sabrina + aaron // The Mansion on Delaware

We first met Sabrina and Aaron over Skype and instantly loved them! We knew they were going to be a great fit for us. When we finally got to meet them in person on their wedding day everything fell seamlessly into place just like we all knew it would. They did a fantastic job with their long distance planning (they live in Oklahoma!) and pulled off a stunning day filled to the brim with glamour, sophistication and tons of wide smiles and genuine laughter! We had such a fun time getting to know this wonderful duo and wish them a lifetime of silly, beautiful love.

Sabrina and Aaron were kind enough to share some very sweet memories with us. Read along as your scroll through their beautiful day!

Aaron: “I was a bit torn over the whole First Look business since it’s not necessarily traditional. Sabrina was really pushing for it so I conceded.  I think I was actually a bit speechless when I saw her.  It definitely took the edge off and put me at ease before we got into the ceremony. It reminded me that it was just us, nothing else, other than some fancy clothes.“

Aaron: “A tip- Don’t feed your fiancé under-cooked food three days before the wedding. I thought I was doing her a favor making her a turkey burger with vegetables, keeping myself trim, but the nonstop illness for the next 24 hours makes me think she wasn’t so thankful. Sabrina really struggled during the rehearsal dinner and wedding day, but she fought through with a smile the whole time.  Unless you’re one of the thousand people she’s informed since, you would have never guessed she was sick! She still mentions my getting her sick to anyone that’ll listen. ‘I only had one french fry,’ she recalls. I’m still paying the price.“

Sabrina: “Growing up, people often asked me who would walk me down the aisle.  There was never a question…the answer was always my mom.  Having my Mom give me away was a truly special moment that I won’t ever forget.”

Sabrina: “I learned something about myself this day. I’ve always known that I am that person who always cries at weddings, but apparently when it is my own wedding…I straight up sob.  Catholic wedding ceremonies are long…that is a lot of sobbing, people.  Luckily my Maid of Honor was sick of hearing the sniffles and wasn’t scared to rescue me with tissues.  In all seriousness, though, the ceremony was gorgeous. Words can’t describe walking down the aisle and seeing your future husband (in all his handsomeness) waiting at the end of the aisle.  Every time I felt nervous (or that I might really lose it and start emitting audible sobs) I would look at Aaron and he would make one of his goofy faces and squeeze my hand and it would hit me that I was truly marrying my best friend.  There is something really special about that feeling.  Those glances between us during that long (and happily-weepy) ceremony are what I remember most fondly.“

Aaron: “We were worried that having such a ridiculously large group would affect the ease of the day, but I wouldn’t do it any other way.  We had a bunch of family and friends that we needed to have involved to make the day right.  It was a hassle getting everyone moving for pictures and group things, but all of them being involved made the day better.“

Aaron: “Working with Jenn and Ben was great.  Ben fit in with the guys and helped make everything feel comfortable.  They were very accommodating throughout the day, letting us decide where we wanted pictures done.  But they knew when to point us in the right direction; they are the professionals after all.  They convinced us to take a set of pictures of just the two of us in front of an industrial spot downtown with just a gray brick back drop.  It seemed a bit artsy for my liking, but when we got the pictures back they were some of our favorites.  They were awesome to work with and the day would not have been the same without them!“

Sabrina: “Autumn is both mine and Aaron’s favorite season, so obviously we always wanted a fall wedding.  October in Buffalo did not disappoint.  Not only did we get fall, but we got several other seasons that day as well. We had rain, sunshine, rainbows, oh…and let us not forget the hail.  Honestly, in all the excitement we just ran with it.  Our bus driver offered us an umbrella (thank goodness) and we had fun with it!  People seriously do not believe us when we say that it rained and hailed on our wedding day.  Jenn and Ben captured our day in a way that made it look like we had nothing but sunshine all day.  We barely even noticed that it was hailing when we ran through the line of sparklers that evening.  Luckily our friends and family were all champs about it!“

Sabrina: “One of my favorite memories of our wedding day was going around and taking pictures with Aaron.  Wedding days are seriously rushed, busy, and stressful.  These moments just taking pictures gave us an opportunity to unwind, recharge, and catch up just the two of us.  Not to mention, it gave Aaron a chance to be his goofy-self and make me laugh like he always does.“

Aaron: “One of my favorite parts of the day was our stop at the Blue Monk on Elmwood Ave. It gave us a moment to ourselves between the ceremony and before things were about to get crazy at the reception.  We’d never actually been, but my nickname growing up was Monk (and still is with my brothers) and it looked right up our alley.  The limo dropped us off and the bartender was super friendly and served us quickly knowing we didn’t have much time.  Jenn and Ben got some great shots of us sharing our first few moments to ourselves on the day.  I surprised Sabrina with a giant framed print of one of the shots, she loved it just as much as I did.“

Sabrina: “The Mansion on Delaware was absolutely breathtaking.  Besides the very obvious history, architecture, and all around gorgeousness, they took such great care of us and did so much of the planning that it took a lot of the stress of the details off our shoulders so that we could just relax and enjoy our reception.”

Sabrina: “The whole day went by so fast.  Literally we would blink and an hour had gone by and it was time for dinner.  Another blink and we were running outside to do sparklers.  Before we knew it, the day was over and we were left looking back on all of our amazing memories from our wedding day, just soaking it all in.“

Sabrina: “It was so important to us that we book Jenn and Ben to photograph our wedding day.  During the planning process I stalked (I know you think I’m kidding, but I legitimately stalked) their blog to scout venues, churches, and spots for photos.  Throughout the planning process I continually found myself back on their blog looking at their beautiful work.  When we finally booked them and had our Skype date, I rattled off all the couples’ beautiful weddings that they had shared on their website.  Jenn was so patient with me trying to plan photography spots in Buffalo all the way from Oklahoma.  In the end, Jenn and Ben were so wonderful to work with and I’m so thankful they were a part of our wedding day.  Thanks, Jenn and Ben, for making our crazy, chaotic, awesome wedding day look like it went off without a hitch!  You guys are absolutely wonderful and your photos are always gorgeous (still stalking your blog)!“

A bit of wedding advice: “For the soon-to-be-married folks…honestly it sounds so cheesy, but just enjoy yourself.  Of course, everyone told us this going in, but it. is. so. true.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the details and everything being perfect.  The truth is, the sooner you realize that it won’t be perfect, the more enjoyable it will be.  Things will go wrong but it won’t make your day any less perfect!  Keep focused on what is important, your new husband/wife, marrying your best friend, and celebrating it with your family and friends that traveled to party with you.  Just go with it!  Who cares if you get rained (or hailed) on, that the bride and bridal party were 2 songs late for the ceremony, or that you couldn’t eat for 72 hours leading up to and including the wedding day due to food poisoning.  At the end of the day, if you focus on what’s important, you’ll laugh about all those details that went disastrously wrong.  They just add to all the wonderful memories!!“

Wedding Vendors Include

Ceremony: Alumni Chapel at Niagara University
Reception: The Mansion on Delaware
Hair and Makeup: Glam on Location
Wedding Dress: Stella York
Bridesmaid Dresses: Mori Lee
Groom’s Look: Marty’s Formal Wear
Florist: Flowers by Johnny
Cake: Vin-Chet’s Gluten Free Bakery
DJ: Signature Entertainment