The wedding celebration of MaryClaire & Matt’s decade-long romance at The Seneca Ridge is classic, inviting, and sentimental. MaryClaire & Matt met at Hobart and William Smith Colleges as freshmen over ten years ago. When they began planning their wedding, they decided to invite their guests to join them for a weekend in the Finger Lakes. It was the perfect way to celebrate. MaryClaire shares about their choice of venue:
“We chose the Finger Lakes as the setting for our wedding because it’s where we met and went to college together. I’m from Massachusetts, and Matt is from New Jersey. We wanted to host our wedding in a place that was important to both of us individually and as a couple. Matt and I wanted to show the people who mean the most to us one of our favorite places and give our college friends a great reason to come back. We love Seneca Lake.”
MaryClaire & Matt shared the Finger Lakes wedding experience with their guests on the weekend of their wedding. They went boating, stopped at various wineries, and enjoyed the local food.
MaryClaire incorporated various heirlooms into her bridal look for her day. She shares their significance:
“The ring I wore on my right hand belonged to my grandmother. I used a clutch of my moms from the 90s to match my blue shoes. My earrings were my “something borrowed” from a generous and wonderful friend.”
Advice For Newlyweds:
“I think wedding planning can be stressful, and social media overload can add to that stress. It’s important not to think you have to follow what everyone else is doing but to always go back to your partner and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing- why you’re getting married and how you want your love displayed. have fun!
We picked a date to let go of logistics and trust our coordinator and vendors. When you invest so much energy and money in an event, it’s important to remember to have fun and trust the people you hire. Most importantly, we wanted things to feel easy and light at our wedding, just like our love.
We wanted our guests to have fun, and we did our best to create an environment for that to happen by keeping things simple…we recommend hiring vendors that match your vibe.”
MaryClaire & Matt’s ceremony had personal touches sprinkled throughout. A close friend officiated the ceremony, friends of the couple shared kind words about their relationship, and MaryClaire & Matt exchanged vows they had written themselves.
It was such a joy to capture this ceremony. Guests in their seats joined in with the couple and shared their happy tears & laughter. The photograph above is one of my favorites from the ceremony. Matt’s father was so animated during the ceremony he joined the couple in laughter throughout.
The Bride’s Favorite Moment From The Wedding Day:
“My favorite moment was my first dance with my dad. It’s something I have been looking forward to for as long as I can remember. It lived up to what I imagined.”
Vendors:
Venue | The Seneca Ridge
Photographer | LaFountain Photography
DJ | Mike Music
Bridal Gown Designer | Jenny Yoo
Bride’s Veil | Sara Gabriel Designs
Hair Stylist | A Cutting Edge Salon
