Destination Weddings
I am going to get married in the Adirondacks this year. I happen to live in the Adirondacks and I’ve worked here in the tourism industry for, well, a good long time. My husband-to-be, Chuck, and I are pretty flexible about dates – Monday is as convenient for our guests and ourselves as Saturday or Sunday.
We set out to research locations for a ceremony to be followed by a modest wedding luncheon or dinner for immediate family, sometime this summer or fall.
We were really excited by the prospect of getting married on the hand-crafted tour boat, the W.W. Durant, that plies Raquette Lake. I know Captain Dean Pohl and his wife Donna and I have enjoyed their hospitality and food before. Chuck and I thought it would be nice to be married by Captain Pohl as we cruised among the mountains and historic great camps.
We also considered a brief ceremony by the rushing Ausable River with Whiteface Mountain in the background. That is the setting for the Hungry Trout, a wonderful restaurant in Wilmington. After the ceremony we could walk a few steps to the dining room.
Since Chuck and I got engaged at the Wawbeek on Upper Saranac Lake, we thought about a ceremony there followed by a meal. We love the panoramic view of the lake from the dining room. We are saddened by the news that our “special place” will be closing to the public after this fall. It has been sold and will become a private residence.
Unfortunately, none of these great locations quite fit our “specifications”. They were all big enough to handle our small party. Because we could book on a Monday, dates were available. And while the dining facilities are wheelchair accessible, the “deal breaker” for us is the fact that none of their bathrooms can accommodate a wheelchair. Chuck’s Dad is in a wheelchair.
So, with the clock ticking, we are still looking. We’re going to check out White Pine Camp in Paul Smiths. One of the few historic Adirondack Great Camps open to the public, it is located on Osgood Pond (actually, a good-sized lake).
The Lodge on Echo Lake in Warrensburg was new in 2001. I visited it a few years ago and the view is terrific. It is a pretty, Adirondack-style space, but probably too big for our little party of 30.
As you can tell, there are plenty of wedding locations. If we were younger and looking for a more elaborate wedding, we would consider the stately Sagamore Resort on its own island in Lake George or the Adirondack rococo glamour of Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid.
There are some island and summer chapels for picturesque church weddings. Silver Bay YMCA Conference Center, on the northwestern shore of Lake George, has a beautiful old stone chapel as well as banquet facilities. The inter-denominational Island Chapel on Chapel Island in Upper Saranac Lake holds services in the summer. Pictures and announcements appear in the local newspaper about ceremonies taking place there, but I don’t know who to contact for more information.
Chuck and I continue our search for a bathroom (accessible). If you have tales of your Adirondack destination wedding, we’d love to hear them.
3 responses so far ↓
1 lunastar // Jul 10, 2007 at 5:55 pm
I just got married in Lake Placid this June, and I had a hard time researching vendors during my planning process. Through hard work, I feel I found the best, and I am saying this after the event. The caterer was out-of-this-world, her prices, her communication, her creativity, her presentation and I suppose most importantly her tastes were beyond what could have been expected. Her name is Nicole Buckley and her catering company is called Fruitful Seasons Catering based out of Saranac Lake. Her website is http://www. fruitfulseasonscatering.net. I also used a wedding planner that I could not have done without, she is not like most wedding planners in that you have to pay a certain percentage of your wedding costs, her name is Sherry Crouse and she offers several (very inexpensive) payment packages depending on what you need her to provide for you, whether it is planning the whole event from beginning to end or providing decorating assistance and day-of-the-event maintenance so that you can rest and enjoy your day. I took kind of the mid0way package, and received more support and assistance than I could possibly have asked for! Excellent communication, great creativity, very resourceful. She saved us a lot of $$ with vendors, too. We also hired a great woman by the name of Bec Myers to come to the cabin and do all the BM’s, MOG, MOB and FG’s, not to mention the bride hair and make-up. Up here in the mountains, its a little difficult to find a salon where we could all have fit in together, Bec comes right to the sight fully prepared with all the necessary equipment, as well as a smile for a pretty nervous bride. She came the day before to check out the “heads” and even threw in a few manicures for good measure. We used Foster tent rentals out of West Chazy for all of our rentals, including tents, tables, chairs, flatware, etc. Their delivery and set-up staff were timely and their rentals were clean! I highly recommend them as well!
2 cbo // Jan 12, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I’m currently planning a September wedding at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. I’m running into the most difficutly in finding a place for everyone to stay and transportation. The Adirondacks are a beautiful place and the solitude and “forever wild” nature of it are it’s greatest characterisics, it just makes for planning an event for 100 people a bit difficult!
3 Marisa // Feb 12, 2008 at 10:39 am
Cbo:
Have you considered Silver Bay YMCA of the Adirondacks? There is lodging to fit every budget located right on scenic Lake George. September is a beautiful time here at Silver Bay. Check out the webpages at http://www.silverbay.org/lodging. You can even hold the entire event here - contact the planning staff at 518.543.8833 x 243
Happy planning.
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