Emily & Max // Millbrook, New York

Emily and Max’s wedding at Innisfree Garden was absolute perfection. Emily and Max wanted their wedding day to feel fun, easy, and beautiful. They didn’t want any stuffiness (or fussiness), they wanted to be able to relax and enjoy themselves on their wedding day. What started with a vision of a “beautiful garden meets giant party” came to life in the most incredible way. I was completely on board with the vision and beyond honored to be trusted to document all of the joy of the day and can’t wait to share it here today.

The Start of their Next Adventure

Excuse me while I share a little bit of their love story before sharing all the photos from their beautiful wedding day. Emily and Max met in college while on the same Ultimate Frisbee Team. They became close friends immediately, but it took almost two years for them to get together finally. These are both adventurous souls who love to travel and go on hikes and just explore New York together. Their zest for life is contagious.

When Max proposed (on their rooftop in Brooklyn), he had a friend take her out to brunch and decorated their whole hallway with HUNDREDS of photos of all of the adventures the two of them had together so far. When Emily finally arrived at the roof, he was waiting with flowers and champagne.

I share all of this to say their wedding day was truly just a marker to the start of their next adventure. These two have already shared so many memories that the excitement in the air was palpable from when I arrived.

Innisfree Garden Wedding Photos

Emily and Max fell in love with the natural beauty of Innisfree, and it was easy to see why. They both agreed they wanted a lush garden feel for their wedding day, and because Max had grown up visiting Innisfree, it felt like the perfect place. Once they were both ready, I set them up for a first look against one of the (many) lush landscapes on the property and started capturing their portraits. I knew in they wanted their wedding photos to capture the fun of the day, and have their wedding portraits feel fun and spontaneous instead of overly posed. Fortunately, I’m always prepared with prompts and poses to embrace playfulness my couples exuberate!

Halfway through, their wedding party joined us for their portraits. Emily and Max wanted all of the traditional wedding portraits out of the way so that they didn’t need to worry about anything after the ceremony began and I was thrilled to be able to deliver.

A Beautiful Outdoor Wedding Ceremony

After their portraits, Emily and Max signed the Ketubah, which a friend of theirs had decorated. Their chuppah was also handbuilt for them by another friend, which truly added to the intimacy and warmth of their wedding day. Emily and Max were surrounded by the sweetest people eager to celebrate them and their love story. Their wedding ceremony was deeply meaningful and picturesque - a perfect combination on a summer day.

Another sweet touch? For the processional, they each chose a song to walk down the aisle to and kept it a secret from one another. As a wedding photographer, I can’t help but believe that personalizing every detail on your wedding day should be a priority, and these two nailed it.

Garden Wedding Reception

After the wedding ceremony, the party moved to an outdoor tented wedding reception. You truly felt like you were sitting in the middle of a world of your own at Innisfree, and my heart just fluttered knowing it was exactly what Emily and Max had wanted. Natural beauty was embraced in every corner with wildflowers and other summer floral arrangements that felt beautiful and vibrant adorning every table. After the sun went down, the string lights (and candlelight) went into full effect. Emily and Max were then able to dance the evening away. It was flawless.