Many plans have been rearranged in the past year but this intimate New York wedding day is proof that something beautiful can still take place during hard times. Margaret and David’s original plans to be married in the Catskill mountains were changed due to the pandemic but as as they danced, the fog started to clear giving a glimpse at the Catskill mountains in the distance which I think is so amazing since thats where their hearts longed to be for this special day. You’ll be able to read more about this below with notes from the photographer about this beautiful story with stunning images to match.
“Holding their wedding in the Catskills was always the plan. Luckily, even with Plan B, they were able to bring that vision to life. Margaret and David are college sweethearts who both love the outdoors and adventuring together. David proposed on a hike in the Catskills, one of Margaret’s absolute favorite places to be. Margaret grew up in the Catskills and they both love being outdoors and spending time hiking and enjoying nature. Their wedding was set to take place at the Onteora Club in the heart of the Catskills this June, with approximately 200 people. As the winter unfolded and the pandemic forced them to postpone their wedding, they ultimately decided to hold a micro wedding this year and will have their anniversary celebration with their original guest list next year.” – Notes from the Photographer
“Margaret got ready with her mom, maid of honor, and best friends at her childhood home. She and her bridesmaids did their own hair and makeup. Then her mom and maid of honor helped her into her gorgeous wedding gown from the bridal shop A Little Something White. Margaret wore a classic and elegant strapless gown with buttons down the back and a full skirt, along with a cathedral-length veil for the ceremony. David wore a blue summer suit, complete with his initials sewn onto the cuffs of the shirt.” – Lynne Reznick of Lynne Reznick Photography
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? “We both grew up in the same hometown but went to different grade school and high schools so never met each other. When we both got into Bucknell, friends around town said we HAVE to meet each other before school starts… but we never did. We finally met sophomore year of college at a party and honestly have been inseparable ever since.”
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. “Wedding planning was SO much fun, until COVID hit. We were quarantined at a friend’s family’s house and were with 4 other people. We made the decision to postpone pretty early on after the pandemic hit, in March. Going through the emotional process of realizing we might not be able to have the wedding we had dreamed, to then recognizing there was NO way we could do it, to then weighing lots of different “Plan B” options, all while dealing with the initial trauma of COVID and while being a guest at a friend’s house… it was really tough. We also were weighing a lot of different opinions from friends and family, but we stayed united in what we felt was right for the moment and we knew we wanted to get married no matter what.”
“Keeping things classic and simply elegant in design was important to the couple as it reflects their style and allows the natural beauty of the Catskills to shine. To that end, they chose details that highlighted the locale and embraced clean styling. Their invitation featured a letterpress monogram at the top and each seat at the intimate dinner featured a menu and small jar of local honey with personalized tags as escort cards.” – Notes from the Photographer
“Although there was some initial disappointment with having to postpone and pivot from their original plans, Margaret and David ended up fully embracing the micro wedding concept. They still got married in the small stone church that Margaret went to as a child and held an intimate cocktail hour and dinner at her childhood home. With a guest list of 25 people that included immediate family and just a few close friends who will be in the wedding party next year, the couple made some decisions they wouldn’t have originally. From the bride: “We’re really excited for our ceremony, Dave and I decided to write our own vows and read them to each other – which is something we might not have done with a ~200 person group. We’re also really really happy to have our “reception” back at my childhood home, I think having our immediate families and closest friends back at our house will be really special.” – Notes From the Photographer
“Margaret’s childhood home is just a minute ride from the church, so she and her dad arrived to the ceremony in a golf cart that her dad and brother adorned with flowers that morning. The old stone church is incredibly quaint and kept the ceremony cozy, even with the smaller guest list. After the ceremony Margaret and David rang the church bells before heading to the Onteora Club, where they’ll celebrate next year, for some portraits. The morning was heavy with a soaking rain that eased into misting and fog, so we did a round of portraits inside the field house at the club before stepping out for a few portraits made even more romantic by the fog that lingered.” – Lynne Reznick of Lynne Reznick Photography
“Dinner was set in the living room, which had been transformed into a reception space complete with bistro lights and tables adorned in floral centerpieces and pale blue linens. The couple and their family and friends enjoyed a three course meal catered by Main Course Catering. The couple was celebrated with a series of toasts throughout dinner, before heading back outside for parent dances and cake. Margaret and David were simply thrilled to get married and their plan B ended up being incredibly emotional, special, and intimate.” – Lynne Reznick of Lynne Reznick Photography
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? “We were unable to have extended family at our micro-wedding both due to the small gathering mandates and our grandparents’ health concerns with COVID. We wanted to make them feel special and included, so we created a photo table at our reception, where we included our extended family’s wedding photos (all four sets of grandparents, aunts & uncles, etc.). It was a really fun project for our grandparents and family to help us collect the photos, and then it felt really special to share our family history of weddings at our own celebration.”
