Rainy day wedding with a fun-loving couple in an elegant “English Country Estate”

Danielle & Joe chose the Hiland Park Country Club in Lake George, New York, as their main wedding venue.  They experienced the full gamut when it came to weather– blue skies, rain, even a dramatic sunset.
I started this set with a photo showing rain (whenever we tried to take Danielle & Joe’s portraits it was raining), and will end with a shot of the breathtaking sunset, now I will show you the blue sky which was visible through the window while I was photographing Danielle’s wedding gown:
All of the women shared a suite in the morning and all got ready together.  Danielle shared that having them by her side helped to keep her calm and helped her to relax and have some fun.  Everyone from her bridesmaids to godmother and mother were all gathered together.
I love reflections and dramatic window light, so this is one of my favorite photos from their preparations:

Danielle shared that she was looking for a photographer who would capture the personalities of she and Joe in a creative way as well as all of the beautiful architecture and scenery at the Country Club.
She was looking for artistic, personal, colorful, emotional, unique photography and somehow googled a few of those terms and found me(!)  I’m still not exactly sure how that happened, haha.

Here Danielle and her sister are at the Highland Country Club before Danielle puts on the dress.  Danielle shared that they are more alike than they admit.
While her sister is following in Danielle’s footsteps of going to law school, she also managed to be very involved as her maid of honor as well which is no easy task.

Danielle was drawn to the way that Hiland Park Country Club had the look of a historic English country estate.  It almost looks like something out of a fairytale or storybook…

What a beautiful bouquet!  Danielle chose lavender roses bound by lace and decorated with a classic cameo.   All of the florals were provided by Felthousen’s Florist and were breathtaking.

Danielle shared that she was shocked by how calm she was (as she is normally more type A) but during the wedding day, she was very relaxed and just enjoyed the day and let it all sink in.
Danielle’s father was beaming and extremely proud to be at Danielle’s side during the wedding.  He has to be one of the most joyful father’s I have seen– he wore a huge smile on his face and super excited for the wedding day!  Here he is kissing her cheek before we head to the ceremony:

The groomsmen were super relaxed, confident and comfortable around each other.  Joe’s brother (the one to the right of Joe in the photo) was his best man and at his side all day.  They laughed and joked & had a great time.  Joe is a golfer so being on the course was a fitting place to hang out for photos.

But even more fitting was this classic bar inside Highland Park Country Club.    The bar was perfect for them because it was just a typical scene of what they would normally be doing when they were all hanging out together.  Just having a beer and sharing some laughs.  Here they are toasting to Joe:

Here is a more formal photo, I like this timeless classic feel.  Well done, Kris!

Danielle & Joe were married at Our Lady of the Annunciation in Queensbury, New York.
I am in love with this image of Danielle and her father entering the church.  It is dramatic and almost inspiring.  Visually, I like how the lines and light draw your eyes into Danielle & her father, but you can still see all of their friends and family  surrounding them and watching them…

Danielle & Joe said the ceremony was really the only part of the day when they were nervous.  I have many images of the ceremony, but I think “the kiss” and “recessional” are the ones that show Danielle & Joe’s true colors.

I like the composition of the image above, how you can see the kiss, the congregation, the priest, the altar, the cross.  I like the joy on their faces below and think it is adorable when couples leave the church beaming and in love.  They said they were both excited to have the “hard part” over and ready to celebrate!  🙂

Bagpipes!!!  Joe’s family is Irish and Joe even took bagpipe lessons as a kid.  One of Joe’s family members brought his pipes along which was a perfect tie in to the UK feel and a great way to celebrate Joe’s Irish heritage.  Joe shared that it is just a natural part of any celebration in his family.

