Owl's Hoot Barn Wedding in Coxsackie, NY
Apollo Fields | New York Wedding Photographers | Best Wedding Photos | Owl’s Hoot Barn Wedding Photos | Upstate New York Wedding
Jess + Kyle
Some of our couples find us through Instagram, some were guests at a wedding we worked, and others, like Jess, are best friends with the woman who delivered our baby, Capa. We actually met Jess for the first time at Stony Brook hospital a week after Capa was born when Heather had a postpartum appointment. I’d never visited a friend who works in medicine at their hospital before but boy were we grateful for Jess’s enthusiasm and warmth.
Long Island and Upstate New York Wedding Photographer
Even though most in attendance to Jess and Kyle’s wedding were from Long Island, they still opted to get married at Owl’s Hoot Barn in West Coxsackie, NY. It’s a beautiful venue with a cute bridge, little creek, a few ceremony sites to choose from, and a great combination of rustic and modern amenities. Jess and Kyle each had their own house on site to get ready in, maintain privacy, and have plenty of space. The light pouring in through the barn doors was perfect for the reception, and the cocktail hour under the covered back patio allowed for their guests to comfortably enjoy the day.
Have Your Friend Officiate Your Wedding
I may be a bit partial to Michelle, Jess’ best friend, officiant, and our midwife, but having someone close to you officiate your wedding is absolutely the way to go. They know your quirks, relationship, and will speak from the heart. Watching the ceremony allowed me into enter another world of Michelle’s life and of course it was consistent with her thoughtful, caring, and genuine self. You just won’t get the same type of emotional investment in those moments with an officiant-for-hire. We welcome all the feelings and all the tears!
That Time Your Wedding PHotographer Rapped with the Bride
So I don’t know exactly how it happened, but it did. That familiar guitar riff from “Lose Yourself” by Eminem came on and Jess got into the middle of the dance floor and started going for it! As a huge Eminem fan, I joined in on the rapping from the sidelines, but once her friends started peeling off as the song got into its lesser known verses, I found myself gravitating towards the center. I wasn’t going to let her rap by herself! Then all of a sudden, there I was, camera on my hip, rapping with Jess as we exchanged lines. If you prefer your wedding photographer to wear black and be a wallflower, please don’t play Eminem or classic hip-hop. You’ve been warned.
End your Wedding with a Bonfire
The music fades, the cake or ice cream has come and gone, and your friends aren’t done hanging out yet. Book yourself a venue like Owl’s Hoot and grab a bench or a stump to roast a marshmallow and assemble a s’more. The perfect wind down to an epic celebration, just don’t tell Heather, she gets waaay too competitive about her s’more technique.
Vendors
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Owl’s Hoot Barn | West Coxsackie, NY
Floral | River Garden Flower Farm
DJ | DJ Johnny B
Videography | Genuine Collective Films
Makeup | True Beauty Company
Suit | Advance Formal Wear | Rockville Centre, NY
Dress | Enzoani | Bridal Reflections
Invitations | Minted
Cupcakes | Dolce and Biscotti | Clifton Park, NY
Transportation | First Student Transportation
Maine Barn Wedding Photos at Granite Ridge Estate
Apollo Fields | Maine Wedding Photographers | Barn Wedding Photos in Maine | Granite Ridge Estate Wedding Photographer | Norway, Maine
Jessica & Matthew’s Wedding
Jumping into Lake Pennesseewassee in Norway, Maine, in those last few moments before I broke the surface of the water, I realized this was the third lake I’d been jumping into in as many days. Heather and I spent the previous week in upstate New York and I plunged into Lake Sunnyside and Lake George with the same childlike enthusiasm. As reckless or juvenile as the act of jumping into a body of water can be, anyone who knew me before my trip to Bermuda in 2010 knows that my leap into the Atlantic Ocean from a rock in Horseshoe Bay truly changed my approach to life. That all-too-literal coming of age story was when I gave myself permission to be who I was rather than who I thought everyone wanted me to be.
Last year in August, Heather and I met up with Jessica and Matt in the North End district of Boston for their engagement photos at Long Wharf and Somerville. We knew immediately as we stumbled upon the first photo location that Jessica and Matt were one of those couples that have it. It is something that can’t be taught, learned, or fabricated. It is when two people meet each other at the perfect time in their lives, develop alongside and with one other, and are able to both enjoy and plan the trajectory of their relationship. Some people might call it falling in love—but I think that sounds too passive or reactive—and doesn’t quite capture the active role that partners play in realizing, deciding, and building a meaningful life with someone else.
