M&G’s New York State Capitol Elopement

Marlee and Greg’s Albany elopement did not go exactly as planned, but it ended up becoming one of those wedding days that was even more memorable because of it.

They were originally supposed to get married at Albany City Hall before heading north for a mini moon in Lake Placid. When they arrived, however, they discovered that a clerical error with their town clerk meant their marriage license was not valid, and could not get married at City Hall.

Since they already had their hotel booked and needed to leave for Lake Placid that evening, postponing the wedding was not really an option. We had to come up with a new plan quickly.

While Marlee and Greg worked on getting their marriage license corrected, I started calling around to find an officiant who could marry them that afternoon. I called my wife, who, as it turns out, is ordained. This was apparently information I had somehow missed until that exact moment.

Once the corrected paperwork was in hand, we regrouped for their wedding ceremony at the Million Dollar Staircase inside the New York State Capitol. My wife performed a short ceremony there, giving Marlee and Greg the legal wedding they had been trying to have all day.

Afterward, we headed to DeFazio’s in Troy for a post-wedding meal and a few more photos before they continued on to Lake Placid.

It was not the Albany City Hall elopement they had originally planned, but it was personal, spontaneous, and entirely their own. An adjusted plan turned into a beautiful NYS Capitol ceremony, pizza in Troy, and a very good story to tell (now that it’s over).