Just Married: Katelyn and Alexander Schnackenberg

A gorgeous downtown wedding, complete with amazing local vendors, “Morticia Addams goes to Pottery Barn” details, and lots of great food. Read on to see and hear about all of the details of Katelyn and Alexander’s day, with beautiful images by Teresa Bushey!

THE COUPLE: Katelyn (maiden name: Cardone) & Alexander Schnackenberg

Tell us about yourselves!

I (Katelyn) grew up in Glens Falls, NY, attending school in the Glens Falls School District. I am both a SUNY Adirondack and SUNY Oswego Alumni with a BFA in Graphic Design.

Alexander grew up in Glen, NY, attending school at Fonda-Fultonville. He graduated from the University of Albany with a BS in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. He currently works as a software engineer for Jahnel Group Inc., based out of Schenectady.

Mural Pictured by Artists Rob Harriman and Hannah Williams

Where did you meet?

We met online; our first date started at Raul's before ending up at the Bourbon Room. We both bonded over our love for tacos and old fashioneds.

What do you two like to do together?

We both enjoy photography; I have done work professionally, and for Alex it's more of a hobby and excuse to travel.

In the last month and a half before the wedding, we found a local dance instructor (Aaron Coulson at ACEntertainment out of Hudson Falls) and discovered we both really love to dance, so we plan to keep taking lessons and continue dancing as a way to grow together.

We love going to local trivia nights - the Bourbon Room and Mean Max being some of our favorite haunts.

We love to cook together, we are always trying different things in the kitchen and at our home bar. Our friends never leave our house hungry or sober.

Any fun facts about you as a couple?

We love to host and entertain, and we enjoy being the center of making plans. We keep our friends and families in weekly rotations. We are equally social with different skills - Alex is the cook/bartender, and I set the tone with music, entertainment, and refer to myself as the "charcuterie queen."

We both love to travel. Alex has traveled / lived in Africa, Colombia, Panama and Brazil; I traveled to New Zealand for a 4 month stay. With Covid taking up more than half of our relationship, we have not had the opportunity to travel internationally other than Montreal, but that will all change in the coming months.

Florals by Epithet Floral • Mural Pictured by Artists Rob Harriman and Hannah Williams

THE PROPOSAL

Originally Alex had really wanted us to travel to Italy and had envisioned delivering the proposal in Rome. Covid of course dashed those plans, and Alex ended up popping the question on the shores of Lake George. He lured me to a "Christmas card photo shoot," where my aunt was going to use her camera to take some photos of us by the lake. Little did I know that Alex had the ring in his pocket the whole time, and he surprised both me and my aunt. It was because my Aunt Larissa had her camera on her that we were able to catalog the whole thing, and because it was in November, we had the lake all to ourselves.

THE WEDDING: September 17th, 2021

What were your favorite parts (and the most challenging parts) of the planning process?

For Alex, the best part was working with Doc's to throw a really great reception, complete with signature cocktails and endless amounts of food. We both come from families that have strong connections to their roots; I am Italian and Alex is German. We both knew that we did not want the food to stop and went from cocktail hour to dinner to dessert , and ended the night with a "Taco - to- go" bar on the way out.

What ended up being challenging was worrying too much about making friends and loved ones "happy guests" (probably no more than any other couple). Covid put a lot of pressure on the guest count and the size of the venue we chose. We were careful to establish boundaries and hold the wedding we wanted, and everyone who came enjoyed themselves immensely.

Tell us about the venue!

If you have not been yet, The Park Theater is stunning! For myself (Alex humbly admits that I handled all the aesthetics), I wanted a restored building that had all the modern amenities. We are frequent patrons of Doc’s, so it was a quick decision for us. The Art Deco details that gave the room character, the amazing food, and Ethan, the best bartender in downtown Glens Falls, combined with their amazing event coordinator, Megan - it really was the best of everything for us.

What was your vision for the occasion?

When I first initiated contact with our florist, Epithet Floral, I described our wedding as "Morticia Addams goes to Pottery Barn," which is what we got. I envisioned brass candlesticks, brass pedestal centerpieces, black on black table settings, and gold accents wherever they could. My favorite decor item was the giant brass vessels that held enormous centerpieces in the entry and gift table, and the two vintage mirrors I thrifted and my Maid of Honor, Katie used her creativity to create decals that would create signage for the reception. The florals were perfection. We wanted lush, dark greenery, paired with dark reds and ivory zinnias and dahlias, we only asked for no pink. Our florist, Emily Rubin, is a floral goddess. If you are a 518 bride, she is remarkable and so talented, and incredibly easy to work with.

Tell us about all of the details of the day!

I went to nine bridal stores between here and Albany, and I found them all to be lacking variety for a plus size bride. On Instagram, I started following Something Bleu, a boutique bridal store in downtown Saratoga Springs. On their stories, they announced a trunk show for Studio Levana - a designer that I had been following for a while and noticed that it was the designer for most of the dresses on my Pinterest board. When I saw the dress on Something Bleu's story, and they announced that they would have their trunk show the following weekend, I immediately made an appointment. I walked in, looked at my bridal consultant Liza, and said "make me a sexy milk maid, like an Alphonse Mucha painting." I tried on the dress I wanted, and two more, looped back to the first dress and left without it. It took less than an hour for me to realize that I made a mistake not buying it, and I called the store, and came back for the dress - and the rest was history.

For the bridesmaids, I wanted them all to choose a black dress of their choosing. I envisioned a "AHS Coven" moment, and figured that black would be the easiest color to find, in a million different styles, price points, and sizes. I wanted it to be easy for them. The groomsmen and groom all bought their suits from J.Reid Menswear so that they would all match. They were so professional and easy to work with.

Our cake was a small tier cake. A bunch of my family members (myself included) have Celiac Disease, so the cake had to be gluten free. Instead of subjecting everyone to gluten free cake, we chose to do macarons (they are traditionally gluten free by default) from Alchemy Bagel as our wedding dessert. We love supporting them - we purchase our weekly bread from Alchemy every week at the Farmers Market, and almost always purchase the special release macaron boxes they offer from time to time. It was a no-brainer for us to choose them, and we were able to choose six different dessert flavors for our guests to choose from. They were incredible and guests raved about them. We especially loved that everyone could still dance with one macaron in each hand - it kept the party going!

