Garland Nelson

The Soul

OF SARATOGA

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTO BY HEATHER BOHM-TALLMAN (from Ashley & Tim’s Wedding, page 78)

Saratoga County is a top wedding destination for several reasons, explains Soul Session Edu-tainment Owner and Bandleader Garland Nelson.

1It is uniquely positioned in “the 3-3-3 zone” (three hours from three major cities – Montreal, Boston, and New York City) with many private and public venues.

2Each season is extraordinary; the fall for leaf peeping, winter is a wonderland, nature blooms in spring, and in summer, it’s all about the Historic racetrack and SPAC

3People across multiple artistic disciplines collaborate here, so dozens of different styles of events and shows can happen at once. Saratoga is a confluence of amazing creativity. Garland “Soulist” Nelson has been performing in the region for more than 20 years as an entertainer and artist, DJ, producer, event coordinator, and lead singer of Soul Session, a band that does weddings (but is not strictly a wedding band he points out). This distinction gave Nelson the elasticity to customize and change things up last year during the height of the pandemic. When get-togethers and business-as-usual came to a screeching halt Nelson started posting “Good Morning Soulist” sessions and “Pastor-like” entertainment on social media to help pass along positive vibrations. With social distance safety and community good will in mind, Soul Session performed on a barge floating in Saratoga Lake and on a flatbed truck as it looped the streets downtown. Since the lockdown continued longer than anticipated, Nelson’s Edu-tainment company upped their streaming capabilities and began making specialized recordings for nonprofit organizations and community support fundraisers around the Capital Region. Saratoga County is a nationally recognized wedding destination location because of the thriving artist community, of which Nelson is an important part of. “Although I hail from Brooklyn, I’m all about ‘toga!” That can’t be beat – that’s the real soul of Saratoga.

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