photo by Steph2809 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13205
(315) 475-2735
Salina Shoes to the rescue!
It was August. None of the mall stores had any dressy white shoes left.
No way did anyone want to spend beaucoup bucks for cheap, uncomfortable shoes they sell at the bridal salons, and online.
The bride's first baby shoes came from Salina Shoes, so it was fitting that her wedding shoes also be bought there.
They had three pairs to pick from! Bellini was the first choice.
The manager couldn't have been more helpful.
Rating: A++
Best Shoe Store in Syracuse
Westcott Florist
548 Westcott St., Syracuse, NY 13210
(315) 474-1283
http://www.westcottflorist.com/
- We were told the cake flowers would be delivered to the bakery on Friday. When we found out they hadn't been, we called the florist to ask why, and they said they never delivered cake flowers the day before. Ok, so don't tell us they'd be delivered on Friday.
- One of the Mother's corsages was baby pink roses, with bright pink ribbon. We specifically asked for a deep, or dusty/antique pink color for the roses, and ribbon.
- About 6 of the corsages and boutonnieres had no pins. We had to do some major scrounging around the house for some floral pins, with no time to spare.
- One of the gerbera boutonnieres fell apart.
- Two items were labeled incorrectly, tho they were correct on the order form.
- They did arrive on time.
- Do the flowers on the cake photo look like they're worth $50.00?
Rating: C -
Industry Salon
121 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 476-0015
Best hair salon in Syracuse. That's what many people think.
The story made the rounds at the wedding and reception.
The bride had a 7:30 am appointment on the morning of the wedding.
The photographer would be arriving at the house 9:oo am.
She made the appointment months in advance.
She's a regular customer at the Industry.
She had just been there several weeks prior to go over the wedding 'do'.
At 8:00 am, she asked the receptionist to call B_____ at home to see where he was.
He was at home. He had forgotten her appointment.
She made it back home at 8:45 am, leaving her 15 minutes to get dressed and do makeup.
Major scramble. Not a good start to the day.
He charged her 1/2 his usual fee.
What? Half price?
That would be my last visit.
Rating: F
Fremont Bakery
119 E. Second St., East Syracuse, NY 13057 (315) 437-5683
http://www.fremontbakerycny.com/
The Fremont Bakery has closed.
You can read about it here:
http://deskdiva.blogspot.com/2012/01/fremont-bakery-has-closed.html
Outstanding wedding cake, delivered on time, and in perfect shape.
Fremont Bakery has been making the best wedding cakes forever.
Mention the name to anyone, and chances are they, and/or their mother had Fremont do their cake.
People snapped up unattended & unfinished pieces.
I've never seen that happen before.
The best people to work with.
It was a beauty.
Rating: A+
Best Wedding Cake Bakery in Syracuse
Photography by John Farnach
Manlius, NY
Five years ago, the other bride interviewed quite a few photographers, and decided to go with John Farnach Photography. We'd seen his work, and his price includes all the proofs. This time around, we didn't even bother shopping around. He's easy to work with, pleasant, and can be very funny in an understated way.
At the church, you hardly know he's there. Two suggestions: make a list of photos you really want him to get, and give him a schedule so you don't miss your reception. It's a great opportunity to get an extended family photo. We did a couple college alumni photos - very fun.
Update: The albums and single prints that were ordered were done BEFORE Christmas in time for gift giving!! Excellent.
Rating: A+
Best Photographer in Syracuse
American Limousine
701 E. Hiawatha Blvd. Syracuse, NY 13208
(315) 473-2000 (800) 611-9572
http://www.americanlimousine.net/
The white Town Car arrived on time! The driver was pleasant and courteous. We've got a cute photo of him holding the bride's bouquet as she was getting out of the car.
The car looked brand new. There wasn't the promised champagne in the car, but the driver went and got some during the wedding ceremony.
Perfect.
Rating: A
Best Limo in Syracuse
Syracuse Card Company
1632 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse, NY 13217
(315) 472-4496
For wedding invitations, it doesn't make that much difference where you get them. When you order from an album, all the stores 'discount' them. It's like ordering from a wallpaper book.
Make sure you spend the extra for a proof of the invitation. It was worth it here, because there were several errors, even though the information on the completed order form was correct.
Come on. It can't be that hard to copy information from one place to another.
Rating: B
Just Rosie's Boutique
105 Caroline Ave., Solvay, NY 13209
(315) 468-4313
Just Rosie's isn't really a wedding vendor, but if you're the mother of the bride, or you need something dressy, be sure to stop in. It's right around the corner from Solvay Bank's main office. Some of the dresses are the traditional MOB heavily beaded ensembles, but if you're looking for something elegant, simple, and comfortable, she'll have it. Very classy. She also carries Ursula of Switzerland - a beautiful line headquartered in Waterford, NY. The Ursula dress I bought was made in the USA. Surprise! It's also nice to have personal service without it being pushy. I need to visit again.
You can return an item for store credit.
Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 - 5:00pm - except for Tuesday - opens about 2:00pm
Saturday - 9:00 - 3:00pm, Closed Sunday
Rating: A+
Best boutique in Syracuse
Highland Forest
Box 31, 1254 Highland Forest Rd.
