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Shannon met David while she was visiting her family in Long Island. Although she lived in Maryland at the time, the couple started dating, driving back and forth for over a year, before Shannon moved back home. About a year later, David proposed while the couple was staying at a bed and breakfast at Shannon’s favorite spot in Virginia wine country. Back in Long Island the couple pondered ballrooms and event spaces as potential venues before turning to the Hudson Valley for barns. “We looked at two or three different barns,” says Shannon. “By the time we were done, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do.” Someone had told her, however, about an estate in Greene County that could be rented for events. The next weekend, she and David visited Bassinova-on-Hudson and fell in love with the venue.
To create a vintage feel, Shannon spent a year scouring Craigslist for unique furniture pieces that she could refinish for the lounge, bar, and altar. “I’ve always been artsy,” she says. “It was really fun finding, hunting down, and then refinishing things to make them exactly the way I wanted.” One big find: a mantle that she refurbished, and draped with flowers to serve as an altar (the sellers, who salvaged the mantle from an old estate, were so thrilled it would be used for a wedding that they gave it to the couple for free). Shannon and David chose to go with food stations instead of a formal sit-down dinner to keep things light and casual, and Shannon and her father built a special stand for pretzels — David’s favorite food — as a surprise. And the music was key: “Any wedding I’ve been to where I had the best time, is always when the music is great and everyone’s on the dance floor,” adds Shannon. As was hiring a day-of event coordinator to make sure things ran smoothly on the big day.
With the venue and the décor set, finding a dress that fit the vintage-chic theme was a real challenge. Shannon wanted long, lace sleeves, but couldn’t find them on a dress she loved. Ultimately, a bridal boutique suggested she add sleeves to a lace Maggie Sottero dress.“They were able to send away and get the same exact lace that the dress was made of and make it exactly like I wanted,” says Shannon.
The Details: The Photographer: The Melideos; www.themelideos.com Venue: Bassinova-on-Hudson, Athens (305) 803-3399; www.hudsonriverwedding.com Florist: Kelly Cleary Gersec of Beaurust Flowers (917) 922-8064 Day-Of Coordinator: Adina Franconi of Hudson Valley Ceremonies, Rhinebeck (845) 244-1482; www.hudsonvalleyceremonies.com Caterer: Bridge Creek Catering, New Paltz; www.bridgecreekcatering.com Rentals: Events Unlimited (845) 246-7370; www.eventsunlimitedpartyrentals.com Vintage Furniture: Market Vintage; www.marketvintageco.com Entertainment: La Blanc Entertainment (914) 525-3337; www.lablancbrothersband.com Cake: Crisan Bakery & Edible Art Gallery, Albany (518) 445-2727; www.crisanbakery.com Dress: Maggie Sottero; www.maggiesottero.com Bridal Hair & Makeup: Polina Lounello, Albany (518) 441-1239; www.polinalounello.com |
