Early August wedding at Boscobel House and Gardens

This early August wedding at Boscobel was the kind of day that reminds me why I love photographing at this venue: wide open views, a close-knit family, and a couple who wanted the day documented honestly rather than staged. One of the best parts of photographing Boscobel house weddings is how much room there is to let a day like this unfold naturally.

The bride, who we will call C, had just come off a four mile hike with her dogs near Bear Mountain when I called her for the first time. We ended up talking for several minutes about trails and our dogs before we got to her wedding plans. By the time we did, I had a good sense of what she wanted her day to feel like, and she had a good sense of my approach.

Photo by Matthew Rigby Photography

Photography for those who appreciate art and quality time

C’s sister had found me while researching photographers for the wedding, looking for someone who could document the day honestly rather than stage it. C and her partner, A, had been together for thirteen years and shared a life full of hiking, cycling, and travel before deciding to make it official at Boscobel with C’s two grown children, extended family, and the friends who had become family along the way.

C’s sister is also a photographer and painter based in California, with a second gallery in Colombia. When she reached out, I felt honored that a fellow artist appreciated my work enough to recommend me to a family member.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

Getting ready and a first look on Maple Lane

C knew she wanted real moments with her family and friends on her wedding day, not hours spent on portraits, but she originally planned for only two hours of coverage since she wasn’t sure which parts of the day she would need covered. During our call, I suggested a first look, which would let them see each other privately, take a relaxed walk through the grounds, and finish family portraits early enough to enjoy cocktail hour instead of missing pieces of it. She wrote back later that the plan matched exactly how she had always pictured the day flowing, and that it felt like the right way to honor her priorities.

Their day started with a few quick solo portraits in the main entrance building. From there we walked to Maple Lane for the first look, framed by stately maple trees on either side.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

After their emotional first look, we followed the path along the wildflower meadow beside the pond, then into the woods, taking photos along the way. Before heading back for family photos, we found an old stone outbuilding with a bench that gave us one more quiet, natural spot for a few simple portraits. Next we crossed the main lawn between Boscobel and the Hudson River, using the open view for a few dynamic, movement-filled photos, then made our way to the tree that overlooks Constitution Marsh, the river, and the mountains beyond it.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

Family photos

That spot, shaded by the large maple tree with the full view behind it, was perfect for family portraits. We worked through a few smaller groupings with close friends and family, then a larger group of forty five people. C and A joked that more than half the guest list was in that one photo. The bride’s mother, ninety five years old, kept remarking on how meaningful it was to be there for it. We finished with ten minutes to spare, which gave the couple a little breathing room before the ceremony.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

The ceremony and a quiet moment after

The couple’s longtime friend officiated the ceremony, someone who had shared years of cycling trips with them and had personal stories to tell. The bride’s mother was visibly moved, the kids in the wedding party ran around being kids, and the open, accessible grounds at Boscobel let everyone feel both the scale of the view and the comfort of being somewhere familiar.

Afterward, the couple slipped away to the brick outbuilding in Boscobel’s colonial herb garden, known as the herbarium. Local gardening volunteers keep the garden planted with the kinds of fruits and vegetables a colonial-era garden would have grown. They opened a bottle of champagne from a California winery that held meaning from one of their favorite trips together. I photographed a few quiet minutes there, along with their rings, before stepping out to let them have the moment to themselves.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

Cocktail hour and a lawn full of stories

Throughout cocktail hour I moved through the crowd more than I directed it. The groom’s friends were telling stories from their climbing trips, including one from Yosemite. A photo of A scaling El Capitan sat on the gift table, and the friend who had taken it was there, gesturing toward it and recounting the trip to nearby family members. C’s friends from grade school had all made the trip, and asked for a photo they have now replicated at every gathering since the sixth grade.

Afterward, C told me that more than one guest had assumed I was part of the family, since I blended into the crowd naturally and put people at ease while photographing them. Their wedding reminded me of my own family reunions, trading hiking stories with cousins and settling back into the comfort of people I hadn’t seen in a while.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

An artistic ceviche dinner

They served ceviche at stations for dinner, plated with real artistry, including one course finished with beet squares alongside what looked like some of the best tuna I had seen. On the Marc Events did an excellent job with the food and the arrangement.

By the end of the night, the day felt less like a wedding and more like an already close family making it official, surrounded by the people who had been part of their journey for years.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

If you’re considering Boscobel for your wedding

If you’re considering Boscobel for your own wedding, my Boscobel wedding venue guide walks through the practical details. If you’d like to talk about your own day, reach out here.