The local couple from Auburn, NY, David and Allison finished 3rd in the reality TV series, Shedding for the Wedding. Congratulations guys for a job well done.

CNYweddings.com was instrumental for Allison and David as it was a blog post about the show that provided the means for Allison to apply to be on the show. We’re happy to have played a part in the success that Allison and David acheived.

You can watch a recent video clip of them on Bridge Street.

Thanks to the British group Blake and a Royal Wedding featuring William and Kate, there will be a new first dance song for 2011 that is sure to be huge. “All of me” is the title and you can check it out here,

An exciting Bridal show will be taking place at Anyela’s Vineyard in Skaneateles, NY, Sunday February 27, 2011 from 2 to 5PM. Pre-registration is not required but definitely suggested otherwise you won’t be eligible to win any of the fabulous doorprizes. You may pre-register for the Pure Wedding Wonderland Bridal Show at:

This promises to be one of the most elegant Bridal Shows in Central New York and the Finger Lakes. Over 20 vendors will be present and by pre-registering for the Bridal show, you will become eligible to win some wonderful door prizes donated by the participating vendors. The Grand Prize, donated by Mirbeau Inn & Spa, includes:

• 2 Nights Accommodations
• One 50 min Couples Massage
• 2 Full Breakfasts for 2
• One Wine Pairing Dinner for 2
• Rose Petal Turndowns
• Daily use of facilities incl. the Aqua Terrace, Exercise Equipment, Steam and Sauna Rooms
• Incl. all taxes and gratuities

There are some other exciting door prizes including:

Participating Wedding Vendors include:

• Pure Catering and Events
• Lovewell Celebration Design
• Anyela’s Vineyard
• Sherwood Inn and Properties
• Hank Parker’s Rentals
• Mirbeau Inn & Spa
• Steve Morgan Band
• Patisserie
• Laure Lillie Photographie
• La Dolce Vita Cakes
• Erica Abdo Makeup Design
• BTI Travel Consultants
• Folls Flower Farm
• Springside Inn and Properties
• Pomodoro, Too!
• Rebecca’s Bridal
• Justin Mayer Videography
• Alice Patterson Photography
• Creekside Coffee & Books
• Maria DeSantis Music
• Michael E Mobile Sound & CNYweddings.com
• Honor Vendors:
• Fleur de lis Floral Shop
• Wild Flour Baking Company

Anyela’s Vineyard is located at 2433 West Lake Road, Skaneateles, NY 13152

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CNYweddings.com was contacted by The CW in June, 2010. We were asked if we’d be interested in placing a casting call for an upcoming, reality based television show called, “Shedding for the Wedding” on The CW. It was thrilling to actually be a part of this process and we enthusiastically made a blog post about the show.

The concept for the show is the combining of two things that many couples find stressful; planning a wedding and losing weight. The show has couples battling it out over a 3-month period of time. The couple who loses the most combined weight will win their fantasy-wedding that America will attend.

Many couples responded to the casting call that appeared on CNYweddings.com. One lucky couple, David Young and Allison Skinner, were chosen to be contestants! David and Allison live in Auburn, NY

As for what happens to our local couple, David and Allison, be sure to tune in. The series premiere is February 23 on The CW.

http://cwtv.com/shows/shedding-for-the-wedding/cast/allison-david

In late summer 2010, The CW contacted CNYweddings.com about promoting a casting call for its upcoming reality show, Shedding For The Wedding. The program is about couples who want to lose weight before their wedding, similar in some ways to The Biggest Loser on NBC.

The exciting news is that a Central New York couple who responded to the casting call on CNYWeddings.com was selected to participate on the show.

Stay tuned to CNYweddings.com next week for more details on who the couple is and where they are from.

Though not for everyone, there is going to be a new Reality TV show geared towards couples who are planning on losing weight for their wedding. The show is going to be called “Shedding for your Wedding” and will be on CW and is being produced by MysticArt Pictures.