As for unique details, we had my Nana be the Flower Queen (traditionally called the flower girl), and she was escorted down the aisle by my mother, Cathleen. We opted out of doing favors and had a photo booth set up where guests could all take photos home with them. An additional take home was the taco bar on the way out - at that point we had had an open bar for four hours, so the tacos were met with rave reviews.

We had signature cocktails that Ethan, the bartender at Doc's, created especially for us. He came up with what we thought were our perfect drinks; I am a G+T girl, Alex loves an old fashioned, and we both love Sangria. Ethan even went as far as too make us a signature mocktail, to cater to our multiple guests who do not drink alcohol.

Doc’s helped us curate an amazing menu! One of our favorite highlights was how they worked in Alex's German heritage into the cocktail hour. We had soft pretzels with Oktoberfest beer sauce, potato pancakes with beet infused sour cream, and bratwurst stuffed puff pastry with roasted apple butter - his family was astounded at how delicious they were!

We opted to not do the traditional garter toss and did not do a bouquet toss (that thing was expensive!!), and instead chose to do an anniversary dance, where all the married couples come to the dance floor and eventually after the DJ kept calling out numbers of years married, we ended on my Great Aunt Rose and Great Uncle Richie, who have been married 61 years - and the crowd went wild! We also celebrated the birthday and anniversaries of our wedding guests who attended - our way of extending our gratitude for them choosing to spend their special day with us, celebrating our wedding.

What were your favorite moments from the day?

Alex's favorite moment was standing in front of the altar in St. Mary's reciting our vows to one another. Another favorite moment was at the end of a great reception, our DJ had told us the last song he would play would Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and when that came on it was just a huge wave of relief as the anxiety of the previous months just lifted and we realized we really had done it.

One of my favorite moments was doing a first look with my bridesmaids who had not seen my wedding dress yet. Another favorite, of course, was doing my first look with Alex on the roof of The Queensbury Hotel. Alex's reaction was to burst into laughter when he first turned around, which made me immediately start laughing too.

The speeches at the reception are what really resonate with me. The kind words and memories shared on that day are moments and words that I will carry in my mind forever.

How about a honeymoon?

I just started a job in July, so I didn't have a lot of vacation time accrued (although my company was very generous anyway in granting me about a week and a half off). We settled on a mini-moon in the Finger Lakes for a few days. Our timing was perfect because the weather had just started cooling off and we had a great time in the area (we even ran into a worker at a winery who told us they had gone to Lake George for *their* honeymoon!). It also happened to be the first week of harvest at the wineries in the Finger Lakes, and we loved how we could watch how it was all being done, while admiring the stunning views of the Finger Lakes from every winery we went too.

Do you have any advice to share with a future bride and groom?

Throw the wedding you want, stay within your means, and don't stress about what anyone tells you that you have to do. Marriage isn't about the wedding, the wedding is about celebrating you and your decision to enter into a partnership with your love.

...with that said we probably still went a little overboard with some of the details (I am not sorry).

Vendor Credits

We ended up having almost all of our vendors based out of Glens Falls, but we really didn't set out to do things that way! We really found the local options to be superior to what we could find elsewhere, and we're really excited to live in such a great community!

Venue: The Park Theater

Food/Catering: Doc's Restaurant

Event Coordinator: Megan Ryder

Bartender: Ethan McKee

Cake: Alchemy Bagel Company

Gown: Something Bleu Bridal; Designer: Studio Levana

Suits: J. Reid Menswear

Donuts: Birch Bark Eatery

Hair: Angela Tucker - Salon 305

Esthetician: PamperedbyCatelyn- Catelyn McCann- 518 Beauty Room

Photographer: Teresa Bushey

Florals: Epithet Floral

Band : T&T- Tony & Tom

DJ : George Miller - 2GuysDJ

Ring Designer: Northeastern Fine Jewelers

Rentals: Action Photo Booth

Rooms: The Queensbury Hotel

Rehearsal Dinner: Morgan & Company

Ceremony: St. Mary's Catholic Church

Choreographer: ACEntertainment - Aaron Coulson

Murals Pictured by Artists Rob Harriman and Hannah Williams

Just Married: Joshua & Nikari Gali

A gorgeous backyard wedding, complete with peak fall foliage, bohemian details, and so much love. Read on to see and hear about all of the details of Nikari and Josh’s day, with gorgeous images by The Pinckards!

THE COUPLE: Joshua & Nikari Gali

We met in college at The University at Buffalo on the track team. I (Nikari) thought Josh was the most handsome person ever and I initiated the interaction. After that, Josh asked for my phone number and we’ve been inseparable ever since. 6 years later and we are still as in love as the first day.

We love quality time together. Our favorite pastime is going out to dinner or ordering in. We always try to make it a point to eat at least one meal a day together. Preferably dinner because we get to sit down, pray & talk about our days and unwind. It sets us up to have intentional time together and that usually leads us to either watching a movie, TV or just silently enjoying each other’s company while we accomplish our own necessary tasks.

We are very opposite in the best ways. We also are crazy athletic as a couple combined & separately. We have a mutual love for working out (which was how we met: track team in college). We always have the best time and you truly have to marry someone who is your best friend.

THE PROPOSAL

So, Josh met me in downtown Glens Falls for dinner after work since I work in downtown. We went to farmacy and had such a good night. The food was amazing, our drinks were amazing and we even got a free dessert. The night was so fun and it was a shock that it wasn’t planned.

During dinner I received a text from my friend to come over and have a game night and I was like, “absolutely, we’ll drive to you after dinner” (They live about 40 minutes away in Schroon Lake). After dinner we walked toward my car and Josh asked me if I wanted to take a walk. Unfortunately, I said no. He then asked if I wanted to just head into my studio (I had mentioned earlier that I wanted to clean the studio). But, I again opted for no and said I would come in earlier the next morning to clean. I hate being late so I was just eager to get to game night. Little did I know Josh had the ring in his pocket all through dinner.

We got to game night and stayed for a few hours. We didn’t end up getting home until about 12:30pm. When we finally got home, I was getting ready for bed and Josh was acting a little suspicious. I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed. I sat down on the couch and he finally came over and proposed. I honestly wasn’t expecting it at that moment and that’s what I loved. It’s so unbelievably hard to surprise me unfortunately, so the fact that Josh was surprising in itself. I always wanted to have a private engagement, just the two of us; with no one around. It was beyond intimate and amazing and I would do it that way all over again. The poor guy had the ring in his pocket for almost 7 hours and I had no idea. He was determined to do it before I went to bed and it was everything.

