Roundhouse Wedding Day. Beacon, New York

It’s a Winter wedding in New York and I’m not all that great at being cold.

It’s a true statement and though New York may be absolutely brutal on most January days I’ll admit it hasn’t exactly been a heat wave down in Arkansas lately. Jared and I had a full on conversation about whether or not we could actually fit fleece lined leggings under our tuxedo pants. In the end that idea was shut down and to be as blunt as I can be, we got extremely lucky. 45 degrees in New York in January is an act of God. It’s about 400 degrees warmer than it should be and it was absolutely welcomed. When we jumped in the car at our friend’s home new New Haven and took off for the 1:30 drive across New York the morning of the wedding the chatter in the car was just going over it all one more time.

“Emily dressed first and into a bridesmaid’s first look. Then Connel and his mom would have a minute with Jared shooting while I’m wrapping up candids with Emily and her family and we’d roll right into first looks for the couple.”

We had this immaculate schedule that we’d built along side Carley and Erica (the absolute rockstar wedding planners) and we had everything organized. All of the movements and swaps and who goes where when, when will the candles be lit, and when will we be grabbing full rigs and setting up for the ceremony. It was all on paper - except - for the locations of everything. We knew, we thought, but we didn’t really know yet. So we arrive early to wander and put together the plan. This is where the fun actually started.

We pulled into the Roundhouse in time to really grasp how beautiful this place really is.

The side of the hotel is stunning, the restaurant and lounge is moody and beautiful overlooking the waterfalls. The event space has amazing light and beautiful tall industrial vibes throughout the entire interior. We knew, but we didn’t KNOW. The plan kind of built itself as we wandered around and the moment we popped upstairs to see Emily, already in super positive moods about all the places we were going to have to shoot, we were met face to face with the biggest smile. Emily was ready. Not just ready for the day (though she was that too), not just ready to get married (though she was that too), but ready to just go play. To throw on a beautiful white dress and sip champagne with her friends, to wander around in chilly weather with her fiancé turned groom turned husband. To make memories and photographs at the exact same time. She was ready. Her calm, beautiful smile set the mood for her friends, the planners, and yes even the photographers. We were ready too.

I didn’t get the chance to see Connel (well there was the brief second when I walked around the corner and he was in the shower but I’ll spare you all that one, perfect, photo of his backside and a very surprised face at least until they approve it going to the masses), anyway, I hadn’t had the chance to see him all dressed up until just moments before he was going to spend a few special moments with his mom. I mentioned the other day on instagram the word Connelism - a term made up to try and describe this guy. With this iconic 1940’s elegance and a few little modern flairs Coney’s double breasted tuxedo, classic round glasses, and perfectly trimmed mustache was almost too perfect. This is the guy all guys want to be. I’ll admit it, this dude’s confidence is a Connelism all its own. And so though we were quick to remind him that he was absolutely pulling off a robbery with the girl who’d agreed to get married that day we spent a few moments hanging with him as well. Prepping for a first look that would go off like an absolute bucket of fireworks.

The moment he locked eyes with Emily the world simply stopped spinning.

It was as if we were all suddenly watching life from outside the fish bowl. His face, and hers said everything. There was no small talk, no wasted words, no uncomfortable “now what?” moment but instead these two just absolutely melted into the moment and each other. What would come next was 30 minutes of us wandering around the property taking beautiful photos of these two and wondering if they were ever, really, going to realize that we were there. From the brick walls of the hotel to the muddy bank beside the waterfall all the way on the other side of the restaurant we wandered. No poses, no long stops, no wasted breaths or over directions (well at least from the photographers #IYKYK). The day was just smooth sailing.

Her way down the aisle was remarkable.

