Justin and Tina

February 21st, 2015

The early hours of Saturday, February 21st, 2015 brought my assistant and me to Justin and Tina's house to get images of the groom and groomsmen getting ready for the big day. As soon as I walked in, I knew this was going to be an amazingly good time! The groom and groomsmen were laughing, pouring shots, playing with the dog, and started a poker game. These guys even wanted to go into the backyard to show off how much snow we had gotten!

 

After we had our shots of the guys, we left for The Lofts on Pearl in Buffalo, NY to grab those very important images of the girls. Never having been to the Lofts, I wasn't sure how the rooms would be set up. The beautiful open ceilings and floor plans are exactly what you would expect from Pearl Street. The large windows were also a very nice surprise. The bride was with her mom and dad, her mother in law, and all of her bridesmaids and bride's-men :) There were many laughs and lots of smiles.

 

The ceremony was at the beautiful Brierwood Country Club in Hamburg, NY. The staff was fantastic and the venue was beautiful. We took full advantage of the heavy snowfall that was happening outside for portraits. This bridal party were such troopers to put up with the cold and snow for these shots! 

 

The ceremony itself was gorgeous! Tina and her girls carried beautiful lanterns down the isle in lieu of traditional bouquets. The happy couple made everyone laugh and cry with their unique vows and they started their own tradition with a wine box ceremony! Tina and Justin wrote letters to each other and placed the letters in a box with a bottle of wine and craft beer. These will be opened on their one year anniversary and new letters, wine, and beer will be placed in the box. These letters will be precious, not only to them, but to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is a true piece of history that can be used to preserve their family legacy.

 

After the ceremony, we traveled back to Buffalo, NY for the cocktail hour and reception at Pearl Street! The couple wanted everyone to truly enjoy themselves and had planned a "seat yourself" method to the tables which all the guests seemed to really enjoy. Cupcakes were served in several flavors and a delicious buffet was offered. The bride and groom shared a first dance together and danced with their parents. Tina and her dad choreographed an amazing break in the middle of their slow dance! The speeches given brought tears of laughter to all of guests. Tina's brother went as far as making posters of images from their childhood and explaining that if you are friends with one of the Zanti kids, you are friends with both of them. They come as a set. This group of friends were clearly tight. They have been together since high school and some even earlier. This is a very rare thing, and I was happy to have shared in all of the silliness, the jokes, and the tears of joy that were experienced on this happy day.

 

This wedding was a blast! This couple shares a true love and have a strong core set of family and friends who surround them with love and support. They were all wonderful and I was so honored to have been a part of this wedding. Congratulations Justin and Tina! I wish you a long life of happiness together :)

Groom and groomsmen getting ready for his big day!

Groom and Groomsmen getting ready for the big day!

The wedding date spelled out in cards

Bride's and bridesmaids wedding attire.

Wedding bands

Bride getting ready for her big day!

Bride and groom ready for their ceremony.

having fun before the wedding ceremony

The wedding ceremony

Wedding party portraits

wedding party portraits

wedding party portraits

bridal portaits

bridal portraits

Wedding Cake

wedding reception fun

Bride and groom take a moment for themselves