THE WEDDING - October 22, 2020

Our elopement date was 10/22/20. Due to COVID-19 we couldn’t plan the wedding of our dreams but wanted to still get married. So, we decided to get eloped with our talented friends (Dan+ Laura, The Pinckards) as our photographers with just immediate family. We are having our larger wedding to recommit ourselves to each other in front of all the family and friends we wished were there. We will be having our larger wedding 10/22/21, a year to the date. It will be our one-year anniversary so that will also be fun. 

The Planning

My favorite part was how stress free the planning process and our day was. The most challenging part would have to be trying to explain to both sides of family that we were getting eloped and that we are planning a bigger wedding next year. We didn’t want any family members to feel left out or that they weren’t important enough to be there for the elopement. It was definitely the hardest part because some of family members were hurt.

The Venue

We recently bought a house with a decent amount of land in the back. We couldn’t necessarily have our elopement at a venue so we opted for our backyard. It was such a beautiful day with all of the fall foliage in the background. I think if we had the choice for a venue at the time we still would have chosen our backyard. To be legally married in back of our first home was super special and something we get to remember forever!

The Details

Our style is very bohemian, mid-century modern, Scandinavian with a chic and modern twist all wrapped into one. We went with very neutral earth colored tones with hues of burnt orange and rusty brown with accents. This style echoes throughout our home so it was only right that it was a part of our special day.

Everything was pretty much custom made. Josh built, sanded and stained the arbor and Dan helped Josh assemble it. Laura and I made my bouquet and all the arbor flowers that attached to the arch. Josh also built and stained a table for cookies and champagne and we hung a bible verse behind it (Corinthians). I had an accessory appointment at Something Blue Bridal in Saratoga and picked a beautiful veil and comb that I get to wear again next year.

Our aisle runner was actually a boho rug with rose petals that lined the sides. Super boho chic.

Pretty much every aspect was DIY and we 100% could not have been happier.

The Gown

My gown is actually a funny story. My friend Laura (1/2 of The Pinckards) and I were scrolling through Pinterest and we found such a cool gown. It led us to Etsy where we found the company. The company was based in New Zealand though and it was questionable whether I would receive it in time. I ended up getting in contact with the owner. I explained I needed my dress in a little over a month. I sent her over my measurements, paid for express/rushed shipping and my dress was custom, handmade to my measurements and delivered to my door in plenty of time.

The Food

We planned to not have a cake and my mom said absolutely not. It was a probably a week or less before our elopement date and she searched high and low for someone to make a cake for us on such short notice. She finally found Katie Callahan and reached out to her. My mom had full creative control over our cake because we wanted her to do whatever. It was such a special and meaningful surprise.

The Muffin Top Baker literally made the most amazing cookies ever. I gave her ideas and said, “Run with it, I completely trust you and what you do.” She knocked it out of the park and everyone loved them.

We also did champagne flutes with a custom charcuterie board made by one of my friends.

The Moments

We absolutely loved being with our family. It was so special. We also loved that we rented a room for dinner at The Queensbury Hotel and had an open bar for a few hours and nice sit-down dinner. It was very sophisticated and intimate. The Queensbury Hotel did an amazing job accommodating all of us and making sure we were taken care of and safe. I also loved that after dinner we went into their terrace and the string lights were hanging. We had a fire and just enjoyed each other’s company. The next day everyone came back to our house and we spent more quality time together.

The Honeymoon

No honeymoon this year -unfortunately with COVID-19 and all it didn’t make sense to travel somewhere and possibly quarantine there and upon return. We are holding onto hope that will take our honeymoon after our wedding in October. We’re thinking either a Europe honeymoon or a tropical one…maybe both, who knows!

Some Advice…

Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about decisions you are making. If you feel you are correct, stand behind it, don’t second guess yourself because you made those decisions for a reason.

Also, delegate. Don’t try to take everything on by yourself. It’s okay to ask different people in your family to do different things for you, even if they don’t offer. Don’t tackle it alone. Don’t stress. It should be one of the happiest times of your life so don’t let anyone get to you or get under your skin. It’s your day - for one day, be selfish.

——————

VENDORS

Food/Catering: The Queensbury Hotel

Cookies: The Muffin Top Baker

Cake: Katie Callahan, @Katiedoescatering

Gown: Boom Blush Boutique

Aesthetician: Serena Callahan, Wink Skincare & Lash

Waxing: Leslie Shea, Revive Hair and Skin @skinandnailsbyleslie

Photographer: The Pinckards

Florals: Adirondack Boho Co.

Ring Designer: Neil Lane

Rentals: Adirondack Boho Co. 

Just Married: Zack & Bari Sopczyk

An intimate backyard setting, pizza and wings, and Converse sneaks - just a few of the sweet, personal touches that made Bari and Zack’s summer wedding even more beautiful. Read on for more, along with gorgeous images by Hannah Rosie Photography!

THE COUPLE: Zack & Bari Sopczyk

Tell us about yourselves! 

Zack grew up in Glens Falls and currently works as a project manager for Kamco Supply Co. I (Bari) own two businesses in Glens Falls.  Studio Bari was the first - that is the name of the business that I operate under as a nail artist. The second is Studio Elements LLC, which is the home to Studio Bari, along with other local beauty service providers.

Where did you meet? 

We met a long time ago! After graduating high school, we both worked for a business in Lake George. Zack worked at the ice cream shop and I worked at the adjoining gift shop! We went on a few dates but since we were both only 18 at the time, we had some more learning to do ;)

We re-connected on Facebook almost 10 years later!

What is something you like to do together?

We love hanging out with friends and family and going out to eat! We’re big foodies :)

What’s a fun fact about you two as a couple?

Hmmm...people always seem to be pretty fascinated by our height. Collectively, we’re almost 13 feet tall!

THE PROPOSAL

Zack proposed at Battlefield Park in Lake George in September 2019! I was very surprised in the moment but I’ll be honest - I was waiting for it all damn summer!

