Kathleen and Aaron got married in Rochester, NY on a rainy summer day, but completely lucked out with the rain stopping just in time for photos! Their church ceremony was at the beautiful Chapel Hill, and we did their portraits nearby at the George Eastman Museum. The historic mansion and gardens are one of my favorite locations I’ve ever photographed – I loved the arches and all of the greenery. The reception was on the top floor of the Strathallan, with wall-to-wall windows and an outdoor patio, providing a beautiful view of the Rochester skyline. One of my favorite details that Kathleen added was the Mr. and Mrs. Balloons, which acted as both décor and photo props!
On a personal note, Kathleen and I were high school friends and re-connected for her wedding photos! We grew up in Rochester, but both now live in the DC area – we were able to do engagement photos in DC and then head back to our hometown for the wedding day. – Megan Rei
How you met:
We met at The restaurant Cava Mezze in DC during a happy hour. He sat beside my friend and we ended up switching places because we were talking so much.
How the proposal happened:
July 10, 2016…Sunday morning, Aaron randomly asked if I wanted to go to the Orioles game, it was a Sunday afternoon game. I said sure. We drove to Baltimore and found street parking. I went to check the street signs to see if we could park there. I went back to car and told Aaron we were good, he said come back in the car for a second. I didn’t think anything of it. Then he asked me to look in the glove box…
How and why did you pick your wedding venue?
We first were deciding between Rochester (where I grew up) and Baltimore (close to where we live, and most of Aaron’s family). We looked at venues in both locations and my parents helped to look at spots in Rochester, we would Facetime so we could see the venue. The location we finally decided on was in Rochester, that was special to me since it was where I was from. The venue, was on the top floor of the Strathallen, The City View Ballroom. The view is what sold me, The majority of the room has glass walls. There were views of the city and parts of Rochester, and also a balcony that surrounded the ballroom, so guests were able to go outside and enjoy the weather and sights . It also had a very elegant feel to it.
What did you wear? Were any of the accessories or jewelry significant?
My dress was by Stella York from Ellie’s Bridal Boutique in Alexandria, VA. I went back and forth about wearing a big necklace or not. I knew I wanted bling, but not sure how much. I added a sparkly belt to my dress and wore big sparkly earrings. We decided the necklace would have been too much. On my right hand I wore one of my grandmother’s wedding rings that she gave me.
What was the ceremony like?
We were married in a beautiful church not too far from the Strathallen, called Chapel Hill. It is beautiful inside and when I look back at the pictures, it’s even more beautiful than I remember. The officiant was Reverend Kris. The ceremony was spiritual, as we had readings from family members that incorporated love and God. We did a candle lighting ceremony, but It did not go exactly as planned, but still made for a funny memory. The candle wouldn’t light.
Favorite part of your wedding day:
Having friends and family with us on our big day. And the dancing 🙂
Any special details of your wedding that were important to you:
I tried to make sure all the details fell in to my color scheme (fuchsia, navy and silver), from the wedding party’s attire to the decor at the reception. I designed /diy the centerpieces and table setup myself. All of the specialty tables also incorporated these colors and details with silver accents (silver table runners, gift box, silver frames, cake cutting set). Also loved how the balloons looked in pictures! So happy I added that detail.
Lead Photographer: Megan Rei Photography Venue: Strathallan Church: Chapel Hill Portrait Location: George Eastman Museum Makeup: Jessica Marie
Hair: April Sunshine Nails: My Manicure Officiant: Reverend Kris Miller Flowers: Wegmans DJ: Breakthrough Entertainment Dessert: Scratch Bakeshop
Transportation: SS Limo Dress: Ellie’s Bridal Boutique Second Photographer: Diana Kapatos Photography