The Lookout at Hope Lake Wedding | Alana & Griffen — Cortland, NY
Some venues are pretty. And some venues are pretty and meaningful. For Griffen and Alana, The Lookout at Hope Lake wasn’t a random pick off a list of venues. Griffen’s grandfather skied Greek Peak before Griffen could even walk. Those mountains have been a part of his family’s history for generations. So when it came time to choose a reception space, there wasn’t much debate.
Wedding Video Teaser
Press play. Alana and Griffen’s wedding at The Lookout at Hope Lake condensed in 44 seconds. The story keeps going below.
Getting Ready: Flowers, Friends, and a Dress Worth the Wait
The morning started at home. Calm, yet full of good energy. The kind of calm that only lasts a few hours on a wedding day before everything picks up. I loved setting up a flat-lay of stationery with watercolor botanicals and soft gold typeface. The dress hanging in a room, waiting for Alana. One thing about the dress that day. I didn’t have to find a place where to hang it—it was there the moment I stepped in and I left it there. It was perfect where it was.
Alana had found it at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City. A strapless A-line with floral jacquard detail from the floor up. What she didn’t know walking in that day was that Randy Fenoli would be there. If you’ve seen a single episode of Say Yes to the Dress, you know what that means. A truly special moment.
The guys, meanwhile, at the other house with my second photographer, being exactly what groomsmen are on a wedding day. All black tuxedos, bow ties, and zero shortage of energy. Inside the cuff of Griffen’s undershirt, invisible to almost everyone, were Alana’s new initials hand-embroidered by his Aunt JoAnne.
St. James Church, Johnson City, NY
Before the ceremony started, Alana and her girls were on the limo bus. Favorite songs playing loud enough to shake the nerves out. Best friends around her. Watching their guests make their way into the building. No performance. No itinerary item. A truly one of those unscripted moments that ends up being the one you talk about for years.
St. James is beautiful in the way that old Catholic churches are. A gilded dome. Painted ceilings. White arched columns running the length of the nave. Baby’s breath lined every pew from the entrance to the altar, filling the space with something soft and wild at the same time.
When they walked back up that aisle as husband and wife, Griffen stopped mid-recessional to kiss her hand. Right there, guests on both sides, everyone watching. So elegant and completely them.
The Vintage Car & The Magazine Shot
Outside the church after the ceremony, the August sun was full and warm. Actually, it was pretty hot. A red vintage roadster sat out front for some time and the interior got hot to the touch. A&G were troopers and didn’t flinch when I suggested getting inside that tiny Morgan. Griffen in sunglasses, sharp in his tuxedo. Alana beside him, veil catching whatever breeze there was, holding her husband’s hand. The kind of image that looks like it was art directed but just happened in a church parking lot on a Friday afternoon in upstate New York.
The Lookout at Hope Lake: A Venue With History
The Lookout sits at the top of Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland, NY. The views are the obvious draw. Rolling hills, open sky, and the same mountain range Griffen’s grandfather used to ski decades ago. Those mountains are in his family’s DNA. Choosing to celebrate here wasn’t just about how it looked. It was about what it meant.
What made it work beyond the scenery was the flexibility. Their coordinator and staff gave them room to make the space genuinely theirs instead of a template, or a copy-paste package. Before the reception kicked off, there was still some light left in the sky. Yellow wildflowers in the meadow outside. The venue glowing behind them. Golden hour in upstate New York in August is its own thing entirely, and Griffen and Alana were right in the middle of it dancing, laughing, the Greek Peak hills behind them like they’d always been part of the plan.
The Details That Actually Mattered
Griffen and Alana weren’t chasing a Pinterest board. They wanted style that felt like them, food worth eating, and a room full of people genuinely having a good time.
The florals from Jenn’s Sticks and Stems threaded through the whole day: from the baby’s breath in the church to the arrangements at the reception that felt effortless and elegant. The cake from Strega Nonna’s Bakery was its own moment: vintage buttercream piped in layers, the kind of thing that looks like it came out of somebody’s grandmother’s kitchen, in the best possible way.
For music, they didn’t settle for just one thing. Engaged Entertainment ran the DJ set. Dan Bolten played saxophone as a dance floor surprise from Alana to Griffen. A Note of Elegance on violin gave the room a different kind of atmosphere entirely. That combination of live and DJ does something a playlist alone can’t touch.
The Reception and the Exit
By the time the night was fully settled in, the venue glowed from the outside like something you’d want to walk into. Warm light through floor-to-ceiling glass. Music carrying out past the doors.
The exit said everything about who Griffen and Alana are. Alana had changed into a second dress — a white slip-style corset with pearl detail. Griffen had ditched the jacket, put on a “Club Covert Est. 2025” hat, and walked out through a tunnel of sparklers with his arm in the air and a big smile that said the night had delivered on every promise. That’s how you end a wedding.
Remember Your Wedding Day From Your Friends’ Perspective? Here Is How:
I have a whole blog post about this, but here is a quick answer: get disposable cameras for your wedding day (or even a day before your very special day). They are light, easy-to-use, fun, and you can give them to your friends so they can capture even more special pre-, during-, and post-wedding moments for you. Think of quiet moments in the morning, BTS before your ceremony, POV from the dancefloor, and so much more. Disposable cameras are super fun at weddings and a perfect addition to your professional wedding gallery.
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Disposable (single use) Film Cameras at Weddings: Still Worth It
Film just hits different. It’s a little gritty, a little unpredictable, and adds perfectly imperfect vibes to your timeless photo gallery made by your wedding photographer (kudos if you chose Aesthetic Sabotage for this task).
Words From Alana
“At the end of the day, what matters is that you and your soon-to-be spouse are happy. Make the day yours, and do it without regrets. Don’t forget to breathe, look around, and appreciate the celebration you once dreamed of with the love of your life. It goes quick.”
Hard to argue with that.
Vendors
Ceremony: St. James Church, Johnson City, NY Reception: The Lookout at Hope Lake, Cortland, NY | @lookout_hopelake Hair & Makeup: BLUSH | @blush_of_ny Florals: Jenn’s Sticks and Stems | @jenns_sticks_and_stems DJ: Engaged Entertainment | @engagedentertainmentinc Saxophone: Dan Bolten Violin: A Note of Elegance Dress: Kleinfeld Bridal | @kleinfeldbridal // Essence of Australia Cake: Strega Nonna’s Bakery | @streganonnas_bakery Desserts: Sugar Blossom | @sugarblossomcakeshop
Photo & Video: Aesthetic Sabotage | aestheticsabotagestudio.com
Planning a Wedding at The Lookout at Hope Lake?
If you’re looking for a wedding photographer for an upstate New York wedding, a Hope Lake wedding, or anything around the Cortland, Ithaca, or Finger Lakes region, I’d love to hear about it.
My New York wedding packages start at $5,500. Photo & video hybrid coverage starts at $6800. Say hi and let’s see if your date is open in my calendar!
