Displaying items by tag: Lily Saratoga
Our Story:
Kurt and I met while we were undergraduates at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We played music together in our college orchestra, and as a result, we met a great group of mutual friends who brought us together. We enjoyed spending time together, talking and playing games after our classes and rehearsals had finished for the day. Aside from a shared appreciation for music performance, we had very different interests, but this is what made us a great team. Our friendship eventually developed into a romantic relationship, and we took turns visiting each other over the summers.
In 2016, we moved to Upstate New York together to be close to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where Kurt decided to pursue his graduate course of study. In September 2017, Kurt proposed to me during a weekend getaway to Stowe, Vermont. When we checked into our hotel that afternoon, our room was covered in rose petals, which set the stage for a lovely proposal. We knew that we wanted to get married in Upstate New York, close to our new home.
Not long after our engagement, we were on a day cruise on Lake George when we saw the majestic Sagamore Resort from the boat. We exchanged glances and knew that this would be our venue for our October 2018 wedding. Shortly thereafter, we attended a beautiful luncheon at the Sagamore, which further confirmed our decision.
With our excellent team of vendors and the Sagamore Resort as an elegant backdrop, our vision for our wedding day became reality. Kurt and I feel so fortunate to have had such an amazing wedding day, and we are looking forward to reliving the memories for years to come.
The Details:
wedding date: October 20, 2018
location: The Bayview at the Sagamore Resort
photographer: Susan Blackburn Photography
videographer: Dale Himelrick (Memories in the Making Video Productions)
stationery suite: PaperDolls of Saratoga
wedding gown: Simone's Unlimited
bridesmaids' dresses: Lily Saratoga
groom & groomsmens' clothing: Mark Thomas Men's Apparel
rings: Mayfair Jewelers
hair & makeup: The Sagamore Salon (part of the Sagamore Resort)
flowers: Fleurtacious Designs
Cake / caterer: The Sagamore Resort
band/ DJ: Lark Strings (string trio) & DJ Andy Pratt (Stephanie)
first dance: 'Can't Take My Eyes off of You' by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
honeymoon destination: We chose not to take a traditional honeymoon immediately following our wedding, but we would like to take a celebratory vacation later this year to Bologna and Florence, Italy.
officiant: Reverend Joy Burke
special touches: Although it is an honored tradition and an important aspect of the wedding reception for many brides, I opted not to do a bouquet toss, but instead to present the bouquet to my grandmother in honor of her 62 years of marriage. Rather than drawing attention to my friends and family who have not yet had the good fortune to find their partner in life, I wanted to celebrate a lifelong partnership by recognizing my grandparents' marital longevity.
advice to pass along... Do whatever brings you peace and relaxation the day before your wedding to ensure you wake up feeling re-energized and renewed the next day. Go to bed early, stay hydrated, and eat well. Take a bubble bath, get a massage, or meditate. Read a book or go for a walk. Your wedding day is a marathon event, and your body and mind will thank you if you make taking care of yourself the first priority the day before.
Our Story:
Matt and I started dating about 2 years ago. Given that we both had children from previous relationships we were very cautious and intentional from the beginning. What started out as a solid friendship bloomed into love as we both realized we had common goals and priorities.
I grew up in Saratoga and Matt relocated here after college, but it has become one of our favorite places. Even though we live here, there was no question that we wanted to have a very Saratoga wedding. Matt proposed in front of The Adelphi Hotel in June 2020.
The Adelphi has always been a favorite place of ours downtown and I think we both knew we'd like to get married there. But, 2020 meant the pandemic and COVID. We decided we really wanted to start our lives together with our kids so we planned a wedding for September 12, 2020, just 12 weeks after getting engaged!
Because we could only have a ceremony and a dinner, we focused all our energy into those things. We had only 27 guests; immediate family, and a handful of close friends.
The day was about our union and our children, and it could not have been more perfect. Our vendors perfectly understood our vision and worked so carefully to keep everyone safe without compromising on the experience. We had amazing weather, the best vendors, the perfect venue and at the end of the day we were married!
What could be better?
The Details:
wedding date: September 12, 2020
ceremony: Adephi Hotel
reception location: The Blue Hen, Adephi Hotel
photographer: Rob Spring Photography
stationery suite: Paperdolls
wedding gown: Lily Saratoga
groom/groomsmen clothing: Simon's Menswear (Mike), Greenfield
wedding bands: N. Fox, Engagement ring from a jeweler in Texas
flowers: Samantha Nass Floral Design
hair & makeup: Revive Hair and Skin (Juliet Smith)
cake/caterer: The Blue Hen
dj: Anthony & Tyler from Non-Stop Music
first dance: "Love Like This" by Ben Rectort
officiant: Dianne Patterson - From The Heart Ceremonies.
"Guest Book" print of the Adelph: Impressions of Saratoga
special touches: It was important to us to keep our vendors local. As someone who works in the wedding industry, I know how much business our fellow vendors have given up. We wanted to support our local wedding industry. We also wanted to make sure our guests felt as comfortable as possible during a pandemic. Everyone was socially distanced during our ceremony and we had mostly two tops for dinner, spaced out.
Advice to pass along... Keep the focus on what the day is really about which is getting married to your best friend. Yes, we would have loved to have more friends and family present with us and danced the night away, but at the end of the day that's not what the day is really about.