I didn’t give Zack any guidance when it came to picking out my ring. All I told him was I wanted something with color. I was absolutely blown away when I saw it! He was determined to find something with my favorite color blue in it and let me tell you - he succeeded! I’m in love with my Blue Diamond halo style ring.

THE WEDDING - August 29, 2020

The Planning

The most challenging part was deciding what to do for our wedding while going through a global pandemic BUT that led to our favorite part: we loved the intimacy of our small wedding. We decided pretty early on during quarantine to cancel our big wedding. We were on a Zoom call with Zack’s family for Easter (so this was in April) and everyone was joking that we might not get to see each other until Thanksgiving. When we logged off the call, we pretty much looked at each other and made the mutual decision to cancel. It was such a relief making that call and we have no regrets whatsoever!

The Venue

It was tough deciding what to do after cancelling our big wedding. We are so lucky that Zack’s brother and his wife had the perfect space to host our micro wedding at their house right here in Glens Falls!

The Details

EVERYTHING changed after cancelling the big wedding. I went from planning a modern, elegant, romantic wedding to a summery, floral backyard wedding.

Wearing my dress was the best part of the day for me! (Besides marrying the man of my dreams, of course). Ever since I was little, I ALWAYS wanted to wear Cinderella blue. So, like most girls, I always browsed wedding dresses online but always looking for blue. I actually found my dress online a few years before we got engaged (hehe). As soon as I saw it, I knew Zack would love it. So after we got engaged, I did some research and found that Something Bleu Bridal in Saratoga carried the designer! I went and tried it on and INSTANTLY knew it was my dress. Never even tried on any other gowns! 

Since we decided to go with an outdoor backyard wedding, I knew I HAD to wear a flower crown! My friend Emily of Epithet Floral, absolutely killed it bringing my Pinterest vision to life for my bouquet and crown!

We had pizza and wings for dinner (that was a hit!) from Angelina’s, and I was so happy that my dear friend Baked by Jordan was still willing to make dessert for us! Our guests loved having a variety of cupcakes to choose from!

And of course, we were so grateful to have our favorite photographer (and one of my best friends) capture our day. Hannah Rosie Photography always delivers!

The Moments

There were three super special moments from the day! 

The first was everyone surprising me by wearing Converse! They are my favorite shoe, so I had custom platform Chucks made that said Mrs. Sopczyk on them to wear with my dress. As Zack and I were standing at the altar holding hands, I was looking around and realized ALL 21 PEOPLE at our wedding had converse on! Including our 6 month old niece!

The second surprise was a big group of our friends showing up to say hi after our ceremony! Since we cut our guest list down to immediate family only, it was so special being able to see our friends on our big day, even if it was just for a minute!

The third surprise was also my favorite gift from the wedding. My father-in-law pulled me aside after the ceremony to give me a beautiful gold necklace that belonged to his mother, Zack’s grandmother. I put it on right then and haven’t taken it off since!

The Honeymoon

No honeymoon. Global Pandemic. Blergh.

(Hehe, we plan on doing something once the world opens back up!)

Some Advice…

As the bride, my advice is to delegate! I’m the kind of girl who likes to do everything herself but I’ll admit, I was stressed about everything changing so I chose a few people that I trusted to completely take care of things for me and I’m so glad I did! 

Advice to a couple: soak it alllllllll in. Super cliche, but you know how everyone always says “oh it flies by so fast” ? Well, it really does. 

—————

VENDORS:

Venue: Backyard

Food/Catering: Angelina’s Pizzeria

Cake: (and cupcakes) Baked by Jordan

Gown: Claire Pettibone, Something Bleu Bridal

Hair + Makeup: Did it myself

Nails: Studio Bari

Photographer: Hannah Rosie Photo

Florals: Epithet Floral

Congratulations, Bari and Zack!

P.S. See more of our Wedding series here… and if you have a wedding to share, please email us at hello@glensfallsliving.com or via our contact form here!

Just Married: Haley & Mike Gerarde

A gorgeous barn, a beautiful autumn day, and the most lovely couple! We’re so thrilled to share Haley and Mike’s October 2019 wedding, their favorite details from the day, and some excellent advice if you’re planning a wedding yourself. Read on for more, along with beautiful images by Juliana Renee Photography!

THE COUPLE - Haley & Mike Gerarde

Tell us about yourselves!

I am the Director of the Lake George Teen Center, and part time stay at home mom to our smart and spunky little girl, JoJo. I love getting outdoors (preferably when I don't have to put on 3+ layers before heading out), and now more than ever (because of having JoJo) love exploring what our community has to offer for family activities in addition to the outdoor aspects. Mike is humble - when I asked him what he wanted to showcase, his response was “works at KEENA, plays golf but sucks at it (lol), loves spending time with his girls, and lives and dies with Syracuse sports - especially basketball”. And I can attest to that! Mike will literally run outside chanting the fight song when they win, and he will wake up the next morning like he lost his job when they lose. I disagree that he sucks at golf, I personally think he is pretty athletic - I remember right before we started dating playing basketball at the YMCA with husband buddies and thinking he could jump so high. But things look different when you’ve got heart eyes!

Where did you meet?

The first time we met, we were both meeting some mutual friends to go mini golfing at Pirate’s Cove. After that day specifically, our paths seemed to cross a lot more.

What do the two of you like to do together?

Mike and I love hiking, which we haven’t done as much as we used to after the birth of our daughter, Josephine (“JoJo”), so now we enjoy long walks on the trails behind our house, and getting out to ‘Cuse (I was never a fan of sports before stepping into the Dome with Mike, but it was love at first sight. Although I still mainly go out there for the Tully’s Tenders).

Fun fact about you as a couple?

The first few times that we got together without our friends, we were almost guaranteed to be on opposite pages about whether or not it was a date.

THE PROPOSAL

So we were actually expecting JoJo before Mike proposed. We had talked about spending our life together, but thought we should wait until after she was born to think about marriage so that each big life event could have its own time. I was so confident in his word that I absolutely was not expecting a proposal anytime soon, and honestly wondered how long it would take him to pull together a proposal after she was born.

