6 minute read
WEDDINGS
from Homegrown
T.R. Laz
Albany trlaz.com
A respected wedding photographer in the Capital Region for more than 40 years, T.R. Laz has shot more than 3,500 events— including CAPITAL REGION LIVING’s yearly BestieFest awards night. The experienced photographer covers all styles, including traditional, creative and journalistic. The romance! The passion! The excitement! Trust Albany’s T.R. Laz to photograph your next romantic wedding or big event.
Lucie Capek
713 Troy Schenectady Road #308, Latham 518.786.1700; capekplasticsurgery.com
Always be ready for life’s biggest moments. Dr. Capek and her team of licensed professionals will have you looking and feeling your best with a full range of cosmetic surgery and MedSpa services. Plan ahead to get Dr. Capek’s signature natural-looking surgical transformations. Even last-minute skincare appointments can make a big difference. Dr. Capek will work with you to create an individualized plan to achieve your aesthetic goals, which will have you glowing with confidence. The Capek team has you covered from head to toe, from Signature HydraFacial and LASER packages to injectable treatments and CoolSculpting. Treat yourself or someone special.
The Greens at Copake Country Club
44 Golf Course Road, Craryville 518.325.0019; thegreensatcopake.com
The Greens Restaurant at Copake Country Club and The Barn at Copake Lake are must-see venues for those seeking a laid-back wedding weekend surrounded by nature. With rustic-chic indoor décor and amazing views, the feel of both properties will instantly set the tone for a unique, memorable experience. Personalized service with an onsite coordinator, catering by a CIA-trained chef, beautiful spaces and options to customize your entire event make this a popular choice for couples wishing to create a oneof-a-kind celebration.
Music Man Entertainment
High-energy, fun and classy are terms often used to describe the style of Music Man Entertainment! The DJ service, which has received more than 1,100 five-star reviews, offers DJ services, Magic Mirror Me photo booths, up-lighting, custom monograms, light-up letters and video presentations, plus everything from event coordination to playing the hottest hits. They’ll get your guests on their feet and onto the dance floor by playing the right music at the right time, all the time.
Dr. Andrew Frank
1816 Western Avenue, Albany 518.456.3551; albanysmiles.com
Dr. Andrew T. Frank maintains a very friendly and caring boutique dental practice that always provides the highest quality of dentistry—and is completely available for pre-wedding needs. Although he continues to practice general dentistry, his passions have led him to more complex and rewarding cosmetic and reconstructive cases. Changing people’s lives through dentistry with a complete smile makeover “never gets old,” according to Dr. Frank, who has worked with many brides and grooms before their big day. “Today, we have the ability to accomplish so much more than we had in the past. We actually have the ability to provide a completely toothless individual with a ‘third set of teeth’ through the use of implant dentistry. It is so exciting!”
Wolferts Roost
120 Van Rensselaer Boulevard, Albany 518.449.3223; wolfertsroost.com
Create memories that will last a lifetime! Located just minutes from historic Downtown Albany, Wolferts Roost Country Club has more than 100 years of wedding experience and boasts breathtaking views of the Berkshire Mountains, a combination sure to make your special day one to remember. The ballroom, which features a 15-foot vaulted ceiling, accommodates up to 350 guests and includes a private bar, dance floor, bridal suite and an outdoor covered terrace for a cocktail hour overlooking Wolferts’ award-winning golf course—the picture-perfect backdrop to your wedding day.
TRISTAN’S PERFECT FALL
BY JOHN GRAY
Because Saratoga’s Congress Park is prettier than a postcard, on the first Saturday of each month, 7-year-old Tristan would grasp his mother’s hand with his right, a picnic basket with his left, and the two would set out on an adventure. It was fall and the large maple trees were showing off with brightly colored leaves of red, orange and all the colors in between. As ducks quacked and swam in the pond nearby, Tristan’s eyes scanned the park, determined to surprise his mother with the perfect fall leaf. As Tristan would soon learn, that task was near impossible. Unlike snowflakes, which always looked perfect floating through the sky, fall leaves, pretty as they are, were less so. Tristan would kick up a pile, focus his gaze, point and say, “You’re perfect!” Then he’d raise it up and examine every inch like Indiana Jones choosing the Holy Grail, only to spot a tiny tear or flaw and release it back to the pile with a hearty sigh. His mother watched him for a while before asking Tristan what was wrong. When he revealed the secret mission to his mom, she gently tapped the seat on the bench beside her, and Tristan put his search for perfection on hold. “Nothing is perfect, sweetheart; you know that, right?” she began.
Tristan begged to differ: “Not true! You’re perfect, Mommy.” Her smile quickly turned into a tear, and Mary wrapped her arms around her son, holding him tighter than any mother ever hugged a boy. She then explained that we all fall from God’s good grace now and then, but there were two lessons Tristan should take to heart. “First, when we do make a mistake, it is seldom too late to correct it or at least apologize for it,” she began. Tristan bit his bottom lip, something he did unconsciously when he was thinking hard, then raised his warm brown eyes and replied, “And the second thing?” “Second,” his mother continued, “and most important: When someone wrongs us, hard as it may be, we should try to be forgiving.” Tristan thought on that second part a good long while before answering, “So, let ‘em off the hook?” His mother smiled broadly and said, “Yes, when we can, sweetheart.” A pair of ducks approached, hoping there might be some Pringles chips left in the tall red can, and Tristan crunched several chips up before tossing them in the dewy grass. “They look like a couple,” he commented to his adoring mother. “Yes, they do,” she said. “Do you think they look for imperfection in each other, the way you did with the leaves?” Tristan studied the birds as they nibbled the broken chips and said, “No. I think they just love each other.” “Me too,” Mary replied, rising from the bench to collect the red checkered blanket waiting under the tree. As she stored it away with the remnants of lunch in the large wicker basket, Tristan leaned back on the bench, put his face toward the sky and closed his eyes, enjoying the autumn breeze. For reasons even he could not explain, something told Tristan to open his eyes, just as a bright orange leaf released from the highest branch of the tree and slowly drifted down, resting gently in his lap. Tristan raised it up, studied it a moment and realized, unlike the hundred others he had looked at today, this leaf was indeed perfect. Not a single flaw. His mother noticed his gaze lingering on the leaf in his hand, then asked, “Did you find it? Your perfect fall leaf?” Tristan, remembering his mother’s words from barely a moment before, rose from the bench and placed the leaf down with the rest that were now scattered around their feet. “They’re all perfect, in their own way,” Tristan answered, before taking his mother’s hand, squeezing tight and leading her home. CRL
