Backyard Wedding in the Catskills || Kristina & Zach

Kristina & Zach have a beautiful relationship and the most beautiful wedding!

From our first conversation, it was clear that these two were putting a ton of effort into their wedding. A truly unique wedding, they got married in the backyard of Kristina's family vacation home in the Catskill mountains on a beautiful fall day in early October. The two spent months along with the help of family and friends getting the property into perfect shape for the big event. They built their wedding arch and several wooden refreshment bars by hand. There were so many personal touches all throughout the property creating a beautiful, rustic theme.

Kristina and her girls got ready upstairs at the house, while Zach and his boys got ready downstairs. Kristina shared a beautiful, emotional first look with her dad on the porch with the stunning backdrop of the fall mountains behind them.

Then Kristina and Zach shared their first look in the middle of the woods! This was when I really learned about Kristina and Zach's easy going nature. They immediately ran into trouble when Kristina's bracelet broke off AS she turned around for their first look. Zach helped her find it and put it back on without missing a beat. The two laughed and didn't once worry about how it should have gone differently.

After a few stunning photos in the thick woods by a stone wall, the sky opened up! Kristina's dad came to the rescue in four-wheel truck to bring us back to dry safety. The bit of rain dried up almost immediately and we carried on with wedding party pictures.

Kristina's brother tragically passed away several years before her wedding. Her family made sure that his presence was still felt and his name came up several times during speeches and their ceremony. They even had a plaque made to be placed on a special rock where they would play as kids, right by the ceremony site. David's Rock.

More bumps and good natured fun ensued during their personal ceremony officiated by Zach's uncle. Kristina and Zach's dog walked down the aisle as part of the wedding party and made sure her own voice was heard in agreement during the ceremony. Zach's took a misstep in his vows that no one let slide by. Make sure you watch their video to see what he said that made Kristina lovingly wallop him!

A fun couple like this, it was clear the reception was going to be a good time. They had an amazing live band and their family and friends gave beautiful, personal speeches. I am always amazed to hear how awesome my couples are from those that give speeches about them! Kristina's dad gave a heartwarming speech officially welcoming Zach into the family.

Zach & Kristina impressed with a choreographed first dance with several lifts and spins. Again, you could tell that they put a lot of effort into this day, but didn’t let that stop them from enjoying every moment.

The two also shared loving father/daughter and mother/son dances with their respective parents.

It really was the most beautiful wedding and I'm so glad that I got to film it- even though I was going to run my first marathon the next morning.