So, this windy, rainy gal named Sandy is hearkening memories of another nasty vistor not so long ago - dear, old Irene. This time, I am lucky to be tucked in safe at home with my family and plenty of junk food, but when Irene came to town, it was a different story...
I started Part 1 of this wedding tale months ago before the mania of wedding season struck, but what a better day to finish it than when I am hiding out in my apartment with eleven different media sources comparing this hurricane du jour to the last one that pummeled the Northeast in late August of 2011.
In Part 1 of Trish and Rick's wedding at the beautiful Sagamore Resort on Lake George, you were witness to the glory of their Friday night welcome dinner. Well, while the rest of the Northeast, and particularly all of our family, friends and colleagues in NYC were bracing for the worst storm in recent memory and canceling weddings by the dozen, we were bracing for.... the most fabulous, pristine, gorgeous Saturday of all time. Perfection. We watched the rest of the Lake George resorts clear out as hotel guests raced back to their hometowns to prepare their houses for the worst, but our team and the wedding guests settled in for a glorious day of outdoor events - ceremony, cocktails, tented dinner... and a late evening surprise. Lucky really wasn't even the word that day. Blessed was a bit more like it.
I started Part 1 of this wedding tale months ago before the mania of wedding season struck, but what a better day to finish it than when I am hiding out in my apartment with eleven different media sources comparing this hurricane du jour to the last one that pummeled the Northeast in late August of 2011.
In Part 1 of Trish and Rick's wedding at the beautiful Sagamore Resort on Lake George, you were witness to the glory of their Friday night welcome dinner. Well, while the rest of the Northeast, and particularly all of our family, friends and colleagues in NYC were bracing for the worst storm in recent memory and canceling weddings by the dozen, we were bracing for.... the most fabulous, pristine, gorgeous Saturday of all time. Perfection. We watched the rest of the Lake George resorts clear out as hotel guests raced back to their hometowns to prepare their houses for the worst, but our team and the wedding guests settled in for a glorious day of outdoor events - ceremony, cocktails, tented dinner... and a late evening surprise. Lucky really wasn't even the word that day. Blessed was a bit more like it.
Trish's bouquet was composed of white dahlias and garden roses.
The ceremony overlooked breathtaking Lake George. The weather was so calm that the ribbon streamers we created didn't even blow in the wind as planned!
Ceremony program incorporated fonts and design elements from other printed pieces.
Drink signage is so fun - coasters and bar signs provided info on the signature cocktail and drink flags used the monogram and anchor insignia.
Escort cards were embedded in a tabletop covered end-to-end with flowers... what you can't see here is that the flowers were arranged in thick pink and white stripes to continue the nautical/preppy vibe.
The tent before dark... custom white dancefloor with huge monogram was the focal point and the ceiling was enhanced with 85 clear globes to create an ethereal sparkle.
And the tent after dark. You can't really get a sense of how magical the globes really were, but I can't help but smile when I remember the bride's nephew entering the tent and saying "Wow! Look at all of those floating bubbles!"
We detailed the bride and groom's chairs with striped ribbon - the same ribbon used to create napkin rings at each place setting. The polka dot china from Party Rental Ltd created the perfect foil to the stripes.
Custom upholstered lamps adorned half the tables and lush round centerpieces were on the others.
The pastry chef at the Sagamore was remarkably ready and willing to mimic the design we painstakingly created with the bride and groom for their perfect nautical cake.
THIS was the late nigh surprise! The best fireworks I have ever seen for a private event! Rick surprised Trish with a post cake cutting fireworks display over the lake and it was truly magical.
I'd be lying if I said the story ended with these spectacular fireworks.... there was, indeed, an awesome afterparty inside the Sagamore until about 1 AM. At that is when Irene made her way to lovely Lake George.
The rain continued through the night and into the Sunday morning brunch. At 11 AM sharp (seriously - no exaggeration), the moment the brunch was scheduled to end, there was a "pop" and then the power was out throughout the whole hotel. It was strange and eerie - and kinda cool. Like there was some force that knew that 11 AM marked the end of this perfect wedding weekend.
The story of how it took me and my team two days to drive home is for another post another time... we made it eventually - and if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... all's well that ends well.
Special thanks to the amazing Sofia Negron for all of these photos and to David at Renaissance Floral Design in Albany, NY who was my production partner for this event.
Stay safe in the storm!
