My goodness where do we begin. This Timber Lake Camp Destination Wedding in Shandaken, NY was a fall dream come true. When Kelly and Simon first reached out to us we were thrilled! Friends and Family traveled from across the country and from out of the country to celebrate with them. Let’s first talk about how these two met and their story.

Kelly and Simon had a mutual friend named Henry. Henry was living with Kelly at the time and three years previously with Simon. They had been out together a few times but properly became friends when Henry sent Kelly to the gym to work out with Simon so he didn’t have to go. Talk about a setup haha. Kelly was attracted to Simon because he was driven, patient, sparkly, and playful. Simon was attracted to Kelly because she is opinionated, creative, and enthusiastic. After meeting these two we can see how true this is and it’s magical.

Here is their proposal story in Kelly’s words:

“The proposal was a COMPLETE surprise – I was convinced we were years away from it happening. As it turns out, everyone around her knew… including my twin sister who carried the ring around with her for weeks while we were on a trip together. I made a huge fool of myself by making comments like, ‘For sure, you’re going to be engaged first… Simon is nowhere near ready…’ at points when the ring was literally in her purse! Similarly, we went to one of Simon’s best friend’s weddings the weekend just before the proposal and I made a comment like, “God help whoever has to follow this – it’s gorgeous!” to a group of people who all knew that I was the one who had to follow it!

As far as the proposal itself goes, I was completely oblivious. We often go hiking on the weekend but it was supposed to be a really grey day and Simon was insistent we go hike anyway, so I geared up and off we went. We walked for about an hour, all the while I was saying things like ‘who do you think is the next to get engaged?’ and ‘here are things I would do differently…’ etc. – remember, we had just come from a wedding! – and Simon was completely normal for the whole hour! He stopped me to look at a view on the mountain, a gorgeous spot of Lake Zurich, and started to tell me how much he loved me. I went, “yea, I know you love me, I love you too!” and turned around to keep walking. He had to hold my shoulders and tell me to listen to him, which I did but with a sense of confusion. When he got on one knee, I was in a state of shock and repeated “are you serious??” with my eyes closed for what felt like an hour before I looked at him, tried to take in the scene, and burst out crying. It was 100% perfect.”

We freaking adore these two. Their wedding weekend started with everyone hanging out, playing soccer, getting acquainted with one another. The evening before the wedding there was rehearsal and dinner in the evening. A bonfire was suppose to go down but the weather got much colder than planned so everyone got cozy inside for dinner and toasts. The next day was totally laid back. We’ve never seen a true fall out in the mountains and it was pure magic. Warm sun hit us with a cold breeze brushing over the campgrounds. I don’t think anyone could have wished for it to be better.

Kelly and Simon both got ready across the campsite from each other. Everyone traveled by bus to St. Francis de Sales in Phoenicia, NY for their ceremony. After the ceremony we headed back to Timber Lake Camp to photograph group photos among the beautiful fall colored mountains. The rest of the day was filled with many speeches between a multi course dinner. Dancing went on to the early morning and the weekend finished with some hung over breakfast before everyone flew back home.

What a weekend!! We’re thankful to have been a part of it and are excited to share their celebration.