A tale of two lovebirds
Ellen and Andrew Berreyesas’ wedding—a fairytale dream
by Chloe Adour; photos by Bokeh Film Studio
Andrew Berreyesa and Ellen Paddock met three years ago at a wrestling meet, and it’s been a magical romance ever since that first encounter. Paddock, a former (585) magazine intern, was a student at SUNY Brockport, and Berreyesa was a student at Cornell University when they met. While dating they discovered a joint passion for hiking and traveling, so it only made sense that Berreyesa proposed to Paddock on an overlook at Letchworth State Park.
While planning their wedding, Paddock had a difficult time deciding who would walk her down the aisle. Her father passed away when she was only sixteen, and she went back and forth deciding if she should walk alone or have one of her brothers escort her. Eventually, she decided to ask her oldest brother, Paul, to walk her down the aisle.
She also knew that she wanted a blusher veil. Even though some people advised her not to go with the traditional face covering, her heart was set on it. At her final fitting she asked her seamstress to “please, please get a blusher veil.” Once that was in place, she felt like a true bride.
Their wedding was a celebration of nature, fairytales, and a love that is bound to their faith. The couple chose to have their ceremony at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, Paddock’s home parish while she attended college.
“I did my faith formation classes there and I knew the pastor who officiated us well,” she says.
The couple had a full nuptial mass, which consists of several readings from the Old Testament and New Testament along with hymns and psalms. Following the ceremony, they had their reception at the Avon Century Barn, decorated with flowers from Westside Gardens in Brockport, the same flower shop where Berreyesa had often purchased flowers for Paddock before they were married. Blooming sunflowers and rolling hills made for a stunning backdrop to their big day.
Their first dance was to “Annie’s Song,” a classic John Denver tune about nature and everlasting love, perfect for these outdooors-loving newlyweds.The weather was quite hot—it was early September— and “all the little kids had their shirts off running around, and everyone was sweating,” says Ellen. “But it was a perfect summer day, and we all had so much fun.”