Tori & Dan's Wedding at The Maples Estate

Tori & Dan’s Maples Estate Wedding ticks all the boxes for a perfect wedding.

A beautiful estate, gorgeous weather, friends and family gathered to celebrate. The Maples Estate offered a perfect backdrop for each event throughout the day. The house was perfect for getting ready. The pond for their private vows. The secluded ceremony area with an incredible view. The space between the ceremony and the pavilion for everyone to gather and enjoy the scenery, drinks, food, and one anothers company. And to end it all, a beautiful first dance, meal, and an amazing soundtrack to dance the night away to.

Just perfect.

PS. See the film-only version of their day here.

How We Met

We ended up living in the same freshman dorm at the University of Pittsburgh, only one floor apart. Although we had a lot of mutual friends, we really only saw each other occasionally throughout our four years at Pitt, but we still always thought highly of each other. After graduation, Dan got a job in LA and Tori got a job in Pittsburgh, so it was obviously the perfect time to start a relationship. It was a lot of FaceTime dates in mismatched time zones, long flights on cheap airlines, and quiet nights waiting to be in the same city. That first year of long distance built the foundation for our relationship, and we knew from the beginning we wanted to make it last.

Our Engagement Story

Dan had a sweet plan to whisk Tori away to a surprise weekend getaway in New Hope, PA. He planned to propose over morning coffee on the hotel balcony. A few days before leaving, Tori got COVID and Dan had to quietly change plans, which Tori was absolutely oblivious to. About a month later, we took a trip to Savannah to visit Tori’s sister. Tori knew something was coming when Dan suggested taking a walk through Forsyth Park “just the two of us”. There was a picnic blanket, champagne, and pastries set up under the trees for us, which all would’ve been super romantic had the pastries not been overrun by ants. Tori noticed her sister’s face peeking through a nearby bush, which was as good a time as any for Dan to finally propose. We of course had to take a commemorative bite of the ant-pastries.

Marriage to us means…

Committing ourselves to always support, listen to, and grow with each other.

How did you choose The Maples Estate?

We knew we wanted something outdoors with beautiful, natural views and gardens, but also somewhere we could stay for the weekend with loved ones. We didn’t find anything in Pittsburgh that felt right, so we expanded our search to the Rochester, NY region (where we lived together for the first time). We looked all over upstate NY until we stumbled upon The Maples Estate, which immediately felt right. We took a weekend trip to Schoharie and went on a tour of the property with Katie, the owner, and fell in love with all of it. The charming old house, the breathtaking valley, and the welcoming communities. We knew our guests would feel comfortable and that we’d have every opportunity to be fully present during the weekend. Not only was the property perfectly picturesque for our wedding day, but we’ll always remember our morning coffee strolls through the meadow, our nephews playing wiffle ball in the tree grove (with the ceremony chairs as bases), and late night conversations with friends and family on the porch.

A memorable moment from our wedding was…

So many memorable moments! One that sticks out was our private last dance. Everyone left the reception area and we danced to La Vie En Rose. It was a quiet, special moment just between the two of us, and we hardly even noticed when the song ended.

If I could give other couples to be one piece of advice…

Accept help when it’s offered to you. Your friends and family want to support you, and it’s too much to carry alone. Wedding planning is so much more enjoyable when you can let go of the controls and be in the moment with your loved ones.