The highlight of our trip to the mainland was my beautiful friend Kate’s wedding. We had been anticipating it all year and it did not disappoint! I’ll be honest, when she told us her wedding would be in late October in upstate New York, I was a little nervous. It just sounded very…cold. But a wedding day miracle occurred because not only was the sun shining, but it was a beautiful 70 degrees with not a drop of rain (or snow) and the most colorful backdrop. Pure wedding perfection! Dane and I arrived to Albany via train on Friday morning and checked into our hotel room with the cutest little welcome bag! Kate and Shawn had put together everything one might need for the perfect celebratory wedding – waters, candy, chips, cookies and Advil complete with a custom door sign that matched their wedding stationery. I loved little personal touches like this and was starving upon check-in so I think between Dane and I we ate everything in the bag immediately. Whoops!
The rehearsal at the church went seamlessly and the rehearsal dinner was held at a delicious restaurant that had our party in a separate room with a cozy fireplace. It was a slightly chilly evening, so I didn’t mind the extra heat! LOL! Kate gifted all the bridesmaids a cute little tote with a robe, slippers, shawl, party hangover bag, water bottle and more. One of the things in there was a high-powered phone charger that is the freaking bomb. Note to all brides – that was a bridesmaid lifesaver! It was a beautiful evening, but Dane and I were both tired and I knew I had to be up early, so we called it a night and headed back to the hotel for some sleep.
Kate had asked us to be at the bridal suite pretty early so we could all get ready together, which was fun! We hadn’t done that since college, so it was nice to be able to hang out, drink mimosas, get our hair and makeup done, inhale bagels and…watch some college football…while we prepped to get her married! It’s also important to note that her wedding was the same day as the Penn State/Ohio State game. PSU was undefeated going into the game and it was a HUGE GAME. Kate is a bigger football fan than I am, so we all joked that only she would get married on the same day as such a big game 😉
Once we were all made up, we were sure to take lots of selfies and then…it was show time!
The venue was a gorgeous church at the top of a big hill and at the bottom of the hill was her reception venue – a picturesque estate right on the water. We had a rooftop suite for a private bridal party happy  hour and it was the perfect place to take some photos before heading into the reception.
Everything about Kate + Shawn’s day was pure magic and perfection – the weather, the food, the people, the happiness – Dane and I had the best time (minus Penn State’s sour finish to the game). It’s safe to say I’m ready for more of my friends to get married so we can party some more 😉
Congrats Kate + Shawn! Thanks for letting us be part of your special day 🙂
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