You’d be competing with other couples who are doing the same thing. Think “Big Loser” for wedding couples. The Grand Prize is winning your Dream Wedding. Interested? Here is a link to the casting site… http://www.mysticartpictures.com/ncshow.php?nc_id=19

Good Luck and let CNYweddings.com know if you are going to be a participant in the show. We’ll blog about it right here!

Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine

A few weeks ago Kari Anderson, a writer for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine, interviewed Michael Erb, owner of CNYweddings.com. The article title was “Timing is Everything” and discussed various issues related to planning your wedding. You can read the article here…
http://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com/weddings/readmore_wedding5.php

CNYweddings is so happy to know that you’ve found us! Countless couples have used our site to help plan their wedding. Brides and Grooms are frequently emailing us to tell us how helpful it was to be able to discover just exactly the vendors they needed at one, easy to use, website, that isn’t overly innundated with flashing and blinking ads and obnoxious pop-ups.

We’re no rookies when it comes to dispensing wedding advice. CNYweddings is entering its 9th year of operation. Gosh, we’re almost as old as the web itself. We are very familiar with the Central New York area and love helping you plan your big day.

Our blog will dispense information, advice and whatever else we think will be helpful or informative to you from a “planning your wedding” point of view. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

I am thrilled to announce that March 5, 2009 marked the re-launch of the CNYweddings.com web site.

The original site was launched in 1998 and has served it’s purpose very well over all those years. But the time had come for a complete overhaul to freshen things up and add new and exciting features. It’s been a project over a year in the making and today was the day it finally went “live”.

I hope you enjoy the “new” CNYweddings.com and if you notice any bugs, misspellings or whatnot, please let us know. With the large scope of the project, it’s inevitable that a few cracks reveal themselves at some point.

Happy wedding planning from all of us at CNYweddings.com!

CNYweddings.com would like to send out a huge congratulations to one of our vendors, Marion Cardwell-Ferrer, owner of Sincredible Pastries. Marion recently had one of her amazingly decorated cakes accepted into a nationwide search for the “50 most beautiful cakes in America” by Brides magazine.

You can view all of the cakes nominated and vote for your favorite, here.

I’m also happy to say that Marion’s cakes taste as good as they look.

copyright © 2007 Alisha Clark Photographer

The “old school” method of preserving a wedding dress entails treating the dress with the utmost of care during the course of the long wedding day. Being sure not to step in mud puddles, taking care not to rip, tear or stain the dress. Basically treating the dress as if it really shouldn’t be worn in the first place because of its exquisite beauty and fine craftsmanship with handmade lace and crystal appliqué. The dress must be preserved after the wedding by an expensive process of cleaning, boxing and storing.

All well and good except some modern day brides are throwing that tradition out along with the leftover wedding cake. For a new breed of bride there is a new tradition…trashing the dress. Apparently they’ve asked themselves why they are saving the dress that likely won’t ever be worn again and quite possibly won’t even be seen again once it’s been cleaned, preserved, boxed and stored away in a dark corner of the attic or basement.

What exactly is “trashing the dress” you ask? Basically it is taking some out-of-the-ordinary photographs of the bride wearing the dress in some quite unlikely situations. Think along the lines of laying on a sandy beach with waves crashing over you. Or perhaps jumping into a pool and having pictures taken of you in your gown while underwater. Oh yes, this trashing of the dress isn’t for the faint of heart but it can result in some spectacularly original photographs that are sure to garner interest and be talked about for years to come. The generally recognized originator of this style of photography is John Michael Cooper from Las Vega, NV.

CNYweddings took an informal poll of a number of well-established photographers in Central New York and discovered that while the “trash the dress” phenomenon isn’t unknown in these parts, it is not all that common either. According to Alisha of Alisha Clark Photography, “It (trash the dress) seems to be more popular in warmer weather type states such as in the southern and mid-western states.” She recently photographed a wedding in Mexico and the bride, who was from Arkansas had reqeusted the “trash the dress” photography. However Alisha told me that what is more common is a “day after the wedding” photo shoot where the bride and groom simply pose more normally in their formal attire.

