Current updates on Buffalo, NY photographer Lindsay DeDario's photography musings

Jan 22 2025

Hotel Lafayette Wedding in Buffalo, NY

Just a “swanky-Hawaiian-Jewish-formal” wedding at the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo, NY to warm you up on this snowy, snowy January day. Is “swanky-Hawaiian-Jewish-formal” a theme, you ask? It is now. 🙂 But first, some history –

Around 2019 I began taking a smaller amount of weddings each year in an effort to have more time to feel personally connected to the clients I serve, and really give each event the attention it deserved. Working with couples like Nick and Sam is a great reminder of how rewarding that move was.

From our initial meetings to their engagement session, to grabbing beers at our local pub, Essex Street, to reconnect and go over all their details and dreams for their wedding day – I walked in to this wedding feeling like I really knew these people. When folks ask how it’s possible to photograph weddings over and over, this is how – I connect to the people and their story. I genuinely care about them and as a result, really care about their pictures. I can look forward to editing for countless hours because I’m happy see these happy faces again. A client, Emily, from earlier this season sent an email saying:

“I don’t know how you replicate this effort for literally every customer. You’re a rock star”

That felt good. But I’m not a rock star, I just work really, really hard. Because I care, and because I love making important pictures for good people.

ANNNNYWAY, without further ado – this one started with me visiting Sam and her crew at the Marriott Lecom Harbor Center in Buffalo. Our second photographer, Robyn, popped in to visit Nick and company in and around home.

bride has makeup applied and hair touched up before wedding at Marriott Lecom Harborcenter

bride smiles for bridesmaids cameras while getting ready for wedding at Marriott Lecom Harborcenter

Onward to the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo where both the wedding ceremony and reception were hosted.

Nick and Sam had the WINDIEST wedding day. We made the *quickest* attempt at pictures outside, but lilies started breaking and it was game off. Fortunately, the Crystal Ballroom inside the Hotel Lafayette worked like a charm.

Wedding ceremony time! Nick and Sam utilized the Golden Ballroom at the Hotel Lafayette for both their ceremony and reception. This meant the crew from Classic Events, and the planning team from Here and Now Events, would have a quick turnover during cocktail hour. But that’s why you hire the pros. <3

The portraits were kept to a minimum for this wedding. Nick and Sam didn’t want to miss their party, and also… it really was SO WINDY. Fortunately the Hotel Lafayette and adjacent Lafayette Square offer plenty of quick and easy wedding photo opportunities so we were able to pop in and out in no time.

Wedding Reception time inside the Golden Ballroom at the Hotel Lafayette! Can you believe that gorgeous turn over?

Nick and his a capella group performed a number for Sam and it was actually like… really, really good. I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. Nick brought the house down!

Many thanks to Nick and Sam for having us document your wedding day at the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo! And thank you to all these venues and vendors who helped make the day so great!

Wedding Event Planner: Here and Now Events

Bride Preparation: Buffalo Marriot at Lecom Harbor Center

Groom Preparation: private residence

Ceremony Venue: Hotel at the Lafayette

Portraits: Hotel at the Lafayette

Reception Venue: Hotel at the Lafayette

Catering: Classic Events

Hair + Makeup: Elle Air

Florist: Kathryn Rose Floral Design

Bakery: Fairy Cakes

DJ: Whirlin’ Disk (Jordan)

Musicians: Rich Hill (guitar)

Second Photographer: Robyn Buyskes

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Jan 24 2025

Buffalo History Museum Wedding

Heather and JJ created an atmosphere that was romantic, formal and fifty shades of fun for their Buffalo History Museum wedding. It had to be the darkest, dreariest of all fall days, but the vibes were nothing but elegant and cozy inside the museum.

Speaking of vibes, on three separate occasions in recent weeks, the topic of “atmosphere” came up with prospective wedding clients. One couple, both architects, mentioned that one thing that set my work apart for them was the attention to the ambiance of the entire scene, not just the action of the couple. They specifically cited another photographers work whose first dance images were great action shots, but had the dj and their speakers loud and proud in the background, rather than the architecture and guests.

<Gasp>

After I got over their delightful level of visual literacy, I reflected on this and first thought about the way I approach lighting a space. I always mention to couples that they’ll spend a ton of time thinking about the mood of their wedding, from the colors to the lighting to the florals, etc. I want those sensory elements to be felt in the pictures. I’m not going to walk in to a candle lit reception with a bunch of my own lighting and completely change the scene. Just as I’m not going to slap a cheap filter on to your timeless heirlooms. I’m will honor the vibe you’ve thoughtfully created and only enhance the scene with my lighting and editing wizardry.

