M+J’s Albany Golf & Event Center Wedding
The last few years have thrown everyone some unexpected curveballs in the wedding industry, and as vendors, we’ve found ourselves faced with couple’s whose dream weddings feel like they’re being forced out of reality. It’s been a real test in both the strength of our businesses and the compassion of our characters, but I can only hope stories like M+J’s Albany Golf & Event Center Wedding will give you the warm fuzzies about weddings again.
Once a Rainbow, Twice a Rainbow
Looking back, it’s impossible to have predicted the steps we took to get to their final wedding day, but after their sudden postponement turned into a micro wedding, we counted down the days to M+J’s big day. One may think that photographing the same details for multiple weddings would be a bore, however this wedding was anything but boring! You see, it features one of my career favorite dresses: the subtle rainbow wedding gown.
I can easily say unique dresses make my heart sing, and they also hold such a special place for those who create them. This dress in particular, started out as an “off the rack” gown from David’s Bridal. While it may seem bougie, it wasn’t enough for M to have a white gown and she requested some color from her mom. Her mom, Lynette gladly obliged, brainstormed and ordered beautiful rainbow tulle to add to M’s dress. She then carefully and lovingly stitched the rainbow tulle under the outer layers of the original dress to create this one of a kind wedding gown. In all honesty, I feel like that love in itself made the story of wearing it twice absolutely perfect.
Albany Golf & Event Center Wedding
Having spent their micro wedding with the family, walking into M+J’s Albany Golf & Event Center wedding was a lot like coming home. Mom and Nana both welcomed us with open arms (we’re huggers!) and we already knew the majority of the family. I don’t recommend having multiple weddings (they’re expensive) but it’s always special when your vendors feel like family. It’s like having your best friends support you on your wedding day.
The Albany Golf & Event Center is a beautiful venue with high cathedral ceilings and plenty of room to space out. This was ideal for their private first look, in which they exchanged vows that reflected their almost full year of marriage. They did an incredible job of embracing the journey that brought them to the present moment and their resilience will take their marriage to great heights.
Once again, M+J made their ceremony short and sweet leading into one of the fastest family formal sessions I’ve ever done. Everyone was on the ball and we were back into the cocktail hour in no time.
Incredible Culinary Delights
Speaking of cocktail hour, 2023 was the year of the amazing hors devours. M+J’s cocktail hour featured a delicious spread of finger foods, including a divine caramelized brie. Guests (including myself) were head over heels for the delicious treats and kept circling back for more.
That wasn’t the only time the catering staff took food to new culinary heights though. The pasta bar featured a delicious gluten free option, which is extremely hard to find. Add in the different sauce and protein options for what can only be described as a heavenly selection.
Nothing takes the cake though, like their reception ice cream bar. Ya’ll know I am a sucker for the sweet treat, and M+J really brought it home. Their ice cream bar offered several options including fresh fruit, chocolate, caramel, whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. The dessert options were more than enough to bring out your inner kid and send you into a sugar coma.
A Enthusiastic Reception
As vendors we tend to spend a lot of time talking about the details of the wedding, like the dress, the location, etc. But M+J really made their reception stand out in several ways, with the first being the honoring of their parents. After their first dance and the special parent dances, M+J invited their parents, one set at a time to the dance floor. For each set of parents, they played their wedding song and allowed them an opportunity for the spotlight once again. It was a beautiful way to honor their parents and I hope to see more couples follow suit in the future!
Then it was time for the real party to begin with a flourish that couldn’t have been better. M & her cousin shared a story about how they would hang out and make up choreography to their favorite songs whenever the families would gather together. Even though they were a few years apart, even if the other cousin’s didn’t participate, these two always made the best memories dancing. To honor those memories, they choreographed Dancing Queen to start the party. In what can only be described as a divine intervention of fate, a true Mamma Mia moment unfolded around us as they grabbed various guests and pulled the whole party onto the dance floor. Thankfully there was no busted water pipe in this version (and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s time for you to watch Mamma Mia again).
It may have been almost a year later than it should have been, but their wedding was an incredible day and absolutely worth the wait. I’m blessed to say their families still hang around my social media pages, and we’ve been able to keep this connection regardless of the distance. I cannot wait to see the great journey M+J are destined for.
