From workshop host, Mary:
There is something in the color of the sunset that looks more real when you see it over mountains. The wind blows and you notice it, the water ripples as you think too long about dipping your toes in until you finally do.
It was like that for Hannah + Sam. The way their love unfolded once they met in the mountains of the Adirondacks made life more simple and more complicated. It took some time to figure out the seasons but ultimately on the beaches of New Zealand they made a decision. To get married, spend their lives together, hopefully, have a family and grow old together. The landscape and their love would be there, changed but recognizable and able to weather the storms.
It would both be a celebration for them – and a celebration of the place they loved. Lakes. Mountains. Sunrise. Sunset. Starting the day with a ceremony on the water and wrapping up with an intimate dinner with mountain views.
This is the story I started with when curating the feeling of the workshop I hosted. It’s all true, because I invited a real couple to be a part of the day, and in the end, this intimate wedding was the first chapter in the story of their wedding celebrations. With water and mountains surrounding us, it only seemed right to use some of my favorite secret places to plan the most beautiful day. It wasn’t just about beauty, although that is a large part, it was about choosing to celebrate in a meaningful way. Having a small intimate wedding can be just as meaningful as a large one where everyone is invited. Hannah + Sam had the best of both worlds.
Two dresses were used for the shoot. The flowing Coachella separates from L’eto Bridal were perfect on the island for the ceremony, while the Orleans dress by Sarah Seven from Lovely Bride Rochester was perfectly modern and minimal for the reception at Lake Placid Lodge. Hair and Makeup by the Luminous Bride gave both Hannah and Sam complimentary looks – top knot for him and a stunning loose chignon for her.
Lacy Geary elevated the style of the ceremony through the dress choices and allowed everything to flow smoothly. The minimal mountain tablescape eluded to nature without being overly rustic.
Mary Dougherty is a New York Photographer living in the Adirondacks and hosted her first workshop in the stunning setting. She knew that a sense of place would be one of the most powerful parts of the story she curated, and informed most of the decisions she made alongside an amazing team of people. Inviting a real couple – who was engaged and getting married a few weeks after – to be a part of the workshop allowed the emotion to be real and the interaction genuine. It turned out that the intimate wedding they shared in this workshop is one they dreamed of, and the first step in the celebration of their wedding and uniting their lives together.
