I’ve never read so many inspirations for nuptials like I did with Liz and Rob’s whimsical and creative laketown wedding. The pair are patrons of performing arts, namely dance and theater, so it was completely confirmed that their wedding would be a mirror of their fantastic and imaginative personalities.
According to the couple, they strived to envision a wedding with multiple elements from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Fitzgerald’s “A Great Gatsby”, and Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. What a trio, right? Living in New York City, they were in agreement that they wanted their wedding day to be separate from the clamorous big city lights and decided on Liz’s hometown of Cazenovia in upstate New York. Alongside their tender wedding, their photographer Apollo Fields captured a quaint and idyllic town with a vast lake and perfectly enough, her family had a property in the midst of the forest nearby.
Musings from Liz and Rob: “The land inspired most of our choices, taking inspiration from the wildflowers that grew to the types of trees that cradled the ceremony grotto. Our florist Wesley’s Country Flowers sourced those wildflowers and native plants for our wedding and Lizzie actually wore a garland made of herbs and greenery on her shoulders that flowed down her back. We added touches of gold, copper, and eucalyptus green to elevate the outdoor setting with just enough class to bring in the jazzy aspect and had the pig roast right next to the reception tent to bring alive the communal feel we wanted!” A pig roast, a hearty family and friends shindig, and a celebration of lovers. You couldn’t ask for anything better.
How did you meet?
Our great friend Sarah was celebrating her birthday, so she threw a party invites all her friends from across the boroughs. Lizzie had just arrived in the Big Apple the summer before, and Rob was living the Brooklyn life. What started as a night out to celebrate one of our favorite people, became one of the most important nights of our lives. The hands of fate placed us in a divey oyster bar in the Lower East Side, and we locked eyes for the first time. From there, it was instant connection. After a night of victorious games on a leopard print pool table, (truly the hands of fate, because we both are just okay at pool), the rest is history…
What is your proposal story?
Six years later: years spent full of laughter, adventure, and navigation down the wild roads of life, Rob made the plan to propose. Fatefully a trip to Paris was called for in the form of nuptials of a dear family friend. We spent a few days eating all that Paris had to offer, and then traveled down to the southern hills of Beaujolais for the wedding.
After a moonlit walk through the clay soil of a ripe vineyard, a gaze upon the sloping French hills from a 14th Century watchtower, some encounters with a cow or two, and utterly drinking the region dry of its wine, we returned to Paris for a few days of exploring, just the two of us. Unknown to Lizzie, a ring hid in Rob’s pocket as the right moment approached. He found that moment in a wilder, secluded pathway in front of the Sacré Coeur. He asked a passing tourist to take their photo in front of a beautiful evergreen tree, and as they posed he dropped to one knee.
In front of a small crowd, the Basilica, and a beautiful garden, Rob nervously mumbled the most beautiful words Lizzie had ever heard. They agreed to love each other for the rest of their lives, and now here we are.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
From our experience, this was a really important conversation to have. We asked ourselves to choose one non-negotiable part of the day. For Liz it was having a live band play, and for me it was a pig roast. There were other things we talked about, but when looked at closer, we realized we didn’t need everything we thought. For example, we chose to do digital save the dates, and formal paper invitations. That choice allowed us to balance out our budget to make room for more dream stuff.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
To share all the favorite parts would be a whole article in an of itself, but there are some really special highlights. Before we started getting ready, on the morning of our wedding, we walked out onto a pier at the nearby lake and sat together. Just listening to the wind, feeling the sun, sipping our coffee and knowing this was the last time we’d be together before our ceremony was such an amazing feeling. It connected us, made the nerves feel a little less crazy and helped center us before the wild ride ahead.
Our true, true favorite part of the day was the ceremony: there was just something so anchoring and important for us there. Because we were able to create it ourselves and tailor it to our beliefs, expressions and values, it was the most amazing thing we ever experienced, and definitely our favorite.
Another amazing memory was that after the ceremony we went with our Best Man, MOH and Officiant into this small cottage called the “Sugar Shack” to sign our marriage license and to have our very first toast. No one was allowed in besides those people, except Heather (our amazing photographer), and so it was a great moment to take a breath, laugh at how amazing and insane it all was, sign the legal stuff and have our first sip of champagne! Before the photos, before the reception, before diving into talking to everyone, it was a great moment just for joy.
For the rest of the evening, I’d say the best parts were a balanced mix between big group moments and really intimate special unique moments. The speeches were incredible: hearing our loved ones share in front of our whole crowd was amazing. As artists, we have a lot of amazing talented friends, so we actually had a fire-hoop performance, a choreographed dance performance, some amazing live singing from friends, and even a late night burlesque performance from a dear friend. The more intimate moments were also so special. All the little moments where you run into someone you love so much and haven’t seen yet, and share a totally fun and unexpected cheers, or hug, made up the million little stories that make up the beating heart that was and is our wedding. It was absolutely the best day of our lives, and we feel so, so grateful for every second of it.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Listen to your gut. There is no good reason to let wedding status quo prevent you from fulfilling your real dream. And when you lean into your dream, your wedding will be unbelievably joyful, and unique. It will be unforgettable for your guests and most importantly unforgettable for you both. Remember, this is your wedding. Following your bliss is always going to be the best answer.