Jessica and Matt, with the help of Liz, their amazing planner, and Jessica’s father, John, and Matt’s mother, Kathy, threw a wedding for the ages at Granite Ridge Estate and Barn in Maine. From the rehearsal dinner at Oxbow Beer Garden, to the New England church ceremony, vintage gold Bentley, delicious food, overflowing florals, panoramic views, and the best goddamn wedding band we’ve ever danced to—Matt and Jessica’s celebration of it was want for nothing. Jessica even braved the weeds going barefoot (!!) in her wedding dress to get those iconic shots during golden hour. One time for all the brides out there who throw down like that!
Those are the kind of photos and memories that you have to take the leap for like I did in Horseshoe Bay. Jess, Matt, Heather and I know that you can live your whole life in those tense moments of contemplation, frustration, and regret or you can kick off your damned shoes and jump in! Before Bermuda I introduced myself as Terry to anyone I met, but afterwards, I started going by Terrence. I was sick of the half-confident way I used to say it when people would respond, “what, who?” I was sick of that feeling after I left a party when I didn’t go say hi to my crush. I finally had enough and it was then that I decided to start tipping the scale in those moments of uncertainty into a more certain direction.
So in those last few seconds before I broke the surface of Lake Pennesseewassee I wasn’t thinking about how cold it was going to be, or what kind of critters were in the lake, all I could think about was how easy it was to make that decision—to just kick off my shoes, take off my shirt, be who I wanted to be, and jump on in.
Owbow Brewing Company Rehearsal Dinner / Welcome Drinks:
Granite Ridge Estate & Barn Wedding:
vendors:
Photography | Apollo Fields
Venue | Granite Ridge Estate | Norway, ME
Catering | Essential Chefs | John Martin
Planner | Elegant Aura
Staffing | Strange Events
Floral | Kathy | Mother of Groom
Cake | Bear Brook Bakery
Band | Soul of Boston
Videographer | Toast Wedding Films
Rentals | Affordable Events | Scott
Drapery | Maine Event Decor
Hair & Makeup | Her. A Bridal Beauty Company
Say Hey
Our classic end-of-night pic! Except we put down our cameras and closed down this shindig with Jess & Matt because their band was THAT good!!!
Our Wedding at Honeymoon Acres in Ramsey, NJ
Our Wedding | Heather and Terrence Huie | Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ | Apollo Fields
Despite attending and photographing countless weddings, I never knew how I would feel on my wedding day. Would I get cold feet? Would I cry helplessly at the altar? Would my vows live up to what I hear in my heart? I really wasn’t sure, but now I can say that it was without question the best day of my life. Typically I avoid using superlatives and hyperbolic statements like “the best day of my life,” because I believe they don’t really tell you anything, but it was the best fucking day of my life. (I usually don’t use curses either, but I guess I’m breaking all my rules today.)
On Saturday, October 6th, 2018, a quintessentially grim and misty northeastern autumnal day, I wed Heather Erny in front of our closest friends and family at her aunt and uncle’s farm in Ramsey, NJ. Honeymoon Acres, as aunt Pam and uncle Rick like to call it, is a beautifully-manicured farm splashed with wild sunflowers and potted mums, a vintage 1950’s Ford with big round headlights and an entire family of farm animals. The amount of work that Pam, Rick, and both of our families and friends put in to wrangling all of the animals (roll call: 1 pig, 1 horse, 1 donkey, 2 goats, 1 cat, and 4 dogs), making all of the food, and assisting in the general logistics of the day will have me grateful for many years to come.
For those of you who don’t know, Heather and I decided to make and serve all of the food for our wedding day. Many called us crazy, as we only arrived in New York on October 1st from our road trip back from Colorado, leaving us five days to set the place up and prepare all the food—but with the help of our family and friends we did it. We made a fresh pasta bar consisting of truffle mushroom linguini, vegetable lasagna, pumpkin and butternut squash ravioli and a classic spaghetti and meat sauce. As we ladled and scooped generous portions to our guests donning our respective aprons, I couldn’t help but speak with an Italian-American accent to move the line along like I was running my own Long Island deli. We didn’t plan to serve everyone ourselves but we were having fun, so we did—to our relief nobody went hungry.
As dinner waned and the scotch shed opened, our wedding was now in full swing. The small potting shed that we converted into a whiskey tasting room exploded with laughter, warmth, and old stories. The dance floor in the garage-turned-banquet-room jumped beneath the Edison lights, uniting the older and the younger in a musically-induced exuberance. All around there were smiles, especially from the farm animals living their best lives as moonlight entertainers. Fairytales aren’t just for storybooks, anymore, I thought.
