There’s a café/general store in Windham, NY – known for its fabulous pies, because they say so. They also boast of cider doughnuts and fudge – both are fabulous. Their pies are around $24. I guess. They’re not my favorite.
BUT this isn’t about them.
I photographed a wedding in East Durham recently where the bride was very particular about one thing –the pies. There wasn’t really much of a wedding cake to speak of, we had one to cut – but the focus was on the pies.
She told me about the pies when we booked.
She asked me which pie I’d like to enjoy a slice of at the wedding.
I didn’t get to have my pie.
The pies all disappeared while I was working.
I’ve worked weddings with husband cakes.
I’ve photographed a few where the bride baked for the groom.
I’ve handled others where there were cupcakes or doughnuts.
This was my first pie wedding – but I didn’t really get any pie.
What the heck!
The bride arrived on a fire truck.
She and the groom are both volunteers.
I love the story of how they met. On a dating website, they found one another.
Eventually she visited and he cooked dinner. They got snowed in.
A decade later – they were wed.
Strawberry Rhubarb, Blueberry, Apple, Lemon Meringue … so many pies!
Do I have those right?
How would I know?
OK, the pie had all traveled to the kitchen of the Shamrock House. I wandered by with pie on the brain. They packed a slice to go. When I opened the clamshell it was an unrecognizable puddle of lemon goo.
I’m telling you – no darned pie.
I recently tried a $25 pie a friend bought online – it was more, really, with the overnight shipping. It wasn’t very good. I’m fussy about pie.
I see there are $30 pies for sale in Tannersville. Pie is apparently big business. Those pies at the wedding looked pretty good, at least before being packed for take-home. I doubt they were $20-30 apiece.
Value is important when planning a simple country wedding; it’s why my services are affordable. Many years ago, I used to say I didn’t want folks to spend the equivalent of an automobile down payment on my contract.
Sure, you can spend more with other photographers and maybe you’ll even get more – like additional bodies with cameras or overpriced albums. BUT that’s not the business I’m in. I tell stories, your stories, one couple at a time.
Thanks for reading. Reach out, if I can be of any help. You can also find, follow & like Jonathan Ment Photography on Facebook and at www.catskillsphotographer.com and check out the broad-topic’d “Observational Ramblings” of the Ment Media Group’s “Business Blog.”
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