Nazareth College Rochester Wedding Photography

On most wedding days, I start off wherever the bride is getting ready and photograph her dress, rings, jewelry and accessories. I love doing this; setting up little compositions for all the different items, knowing the couple can look back on all of the small details that went into this big occasion! However, it’s also a little terrifying to handle such precious items – I am always SO paranoid that I’m going to somehow lose or break something. I’ve literally had nightmares about ripping dresses and losing rings, so needless to say I am very careful with everything! Then, at Chelsey + Luke’s home before their wedding – IT HAPPENED. I had just photographed Chelsey’s earrings and was setting them back in their box when I noticed what should be two separate pieces had become three! A metal piece had crumbled in one of the earrings, breaking it in half. I have to say in my defense, I was literally doing nothing but holding them in my open palm when this happened so I am pretty sure it would’ve happened anyway (and selfishly I was really wishing someone else had been handling them when this happened so I didn’t have to tell this bride that I had BROKEN her earring)! I’m sure she had put lots of thought into picking them out, and was excited to wear them so I was so nervous that she was going to be devastated! Chelsey’s mom broke the news to her and I obviously apologized profusely and was blown away by how kindly and gracefully Chelsey handled it. She is literally THE. NICEST. As luck would have it, Chelsey’s dad had just given her mom a brand new pair of earrings for their 35th anniversary that looked very similar to the broken pair, and they ended up looking absolutely perfect on Chelsey! It ended up being another one of the many meaningful touches that made Chelsey + Luke's day extra special. Chelsey's clutch belonged to her great grandmother back in the early 1900s, and Luke's mom created beautiful drawings for their ceremony programs. She also made the flower girl's dress!

After Chelsey was all ready (and looking stunning!) everyone headed over to Ellison Park for Chelsey and Luke’s first look, which was really special. You could feel the love between them from a mile away! Luke always seems to have a huge smile on his face, but it doubled in size when he first saw Chelsey. Their ceremony was in the Linehan Chapel on Nazareth College’s campus, so we did some portraits around campus before and after the ceremony and it was really gorgeous! I especially loved the architecture of the building that housed the chapel, and the chapel itself was beautiful as well.

Their reception was at the Harro East Ballroom in downtown Rochester, and they had it decked out in navy blue and pink and looking amazing! There’s a huge stage in the room, where their band Shine played the night away and kept the crowd on the dance floor! It was a perfect night and I’m so happy I got to be there to capture it!

Chelsey & Luke – Thank you so much for choosing me to be your photographer! It has been such a pleasure getting to know you both and photographing your engagement session and wedding day! It’s so clear that your love is the real deal, you both seem to light each other up and are glowing in these photos when you’re side by side. I hope the future holds endless happiness for you both!

Enjoy the photos!