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? “The most important part of our wedding day was the ceremony. We had originally planned a 200-person wedding and ceremony, but limiting it to just 20 people ended up being the most special change of plans we could have imagined. We still were able to get married in the chapel, All Souls Church, and our minister that David grew up with still made the trip up north. The intimacy of a 20-person ceremony was something we’ll never forget. Because it was smaller, we decided to write and share our own vows, which is something I probably would have been too nervous to do in front of 200 people. We also found unique ways to involve everyone in the ceremony – from the flower girl & ring bearers to asking family to share readings we picked out. During the original wedding planning process, frankly, the ceremony wasn’t something we were prioritizing, but once we shifted plans to a micro-wedding, it really became the main focal point and was such an important part of our day.”
“Back at home, the newlyweds enjoyed a relaxed cocktail hour on the back deck decorated with lush flower boxes. They did their first dance on the deck before heading inside for dinner. As they danced, the fog started to clear just a bit giving a glimpse at the Catskill mountains in the distance!” – Notes from the Photographer
Margaret and David were always looking forward to a wedding that was elegant and refined, but also relaxed and comfortable and focused on celebrating with their loved ones. They wanted to include and accentuate the natural beauty of the Catskills in the design elements of the wedding so they chose blue hues and white florals to go with the greenery and mountain views. – Lynne Reznick of Lynne Reznick Photography
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? “Over the past 8 years of being together, we’ve learned how to be adaptive together, and truly make the best of any situation. That helped us TREMENDOUSLY when having to re-plan our wedding, but after we made the decision, we quickly moved on and refocused on the new vision, and made sure to have fun along the way. Throughout our relationship, we’ve gone through a few big transitions (most recently we moved across the country to LA), and the notion we always come back to is that we have each other, we will make any new situation work for us, and we will make the best of everything life throws at us.”
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? “For me, one of the best parts was talking to my mom every single day, and having so much fun working with her on all the details for the wedding. Even when plans changed, we still had so much fun together re-imagining the day (with Dave involved of course), and thinking through new plans together. If you asked the two of us together what the best part was – our collective answer would probably be the tasting. We hired Main Course Catering for the original big party and had them cater our micro-wedding as well. Back in December, before any plans had changed, my parents, Dave, and I went to Main Course for the day to try all of our menu options, including the cake, and drinks. We had SO much fun with the caterer snacking on amazing food while chatting through the details of our wedding, and we were so full afterward we all had to roll ourselves home and take naps immediately afterward.”
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? “Definitely to not lose sight of what a wedding signifies. It is SO easy to get caught up in every last detail, but more important than anything is your commitment to one another, and the beginning of the journey your wedding day signifies. While details are fun and also important – keep reminding yourself of the bigger picture. We definitely learned that this year in planning our micro-wedding. A lot of friends also planning weddings decided to postpone the whole event (ceremony included), but for us, we felt it was so important to still get married as originally planned, the party can come later.”
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