Mr. and Mrs. Lesko

Lake Placid – September 8, 2018

September 8th, 2018 was a beautiful Fall day consisting of bright blue skies, crisp Adirondack air and 116 warm hearts. Standing between two tall trees near the back of the lawn, I squeezed hands with my bridesmaids before watching them lead the way down the grassy path, a vision in bohemian gowns. A violin and keyboard duo played the Jurassic Park Theme song as John, along with every male in the audience, shed a few nostalgic tears (I admit, it’s dramatically beautiful). Oohs, ahhs, and giggles filtered back to me as the ring bearer and flower girls made their adorable way down the aisle, tossing rose petals to the delight of friends and family (with a little encouragement for the smallest ones from Mom and my brother-in-law). Then, the music changed to “Romance in the Air” and all the guests rose as one, quieting. It was time. Ready? asked Dad with a smile. I’m ready! I answered without pause. With heart racing, tears welling and a gigantic smile blooming on my face, time slowed down as I moved down the aisle towards the love of my life, arm in arm with my father.

John and I were married under a rustic arch of white roses and cascading greenery, overlooking Lake Placid as Whiteface Mountain peered at us from a distance. After listening to Rumi’s delightful and mystically beautiful poems, “No Better Gift” and “This Marriage”, we exchanged personally written vows. We had a lot of time to consider this option, having been together for nearly 10 years 🙂 . Every word we spoke to each other was true and meaningful, deeply rooted in our experiences together and unique to our relationship. The mountain breeze swirled around us as my dear uncle-in-law and shaman Richie pronounced us husband and wife. Our ceremony will always be a sparkling and wondrous event in my memory of the whole day; we truly felt the love between us and surrounding us. Afterwards, we sailed away on a mahogany boat for a brief pause before joining everyone on the grounds of Whiteface Lodge for the reception- time to pop (more) champagne!

Dinner was exquisite- very mountain lodge/Game of Thrones-esque, which is exactly what we were going for (if you know us at all, we attempt to re-enact epic fantasy scenes at every turn). We sat at a King’s table in front of a crackling fireplace together with our whole bridal party; our parents tables flanking each end. Burgundy, cream and violet roses, wildflowers and flickering candles decorated the tables and pillars. The filet mignon was perfectly medium rare, to everyone’s delight. My sister, aka my married maid of honor, gave a beautiful speech filled with nostalgic and funny memoirs from when we were younger (I have accepted that the nickname “wiggle worm” will never die) and good wishes for future; followed by Mikey, John’s best man, who kept us in stitches with his heartwarming jokes and stories of growing up with John and rooming with both of us. John then proceeded to take my breath away (again…swoon!) by taking the mic and singing, “Hey Pretty Girl” by Kip Moore, which naturally brought me and the entire wedding party to tears. He is an incredibly talented musician and singer; plus, he knows I love that song.

Up next was our first dance to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” which was fabulously fun to finally perform together- all the rumba, swing, lifts, twirls and dips we practiced for 5 months at Jersey City Ballroom paid off (I will now endeavor to forget how absolutely frozen dry my mouth was the entire time!) Then father/daughter foxtrot to “In My Life”, mother/son line dance to “Footloose”, all followed by a full-on dance party led by the 10-piece Silver Arrow Band. The saxophone soloist was fantastic and the band showcased enough energy and sound to fill the dance floor all night. Our gluten-free cake and 100 cupcakes hailing all the way from Saratoga Springs (it’s true) were the perfect touch of sweetness to complete the whole day, and the well-attended after-party into the wee hours of the night (or was it early morning?) showed just how much no one wanted the evening to end. It was wonderful, humbling, emotional, and so much pure FUN having all of our family and friends come together to celebrate in Lake Placid. Many thanks to our parents as well as every single heart and soul for being a part of our wedding day- it was a most joyous occasion that will live on in our hearts, memories and stories forever. Professional photos/evidence of these precious moments will come soon! Next up- Florida to settle our kitties in with John’s parents, and then a trip around the world.