Boris & Neha; June 30. The Bourne Mansion

I had never been to the Bourne Mansion, but was impressed right away with the beautiful tree-lined roadway that led to the awe-inspiring mansion on St. John's campus in Oakdale, Long Island.

I actually beat both the bride and groom to the Bourne Mansion so I had plenty of time to get shots of the exteriors. As I was filming the gate outside, Neha's limo pulled up behind me, which led to the second shot of the video below as it passed by me.

After an initial inspection of the reception and ceremony locations, Neha spent her first hour in the upstairs bridal suite getting her make-up and hair done before putting on her dress.

Boris arrived about 45 minutes later with his groomsmen, which Adam captured while I spent most of my time with Neha. Upon a quick visit downstairs with the groomsmen, I realized that one of Boris' best men, Mitch, is a teammate of mine on a recreational NYC kickball team (don't laugh please!) I play for. I have to say, we were both quite surprised to see one another!

Boris and Neha planned to see each other before the ceremony in order to take advantage of the lush grounds and beautiful landscape for photos before the ceremony. As Neha exited the bridal suite to descend the sweeping staircase to meet Boris, Adam and photographer Dan Loh were discretely but well positioned to capture the excited look on the face of Boris as Neha approached. The couple spent a few moments in private conversation before heading to the back garden and rooms for photos and to sign the marriage license.

A few stressful moments with flowers and chair covers quickly were forgotten once the ceremony began in an intimate downstairs room. Garlands were exchanged along with rings and guests opened a symbolic cookie to symbolize the 'sweetness' of life and relationships. The crinkling of over 100 cellophane wrappers opening at once put a smile on the bride and groom's faces but made me wonder if I was getting interference from the sound I heard through my headphones!

Cocktail hour on the beautiful back lawn with the backdrop of the ocean made for a memorable time before guests headed into the main ballroom for a night of fun. Boris and Neha, both video game buffs, had each table labeled by a different game to go along with beautiful floral arrangements. The reception flew by and guests left with a bottle of port wine to remember the special day in Oakdale.