It also got me thinking about framing. When this couple mentioned how the first dance pictures framed the couple beautifully within the architecture my thought was, “but of course!” It feels like common sense to me. I forget how much I’m truly considering with every picture I make. But one of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer is walking in to a space and seeing a giant puzzle for me to solve. Great wedding photographers have to be great all around photographers. From still lifes to portraits to candid moments to landscapes and architecture, the good ones can do it all really well. And moreover, they can do it FAST under pressure. It’s NOT fun for most photographers. It’s VERY fun for good wedding photographers.

Enough words on atmosphere. Let’s SEE the photography from the gorgeous scene Heather and JJ created for their wedding day.

But first, a few from their family homes where they got ready. Heather put on her dress in her childhood room! How special is that?

Given our rough weather day, the cover of the portico at the Buffalo History Museum was a savior. We were able to utilize the space for the first look and all of the portraits. A few puddles were about our only concern.

The original location for Heather and JJ’s wedding ceremony was the gorgeous lawn of the Buffalo History Museum. Unfortunately, the bad weather confined us to the Portico Gallery… which is basically a nice basement with pretty columns and approximately 570 spotlights on the ceiling. We make lemonade around here though and worked with what we had. Believe it or not, most of the lights are photoshopped out of these pictures. Yes… that’s right, there are way more than what you see. It’s a wild amount of light in every imaginable direction. But that’s why you hire the pros. 😉

After the ceremony, guests ventured upstairs to the Buffalo History Museum’s portico for the wedding cocktail hour.

This separation between cocktail hour and reception is the delight of photographers. We love an opportunity to photograph the details of your fabulous space *before* the guests show it their love. Rest assured, your Auntie WILL come in and hang her magenta cardigan on her chair and inspect all the place cards around hers first though. EVERY. Single. Wedding. <3

On to the State Court Room and Mezzanine at the Buffalo History Museum for the wedding reception!

Many thanks to Heather and JJ for having us document your wedding day at the Buffalo History Museum! And thank you to all these venues and vendors who helped make the day so great!

Bride Preparation: private residence

Groom Preparation: private residence

Ceremony Venue: Penfold Portico Gallery at the Buffalo History Museum

Portrait Location: Buffalo History Museum

Reception Venue: State Court Room, Mezzanine and Portico of the Buffalo History Museum

Hair + Makeup: Michelle Saffron, Marisa Borello Beauty

Florist: Flowers Etc.

Catering: Tappo at the Museum

Bakery: family and friends

Strings: Vibrant Strings

Band: Alex MacArthur and her band

Second Photographer: Jessica Ahrens

If you or someone you know is interested in wedding photography services, let’s chat!

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Dec 29 2024

Niagara Falls Fall Foliage Engagement Photography

With the loose location request of “trees and fall foliage, not opposed to waterfalls/water” in mind, Anh and Brian had given me the perfect parameters to take them to one of my favorite places for their wedding engagement photography, Niagara Falls, NY! Niagara Falls might seem like an obvious place for wedding/engagement/proposal pictures, but honestly, it’s really underutilized! This is especially true of the Niagara River Gorge. The Niagara Gorge puts on an incredible show each fall. The wide range of tree varietals in the gorge provide these warm foliage tones, and contrasted with the blue-green water, it’s such a SCENE. Add to this all that cozy late day sun light, and you’ve got the makings of a really special session.

With such a photography setting in place, all we needed was love (and a skilled lady with a camera, of course! ;). If I do say so, we all delivered with these engagement photos. I love having these opportunities to really get to know couples before the wedding day.

Can’t wait to see these two in front of my camera again next year for their wedding at The Sterling!

I always ask the couple if they’re afraid of heights before we visit this super special spot. This location is a bit precarious. If heights aren’t an issue though, it offers one of the best views in the city of Niagara Falls for engagement photography.

People always ask how I find my favorite locations, the answer is simple – I GET OUT OF MY CAR. I’ve found so many incredible places by hiking and exploring on my bike. Location scouting is one of my favorite things to do in my down time. It seems wherever I adventure, I picture an imaginary client in each scene. It’s one of those things about having a job that you truly enjoy. It’s hard to “turn it off” when you’re not working. But if my job is going to be both a blessing and a curse, I’m sure glad the curse is SO. FLIPPING. PRETTY!

Wondering what the view is like from the bottom? Check out the photography from this Niagara Falls wedding engagement proposal at the base of the Niagara River Gorge in Whirlpool State Park!

