Oh dear! I keep lurking but posting nothing. I've been blogging, though! I've actually played at 2 weddings in the last couple months at our venue (the Fontainebleau Inn in Alpine), so I've been able to see it in action. Very exciting! I even got to see how pretty it is when there was a huge thunderstorm.
How's everyone's planning going? Any exciting pictures or vendor finds?
I'm here, I'm here!! I also wish there was more traffic on this board because I think it has the potential to be a great resource for us Upstate brides. I tried to get things going with a post about caterers, but looks like no one knows anything about the two I was asking about :(
Anyway, just as an intro, we're getting married in Cooperstown, which is kind a a no-man's land in terms of being able to get vendor info from other brides. We're not really in the Albany/capital region, not really in the Syracuse region... A photographer is the next vendor we need to book and I'm hoping there are photogs out there who will travel because there aren't too many in/around Cooperstown. Are there any other Coop brides out there, by any chance?
Anyway, GorgesViola- the Fountainbleu is an amazing venue! Are you getting married in the small chuch next door (I forget the name)? That's my favorite part of the venue. We're in Ithaca and a friend got married at the Fountainbleu a while ago. It was too small for our wedding (our guest list is more than could fit in the church) which I was bummed about, but I love our venue too.
I was born and raised in upstate NY (Syracuse to be exact) but I left there when I was 18 to go off to college in FL and have stayed down here ever since. Part of me wishes I was coming back to Syracuse to have my wedding in the fall because the foliage and weather is so beautiful (well, the weather is USUALLY beautiful.. I recall many a Halloween trick-or-treating in my snowsuit). However, most of the people attending the wedding live in FL (DF's family, all our college friends, etc.) and it really just makes no sense for me to have it back "home." I am just going to have to live vicariously through you brides :)
I am new to the site and was excited to see that there are boards dedicated to Upstate NY. I too think it will be extremely helpful if we get more people posting!
Anyway, I am an '06 graduate of Cornell currently living in Chicago. My fiance and I met at Cornell our freshman year and dated throughout undergrad. Naturally, we thought that having our wedding in the Ithaca area would be perfect (especially since I'm from Indiana originally and he's from Miami, FL--Ithaca is our common ground). We have been engaged since May but have yet to set a definite wedding date due to Cornell's Sage Chapel booking guidelines. We want to get married in September of next year, but you can only book a year to the month in advance (so Sept. 1st of this year). So we're keeping our fingers crossed that 9/19/09 will work out for us! Until then, it is extremely difficult to do any other planning because we don't have a set date to book other services. GorgesViola, I am excited to see that you're having your wedding at the Fontainebleau Inn. It is my top choice for a reception venue right now and can't wait to see it when I make a trip out there in September!
Here's hoping that the boards will have some increased traffic!
I'm not a bride, but a wedding photographer. We are based in Rochester, but we travel all around Upstate and Central NY for weddings. (We'd be happy to travel to Cooperstoen, kamb!)
It's nice to know there are other Upstaters on this board!
Kamb - We're getting married at Beardslee Castle (beardsleecastle.com) just outside Little Falls, NY. Mohawk Valley Brides unite. It looks much better in the Summer than the winter! We booked in December after our visit. I had to keep telling myself that it was going to look awesome in October!
I live in Oswego, my family is from Cortland and his family is from Oneonta. So it's a bit of a drive for all parties, but who could pass up getting married at a castle? Plus it was very reasonably prices and they can accommodate our requirement for a Vegetarian Reception. So, as much as I really wanted a rustic barn wedding similar to Miss Cherry Pie, I pulled out that childhood dream of being a Princess and ran with it.
We are on a pretty tight budget so all the things I really want to do have been limited. But, it's been interesting. We are getting into crunch time, invitations are going out in about a week, so I'm starting to get nervous. There is so much left to do.
Live Band - nearly checked... still haven't seen the contract come in yet on them.
Venue - check
Cake - check (Thanks Mom for being such a good baker.)
Rings - being custom made by Rob&Lean via Etsy. Check
Invitations - check... last few touches. All DIY
Decor - check, minus some paper products, menus and favors still being finished up.
Bridal Attire - all but the shoes... Need those soon! Got to get a fitting scheduled.
Photographer - check...but we'll see how it goes. She's cheap, but I might just be getting what I paid for. Good thing I've got a back up artist friend who's dying to take photos for free to grow her portfolio.
kamb & IthacaBride: I'm so glad every time I hear about people loving the FB. It's the only venue we visited (I did a ton of online and word-of-mouth research), and so far I haven't regretted it a bit. I'm really excited to work with them, and Terri also had great vendor recommendations. She didn't mince words about her favorite people to work with, and I know she wasn't getting kickbacks.