Speaking of celebrating, here is a photo of the bridal party on the party bus!  Danielle shared that their friends really elevated the mood of everyone on the wedding day, their excitement and enthusiasm was contagious– everyone had a blast! 
Just as it was time for Danielle & Joe’s portraits, it started to rain!  It really wasn’t a problem though.  I photographed this image of them under the carport in the country club.  It is raining behind them, but it I didn’t tell you, you probably wouldn’t have known. 😉

Keep calm and bring umbrellas– haha, it could be one of those “keep calm” t-shirts for brides!  Danielle said whenever she shares with anyone that it rained on her wedding day she gets so much sympathy, but the funny thing is that it barely fazed her.
Danielle wasn’t worried about her dress (she wasn’t going to wear it again) and she was prepared– she bought two clear umbrellas before the wedding just incase.  It started raining and her wedding planners (led by Melissa from Wedding Planning Plus) grabbed the umbrellas and we were good to go– these ladies were amazing!

Joe & Danielle tease each other constantly, it’s this on-going light-hearted banter that they both enjoy.
Danielle shared that Joe really caught her attention with his ability to make her laugh, and that she fell for Joe when she saw his patience, easy going personality and sense of humor.  Joe shared that he fell in love with her fun-loving personality, her beauty and her ability to understand his sense of humor, haha.

Rain is something that most brides are afraid of, and I think that, if you embrace it, as Danielle and Joe did, it can make for absolutely stunning images!  This dreamy, romantic look was actually produced by me photographing them through puddle on the driveway as they kissed under the dry carport.
I got a little wet but it was worth it!  Actually Kris stood over me with an umbrella, so I was pretty good. 😉

Wine was definitely a theme woven throughout their wedding day.  One of their first outings as a couple brought Joe & Danielle on a wine tour of the finger lakes.  Danielle joked that at first Joe would only drink wine that tasted like grape juice but now he refuses to drink anything but the driest of wines.
Each table number was placed into the cork at the top of their personalized wine bottle.  They actually played a game (which you will see later) to give these away.

The food!!!  Danielle and Joe were beyond excited for cocktail hour and it was a top priority for them to make sure they were able to enjoy  every bit of it :).   I personalized their wedding photography schedule to reflect those priorities and  they did enjoy their cocktail hour and it was fun & delicious.  😉
It was actually not just delicious, but also incredibly beautiful!!!  There were stations with every kind of food imaginable, and everything was so pretty.   Here you can see roses made of watermelon and lemon– wow!  And that was just one of the fruit and nut trays!

Danielle & Joe were announced as husband and wife with all of their guests applauding.  Cute sunglasses, guys!

The ballroom was stunning with high ceilings, crystal chandeliers and abundant natural light streaming through the windows.  Here Danielle is dancing with her father during the traditional dances at the start of the reception.  I like how the guests were gathered around– so many were emotional.  It was a beautiful thing.

Danielle’s sister’s speech was also beautiful, emotional and one filled with gratitude and appreciation.  She shared that she is continuing in Danielle’s footsteps, attending law school, and how Danielle inspired her and paved the way for her to go.
She also took a moment to publicly thank their parents for all of the sacrifices they made through the years in order to send their daughters to the very best schools which enabled them to get where they are today.

I told you there was a table game to see who would bring home the custom wine.  All of the guests were totally fun and into it.  They were lead by MC Nick Maddalone from Cool Cat Entertainment.

The dance floor was *packed* all night.  People were dancing that Danielle had never seen dance before!

Danielle and Joe took a break from dancing for a few minutes to enjoy the sunset together.  The rain actually enhanced the colors as there was a deep blue sky framing the couple, sunlight streaming through in vibrant yellow where there was a break in the clouds, deep green grass and a puddle for me to play with :).

While the elegant, romantic image above totally wraps up the day well, this would be the perfect ending for Joe and Danielle without food and a little humor, so I’ll officially end with a photograph of their dessert and photo booth results 🙂

Danielle & Joe– it was such a joy to be by your side during you wedding day!  Thank you for choosing to embrace the rain and for choosing me and all of your other amazing vendors, they were incredible to work with.
If you haven’t got enough of Danielle & Joe, you might want to check out their engagement session in Albany.