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How did the two of you meet?
We met at a restaurant in Peru. I was the bartender and Adam was a customer. Originally, he thought I was only fifteen, so he didn’t talk to me! Once he found out I was 25, we started talking, and we clicked instantly. My instincts told me he would be a great husband, and I actually told that to one of my friends.

What did you do for your first date?
A year and a half after we met, we went out to lunch in Plattsburgh. It was the first time we were alone together without our friends, and we hit it off instantly. We ordered lunch, but I don’t remember eating anything!

How did Adam propose?
He proposed at camp with our family in Warrensburg. We (along with family) went to a cheesy concert with an Elvis impersonator, and when the impersonator played “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” Adam proposed! The impersonator handed me a teddy bear, and I hit Adam with it because I didn’t think he was being serious. But he was. I was shocked! The family was surprised too, because they knew he was planning on proposing, but they didn’t know where or when. He had asked me before if I’d want it to be private or in front of people. I thought he’d end up doing it in private, but it turned out to be in front of the entire campground.

Tell us about the process of planning your wedding.
I enjoyed the planning process! I’m the type of person who, when I see something I like, I say “I can do it myself.” So I created many of the details myself, because I wanted it to be different and original. I had a lot of the ideas in my head already for what I wanted, and did a lot of research on my own. I found things online and went to antique shops. We had a vintage theme. Our colors were chocolate brown, berry, gold, and champagne. We had a candy table, cigar bar, and gold pinecones and trees that I painted on the table. I made everything, even the flowers for the men and women.

On the big day, what were you thinking as you walked down the aisle?
I was nervous and excited to see Adam. We are never apart, so one night (the night before the wedding) was enough. I was thinking, “It’s actually happening – wow!” Adam says he was thinking about how beautiful I looked and that he just couldn’t wait for me to get to him. It rained during the ceremony, but it stopped right after, and there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky.

How would you describe your reception?
It was like a vintage cocktail party with Frank Sinatra playing in the background and an array of food, cigars, drinks, and dancing. We had a large variety of foods that a butler served throughout the evening so that people had choices and could eat all night long. This included appetizers, mini subs, seafood, and cake.

What did you want your guests to remember most about your wedding?
I wanted them to remember the little details. Everybody said it was so different. They liked all the details, and that I had done everything myself.

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
The whole experience!

If you could do it again, would you do anything differently?
I probably would have given myself less time to plan. I had a year and a half to plan the wedding, which means more and more ideas kept coming to me. I even forgot some of the things I had done earlier in the process, so I kept adding things! But in the end, it was definitely all worth it. I loved how it turned out, and everyone was impressed.

{Editor’s note: A gorgeous shot of Randi & Adam was featured in “Picture Perfect Vistas” in Volume 3 of Adirondack Weddings, which is available for purchase here.}

— Interview by Heidi LaPoint

    
Here are our table of contents pages!

    

    
And here are two of our favorite spreads:

    

    
Visit the freshly-updated Past Issues page for a list of everything you’ll find inside Volume One. Did you miss it on newsstands? We still have copies left, although at the rate they’re flying out of our office, we’ll definitely run out sooner or later. Purchase back issues or the current issue (or all three!) on our order page.

Past issue recap: {Adirondack Weddings Volume 1}

If you can’t wait to find it on newsstands, get it here (either individually, or along with Volumes 1 and 2): Buy Adirondack Weddings Magazine Online!

It seems today’s couples are getting more and more creative with every aspect of their wedding, and couples who marry in the Adirondacks are no exception. Lately we’ve been seeing some unique takes on the traditional wedding guestbook, but perhaps nothing quite as creative and utilitarian as this—a personalized picnic table.
 
At Ryan & Chelsea’s July wedding in Elizabethtown, guests gathered around an unfinished cedar picnic table, where they wrote messages in pencil and then traced their markings with a wood-burning tool. Family and friends offered not just signatures, but also drawings, advice, well wishes, and words of wisdom. After the wedding, the table was stained and voilà—it was ready for use in the new couple’s backyard.
 
Unlike a guestbook that gets tucked away, the beauty of this very rustic, very Adirondack guestbook is that it will be kept out and enjoyed for years to come.
 

Photo credits: Rows 2 and 3, Jecca D Photography; Rows 1, 4, and 5, Adirondack Weddings staff photos.

We are thrilled to introduce our blog’s debut wedding, a rustic, very Adirondack celebration along the banks of the Boquet River in Elizabethtown, NY. This July 2011 wedding had so much country charm, from Adirondack pack baskets filled with flowers to handmade quilts to dozens of candle-filled antique Ball jars. If you look closely, you might recognize a couple of these photos from the debut issue of Adirondack Weddings magazine.

Photo credits: Rows 1 and 3, canning jar in row 5, Jecca D Photography. All others, Adirondack Weddings staff photos.
 
Ryan & Chelsea had told guests to expect a simple celebration with a band and some beer, so we were delighted to find so many fantastic details at every turn—vintage crates, bales of hay, handmade quilts, hand-sewn blue-checkered tablecloths, crocks filled with cocktails, and two kinds of wine made by the groom’s mother. Guests enjoyed a light buffet meal and danced to classic songs played by a live band while children ran around with sparklers. After the final song of the night (“American Pie”), fireworks lit the sky as guests lounged in Adirondack chairs around a bonfire. Congratulations to Ryan & Chelsea on a fantastic celebration and best wishes for an everlasting marriage!

Stay tuned for Part II, in which we will unveil what is possibly the coolest guestbook ever.