Wedding at 171 Events, Downtown Utica NY

I love Utica, NY. It was my closest city growing up and I feel like I have so many fond memories here. From watching my dad run the boilermaker 10+ times, to running it myself, to eating mass amount of Utica greens and tomato pie, I love calling this place “home.”

When I first met Tracey and Matt and was talking to them about their wedding, they seemed just as proud to be Uticans as I was! They wanted to incorporate some iconic places in Utica in their picture time and for that, I was so excited to work with them!

The wedding day was a perfect August day. The Ceremony was a beautiful Catholic mass at St. Joseph & St. Patricks Church. If you’ve never been to St. Joseph & St. Patricks, it is a STUNNING parish right off of Varick Street downtown. We then ventured to Roscoe Conkling Park, Forest Hill Cemetery, The Boilermaker Finish Line, and the Saranac Brewery for pictures. Talk about fun!

What stuck out to me the most on the wedding day was how genuinely kind and helpful everyone was. When I entered the getting ready room at 171 Events, Tracey’s bridesmaids were more than willing to help with whatever I needed. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. It made me feel like I was one with the guests instead of a vendor.

During the toasts, Matt’s brother had me suppressing tears when he compared marriage to running a marathon. Just like Matt, I myself have run a couple marathons and found the speech so real and relatable. He even made Matt a marriage marathon survival kit that had me laughing as well as wanting to cry. Tracey’s maid of honor really put herself out there and used Tracey’s favorite movie, The Little Mermaid, as inspiration for her speech. She changed the lyrics to Under The Sea to a song all about Matt and Tracey. At the end of the song, guests even jumped out of their seats with ribbons to join on in the dance and song. It was such a surprise that again, made me want to laugh as well at cry at how much love and closeness was shared, not just by the couple, but by everyone in the reception room.

Tracey and Matt, thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your special day. It was truly an honor and I’m excited to share some of my favorites from the day!

XOXO,

Want to see more? Check out my last wedding here!