Another photographer I asked, Renee Marquis , owner of “Capture Your Moment” photography, told me that she has a trash the dress photo shoot scheduled for an upcoming spring 2008 wedding in Central New York but it’s not something that is frequently requested.

I also spoke with photographers Robert Kaussner and Brady Dillsworth, neither of whom have had any requests thus far for the “trash the dress” style of photography. So it seems that Central New York is not exactly the hot bed of activity for this trendy and possibly short-lived type of photography.

I wanted to know whether brides really trash their $5,000 Vera Wang wedding dresses and according to Alisha, “Sometimes it’s the actual wedding dress, but more often if the bride has an expensive dress, she will do more along the line of portraits rather than “trashing” it as the main objective.” In some photo shoots, the bride will actually have an inexpensive dress to trash instead of the actual wedding dress worn at the wedding.

If you are considering having a “Trash The Dress” photo shoot after your wedding, make sure you can see samples of photos from the photographer you are considering. The last thing you would want is a trashed dress and nothing to show for it.

When you try to come up with a fully adequate word to describe the beauty of Margaret Neher’s, hand blown and sculpted Cake Toppers, you are left speechless. No single word can convey the beauty and uniqueness of these one of a kind works of art.

Each piece takes 3 days to create and is a labor of love. Margaret works with borosilicate glass rods and tubing, working each piece over an open flame (oxy-propane for the inquisitive.) To see the artist actually creating one of her unique pieces, watch this video of her appearance on HGTV’s Carol Duvall show.

A work of art. A museum piece. A stunningly beautiful cake topper that will long be cherished and admired, made right here in Central New York by artisan Margaret Neher.

Here are two samples of her work…

Our eagle-eyed fashion consultant at CNYweddings discovered these beautiful, handmade purses recently. No two purses are alike. Each is individually handcrafted using precious, semi-precious, crystal and glass beads. The design and colors can be customized for each customer. They are truly one of a kind works of art, exquisite and unique.

The purses, along with stunning bracelets (which could be a one-of-a-kind, striking bridesmaid gift), are made in New York City by Inna NYC Designs.

Exciting news!

CNYweddings was contacted yesterday by a producer of “Bridge Street with Rick and Julie“. All next week, Feb 12-16, 2007, Bridge Street will be airing segments having to do with weddings and wedding planning. The 4-5 minute segment on which I’ve been asked to participate will air on Thursday, February 22, 2007 some time between 10:00am and 11:00am. The segment will address “Unique places to have a wedding in Central New York”.

I’m so excited and hope that you’ll be able to view the show.

After a brief stay in Hospicare, Kevin Stearns (Valois Photography) passed away November 16, 2006. He will be missed.

Kevin was one of those people who once you met, you would never forget. He had worked at Cornell and was also a published author. His book, “Finger Lakes of New York: A Photographic Portrait” contained truly spectacular images of the Finger Lakes and was a fine example of the excellent photography that characterized Kevins’ work.

The day that Kevin passed away was rainy, dark and gloomy. However the weather miraculously broke for a short spell and displayed the following rainbow. Thank you Kevin. We will all miss you.

It is a fact of life that due to circumstances beyond your control (inclement weather, accidents, hospitilization), you might have to cancel or postpone your wedding. If the unimaginable happens and you have to cancel, what happens to all the money you’ve put down in deposits and obligations you may have to pay even if the wedding doesn’t take place? Couples frequently face these unforseen events. Wedding Insurance can bring peace of mind with the knowledge that you’ll be offered some protection in case of such emergencies.

Wedding insurance policies are relatively inexpensive and may provide a great deal of help in covering expenses that you have incurred. These policies will generally provide coverage for things like forfeited deposits, travel expenses, and even loss of wedding rings.

One thing that is not covered with Wedding Insurance is getting cold feet. But if the unimaginable happens and you must cancel your wedding, having wedding insurance could save a lot of expense and headaches.