We were staying at The Sagamore for the Ice Bar in 2018 and I was truly already having the time of my life (and I was sober which made it that much more exciting to be dancing and laughing so hard!). I had been asking to get up to bed for almost an hour, maybe longer. Mike kept stalling but I just just thought it was because he was having such a good time. Apparently he had been planning to propose for over 3 hours at that point! Finally, we got up to our room at The Sagamore, and he asked if we could enjoy the deck just one last time before we went to bed. While we were out there I saw his friend in our room, and he told us he needed to use the bathroom - silly old me didn’t even think twice about his excuse for being in our room. Shortly after seeing him, Mike got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. All of his friends were down below and starting hooting and hollering. I was in such shock, that when his friend asked what I said, Mike responded “she didn’t even answer!”. And then, of course, I said “YES you goofball! Of course!”. Then I realized his friend was actually in the room to take photos of the proposal. Apparently at one point in the night, I sat on his lap and asked him to move his phone from his pocket - it was the ring!! So many things looking back could have given away the proposal and I just never had any idea.

Mike’s father passed away when he was younger, and I am lucky enough to wear the stone that he had gotten for his mom (from Syracuse - a family favorite!!), with a band from Florida, where he spent his Christmases before having a family of his own.

THE WEDDING - October 5, 2019

The Planning

We loved our engagement shoot. Mike has never been a fan of taking photos in general, but especially photo shoots. On the drive there (Shelving Rock Falls), he was asking how long it would take and how we could make it shorter. At the end of the shoot, Mike literally thanked Juliana for the best “date night” that we had had in a while - and a date night it was. She worked so hard (and successfully) to give us memories with our photos instead of just a nice shot. Juliana was easily the best part of the planning process. The most challenging part was trying to figure out which tables would be best, and how we wanted to seat people in the tent.

The Venue

Mike and I got married on my family’s property on Old West Mountain Road in Queensbury. They have a beautiful barn, that my dad and grandfather totally revamped for our wedding (my mom and I each did a coat of stain on the doors!). My mom has an incredible eye for decor and interior design, and her father and mine have an incredible ear and hand for putting it into action. We used the entire property for our special day - my girls and I got ready at the house, my dad drove me down to the aisle (in front of the barn) from the house (an unexpected entrance, as our party entered from the back of the barn), and we enjoyed the night in the barn for snacks and cocktails, in the pasture for dinner, and beside the pond for a bonfire post meal. We even did a casual tribute to those who could not attend our wedding by sending lanterns out onto the pond.

The Details

Navy and mauve were our colors for the wedding, and to be completely honest, I totally lack in vision for things. I either completely over analyze and try to perfect, or I get too overwhelmed and just go willy-nilly. And I mean it! I bought my shoes and bridal party shawls no more than two weeks before the wedding, and we were so behind on suits for the guys that we just told them to wear any blue or grey.

Originally, my bridesmaids were to pick out whatever dress they felt most confident in. Turns out, one dress in particular was very universal for all of them, so they all ended up wearing it.

I got my gown at a trunk sale at Lily in Saratoga. It was the only dress that I did not feel "bridal" in, but also the only one that I came out of the room dancing in, which is how it won my vote. It was so comfortable and also so unique with its beading.

My bridal bouquet was won by one of my bridesmaids, and the rest were purchased from the same vendor and they totally blew me away - they were gorgeous and I barely gave them any criteria to work off of.

We did not have a cake because neither of us like cake, but we had plenty of dessert. Instead of a cake cutting, we actually did a little lantern send off onto the pond in honor of those who were watching our special day from up above.

The Moments

I loved my sister’s speech during dinner. She has always been quite a bit more shy than me, and has recently become such a good public speaker - she blew me away. Then she had the DJ pull our chairs to the middle of the dance floor and projected a video she made onto the side of the tent that incorporated a ton of our times together. I’m very verbal with affirmations, but to hear so many positive things out of her mouth in front of a crowd was so heart warming. It’s also incredible how much she loves Mike, and that makes me happy.

I also really loved my first look with my dad. He got a brief tear in his eye and just made me feel so beautiful. It was incredible to be surrounded by so much love from both sides. I’m thankful we stayed conscious of the time and kept soaking it all in.

The Honeymoon

The following week, Mike and I spent a couple of nights alone in Lake Placid. We had planned to bag a couple of High Peaks, but being able to relax in each other’s company with undivided attention was a honeymoon in itself. We played Battleship, went for long walks, and ate different foods from a few restaurants one night. After a couple of days, JoJo joined us, and we had fun chasing ducks and eating fancy breakfasts. We went home for a day, then Mike and I headed out to Syracuse, our favorite place (with and without JoJo) to go catch a ‘Cuse game and spend the night.

Some Advice…

Take it easy! Don’t worry about the small things! Make it fun for yourself, and live in the moment. I’m not very good at being flexible (shoutout to Mike for living with that the rest of his life), but that day I was and I am so thankful for that. It couldn’t have fallen together better.

—————

Vendors:

Venue: Pogo Farm

Day of Planner: Karen Ricci from Karen andCo

Food/Catering: Pies On Wheels

Gown: Lily Saratoga

Hair: Brooke Dawson

Makeup: Samantha Sennett

Photographer: Julianna Renee Photography

Videographer: Ethan Hill

Invitations: Kingsbury Printing

Florals: Olive and June Floral Co.

DJ: Advent Entertainment

Rentals: Bullseye Tent Rental, Entertainment One

Congratulations, Haley and Mike!

P.S. See more from our Wedding series here.

Just Married: Sarah Reeves and Eric Naioti

A beautiful autumn wedding, complete with deep, rich hues to complement the season and overflowing with meaningful personal touches. When it came time to plan their wedding, Sarah and Eric made walkability a priority for their guests, and Glens Falls turned out to be the perfect place for folks to stroll from their hotel to the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception locations. Read on to see and hear about all of the details of their downtown wedding, with gorgeous images by Kimberly Nicole Studio!

THE COUPLE - Sarah Reeves and Eric Naioti

Tell us about yourselves! 

We met at college at SUNY Geneseo. We were both Chemistry Majors. Turns out, we had excellent chemistry!

There is almost nothing that we don’t like to do together. We love to ski, cook food from our favorite cooking magazine (177 Milk Street), and paint together. Most of our paintings are landscapes and we have about 3 around our apartment. We also trained and ran the Buffalo marathon together in May 2019.

We have a black cat; her name is Hiccup. She is simultaneously the cutest and most ferocious creature in the world, and we love her very much.

