Having your wedding at Lockport Locks? Pretty epic if you ask me. And Lori and Jim‘s wedding didn’t disappoint any of their guests. Cocktail hour was on a boat, traveling down the historic Erie Canal. The Lockport Locks website describes what we did as, “”locking through” and being raised the 49 ft. elevation of the Niagara Escarpment (the same one that creates Niagara Falls) in the only double set of locks on the Erie Canal. You will pass under bridges that raise straight up, see water cascade over Lockport’s famous “Flight of Five” 1840’s locks, and travel through the solid walls of the “rock cut””. (Excerpt taken from Lockport Locks site).

While the guests enjoyed their cocktails, and I snapped some candids on the boat, James ran from bridge to bridge so that he could grab some pictures as the boat passed underneath, which was the hope of the bridge and groom. Going into the wedding, we had no idea what to expect with this part of coverage. We thought James would have just two chances to grab a couple of shots–standing on one bridge as the boat went under, and then on the way back again. But he found that there were a few bridges in a row, and he ran from one to the next so that he had a few different opportunities to get some different shots. It was over eighty-five degrees, he was wearing long sleeves and a tie and he was carrying a bunch of camera gear–I think he probably got more than one weird look from tourists. But he enjoyed the challenge, the worries of only getting two chances to catch a shot were definitely diminished when he realized there were a few opportunities.

Lori and Jim’s day was so lovely. They shared a First Look since the timeline between the ceremony and reception didn’t leave room for a portrait time. We found a little shaded area that was perfectly lit–I always love First Looks. They aren’t anything fancy, and normally only take a minute or two, but it’s just so nice for the bride and groom to be able to see each other before the ceremony so that the rest of the day can be relaxing. Their wedding venue was a compromise of the two–Jim wanted something on the water, and Lori wanted a barn setting. The Lockport Locks venue had an area that had a rustic looking backdrop in the outdoor reception area, and you could also see the water and the boats right from there. So it was a win win for both of them.