At Camp Robin Hood in Freedom, New Hampshire, there is a saying: “You come for a summer, but stay for a lifetime.” While summer camp days are certainly memorable, rarely do they stick with people forever – but for Emily Schorr and Andrew Arnot, this phrase represents the foundation of their love for one another. In 2006, the two were college students serving as camp staff for the summer.

“[At] the Camp Robin Hood Staff Social, Andrew decided to ‘put the moves’ on me,” Emily laughs. Unfortunately, Andrew suffered a sports injury that summer that left him in a cast – he was advised to return home to recover, but insisted on remaining at camp to spend more time with Emily. Throughout the remainder of their camp experience, Emily would regularly sneak into the infirmary to bring Andrew his favorite candy from the canteen.

At the end of the season, the lovebirds decided to continue to date, despite the distance between them – Emily attended school in Washington, DC while Andrew went to a university in Wisconsin. However, both were native New Yorkers: a fact which afforded them semi-regular personal time when home on school breaks. Eventually, with eight years of dating under their belts, Andrew felt it was time to ask his beloved a very important question.

“He covered the apartment with flowers, rose petals, and candles and he proposed when I came home from work,” the bride recalls. “He created a collage using tickets from events, movies, and trips we had collected over our eight years of dating.” After Emily excitedly accepted, Andrew lead her to a local bar to surprise her with an informal celebration with friends and family.

“I love reggae music and during the cocktail hour we had a six-piece reggae/Caribbean band playing... It was something out of the box that Andrew and I were really excited about.”

The mother of the bride, a professional event planner, assisted in the coordination of Emily and Andrew’s dream wedding. “We had a vision to have everything in a white and metallic color palette,” tells Emily. The pair utilized their selected hues to adorn their ceremony space; small candles resting inside long, cylinder cases of varying sizes lined the aisle and lit the dark room with a dim, romantic glow. The chuppah was constructed out of cherry blossom branches, giving the area a light alfresco touch. Prior to their vows, the couple came together with their bridal party for a “first look” photo shoot around “The Big Apple.”

As the service began, the bride looked radiant floating through the space in a form-fitting, trumpet-style Monique Lhuillier gown. When it came to their vow exchange, the couple elected to keep with Jewish traditions and added a few personalized details. “I walked down the aisle holding the Bible that was used during both my parents’ and grandparents’ weddings,” Emily says. “We also used a family kiddush cup during the ceremony and the chuppah was draped with my grandfather’s tallit.” Andrew broke the glass, and the two were officially joined.

Guests were impressed by the lively atmosphere of the cocktail reception. “I love reggae music and during the cocktail hour we had a six-piece reggae/Caribbean band playing,” the bride reveals. “It was something out of the box that Andrew and I were really excited about.” After sampling cuisine from six different food stations, friends and family continued the celebration in the newlyweds’ reception space.

Round tables bedecked with soft white table linens featuring subtle silver accents filled the area. Each table displayed either a small cluster of ivory blooms with pops of verdure or a lengthy arrangement of additional cherry blossom branches – marrying the space with the ceremony. Tables also featured a “selfie stick” for revelers to utilize for fun, playful photos while they danced the night away with the happy couple.

To honor their first encounter, Emily and Andrew peppered their event with camp details. “We tried to tie in the theme of camp as much as we could,” Emily smiles. “We had a number of camp friends in our bridal party, so when taking portraits, we had the camp pennant in our pictures. [Additionally,] during the after-party, the backdrop of the photo booth pictures was our own [custom] logo [made in the style of] the camp logo. We also gave out hats and bags with the same logo in camp colors.” As for their most memorable moment, Emily reveals: “After the ceremony, we were alone in a room while cocktail hour started. Being alone and soaking everything in was extremely emotional and memorable.”