Lake George Wedding - Andrea & Chris - WellWed New York - Spring / Summer 2011

{photography} Jennifer Mardus {reception site} the sagamore

{ w ellw ed.com }

lake george, new york

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When Andrea first moved to New York City shortly after college, she arrived with only an overstuffed suitcase and nothing else. Little did she know she was about to meet the love of her life.

Andrea applied for waitress positions all over Manhattan, and it wasn’t long before she landed a job at a restaurant called Mickey Mantel’s. She settled into her new home, working and spending time with friends. After about four months at the restaurant, the manager announced that the place had been purchased by a private owner — a chef and Culinary Institute of America graduate who would really help make the place shine. That’s when she met Chris.

As anyone who has ever worked in the restaurant business knows, staff members often end up spending lots of time together on busy days. Chris and Andrea quickly became good friends, often going out with the rest of the crew after closing. It was clear that they had feelings for one another, but both were too shy to make a move.

Finally, during an evening out, Andrea lost her wallet and tracked down Chris’ phone number the next day to see if he knew where she had left it. Chris couldn’t help her with the wallet, but he did take the opportunity to save her number, and called her back to ask her to dinner that evening. “From that day forward, I saw Chris every day, making the commute directly crosstown from my apartment on the East Side to his on the West Side,” says Andrea.

With a vintage-chic vision in mind, the couple integrated burlap, twine, and lace elements into the décor.

For their four-year anniversary, Chris surprised Andrea with a trip to the Dominican Republic. One evening, he told her he had made reservations at a hotel restaurant for dinner. She was surprised when, on their way to the lobby, he led her instead to the beach, where a little boat awaited them. After a short ride on the boat, the couple boarded a luxurious yacht for a sunset cruise before being dropped back off at the beach. “There were candles in the sand that formed a path to a table, where plates and champagne were set up,” says Andrea. Andrea was excited for a romantic meal, but it wasn’t long before Chris dropped to one knee, a gorgeous ring in hand. “Of course, I said yes. I was so excited that I still, to this day, have no idea what we had for dinner,” says Andrea. The date was August 14, 2009, exactly four years since their first date.

Andrea and Chris love their home in the city but were eager to plan a wedding in a more relaxed setting. Andrea grew up in Upstate New York and for her, a city wedding wasn’t an option. “I knew immediately I wanted to get married back home, away from the noisy

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entertainment: New York Players newyorkplayers.com Coordination: Wedding Planning Plus weddingplanningplus.net Favors: SerendipiTea serendipitea.com Floral Design: Renaissance Floral Design renaissancefloraldesign.com Hair: Make Me Fabulous makemefabulous.com

streets and crowds of people,” she says. Chris wholeheartedly agreed, and the two embarked on an Adirondacks wedding at the Sagamore, a place Andrea had dreamed of being married since she was a little girl.

On August 14, 2010, exactly one year since they had become engaged and five years since they had first fallen in love, Andrea and Chris were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. With a vintage-chic vision in mind, the couple integrated burlap, twine, and lace elements into the décor. Andrea pinned her late grandmother’s antique brooch to her bouquet as her “something borrowed” and also carried an Irish blessing coin for luck. The couple presented guests with customblended tea favors courtesy of Chris’ sister Linda, owner of local business SerendipiTea. In between taking photos and the beginning of cocktail hour, the bride and groom had an unexpected free hour of time that they now look back and remember as their favorite moment of the day. No matter how fabulous the celebration, both agree nothing could beat a quiet moment spent together and in love.

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Invitations: William Arthur williamarthur.com Makeup: Amy Elizabeth amyelizabethmakeup.com Photography: Jennifer Mardus Photography jennifermardus.com Reception Site: The Sagamore thesagamore.com

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