Marisa & Christian

• Wedding Date October 4 • 

LOCATION The Saratoga Winery

PHOTOGRAPHER Julio Olvera, Bogardus Photography

This Real Bride Brought to You By…

• The Saratoga Winery •

• OUR STORY •

For all intents and purposes, Chris and I should not have met. He was an Eastern Long Island transplant living in The Berkshires and I was at my childhood home in the Capital Region, nursing my heart and my ego back to health from a recent breakup. As part of this nursing, I downloaded a dating app, with low expectations.

One night, while watching The Bachelor with my mom (ironic, in retrospect), I matched with Chris, and we believe it was truly fate. Chris’s location was outside of my set dating radius, but he happened to be in town earlier that day, fulfilling his childhood dream of learning to fly helicopters at the Saratoga County Airport, and matched with me in the process. The day we agreed to meet up for our first official date, New York shut down. That’s right, we met in late March of 2020, right at the beginning of a worldwide pandemic. Rather than be deterred that we couldn’t meet for our first date in person, we hopped on a video call that lasted over four hours! We spoke on the phone every day for two months, and the day that travel restrictions lifted, I finally met Chris in person, and the rest, as they say, is history.

•Special Touches•

Rehearsal dinner
The Saratoga Winery

Bridal suite
The Adelphi Hotel

Dream Venue

The Saratoga Winery was an absolute dream! From our very first conversation, Annie understood my vision for our wedding day and went above and beyond to make it happen. Every step of the way, Annie and her staff made us feel special and heard. The entire Saratoga Winery staff was so warm and inviting throughout the entire wedding planning process. It is no secret that The Saratoga Winery is gorgeous, but it must be said that the staff really make it a uniquely special place. The food is also *chef's kiss* excellent. We could not have picked a better venue, or team, for our wedding day!

• Advice to Pass Along •

It's easy to get lost in the nitty gritty details of wedding planning, where you're so focused on something that completely stresses you out. It's important to take a step back and a deep breath throughout the planning process and remember why you are planning a wedding in the first place! It's about the love you share with your partner, and the commitment you are making with each other in front of your friends and family. The day truly goes by so fast. Take five minutes here and there throughout the wedding process and just hug your partner and reflect on why you guys want to enter this next chapter of your lives together. No one (except maybe that one eccentric aunt- you know the one, and you love her!) will remember what flowers were at table five, four years from now. What they will remember is the look of pure joy you two gave each other during your vows, the breathless laughter you shared after your first dance, and the stolen glances you both couldn't help sneaking throughout the evening as countless loved ones congratulated you on your special day.