Nine years ago on Saturday, September 20, 2003, Chris and I got married. Ours was a lovely, intimate autumn weekend wedding in the gorgeous Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.
We invited 75 of our nearest and dearest from all over the country to spend three days with us as our guests at a private resort on Upper Saranac Lake. Our close friends and family had their own cabins or private rooms in rustic, yet elegant, lodge buildings, and were free to explore the property and the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake/Tupper Lake area on their own. Festivities began Friday evening with a cocktail party and ended after brunch on Sunday. We wanted everyone to think of it as a little weekend getaway. It was also the weekend that Hurricane Isabel made her presence known across the East Coast. We had to upgrade our reception tent to one that could withstand 50-70 mph winds and I was so afraid that everything we had been planning for over a year would be blown away and wrecked. (How do you have an outdoor wedding during a Hurricane?)
Yet, that Friday, when everyone who braved the weather started arriving for our cocktail welcome reception, the September sun came out from behind the angry clouds and spread a warm glow along the tree-lined lane leading up to the property.
 |
| Welcome Reception Spread |
By late Saturday afternoon, the winds were gone, and Chris and I said our vows framed in sunshine. It was a beautiful, sweet day.
And, of course, there was delicious food --- rustic dishes like Buck Island Venison, Adirondack Trout, and Forest Mushroom Chicken Marsala, with sides of heirloom squash and purple potatoes.
But, my favorite part of the meal was the cake. We chose a lovely raspberry-filled vanilla wedding cake with buttercream icing, crowned in a fireburst of leaves.
It was mainly for our pictures, though, because all 75 guests were each given their own mini-cake, complete with candy leaves and a bride and groom figurine (Chris and I painted all of the brides blonde months before).
The cake was delicious and it was so fun to see everyone's faces as the little cakes were brought out. That's the best thing about weddings -- making your guests happy and having them share in the joy of the day. It was a perfect weekend with our loved ones and as we headed off to Paris for our honeymoon, my thoughts were of part of a verse from the
10,000 Maniacs song, "These Are Days" that had been part of our vows:
These are the days
These are days you’ll remember
Never before and never since, I promise
Will the whole world be warm as this
And as you feel it,
You’ll know it’s true
That you are blessed and lucky...
Yes, I am.
xoxo
Wedding photos by Barry Michlin Photography
