This wedding was one for the books, hands down. Nothing about this day was expected, which made it all that much better. Gorgeous mountain views? Check. Surprise ceremony? Check. Top notch hair and makeup done in the woods? Check. Champagne toasts and first dance as husband and wife in the middle of a field? Check. Newlywed canoe ride? Check. I could go on and on. I loved being a part of this surprise! Let me start from the beginning.
I received an email from Andrea back in June, telling me about her hopes of pulling off a surprise wedding on the top of Mount Jo in August. I jumped at the opportunity and was so excited for Andrea in attempting to execute such a grand surprise. Unfortunately, there were some last minute unforeseen circumstances and the surprise had to change locations, but honestly? I think it worked out perfectly. Andrea decided to relocate to Heaven Hills Trail in Lake Placid and it was so beautiful! The day was overcast with the threat of rain, but the clouds made for even light as far as you could see, which to a photographer is gold! Especially when you want to capture a mountain range in the background of your photos.
I ended up bringing my mom along for the day, which was so fun. We made it to the spot where Andrea wanted to have the ceremony about 45 minutes early which gave us a chance to just relax, take in the outdoors and the view, and just enjoy each others company. Every time we heard people coming we would get ready to pretend to be tourists, just in case it was Andrea’s group. Finally, we heard them coming and got into character. I had my big lens on which I needed, to be able to zoom in on the reactions to the surprise when it happened. I was nervous it would make me stand out but I think it had the opposite effect, I guess we just looked like normal hikers, taking nice pictures. Mission accomplished!
I quickly spotted Andrea in the group and kept my eye on her to make sure I didn’t miss the moment. Did I mention not even the soon to be groom knew what was going on? SURPRISE! Anyway, I started taking some photos of the group to which someone responded “Hey someone get her email!” They wanted me to send them the shots I was taking, not knowing I was there for a much bigger reason. Then, I saw Andrea and Steven split off from the group and quickly made my way over to them without making myself look suspicious to Steven. Once Andrea told him her plan, there was surprise and smiles and then people started to catch on. That’s when they were all told what was going on and let me tell you, those reaction shots I was able to capture are some of my favorites! Then everyone looked at me and was like “Wait so you’re supposed to be here?!” Haha yep!
After the announcement, Andrea and Steven split up to get ready to get MARRIED! Andrea got dressed, and got her hair and makeup done in the woods and I swear you wouldn’t have been able to tell. She looked stunning! After the beautiful ceremony, I took some quick portraits and then everyone headed back to Andrea’s parents camp for the reception. It was decided that Andrea and Steven needed to take a newlywed canoe ride which was quite the event in and of itself. I’m glad I was there to capture it all, even if Steven did run into the dock! Don’t worry, everyone is fine, the canoe made it out alive too 😉
I think you can probably tell from the length of this blog post, that I had a blast with Andrea and Steven and their loved ones. What an honor to be invited to help them celebrate such a special chapter in their love story. Andrea and Steven, I wish you all the adventure this life has to offer. I only got to hang out with you guys for a few hours, but I already know you two are made for each other. Thank you again and cheers to an amazing future together!
