Remarks from Mary Dougherty Photography: “The Esperanza Mansion sits on a hill overlooking Keuka Lake, an area overlooked by some but those that know it fall in love. That is precisely why it is the perfect place to tell a love story, and why Margaret and Chris chose it for the backdrop of their wedding day. It was a sweep-you-off-your-feet kind of day, one that begged you to get wrapped up in the moment and celebrate.
“Margaret was a classic bride determined to have fun and Chris was a dapper groom unrelenting on the dance floor. Bright corals and pinks popped against delicate creams and off white bridesmaid dresses, just like laughter resounded from the bridal party as they enjoyed time together before the ceremony and after the first look.”
Overall theme for the Ceremony and Reception
Bride’s remarks: “We wanted a wedding that was overall, FUN. Chris and I have both grown up spending most of our summers in the finger lakes, and Chris proposed at my parents’ house on Keuka Lake, so it was important for us to be there for our wedding week. My brother went to Keuka College and I fell in love with the little chapel on the lake while he was there, so I was so excited to be able to have our ceremony there. The rest of the wedding was a mix of DIY and figuring things out last minute (I’m horrible at planning!) and my photographer, Mary, did an amazing job and made it look even more wonderful than I remember.”
Best advice you received while planning your wedding?
“The best advice was probably the most cliche thing you can say to a bride – don’t sweat it! My candles were shipped to the wrong address and arrived there the day before the wedding, our venue forgot to charge us for the patio in my contract and didn’t realize it until we were getting ready that morning, and my mother-in-law’s, mother-in-law threw a fit about getting her makeup done. Our wedding day was still the best day ever and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Bridesmaids gift
“I paid for my bridesmaids to have their hair done for the wedding and got them pajamas from Victoria’s Secret that we wore while we got ready.”
Describe the Bride’s Attire
“My dress was a fairly traditional organza ball gown. My shoes were my something blue – fantastic navy sparkly Kate Spade peep toes.”
Wedding Flowers
“Our flowers were done by Kittelberger Florist in Webster, NY. My bouquet had garden roses, lilies, dusty miller, seeded eucalyptus, hydrangea, and ferns. The bridesmaids and other flowers were similar but in a variety of light pinks, oranges, corals and greens.”
Describe the Bridesmaids’ Attire
“The girls all picked out their own dresses – they were short and cream/ivory with all different textures and fabrics and it turned out perfectly!”
Ceremony Music
“We used the traditional wedding processional for our wedding party, Pachelbel’s canon for my entrance, a piece of Pie Jesu to present flowers to both of our moms during the ceremony, and the Trumpet Voluntary for the recessional.”
Wedding Veil
“I loved my veil! It had a horsehair border and was made by Veiled Beauty on Etsy.”
Highlights from the Ceremony and Reception
“My favorite part of the whole day was walking out of the chapel with Chris. We were both so nervous and excited and happy and ready to celebrate! We were lucky to have my uncle, who is a judge, officiate our ceremony… even if he forgot to tell everyone to sit down and I had to remind him halfway through! The reception is a little bit of a blur in the best possible way – we ate, drank, danced, and laughed with all of our favorite people until we were ready to collapse.”
Wedding Invitations?
“My invitations were done by Roz at PaperRozzi.”
Wedding Favors
“Oops – we never got around to getting favors!”
Describe the Groom’s Attire
“Chris and all of his groomsmen wore grey suits by Jos A. Bank with white shirts and black ties. They wore trout socks from J. Crew as a little tribute to fishing at Keuka Lake.”
Groomsmen Gift
“Chris bought the shirts, ties, and socks for his groomsmen. He gave them Keuka Lake shirts and more Patron than I want to know about…”
Where did you go on your Honeymoon?
“We had planned on a trip to Ireland this summer for our honeymoon – but as luck would have it we found out in January that a baby was on the way so we took a quickie trip to Sanibel Island in April, which was wonderful! We stayed at a little cottage and bounced around Sanibel and Captiva for a week.”
Those tiny cakes are so adorable! Love them!