Melyssa & Zach had their wedding on an incredible sunny September day at SPAF (the Saugerties Performing Arts Factory) in Saugerties, NY. The venue has a slightly industrial vibe with a garden-esque ceremony space. There’s tons of variety for portraits between the greenery and the brick.

It was my first Jewish wedding and they stayed true to most of their Jewish traditions, so going in I was so hyped for the opportunity to snap photos during the Hora. Even thought it’s only a few minutes long it was definitely the most exciting part of the day for me. It easily gave me my favorite photo from the day. Melyssa also did her own flowers (so fucking cool) and everything turned out awesome!

I started out with Melyssa’s details while we waited for Zach and his friends to get there. I loved playing with the light and shadows that were coming from the windows. After photographing Zach and his brother and friends getting ready I brought him outside to the spot where he would see Melyssa for the first time. I went over to her suite as she got her finishing touches on and brought her outside for their first-look moment!

After family-and-friend group photos it was time to head inside to sign the Ketubah before the ceremony.

The ceremony space was filled with greenery and done up so well, at the perfect time of day. The golden sunlight shining from behind and through the trees. They went through all of the traditions of a Jewish ceremony – It started with both of their parents walking them down the aisle to the Chuppah. Zach circled around Melyssa, Melyssa circled around Zach, and then they held hands and walked in a circle together. They exchanged rings, VIP guests read the seven blessings, and Zach stomped his glass!

After their 8 minutes in solitude we went outside to try and catch the last few minutes of golden hour for some portraits before heading to cocktail hour.

The reception was truly a fucking blast with great music, the Hora, Zach busting out his light-up shoes, and BREAKDANCING! I had such a great time with Melyssa and Zach and their friends and family, it was the perfect wedding to end Summer and head into the Fall wedding season with.

Scroll on through to check out the highlights of this awesome wedding at SPAF!

Vendor links:

Photographer: Mike Wake Photos
Venue: Saugerties Performing Arts Factory
Flowers: Melyssa, the bride!
Hair: Hair by Erica
Makeup: Above Weddings
Dress: Watters
Suit: Indochino
Groom’s shoes: Cole Haan
Bride’s shoes: Betsey Johnson