Real Wedding: Kris Ann & Joe
Saratoga Springs, New York
Photography: Jessica Claire Photography, Band: New York Players, Cake: Cakes by Debbie Coye, Entertainment: DJ Paul Malo, Reception Site: Canfield Casino, Videography: Al Woodard Films
It was a beautiful July day when JP Elario decided he wanted to propose to Kris Ann Blanchette. The couple had taken a trip to Seneca Lake and were strolling through a vineyard together, bathing in the late afternoon sunshine. JP, a photographer, was taking shots of Kris Ann as she made her way through the vineyard. He asked her to walk several steps ahead and look back over her shoulder at him. “I did this a couple of times, then the third time I was on my knee, holding her ring in hand,” says JP. Of course, Kris Ann said yes. "I wish I had gotten it on camera. Seeing her face was one of the best moments of my life," he says.
Kris Ann and JP are both more than familiar with the wedding business. As the owner of Fleurtacious Designs, Kris Ann had seen JP working alongside his father at Joe Elario Photography on more than one occasion. Though they had run into each other at weddings dating as far back as 1999, the timing had just never been right. It wasn’t until 2005, when they were both working on a New Year’s Eve wedding, that sparks began to fly. JP had planned to approach her at the wedding to ask her out, and it turned out Kris Ann had similar plans. “Next thing we knew, it was January first and we began dating. Just like that, the photographer and the florist were an item,” he says.
After being a part of so many weddings over the years, it was important to Kris Ann and JP to make their celebration their own. They chose the Canfield Casino as their venue, a location that JP had been photographing since he was 11 and Kris Ann had worked in many times with her floral design company. Wanting to put their own twist on the space, the bride and groom opted for an elegant yet casual feel. They created a cozy lounge area for guests with a few high-backed white sofas, added a funky black-and-white checkered dance floor, and arranged for the ceremony to take place in the very same room, set up in a semicircle — something the wedding veterans had never seen before. “We believe this could be a new trend in the years ahead,” says JP. The couple also personally customized a delicious menu for their guests that included four grazing stations, one of which was small-plate comfort food, and an instant hit.
Both Kris Ann and JP wanted the décor to be clean, elegant, and timeless. They used an assortment of seasonal, all-white flowers — fringed tulips, cattleya orchids, and peonies — to keep things simple and classic, arranging the flowers in white porcelain vases. As a way of incorporating their families, the bride and groom used the same knife to cut their cake that Kris Ann’s parents had used at their own wedding 37 years before.
Just after they had finished cutting the cake, the couple got a surprise — Krista Washburn, WellWed’s editor, had sent a Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream cart to the reception. Unable to attend the wedding herself, she wanted to send a little piece of Vermont to be with the newlyweds. “What an amazing surprise and gift. It really made our wedding that much more awesome,” says JP. Most guests had their fill of comfort food – but ice cream was certainly difficult
to pass up.
Both Kris Ann and JP were more accustomed to working at weddings than being the guests of honor. However, JP notes that their special relationships with their vendors made the experience better than they could have imagined. “When you’re both in the wedding industry and you’re lucky enough to work alongside these people time after time, you know which vendors to choose and why,” he says. Being on the opposite end of the planning process had definitely been an experience for both. However, after years of watching other people say “I do,” it’s certain that this bride and groom were glad to be on the other side.