May 26 2017

Erin & Scott’s Hudson Valley Wedding at The Roundhouse

Erin & Scott planned their wonderful wedding at The Roundhouse at Beacon Falls, one of my favorite venues, what with it’s amazing waterfall, lovely windows and unique rustic industrial charm. I shot Erin’s getting ready in the beautiful bridal suites upstairs over the Roundhouse’s restuarant overlooking the falls. They have an adorable baby daughter, Abigail, whom I got to shoot with them at their engagement session, so I couldn’t wait to see them all together in their wedding finery. The floral dress she wore was simply perfect with the bouquets, which featured some of the most beautiful blooms I’ve seen. We planned the first look with Scott to be downstairs in the lovely bar/lounge area, complete with a fireplace. The nice thing about knowing it’s going to rain for sure is that we can prepare for it, so in that way we were quite lucky– none of the “will it or wont’ it?” and “should we try the ceremony outside and risk it” type worries that can create anxiety for a couple on their wedding day… and of course knowing the situation was indoors-only enables me to focus on making the best portraits I can in the spaces available. After a quick round of sweet couple-only portraits there in the bar we all headed up to the main space for wedding party and family pictures. Luckily for us, the Roundhouse is stunning and you can still get the beauty of the nature outside in the background of some indoor photographs there, thanks to the amazing floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water and trees just outside. Lighting a backlit wide group shot with windows in the background does pose it’s own challenge, reflection-wise, surely, but I think we nailed it with 2 gridded flashes on stands from 45 degrees on either side, and the wedding party and family groups were patient as we tweaked people’s positions to avoid unwanted shadows as much as possible, and I was happy with the resulting images. I took Erin and Scott out down by the waterfall for a few quick pictures under my big clear umbrella, it then it was on to the ceremony! Once again, the rain plan at The Roundhouse does not disappoint– the ceremony indoors is just as beautiful as it is when it’s outdoors there, and we all enjoyed Erin and Scott’s wonderful officiant’s account of their love story. Guests were treated to a cocktail hour upstairs while the staff transformed the main space for the reception party, and the evening was off to a great start. Over the next few hours we captured some very sweet and funny toasts, some spirited dancing (especially the “ring security” team– note their metal-detector wands, walkie talkies, sunglasses, and secret-service-like earpieces! SO CUTE!), and at the end of the night I was able to take the happy couple outside for a shot under the umbrella with the rain. Congratulations to Erin & Scott! It was such an absolute pleasure being your photographer!