Emily + Ben’s Vow Renewal at the Cracker Factory

What’s better than an amazing wedding with a super fun couple? A second wedding with the same couple (just as amazing, in case you were wondering). With all the craziness of the past couple years, Emily and Ben continued to stay the course. They turned their 2020 wedding into an intimate backyard affair and made their big 2021 Cracker Factory celebration into a vow renewal instead. I was so honored to be a part of both events!

I drove through torrential rain to get to Geneva, NY, but showed up in a good mood nonetheless, ready and eager to have a great day! We grabbed some detail shots and getting ready photos, then everyone got dressed and we all headed to the Cracker Factory. When we arrived, the industrial wedding venue was bustling with activity. Emily and Ben’s family were decorating the space with DIY florals, and the entire wedding party jumped in to help.

Since Emily and Ben were already married, they decided a first look wasn’t necessary, so we grabbed some quick photos with their wedding party and family outside before starting on Bride & Groom portraits. As we were taking those, it started to rain, so Maggie, the venue’s event planner, took us upstairs to an abandoned factory floor for a little bit of privacy (and some amazing light!). We wrapped things up in time for a short and sweet vow renewal with all of their loved ones looking on.

When I first met with Emily and Ben way back in 2019, they told me their favorite photo of themselves as a couple was one taken at someone else’s wedding. Because of this, they wanted to make sure I got plenty of photos of couples at their reception. We did not disappoint and spent most of the cocktail hour darting around the room asking every couple we saw if we could take their picture!

The reception began with some very entertaining introductions, then dove straight into Emily and Ben’s first dance. Emily’s dad wasn’t expecting a dance with his daughter (they knew the two of them would get very emotional), but they surprised him with a song nonetheless. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! After that, Ben and his mom shared a lighter moment by dancing to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”

Emily’s Matron of Honor and Ben’s Best Man toasted the happy couple, then the three of us snuck away for some laid-back rooftop photos. I’m so happy the rain cleared out because the exterior of the Cracker Factory is honestly just as gorgeous as the inside. There are so many fun places to shoot at this industrial wedding venue! We returned to the reception just in time for cake and dancing. The party carried on long after we were gone, filled with love, laughter, and plenty of competitive shuffleboard.

Thanks to Emily and Ben for taking me along for this crazy multi-year wedding and vow renewal ride!

Dress: Lovely Bride Rochester
Bridesmaids Dresses: Revelry
Suits: Jos A. Bank
Hair: Nicole Knickerbocker
DJ: Music Machine
Caterer: The Hideaway
Dessert: The Cake Place
Invitations: Minted
Makeup & Florals: DIY