A Ski Weekend, A Christmas Heart, and the Wedding That Felt Like Home
Celebrating S & M and Upstate New York Ski Lodge Wedding
S and M absolutely love to travel but not just anywhere. Their adventures almost always revolve around ski trips. Crisp mountain air, snowy slopes, cozy lodges, it’s their happy place. And on top of that? S loves Christmas more than anyone you know.
Truly. More than anyone you know.
When we first met them, that’s what came up right away: their deep love for skiing, and the bride’s unshakable devotion to all things Christmas. So when they told us they were planning a destination wedding in upstate New York, it made perfect sense. They wanted a weekend that brought together everything they love: snow, skiing, community, and a celebration that felt intentional and deeply personal.
We met the two of them in one of our favorite ways, one of our past couples introduced us.
Their plan was beautifully thought out. Guests would arrive for a welcome party that began with a full day of skiing on the very slopes that M and S have grown to love over the years. They couldn’t wait to introduce friends to their favorite runs and reunite with people they hadn’t skied with in a long time.
From there, the weekend unfolded like a storybook.
The welcome party doubled as a way to immerse guests in the local dining scene. It connected them to the town that feels like a second home to the couple. Their rehearsal dinner was an intimate evening with their innermost circle – warm, joyful, and full of anticipation for the next day.
They chose a venue that did more than just host their ceremony and reception. It included a stunning home right on the property, large enough to house their entire wedding party for the weekend. That home became the soul of the celebration. It is where friends gathered over coffee in the morning, where everyone got ready together, and where the after-party stretched long into the night.
Throughout all the planning, when we asked what mattered most to them, their answers always circled back to a few simple things:
They wanted people to feel a sense of community.
They wanted the weekend to feel relaxed, joyful, and celebratory.
And most importantly, they wanted people to ski.
(Which, honestly, is the kind of wedding priority I can get behind.)
S and M met in undergrad as lab partners. It’s an amazing story and you certainly can’t convince me that either one of them actually needed to be in the class other than just to hang out with each other. They’re funny, warm, and magnetic in a way that makes everyone around them feel at ease. Their friends absolutely adore them. And after spending time with everyone during the wedding weekend, we can say we feel the same about their friends. The have this community thing down.
That’s the magic of destination weddings. They’re an immersive shared experience for everyone involved. A weekend full of tiny moments that make the big ones even more powerful. And this one felt especially joyful, because you could tell: every single person was there because they wanted to be. They came to celebrate. And they came for them.
We photographed their engagement session in New York City, capturing a different part of their story – urban, dynamic, alive. And then, a few months later, we photographed them again in the quiet of the mountains that feel like home.
We are so grateful to have been a part of their New York ski lodge wedding. And I will forever be watching every part of their many ski trips with awe. I can’t wait to see where their next adventure takes them.
