jessica + tony // Adirondack Woodcraft Camp

It’s no secret that we travel for weddings, but you may not have known that the Adirondacks is one of our absolute favorite wedding destinations!  We are huge nature lovers, and the Adirondacks offers us hiking, mountain treks, fresh pine-scented air, swimming, boating, camping, and so many other things we love to do, all in one place.  The Adirondack Park is very special to me (Jenn) in particular because I grew up nearby, and spent every summer there.  It was a wonderfully huge part of my childhood, and I look for any excuse to go back and spend time there.  When Jess and Tony got in touch with us about shooting their Adirondack wedding, I was over the moon!!

Jessica and Tony booked the coolest venue ever, Adirondack Woodcraft Camp, for all of their wedding day needs.  We were absolutely in love with all of the adorable signage, perfect little cabins and nostalgic summer camp vibe.  J+T’s  simple yet elegant rustic decor could not have better complimented all of the natural beauty that surrounded everyone on that day.  It rained the entire day, and although that was kind of a bummer because their ceremony location had to be changed last minute, we still were able to make some beautiful portraits of this beautiful couple in between downpours.  I am so in love with this venue, and can’t wait to shoot there again!

Be sure to check out the wedding day memories that Jess and Tony were kind enough to share with us!

J+T: “On your wedding day be sure to be prepared for anything. Our wedding was in early September and was forecasted to be in the mid-60’s and sunny. The weekend however turned out to be rainy and cold. We were prepared with indoor and outdoor facilities for the wedding as well as generators and fires in the cabins to keep our guest comfortable.“

Tony: “My favorite memory was when I first saw Jess. I like that we did the first look in a private setting so we could both enjoy the moment.”

Jessica: “There was a moment earlier in the day while I was getting ready that Tony had to ask me a question and due to the remote location of our wedding we couldn’t talk on the phone or text so we had to talk through the door of the cabin. I was very worried that he would just come in and ruin the first look (luckily he didn’t)! Seeing Tony for the first time and how handsome and comfortable he looked was wonderful – suddenly all of the chaos of the day seemed to not matter anymore.“

J+T: “The setting of our wedding is another favorite of both of ours. It was truly Adirondack and unique – we really made it our own. We loved watching and hearing people’s reactions to the venue. Even in the pouring rain – it was the perfect place.“

Jessica: “I think for both of us a lot of our memories are the day before and after when we spent a lot of time with friends and relatives who helped us set up and clean up after the wedding. We really wanted it to feel like an intimate party where everyone had quality time with each other and not so much about Tony and I and I think we accomplished this. Tony and I, of course, had our moments but it felt like everyone had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the weekend with us.“

Jessica: “One of my distinct memories was seeing my dad for the first time. I think he was so focused on getting things ready for the wedding that he forgot that this was his first time seeing me in my wedding dress.”

Jessica: “I was certainly surprised by my dad’s camouflage vest and touched that he went to that extent to bring Tony into the wedding.“

Tony: “We chose not to do most of the formal wedding traditions. I loved the campfire – getting to see friends and family with s’mores and hearing a heartfelt speech by a close family friend.”

Jessica: “I interviewed a number of photographers and ended up selecting Jenn and Ben because of their shared love of the Adirondacks. I wanted to have a photographer who could capture not just Tony and I – but the setting of our wedding as well. Jenn was flexible and allowed us to do additional shots the day after the wedding because we live out of state and could not do an engagement shoot. Those pictures from the day after are some of our favorites because it’s the true us – in the beautiful Adirondacks.“

Some great pieces of advice from Jessica and Tony:

“It goes by fast so take time to enjoy the process and the day. We both got this advice before the wedding and made sure we actually sat and ate dinner and then spent time with our guests. We limited the guest list to make sure we didn’t feel overwhelmed and could finish the night knowing we had fun and were able to thank everyone for coming.

Remember that it is YOUR wedding. There are many voices when it comes to planning the big day. Tony and I worked at reminding ourselves that it was our day and no matter how important the tradition may be for others, if it didn’t make sense to us then it wasn’t worth stressing over. We chose to keep things as simple as possible in our décor, the ceremony and the reception so that we could highlight our guests and stay stress free.“

And last but not least…

“Do it yourself doesn’t mean all by yourself. I had a lot of helping hands in the decorating of our ceremony and rehearsal space. I knew I wanted to keep things simple but personal to me and Tony. Our families really helped us pull it off without us losing our minds!“

Wedding Vendors Include

Venue: Adirondack Woodcraft Camp
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Florist: Pedals & Petals
Hair & Makeup: Over the Moon Salon
Cake Topper: April Hiler Designs