A recent article in Newsweek magazine states that an interesting development is taking place in weddings. Pets are becomming part of the ceremonies. Some people are even calling this phenomenon a trend. Most dogs prefer to be ring bearers while some cats prefer to be carried in lieu of a bouquet.

This should not be too surprising since pets can be an integral part of a family. So some couples include them in the wedding event itself.

Of course an entire industry has been created to cater to the pet crowd… everything from dog tuxedo costumes with tails & top hat, to jewelry has been crafted by pet stores eager to meet the needs of this growing segment of the wedding business.

So instead of putting rover in the kennel for the day, make him part of your day. Woof!

And what about guests who might be allergic to your pet cat’s dander? Well, advance planning is a must if you intend to include your pet in the festivities. It’s also not a bad idea to have a pet handler nearby to take care of any.. a-hem, necessary private moments a pet may have.

Today was the day! This morning at about 10:35am, I made my guest appearance on “Bridge Street with Rick and Julie.”

Now that it’s over, I can honestly tell you that if you are ever in a position to know that you only have exactly 3 1/2 minutes to live, a great way to extend that short amount of time to an ETERNITY is to be a guest on a live television show. That’s basically how I felt this morning as I made my television appearance on Bridge Street with Rick and Julie to talk about “Alternative places to get married in Central New York.”

The hosts, Rick Gary and Christie Casciano (filling in for Julie Abbott) made me feel quite comfortable on the set, but still, the butterflies were flapping away and the brief segment seemed much longer than 3.5 minutes.

Happily, it went very well. You can visit the WSYR website to see a summary of what was discussed and view the actual segment.

I also hope to have the segment up on CNYweddings at some point in time.

Thanks to all of you who sent me encouraging emails prior to the event. I also want to thank the producer Shauna and Assistant Producer Melissa Lopoo for not only asking me to be a guest in the first place, but also for calming my nerves as we approached air-time.

It was really exciting!

I want to thank the photographers who provided the awesome photos of the featured venues…Gary Hodges of Jon Reis photography, Bob Haggard, Brigette Kingsley, Steve Chester and Frank DiMeo. Without all the great photos these photographers provided, the segment would not have been anywhere near as good as it was. Thanks!

When it comes to looking for wedding related books, there is no doubt that the vast majority are geared toward women. So what about the guys? Don’t the future grooms of the world deserve a few books of their own? Craig Michaels certainly thought so. Craig, founder of the website Groom411.com, a site geared primarily to the Groom-to-be, recently published the book, “Thirty to Wife-The Tell-All Groom’s Guide To Weddings-How To Get Hitched Without Losing Your Mind Or Your Fiancée”.

We’ve had a chance to read the book and can tell you that it offers a real-life experience of what the process leading up to marriage is like. Sometimes funny, but always practical, the book gives a birdseye view of what a groom-to-be can expect to encounter (and how to deal) in the days leading up to the wedding ceremony

The book is helpful in that it provides checklists, timelines and lots of tips and practical advice. It’s written with the male perspective but is also helpful to the bride-to-be.

So guys, don’t enter marriage without checking out the helpful advice that Craig Michaels provides in this book. It just might give you a tip or two that will ease your transition from “wild and crazy single guy” to the man who is the apple of your wife-to-be’s eye.

Good news for married people… you’ll live longer married than you would have if you had never married. According to a study by Robert M Kaplan and Richard G Kronick recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, people who have never married were more likely to die earlier in life than people living with a spouse.

The study ran between 1989 and 1997 and included data on 67,000 adults living in the United States. The data showed that the death rate for never married people was significantly higher than that of married couples living together.

As Mr. Spock would say, “Live long and prosper.”

For years the standard Wedding Registry has been the Department Store type of thing. But as contemporary Brides and Grooms expand their horizions, so the choices for Wedding Registries follow.

One idea is to create a registry at the online mega-retailer, Amazon.com. This offers a convenient way for out-of-town guests to choose a gift from the vast array of possibilities at the mighty Amazon.

