THE Vera Wang WEDDING DRESS!!!

This is one of my absolute favorite dress shots from Neal. I love everything about it.

Melissa wore a gown designed by Vera Wang. What more could a girl ask for. What about blue Manolo Blahniks she paired with it! Very Sex and the City! She got ready at a private residence in Lewiston, NY. It was a huge mansion. We scouted the grounds a few days before because the reception was to be held there as well. We fell in love with the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom. Look at that vintage tub and those french doors. And a balcony to top it off! The perfect place for a Bride to get ready. We told Melissa during the scout, that we would love for her to have her dress hung in the bathroom. She loved the idea! When we arrived it was all ready to go. We could get right to work!

Now, the only question left, was "Neal when can I get a bathroom like this?"

-Danielle

Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony: Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Parish

Photo Session and Reception - Private residence

A simple glance...

I love this image! Jennifer was such a stunning Bride. She had a wonderful personality that just stood out in all of their images.

This was taken at her parents house before the ceremony. We walked in and Neal loved this room. Luckily we didn't have to move that much furniture! We loved that everything in the room was white or off white in color, with just a few color accents.

The light was coming in from the huge windows at the front of the house. Jennifer had a beautiful glow to her skin. Paired with her darker skin and hair, it looked great. We do a lot of standing poses throughout the day. We try to mix it up as best we can when we have the opportunity. Jennifer brought such elegance and had great posture.

Neal shot it straight on with her looking at the camera and then looking away. We fell in love with her glancing out the window! Neal edited the image to give it more of a timeless piece of art.

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photgraphy - Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo Wedding Ceremony - St. Louis R.C. Chruch 

Buffalo Wedding Photo Session - Knox Farm

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Fox Valley Country Club

Something Blue....

Happy Sunday! Let's talk about details. When we first arrive on site to see the Bride we always start shooting the details. We ask for everything the Bride is wearing and try to get creative. I love this part!

Christine and Ron's wedding and reception took place at The Barton Hill Hotel and Spa in Lewiston NY. It is located on the Niagara River. It is a beautiful location. While hair and makeup were being finished, we took Christine's dress, shoes, and bouquet to the main lobby for some photos. Time to get creative! While doing photos of the dress, Neal took the shoes. He found a really cool globe on one of the coffee tables. Why not hang the shoes from it!! And I sure do love those shoes! A very nice way to incorporate "something blue" too! Neal used the lamps in the background as a bokeh (the background is blurred out and creates a cool design). What a fun shot to start off the day!

-Danielle

Lewiston, NY Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Lewiston, NY Wedding Ceremony/Photo Session/Reception - The Barton Hill Hotel and Spa in Lewiston, NY

BEAUTY AT OUR LADY OF VICTORY

Our Lady of Victory, aka, the Basilica, is an amazing church to photograph a wedding at. Everything about it screams beautiful. It is almost impossible to get a bad shot there! Everyone anticipates the Bride walking down the aisle as an amazing shot. I agree, but I also love the shot of her walking down, but from behind.

Neal was at the front of the aisle as Jenna and her father walked down the aisle. I am always in the back with the Bride and Bridesmaids before they walk down, documenting all the nerves. Jenna was nervous, but her sisters and father had her laughing and smiling. At one point, there was so much talking the organizer at the Basilica had to tell us all to be quiet. I guess you could say the nerves passed at that point.

It was Jenna's time! Before walking down, I always make sure the dress is perfect if nobody is there to do it. After a nice fluff of the dress, it was go time. The doors opened and Jenna and her dad started down. I always keep a little behind and crouch down, so I am not in Neal's photos in the background. I love this shot because you get to see the back of Jenna's amazing dress coupled with the beauty of the Basilica. There is so much detail in the ceiling, statues, and alter. You can see it all in this image. Another nice thing is the entrance was really bright from the sun. So, when the doors opened for Jenna to walk, there was enough light coming in from behind to light them up. 

Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.

-Danielle

Buffalo, NY Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Buffalo, NY Wedding Ceremony - Our Lady of Victory in Buffalo

Buffalo, NY Wedding Photo Session - Niagara Square

Buffalo, NY Wedding Reception - Statler City

THE GROOM AT OLD FORT NIAGARA

Last week we showed you a beauitful image of a Bride (Dana) at Fort Niagara. Here is fantastic image of her Groom (Chad) in his solo!

Their images were done at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, NY. Like I mentioned before, we love shooting here. There is so much history brought into every shot. We can always find locations to do things with the men or the ladies.

