From Wags to Weddings, Powered by Love

Helana Shumway
May 9
4 min read

WITH THE ARBOR LOFT & BRUNO'S BLESSINGS

Agathi Georgiou-Graham is a fan of love. As co-owner of Arbor Venues, she makes it her business to create memories for couples on one of the most important days of their lives. Athi – as her friends and family call her – knows firsthand the power of such love.

Her partner in business also happens to be her partner in life. Athi and Zach Graham fell in love in 2016, just as Athi was about to open her first venue, The Arbor Loft. In 2018, they were the first couple to get married at Arbor at the Port, their second venue. Two years later, they had their daughter, and the following year, they found their third venue, Arbor Midtown, which opened in 2023.

Over the past nine years, Arbor Venues has topped the charts for wedding venues in the Finger Lakes Region. This summer, Athi and Zach celebrate the opening of their new location, The Arbor Loft (20 North Union Street in Rochester), yards away from its first home on Pitkin Street.

One could say that perhaps Athi is busy enough leading the wedding and event planning industry in Rochester, but she doesn’t stop there. Athi had another love of her life that she pays tribute to every day – her “soul dog,” Bruno. After he passed in 2020, Athi created Bruno’s Blessings, a fund that helps people in Rochester pay their senior dogs’ veterinary bills.

From wags to weddings, through love and an abundance of hard work, Athi creates lasting memories for the Rochester community. What’s more, she does it with the highest standards of professionalism and care and with a heart full of kindness for people and animals.

The Arbor Loft: New Location, Same Luxury Experience

Officially opening this June, The Arbor Loft 2.0 is “very European chic,” Athi says. With exposed brick and beams, Venetian plaster, Arbor Venues’ signature white walls and archways, and of course, grand chandeliers, the European elegance is in the details. A luxurious venue with over 15,000 square feet, The Arbor Loft hosts up to 200 guests seated or 250 cocktail style.

The European influence is personal to Athi, as her father, one of her favorite people, is from Cyprus. Growing up, Athi found comfort in her structured upbringing. From an early age, she and her two sisters had a strong bond with their parents and were surrounded by Greek culture.

Simple. Beautiful. Historic. Relaxing. These words describe the ethos of Cyprus and apply to The Arbor Loft 2.0. The space is reminiscent of the Greek islands or of an Italian vineyard. It provides hints of a destination wedding while firmly standing in Rochester. Some say Athi and Zach make dreams come true, and such dreamers eagerly await their day in the new space.

In typical Athi style, there is an element of flair that makes The Arbor Loft eclectic and fun. Did someone say Barbie-inspired bathroom? Yes, please! How about a Greek Gods bathroom, a rainbow-inspired bridal suite, or a Pac-Man groom suite? Have no fear – The Arbor Loft has it.

A personal favorite of Athi’s will be the downstairs bathroom. She designed a beautiful wallpaper that depicts her love story with Zach, featuring their daughter, Bruno, donuts (yes, donuts play a major role in their journey together), and trees that evoke European landscapes.

Getting The Arbor Loft ready for Rochester’s lovers has beenan intense year-long process, and Athi acknowledges that ithas been a team effort.

She credits Zach for his unyielding belief in her, saying, “His strength inspires me. His love inspires me.His devotion to me inspires me. He helps build me up.”

In addition to Zach’s partnership, Athi has worked closely withher friend and “one of the kindest souls you’ll ever meet,” Stacy K., owner of Stacy K Floral, who has been intimately involved in the design process. Athi’s father has also helped throughout. It comes as no surprise that her team is made up of the people she loves most to create space for those in love. That is Athi’s brand.

The Impact of Bruno’s Blessings

In the early months of the pandemic, Athi’s venues were closed and she felt devastated losing her beloved Bruno. A puggle who was “so chunky and perfect,” as Athi says, Bruno and Athi were inseparable. When Bruno got sick, Athi took him to specialists to gift them a few more precious months together.

After Bruno passed, Athi wondered what many families must be faced with when their senior dog needs medical care but the financial burden is too great to bear. With Zach’s encouragement, she turned her grief into something good by starting Bruno’s Blessings. With local non-profit, Rochester Hope for Pets, Bruno’s Blessings covers a significant portion of a senior dog’s veterinary bill. In turn, Athi has helped many dogs stay with their families for as long as possible.

One such example of Bruno’s Blessings’ impact can be seen in the bright and inquisitive eyes of Lyla, a miniature pinscher who had a serious accident last year requiring immediate surgery. With the financial support from Bruno’s Blessings, Lyla is now fully recovered a year later.

At the Heart of It All

Starting as an event planning team of one as Agathi & Co in 2011, to joining forces with Zach, to now owning three of the most sought-after venues in Rochester, the last 14 years have been filled with hard work, dedication, and an underlying current of consistent kindness. Today, Arbor Venues employs 15 full-time and 80+ part-time staff.

Along with Bruno’s Blessings’ growth and her continued efforts to give senior dogs the greatest gift – that of time – Athi is an inspiring leader in our community. Yet, at the heart of it all, she remains full of humility, stating, “I’m just a girl figuring it all out. The end.”

Well, perhaps … this is only the beginning.

Photography: TPI Photography

Styling: Panache Consignment by Natalie Rae