On Glens Falls

I grew up in Queensbury, and Eric and I now live in Binghamton, NY. 

A few of our favorite things about coming back to visit:

• Exploring the goodies at The Farmers Market

• Cooper's Cave ice cream. I'm very fond of a Wild Cherry float after biking downtown on a hot summer day.

• Spot coffee and sandwiches at The Exchange Cafe 

• Skiing at West Mountain

• Going for day hikes or snowshoeing in Lake George / the High Peaks

• Catching up and spending time with friends

• Christmas shopping at The Shirt Factory

• Hot cider donuts at the Silo

This list could almost go on forever. The area is a year round playland and I hope someday we can move back!

THE PROPOSAL

We were hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. While we were in the middle of the hike called Falling Waters and I noticed Eric was lagging behind, I doubled back to tease him for being slow and he got down on one knee and proposed! I was completely surprised and honestly shocked that I hadn’t seen it coming. I’m known for being a snoop around the house.

The ring was bought from a vintage jewelry store in Ithaca. Its center stone is a sapphire with a diamond on each side and a white gold band.

THE WEDDING - October 12, 2019

The Planning

My favorite part of the planning process was getting to spend time with my mom and my maids of honor making the decisions for the wedding. It was fun feeling like we were on a mission together to find beautiful flowers at a reasonable price and search craft stores and sales to find decorations that would work in our vision.

There were a lot of challenges in planning. Choosing a venue was difficult as well as hearing other peoples’ (sometimes negative) opinions on the details I was very excited about. It was also challenging to find time to answer all the questions that came last minute.

The Venue 

We chose to have our wedding at Morgan & Company, in the heart of Glens Falls. Most of the reception was held outside. Morgan & Co. rented tents to make this happen and they set up a bar on the front lawn and outdoor seating as well as the dance floor which was perfect for busting moves all night long.

The Details

We had a romantic/moody theme with deep reds, forest green, black and gold accents. We wanted the day to feel cozy and warm while matching the changing colors outside.

So many of the details in our wedding were so personal to us and made our wedding day feel intimate and close to our hearts. We wanted the day to not only be “the perfect day” but truly be a celebration of beginning our life together as a family.

The bridesmaid dresses were black and they all wore pearl necklaces and burgundy pashminas. The pearls were a special touch because my grandmother gifted each of her granddaughters a pearl necklace on our 18th birthdays. She had started making them for us when we were each born. My cousins both wore those necklaces.

Another special touch was Eric’s tux. After struggling to find a tux that “fit his personality”, we decided to go rogue and purchase a burgundy tux jacket that Eric could swap for the rented black jacket that matched all the groomsmen.

I wore a vintage dark ivory lace dress from Bride & Gown with long lace sleeves and gorgeous back detail. I absolutely loved the classic look to this dress and the dark ivory went perfectly with our romantic vision.

Our wedding bands are originally my grandparents. My grandfather passed away when I was young, and my grandma graciously handed down the rings to us for our wedding.

We had a beautiful hand painted cake by The GingerSnap Cake Shop. I really liked the idea of having a cake that looked like a painting rather than a sculpture of frosting. It was a two-tier pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

Yet another special touch was the blackboard sign that welcomed our guests to the reception. My sister in law is an artist and created a beautiful calligraphy style sign inviting our guests to enjoy the special day.

The most unique element of our wedding was the local set up. One of our goals for the wedding was to have all the event locations in the same area. An issue we had encountered at a few weddings we’ve attended before was transportation for the guests between locations. Our vision was to have everyone be able to walk between all the main spaces. So, we decided to host everything in Glens Falls: the rehearsal dinner was at The Bullpen Tavern, our guests stayed at The Queensbury Hotel, the ceremony was at St. Mary’s and the reception was at the Morgan and Co.

The Moments 

My favorite moment of the day was talking to my grandma after the ceremony. She was very excited because during the ceremony the rings were blessed. Only known to her was that the rings had been blessed previously at her wedding in 1966. It was very humbling to see how much that meant to her and made the gift feel even more personal.

The Honeymoon

We went on a honeymoon right after the wedding. We went to France and spent time in Paris and Colmar. We had an amazing time.

Some Advice…

Keep it simple.

—————

Vendor Credits

Ceremony: St Mary’s Church

Venue + Food: Morgan & Company

Cake: The GingerSnap Cake Shop

Gown: Bride & Gown

Hair + Makeup: Beverly Martindale

Photographer: Kim Britton

Invitations: Kingsbury Printing

Florals: The Arrangement Shoppe

DJ / Band: Riptide Entertainment (Justin Sarsick)

Ring: Sheldon Hill Vintage & Estate Jewelry

Transportation: Royale Transportation

Rentals: The Black Tux

Congratulations, Sarah and Eric!

P.S. See more from our Wedding series here.

Just Married: Angela & Seth Weinberger

High school sweethearts, a classic downtown wedding, an elegant ballroom, and dreamy rooftop photos at sunset to cap off the night. We’re so thrilled to share Angela and Seth’s wedding (beautifully captured by Simply 23 Photography), as well as the fun way they met, and the story behind the meaningful proposal. Congratulations, you two!

THE COUPLE - Angela & Seth Weinberger 

Tell us about yourselves!

Seth and I live in South Glens Falls. We love football (the Carolina Panthers - we go to Charlotte in 2 weeks for 4th row seats!), we both love to work on home projects inside and out, and we love to be outside with our two yellow labs Hayden (4), Charlotte (1) doing yard work! Seth and I enjoy local date nights (to Five Guys and Downtown City Tavern), and we also love a good trip to Lowe’s and Homegoods!

I grew up in North Carolina but moved here in 8th grade. Seth was born and raised here. We both went to South High. My family is from the area and had a lot available to build on after my great grandmother passed away. The year I graduated high school and my first year of college, we bought the lot and then saved every penny to build on it.

How did you meet?

Seth and I met when he was a freshman in high school at South High and I was in 8th grade at Oliver Winch Middle School. We were playing “manhunt” at the local elementary school with a big group of friends. Too funny! We started dating when we were in high school, and have been together since!

THE PROPOSAL

Seth proposed on Christmas at my grandparent’s house. What made it so special was that it was our first Christmas with our new home, and my mom and little brother were also in town from California. That was my first Christmas with my brother and the first one I’ve had with my mom in over 10 years. It was very special for me.

