Katie and Kevin - October 15, 2016

Katie and Kevin were married on October 15, 2016 on a seriously gorgeous day in Rock City Falls, NY at The Mansion Inn. 

To start off - Katie and Kevin have THE CUTEST love story. They both attended Hartwick College together where they became “acquaintances” and exchanged polite small talk for a few years. Once they graduated, Katie was going down to North Carolina to visit her sister and found out that she was living near Camp Lejeune. Katie recalled seeing that her acquaintance Kevin was in the Marine Corps and stationed at this very base, so she reached out to meet up when she was visiting and the rest is history! A move from New York to North Carolina, a few job changes and two dog adoptions later, Katie and Kevin now live in North Carolina together with their fur babies.

These guys had not only one WPP planner but two!  Shannon worked with Katie and Kevin starting back in the summer of 2015 to plan out the details of their event.  I picked up earlier this fall to put all of those details together so that everything would be smooth and easy for them on their big day.  On the day of their wedding Katie and Kevin were both just so ready to see each other and finally get married. Katie and her beautiful, lovely and bubbly girl friends were in the front room of The Mansion Inn listening to their favorite tunes and sipping on nerve calming mimosas in the sunshine. Kevin and his men were off-site picking up grub and killing some time pre-ceremony returning with quite a few stories to tell about their entertaining errands.

The time finally came for Katie to step into her absolutely beautiful lace dress that fit her like a glove, and for Kevin to put on his dapper grey suit for their first look on the porch of the Inn. This moment was one of my favorites of the day- man let me tell you, these two really love each other! As their guests started to arrive they headed to the pond on The Mansion’s property where the ceremony was to be held. The resident swans even made a beautiful appearance and welcomed guests! Katie and Kevin’s ceremony was special for many reasons, but one of them was that it was officiated by one of Kevin’s fraternity brothers, Father Paul Messner. The ceremony was beautiful and that much more meaningful for Katie and Kevin because their officiant knew both of them, their stories and all of their friends personally.

After an amazing ceremony by the pond, guests travelled to the rose garden for cocktail hour filled with delicious food, drinks and personal touches. Everyone flowed through the gardens looking at the little tiny jars filled with local honey to take home, grabbing blankets marked “To have and to hold, in case you get cold” and admiring the beautiful remembrance table Katie and Kevin included in their layout. Another thing you need to know about Katie and Kevin, and all of their guests, is not only were they ready to get the celebration started but there is no doubt that they all know how to party! Almost immediately, speeches got everyone laughing and the two Best Men even had a surprise ‘icing’ for Kevin as payback for when he asked his friends to officially be groomsmen. The whole reception was held under the tent with perfect lighting, an incredible meal and a rockin’ set list that kept everyone dancing straight through the night.

All of the above would not have been possible without the amazing group of people I worked with for Katie and Kevin’s wedding. A special thank you goes out to; Annie from The Mansion Inn for all of her hard work and help, Gina from Gina Tarbell Makeup and Jenn from Timeless Updos for getting on scene early to help Katie and her girls get ready, Lisa from Price Chopper East Greenbush for creating the bridesmaid's bouquets, the beautiful centerpieces and the Memory Table brooch bouquet (made with antique brooches that have been in their families for years), Posie Peddler who made Katie's all baby's breath bouquet, and of course DJ Michael M. Boslet for keeping the party going all night. I had the absolute pleasure of working with Chelsea from Chelsea Ahl Photography for the day, watching her capture every bit of the day perfectly, as you can see in the photos below.

Katie and Kevin are two of the most kind and caring people I have ever met. They both have a great sense of humor and their friendship is something that I will forever be grateful for. I knew from the beginning when Katie said, “We have rescue puppies” and we started comparing pictures of our labs, that this was going to be a beautiful, black lab loving partnership. Working with these two and their hilarious family and friends was beyond wonderful and I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to be a special part of this day. Cheers to many more years of beer flights, lab love and karaoke you two!

xoxo,

Kate

Alexa and Peter - October 1, 2016

Alexa and Peter were married in beautiful Cooperstown on October 1, 2016. Cooperstown and Otsego Lake hold a special place in both Alexa and Peter’s hearts bringing forth fond childhood summertime memories. When the time came to choose a location for their wedding that meant something to both of them; there was no question it had to be Cooperstown.

Alexa and Peter’s day started surrounded by family, friends and laughter. Peter and his dashing men got ready lakeside in a beautiful cottage while music filled the rooms. Alexa’s girls and family surrounded her with love and light giggling and snapping pictures as they got beautified. A trolley transported both the dapper men in suits and the beautiful women in gowns to St. Mary’s church for an incredible and meaningful ceremony. The gorgeous high ceilings and old school architecture of this church truly brought a classic and regal feel to Alexa and Peter’s “I do’s”.

Cocktail hour was held on The Fenimore Art Museum’s back terrace overlooking Otsego Lake with stunning little gardens and beautiful stone work. Guests enjoyed signature cocktails while playing corn hole with Alexa and Peter’s customized game sporting their home town of Troy and now wedding town of “Coop”. Trolleys then took the guests across the street to the Farmer’s Museum for dinner and dancing in the gorgeous barn space. The team from Lucy Townsend Catering created delicious courses based on Alexa and Peter’s family recipes and favorites while Body and Soul blew everyone away with their musical talent long into the night. Once the sun went down, the courtyard opened up for guests to enjoy a magically light outdoor escape.

One very special aspect of Alexa and Peter’s reception was their head table. This story is one that every time I tell it, I tear up. In Peter’s front yard at his parents’ house there was a huge tree. His mom told me the tree “just had to go” but it was a sad moment for them so instead of cutting the tree up and using it as firewood Peter’s parents custom made Alexa and Peter a huge, absolutely gorgeous, table to use at their wedding. They will now keep this table forever in their home as their dining room table and the tree will live on in Peter’s family forever.

A huge and very special thank you goes out to all of the amazing people I had the pleasure of working with for Alexa and Peter’s wedding; including everyone at Christopher Brian Salon who provided hair and makeup for these lovely women, the wonderful staff of Lucy Townsend Catering, the unbelievable Anne from the Farmer’s Museum and Fenimore, Mark from LaValley Group for his stunning lighting skills and of course Chris and the rest of Body and Soul band. The beautiful flowers were provided by Jackie from A Rose is Rose Florist, their cake and cute little macaroon favors were from The Placid Baker in Troy and William Beyer and his team from Nuvue Cinema worked their magic in recording what I am sure is to be a simply stunning recap of Alexa and Peter’s day. Last but certainly not least, the rock star Jessie Casey from Casey Connell Photography and her team of superheroes beautifully documented Alexa and Peter’s day right down to every single detail, as you can see below.

My favorite part about this whole day was the tiny details that made Alexa and Peter’s day so simple and personal. From their custom table, to the macaroon favors- they thought of everything. I have known Alexa and Peter’s families for my whole life so working with these extremely warm and loving people was truly something that I will forever cherish.  Cheers to many years’ ahead and more precious memories made at Otsego Lake and Cooperstown.

xoxo,

Kate