Well, I know I have been talking about this wedding for a long time and I have finally had the chance to put it all together. Chris and Andrea are part of the Fiola family who hang out on the blog pretty often, you guys have seen Kari and Ryan on here numerous times with their lovely little lady Carly. So we've known Chris and Andrea for a few years, managing to catch up with them occasionally when they are in the area for holidays and/or birthdays. Chris is a busy professional musician in California and Andrea is an equally busy marine biologist who frequently spends massive blocks of time on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Despite the fact that they are often apart sometimes for months on end, they have one of the strongest relationships I've ever seen. There are not many couples that could survive this type of long distance relationship but Chris and Andrea have made it work for 12 years. They're an incredible inspiration and are a perfect example of what true love is really capable of.
This post is going to be a little different because this wedding sort of spanned across a few days and I had a camera in hand for most of it. The photos really cover a day and a half of shooting and flow a little differently than usual. A massive farm was rented along Seneca Lake in the finger lake region of New York and almost everything was handled by Chris, Andrea and their families and friends. Flowers were provided by Andreas cousin Theresa, who owns Bella Florals . There was a insane amount of homemade food that was cooked on location, a large percentage by the groom himself. It was a ton of work...and got a little hectic towards the end...but everyone had a hand in making things work and it was really a team effort that was amazing to witness and be a part of. The music for the reception and cocktail hour was provided by a band named Ssahha from New York. Chris, being a musician, has contacts with other musicians from all over the country and asked these guys to play. It was unlike anything I have ever heard before, it can only be described as a blend between traditional moroccan music and jazz, they produced such a unique sound and were a ton of fun to watch and listen to. The venue, Seneca Springs had never hosted a wedding before...but it was such an incredible location and the owners were so helpful throughout the entire event that I'm sure this will be the first of many future weddings for them.
Chris and Andrea, thanks so much for trusting us to document your day. It was really a one of a kind experience. Best wishes for many years of health and happiness together.
Enough jibber jabber from me...on to the photos.
