Hopefully you have the lucky opportunity to work from the coziness of your home – or even enjoy a snow day – today! Either way, I thought today would be a great day to share all the love and warmth that radiated from Brianna + Gabe and their families on their beautiful fall wedding day this past October. This wedding still gives me all the feels, even on this 0 degree temp winter day here in Buffalo!
Brianna + Gabe planned their fall wedding at Bristol Harbour on Canandaigua Lake all the way from Washington DC! Brianna is originally from Corning and Gabe "is a sucker for a great view" – so Bristol Harbour ended up being the perfect location for them to have their ceremony and reception. From day one of "meeting" them over Skype, I knew this wedding day was going to be a special one, but I never could have anticipated just how many thoughtful, personal touches they would incorporate, and of course, was brought to tears several times throughout the day because it all.
To give you a bit more background before diving into the photos: Brianna wore a dress that had been in her family and was restored/tailored to her for their special day. Gabe's dad was the Best Man and they had close family participate in reading the 7 Hebrew Blessings plus Brianna's sister sang during the ceremony. They wrote their own vows to one another and kept with tradition opting not to do a First Look (and it was AMAZING!). Brianna's sister performed with her band Cobblestone during the cocktail hour (if you love folk music, definitely check them out – I'm officially obsessed!) and of course who could forget that Brianna's sister and one of the groomsmen performed their first dance song!
I could go on forever, but I'll close by sharing just a few words from the bride and groom before diving into sharing these beautiful photos:
Favorite moments/memories from the wedding? We really treasured our ceremony as one of our favorite parts of the wedding. We worked with our Reverend to make sure that every component we selected was special and unique to our relationship. We wrote our own vows together ahead of the ceremony and saying those to each other in front of our closest friends and family meant the world to both of us.
Do you have any recommendations for future couples planning a wedding? Make sure you always have a glass of wine or a mimosa in hand while planning with each other or with family. Also.... buy lots of stamps in advance! It's a busy time and there will be lots of thank you notes to write--so having plenty of stamps on hand will come in handy. We found ours discounted on ebay!
And now a recap in a few of my personal favorite images from their day!
Special shout-out to all the vendors:
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Bristol Harbour Lodge & Golf Course
Officiant: Rev. Troy Preston
Photographer: Dawn M Gibson Photography (second shooter: Brittany)
Florist: Rachel Pasquareli In Bloom Florals
Caterer: Bristol Harbour Lodge & Golf Course
DJ/Band/Entertainment: Moving Music Sound Systems & Photobooths
Invitations: Etsy
Hair: Dustin Dixon via Strands Salon Corning NY
Bride/Groom Attire: Groom: Men's Warehouse / Bride: restored family gown via Deborah Lopresti in Easton, PA
Accessories (jewelry, hairpiece, cufflinks, ties, etc): Bride's earrings found on ebay
Wedding Party Attire: Groomsmen: Men's Warehouse / Bridesmaids: Anthropologie via Jenny Yoo
** Note to website visitors and vendors, please do not take images off website for use without photographer consent. If you are interested in using/sharing photos, please email info@dawnmgibsonphotography.com. Thank you! **