Then came the speeches. Justin and Grace spoke on mine and Heather’s behalf’s like they knew the most intimate thoughts inside our diaries. Great friends never fail to recognize the greatness in those closest to them, for they keep their company for those exact reasons. It’s only until we throw each other on stages with microphones that we realize how well our friends really know us. We should do it more often, for all of our sakes.
Perhaps the thing I was most excited about our wedding, with exception to swigging whiskey on the dance floor as “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by George Thorogood played, was to announce the surprise Heather and I had for Pam and Rick. For twenty years, Pam and Rick have been going to Negril, Jamaica, in late winter, but for the past few years financial troubles have stymied their tradition. As a way to say thank you for hosting our wedding, Heather and I asked the Dj to play their wedding song from when they got married on Honeymoon Acres in 1996. When they tried to retreat to their seats after the song’s conclusion, we kept them out there and told them we’re all going to Jamaica in three weeks and the animals are already taken care of. They cried. We cried. Everyone cried.
On a day filled with so much love, I cherished every minute. Even when Heather and I stood at the “altar,” a bunch of red begonias that Rick planted in the shape of the heart, as a light rain fell upon our shoulders, I remained grateful. During our ceremony, our officiant, David “Killer” Miller, spoke with equal parts comedy and soul, the very reasons we chose him. On a day where the bride and groom are supposed to be celebrated, I’ve never felt more part of our communities.
Here’s to everyone who helped, whether giving the animals haircuts or drinking whiskey in the scotch shed, because without you, it wouldn’t of been the best fucking day of my life.
Photography: Alexis Cohen & Derek Morf for Apollo Fields
Venue: Honeymoon Acres, Ramsey NJ
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Flower Crown: Allendale Flowers
The Barn at Raccoon Creek Wedding Photography
Kate & Jeff’s Wedding | The Barn at Raccoon Creek | Colorado Wedding Photographers | December Weddings | Barn Wedding Photography
I first heard from Kate and Jeff when we were honeymooning in Jamaica. We were introduced via Frances, who is an amazing and badass photographer that I love to shoot with. Frances absolutely raved about Kate and would be a guest at the wedding, and knew that Kate and Jeff were looking for a photographer for their wedding that they were planning on a short timeline. They actually got engaged the same day that we got married (fun fact) and when we first started emailing, I knew we would be a great fit. Even though our wifi was spotty at best and we didn’t have an international cell plan in Jamaica, I remember walking around the house trying to find a connection with my phone hoping to get our emails through! I looked like a crazy person, waving my phone in the air in our villa, but I was just so excited even then to work with this awesome couple.
Then we met up for coffee in Denver in the beginning of December and immediately hit it off. I loved their vision for their wedding: sentimental, with a big focus on family, a lot of kiddos, and some rewriting of traditions. There were a lot of things that really resonated with me because just like us, they did a circle ceremony without a traditional wedding party. Kate’s brother, Andy, would be officiating and they were going to self-solemnize. The six munchins would be throwing paper airplanes instead of flowers as they walked down the aisle to celebrate Jeff’s job as a pilot. It all sounded great to me! I love when couples use their wedding as a platform to really showcase their relationship and values, and I knew from the beginning that this wedding would be exactly that.
We chatted and chatted over coffee just getting to know each other, and I could tell quickly that these two were just beaming together. They told me all about how they got engaged which basically made me melt—Jeff took Kate up for an airplane ride in a little Cessna and flew it over her house, where her closest friends and family were all cheering around a big poster that read, “Will You Marry Me?” How awesome is that!? I realized then that Jeff loves big, over the top grand gestures for all of the right reasons. There would be more of that to come on their wedding day…
But fast forward to Christmas morning at 4:00AM. I was in the hospital and my hemoglobin was dropping fast. The doctors suspected that I was rupturing, but we weren’t sure at the time. I had to make a decision right there and then whether to go into surgery. I remember asking the doctor if I would be able to shoot my weddings that weekend and she said that if we did surgery and as long as I was feeling up to it, there was no reason not to. If we decided not to do surgery, I could be in the same position a day or two later and might not be able to shoot. We weighed all of our pros and cons and ultimately, did the surgery. It ended up being the right decision for so many reasons, especially because once they opened me up, the doctors found that not only had I ruptured, but I had a lot of internal bleeding which was life-threatening.