Fabius, NY 13063
(315) 683-5550 / 683-5147 fax
http://onondagacountyparks.com/parks/highland/
The wedding reception was at Skyline Lodge at Highland Forest, one of the Onondaga County Parks. Orchard Vali Golf Club is the exclusive caterer.
Directions From I-81 S (from Syracuse) Take Exit 14, make left off of exit then left onto Route 80. Highland Forest is approximately 12 miles, entrance is on the right. Follows signs to Skyline Lodge.
The facility is described below:
Orchard Vali Golf Club
4693 Route 20, LaFayette, NY 13084
(315) 677-3303
http://www.orchardvali.com/
Sandy and Melanie were great to work with. We only had to meet with Sandy twice, and do a few phone calls. The food was excellent. They did a beautiful room arrangement. The coffee and tea station was nice (our idea), and they even had green tea. A lot of people like to have coffee right away instead of waiting for dessert. Having it set up throughout the reception, gives people the opportunity to get up and move around. We've been to too many receptions where once you sit down at your designated table, you're there til the end.
The restrooms are VERY nice, and large.
The table linens are heavy and nice - we went with white.
The floor is stone, and there's no wooden dance floor, which didn't present a problem. You can rent a wood dance floor on your own if you want. I'm glad I brought along comfortable flats to wear at the reception. The floor IS hard.
The punch was warm. Bummer.
I wish they'd asked us if we wanted the fireplace lit.
Overall, we'd choose Orchard Vali again. Everyone had a wonderful time, and the views are spectacular.
Rating: A
Plaza Wine and Liquors
104 Kasson Rd., Camillus, NY 13031
(315) 487-3680
Little bottles of wine make great favors. Not many wineries offer them, and none are from New York. We chose Glen Ellen. Plaza Wine & Liquors had the best price, which included the date / name labels. We were hoping they'd have the best price, because it's a very fun store.
They also carry Taittinger - the only champagne worth drinking.
Rating: A+
Sharon's Sewing Service - wedding dress, bridesmaid dress alterations, seamstress
101 Inwood Drive
Syracuse, NY 13219
(315) 382-1669
http://www.sharonsewingservice.com/
Sharon is extremely easy to work with. We were pleased with all of our alterations, and her work is top quality. Her rates are reasonable, especially when you consider what you'd pay for in house alterations. I saw an ensemble she made for a mother of the bride, and it was spectacular. She's located just east of Fairmount Glen Mini Golf, on the corner of Inwood Dr., and Onondaga Rd. We loved working with her. We now take everything to her - even slacks that need a little shortening. That's not a photo of her on her website!
Rating: A+
Best Alterations / Seamstress in Syracuse
Don't Forget The Veil
We couldn't believe the prices of veils at the bridal stores, so the bride's veil came from eBay. It came to just about $20.00, including shipping. It was a two tier shoulder, or 'blusher' length with a pencil ribbon trim and some little crystals. I'd heard that the reflection from crystals can ruin photos, but these didn't. It had a comb already attached. I think it was definitely the way to go.
For bride #1, I made the veil, using these directions - the best I found online, or off.
Making a Veil: http://www.wegotgame.net/jen/veils.html
I bought twice as much fabric as I needed in case I botched it the first time. I also made a mini veil for practice. The tulle, and everything I needed, came from Cazenovia Fabrics - http://www.cazfabrics.com/
The Green Gate Inn & French Kiss Restaurant
2 Main St.
Camillus, NY 13031
315-672-3606
http://www.thegreengateinn.com/index.htm
We had 20-25 people for the rehearsal dinner. For one reason, or another, we settled on the Green Gate. It wasn't our first choice - other places were already booked. We would have gone to Cora D's in a heartbeat, but they didn't have room. The goal was to have a simple supper, served quickly in a restaurant not too far from the church.
That shouldn't be too difficult. Right?
The prices on the Main Dinner menu were pricey.
We weren't allowed to order off the Pub Menu, but they did allow us three off menu choices, which were not on the menu: a 1/2 roasted chicken, a fish dinner (it was Friday), and a salad thing with chicken strips, or something.
They had the count of who wanted what a week ahead of time.
Everyone was seated on time, yet we waited over 45 minutes to get the salads and bread.
The waiter kept saying the food would be out 'shortly'.
When it finally did come, the food was pretty good. The salads were so-so.
We skipped dessert - good thing, or we would have been there another two hours.
We should have had our own waiter - he had all of us, plus other tables.
The wallpaper is pretty, but old. The chairs have been there forever, and are getting rickety.
The place doesn't have central air conditioning, and the large window unit was blasting cold air directly on two of our tables.
Early on in the planning, they lost the deposit check, and another had to be written.
Rating: C-
Fairmount Cleaners
3508 W Genesee St Ste 3
Syracuse, NY 13219(315) 488-1131
The care instructions label for the wedding dress said, "Do not wash. Do not dry clean."I wrote to the dress manufacturer asking them what to do - they emailed back, and said to use Spray n Wash, and distilled water. Really? That's a scary thought.
The bride, and Sharon, the seamstress talked to the owner of Fairmount Cleaners, and he said he'd wash the whole dress in special soap and regular water.
Still a scary thought, but we crossed our fingers, and let him do it.
It came out perfectly - it hardly had a wrinkle.
I couldn't believe it. He's great. He also did a fantastic job on the other bride's dress.
Rating: A+
Best Dry Cleaner in Syracuse
