Real wedding · Wedding photography and film · Glenora Wine Cellars, Dundee, New York
A Seneca Lake Wedding
at Glenora Wine Cellars
Glenora Wine Cellars sits on the west slope of Seneca Lake, with the vineyard running downhill from the lawn and the lake filling the view behind the ceremony arbor. We photographed and filmed Anya and Gabe’s wedding here on an overcast October day: getting ready in a cottage on the grounds and at the Inn, a first touch under the willow, vows at the arbor above the vines, portraits in the vineyard rows during cocktail hour, and a reception at Veraisons with a dance floor under string lights. This page is that day in eighteen photographs, with the notes we kept for couples and planners considering Glenora. We have also filmed a second ceremony at the arbor, and that film is on this page too.
A winery, an inn and a lake
The vineyard runs downhill
to the water.
Glenora Wine Cellars has made wine on Seneca Lake since 1977, and the wedding side of the property grew up around it: a 30-room inn, Veraisons Restaurant, a covered terrace and a lawn with a wooden ceremony arbor that the venue describes as having panoramic views of the lake. The address is 5435 State Route 14, Dundee, New York, about ten minutes north of Watkins Glen on the west shore.
What that means on a wedding day is that everything is in one place and every space faces the same view. Anya got ready in a cottage on the grounds and Gabe at the Inn; the ceremony arbor stands at the top of the vineyard with the lake behind it; cocktail-hour portraits are a short walk down into the vines; and the reception rooms at Veraisons look out over the same water. The venue lists its Champagne Dining Room at up to 140 guests, with a vaulted ceiling and a stone fireplace, and a Vineyard Cottage as a private suite for getting ready.
A real wedding at Glenora
The arbor, the vines
and a dance floor under the lights.
An October wedding with a copper and forest-green palette, planned for about 120 guests. Both sides got ready on the property, so these frames start at the cottage and the Inn and stay at Glenora through the last dance. Eighteen photographs from Anya and Gabe’s complete gallery. Tap any photograph to see its full composition.
The film
The same day,
in motion.
Photographs hold the day still. The film is the wind in the vines during the vows, the room when the first dance started and the way the lake looked from the arbor while everyone was still seated. This is the trailer for Anya and Gabe’s film: getting ready at the cottage and the Inn, the ceremony at the arbor, the vineyard portraits and the reception at Veraisons. Ask us if you would like to see the full highlight film. Below it is the ceremony film from Skylar and Isaiah’s wedding at the same arbor the year before, which we filmed but did not photograph.
Skylar and Isaiah’s ceremony at the arbor, 2024
Want to see everything? Open Anya and Gabe’s complete gallery, delivered to them after the wedding.
Planning photography and film
Three things worth
deciding early.
These are our recommendations for Glenora, drawn from what we saw on this day. Where we describe what Anya and Gabe did, we say so.
Face the guests toward the water, then plan the light.
The ceremony arbor stands at the top of the vineyard with Seneca Lake behind it, so from the aisle every frame has the lake in it and from the arbor every frame has your guests and the Inn. Anya and Gabe married there at four in the afternoon under an overcast sky, which gave soft, even light with no squinting. On a bright day the lake side is the bright side: we bring the exposure down for the view and light your faces, and a ceremony an hour or two before sunset keeps the sun off the water. Ask the venue about the weather plan and who calls it.
Give portraits thirty minutes in the vineyard rows.
The rows below the lawn are the reason to marry at a winery: in late October they were gold and red, the lake sat below them and the Inn stood behind. Anya and Gabe walked down during cocktail hour and we made the vineyard portraits on this page in about half an hour, with a second team still covering the terrace. Whatever your season, hold that window right after the ceremony, and if your date is in autumn ask the venue how far along the vines will be.
Get ready on site and keep the whole day in one place.
Because Anya used a cottage on the grounds and Gabe a room at the Inn, our two photographers and two filmmakers covered both sides at once from one in the afternoon, with no drive between locations and the first-touch under the willow a short walk from both doors. If you are choosing between getting ready at Glenora or off site, on site wins for coverage, for the timeline and for the frames of the Inn and the lawn before guests arrive.
How this day was planned
A four o’clock ceremony
and a long evening.
This is the timeline we built with Anya and Gabe before the wedding, with nine hours of coverage from two photographers and two filmmakers. Your times will move with your ceremony time and your sunset, but the order and the reasons hold at Glenora.
- 1:00 PMCoverage began on the property: Anya and her bridesmaids at a cottage on the grounds, Gabe and the groomsmen in a room at the Inn. Second shooters gathered detail and building frames while the leads covered getting ready.
- 2:30 PMHair and makeup finished. Separate formals for each side, because there was no first look, and individual family portraits.
- 3:00 PMA first touch under the willow, back to back, with letters read before the ceremony.
- 4:00 PMCeremony at the arbor above the vineyard, with Seneca Lake behind the couple.
- 4:30 PMCocktail hour on the terrace while the couple went down into the vineyard rows for portraits. Golden hour was around 5:10 and sunset around 6:10 on this date.
- 5:45 PMReception at Veraisons: introductions, first dance, dinner, speeches, cake cutting and the bouquet toss.
- 8:15 PMOpen dancing under the string lights, with the last dance planned as a circle of guests around the two of them.
- 10:00 PMCoverage wrapped.
Glenora wedding questions
A few things to know.
Where is Glenora Wine Cellars?
Glenora Wine Cellars is at 5435 State Route 14, Dundee, New York 14837, on the west side of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, about ten minutes from Watkins Glen. The winery, The Inn at Glenora and Veraisons Restaurant share one property, and the wedding on this page used all three. Confirm directions, arrival times and parking with the venue's wedding team.
Where does the ceremony happen at Glenora?
The venue's ceremony site is a wooden arbor on the lawn with the vineyard and Seneca Lake behind it, and that is where Anya and Gabe were married. Guests sat in rows on the grass facing the arbor and the lake. For an outdoor ceremony here, ask the venue about the weather plan and who makes the call, and tell us the answer so we light and plan for either.
How many guests can Glenora hold?
Glenora's own wedding pages describe the Champagne Dining Room at Veraisons Restaurant as seating up to 140 guests, with vaulted ceilings and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, plus a covered terrace for cocktails. Confirm current capacities, packages and inclusions directly with the venue; we are quoting their published description, not our own count.
Can we get ready on the property?
Yes. Glenora lists a Vineyard Cottage as a private suite, and the property includes a 30-room inn. At this wedding Anya got ready in a cottage on the grounds and Gabe and the groomsmen used a room at the Inn, which meant our photographers and filmmakers were on site from the first frame to the last dance with no travel between locations.
Can we see the complete gallery and the wedding film?
Yes. The trailer plays from the film section on this page, and the complete gallery from Anya and Gabe's wedding is linked just below it. If you would like to see the full highlight film, ask us and we will send it to you directly. The film section also has the ceremony film from a second Glenora wedding we filmed, Skylar and Isaiah, in 2024.
Do you travel to the Finger Lakes?
Yes. BlackTie Brothers is a national wedding photography and film company with artists in New York, Florida and Hawaii, and the Finger Lakes are a regular drive for our New York team. Send us your date and your ceremony plans and we will confirm availability and coverage.
Planning a wedding at Glenora?
Tell us your date
and where the ceremony will be.
Share your ceremony plans, your guest count and whether you are looking for photography, film or both. We will confirm availability and help you choose the right coverage. BlackTie Brothers is a national wedding photography and film company with artists in New York, Florida and Hawaii; Seneca Lake and the Finger Lakes are a regular drive for our New York team.