Aimee and Melba’s Hudson Valley farmhouse elopement is one of my favorite weddings to date. I’ve known Aimee since high school and when I found out that she was marrying the love of her life AND asked me to be their photographer I swear I almost cried. These two are not only great friends, but they’re pretty wonderful people in general. They’re moms to a small zoo of rescue animals including four dogs (3 of them seniors!), one cat, and at one point even a deaf ferret named Blanche, so the amount of love and patience they have for all living creatures is unmatched. When we got to planning their big day it was absolutely of the utmost importance that we include their plethora of paws in the whole process. To make everything pet friendly they settled on an intimate elopement in the Hudson Valley at a beautiful Airbnb farmhouse where everyone (both guests and pups) would have ample space to relax and explore for a wedding weekend extravaganza.

Unfortunately only two days before their wedding, Aimee and Melba had to say goodbye to their 17 year old Chihuahua, Inkie. They had adopted her as a senior dog to give her the very best last years that they could and she held such a huge place in their hearts. To keep her just as involved as the other dogs in the ceremony, they decided that they would honor her by having their rings presented on her tiny paw print.

Moosh, their ring bearer, had his very own little accessories. I made some pretty inhuman squeals when I saw the little bowtie.

I’ve known Zoe since she was a puppy, and seeing this old gal guide her moms down the “aisle” was for sure a bucket list item I didn’t even know I had.