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May 30 2024

Buffalo Wedding Engagement Photos

Nick + Sam

There are some couples that just have that thing, that ease around one another that makes photographing them so simple. As you can guess, Nick and Sam are one of those couples. This bride and groom to-be decided to start their wedding engagement photos in the Buffalo, NY neighborhood where they spent their formative years in as a couple – Allentown. This colorful and historic neighborhood is a lot of fun for photography. But what makes these pictures magic is the comfort Nick and Sam have just BEING together. All the prompts in the world can’t create that secret ingredient. <3

We had to make an obligatory stop in front of the classic Allentown house Nick and Sam first lived in together for a picture (bottom right). A slow dance to “our house, is a very very very fine house” ensued. <3

Onward to Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo!

Nick and Sam wanted to include some more natural settings in their wedding engagement photos, so we headed to Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, NY for some additional pictures. When we arrived I expressed a little disappointment with the sparse foliage. It was then that Sam totally changed my perspective and said she preferred the bare trees, explaining that the leaves hide all the interesting structures of the branches. This eternal optimist will forever be grateful for that lovely take.

I need to talk about something here… I REALLY dislike gender stereotypes, but generally… men… you’re terrible at sitting in any sort of remotely natural looking manner. Take notes from Nick please. Over the course of many hundreds of wedding engagement photo sessions, I’ve seen countless men sit down in front of my camera. 9 times out of 10 it’s like… what? That’s how you sit?! It’s SO BAD. Not Nick though. He sits beautifully. I can’t believe I’m typing all this… but it’s really remarkable!

Is there anything like a Buffalo sunset in fall? These warm tones warm my soul. Tifft Nature preserve has beautiful west facing views making it a perfect spot for sunset wedding engagement photos in Buffalo, NY.

That’s all for this group of Buffalo, NY wedding engagement photos!

If you’d like to see more pictures from sessions at Tifft, check out this one!

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Apr 29 2024

The North Farm Wedding in Geneva, NY

Hannah + Will

If teamwork makes the dream work, then the dream team Hannah and Will assembled for their wedding at the North Farm in Geneva was bound to create the dreamiest of wedding dreams. And so it was.

While this vendor team was amazing, no doubt, we can only take it so far. The secret ingredient for a truly beautiful wedding day is a cast of wonderfully colorful, supportive and FUN family and friends. That’s the real gold. It’s not often that a wedding really ticks all the boxes for me, but this was just one of those special days.

I started with Hannah and her family at an Air BNB nearby the North Farm. Meanwhile, Mark joined Will and co. over at the 41 Lakefront Hotel in Geneva.

Wedding time at The North Farm in Geneva, NY!

The North Farm in Geneva is a truly special wedding venue. It’s nestled in the wine country of the Finger Lakes region of NY, with views of Seneca Lake and a REALLY fun barn for photography. Between the variety of areas to gather, often with multiple levels within each area, and the dynamic and dramatic natural light, it provides a delightfully unique footprint to design with. Kelli and her team at Simply Beautiful Events did such a great job finding uses for so many of the different nooks of this venue. They created such a comfortable, “something for everyone” type atmosphere that was truly magical.

We kicked off the celebrations with an adorable “first look” in a nice shady area beside the barn. Then we got right to the portraits, knocking most of them out before the ceremony began.

Hannah and Will utilized an open field at the North Farm, situated on a hill with gorgeous views of Seneca Lake, for the wedding ceremony scene.

Upon arrival guests were greeted with some refreshing lemonade and the option to either walk or take a golf cart up the hill. It was a HOT day. You’ll see many people gathered in the shade of nearby trees and under their umbrellas until the ceremony began.

Back at the The North Farm’s barn, it was wedding reception time!

The cocktail hour took place in the North Farm’s “courtyard,” if you will. Guests were entertained by live music and enjoyed their refreshments. As cocktail hour was coming to a close, the sliding doors of the lower level of the barn were open to guests. This dinner area makes my eyes SO very happy. The cozy space with its warm sweeping light, the long farm tables, Pistil and Pollen’s truly STUNNING florals… this was a scene out of dining dream.

Oh… and also… a cannabis bar!

This was the first wedding I photographed with a proper cannabis bar. Since marijuana was legalized in NY state, I’ve seen it popping up in different ways at weddings. This cozy bar and lounge out in the yard was definitely the most formal (and lovely) set up I’ve seen to date.

After dinner, guests were invited to make their way around to the back of the barn to enter the upper level where dancing and dessert awaited. Hannah and Will’s wedding cake was also the stuff of dreams. The floral backdrop… are you kidding me?!