When you get married at a home that’s been in your family since 1912, the 18th couple to be married there, you know it is going to be special! Amy Nicole Photography captured all the sweet heirloom details and charm in this lakeside fall wedding in upstate New York. We absolutely love this couple’s focus on family and tradition, while still creating an event that was truly them!
We got married in upstate New York and our reception was held on my families’ property, Sunnywood, located on Lake Champlain. We had approximately 175 people and about 100 of them were family members. Due to the location and the guest makeup, we wanted to make sure all guests felt like they were appreciated and were joining the family too. Throughout the day, we were intentional in introducing them to our traditions, help us create new ones and ultimately have a great time. The concept of home was also a key theme. My husband and I feel at “home” when we are: with our families, at the theater, and at football games. These three themes were highlighted throughout the wedding in the details from wedding location, table settings and moments held throughout the day.
The location in itself is an heirloom detail. The camp has been in our family since 1912. The camp now has six generations associated with it. To keep track of everyone we have a family tree board in the main house which details the person’s name, birth date, marriage and spouse’s information. After dinner, my husband and I updated the family board with our new information. Also, my paternal grandmother was unable to make the trip but we honored her by wearing the opal ring she gave to my mother as my “something borrowed, something old, and something blue”. My husband Ben’s wedding band was his paternal grandfather’s wedding ring. It still has the engraving from when his paternal grandparents were married in 1955.
My favorite part of the day was the wedding mass. The ceremony was early in the day and it was the perfect amount of waiting and excitement. When the doors opened to the church the smile on my husband’s face was electric. My dress and veil made me feel so beautiful. My bouquet was stunning and because it was a full hour I was able to truly take in each moment. We also had a break between the ceremony and cocktail hour. I loved being able to hang out with the bridal party at the reception space, have lunch, and relax prior to all of the guests arriving.
One of the most important part to planning our wedding was balancing the family traditions while also highlighting who we are as a couple. We were the 18th couple to get married on the property, Sunnywood. This was wonderful because we’d be able to visit the spot we got married at each year, we were able to utilize some of the same vendors as my cousins and everyone at camp pitched in to help with the event. But, this also meant that we needed to make a conscious effort to include all family traditions not just the ones coming from Sunnywood.
When working with our wedding vendors we kept coming back to the tagline “southern elegance in the north country”. We wanted to make sure all the receptions detailed highlighted the setting, felt timeless and inviting. Our wedding featured deep blues, greens and pops of jewel tones for color. While the reception was in a rustic historical setting, both reception buildings were built in the 1910s, we still wanted it to feel elegant. Our bridal party wore greys, blues and purples. Since all the bridesmaids chose their dresses most of them rented them for the event. My cousin and Maid of Honor tied all the tones together with her floral print dress.
My husband is a theatre critic and so we named every table after a special, or infamous, play or musical we had seen together. Every seat had a menu, and on the back of the menu was the name of the show, logo, date and theatre where we saw it, a quote from the production and the story behind our choice and table name. We also wrapped a name tag on the napkin. Many of our friends and family have joined us for these shows so it was a way to make them feel included, while also promoting the theatre, an art form were are passionate about.
As I mentioned we were the 18th couple to get married on the property. We had a table in the main house with a list of Sunnywood wedding couples, their wedding year and a photo from the event. 9 out of 17 couples were present at our day. It was wonderful for everyone to be able to reminisce about other weddings and events we’ve had on the property.
Photography | Amy Nicole Photography | Ceremony | St. Peter’s Catholic Church Plattsburgh New York | Reception | Private Estate | Planning and Florals | Perennia Events | Catering | Anthony’s Restaurant & Bistro | Pies | Rulfs Orchard | Rentals: Fosters’ Tent Rentals | Stationary | Wide Eyes Paper Co | Dress | Tara Keely from Wildflower Bridal | Reception Shoes | Sperry | Bridesmaid Dresses | Rent the Runway | Hair | Salon 136 | Groomswear | Calvin Klein | Entertainment | Meyer’s Entertainment