The little chapel *is* beautiful! We're having a Jewish wedding, though, so even though it's "non-denominational," it's still too churchy for our purposes. That was one of the few times I've been uncomfortable with Terri... she was trying really hard to convince me to have the ceremony there. Anyway, we're going to have the ceremony in the tent that's on the patio, which has sides but big windows. I like the idea of being right at the lake, but because music is going to be a huge part of our ceremony and because of the weather, an outdoor wedding didn't make sense. I think the patio will be perfect, though, and the lake view from there is still beautiful.
We had an engagement shoot with our photographer, Laura Kozlowski, and I was really happy with it. If anyone wants more info or wants to see the pictures, just PM me!
kamb, btw - we have a bunch of guests coming out early for the express purpose of visiting the Hall of Fame in C-town, so it's great you have built-in entertainment right there!
Hey ladies! I have been a knottie since June and have just discovered this website so here I come in full force!
Fiance and I are planning a Syracuse wedding from our home in Vail,Colorado. We got engaged on June 10 of this year and our wedding will be June 12, 2010. Our reception will be at the Hotel Syracuse in the grand ballroom and we are so excited about that. It is beautiful! We are having a heck of a time finding a church to be married in. We both grew up catholic however arent practicing parishioners anymore. We would love to respect our family and get married in a catholic church without a mass however we cant seem to find a liberal enough catholic church nor one that will marry us any later than 2:00 on a Saturday..Any ideas?
Once we find the church we can set the planning books down for a while (or so fiance thinks ) and breath a bit. I have found some great ideas on the Etsy.com website for our "vintage glam" inspired wedding. I am becoming borderline obsessed with planning...I LOVE IT!
Since I just commented on another post, I'll introduce myself here. FH and I are getting married in May in Rochester. So far, most things have been done, but I still need a cake and to get started on the invitations!
Hi all. I live in Ithaca and am getting married September 4, 2009 at The Lodge in Skaneateles I LOOOOVE IT). The Fontainebleu was our 2nd choice :)
I'm currently trin the middle of dress shopping. I've only been to David's - where I didn't really expect to find a dress but had to give it a try and New York Bride in Syracuse. My top choices are from New York Bride, but does anyone have any suggestions where else to shop in the Syracuse/Elmira/Rochester area?
Are you out there? Our board is so quiet that I can hear my own gears turning. I seek sisterhood with you by fellow Upstate Brides. Where are you?
posted by NYAmber 40 posts 4 months agolol - "lost" and "missing" tags.
Oh dear! I keep lurking but posting nothing.
I've been blogging, though! I've actually played at 2 weddings in the last couple months at our venue (the Fontainebleau Inn in Alpine), so I've been able to see it in action. Very exciting! I even got to see how pretty it is when there was a huge thunderstorm. 
How's everyone's planning going? Any exciting pictures or vendor finds?
posted by GorgesViola 189 posts 4 months agoI'm here, I'm here!! I also wish there was more traffic on this board because I think it has the potential to be a great resource for us Upstate brides. I tried to get things going with a post about caterers, but looks like no one knows anything about the two I was asking about :(
Anyway, just as an intro, we're getting married in Cooperstown, which is kind a a no-man's land in terms of being able to get vendor info from other brides. We're not really in the Albany/capital region, not really in the Syracuse region... A photographer is the next vendor we need to book and I'm hoping there are photogs out there who will travel because there aren't too many in/around Cooperstown. Are there any other Coop brides out there, by any chance?
Anyway, GorgesViola- the Fountainbleu is an amazing venue! Are you getting married in the small chuch next door (I forget the name)? That's my favorite part of the venue. We're in Ithaca and a friend got married at the Fountainbleu a while ago. It was too small for our wedding (our guest list is more than could fit in the church) which I was bummed about, but I love our venue too.
NYAmber- where are you getting married?
Hopefully we can bring this board to life!
posted by kamb 6 posts 3 months agoI was born and raised in upstate NY (Syracuse to be exact) but I left there when I was 18 to go off to college in FL and have stayed down here ever since. Part of me wishes I was coming back to Syracuse to have my wedding in the fall because the foliage and weather is so beautiful (well, the weather is USUALLY beautiful.. I recall many a Halloween trick-or-treating in my snowsuit). However, most of the people attending the wedding live in FL (DF's family, all our college friends, etc.) and it really just makes no sense for me to have it back "home." I am just going to have to live vicariously through you brides :)
posted by meggyg8r 94 posts 3 months agoI am new to the site and was excited to see that there are boards dedicated to Upstate NY. I too think it will be extremely helpful if we get more people posting!
Anyway, I am an '06 graduate of Cornell currently living in Chicago. My fiance and I met at Cornell our freshman year and dated throughout undergrad. Naturally, we thought that having our wedding in the Ithaca area would be perfect (especially since I'm from Indiana originally and he's from Miami, FL--Ithaca is our common ground). We have been engaged since May but have yet to set a definite wedding date due to Cornell's Sage Chapel booking guidelines. We want to get married in September of next year, but you can only book a year to the month in advance (so Sept. 1st of this year). So we're keeping our fingers crossed that 9/19/09 will work out for us! Until then, it is extremely difficult to do any other planning because we don't have a set date to book other services. GorgesViola, I am excited to see that you're having your wedding at the Fontainebleau Inn. It is my top choice for a reception venue right now and can't wait to see it when I make a trip out there in September!
