Wedding Photography | An Adirondack Wedding

 

Dennis is a Boston native and Morgan was born and raised in Syracuse.

They met at St. Lawrence University, a friendship bloomed and they have been by each other’s side ever since. I think these two are so cool, like Bear Grylls cool. They, and their friends, bleed adventure and adrenaline. Morgan is a self-described “crazy runner-girl” and Dennis a skiing fanatic. For their first date they did a 12+ mile hike in the High Peaks region. Dennis said he knew she was something special because that kind of date didn’t phase her one bit. It didn’t take them long to realize city life wasn’t their cup of tea…and so off to the Pacific Northwest they went (where of course they can’t keep away from skiing Whistler and partaking in other mountain adventures).

Their love affair for adventure got even more intense when in October of 2012 they left a random hotel in Northern Italy for a small lakefront town on Lago di Garda. Dennis entered a random address in the GPS and off they went… passing signs warning of cliff danger, livestock and flash floods.

As they drove past abandoned summer hostels, ski resorts and biker bars, they realized the GPS was taking them up the wrong side of the mountain. The roads got curvier, narrower, and more and more treacherous with each turn. They decided to park the car and hike up the last bit of the mountain to stay the night at an inn on the summit. They ended up being the only two guests at the Baita dei Forti.

After eating homemade pasta for dinner, they decided to go for a walk. Dennis found the perfect spot for the two of them to enjoy that Italian mountaintop that they had all to themselves. Morgan said she was talking nonstop about how much fun she was having on their trip and how much she enjoyed all of the adventures they go on, when all of the sudden the thick ceiling of clouds parted and a million stars shown bright  and illuminated the lake 5,000 feet beneath them.

At that moment Dennis got on his knee, holding her hand, and asked Morgan to marry him. (Dennis gets a thousand SO-COOL!! points just for that awesome proposal alone.)

Since the Adirondacks is where their relationship began, they knew it would be the perfect spot to share their vows and celebrate their new marriage. They planned not just an awesome wedding day, but an awesome wedding week of adventure and fun for their family and friends that included bobsledding. BOBSLEDDING, people! How cool is that?! Morgan bragged that that was nothing, for another friends wedding they ran a Tough Mudder race before the ceremony. I told you they were cool 🙂

So they chose the Whiteface Club and Resort  in Lake Placid, NY as the venue for their High Peaks wedding. Let me tell you, this venue is a photographer’s dream venue. It is TO.DIE.FOR gorgeous, rustic, and the staff was all-around awesome. You want to talk about an event coordinator that is on top of it all and makes sure everything is seamless, Kristin Parker is on rock star status, for real. Not only did she make sure the wedding was flawless for Dennis and Morgan, but she made a point to make sure the other vendors had what they needed and took care of them as well.

 

Dennis racked up even more cool points when he and his groomsmen came into the ceremony on a boat 🙂 I think they look like they are straight out of a James Bond movie.

 

Not to be out-done, the girls (and guests) arrived to the ceremony by trolley.

 

This image of Dennis waiting to see Morgan for the first time as she is coming down the isle is probably my favorite 🙂 

 

Something I have never seen before that was unique to their wedding was that they went to each table during dinner with a microphone and introduced each table to all of their guests. They described why they chose to seat those folks together and the role those guests played in their lives. The cool points just keep racking up 🙂 I loved that. 

 

They capped the celebration off with a bonfire. What’s not to love about roasted marshmallows beneath a mountain sky?

 

For those keeping score, the cool points are off the charts. Their wedding was just SO COOL… from the location, to the venue, all the rustic details, and the all-encompassing love they were surrounded with by their friends and family who traveled near and far (mostly far) to celebrate with them.

Dennis and Morgan, I hope you never lose your adventurous spirit and continue to climb mountains together for a long time to come.

-K

 

***Wedding Vendors***

Photography: Kelley Elizabeth Photography

Venue: Whiteface Club and Resort

Event Coordinator: Kristin Parker, kristin.parker@whitefaceclubresort.com

Makeup Artist: Cris McComber

DJ: Wheels of Steel DJing