kristin + chris // tonawanda castle

We joined Kristin for her final wedding day preparations at the always beautiful Tonawanda Castle where the entire day’s events were to be held. We just love her classic, glamorous style! (And of course those great red lips!) It certainly was a wedding to remember filled with love, laughter and one heck of a dance party! I mean, how could you not have fun when you’re around such a smiley bride and groom?! They’re both beaming ear to ear in almost every single photograph! Now that’s love :)

Please be sure to read all of the memories (and advice!) from both Kristin and Chris throughout the post. Enjoy!

Kristin: “Initially, we weren’t planning on doing the first look, but Jenn convinced us that it would be a really beautiful moment where it was just the two of us before we began the day of craziness. I have to say, it was such a special moment. I will carry every detail with me for a very long time from the tap on the shoulder to the look on Chris’s face when he turned around. Having the amazing photos to remember it by and a few moments with each other was priceless and I absolutely would do that all over again. Thanks Jenn!“

Chris: “One of my favorite early memories about the day was how un-nervous I was. I remember waking up that morning, thinking that I’m supposed to be freaking out and feeling sweaty, yet it was the complete opposite. I enjoyed the morning with my groomsman and dad, shared laughs over a tv show, and embraced the feeling of brotherhood. Even if I had a sense of freaking out, I knew they wouldn’t let me. It was as the morning unfolded that I let every concern I had go, and that feeling of taking it in as it comes full surrounding me. It’s hard to explain, but it can simply be described as a euphoric and inspiring state of mind.“

Chris: “The part I wish I could relive over and over again was watching Kristin walk down the aisle and then standing at the front, hands and eyes locked while Michelle from YellowBird weddings gave the most beautiful ceremony speech I think I will ever hear. It felt as things were in slow motion, but went by so fast. The room was physically full, and it felt like we were alone in those short 20 minutes.“

Kristin: “We made sure to enjoy the party and be out there dancing and spending time with everyone, cause it goes by SO FAST. It’s also so important to take time just the two of you during the reception. We snuck away to the balcony at one point and just looked down on the reception together and reflected on what an awesome day we were having and how happy we were to be married.”

Kristin: “Our first dance was one of my favorite moments. Our dear friend Steve sang our wedding song, ‘All of Me’. He has one of my favorite voices and with the live band it was a perfect combination of everything Chris and I loved, with words that really meant a lot to us.“

Kristin: “We really wanted a fun party for our reception, that was very important to us. We hired Party Of 9 as our band and they were absolutely fantastic. I have never been to a wedding where as many people were on the dance floor all night. It was a blast. We had an amazing moment towards the end of the night where the band played ‘I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends’. It started with us standing arm and arm and swaying with my aunt and uncle, and by halfway through the song literally every one of our guests had formed a giant circle, arm in arm, all of us swaying and singing the lyrics together. It was such a magical celebration of love and togetherness in a completely spontaneous way!“

Chris: “Advice to other couples (men mainly) – whatever your future wife wants, make sure you say yes! (within reason of course)“

Some advice from Kristin on wedding planning: “Focus on what is important to the both of you. We decided what sort of day we wanted to have and really built everything out from there. We spent the money on the things we found most important and tried to do the rest being as thrifty as possible. I am super type A so I gave myself a lot of time while planning and focused on not second guessing any decisions.“

Kristin and Chris were both kind enough to share some really nice things about us, too!

Kristin: “From the moment I saw Jenn & Ben’s photos, no other photographer compared in my eyes. I knew I wanted them to capture our day. After meeting them and experiencing how laid back they were, we were even more sure. We trusted them to do what they do best and we are beyond thrilled with how everything turned out. I barely knew they were there during the wedding. They did an amazing job of capturing all of our special moments and we are so thankful for them!“

Chris: “Ayres Photography was the shining star for our night. Usually we’re the ones taking all the pictures, so we gave all of our rights over to them and it was the best move we made that day (besides saying I do). Jenn and Ben asked us if there were any special moments they wanted us to capture, or certain spots we wanted pictures in.. and we couldn’t think of anything because we were so confident in their ability to capture the moment in each shot! We wanted to have a huge party, and Jenn and Ben captured it perfectly! I recommend them for any wedding or special event. The most versatile photography company in WNY!“

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