Lake Placid Wedding at the Whiteface Club & Resort // Ashley & Derek

This wedding was SUCH a special one! Geoff and I had the pleasure of traveling to the epic summer spot of Lake Placid, New York for Ashley and Derek’s big day. Lake Placid is about 1.5 hours from the Canadian border in the Adirondack Mountains. It was no easy feat to get to from Southern California and I’d be lying if I said we weren’t a little nervous about traveling across the country with our 5 month old at the time. The travel was 110% worth it when we arrived at this little paradise of a town. Having never been there but doing quite a bit of research beforehand, we expected it to be beautiful. However, we were FLOORED when we arrived. Rolling mountains, warm lakes, and lush green everywhere. Lake Placid is a STUNNER, but more than that, it just has a calming energy about it. We all felt so at-peace while we were there. Lake Placid was home of the winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980, so you can imagine there is quite a bustling little town that sits around the lake. We had such a fun weekend as a family. My mom joined us to watch our daughter while we worked but we made sure to visit the top of Whiteface Mountain, hit a few local restaurants, and swim in 75 degree water. To be able to capture such a magical day for Ashley and Derek was icing on the cake!

Ashley & Derek planned a beautiful destination wedding for all their family and friends. They are both from New Jersey, but Lake Placid has been their favorite place to visit together over the years. They had a short, meaningful ceremony just steps from Lake Placid with Whiteface Mountain in the background. Cocktail hour was right on the lake, and their reception at the lodge of the Whiteface Club and Resort. A major highlight was getting to shoot golden hour photos on the lake in a vintage boat. I hid in the boat next to the driver for some photos on the lake while Geoff grabbed a few shots with his long lens on land. Their reception was all about dancing, having fun, and celebrating Ash & Derek! They had one of the BEST live bands we have ever heard who the kept the party going all night long. There was even a surprise serenade by a close family friend of “At Last” by Etta James. With an endless array of delicious food, they kept dinner casual and had guests serving themselves at their leisure. Dessert was another highlight, with plates of warm chocolate-chip cookie’s, whoopie pies, and spiked milk being passed around. Did I mention they threw one hell of a party? Their dancing photos are some of my favorite we have ever shot. Scroll through the spread to see what I mean!

Ash & Derek, thanks so much for bringing us out to such a special place for your incredible day. It’s a weekend we will never forget!