When Elizabeth and Juan married, it was a beautiful day filled with romance, gorgeous locations, a series of interesting and memorable events, and a huge party that was non-stop fun and infectious dancing.
Though they are both from New Jersey and had originally intended to have a destination wedding in Spain, plans changed at the last minute and they chose the Hudson Valley as their new location. They were married in the Presentation Church in Port Ewen., NY; a sweet brick church that sits on a hillside overlooking the Hudson River and dates back to 1874.
Elizabeth was a bride that knew how to make an entrance. Not only did she look stunning in her gown with lacy bolero and perfect hair and make-up, but she was also fashionably late. Now it is common for brides to run a little late, but Elizabeth was the latest bride we had ever experienced. That did not shake Juan's nerves one bit. He was cool and calm waiting with their guests for his bride to arrive. I would guess that many grooms would be panicked after an hour, but Juan and Elizabeth are a strong couple who are deeply in love and that is all the proof anyone needs of it. Elizabeth even commented on the alter after their kiss, "Better late than never?" to which Juan gave her a smile and a nod. Another new experience for us was a ceremony completely in Spanish, which I think made the ceremony all the more romantic.
Their reception took place at the West Park Winery in West Park, NY. What an amazing setting with rolling hills and mountain views. When Elizabeth and Juan agreed to hike up to the tip top of the property for some photographs, I had to follow. The breathtaking mountain views, the sun just beginning to set and Elizabeth and Juan's fun and sweet personalities plus the added romance of their wedding day made for some great moments. Below is a clip from their wedding video of the pictures we took at the winery along with some additional stills pulled from their video footage.
There was so much dancing, it was really hard to choose only two stills for the blog. The first photo is one moment that was most unexpected on the dance floor. While dancing, Elizabeth was lifted and spun around. She was very surprised and laughed hysterically through the whole thing. The second shot is of the people who spent the most time on the dance floor and contributed so much to the fun of the reception with their endless energy and awesome dance ability. It has been many a wedding that we wish we could be on the dance floor with the crowd, but this wedding was phenomenal. What an outstanding dancing bunch!
Another unexpected moment happened just after dinner when some guests decided to commandeer the canoe that was used for chilling food during the cocktail hour. They made a valiant effort, but not before the maitre'd made his way up the hill to take the canoe back. We have never seen anything like that before and we were glad to be there to catch it all on film.
Filming Elizabeth and Juan's wedding was a great reminder of what the Hudson Valley has to offer. When you've lived in the valley for most of your life like I have, you sometimes take for granted all the beauty around you. In addition, I managed to learn a little more Spanish. Thank you to Elizabeth, Juan, and their family and friends for making this such a memorable wedding and allowing us to be there with you to capture and preserve the memories for you.
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