By Anne Pyburn Craig

Googling the phrase “Hudson Valley wedding” gets you nearly 11 million hits. Wedding website The Knot references the area in dozens of “best” listicles. Style maven Martha Stewart showcases swoon-worthy nuptials at our vineyards, mansions, greenhouses, and barns. Clearly, and for many good reasons—scenery, cuisine, history, hospitality—getting married in this area is a trend in itself, one that works beautifully with the post-pandemic wedding-world climate of individualism, sustainability, and resonance.

“Couples are asking for photography that’s more documentary and less posed—that’s been an ongoing trend for about five years,” says photographer Christine Ashburn. “In general, there’s a trend away from conventions like the bouquet toss, and a trend away from church weddings. People these days tend to get married at the same place they’re having the reception, and often they’ll have someone they know as the officiant.”

Simplicity, says Ashburn, plays out in various ways that make for a better time for all concerned. “The simpler you can make your logistics, eliminating things like moving from place to place, the more enjoyable the day will be. It used to be that the photographer would whisk the wedding party away right after the ceremony to get posed shots; these days, people prefer to get group shots before the ceremony, so they can go straight from that to enjoying the cocktail hour. It’s not ideal for the photographer, since the light tends to be better later in the day, but you can always do that and then sneak off for a couple quick sunset shots later on. People are going for what’s fun, personal, and emotional—’first looks’ and private exchanges of vows, gender role diversity in the wedding party. The bride might have a male attendant, the groom might have a best woman instead of a best man.”