From the first gorgeous image snapped up by Tory Williams to the very last, this lovely lake wedding is just the perfect trifecta of heart warming, sweet and family focused. With a dash of DIY, and love that just seems to seep through the computer screen – it turns out that trifecta also equals wedding perfection. Each image sitting pretty in this gallery is frame-worthy, so be sure to set aside some time to get lost in all the lovely this Monday morning. Do so here.
From the bride…I always knew I wanted to be married at my family’s cottage on Canandaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Western New York. So Matthew always knew there was no other place for him to propose, with the engagement ring originally worn by my grandmother and great-great-grandmother before that, than in the home that has been in my family for generations.
We were lucky to have many friends and family contributing to our weekend, making this wedding a family affair from the beginning. I also wanted a dedication to using local talent and resources- I did not care about what the flowers looked like as long as they were local and in season! We wanted our guests to leave feeling like they learned more about our families through the details of the weekend, and to make their travels worthwhile by providing entertainment all weekend long!
My mother designed the custom invitations, with the help of the local letterpress studio Pistachio Press, and together we watercolored each and every piece of the 120 invitation suites by hand. I took calligraphy lessons in order to address the invitations and make the placecards. Matthew’s five nieces served as our flowergirls. Their dupioni silk skirts were handmade by my mother after each piece of silk was dyed in a different shade of Autumn orange by a local artist. Friends helped to arrange fresh flowers from an area farm in mason jars that lined the aisle and dotted the property.
The ceremony took place at our family cottage, and we were married on the dock by a justice of the peace, who is also one of our oldest family friends. Matthew and I had the honor of joining our lives in front of an arbor which was handmade by my brother. He gathered twigs, branches, and logs from the woods surrounding our property, carefully joining each together to create a work of art. We also felt the presence of the Matthew’s late parents; I wore one of Matthew’s mother’s rings, and Matthew now wears his father’s wedding band as his own. I also wore my grandmother’s antique diamond broach in my hair. We wanted guests to be able to enjoy time at our cottage before the reception, and the ceremony was followed by a brief cocktail hour where our guests enjoyed beer from the hometown brewery, where my father happens to work, and other local refreshments. Our guests knew it was time to head to the reception when Matthew and I were ferried away by my brother and sister in our family’s old ski boat.
The first hillside view of the South end of the lake never disappoints, and our guests enjoyed a second cocktail hour on a patio of Bristol Harbour, soaking it all in. Tables were named with vintage postcards of locations important to each of our families, which I spent months gathering from antiques collectors and Ebay. Lake Placid, where we would honeymoon, served as our head table. Our wonderful florist, Ann Clowe, used local seasonal blooms and over one hundred glass vessels from my mother’s personal collection to create our tablescapes, with each individual table being unique.
I made jars of homemade applesauce to serve as both place cards and favors. These were also a tribute to my family’s long fruit farm history. We were never wowed by wedding cakes, and instead offered a huge variety of pies baked that day by Monica’s Pies, a bakery at the south end of the lake that is known across the world for their unique grape pies. Before our rowdy crowd could hit the dance floor, my dance with my father was followed by Matthew honoring his late mother by dancing with his new mother-in-law to one of his mother’s favorite songs.
If there is one piece of advice I would offer to new brides, it would be to hire coordinators like ours. Lisa Murley and Jason Polasek of Limedrop Events made all of our hard work worth it! While the months leading up to the wedding weekend were consumed by our efforts to make the occasion as personal as possible, there was no way that we were going to let all any of that get in the way of enjoying our party! Our vendors were incredible, they were both invisible and present, and they made it all come together. Tory Williams, an old childhood friend mine, could not have done a more brilliant job of capturing the day and giving us the images that will illustrate our memories. I have to say, it was a helluva wedding weekend.
Ruched Beaded Rhinestone Strap A-Line Tencel Evening Dress
Silhouette: A-line
Neckline: Square
Waist: Empire
Hemline/Train: Floor Length
Sleeve Length: Sleeveless
Embellishments: Beading, Ruching/Pleated, Rhinestone
Fabric: Chiffon
Built-In Bra: Yes
Fully Lined: Yes
Shown Color: Pink
Body Shape: Hourglass, Inverted Triangle, Misses
Occasion: Prom, Evening
Season: Spring, Fall, Winter, Summer
Neckline: Square
Waist: Empire
Hemline/Train: Floor Length
Sleeve Length: Sleeveless
Embellishments: Beading, Ruching/Pleated, Rhinestone
Fabric: Chiffon
Built-In Bra: Yes
Fully Lined: Yes
Shown Color: Pink
Body Shape: Hourglass, Inverted Triangle, Misses
Occasion: Prom, Evening
Season: Spring, Fall, Winter, Summer
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