Just Married: Meghan & Matthew Kelly

A beautiful autumn wedding, complete with peak foliage and overflowing with memorable moments (and an amazing sunset from the rooftop of The Queensbury Hotel!). We’re so thrilled to share Meghan and Matt’s wedding (beautifully captured by Ashley Nizolek Photography) and why, though they live in Hoboken, they decided on a downtown Glens Falls wedding. Congratulations, you two!

*Photo:* *Ashley Nizolek Photography* *from the rooftop of The Queensbury Hotel*

THE COUPLE: Meghan Sullivan & Matthew Kelly

Tell us about yourselves!

I (Meghan) grew up in Ithaca, NY (Finger Lakes Region) and Matt grew up in Washingtonville, NY (Hudson Valley). I work in HR at Morgan Stanley and Matt is a Building Engineer for Brookfield Properties, both in NYC. We have lived together in Hoboken, NJ for about 4 years.

Where did you meet?

We first met in 2009 during our freshman year at Siena College. We were friends for about 6 years before we started dating. After graduating college, while many of our friends scattered, we both stayed in the Albany area for a couple of years, and then we moved down to the NYC area within a couple weeks of each other. We always stayed close. I asked Matt to be my date to a wedding in 2015, and the rest is history.

What do the two of you like to do together?

Living in a metropolitan area, we love going out for dinner and/or cocktails. We are big NY Rangers fans and enjoy going to games and other shows in the city. We try to spend time in the Lake George area (boating, hiking, skiing, etc.) whenever we can.

THE PROPOSAL

Matt and I had been dating for about 5 years, so I had a feeling it was coming. In December 2020, right before Christmas, we went to dinner followed by a very cold, wintery walk on the Hoboken waterfront where he proposed while overlooking the Manhattan skyline. He had both of our parents and a few close friends come into town as a surprise to celebrate that same night.

THE WEDDING: October 15, 2022

Why did you decide on a Glens Falls wedding?

The Kellys have owned a home in the Queensbury area for many years which is how I was originally introduced to Glens Falls and Lake George. This is why the area has been such a huge part of our relationship over the years. We knew we wanted to get married in a place that was more sentimental and special to us, and we loved The Queensbury Hotel right away.

We envisioned being able to provide our guests with a nice, eventful weekend, since the majority would be traveling from out of town. We loved the fact that guests could stay right at our venue and be able to explore town in their free time without having to get in their cars and drive to get everywhere. Glens Falls has so many amazing restaurants and bars (Doc’s, Morgan & Co., Bullpen Tavern and of course, Fenimore’s, being some of our favorites!) right there that we knew it would provide the perfect setting for our wedding weekend.

The hotel has such a unique charm about it, and with all of the renovations they have done over the years, the space is amazing! It was a special perk to be able to take some of our portraits on the roof during golden hour immediately following our ceremony – the view from up there is so beautiful. Becca, Alexis, and the other hotel staff involved in our weekend were all so wonderful to work with, so the decision was easy.

What was the planning process like?

It was difficult to plan such a big event from 4 hours away, but we traveled up to Glens Falls as often as possible to visit with our vendors and ease our concerns. We enjoyed being able to check out the area more intimately, discovering new favorite places to visit. It provided a nice escape from NYC life.

What was your vision for the occasion?

We wanted a relatively minimalistic style and to let the hotel's antique features and other details bring the flare. We definitely leaned into the fall theme with pops of our favorite, wine red! We knew we wanted to take the majority of our bridal party photos outside, so we also let the foliage backdrop do most of the work.

Tell us about the details!

I got my dress from Kleinfelds in the city – I always knew I wanted a lace dress and did not surprise myself in the least with what I ended up loving when I went to try on with my mom and MOH. The bridesmaids wore cabernet colored, velvet dresses. The guys wore black suits. We had a small buttercream cake with raspberry filling (which was delicious), but wanted our main dessert to be cider donuts – so yummy and festive. Matt and I both had a signature drink for guests; mine being an Apple Cider Moscow Mule and Matt’s being an Old Fashioned. All of our décor and flowers were relatively minimalistic, with pops of fall colors and styles.

What were your favorite moments of the day?

We decided to do a first look in the park across the street from the hotel. It was such a perfect day weather wise, and peak season for the foliage. The leaves were falling in the breeze as we took our photos – could not have planned a better fall day for us and it made for such memorable moments.

Knowing each other as long as we have, Matt and I share a large friend group, mostly made up of our college friends. It was so fun being able to celebrate with them, as well as many other close friends and family members, all weekend long. That was our favorite thing overall.

Any advice for other engaged couples planning weddings?

Enjoy every moment of your day from the early wake-up to the last call at the bar! Having an amazing team of vendors helped Matt and I to be truly present in our day.