Chelsea & Derek | Buffalo Wedding Photography | Gallagher Pier, Millennium Hotel, Ebenezer Church | 08.29.14

Do you remember this adorable pair from their engagement session last fall? Or maybe you recognize quite a few of these folks from the bride's big sister Melissa's wedding in 2012?! Well, it was finally time for Chelsea & Derek's BIG day & we absolutely loved being a part of it! From the laughter-filled ceremony, to the fun bridal party photos on the lake, to those incredible coral dresses, to some of the most heart-warming set of speeches ever, to a truly wild and crazy party, this wedding is one we'll surely remember forever!

We had an absolute BLAST with Chelsea, Derek, and their loved ones and we're so excited to share the photos of their day below :)

The endless layers on this dress were so fun to photograph!

 
She's the cutest, amiright!?

 

Chelsea has the most incredible eyes. Period.

"We have to do this thing we saw on Pinterest!"... When it's this hilarious, the response is "YES PLEASE!"

I love this shot Stephen grabbed of Derek patiently awaiting his bride. These quiet moments are my favorite part of any wedding.

Live music, especially when beautifully sung and acoustic, adds so much to any ceremony. Theirs started with "Bless the Broken Road" which was exceptionally sweet sung in person :)

The smiles they shared as they saw each other for the first time say it all!

Derek's best man, making sure the wrinkles are out, after the maid of honor adjusted Chelsea's dress haha. Needless to say, they had a lot of laughs throughout their ceremony!

After the ceremony, we drove out to Lancaster to visit Derek's stepmom who wasn't able to make it to the church. It was so nice to visit with her for a while and grab some shots of the family together :)

And then we headed over to Gallagher Pier/Outer Harbor area to play in the sunshine and enjoy the lake views for bridal party photos!

How stunning are they!? Between her eyes, this gorgeous bouquet by William's Florist and the love his gentle kiss, I just adore everything about this shot.

But this has to be the winner of the day... They are just incredible!

 

 

 

After this gorgeous photo session, we headed over the Millennium Hotel for the PARTY!

This coral color they chose is just perfect! It popped everywhere throughout the reception!

This gang had some of the best intros; just too good not to share!

 

Derek, you win for BEST SPEECH REACTION EVER.

After the playful speeches, the guests took some time to remember fallen soldiers and learn about the Missing Man table and its symbolism. It's been a while since we've shot a military wedding, and it was really powerful to hear all of this again. It was followed by a incredibly moving speech and song by Derek to his bride. The entire room was in tears! 

The First Dance : Probably my favorite part of any wedding (besides when they see each other for the first time). It's the only part of the day where they can be together, as a married couple, without talking to guests or posing for photos, just getting lost in their song and each other. It always yields the purest, happiest photos, just like this one :)

After capturing all of this fabulous dancing, Derek asked us to make sure we got a shot with his Army badge & their rings... I love how it came out!

Thank you, C&D, for being so incredible to work with and for having us as a part of your love story! We hope you love these photos as much as we do :)

Vendors Who Rocked This Wedding :
Second Photographer : Stephen Gabris

Florist :  William's Florist

Videographer : Skinny Kid Films

Cake : Butterwood Desserts

Limo : Status
DJ : Norm Weiler

Ceremony : Ebenezer United Church of Christ

Reception : Millennium Hotel