An even more unique registry can be found at TheBigDay.com. Check this out… you can actually create a Honeymoon Registry! Or you can choose other types of travel such as airline miles, scuba adventures, etc. So for the couple who seeks adventure rather than ‘things’, TheBigDay.com might be your ticket to paradise. Who needs a crock pot anyway?

CNYweddings has been reviewing a new book, ‘Weddings Valentine Style’, by diann valentine. All we can say is, ‘WOW’

If you are looking for some rich ideas to create the type of atmosphere that is described by words such as ‘classy’, ‘elegant’, ‘stunning’, ‘eclectic’ and ‘extraordinary’, then this book is for you. Its lavishly illustrated pages of goregous photographs capture the essence of what a ‘Valentine’ wedding style is all about.

And the best part is that you don’t need an extraordinary budget to replicate her ideas. Many of the ideas can be accomplished without spending huge amounts of money.

For some people, avoiding the number 13 is just part of normal life. Why mess around with the slightest possibility of bad luck if you can avoid it? On the other hand, the number 7 is generally associated with good luck. Ask any gambler about ‘lucky 7′s’ in the game of craps. Here is an explanation why 7 is considered a lucky number.

If you place any significance on 7 being a lucky number and you’re planning a 2007 wedding, then the date of July 7, 2007 (7/7/07) will be of interest you. In fact it looks like 7/7/2007 is fast becomming one of the most popular dates for planning a wedding next year and according to many local wedding vendors; the date is booking up quickly.

Normally, booking your wedding date is best done about a year in advance, but for some ‘special’ dates like 7/7/07, the earlier the better. Since we are already past the ‘year in advance’ point, it would be wise to start making those phone calls immediately if you have any desire to plan your wedding on what could be the luckiest day of 2007.

Good luck!

Anyone who has spent much time in Central New York this summer can tell you it’s been a rainy and wet July. Rainfall has been above average and the storms have been quite nasty, with strong winds, hail and violent thunderstorms.

Should you be concerned? Well, yes, maybe you should.

Consider this real life example of what happened during a recent wedding during a rainy weekend in July 2006 at The Fontainebleau Inn, Alpine NY.

It was a normal enough afternoon, although quite hot and muggy. The ceremony took place at Sage Chapel, Cornell University and no rain fell before, during or immediately after the ceremony. All was well.

Once the guests and wedding party arrived at The Fontaineblau Inn, the cocktail hour proceeded without incident and eveyone was having a grand time. The DJ was playing beautiful music outside on the tent covered patio while the guests were enjoying hors d’oeuvres, enjoying the beautiful lake view. A few rumblings of thunder were barely audible in the distance. But the sky had a foreboding darkness which was heading towards the wedding reception.

An announcment for guests to take their seats inside was made, in preparation for the Formal Introductions. 30 seconds after the announcement, a horrific clash of thunder and lightning ushered in the beginning of an extremely strong thunderstorm. Still, at this point there was no cause for alarm as the guests were safely inside the building.

The introductions were about to begin and as the announcement was made, another clash of thunder occurred followed by a few seconds of flickering lights and then a complete power outage.

This could have been the end of the story, a ruined wedding recption caused by a power outage… no music, no lights, cold food. But this reception had a happy ending because The Fontainebleau Inn had an automatic power generator that switched on within 5 seconds of the power outage. In fact, none of the guests even knew that it was the generator providing the electricity. So what could have been a disaster turned out to be a non-event and the remainder of the reception proceeded without any further interruptions.

The moral of the story is to investigate the location of your reception and consider the worse case scenario to see how well your choice of venue will be able to handle a “worse case scenario”. It could make the difference between a wedding to be remembered and a wedding you’ll never forget.

Due to popular demand, here are links to some relevant formal dance songs. All of them are available through iTunes for just $.99/each. This way you can burn them to disc and hand the disc to your DJ to ensure that he plays the correct version of the song that you want.

Each of the items in the following list are links that will take you to iTunes for each group of songs.
Formal Dance Songs

• Bride/Groom First Dance
• Father/Bride Dance
• Mother/Groom Dance
• Wedding Party Dance