Growing up in the Finger Lakes area, I had no concept of just how beautiful this region of the world actually is. It took moving away and returning home to realize how spectacular the Finger Lakes are.

If you're not familiar with them, the Finger Lakes are a group of glacier made lakes that on a map, resemble the fingers of a hand. They sit in the heart of New York State and are simply overshadowed by the bustle of New York City. The beauty the hold is unbelievable.

Last year a friend of mine visited from the Chicago area. We went for a drive down Seneca Lake, the biggest, deepest lake. We drove passed hills covered in grapevines, winery upon winery, ending up at a cute little tasting room at the south end of the lake. Her words, as we drove home was, "Loryn, you live in the Napa Valley of New York." And it's true! The landscape is stunning. The wineries are quaint. And the feeling you get while driving leaves you thinking, "Did you say we're in New York?"

As a wedding photographer, this excites me beyond belief. The possibilities for photographing in stunning locations are endless. In July, I had the privilege of photographing a wedding at The Manor House on Keuka Lake. This dreamy mansion is a one stop location of everything you need for your wedding day. It's located halfway between Rochester and Syracuse, with beautiful views of the Bluff on the lake. From accommodations for the entire bridal party, a private and beautiful bridal suite, unbelievable backdrop for your outdoor wedding, and beautiful grounds with countless opportunities for portraits.

Take a look at these stunning photos and tell me this is not your dream wedding location:

Top Three Reasons I Loved the Manor House Estate:

Beyond the obvious reason I loved the Manor House Estate (it's unbelievably gorgeous location and opportunity for pictures), there are three other reasons this venue topped my list of places to photograph a wedding in the heart of the Finger Lakes.

1. You get the.whole.house. Did you hear me on that one? You can book your entire bridal party the weekend stay and have the whole house and grounds to yourselves for wedding rehearsal, wedding prep, and post wedding accommodations. This makes the whole day feel relaxed. I know the bride and groom felt at home here. They had so much fun spending time with their people in the days leading up to their wedding all the way through the day after. I just love the concept of being able to have everything all in one place for the ease of literally everything.
2. The coordinator, Liz, was easy to work with and took care of the bride's every need. On this particular day in July, it absolutely POURED outside. Liz communicated with the wedding party, the vendors, and the guests to make the day flow seamlessly even in the midst of the downpour.
3. Flexibility. Number one and number two lend themselves to this. But having some flexibility in your wedding day is a MUST. Things go wrong. They just do. And having your wedding all in one stunning location made it so we could swap cocktail hour with the wedding ceremony so the bride could have her dream wedding outside after the rain passed.

So please make sure you check out this location! You will not regret it!!!