I grew up riding horses and Dan grew up at the track. We both fell in love with each over while bonding over our love for horses. Dan and I both work for the New York Racing Association and met at Aqueduct racetrack. As we started dating, we knew we would always incorporate horses in our lives, so when Dan proposed to me, we couldn't think of a better place than the Winner's Circle at Saratoga Race Course.  As we started planning our wedding, we knew we wanted to get married in the new 1863 Club as we were both involved in its construction. Saratoga holds such a special place in our hearts that once we had the venue, we were full steam ahead with incorporating race horses in our wedding. 

Since we live on Long Island, Saratoga was not too far for our close friends and family to travel to. Most of our family lives in New York and New Jersey while other friends traveled from Chicago, Miami, Raleigh, and Buffalo. Having a weekend wedding allowed our friends and family to enjoy the city of Saratoga Springs and explore everything we love about it!

Except for one, all our vendors are based in Saratoga. I cannot say enough amazing things about each one of our vendors who captured our Racetrack Wedding vision and turned it into a beautiful fairytale wedding. From riding a horse into the ceremony, to having quarter poles as centerpieces… all our guests could tell it was a Summer in Saratoga wedding. I have to admit, it was a bit scary planning a wedding in a city three hours away and at a venue that had never had a wedding before, but our wedding was an absolute dream come true!

DETAILS:

Wedding Date September 12
Ceremony The Paddock at Saratoga Race Course
Reception The 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course
Photographer Skip Dickstein Photography
Wedding Gown RK Bridal 
Bridesmaids' Dresses RK Bridal 
Hair & Makeup True Beauty Company
Groom's Attire Jos A. Banks - in Grey
Rings Blue Nile
Flowers Posie Peddler 
Stationery Suite Dill Paper Company
Caterer & Cake Mazzone Hospitality
DJ or Band DJ Chris Johnston, Love of Music 
First Dance "Die a Happy Man" by Nelly
Honeymoon Destination Hawaii
Other Vendors The New York Racing Association Inc.

Special Touches... 

• I grew up riding horses, and horses are a huge part of our life, so much that I couldn't think of a better entrance than riding in on a horse! 
• We love the racetrack so much that our centerpieces were quarter poles with a racetrack name on each.

Advice to pass along...  

• The best advice I could give to fellow brides would be to enjoy the entire day. We put so much planning into a wedding and it goes by quickly. Take moments to be with your partner during the night.  
• We also spent the entire cocktail party saying hello to all of our guests that way when we entered the reception, we would party all night long!