A weekday wedding is perfect for anyone who wants a truly intimate, unique experience. It gives you the chance to really tailor your wedding experience to your personality and narrow down your guest list to your essential people. When Sarah and Alex asked me to photograph their Tuesday wedding at Chautauqua Lake, I was thrilled to be part of their moving day.

Beautiful Chautauqua Lake

Chautauqua Lake is in a beautiful area of southwestern New York. It’s quite long and bordered by small towns, including Chautauqua. Even though the towns are small, many feature amazing restaurants that highlight the best of Western New York. It’s full of breathtaking views that made it the perfect place for Alex and Sarah’s weekday wedding. 

Chautauqua Lake was so perfect for Alex and Sarah because they love kayaking and canoeing together. They designed their micro wedding experience to be a week full of things they loved doing together, including cooking big meals for their families in their rented vacation home. Having their wedding on a weekday meant they could keep the experience intimate and truly their own.

A Unique Weekday Wedding Experience

Every part of Alex and Sarah’s weekday wedding was custom to them, including their decor. They ended up choosing Flag Day for their wedding and ran with the theme! They commissioned a custom emblem, and a friend printed them on hand dyed cloth for their flags.

Alex and Sarah started their day by exchanging letters. They stood back to back while reading them then turned around to see each other for the first time. It was so heartfelt and sweet. Afterward, everyone headed to the porch to eat the brunch that Alex and Sarah lovingly cooked together. 

Then Sarah and Alex did something I’d never seen before. They read a scene from The Winter’s Tale. It describes the love between Perdita and Florizell. During the scene, Perdita, who’s dressed as the goddess of flowers, hands out flowers to her guests. (This passage was meaningful to Sarah because it tied into her PhD, which she was finishing at the time.) Sarah passed out the custom flags and, along with Alex, led their guests down to the floral arch for their ceremony. The parade reminded me so much of a New Orleans second line! . 

A Full Day of Connection

Everything about Alex and Sarah’s wedding at Chautauqua Lake centered on connection. They kept that going with an intimate dinner and toasts at a local restaurant. For dessert, everyone came back to the cabin to make s’mores over a fire and watch the sun set. It was the perfect day.

Would you like me to photograph your weekday wedding? I’m a wedding photographer specializing in joyful, colorful images. Reach out to me here!

Thank you to the amazing vendors for this wedding in Lake Chautauqua:

Design and coordination: Thommy Conroy

Photographer: Ashley Biltz Photography

Dress: BHLDN