We feel that Melanie & Steve’s one year anniversary is as good a time as ever to look back on this amazing day. We asked them to sit down and reflect on their awesome wedding day at Lesner Inn and they gave a little advice for future brides and grooms too!

Starting at the beginning…how did you two meet?

We met at Deer Valley YMCA Family Camp outside Pittsburgh, PA on a hot summer’s day. Steve first caught my eye one morning before breakfast; we were both outside for a brisk morning run around the lake.

And the moment that he popped the question?

After 5 years of dating, over President’s Day weekend, Steve proposed to me *literally* ON the frozen lake where we met.

We’ve seen the pictures from this and, trust us, it was an epic proposal! When you started the venue search, what made you pick Lesner Inn?

We elected Lesner Inn for our beautiful sunset wedding and reception after falling in love with the location and interacting with the fabulous staff. You can’t beat this venue! Delicious food, beautiful marina view, and all-inclusive with one location to provide both the wedding ceremony of your dreams and reception for the ages.

It takes much more than a venue to pull off a beautiful wedding. Who else was involved?

I highly recommend all of our vendors: Norfolk Wholesale Floral, Dustin Lewis (photographer), DJ Rodney Charles (Astro DJ), Stowe Haven Strings (string trio), Incredible Edibles (cake), Duck Donuts, Maya Couture (wedding dress), Makeup School by Sarah Rillon (bridal makeup)

Melanie and Steve really had the A-team of wedding vendors! Check out the photos at the end of the post to see more! We are always interested to see what song a couple picks for their first dance. What made you pick it and why?

I was very stressed about finding the perfect first dance song- it seemed to be the most challenging aspect of the entire wedding planning process (ridiculous, I know…). Just over a month before the wedding, at 5:30 am, I was driving my sister’s car to work (her pre-set radio stations are quite different from my own). This is when I discovered our song!! Pearl Jam “Just Breathe” I was immediately put at ease and knew on the spot this was our song.

What were you most excited about for your wedding day and why?

I was most excited to have a huge party with all of my closest friends and family, most of whom drove/flew a great distance to celebrate with us.

Were there any personal touches that you put on your wedding day that were really special to you? (We have to preface this with saying how impressed we were with how personal their wedding was)

Personal touches…soooo many! Let me name a few- Steve and I named each of our tables after places that were important or significant to our relationship (ie. Berkey Creamery, Pippin Hill, Caribou Coffee, Garmisch, Charleston, etc.). Signature drink- we elected to serve “Anchors Aweigh” which was inspired by our favorite drink from State College, PA (root beer schnapps, coke, jagermeister)- this was not your traditional signature wedding drink, but was completely us and turned out to be a huge hit! We also used Shriver’s Salt Water Taffy (my favorite from Ocean City, NJ) to attach the guest’s name tags for table settings. Wedding favors: individually decorated Limoncello bottles for each guest from our time in Naples, Italy.

What was the biggest mistake you made during the planning process? Not that we think you made any!

Mistakes….I never make them….ever 😉

Ha, a girl after our own hearts. What advice do you have for other couple’s planning their weddings?

Once you arrive to the reception- leave all expectations at the door and just have fun! The wedding/reception will fly by so try your best to live in the moment and enjoy yourself, your guests, and of course: your new spouse!!

We could not agree more!!! It is so great to see a bride who can be present in the moments during her wedding instead of worrying about the little things. What was your favorite memory from the wedding?

I have a tie for first place in favorite memories from the wedding. I loved the serenade to Top Gun’s “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” my husband and his buddies surprised me with, aviators and all. We also broke out a ton of glow-in-the-dark necklaces and wands when “Sandstorm” came on- the child in each of us came out and everyone came on the dance floor to join in. Quite the compliment!

We loved being able to a part of a couple’s special day and cannot believe it has been a whole year since that energetic dance party! Scroll down to see some of the photos that Dustin Lewis took on their big day!