Our Story...

Michelle and I met in Albany in August 2017 at a pickup volleyball game in Washington Park. We made an instant connection, laughing and joking in between games. After playing, we discussed our excitement for the upcoming Game of Thrones episode (Season 7 Finale) and made plans to watch it together the next day. The rest is history.

The next few years included a lot of change for us - Michelle finished her master’s at UAlbany and we both started new jobs, then came COVID. After spending what seemed like an eternity cooped up in our apartments, we decided we needed to get out and buy a house. We settled on a place in the Coldbrook neighborhood of Rotterdam and began making a home together.

In January of 2024, I invited Michelle to meet me for dinner one Friday night after work at one of our favorite spots from our time in Albany - El Mariachi on Lark Street. I got there early and parked a block away in Washington Park and asked her to meet me there. When she arrived, we took a stroll through the park, passing right by the spot where we'd first met, some 6 years prior. I could think of no more fitting place to ask her to marry me, and when I dropped to my knee and pulled out the ring, after her initial shock, she accepted gleefully.

Over the next few months, we toured a number of wedding venues in the Capital District. All were lovely in their own right, but after taking a tour of The Saratoga Winery with Andrew, our search ended. It was exactly what we were looking for… a rustic, yet elegant space with plenty of indoor/outdoor space and good vibes all around. Annie and Andrew were friendly, helpful and accommodating and made the planning process a breeze.

Our wedding day was perfect and went off without a hitch. Our ceremony was out on the lawn on a beautiful August afternoon, followed by a cocktail hour in the restaurant space/patio and the reception in the Wine Barn. After dinner, we packed the back patio which served as our dance floor and danced the night away with our family and friends. Our DJ, HB Monte, kept the hits flowing all night and we could not have been more pleased with the atmosphere he cultivated. Our photographer, Carolyn Hammer, was amazing and captured all our special moments and excitement to perfection.

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