Tears just kind of poured from everybody in the room, including Connel as she made her way arm in arm with both of her parents to the front. It was a moment I knew had meaning but I hadn’t quite heard why yet. Family dynamics are this sort of magic unicorn dust at weddings. Being able to read them and respond well often is what I think seperates great photography from horrible photography and though I sensed it all day it wasn’t until really right in that ceremony moment where it all kind of came together to me. This was a room filled with family. Mom’s and Dad’s who loved each other and loved their kids. Siblings who were proud to be a part of the celebration. Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents all eager to hug and tell stories and catch up. This wasn’t a wedding, it was the start of a marriage. Refreshing if I’m honest. A moment where I could be present with my own camera and lean into the stories of the people, the smiles, and the tears. So - many - tears.

The toasts were remarkable. An in depth, to the heart look at who these people are to the people who love them. The waterfall in the background through the giant windows at the Roundhouse turned into darkness as the sun dropped and we were left with this moody candle lit room and two beautiful people slow dancing in the middle of it all. From the moment the band started the dance floor was filled with a steadily flowing line at the bar, cookies and cake and snacks in the corners of the room and a rotation of Emily and Connel dancing with their friends and taking moments to wander around to the tables and greet the people sitting and soaking it all in. We packed up at 10:00, a long drive ahead of us and a long day behind us only to be left with hugs and handshakes and thank you cards put in our pockets.

Ok, so I know not everybody who will read or stumble through this blog will know Emily and Connel, and I know probably the majority of people will find this long story simply because they’re on the hunt for the perfect place to say I do in New York outside of the hustle of Manhattan, or maybe they’re looking up winter wedding ideas in the tri state area, or maybe even searching for wedding photo inspiration in super cool industrial venues like the Roundhouse. Regardless of why you’re here I think it probably goes without saying that you may be curious about what it feels like to get married at the Roundhouse and where on earth Beacon, New York even really is. I’ll be blunt, Beacon is a long way from where we live in Bentonville, Arkansas. A world away. Now before you roll you eyes back in your head and think “ARKANSAS?” Let me be clear. Beacon is a little bitty cute town without a ton going on, and where we live in Arkansas is a progressive, bustling, modern metropolitan area - so calm down. ;) Not don’t get me wrong, the streets may be a little sleepy in this town off of Interstate 84 just about 1.5 hours from LGA but the vibe is absolutely epic. A giant flowing waterfall rolls right through the middle of town with train tracks on one side and three beautiful old brick buildings on the other. The Roundhouse. It’s this gentrified, reclaimed vibe that gives way inside to beautiful hotel rooms and suites, a gorgeous restaurant with a view of the water, and just up a little ways a big beautiful event space. Floor to ceiling windows on the west side of the building would make this place a tricky, backlit, and somewhat problematic place to shoot a sunset ceremony in the spring or summer but in the winter as the sun sets early and the hanging Edison bulbs light up the room with warm ambient light it’s perfect right at twilight. We had glowing blue skies outside and warm light inside for this wedding day and there were no complaints. Danielle, from the venue, was kind and welcoming. She greeted us with information on the lighting, helped walk through things we might need help with, and made sure that we had a warm dinner and a great up to date schedule of events. Paired with CE Event Productions (Carley and Erica) we felt like we were in great hands all day. I can’t say enough about the way CE managed the day keeping everything on time, constantly communicating with us about logistics and movements and helping us to get groups organized and over to wherever we had decided to shoot each scene. So - what is it like getting married at the Roundhouse? It’s stunning, it brings with it a few challenges like multiple buildings, a bit of a walk, and some potentially tricky lighting scenarios if you’re photography team isn’t really confident in how to solve for those issues. Don’t get me wrong, EVERY venue has similar challenges and what this place offers far outweighs the few things that may need to be tackled and I’m pretty confident in saying, we tackled the heck out of them.

So that’s it. A HUGE thank you to Emily and Connel. To Emily’s maid of honor Lauren who connected all of us. To Karen, Emily’s mom for making us feel instantly like family. To both families who gave us full access to their joy and their tears. To the vendors and staff who made sure we were able to do our jobs to the best of our ability and, to Jared who flew across the country with me to me my other set of hands and to serve these people well. Our next wedding is in Cabo so expect to hear from me in Mexico soon. Until then, CHEERS. - XO, Miles.