THE BEGINNING
“Will you pretend to be my friend’s boyfriend?”
This was the first ever interaction between Rachel and Sean when they met at Billy Joe’s in Newburgh on a busy Saturday night.
Sean remembers thinking that Rachel was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and what he really wanted to say was “can I just be yours?”…But he played it cool and simply agreed to save Rachel’s friend from a guy who wasn’t taking the hint.
Rachel and Sean during their wedding day portrait session on the golf course
Sean, Rachel and her friend ended up talking about everything and anything for hours. When they parted ways at the end of the night, Sean walked away feeling like he blew his shot, and he admits that thought about Rachel nonstop for weeks to come. Much to his amazement, he and Rachel found each other again at a dinner in Manhattan. And the rest is history.
Flash forward to 2023 and it’s the day of Rachel and Sean’s summer wedding. It was a hot one!
We loved their unforgettable day at the beautiful West Hills almost as much we loved the story of how they first met.
Rachel and Sean in front of the water feature at the West Hills golf course
THE BIG DAY: GETTING READY
We headed to Sean’s parent’s house to get photo and video of the groom getting ready. Their beautiful home was packed with excited groomsmen and buzzing with eager anticipation. Sean’s brothers and best men helped him with his tie and jacket.
We found a quieter room so that Sean could read Rachel’s private vows to him before the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Rachel had been getting all dolled up at the nearby Residence Inn by Marriott hotel. Rachel’s bride tribe consisted of many gorgeous ladies, including her mom and sister, her bridesmaids, and her flower girls.
Rachel is stunning, and the talented girls at @beautyworks_bynat and @hudsongreysalon really knocked it out of the park with hair and makeup. Just look at their gorgeous work!
But before it was time to slip into the dress, we stepped away with Rachel so that she could read Sean’s vows. Sean wrote his words to Rachel in a marbled composition notebook, a nod to her background in education.
Finally, it was time for the dress: a stunning floor length gown from Wild Blooms Bridal Boutique in Wappingers Falls, New York.
Rachel’s mom helped her into the dress and buttoned her up. We literally could not take a bad photo of Rachel or this dress. And everything really came together with the veil.
THE CEREMONY
Sean and Rachel chose not to see each other before their ceremony, which took place at the Chapel of the Most Holy at Mount Saint Mary College. Rachel was walked down the aisle by her proud father.
How sweet is Sean’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time? Good thing one of his best men was right behind him to help keep him upright 😉.
And clearly the entire bridal party understood the assignment, just look at all that excitement and support after Rachel and Sean’s first kiss as husband and wife.
One of the many special touches we loved was a live painting of the ceremony. Such a cool keepsake to have!
And just like that, it was official. Rachel and Sean were married!! After getting some formal family portraits, it was time to head over to the beautiful West Hills Country Club in Middletown, NY.
WEST HILLS COUNTRY CLUB
The gorgeous grounds and manicured lawns were the perfect backdrop for bridal party photos.
Next came a bonus we always look forward to: golf carts!! We all loaded up into golf carts to get portraits of Rachel on Sean on at the Hole 12 waterfalls and Hole 11 bridge. We could have spent hours on the golf course, but before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ballroom for the festivities!
Don’t even get us started on the inside of the outdoor ballroom…it was a literal dream. The flawlessly executed florals by Adams Fairacre Farms, DJ Joey Garcia’s marquee letters and gorgeous uplighting by Vivid Events perfectly complemented the natural elegance of the ballroom tent.
All the extra little details and cute favors that Rachel and Sean included for their wedding guests were the icing on top.
Wanderbus Photo Booth’s adorable 1972 Volkswagen Bus
Taking care of music was DJ Joey Garcia. His skill combined with Rachel and Sean’s fun friends made for one of the best wedding receptions ever.
Joey Garcia behind the DJ booth at West Hills Country Club
We love it when couples put their complete trust in us and we get to make photo and video magic. Reach out to us today if you’re looking for a team of professionals to capture your big day!
Watch a preview of Rachel and Sean’s wedding video!