4 minute read
Lake Love
Mariah & Jake Date of engagement: March 27, 2020 Date of wedding: September 4, 2021 Says Mariah, “We met at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY and have been dating since our sophmore year.” Wedding Planning: “After becoming engaged, it took us almost a year and a half to plan the wedding,” she says. The Margate in Laconia was the location for the wedding. With the couple’s deep fondness for the Lakes Region, the Margate was the perfect wedding venue with a lakefront pavilion for the ceremony and a tent with gorgeous lake views for the reception. Mariah explains, “My parents have owned a summer home in Meredith Bay for over 30 years; I grew up there. After introducing the Lakes Region to my husband, it has grown to be our favorite and most cherished place.” With around 160 guests, planning was important for the wedding day. Says Mariah, “My mom and I planned the wedding ourselves, and knowing the area really helped. Our event coordinator at the Margate, Ashton, was also very helpful.” Because it was an outdoor wedding, Mariah recalls, “I really crossed my fingers (and toes) about the weather. Having a covered tent in case of incliment weather really put my mind at ease, but with the beautiful lake views I was not willing to move the wedding indoors. “Our meal was catered by Hart’s Turkey Farm, a staple to anyone who knows the area. The buffet consisted of Butternut Squash Ravioli, Prime Rib, and the ‘OG’ Turkey with all the fixings.” The bride’s favorite part of her wedding day “was definitley the amazing fireworks ending.” The groom’s favorite part was, he says, “Seeing Mariah walk down the aisle.” The couple’s advice for others planning a wedding, is to take your time planning and try not to sweat the small stuff. Not everything will go as planned, but it will still be perfect! After the wedding, the couple spent a wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii, with 5 days in Maui and 4 days in Kauai. Says Mariah, “My husband planned the honeymoon and balanced it perfectly with adventure and relaxing days at the resort.”
The Wedding Professionals
Hair/Makeup: 5 Diamond Salon in Manchester, NH Photographer: A Photographic Memory (Gavin and Emma, says the bride, did an amazing job.) Videographer: The Pros Florist: Lakes Region Floral Studio Wedding Cake: Laconia Village Bakery (the cutest place with so many delicious cake flavor options, according to Mariah.) “We went with a layered cake with flavors of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a vanilla cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting. We also had an ice cream bar with all toppings which was so lakey to me!” says Mariah. Gown by Maggie Sottero Transportation: Limo for wedding party and family. Officiant: Janet Pratt with Perfect Vows. Says Mariah, “We were able to customize our vows, readings, and ceremony to be the perfect fit for us as a couple.” cally change our plans, or wait it out to see if we could continue with the wedding that resembled our original ideas. We started to look at the biggest risk factors based on what we knew at the time, and how we could plan accordingly to keep guests and vendors safe, and COVID-free. We needed plenty of space to distance, limited time indoors, free flowing air, extra masks, plenty of sanitizer, and some good luck! It was entirely a blessing that Whiteface Hollow had so much space and free flowing mountain air to ensure that our guests felt safe and comfortable. In the end, we didn’t have to change our initial plans too much. John and Jennifer provided guidance along the way, sharing the protocols and procedures they put in place and kept us informed on any NH state regulation changes that might impact our wedding. In order to pull this off, it really required that we over-planned, had backup plans, and over communicated everything to our guests. We wanted to ensure that those who joined us to celebrate felt comfortable coming and knew that we were taking the appropriate measures.” The couple’s advice for others planning a wedding, is “Keep your guests informed, and be super transparent about guest count, have precautions in place, etc. We used our wedding website’s homepage to share all the details (tables 6 ft apart, mask requirements, hand sanitizer available, etc). We live-streamed our ceremony for guests who weren’t comfortable attending, and this allowed them to share in our special day without having to put themselves at risk. We constantly tried to remind each other what our wedding was all about, and I think that mindset set us up to be flexible and laid back through the stresses of planning a wedding during a global pandemic. Be realistic and objective, and make decisions based on what you CAN control. Always have a backup plan for a worst case scenario.” continued on pg. 79
