Working in the wedding industry has made me familiar with wedding venues. The Garrison has always been my favorite. The views are simply breathtaking. My husband and I loved that we could, if needed, have an indoor wedding safe from weather and still have the beauty of nature on display. Annie Rozycki and Bridget Bell, both special events managers, were by our side every step of the way. They were as involved as we wanted them to be, letting us take the reins when we wanted to and stepping in with suggestions when we needed. It was perfect, as there were aspects we felt passionate about and others we wanted them to handle. Having them on our team let us go through our wedding day without a worry in the world.
Truly, the staff added that extra, indefinable something that made us feel at ease and excited at the same time. Jessica, my bridal assistant, was amazing all day. She brought us champagne in the morning, updated me on what was going on around the venue so I wouldn’t stress, and was always there to take a photo, hold a bouquet, or literally do anything we asked of her! This goes for all The Garrison’s staff. Our guests cannot stop talking about how pampered they all felt.
Our day started with a first look that helped calm my nerves for the ceremony. We wrote our own vows, but felt they were too personal to read in public, so we read them at our first look. We were in the moment with only each other and poured our hearts out without a thought of anyone else in the world. My uncle, who is the head pastor of our church, married us. We kept the ceremony short, but honored our mothers by presenting each with a rose at the beginning of the ceremony and having them take part in the unity candle ceremony. On our way back down the aisle our guests tossed confetti — something that took away the stress of all eyes on us and made for fantastic photos!