At the time we were about 7 years into our relationship. I knew we had created a beautiful life together and built a beautiful home, and I knew the next step would be marriage. 

My engagement ring is very simple. We had actually looked at rings together 2-3 years before he asked. My style changed 5-6 times! I have a very simple but elegant round solitaire.

THE WEDDING - August 23, 2019

The best part of our wedding day was the party and having all of our family and friends together. I come from a family with divorced parents so the most exciting part for me was having my parents and their relatives all together. Being that I have family on the west coast and east coast, some of them had never even met. Seth also has many relatives out of state. It was nice for everyone to get together. We love a good party and to dance!

Our favorite moment from the day was all the love we received from our family and friends. It was so special. Also the anticipation all morning of finally seeing one another and becoming husband and wife! 

The Venue

Our venue was The Queensbury Hotel. We both loved the elegant ballroom theme. Very simple but beautiful. We had all white, black and biscotti (cream) decor. We used white Hydrangeas and floating candles as the centerpiece. It was beautiful. 

The Decor

We both agreed we weren’t the ”color” or “theme” type of couple. We loved the elegance and classy look we went with. Especially being in a ballroom setting. White linens, white flowers, floating candles, and a pop of black and biscotti.

The Details

I had an all white, lace gown with off the shoulder sleeves. My bridesmaids wore a one shoulder biscotti dress and my flower girls (2 little sisters) also had a one shoulder dress. My cake was all white, tiered, vanilla bean frosting with vanilla cake. My aunt owns a local bakery in South Glens Falls (Cakes by Kate). I’ve had so many people tell me how wonderful the food and cake was! 

The Honeymoon

We did not go on a honeymoon right away as we had family in town staying with us after the wedding. Instead we are spending the week before Christmas in sunny Mexico!

Some Advice…

Soak it all in. The love, stress, excitement, anticipation, everything. It goes so quick. When planning, it seems like a lifetime! We loved every single moment. We were both pretty calm and easy going through the whole process and the day of our wedding. That made for a much more enjoyable experience.

VENDOR CREDITS  

Venue + Food: The Queensbury Hotel 
Cake: Cakes by Kate 
Gown: A Love Story Bridal (Troy)
Hair: Lauren White, En Pointe Hair Studio 
Makeup: Taylor Seymour, Makeup by Taylor 
Photographer: Hannah Hutter, Simply 23 Photography
Videographer: Adam Merrow, Thoughts Left On 
Florist: A Lasting Impression Florist / Trader Joe’s Albany 
DJ: Joesph Stanislowsky, New Era Entertainment

P.S. Check out more in our Wedding series here.

We’re looking forward to sharing the stories of engaged and newly married couples, births, milestone birthdays, retirements, and more.

We’d love to share your happy news! Contact us here.

Just Married: Liam and Allison Forcier

There’s no shortage of beautiful places to tie the knot in our neck of the woods, as we were reminded upon seeing photos of Liam and Allison’s gorgeous wedding at Burlap and Beams in Athol. That barn! That mountain view! Read on to find out where they met (the sweetest!), see the gorgeous photos of their venue and all the details, and hear the one piece of advice they have for you if you’re planning your wedding!

The Couple - Liam and Allison Forcier

Tell us about yourselves!

Liam is a fiber optics machinist at Burnham Polymeric Inc. for the past 3 years. I am a home health aide and will graduate Nursing school May 2020. Liam and I both grew up in Queensbury!

Where did you meet?

We are middle school sweethearts! We met in our 5th grade class at Queensbury School, and we dated all throughout middle school and high school.

What do you two like to do together?

Liam and I love to take our golden retriever puppy, Dudley, on hikes in the Adirondacks and to swim in Lake George. We spend a good portion of the summer on the lake at his grandparent’s home on Pilot Knob. We love to grill in our backyard and be with friends and family.

How about a few things that you admire about each other?

I admire Liam’s kind heart and humor. He always knows how to make me laugh no matter the situation. He is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need and is a very loyal friend and husband. Liam admires my work ethic and determination. He also admires my dedication to nursing school and my love for our pets. 

Fun fact about you as a couple?

At our wedding, our best men and maid of honor were all of Liam’s siblings! Frankie is Liam’s little sister and is also my best friend.

The Proposal

We’d love to hear about the proposal!

He asked me to marry him on his birthday, October 8th, 2016! It was HIS birthday, but he made it about me and our love. It was the most magical day at his grandparent’s lake house on Pilot Knob on Lake George, NY. It was sprinkling rain while we drank wine and listened to Frank Sinatra under an umbrella. As we sat on top of the boathouse, the lake was calm and life was perfect in that moment. He surprised me and got down on one knee while pictures were being shot secretly from the trees. Our whole immediate family came running out of the house on the hill, shouting with joy! I was so surprised and it was so much fun. 

The Wedding - August 8, 2019

What was the setting for your wedding?

Our wedding was at Burlap and Beams Wedding Barn in Athol, NY. The barn is beautiful and rustic with gorgeous flowers everywhere. The view of the mountains is spectacular. It was everything we could have hoped for.

What was your color palette and style for the occasion?

Dusty rose and blush, starlight blue, gold, and navy.

My gown is from Something Bleu Bridal in Saratoga. The brand is Olvis and was all lace with an illusion mesh top piece. The bridesmaids wore long dusty rose gowns from Azazie. The bridesmaids held hoops with roses and greenery tied together beautifully on them.

My bouquet was cascading, loose, with blush and ivory roses, half dollar eucalyptus and greenery.

Yesenia from YM Photography and Sheila from Pieceful Settings pulled together all of the beautiful styling and décor for the wedding. The cake was ivory and simple, topped with greenery and roses. We also had beautiful cupcakes decorated with flowers and delicious mini doughnuts!

What were your favorite moments from the day?

I think my favorite moment was when we were announced as husband and wife and got to kiss for the first time! Another favorite part was our first look when we read each other our vows privately. It was so nice to have alone time with just Liam and embrace that we were actually getting married in a few hours. Then of course, the dancing with friends and family!

Did you go on a honeymoon? Where to?

We are planning a cruise for January 2020 to the Caribbean.

Do you have any advice for a bride-and-groom-to-be?

