Halfway into their engagement, these cuties returned to square one, starting anew, planning a celebration that truly represented them, and I’m so glad they did, because these finished results make my heart happy. Their closest friends and family (and one furry pup) celebrated in Lake Placid, with a relaxed, yet still super special, elegantly whimsical affair, with bright blooms by Fleurtacious Designs. Tracey Buyce captured every bit – don’t miss all the colorful confetti in our VAULT right this way!
From the Bride… Officially Brian and I met three summers ago: I was back home for the summer, working at the local college where Brian worked full-time. We like to think, though, that our paths first crossed many, many years ago: my grandfather was Brian’s elementary school principal, and it was not unusual for me to visit my grandfather at work when I was very young.
Brian and I are both former college athletes who’ve had a hard time giving up competition. When we began dating Brian was training for the Lake Placid Ironman and I was trying to qualify for the New York City Marathon. Our first “date” was literally a race – I asked Brian to help pace me to a personal best in the 5k, and we’ve been running together ever since. We fell in love, as runners do, over thousands of miles shared, from back country roads in interior Maine to loops on the Bridle Path in Central Park. A little over a year later, Brian proposed on the same street corner as that race’s starting line.
Initially, we planned a long engagement and a huge wedding (in my hometown, in an historic ballroom with 250 guests). We both have big, unusually close-knit families. But as the planning wore on, Brian and I both realized that a big wedding wasn’t really what we wanted. We both dislike pomp and circumstance. I had bought a big, dramatic gown that was beautiful but really made me feel like I was a kid playing dress-up. Nine months into an eighteen-month engagement we returned to square one: We reimagined everything, right down to our venue. We wanted something intimate, intentional, and meaningful, as reflective as these things can be of us as a couple.
On our third or fourth date we drove up to Lake Placid to do a sprint triathlon. The race didn’t go well (Brian biked five miles in the wrong direction and I got a flat tire), but we both would later say that that day was the one where we knew. We decided to get married at the Lake Placid Lodge, right on the shores of Lake Placid with sweeping views of the Adirondack Mountains. We wanted to return the focus of the day to the wedding itself, the actual business of getting married (rather than the party). To that end, we decided to do just a small ceremony and dinner party (no dancing, no DJ). We trimmed the guest list to just 34 people (family and five friends who might as well be family). I am a writer (and come from a family of writers) and so the crafting of the ceremony was extremely important to me; our friend, Allison (also a writer) officiated (her first wedding!) with unparalleled grace and wisdom, and we chose readings by Mary Oliver and Charles Schultz (my grandfather was a lifelong Peanuts reader). I bought a new dress that was not really a dress at all (a skirt by Catherine Deane from BHLDN and a low-back silk-jersey ballet tank by Carol Hannah). I told my bridesmaids to choose their own dress in a roughly-coral shade. Our flowers were lush, asymmetrical, and organic – perfectly in step with the unfussy, laid-back feel of the evening. We ate at long farm tables, al fresco, on a veranda overlooking the lake, and at the start of dinner opened poppers – a family tradition at holidays. We put on the silly paper crowns and read to one another the pun-filled riddles and laughed and laughed. The Lodge made a bonfire and we gave out, as favors, s’mores kits and roasted marshmallows under the stars.
July 31, 2015 – as it turned out – called for a blue moon, a rare lunar event. In the middle of dinner – as if on cue – we watched the moon rise, oversized and glowing, over the mountains beyond the lake. We are a family who has family dinners, and this was one of the very best.
From Fleurtacious Designs… Emily came to me with a vision of a natural, whimsical wedding decor, of greenery, textures designed in tones of coral and peach. We chose blooms of juliet and white ohara garden roses, free spirit roses, petite spray roses, begonias, ferns, eucalyptus and more! The ceremony decor of the garland under the moose head was just the right touch and the floral accents on the rustic chairs couldn’t have been more ideal. The intimate family style table seating just over thirty guests was romantic with the flowing arrangements and candlelight!
Photography: Tracey Buyce Photography | Floral Design: Fleurtacious Designs | Wedding Dress: BHLDN | Stationery: Paper Dolls of Saratoga | Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Jewelry: Dannijo | Makeup: Make Me Fabulous | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Groomsmen's Attire: The Black Tux | Venue: Lake Placid Lodge | Bridal Boutique: BHLDN | Rentals: Total Events