Hope & Kyle's Westin Buffalo Wedding

This Westin Buffalo wedding was absolutely PERFECT 🖤

The feeling of excitement when I walked into Hope's hotel room the morning of her wedding was incredibly palpable. She had such an amazing squad of friends and family hyping her up. Plus, her and I had become instant friends after her first photo shoot with me a couple of years prior (her energy, as you'll see in these photos, is so magnetic - she was impossible not to immediately love lol). This was certainly a bitter sweet moment to finally be at "the day"!

wedding invitation on wood table with rings in ivory colored oval ring box

bride sitting in chair under blanket getting her hair pinned up

man holding a hanky that says keep your shit together

bride standing on a bench holding her wedding gown on a hanger

white high heels and her vow book and ring box sitting on a wedding veil

close up of vintage wedding tiara made of beads and pearls

bride smiling in mirror putting her earring in

bride sitting on a couch while her bridesmaid puts on her shoe

bride with sisters in dad in Westin Buffalo hotel room laughing

groom getting hugged from behind by groomsman

groom reading note in card from his bride

bride first look with bridesmaids smiling and clapping

Kyle and Hope decided not to do a first look with each other, but they wanted first looks with the wedding party and some family members. Each one brought so many smiles and tears (not from me, I swear I wasn't crying 😉)

Then there was the "first look" with the groom's brother playing a prank on him... my favorite moment of my entire 2023 wedding season! I told Kyle that Hope changed her mind about a first look... the poor guy panicked (mostly because she had told him a million times how she didn't want to do one), but when he turned around it was his brother wearing a lovely wedding gown instead - he was shocked and laughing to the point of tears of course!

groom surrounded by bridesmaids hugging him and patting him on the head in Westin Buffalo lobby

groom standing in front of his brother wearing a bridal dress with his back turned so he can't see him

first look prank groom's brother in bridal gown

bridesmaids standing in Westin Buffalo hotel lobby laughing

groom and his brother with down syndrome in wedding dress first look prank

group of three men portrait in front of palm wall

groom kissing his brother wearing a wedding dress on the head

And let's not forget the couple's adorable mini-weenie, Stevie, who was there for some serious extra cute points... he's the goodest boy and did an amazing job at being the ring weenie!

blakc mini weenie in a tux in front of wall of green palms

group of groomsmen in lobby of Westin Hotel Buffalo

bride walking into first look with groomsmen with excited face

bride with groomsmen in background in lobby of Westin Hotel Buffalo

bride kneeling down in large gown holding her dog's little face

bride and dog surrounded by bridal party smiling

bride and bridesmaids looking at each other and smiling

bride with sisters and dad cheersing shots

groom sitting on chair in lobby of Westin Buffalo

bride holding and looking at her mini weenie dog

grandma wide eyed surprised face and grandpa smiling

newspaper announcing couples wedding ceremony details

The ceremony was held in the courtyard and the room was absolutely buzzing with love and joy! It was the perfect gorgeous backdrop for this perfect couple.

officiant about to walk down the aisle giving thumbs up

groom tearing up at front of aisle as bride walks down

bride and dad walking down aisle at Westin Buffalo wedding ceremony

bride and groom holding hands during wedding ceremony in Westin Hotel Buffalo courtyard

bridesmaids wiping tears with tissues during wedding ceremony

courtyard wedding ceremony at Westin Hotel Buffalo

bride wiping tear from eye with hanky during ceremony

bride and groom getting married Westin Buffalo hotel courtyard

bride and groom at wedding ceremony looking at crowd and laughing

wedding ceremony first kiss in Westin Buffalo courtyard

bride and groom cheering walking down aisle at end of wedding ceremony

bride and groom sitting on bench in Westin Buffalo talking

It was raining non-stop outside, but thankfully we had this beautiful foyer to accommodate their large wedding party. This green foliage wall is just STUNNING for photos!

huge bridal party in Westin Hotel lobby cheering with bride and groom

bride and groom sandwich their mini weenie dog between them with a kiss

bride and groom sitting on floor of hotel lobby groom kisses bride's head

serious portrait of bridal party in Westin Buffalo hotel lobby

groom leads bride walking in front of glass wall windows to downtown Buffalo

groom pulls bride in for a kiss on the cheek while she laughs

bride and groom kissing in elevator as doors close

Hellooooo ballroom! I loved not only this space, but the views of Buffalo out the window were perfect! On top of that, Kyle & Hope had thought of so many unique, personal details like their cocktail napkins of "fun facts" and engagement photo centerpieces.

banquet room at Westin wedding reception floor to ceiling windows overlooking downtown Buffalo

cake plate with mr. and mrs. written on it

reflection of downtown Buffalo skyline in bar menu

couple's customized wedding cocktail napkins with fun facts

wedding table centerpiece with window to downtown Buffalo in background

What a party this was!! The wedding party kept the energy up and the dance floor packed all night!

bridesmaids running onto dance floor with smirnoff ice

bride and groom enter reception at Westin Buffalo banquet hall

bride and groom grand entrance at Westin Buffalo ballroom

bride and groom first dance in Westin Buffalo ballroom

bride and groom excitedly looking into camera at end of first dance

bride and father dance Westin Buffalo ballroom

dance floor wedding reception Westin Buffalo ballroom

bride and sister dancing Westin Buffalo ballroom wedding reception

wedding reception dance floor group with arms in the air singing

bride twirling in gown at wedding reception

packed dance floor Westin Buffalo ballroom wedding reception

guys with arms around each other singing on dance floor

two bridesmaids dancing and singing at wedding

bride jumping and dancing at wedding reception Westin Buffalo ballroom

bridesmaid jumping and dancing surrounded by lots of people on dance floor

two guys with arms around each other on dance floor holding viking hat

I always love to sneak my couples away for some end of the night photos... they're so much more fun and loose than the ones during formal portraits AND then they get to spend a little time alone on their wedding day (don't worry I leave and don't hang out as a 3rd wheel!).