kelsey + jimmy // Holimont, Ellicottville

Filed in weddings shot by Ayres Photography on May 11, 2017 at

Every wedding day that I’m a part of means the world to me. Even after all these years, I still feel so grateful that this is what I do for “work.” Preserving stories of love and family for future generations is a responsibility and a privilege that I will never take for granted. I love each and every story that I tell through my lens, but every so often, there’s a day – a story – that stops me in my tracks and forces me to reflect on how grateful I am to be able to witness, up close and personal, all of the very best things about being a human. Kelsey and Jimmy’s wedding day was one of those days for me, and all you have to do is scroll through their photos to see what I mean. They could have gotten married on the moon and I would still feel this way, but I just want to add that fall weddings in Ellicottville, NY are pretty magical. ;)

This was a day that I won’t soon forget. <3

Kelsey: “Jimmy and I met when we had both pulled up to a stop light at Lake and Pattonwood down by the river in Irondequoit, Rochester. A bucket had fallen off of a truck and I had my window rolled down to tell the person about the bucket. Jimmy pulled up and asked me, ‘Hey did you see that bucket fall off that truck?’ I responded with a quick yes, the light turned green, he told me to have a nice day and I thought that was it! I then pulled into the restaurant where I was working at the time (Ollie’s) and Jimmy pulled into the Rochester Yacht Club right next door. He was in Rochester for a Hospice Sailing Regatta. Later, when him and the rest of his crew needed to eat, one of his buddies suggested a restaurant. Jimmy politely suggested that instead they go to Ollie’s, (little to his crew’s knowledge he just wanted to meet the girl he had just seen earlier at the stop light!) When Jimmy arrived at Ollie’s and saw me he put his hand on my shoulder and asked ‘Are you the girl from the stop light?!’ He asked me to wait on their table so I did. He asked me for my number that night and I obliged! Later that night Jimmy was staying at a friends house with all of his team mates. They had all gone to bed and found out later he snuck out late to come have drinks with me! Although he stayed out late that night, they still placed 2nd in the regatta.“

Kelsey: “I loved the feeling of waking up with all of my friends at our rental house. I loved getting ready with all of them and feeling pampered and loved. We had such a busy morning but I loved being able to be with everyone.“

Kelsey: “My #1 favorite part of the wedding was the moment right before Jimmy turned around during our first look. I literally could barely breath and was balling my eyes out. I had to take a few deep breaths standing right behind him, when I finally got the courage to reach for his shoulder, he turned around and he was blubbering too! He managed to get the words out ‘you look beautiful’ and gave a big hug. That was my favorite moment of the whole day.“

Jimmy: “My #1 favorite part of the wedding was absolutely the first look. It was perfect. I can’t even explain the feeling of when I turned around. I had been looking forward to that moment, not knowing what it would be like. Kelsey walked up behind me and stopped and paused. The anticipation was killing me! Then I could feel her hand moving like she was crying. It was such an un-explainable moment that I will never forget.“

Kelsey and Jimmy: “What we value most in life is simple… Marriage, friends and family.“

Kelsey: “Jimmy and I always tell each other that we are very different from each other, but at the same time we are very much alike. We are so much of a Yin and Yang in so many ways and we have learned throughout the years how the other functions and what they need. We have worked extremely hard at figuring out what makes each other tick and we choose everyday to work on being better for one another.“

Kelsey: “We both would literally do anything for each other and make an amazing team. I don’t think either one of us could imagine a life without the other. We choose to be with each other and consciously put in effort every single day. We put each other first and always choose our love over anything else in the world.“

Kelsey: “Jimmy’s grandfather, Bruce, passed away the night before our wedding. He was very sick for the weeks leading up to the wedding and passed away during our rehearsal dinner. We found out via phone call. That night, I looked at the weather and it was supposed to downpour rain all day for our outdoor ceremony (I had been watching the weather for months, I was a little obsessive!). Jimmy and I looked at each other and said ‘If Papa has anything to do with tomorrow, it will not rain’. The day came and it was pouring, in the morning and late morning it poured… everything was soaked. Our ceremony was scheduled at 4pm and they were calling for more rain. At the last hour it seemed as if the skies parted — the rain stopped shortly before our ceremony and it went off without a hitch. Later that night, our friend told us that he was watching the radar and it seemed as though the weather system that was around Ellicottville rained everywhere except the mountain we got married on!“

Jimmy: “We loved having two locations. Even though it added a bit of a drive in the middle, I loved having the first look at the Cabin and the wedding at Holimont. We spend so much time there on weekends, and during the winter, that it made the whole wedding very special.“

Jimmy: “I loved the moment where Kelsey started walking down the aisle. I remember starting to choke up when all of the bridesmaids started walking. THEN Kelsey started walking! I remember making a weird noise because I was trying to hold back from completely losing it. That’s when my brothers Jason and Jack reached over and gave me a pat on the shoulder. It was an amazing moment.“

Kelsey: “I loved the moment I walked down the aisle with my father. I was holding on to him so tight I didn’t know if I could ever let go. I was laughing, crying, nervous and overjoyed. I saw Jimmy standing at the end of the aisle and knew all of my life choices had come together in such a beautiful moment. I could not have asked for a more perfect moment in my whole entire life.“

Jimmy: “Our families… It was one of the first times that we had almost everyone on both sides of our families there. It was amazing. Everyone was so happy. Family is so important to both of us and the weekend could not have been more joyful.“

Kelsey: “I loved setting up the wedding and watching all of our hard work come together. Every detail came together perfectly and my wedding was the best ‘Rustic Chic’ wedding I could have ever asked for! I worked so hard on making our wedding unique and different and I think we did it!“

