September Lake George Wedding
Maya and Brett’s gorgeous September Lake George wedding was one of my all time favorites to photograph. The fact that the weather was perfect is not the reason, although they definitely had a fantastic day. It was more about the feeling this wedding and its people gave me. It was as if I was celebrating with my own family!
The Couple
Maya felt like a sister the moment I met her. Her kindness is unmatched; she just exudes warmth and is so friendly. Every time we spoke it felt natural, and when we finally met in person, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend.
Brett is a little more quiet than Maya but no less kind. When Maya told me about how Brett proposed, choosing the location where they had their first NYC date and inviting her family and friends to be present, it was easy to see how well suited they are for each other.
Maya described meeting Brett as a “pandemic love story”. While they both were living in New York City, they had never met. Cue the Covid pandemic. In June 2020, Maya's close friend from college invited her to escape NYC for a week up at her family’s Lake George home for a change of scenery. Huletts Landing is a hamlet in the northern part of Lake George. It is a small community, with warm people and crystal clear waters. Brett’s family also has a house in the same little community, and he was spending time there while working remotely. They met on Maya’s first day on the lake, and by the end of the week, had their first date playing tennis. From that moment on, Lake George and the little community of Huletts Landing became a happy place to spend quality time with family, friends, and the community. They both felt it was important to get married where their love story began! The lake holds such special memories as that is where they met and started dating. The tennis court where they had their first date is steps away from where the reception was held.
The Wedding day
It was a very warm September day with perfect sunny skies. The ceremony site and place where Maya got ready was at a friend’s beautiful lake house, with stunning views of Lake George. Brett got ready at another location and arrived at the wedding on a boat. It was such a fun and unique entrance!
Maya wore a gorgeous dress with detail on the bodice from Rebecca Schoneveld. It was the perfect choice for the very warm weather, and she looked flawless. Brett wore a classic black tux, in which he looked like he walked off the pages of GQ Magazine. The bridesmaids all wore differing stunning shades of green, which matched the natural landscape. The groomsmen complemented Brett’s look in suits. Additionally, the special personal touches that Maya and Brett included in their details added to the ambiance perfectly.
One of the highlights of the day was immediately after the ceremony, Maya and Brett sailed off on a boat which made for some amazing photos, and gave the couple a chance to have a moment alone together before the reception.
The Reception
The reception was held in the Huletts pavilion, with a gorgeous white tent set up nearby for dinner. After the first dances, everyone noticed the sun was setting in an incredible fiery red glow, and raced to the lake to take photos. We were able to capture a group shot of the Huletts community which is so important to the couple. After that, the dance floor rocked for HOURS, so much in fact, that Maya asked me to stay longer to capture the “sweaty, messy love” which is exactly what it was and it was such a joy to witness. Everyone- old and young- were on that dance floor and I still can’t listen to Mr. Brightside without being brought back to that fun night.
Family is extremely important to Maya and Brett and you could sense that in every aspect of the celebration. From the close-knit community to the children who were included in the wedding celebration, family and friends were a huge part of the day. When Maya first inquired with me she expressed her desire to have the photos capture how special the community and venue is and what a chill, fun-loving couple she and Brett are. It was easy to document the day authentically with all of the amazing, loving guests that complemented Maya and Brett’s love.
The kindest words from Maya and Brett:
I HIGHLY recommend Debbie. I can confidently say you will be as happy with her services as we have been. She exceeded our expectations as our wedding photographer in Sept 2022, and was a pleasure to work with from our first meeting to receiving our photo album and every moment in between. First - Debbie is extremely talented. Our wedding photos are stunning and continue to amaze me. She captured our day beautifully, and caught all the special moments of the day. There was not one moment that I felt she missed or one photo that would change. Above all our other compliments (and there are many) - high photo quality is at the top of our list. Second - Debbie is the kindest person and truly became our friend in the process. She was collaborative and had ideas for how to make the most of our wedding photography based on our experience, while catering the package and her approach completely to what we wanted. She never tried to upsell us and put us at the center of everything - truly understanding what we wanted out of our photography. We enjoyed getting to know Debbie and spending some time with her on our wedding day, and we feel like we've made a lifelong friend. Third - Debbie made us feel comfortable and made the process so easy. Planning a wedding is complex and hard work, and Debbie proactively found ways to make photography planning easy and reassure us throughout the process. She had questions that helped guide us through the planning process, a video chat to talk through our plan and get to know each other and tips that she proactively shared - all of which helped us significantly. Debbie always made time for us and took the time to answer questions and share ideas (even in a busy wedding season). And she worked seamlessly with our other vendors. We felt like we were in great hands, and we were! Do not hesitate - book Debbie Gander Photography and you'll be so glad you did. Thank you, Debbie, we are so grateful that we had the opportunity to work together!
Wedding Date: September 10. 2022
Couple: Maya & Brett
Photography: https://www.debbieganderphotography.com/
Planner: https://www.cweventsfirm.com/
Entertainment: https://www.silverarrowband.com/
Hair: Alyse Archambault (La Bella Salon)
Makeup: Liz Sherger (@hair_makeupbylizz)
Gown: https://rebeccaschoneveld.com/
Catering: https://www.rainersgourmet.com/
Flowers: https://fairytalefloristsaratogany.com/