A Beacon homecoming: Taylor and Ben’s Roundhouse wedding

The first photo I took on Taylor and Ben’s wedding day was not of either of them. It was a photo of the sign above Durkin’s General Store in Beacon, the family name still on the front more than forty years after Taylor’s grandparents sold it. Taylor had told me a piece of the story during our first consultation, but her dad finished it and filled in the details while we waited for Taylor to finish getting into her dress. In the hallway outside the penthouse suite, he proudly talked about his family history, how his great-grandfather came over to the country and started working when he was 8, ultimately becoming the owner of the town general store. It was passed down in their family until it was sold, but the new owners kept the name on the building so they could keep the liquor license. I made sure I had a photo of that sign before I did anything else that day, because it was just the first of many meaningful details for Taylor and Ben on their wedding day at The Roundhouse in Beacon, New York.

Photo by Matthew Rigby Photography

An engagement session with meaning

Taylor and Ben found me after their wedding date was set, drawn to photos that felt genuine rather than staged. We spent a May morning together at Long Dock Park in Beacon for their engagement session, walking through the hills and fields of the park, and out to the dock that looks toward Newburgh.

Halfway through the session, Taylor’s mother brought over Mulch, the family dog she had grown up with for over thirteen years. Mulch posed for a few photos like a good boy, before finding and eating a chicken wing on the ground. Everyone laughed, Allison took him home, and we continued down to the dock for more photos. Unfortunately, Mulch passed away a few days later. I edited those few frames of him first and sent them to Taylor ahead of the rest of the gallery, so she would have the good memories of her childhood best friend to look back on.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

Getting ready in the penthouse suite

Fast forwarding to their August wedding day, Taylor got ready in the penthouse suite on the third floor of the restaurant building at The Roundhouse. This building sits directly over the waterfall, which the suite has a great view of. The room fit Taylor, her bridesmaids Erin and Emma, her maid of honor Payton, her mother, two hair and makeup artists from Boho Beauty, myself, and Brandon from Hudson River Weddings without anyone feeling crowded.

After Taylor put her dress on, she pinned a butterfly brooch to her bouquet, a small detail I made sure to document up close. This brooch was something that had been passed down through the generations to all of the women in her family on their wedding day. It will be Taylor’s turn to pass it on to the next person in her family to be married. Taylor also had engraved matching rings to gift her mother and sister that morning, one more sign of how much of this day she had planned around the people in it.

Once she was dressed, Taylor requested a first look with her dad and her brother together, so both of them could see her at the same moment.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

A ceremony steps from the venue

Because Taylor and Ben were not doing a first look with each other, we split their family portraits. I photographed Taylor’s side ahead of the ceremony, and my second photographer, Gerardo, photographed Ben’s side. That way the family photos remaining after the ceremony moved more quickly and the couple was able to get back to their guests sooner. It meant more coordination on our part, but it was worth it to see Taylor and Ben enjoy themselves at their cocktail hour with their friends and family.

They married at St. Joachim Church, a short walk from the venue and a church with real history for Taylor’s family. Their day of coordinator, Gina, had driven Taylor and her dad over, but most guests walked since it was that close. After the ceremony the wedding party gathered on the church altar steps for photos. While we took these photos inside the church, Gina was gathering all of the guests outside so that they would be ready for the parade back to the venue.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

A processional with a live band

By the time the couple stepped outside, Gina had already handed tambourines to the waiting guests, and a live band met them at the church doors and led the entire walk back to The Roundhouse. Guests sang and danced behind the couple the whole way back, a detail that turned a simple walk between two buildings into one of the liveliest parts of the day.

Photo by Matthew Rigby Photography

Reception details worth noticing

As I walked into the reception space before guests arrived, I noticed Taylor had already made her own addition to the day. She had printed several photos from their engagement session and hung them in the atrium for guests to see as they walked in for cocktail hour.

The reception itself was full of small, considered touches: swan decor on the tables, a first dance to “Make It With You” by Bread, and events that both families helped to plan.

A celebration full of family and heritage

Ben’s family brought pieces of their own heritage into the reception, including a belly dancer and a live drummer who, rather than performing at the center of it, succeeded in pulling every guest onto the floor. They also included two traditional Middle Eastern desserts that were made onsite, and that were some of the best desserts I’ve had at a wedding. An espresso martini tower after cake cutting was a classy touch that created a lot of excitement in their guests.

Late in the night, Taylor stopped at the penthouse suite to change into her afterparty dress, and then the celebration moved up Main Street to Wonderbar, tucked next to The Beacon Theater, where Taylor and Ben kept the party going with their closest guests.

These Roundhouse Beacon wedding photos document a day that was full, high energy, and unmistakably theirs, from a general store with Taylor’s family name still on it to a dog who made it into one last set of frames. If you are planning a wedding at The Roundhouse, or somewhere else in the Hudson Valley that holds this kind of meaning for you, reach out today.

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

Vendor credits

• Venue: The Roundhouse
• Ceremony venue: St. Joachim Church
• Videography: Hudson River Weddings
• Second photographer: Gerardo Soto
• Day of coordinator: Gina Tyan
• Florals: Sabellico Greenhouses & Florist
• Stationery: Jameson Hill Designs
• DJ: Matty Stuart, MD Music and Entertainment
• Live painting: Cody Rounds, Cody Paints LLC
• Hair and makeup: Boho Beauty

Photos by Matthew Rigby Photography

If you’re considering The Roundhouse

If you’re planning a wedding at The Roundhouse and want to talk about what photography could look like for you, reach out.