Jimmy: “There was a time where I realized that my cousins had been FaceTiming my Nana to allow her to be as much a part of the day as possible. That was really special to me and made me so thankful for my cousins.“

Kelsey: “We are expecting our first baby in July 2017 and have been prepping for his arrival. His name is Bruce Ellison and I’m sure he will be taking up most of our time soon! We are also getting a Yellow Labrador Retriever early next year and his name is Maverick. We are super excited to be starting our own little family.“

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Wedding Vendors Include:

Venue: Holimont Ski Resort
Ceremony Music: The String Brothers
Wedding Coordinator: Rochelle Dunkleman
Invitations: Megan Wachob
Hair: Tracy Riggs
Make-Up: Shayna Selkowitz
Dress Designer: Pronovias
Dress Shop: Juliana’s Bridal
Groom’s Look: Jos A. Banks
Florist: Nicole Polino
Cake: Dina’s Restaurant
Band: Dave McGrath
Rentals: Nolan’s Rental

3 things you must have on your about page

Filed in for photogs, mentoring shot by Ayres Photography on April 20, 2017 at

Ah, the dreaded “About Me” page; making people feel awkwardly self conscious since the dawn of the Internet. It’s never easy for us to talk about ourselves. I can write about other people all day long and twice on Sunday, but when it comes to writing about myself, who I am, my values, etc., writer’s block swoops right in. I’ve gotten much better at it over the years, though; it just takes practice. It also really, really helps to know who you’re talking to so you can speak directly to that person, but that’s another topic for another time. It used to be okay to have a website stating what product or service you offer and how much you charge for it, with a few photos mixed in to give your potential customers a “visual” of what they’d be getting. Well, friends, those days are gone. With all of the options available today, we have become much more choosy about where and how we spend our money. People want to know WHO is behind the product or service, and if your product or service requires them make an emotional investment (i.e. wedding photography), then it’s absolutely essential that you introduce yourself to people properly when they visit you online.

My favorite analogy for this is taking a night time stroll through your neighborhood. Stay with me…I promise this will make sense. So, imagine for a minute that you’re taking a walk through your neighborhood later in the evening on a warm summer night. It’s totally dark out, and you walk past a house where the living room lights are on. Your eyes are attracted to the light and the flickering TV screen (because it’s dark out), so you take a closer look. You can see the people very clearly doing whatever people do, and it’s really hard to look away when you get a glimpse like this because it’s totally normal to be curious about how other people live. We ALL have that natural curiosity. You notice that one person is watching Jeopardy while another is on their laptop. You think to yourself, “Huh, I like Jeopardy, too. Great show. Hey, I have the same MacBook! I wonder what they had for dinner?” You notice they have floral wallpaper, a green couch just like your Grandma used to have, and a wall filled with family photos. You find it all very interesting, and in a way, you now feel like you know those people a little bit better, or at the very least, you feel like you can relate to them a little bit. Next time you see them out raking their lawn, you might even say hello. Do you see where I’m going with this? Your “About” page, and really your entire web presence as a whole, should be a window into your life that invites curious onlookers. You want people to notice things about you that resonate with them, and make them think, “I could totally be friends with her.”  You also want people who are not your ideal clients to peek into the window and say, “what a weirdo – NOPE,” and keep on moving. Both of these scenarios are perfectly ideal.

So, now that we all understand why it’s important to create an interesting window for people to peek through, what do we want them to see? Here are THREE things that I believe are necessary for the about page of any small business owner:

1. You need a recent, professional photo that clearly shows your face. At least one is mandatory, but more than one is great, too. We need to see your face so we know that you’re a real person. And really, it should be a professional photo so we know to take you seriously. If you’re not able to currently invest in a branding session, ask a photographer friend if they’re willing to work out a trade. Creatives are excellent at utilizing the barter system.

2. You need to tell us WHY you do what you do. This is a chance for you to show us what you’re made of. How do you feel when you’re immersed in your work? Why should I work with you? What kind of person are you? What value will you add to my life? I prefer to see people introduce themselves in the first person on their websites, but I do understand that there is a time and a place for the third person narrative. It all depends on who your client is. If your target audience is primarily large corporations, then an introduction in the third person makes sense. However, if the product or service you offer requires people to make an emotional investment (i.e. wedding photographer, family photographer, yoga instructor, massage therapist, nanny, daycare, etc.), then you should absolutely be introducing yourself in the first person. Speak directly to the people who “peek into your windows.” Make us feel welcome. Tell us a story. We don’t need to know every award you’ve ever won; we need to know the story behind how you invented yourself and what motivates you to keep going.

3. You need to share 3-5 things that make you unique and allow us to easily connect with you. While I don’t recommend that your entire “About” page be filled with random facts about you, I do think it’s important to have a few things that will help your dream clients see how much they have in common with you. This will also repel people who you definitely do not want to work with. For example, the fact that I’m an animal lover is WAY out there on my About page. That’s a big part of who I am, so naturally, I want to attract people who love animals as much as I do.

In addition to these three tips, I also recommend that you give people something to “do” when they are done reading about you and are ready to learn even more. Examples of this would be a link to your contact page, a newsletter opt-in, a link to your Instagram, or a link to your business FB page. Wherever you most want to connect with them is where you should direct them to go.

I hope these tips were super helpful to you!  If you’re feeling like your “About” page isn’t up to snuff (i.e. isn’t helping you reach and connect with your ideal clients or doesn’t represent you well), then it might be time to give that puppy an overhaul.  If the thought of sitting down to write a bunch of captivating stuff about yourself seems scary and overwhelming and you’d like some one-on-one help, not to worry; I’ve got you covered.  I created my “Online Presence” Mentoring Session with you in mind. :)

Click the link below to learn more!

GET HELP WITH YOUR ABOUT PAGE!!