So three days post-op, I pulled up to The Barn at Raccoon Creek at the same time at Kate, who looked so excited that it made me forget everything that we had just been through. She helped me get my equipment into the venue, which seems like a small thing but really isn’t. I couldn’t lift or carry anything because of the surgery, and it would have been so easy for a lot of other women to play the bride card and not want to help a vendor on their special day, but Kate was so kind and understanding that I knew the day would be amazing. With one arm holding her wedding dress and the other helped me get my camera bag out of the car, she gave me a warm smile that suggested I didn’t need to apologize. There was a sense of friendship there that means everything to vendors, and it really made me grateful for my clients and my job.
Shortly after, Katie rolled in to second shoot for me. I was originally going to fly solo for their wedding, but once I ended up in surgery, I decided that the most important thing was to get amazing photos whether or not we were budgeted for another shooter. Katie has worked with me before and I knew she would be a great addition to the day, so with almost no notice, she stepped up like a rockstar to help the team. Kate had a sense of calm to her as she was getting ready, and I think there is something really peaceful about not having swarms of bridesmaids buzzing around you before your wedding. She had music playing, was doing her own makeup, and casually sipping on some champagne. All was good, so we just started snapping away.
Kate and Jeff were earlyfor pictures, which basically never happens. The whole family was organized, and even the kiddos had their shit together. This was such a rarity, but couldn’t have come at a better time. Everything was so organized and we were able to have a really sentimental and private first look and then do family formals without any chaos or drama. Again, a real luxury for photographers! Guests began to trickle in and Kate and Jeff were able to have some quiet time before the ceremony.
The ceremony was cozy and sentimental, exactly as they had imagined it. Once they had exchanged their vows, everyone gathered outside for a big group photo before the guests went off for cocktail hour. The sun was inching towards the horizon line and I knew we didn’t have too much time before golden hour. We hopped in the golf cart and drove off to the most scenic place to do some photos of just the two of them, with the golden light pouring over the yellow grass, and I watched as Kate and Jeff just basked in the company of one another. They danced, they laughed, they cozied up in a blanket together, and I just snapped away.
The sun fell behind the mountains and we retreated into the cottage where Kate and Jeff were going to sign their marriage license and have some quiet time to themselves before the reception. I took some pictures of them signing and then they looked at me and asked me to be their witness. I was so humbled in this moment because they clearly had a ton of friends and family who adored them at this wedding, and yet here they were handing me the pen. Of course, I was honored to sign and then they offered me a taste of the special wine that they were sharing. I still get emotional (blame it on the hormones) thinking about their kindness on their own wedding day. I think that says so much about a couple, really.
The reception was fun, vibrant, energetic, and of course sentimental. I had been let in on a little secret that Jeff had up his sleeve, but wasn’t prepared for how amazing it actually would be. I mean, thinking back to his epic proposal, I should have known that he had a big surprise for Kate, but this was truly one of the best things I’ve been a part of at a wedding. They had planned their first dance to be a special song by Brendan James, one of their favorite musicians and had fond memories of listening to this song when their relationship first began. Jeff loves music but loves sharing this passion with Kate even more. So behind the scenes, he had flown Brendan James out himself all the way from Charleston and had him tucked away from all of the guests. Jeff took the microphone and surprised Kate while Brendan came out to perform their first dance song for them live.
After all of the applause settled down, the whole room got quiet, Brendan sat down at the piano and magic happened. I was so wrapped up in the moment, seeing how happy Jeff was to surprise his new wife, watching the gratitude sweep over Kate, and listening to the amazing sound of Brendan’s voice. I watched his hands floating effortlessly over the piano keys, and just kept shooting away, trying to focus on my job but unable to ignore the magnitude of the moment I was in. I remember looking over at Kate’s father and holding eye contact with him for a moment, I watched a small tear fall from his face and then I began to cry hard. After such a hard few weeks, I realized in that moment that life would go on and it would be beautiful.
Then came another surprise, and this time Jeff wouldn’t be in on it . Another awesome performer was stashed away and this time Bradley Rhodes came out to do another amazing live set. Everyone hugged and danced, and all came together to celebrate exactly as Jeff and Kate had imagined. Eventually, my coverage was long over but we got to spend some time with guests and get to know their families better. They had been so sweet to invite Terrence as a guest, and when we finally made it out to the dance floor, Frances stole my camera off my harness and took over shooting for a little while. The wedding was beautiful but it couldn’t have come at a better time. Some people think I’m an animal for working during a time that I could have very easily justified subbing in another photographer, but I really wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. I want to extend a huge congrats to this amazing couple and a lifetime of love to both of them.
Wedding Photography: Apollo Fields
Venue: The Barn at Raccoon Creek | Littleton, Colorado
Music + Photo Booth: DJ Guy
Live Performances: Brendan James | Bradley Rhodes