Take time to enjoy each other and take it all in! The day goes by so fast and its important to have fun with your most favorite people!

Anything else?

I can not thank everyone enough for helping pull together our wedding. Huge thank you to Yesenia from YM Photography for putting together the 2019 Adirondack Wedding Giveaway. We had the best day ever and wish we could relive it all over again! 

Vendor Credits

The following vendors donated 100% of their services as part of the Adirondack Wedding Giveaway:

Giveaway Organizer, Planner, Stylist & Main Photographer: YM Photography
China Rental & Tablescape Design & Reception Styling: Pieceful Settings
Second Photographer: Danielle Simmons Photography
Open Air Photobooth: Jason Checkla Photography
Videographer: Mitchell Wood Photography
DJ: Pure Sound Entertainment
Officiant: Ceremonies By Remy
Favors: Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery
Wedding Welcome Sign: KriLo Art (Kristin Lombard)
Artisan donuts: Darling Doughnuts
Cake: The GingerSnap Cake Shop
Hair: Julie Potter Master Stylist.
Make-up: Katie Burns Artistry
Day-of-Coordinator: Karen&Company
Venue: Burlap and Beams Wedding Barn

The following vendors donated a portion of their services:

Flowers: North Country Flowers
Catering: On Thyme Catering

The following vendors were hired/used by the couple at cost to complete their day

Bar Service: Burlap and Beams Wedding Barn
The Dress: Something Bleu Bridal
Groomswear: Jonathan Reid
Dog Service: Luckydawg, LLC
Barber Services: Downtown Barber Co.
Transportation: Premier Plus Travel and Tours
Invitation Templates: Betty Lu Paperie
Invitation Printing: Cards & Pockets
Piper: Suzanne Barber
Wedding Signs: Pink Posies and Pearls
Silk Bouquet Ribbon: Shy Myrtle
Wax Seals for Invitations: Sally’s Heartful Creations
Accommodations: Georgian Lakeside Resort
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: West Mountain Bar & Eatery

P.S. Check out George and Bethany’s Glens Falls wedding here.

We’re looking forward to sharing the stories of engaged and newly married couples, births, milestone birthdays, retirements, and more.

Have a celebration to share? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us here.

Just Married: George + Bethany Carpenter

We’re so excited to kick off our Celebrations section with a gorgeous wedding that took place downtown last spring. Read on to find out about the sweet proposal (loved this idea!), the beautiful venue they chose, and the one piece of advice they have for you if you’re planning your wedding!

Photography by Mindy LaVine

THE COUPLE - George and Bethany Carpenter

Tell us about yourselves!

George has been a Warren County Sheriff for the past 10 years. I am a 4th grade teacher at Big Cross Elementary school in Glens Falls. We just welcomed a baby boy named Paxton Thomas on March 23, 2019.

Where did you meet?

George and I met playing co-ed softball 5 years ago. We were on opposite teams and eventually became friends which turned into a relationship.

What do you two like to do together?

We like to play softball, go to hockey games, hang out with friends, play outside yard games and spend time with our new child.

What do you admire about each other?

I admire George's work ethic and kind heart. He is willing to help anyone out that asks for a favor. He is very loving and an amazing father. George admires my athleticism and great personality. He also likes the fact that I work with children and my patience.

THE PROPOSAL

We’d love to hear about the proposal!

George proposed to me on Easter in 2018. He set up an Easter egg hunt in our house and inside one of the eggs was a note that asked me to marry him. I was surprised but also had a feeling he was doing it that way because he isn't the best at keeping secrets.

The ring is absolutely beautiful. It was purchased from a friend who bought it through an estate. It originally had a diamond in the middle and a halo around the center diamond. George had it customized and took the diamonds from the halo to place around the band of the ring.

THE WEDDING - June 9, 2018

What was your favorite part (and/or the most challenging part) of the planning process?

Our favorite part of the planning process was being able to see our ideas come together. Every time we made a decision, it made the process even more exciting. The most challenging part was keeping the guest list under a certain amount. We have many friends but had to cut back due to the venue size.

What was the setting for your wedding?

The wedding was at The Queensbury Hotel. It was everything we could have hoped for. The food and staff were outstanding. We would recommend the venue to anyone who is thinking about getting married in the area. All of the new upgrades to the hotel made the venue very modern and beautiful.

What made you choose Glens Falls as the location for your wedding?

We wanted to stay close to home so that everyone that lived in the area could attend. We also love the look of downtown Glens Falls which is where we did most of our wedding pictures.

What was your color palette and style for the occasion?

The colors were blush, ivory and gold. The groom and groomsmen wore blue suits with pink ties. We wanted to keep the colors light and spring colors.

My gown was mermaid style and covered in lace. It had a blush layer underneath the lace to give it a little pop of pink. The bridesmaids dresses were blush as well and they were able to choose any floor length dress they liked. The flowers were pink and white roses with a lot of greenery. We wanted to keep the cake simple so it was ivory with roses and greenery as well. My mother, sister, and I made all of the center pieces. We had half of the tables with lanterns and the other half were tall vases with branches and roses.

How about your favorite moments from the day?

Our favorite moment of the wedding day was seeing each other for the first time as I walked down the aisle. We also enjoyed riding in the trolley after the wedding. We did not want the traditional limousine and had so much fun with the bridal party in the trolley. We also enjoyed taking pictures in downtown Glens Falls and in the middle of Glen Street.

And finally, one piece of advice for a bride-and-groom-to-be?

Our piece of advice for brides and grooms is to make sure that the day is about them and to take deep breaths throughout the day to reflect on what is going on. Like everyone says, the day flies by and it is important to step back for a moment and to take everything in.

Vendor Credits

Venue: The Queensbury Hotel
Food/Catering: The Queensbury Hotel
Cake: Gambles
Gown: Lily Saratoga
Hair: Brene Choppa
Makeup: Linette Cerrone
Photographer: Mindy LaVine (518-232-6395)
Florals: Adirondack Flower
DJ / Band: Cool Cat Entertainment
Ring Designer: Louis Jewelers
Transportation: Advantage Transit Group
Photo Booth: Queensbury Photo Booth

We’re looking forward to sharing the stories of engaged and newly married couples, births, milestone birthdays, retirements, and more.

Have a celebration to share? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us here.