Valley Rock Inn Wedding : Emily & Brendan : Sloatsburg, NY

Emily and Brendan got married on a crisp, clear day in mid-August at Valley Rock Inn — my third time shooting there, and it keeps earning the trip up.

Valley Rock is a strange, wonderful thing to describe. Walled in on all four sides, you step through the gate and the outside world just goes away — leafy green, hydrangeas everywhere, rustic and sleek weaved together in a perfect type of synergy. The cocktail hour space is an old ivy-trimmed garden patio, stone walls on every side, with a reflecting pool at its center. It's one of my favorite cocktail hour settings, period.

Emily's family is from Los Angeles, and there was something fitting about the venue as a landing spot for them — it's about as close as upstate New York gets to a slice of California.

The morning started separately, each side getting ready in their own guest house on the property. Emily's dad had his moment in the mirror — the kind you can't direct, just be ready for.

I'm always trying to get atmosphere and emotion into the same frame rather than treating them as two separate jobs — the light, the setting, and the actual feeling of the moment, all doing work at once. Valley Rock just hands you that chance over and over. First look was tucked against an old stone outbuilding on the property, ferns and dappled light, and it set the tone for the rest of the portraits — genuinely happy, not posed-happy. The ceremony ran under a rose-covered arch with Brendan's brother officiating, which is not a role you see filled by family very often, and it changed the whole feel of the vows.

Wedding party portraits happened poolside, reflecting pool fountains going the whole time, the old stone wall behind everyone catching the last of the afternoon light. Cocktail hour moved into that garden I mentioned — string lights just starting to come on as the sky did its thing.

Reception was under a sailcloth tent strung with bistro lights, dinner tables dressed simply — white roses, daisies, burlap runners, the kind of florals that don't try to compete with the room. Ignition had the floor moving from the first song, sunset landed right on schedule, and the night went the way these nights go: dancing, a cake cutting, more dancing.

Congratulations, Emily and Brendan.

Vendor Credits:

Venue: Valley Rock Inn

Planning: WedWell (Claire Letourneau)

Florals: Anthony and Sage Event Design

Music: Ignition / Hank Lane Music

Cake: Lulu Cake Boutique

Photo Booth: Oh Snap Smile

Tent: Sperry Tents

Hair: Hair by Arden

Makeup: Yuby Leoce

Transportation: Ramstar Transportation

Photography: Brian Hatton Photography

The Roundhouse Wedding : Joanna & Jared : Beacon, NY

The Roundhouse sits right on Fishkill Creek in Beacon, old brick and timber wrapped around a waterfall loud enough to hear from the cocktail patio. Joanna got ready in the penthouse suite — mid-century sunburst chandelier, concrete beams, that low golden light sheer curtains do around midday — while her hair and makeup team worked through the room one chair at a time.

Jared's reaction to seeing her, out on the metal-railed deck overlooking the water, was the kind you can't coach: mouth open, hand already reaching for her arm before she'd even turned all the way around. From there it was just the two of them for portraits — down Main Street past the brick Roundhouse sign, then to the falls themselves.

Family and immediate family photos happened next, ahead of guest arrival — blue and floral gowns breaking up all the black tie under a stand of birches, everyone gathered and ready before the ketubah signing got underway downstairs.

Ceremony was inside the venue's glass-walled room — greenery hung from the beams straight down over the chuppah, olive branches and allium and white roses built up at the base the way Athabold does everything: full, a little wild, like it grew there instead of being installed. Joanna came down the aisle on her parents' arms to that specific kind of noise a room makes right before it goes quiet — her mom mid-shout, both of them grinning before the tallit even came out. Under the chuppah, sunlight through the windows behind them, her dad off to the side laughing through happy tears.

Cocktail hour spilled onto the patio right at the water's edge, that late-afternoon light doing the thing where everyone looks a little bit gold. Vision Event Co. ran the day — my first wedding with Laura and her team goes back to 2017, and it's always good to be back working alongside them.

Toasts ran warm — Jackie held a hand to her chest through most of hers. The parent dances split the difference between formal and not: a proper waltz hold for the mother-son dance, then Monte throwing both arms straight up mid-spin with Joanna for the father-daughter. Cafe Wha Entertainment's ten-piece kept the floor full well past dinner, and by the time the night got dark and loose, Joanna had her arms around Jared's neck and both feet off the ground while half the room cheered them on.

Congratulations, Joanna and Jared.

Vendor Credits:

Photography: Brian Hatton Photography
Venue & Cake: The Roundhouse
Planning: Vision Event Co.
Entertainment: Cafe Wha Entertainment
Videography: NST Pictures
Florist: Athabold
Hair: Lauren Baxter Beauty
Makeup: Michelle Stern Beauty
Rentals: BBJ La Tavola
Favors: Sweetie Pies
Officiant: Rabbi Dena Klein
Transportation: Rolling V Bus Corp

Roundhouse Wedding : Ashley & Evan : Beacon, NY

Ashley & Evan were married in August at The Roundhouse in Beacon, NY located in the Hudson Valley.

My fourth of five weddings last season at The Roundhouse, this particular one was pushing more in the modern direction accented with the clean lines and bright color palette. It’s fun to shift gears and go classic one day and a bit more structural the next. This is one of the fun parts of being a photographer with a pretty varied client base. I was flying solo on this one and began my day with a few minutes in Evan’s room while he threw his tie and jacket on. I ran across the parking lot to the restaurant building to catch the end of Ashley’s prep and then it was time for a first look on the balcony. We hit up some gorgeous spots on the property for photos before guests started to filter into the ceremony space. The striking A frame “arch” set the tone for the vibe and I was treated to some cool directional light which was highlighting guests in various ways.

Weather can be an unpredictable variable in the summer so cocktails began inside but guests filtered outside as the sun sat on the horizon. We took the opportunity to take a few portraits in that delicious golden light and then made our way into the ballroom which had been transformed by Raven Rose florists.