Why There's No Better Place to Get Married Than the Finger Lakes

I'm biased. I'll say that upfront.

I got married on Seneca Lake, no literally on the lake. We did our ceremony on the True Love Schooner - in the middle of the lake. A moment I'll never forget. We then took friends to a small winery/florist shop in town to meet everyone post ceremony - for a toast and regroup. After that we headed up to a small winery outside of Hector, NY - a small town on the eastern shore of the lake that most people drive through without stopping. No ballroom. No traditional venue. Just us, a group of the people we love most, and one of the most beautiful regions in the entire country.

This was literally our perfect day.

Why the Finger Lakes works so well for weddings The Finger Lakes is one of those rare places where the scenery does the heavy lifting. You don't need an expensive venue to make it feel special — the landscape just is special. Rolling vineyard hills. Eleven glacier-carved lakes. Gorges and waterfalls that look like they belong in New Zealand. Small towns with actual character. And a wine and food scene that has quietly become world-class.

For couples who want something intimate, personal, and genuinely beautiful - without flying to Tuscany or spending a fortune on a resort - the Finger Lakes is the answer.

The case for a multi-stop wedding day One of the best decisions we made for our own wedding was treating the day as a journey rather than a destination. We didn't just pick one spot and stay there - we moved through the region, letting the day unfold across a few different backdrops.

For a small group, this works extraordinarily well. When you're not managing 150 people through a rigid catering timeline, you have freedom. And that freedom is everything.

Here's what a Finger Lakes multi-stop wedding day might look like:

Morning / Ceremony — A small lakeside ceremony at a private property, a vineyard, or one of the state park overlooks. Keuka Lake's bluff views, Seneca Lake's wide open water, Cayuga's quieter eastern shore - all stunning. Keep the ceremony intimate and location-focused.

Portraits & Golden Hour - Head into the gorges. Watkins Glen's gorge trail is genuinely one of the most dramatic natural settings in New York State. Taughannock Falls near Trumansburg offers a single dramatic drop that photographs unlike anything else. Robert Treman and Buttermilk Falls near Ithaca are equally stunning. Spend an hour here with your partner and small wedding party while guests have drinks nearby.

Dinner - This is where the Finger Lakes really shines. A private dining room at a winery. A farm-to-table restaurant in a converted barn. A long table at a place like Stonecat Café in Hector or Hazelnut Kitchen in Trumansburg. With a small group, you can actually eat somewhere great rather than catered rubber chicken at a reception hall.

The fun part - a winery tour Charter a small bus or van. Hit two or three of your favorite wineries in the afternoon before dinner. Lamoreaux Landing, Red Newt, Atwater, Ravines - all within a short loop of each other on the Seneca Lake wine trail. For a group of 20–30 people this is easy, fun, and genuinely memorable. Your guests will talk about it for years.

The photography argument From a purely photographic standpoint - a multi-stop Finger Lakes day gives me more variety, more light situations, and more real moments than any traditional venue wedding. A ceremony in golden light by the water. Portraits in a gorge with mist and rock walls. Candid dinner moments at a long table with good wine. Film loves this light. Portra 400 was made for afternoons like this.

You don't have to do it the traditional way That's maybe the biggest thing I want to say here. There's no rule that says your wedding day has to look a certain way. Some of the most beautiful weddings I've been part of - including my own - looked nothing like what people expect. Small, intentional, location-forward. The Finger Lakes makes that version of your wedding incredibly easy to pull off.

I shoot weddings, elopements, and engagement sessions throughout the Finger Lakes and Rochester NY — on film. Let's plan your day together.