2020 and 2021 weddings have been all about changing plans, and Tony and Kayla Wing were no exception! Hailing from Rochester, they saw the Adirondacks as the perfect place to escape (social distance, if you will) for a romantic winter elopement in lieu of their plans for a 150 person reception. Read on to see and hear about all of the details of their day, with beautiful images by Jason Hupe Photography!

THE COUPLE - Tony & Kayla Wing

We first met in 2013 while attending SUNY Geneseo. We were introduced by Pat and Bri Violanti (who, coincidently, were introduced to each other by Tony 2 years prior). However, the timing wasn’t right and we remained acquaintances for the next few years.

In 2016, Tony returned to Geneseo to visit some friends on the weekend of my graduation. While there, we reconnected at my sorority house. Two weeks later, we went on our first date at Dorado in Rochester, NY. Although it took 3 years before the first date, we knew from the start that we had something special.

Before we even went on our first date, we had jokingly made a 30 year pact to get married and end up together if we hadn’t found our people yet. When we first exchanged phone numbers as friends a few months after making that agreement, Tony put me in his phone as Future Wife, and I followed suit, never imagining that one day those titles would come true.

We are both so goofy and love to adventure and have fun. We love to hike, explore new breweries, and play board games. Tony also is an avid disc golfer and I often caddy for him as funny as that sounds! We have three fur daughters that occupy a lot of our time. Two beautiful cats named Frankie and Georgia and a shiba inu named Nessie that we adore!

THE PROPOSAL

October 21, 2019 was my first day as a Registered Nurse. I came home from work around 8:15 to Tony having dinner already prepared. Tony then showed me a wicker storage basket that “he had bought that day.” I asked many details about it before opening it. When I did, I was only able to open it a crack before realizing it was filled with ring pops. I shut it and immediately started crying. We had a running inside joke for years that I didn’t need a ring, just a blue ring pop when Tony proposed. I turned around to find Tony on one knee. I proved this by tackle hugging Tony while he was still on his knee and almost knocking the actual ring to the ground.

THE WEDDING - March 6, 2021

In light of the ongoing pandemic and current restrictions in our area, we cancelled our planned wedding reception of 150 people in Rochester, NY. We still wanted to get married on our intended date so we began researching elopement options.

The Adirondacks have always held a special place in my heart as I have been traveling to the area with my family for hiking, camping and skiing trips since I was young. Since Tony and I started dating we have vacationed in the area multiple times and hiked some of the High Peaks. We even invited a group of our closest friends up a few summers ago and spent a long weekend exploring the area and sharing our special place with them.

After doing some digging and thinking about what we truly wanted for our wedding and the start of marriage, we decided on a weekend getaway and private Adirondack elopement, with just the two of us. I found the beautiful Friends Lake Inn online and saw that they offered an elopement package which seemed to perfectly fit our needs and simplify the whole process.

We hope to host a belated reception in a year or two with all of our family and friends when we can safely celebrate our marriage with our loved ones.

The Venue

Friends Lake Inn had every amenity we could have wished for. From the moment we stepped inside we knew we made the right decision. We were treated like family and the stay was everything we could have hoped for and more. The Inn grounds and available activities truly highlighted what the Adirondacks has to offer. Our photographer, Jason, took breathtaking photos of us in the sparkling white snow, we snowshoed for hours on the wooded trails, and soaked in the tranquil views of the lake from our breakfast table. We can’t wait to return in the summer or fall to capitalize on the warm weather experiences they offer.

The Planning

I love planning events and gift giving, so for me the whole wedding planning process was right up my alley. I loved curating our bridal party proposal gifts and our “day of” gifts that we mailed out to our parents and bridal party to thank them for being there for us and make them feel included in our special day even though it was from afar.

The most challenging part was navigating the COVID-19 restrictions which led to us fully planning three different versions of our wedding day. It was exhausting and very overwhelming, but we were so grateful to have the support of our family and friends every step of the way.

The Gown

I went to try my first bridal appointment with my two best friends over a year before our wedding date. Our plan was just to try a bunch of dresses on to narrow down which style and fit suited me. I tried on maybe 5 dresses and knew that I had found the one. It was simple and classic with elegant details such as buttons all the way down the long train and a low back with delicate thin straps and a bow detail that sold me.

The Details

Our vision for the occasion was rustic, natural, classic, and earthy. The color palette was mostly neutrals - white, gray, and black with accents of green from the flowers and burgundy in Tony’s shoes and belt.

For my flowers, I scoured Pinterest for months and decided on simple white flowers with lots of greenery. Our florist exceeded my vision, they were perfect.

I DIY’d acrylic with our vows painted on for us to read during the ceremony. I was so pleased with how they turned out and it ended up being way easier than I anticipated and was cheaper than having them custom made.

Our cake was the most fun, we did a chocolate decadence cake with cookies and cream frosting and filling, topped with Oreos. It was incredible!

We included many personalized accents into our day including champagne flutes, the cake topper, and Tony’s cuff links all from small Etsy shops.

The Honeymoon

We have a honeymoon road trip planned for the end of April. Starting at home in Rochester, NY we’ll head south to Asheville, NC, then hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, then over to Nashville, TN, and finally stopping in Cleveland, OH before we head back home.

Some Advice…

Remind yourself what it’s all about and why you’re doing this in the first place. Your wedding is a celebration of your marriage and the love that the two of you share. Try to focus on what will make you two happy as a couple and less on what others will think about your plan. Make sure to set aside time during the day for alone time, just you and your new spouse!