Classic Buffalo Wedding at St. Gregory the Great Church and Adam's Mark Hotel | Buffalo Wedding Photographer | Catherine + John's Highlights

Catherine + John were married last month in a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony at St. Gregory the Great Church, followed by a dance-all-night type of reception at Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo. It was the perfect definition of a classic Buffalo wedding – right down to the homemade Italian cookie spread – and I LOVED every minute of photographing this joyful day! Here are a few highlights!

The bride and groom's favorite moments/memories from the wedding?: Catherine: everything! Father Sibby made our Mass so special. I also loved being with family and friends and dancing the night away! John: It was awesome to spend the day with all of the people that mean the most to us. We both had family members and friends that traveled from out of town to be apart of our day which we really appreciate. It's really difficult to pick one favorite memory.

Huge shout-out to all the vendors!

Ceremony Venue: St Gregory the Great RC Church
Reception Venue: Adams Mark Hotel
Officiant: Father Sibby
Photographer: The AMAZINGLY AWESOME Dawn Gibson
Videographer: Brianna Blank
Florist: Flowers by Johnny
Caterer: All food was through the Adams Mark
Cake/Bakery: Chrusicki's
DJ/Band/Entertainment: Whirlin Disc Sound
Transportation: Affordable Limo
Invitations: Gallagher Printing
Hair & Makeupo: Lox Salon
Bride/Groom Attire: Bride- Bridal Chateau; Groom- Men's Warehouse
Shoes: Bride- Nike :) Groom- Men's Warehouse
Accessories: Bride- Necklace was a Lavalier given to her Great Grandmother from her Great Grandfather to be worn on their wedding day. Earrings and Bracelet are from Bridal Chateau. All of the groom's accessories were from Men's Warehouse.
Wedding Party Attire: Bridesmaids- Victoria's Bridal; Groomsmen- Men's Warehouse
Decorations/Decor Design or Rentals: EBay, Etsy, and Target dollar bins
Late night food/snacks: Chicken Fingers Subs and Fries; Homemade Italian cookies by Catherine's family
Custom Guest Board: Buffalo Collective

First Hours Session with the Pierson Family at John R. Oishei Children's Hospital

On a beautiful, sunny day in July, the Pierson family welcomed their newest addition to the family at the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in downtown Buffalo, NY. They were surrounded by love from family, and big brother was there, too – one shoe off and one shoe on in true toddler fashion. These images of big brother warming up to the newest member of the family give me all the feels, and it was such an honor to document this day for them!

Buffalo Birth Photography at the Birthing Center of Buffalo | Welcoming Audrey

When preparing for the monumental day of bringing a child into this world, it is so important to not only choose a birthing location that feels right for your specific needs, but to ensure you are with a provider who is always going to have the best interests of you and your baby in mind.

Last August I had the honor of photographing two all natural births at the Birthing Center of Buffalo, and in addition to being amazed at how strong both mamas were in their labors, I was equally amazed over the hard work, care, and attentiveness that Dr. Katharine Morrison and her assistant, LuAnn, provided to both laboring women and their husbands. In my experience photographing such a variety of birth stories, I've had the opportunity to see different providers in action, both in the hospital and out. And Dr. Morrison was definitely one of the most attentive providers I've had the pleasure of working with.

My hope in sharing birth stories of women throughout the WNY region – regardless of location and provider – is that it helps to break this idea that birth has to be a certain way, or in a certain place, or fall within a specific time frame. After all, each birth story is truly unique and special and we should celebrate all the different ways mamas choose to labor and babies choose to enter this world!

And now some first-hand thoughts from this powerful first-time mama:

Why did you choose the Birthing Center of Buffalo for your labor and delivery?

I chose the Birthing Center of Buffalo because it was a wonderful medium of a comforting homelike atmosphere with the expertise of Dr. Morrison and LuAnn Conte. They also require you to have a doula attend the birth and that was something I was very interested in! I hired Kayla Rogers of Divine Lotus Doula Services and she was wonderful! She made sure to not only to make sure I was comfortable but my husband as well. 

What was your favorite or most memorable moment from your birth story or labor/delivery experience?

I think delivering but that’s a given so I’ll go with the next. I remember after I had rested for a while and Audrey was being weighed and measured I was eating these Grapes, triscuts, and hummus. It was the most delicious and mouth watering thing I ever remember eating in my entire life! The grapes we so sweet, the crackers were so crunchy, and the hummus was so creamy!

Why was having your baby's birth photographed important to you?

I have a bad memory so I didn’t want to forget anything about that experience. In hindsight I’m very thankful because I had my eyes closed for a majority of labor so it was great to know after the fact what was happening behind the scenes!

What does having the photos of your labor & delivery mean to you?

Having these photos means I’ll be able to share these with my daughter and show her how raw and beautiful it was when she came into this world. 

A Delaware Park Maternity Session With The Growing Butler Family

I've been photographing the Butler family for the last several years, and it always brings me so much joy to have them in front of my camera because they are 100% themselves at every photo session. Silly, wild, and free – and I'm not just talking about the kiddos! Their easy-going personalities and understanding that the best photos come when not overly forced, truly allows me to capture the spirit of their family together.

This session was extra special to be a part of as they are about to be adding not one, but TWO more kiddos to their family! To document this time in their lives, we roamed Delaware Park, hiding out briefly from a passing rainfall under the trees, followed by looking for trolls under the Delaware Park Ivy Bridge, and "rawr!"-ing our way all the way back to the car. It was such a blast... even though we never did find those sneaky trolls (I guess next time we'll have to dance a bit longer)!

Oh dearest Butler family, I am soooo excited for you in this next chapter going from 2 kiddos to 4 in a single leap. You're going to rock this and just think... our next session is going to be 2x more fun! ;-)

Sessions like this, filled with the laughter and silliness of those in your family, are hands down the best way to show off these days together, whether you're anticipating your next arrival or not. If you have an energetic and playful family, I am now booking a limited number of Real Life family (and maternity) sessions from now until November. I look forward to hearing from you!