elaine’s invitations that she created head to toe! Guess who I’m calling when I get married?

Yes, she sewed paper together!!! Ah! I love them SO SO SO much!

Hair: Mckenzie Macko//Makeup Artist: My Mommy Kathleen//Dress Designer & Store Location: David’s Bridal, Syracuse//Jewelry: Gauges were ordered from a girl from Switzerland off of Etsy, Bracelet was from Ann Taylor, and Ring was Borrowed from my Mom//Veil or Hair accessories: Veil was borrowed from my Cousin Alicia; Flower in hair was from Target//Shoes: Ceremony Shoes I purchased from Lord and Taylor, Reception Flats were from DSW//Bridesmaids Dresses: Alfred Sung Style D476 in Pearl Pink , Alfred Sung Style D480 in Dove, and Alfred Sung Style D468 in Ebony//Grooms Attire: Hat from Calvin Klein, Button up from JcPennys, Skinny Neck tie and Suspenders from Macy’s, Vintage fit Trousers from Banana Republic, Clark shoes from DSW.//Ceremony Venue: Back field of the Frog Pond//Reception Venue: Restored Barn at the Frog Pond//Florist: My Aunt Karen did all of the girls bouquets and the boys boutonnières as well as making my bouquet which she incorporated my Papa’s Cuff links that had been a wedding present from my Nana on their wedding day. The flowers on the tables were store bought bouquets that my family arranged in mason jars.//DJ: Our friend and groomsman Ryan was our man on the microphone with a stupendous radio voice. Yay for Itunes!//Caterer: My large Italian family tackled the humongous task of making all of the food except for the Chicken Parmesan, (from Lasca’s) and the Bread, (from Cameron’s Bakery). My family is awesome!//Cake: We had a smorgasbord of deserts ranging from the best homemade pies you’ll ever taste made by my Nana, to a huge homemade cheesecake, and an array of cookies, brownies, cream puffs, and cannolis. The cake that we used for the traditional cake cutting was a carrot cake made by my twelve-year-old cousin Julia, aka Cake Boss junior.//Event Designer: All me baby, Elaine! Though I have to admit that my mom helped with placement of items//Wedding Coordinator: Both my family and Michael’s family were extremely helpful figuring out the kinks of the wedding day as well as making sure everything stayed within the time frames//Lighting: Candles, Christmas tree lights, and paper lanterns.//Invitations & Stationary: I handmade all of the invitations with the help of my friend and bridesmaid Lauren, and yes I did actually hand sew each invitation and RSVP’s, exhausting!

Music:

The best man Benjamin made a play list in Itunes for us, which made our lives a lot easier

Special Ceremony Music: The wedding party rode their Bicycles down the aisle to Love and Kisses by Ella Fitzgerald

First Dance: A Summer’s Song by Wavorly