Real Wedding: Courtney & Corey
Courtney Storti knew that Corey Fountain was the boy for her — but 16-year-old Corey wasn’t too impressed with the 13-year-old cousin of his pal John. Over the following years, Corey and Courtney ran into each other now and again at parties, but it wasn’t until John’s wedding that they really clicked. Even then, nothing really came of it, since Courtney and Corey were living in different states. But when they both ended up in their hometown of Rochester, New York, Corey wrangled Courtney’s number from John and asked her out. Courtney didn’t actually realize it was a date until well into the evening, but by then it didn’t matter — it was clear that there was something there. After a few years of dating, they moved in together.
Just before heading out of town on business, Corey made a special dinner for the two of them and joined Courtney on the back deck, where they were enjoying a fire in the fire pit. He presented Courtney with a small silver box… with a flipbook inside. As an art director, Corey frequently surprised Courtney with his creative gestures, so she started flipping the pages eagerly, laughing at the illustrated history of their relationship Corey had created and titled “Corey and Courtney in ‘Bullseye’: A very short film written for Courtney by Corey.” Near the end, the pictures showed Corey getting pelted with arrows until one pierces his heart, making him grin. The final scene showed Corey on one knee, opening a box with a sparkling ring, and when Courtney looked up, the real Corey was doing the exact same thing. Overcome by emotion, Courtney said yes.
Because they wanted to be married close to home, Corey suggested Canandaigua Lake, where he’d spent summers with his family as a boy. Courtney was undecided, but then they discovered the perfect cottage and knew they’d found their spot. The place was ideal for the fun, nontraditional celebration they had in mind. “We didn’t want people sitting around waiting for stuff to happen,” says Courtney. So instead of dinner and dancing, they planned a party that would let guests enjoy every inch of the charming cottage. The party started on the top deck, where they had food, drinks, and music, then meandered down the stairs to the second landing, with a candy bar and gorgeous lake view. Another 40 steps brought guests to a third landing, where Courtney and Corey had set up a station with disposable cameras for impromptu photos. At the end of the stairs was a dock, with comfortable chairs and drinks. The idea was for guests to gradually migrate to the dock, enjoying the little adventures along the way.
Courtney and Corey created a lot of the wedding details themselves, including the invitations, which Corey designed and they both assembled by hand (“We were thankful it was a small wedding!” says Courtney). Corey built the wooden pedestals that held the ceremony’s flowers, and family and friends chipped in to help with other details, including the décor and cake. Corey’s stepmother spearheaded the decorating committee, designing and creating all the décor for the reception, including swags of organza and white satin bows, sleek tube vases full of lime green and black objects to reflect their lime, black, and white palette, and white paper bag luminaries tied with green ribbon.
Even the rainy weather couldn’t dampen their celebration. Courtney was adamant that it wasn’t going to rain for their wedding day; Corey was convinced it would. But after two days of heavy rain and a very wet night for the rehearsal dinner, Courtney acknowledged the inevitable and decided to relax. They had tents and umbrellas, and a rainy wedding day is supposed to be lucky, after all. The weather held for the ceremony; when the rain started during the photos, it was already a perfect day.
Special Touch: Courtney and Corey asked their friend John, who introduced them, to officiate at their wedding.
Other Professionals: Catering: Fiddlehead Concepts | Desserts: Rochester Riverside | Favors: Sunshine Bakery
Comments
I love the location of this wedding! Where is it?