For Chad, we found a room that had an amazing old fire place and chair. There were windows to the side, but they didn't let in as much light as the other room Dana had her image in. This was perfect for Chad. We needed to give him a more manly scene. Next to the fireplace was an old, ornate, wooden chair. He actually took it upon himself to sit there while we were scoping out the scene. He did a great job because that's exactly where Neal wanted him. We asked him to sit how he normally would if he was just hanging out.  A casual male cross of the leg! It fit him perfectly. Chad was cracking jokes the whole time too. He had so much commentary during all the photos. But he could be serious right on que when we needed him to be. Neal asked for him to look toward the window and all talking and jokes immediately stopped from him. This shot also had that old vintage feel to it. It turned out really nice for Chad.

The posing for the guys is usually a lot more simple than for the ladies. Most of the time they do not want to be in pictures. Luckily with Chad, he was all about being center stage!

-Danielle

Fort Niagara Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Lewiston, NY Wedding Ceremony - First Presbyterian Church of Lewiston

Niagara Falls, Wedding Photo Session - Old Fort Niagara

Buffalo, NY Wedding Reception - Classics V

WEDDING AT STATLER CITY

Statler City is a wonderful venue for a wedding reception. The rooms are beautiful to hold your special day in! This reception was located in the Terrace Room. There are massive windows along the entire back wall of this room. 

We always arrive at the reception before the guests start to arrive to get shots of the room. They always look better with no one in them to get all the details. We also like to have the Bride and Groom back to freshen up and have a few drinks! While shooting the details, Neal asked if I could grab the Bride and Groom really quick for a shot before anyone arrived. There is a Bridal suite off to the side, so it was easy to find them. To the back of the room, there were giant statue type columns in front of one of the windows. The windows had interesting curtains and drapery. There was also a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. What a great spot for a photo!

Let's bring in the newly married couple. Instead of having them look at the camera, we decided to go with a more artistic pose. We posed the Bride with her back to us, with a slight profile of her face. Then brought in her Groom facing her. We had the Groom bring in his wife just a little. Then had her drop her bouquet to her side. Neal needed a tiny bit of fill light besides the light coming from the chandelier. We wanted a nice glow on them, but keeping a elegant overall feel to compliment the scene.

You can see the giant smile on the Groom's face as he looks at his wife. And even though you cannot see the Bride's entire face, you still see her happy reaction from the side. The couple almost looks like statues waiting to go in for a giant kiss! And don't worry, they did go in for a kiss right after this shot!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Ceremony- Christ the King Chapel

Photo Session -  Canisius College

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Statler City

Buffalo DJ - Signature Entertainment

Buffalo Central Terminal Wedding

To get some great shots, we sometimes have to break the rules. I mean how much trouble can you get into when there is a Bride and Groom on site for their wedding day! 

This is what we needed to do for this wedding. The couple wanted to get some shots done at the Buffalo Central Terminal. However, we did not have access to get into the building. It was time to improvise! We did some beautiful images with the Terminal in the background, but we needed more. Off to the side, there was another building where the train tracks ran through. It was very abandoned and a bit creepy. You really weren't supposed to be in there, but everyone was up for it. The worst that could happen was we would need to leave.

We were basically done with photos so this would have been a nice added bonus. The entire wedding party was excited to be off the beaten path. Once we finished with the party, we sent them back to the limo and ventured to the opposite side of the building. That's where the magic happened. Windows were broken and the ceiling was missing. The light was pouring in. It was overgrown with trees and plants (well weeds, but they were so green and bushy, they passed for plants)! We made a safe path for the Bride and Groom to walk and placed them. Even though there were rusty beams in the background, it gave the location such character. With the light and greenery, it balanced out really nicely. We told the Groom to go in for a kiss. The Bride naturally picked up her dress slightly and it worked great for the image. 

Looking back on this image, I love the feeling of abandonment of the building with the Bride and Groom completely alone enjoying the moment!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Church - The Basillica, Our Lady of Victory Buffalo, NY

Photo Session - Buffalo Central Terminal 

Buffalo Wedding Reception -  Avanti Mansion

ELEGANCE AT THE OLD FORT!

Today we take you to Old Fort Niagara, in Youngstown NY. It is a piece of history to go see. And now a great place to take photos. Neal and I love shooting there! 

Normally when we shoot weddings at the Fort, we work with the wedding party in the main entanceway and take the Bride and Groom through the rest. It is a historic and public landmark, so we do need to take that into consideration. Most of the time, there are tours and reinactments going on as well. Sometimes, there are cannons going off in the background! We like to walk around the property with the couple and stop in all different areas.