Here's hoping that the boards will have some increased traffic!
posted by IthacaBride 2 posts 3 months agoI'm not a bride, but a wedding photographer. We are based in Rochester, but we travel all around Upstate and Central NY for weddings. (We'd be happy to travel to Cooperstoen, kamb!)
It's nice to know there are other Upstaters on this board!
http://www.perezsisters.com
posted by PerezSistersPhotography 34 posts 3 months agoKamb - We're getting married at Beardslee Castle (beardsleecastle.com) just outside Little Falls, NY. Mohawk Valley Brides unite. It looks much better in the Summer than the winter! We booked in December after our visit. I had to keep telling myself that it was going to look awesome in October!
I live in Oswego, my family is from Cortland and his family is from Oneonta. So it's a bit of a drive for all parties, but who could pass up getting married at a castle? Plus it was very reasonably prices and they can accommodate our requirement for a Vegetarian Reception. So, as much as I really wanted a rustic barn wedding similar to Miss Cherry Pie, I pulled out that childhood dream of being a Princess and ran with it.
We are on a pretty tight budget so all the things I really want to do have been limited. But, it's been interesting. We are getting into crunch time, invitations are going out in about a week, so I'm starting to get nervous. There is so much left to do.
Live Band - nearly checked... still haven't seen the contract come in yet on them.
Venue - check
Cake - check (Thanks Mom for being such a good baker.)
Rings - being custom made by Rob&Lean via Etsy. Check
Invitations - check... last few touches. All DIY
Decor - check, minus some paper products, menus and favors still being finished up.
Bridal Attire - all but the shoes... Need those soon! Got to get a fitting scheduled.
Photographer - check...but we'll see how it goes. She's cheap, but I might just be getting what I paid for. Good thing I've got a back up artist friend who's dying to take photos for free to grow her portfolio.
Anyone have any great resources for vendors?
posted by NYAmber 40 posts 3 months agokamb & IthacaBride: I'm so glad every time I hear about people loving the FB. It's the only venue we visited (I did a ton of online and word-of-mouth research), and so far I haven't regretted it a bit. I'm really excited to work with them, and Terri also had great vendor recommendations. She didn't mince words about her favorite people to work with, and I know she wasn't getting kickbacks.
The little chapel *is* beautiful! We're having a Jewish wedding, though, so even though it's "non-denominational," it's still too churchy for our purposes. That was one of the few times I've been uncomfortable with Terri... she was trying really hard to convince me to have the ceremony there. Anyway, we're going to have the ceremony in the tent that's on the patio, which has sides but big windows. I like the idea of being right at the lake, but because music is going to be a huge part of our ceremony and because of the weather, an outdoor wedding didn't make sense. I think the patio will be perfect, though, and the lake view from there is still beautiful.
We had an engagement shoot with our photographer, Laura Kozlowski, and I was really happy with it. If anyone wants more info or wants to see the pictures, just PM me!
kamb, btw - we have a bunch of guests coming out early for the express purpose of visiting the Hall of Fame in C-town, so it's great you have built-in entertainment right there!
posted by GorgesViola 189 posts 3 months agoHey ladies! I have been a knottie since June and have just discovered this website so here I come in full force!
Fiance and I are planning a Syracuse wedding from our home in Vail,Colorado. We got engaged on June 10 of this year and our wedding will be June 12, 2010. Our reception will be at the Hotel Syracuse in the grand ballroom and we are so excited about that. It is beautiful! We are having a heck of a time finding a church to be married in. We both grew up catholic however arent practicing parishioners anymore. We would love to respect our family and get married in a catholic church without a mass however we cant seem to find a liberal enough catholic church nor one that will marry us any later than 2:00 on a Saturday..Any ideas?
Once we find the church we can set the planning books down for a while (or so fiance thinks
) and breath a bit. I have found some great ideas on the Etsy.com website for our "vintage glam" inspired wedding. I am becoming borderline obsessed with planning...I LOVE IT!
Well this is us as of today!
CHEERS
posted by hchamber 4 posts 2 months agoSince I just commented on another post, I'll introduce myself here. FH and I are getting married in May in Rochester. So far, most things have been done, but I still need a cake and to get started on the invitations!
posted by catcat 6 posts 2 months agoHi all. I live in Ithaca and am getting married September 4, 2009 at The Lodge in Skaneateles I LOOOOVE IT). The Fontainebleu was our 2nd choice :)
I'm currently trin the middle of dress shopping. I've only been to David's - where I didn't really expect to find a dress but had to give it a try and New York Bride in Syracuse. My top choices are from New York Bride, but does anyone have any suggestions where else to shop in the Syracuse/Elmira/Rochester area?
posted by IthacaBride09 2 posts 1 month ago