Kat & Will {A Buffalo Wedding with Wendy Zook Photography}

Romantic.
If I could only choose one word to describe this October wedding day in Buffalo, one word to define the love between Kat and Will, the delicate and beautiful details and the gorgeous location of their wedding reception, ‘romantic’ would be it.

Luckily, we can fill up a few paragraphs to go into more detail. I want to share it all with you!

I first met Kat in a cute coffee shop (so cute that it’s no longer open, haha!) on New Years’ Day. Yep, the very first day of 2016, I busted out of my house and into an exciting business meeting. That first few minutes of pleasantries was the last time in this past year that dealing with Kat and her now-husband Will (you can call him Bill, hehe!) was anything “business.” It has been a joy to laugh with them, share ideas with them and even try to de-stress them. A true joy.

In our first get-together, K told me about her wedding day plans (lots of purple and flowers, a WZP dream!) but, perhaps what had more of an impact on me, was her talking about Will. The way her eyes lit up when she talked about him and the smile when we laughed about him “not being a picture person.” (You’d never know if from his GQ-ready modeling during the engagement session and wedding day!)

I chatted with Kat on and off before their May engagement session at Highland Park. It was a gorgeous day. And again, the love between them was what struck me more powerfully than any amazing lighting and simple posing. I just loved being around them.

On their October wedding day, the rain (and possible snow, what?!) held off and we had a day filled with family, sibling-like friendships and the sweetest moments of excitement, giddiness and yes, romance.

I loved how laid-back and low-key their getting ready time was — her at their home with her closest lady friends and mom (and then a “first look” with her Dad that was so sweet!), some coffee and music and just relaxing the morning away while getting pampered.

Their Catholic ceremony at St. Mary’s on the Hill was witnessed by a packed church of people who loved them both so much and were so honored to be a part of their day. The way that K&W looked at each other with happy smiles made all of us in the church smile, too.

We had some fun with photos and goofy moments at the nearby Lancaster Opera House before enjoying the incredibly gorgeous Botanical Gardens in Buffalo. It was like a dream — small breezes, mostly-sunny clouds above glass greenhouses and incredible greenery, with peeks of Fall foliage surrounding us. Inside, the entire building was ours. The Palm Dome held the dance floor while the Florida Everglades housed the bar, the Cloud Forest surrounded the buffet tables and dinner area.

It really was like a dream, a slow-motion pause on a night of twirls and laughter, happy tears and stolen kisses. And I’m beyond grateful to have been a witness and to have gained two incredible people as friends.

Enjoy the images!