This image was taken in the largest building on site. We walked from room to room and came upon this beautful spot. The light was pouring in from the window. There was on old wooden chair in the corner that we pulled forward for the Bride. I did a quick test to make sure it was safe to sit on first! If I fell, no big deal haha! But it was good to go! While Neal was positioning himself for the shot, I was making sure the Bride looked perfect. We wanted her to have an elegant and graceful feel. At first we did not have her bouquet in the photo. But we noticed, there wasn't much room for her to put her hands and it looked a bit awkward. The simple addition of the bouquet and a tilt of the head away from the window was the ticket! Since her head turned away from the light we used a bounce board for some fill light to light up her face. There was so much light pouring through the window, we didn't need any other light source. The Bride looked stunning and it turned out to be a beautiful image!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by - Neal Urban Studio

Church - First Presbyterian Church, Lewiston NY

Photo Session - Old Fort Niagara

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Classics V

Buffalo DJ - Premier Sound

romancing the beach!

Happy Monday! We hope everyone enjoyed this beautiful weekend and had a wonderful Mother's Day. You may have even made it out to a beach! If not, today's image can take you there.

This image is from a few years ago. It was taken at Beaver Island State Park in Grand Island. It has a great boardwalk for pictures! If you venture down the beach, away from the public, you can find tall grass and a more deserted beach feel. That is where we headed for this shot. We only took the Bride and Groom down this way because it is a little bit of a walk in the sand.

The Bride switched out her wedding shoes for some beachy flip flops so she could take them on and off quickly. As we were walking, Neal found an opening in the tall grass. He thought it would be perfect for the Bride. She asked if she could be barefoot and handed off her flip flops to her husband. Perfect! There was a light breeze and we hoped it would help with movement in her dress. The wind wasn't as strong as we had hoped. So, we had the Bride start to walk toward Neal, and pick up part of her dress. The dress created a pocket for the wind and helped it to begin to flow out naturally.

The Groom was cheering on his wife and making her feel like she was on a runway! It was great! It was pretty bright out that day, so we did need to add some fill light to the Bride's face. It worked out really nice how the tall grass was blowing. It is going right in the direction of the Bride. Exactly where the focus should be! There were some gray coulds in the sky too. They helped to make the scene feel more dramatic. Neal edited the image to make it look like a cover of a novel because the image does tell a story. You may wonder..."Where is the Bride running to or away from?" Well, she's running to her Groom of course! 

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Church - Mt. Carmel of Niagara Falls, NY

Photo Session - Beaver Island State Park

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Buffalo Launch Club, Grand Island, NY

Buffalo DJ - Premier Sound

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s and mom’s to be! This is one of my favorite images of a Bride and her son.

This wedding was one of the biggest tear jerkers for me. Even though weddings are mostly about the Bride and Groom, the Bride’s son seemed to be in the limelight! It all started when he saw his mom for the first time in her wedding dress. The tears began to flow instantly. He was so happy to see her. It was a heartfelt moment for everyone. Throughout the day, the Bride’s son was a huge part of the day. You could feel the deep love and bond between the Bride, Groom and little guy in every image.

The reception was at Banchetti by Rizzo's in Amherst. They had a great outdoor reception. Every single guest felt like family that day. Neal and I sure did. The Bride’s son continued to shake things up. During speeches he grabbed the microphone and said a few words. Bring on the waterworks one more time! I was shooting through happy tears! When the Bride and Groom were dancing together, about halfway through, they called in the little boy to join them. At one point, almost the whole family was called in. It was just beautiful! The party continued to get crazy and mom stuck by her son on the dance floor. A slow song came on and she picked him up and held him close. It was a perfect moment between Bride and son. I went up to them and asked for a quick look at the camera. I was so happy that I was right there to capture the moment. 

We had never met this Bride until the wedding, but felt like we had known her forever. She has such a strong passion for life and family. A bond that never can be broken and it was definitely present in every wedding photo.

To all the moms and clients we have photographed, Happy Mother’s Day! You are truly an inspiration to all!

-Danielle

Buffalo Wedding Photography by Neal Urban Studio

Prep location - Lafayette Hotel, Buffalo NY

Make-up - The Makeup Parlour

Ceremony - Karpeles Manuscript Library, Buffalo NY

Photo Session - Buffalo Naval Park 

Buffalo Wedding Reception - Banchetti by Rizzo's

Videography - Shutter Dream Studio