The Tiffany Porter & Michael Canarozzi

When Tiffany met Michael back in 2008, marrying him was the furthest thing from her mind. It was her first week as the medical director at a facility where Michael was a tactical teams instructor. When he was leading a demonstration, he volunteered her to come to the front and participate—which she found very annoying.
After that, she didn’t see him regularly for the next two years. Eventually, Tiffany joined a gym with her mom and ended up crossing paths with him again. “With time, we became friends and started dating,” she says. Tiffany became pregnant with their daughter in the spring of 2011 and, in the fall of 2012, Michael surprised her by proposing on the day of their daughter’s christening—he popped the question by placing an engagement ring on a necklace that their daughter wore.
When it came to wedding planning, they knew they wanted an outdoor ceremony somewhere in the Hudson Valley. “After seeing four or five places and not liking any, Michael's sister recommended The Historic Catskill Point,” Tiffany says. “It was beautiful and untouched with views of both the water and mountains.”
Tiffany’s cousin, a minister, officiated the ceremony. Instead of a traditional lighting of the unity candle, both bride and groom asked their families to come up and pray together so they could unite as one family from that day forward.
“It was especially moving for me, because my cousin sang the Lord’s Prayer as we released a single white balloon in memory of my father, who died of cancer five years earlier,” she says. “It was so significant, because my family had said that same prayer as my father was passing on.” Tiffany also carried a locket with pictures of her and her father so that he could be with her in spirit.
Since both Tiffany and Michael—who today live in Ridgefield, Connecticut—are athletic and outdoorsy, the newlyweds rented a rowboat, which they boarded immediately following the ceremony to take them to the reception. There, they danced their first dance together to kick off the celebration.
The venue was an open warehouse, which gave them a blank canvas to set up however they liked. Wanting to create a vintage look to warm up the space, Tiffany brought in antique furniture and place settings, which she found from dealers and antique shops. Each piece of furniture was actually reupholstered by their wedding planner—including the sweetheart table, which had a king and queen chair for the bride and groom. “Each guest had a place setting made up of mismatched antique pieces, and all of the tableware was rented from a vintage shop,” Tiffany says.
There were many other special touches to the day. For example, during the cocktail hour, “living statues” (dancers positioned on pedestals, each holding a bouquet of flowers) swayed and moved to the live music as guests walked by. The “statues” then changed into all-white costumes with wings and were there to greet everyone as they entered the reception. Once everyone was inside, they performed an upbeat wedding dance to really get the party started.

“It was a wonderful day,” the bride gushes, “but perhaps my favorite part was my dress, which was a lace-and-tulle strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and a big, flowing train for a dramatic entrance.” The ending of the day was no less spectacular, as everyone was treated to a fireworks display.