We spent quite a bit of time performing research to find “the best of the best” vendors for our wedding in Syracuse, NY. If you are getting married anywhere in Central New York – we strongly recommend checking into these people and companies. You will not be disappointed! We are very picky people – and they’re at least worth your time to contact them. If anyone has any questions about anyone listed on this page – feel free to ask! Happy to share our research and experience with anyone looking for local wedding vendors….
the ceremony: hendricks chapel, syracuse university
We wanted a non-demoninational wedding ceremony which limited the options of places to have our ceremony. After much debate, I mentioned “How about Hendrick’s Chapel?” over breakfast one morning. Mandi’s eyes LIT UP! She is a die-hard Syracuse University Fan (Athletics and everything else!) so it made perfect sense! We didn’t know if they do weddings for non-SU couples but a simple phone call told me they did! Not inexpensive by any means – but it’s the once-in-a-lifetime venue to get married!!!!
Elizabeth Cronk <eacronk@syr.edu> has been fantastic to work with so far… very accomodating, helpful and knowledgable. Anyone who wants a BEAUTIFUL place for a wedding ceremony in Syracuse…. look no further!
the reception: comfort suites, cicero new york
This is where the GLOWING Ridiculously FANTASTIC review of Comfort Suites Cicero once was…………… And blah blah blah Beth Funk <beth@sunhotelsllc.com> blah blah blah blah blah blah has been an absolute joy to work with blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Instead, let’s just say that we chose comfort suites cicero ny and leave it at that. My mom taught me if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all.
All I will say is that I would NOT choose them again if I could do this whole thing over.
That’s where I’ll leave it.
wedding photography: mike okoniewski
There are simply not enough words in the English Language (or any other language) that I can say about this man. How do I know? Well, for starters I’ve seen his work. Up close, and personal!! He is a ridiculously hard worker with a fantastic eye for this stuff. He hand picks his clients and i’m glad he picked us to work with. Mike did work for me previously so I guess you could say I’m a repeat customer!! He is f a s t and gets the shots. Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. Check out his website. He’s absolutely fantastic. If you use Mike Okoniewski… you will not be disappointed. Period. You will not regret this decision…. and anyone that knows me, knows that I’m VERY picky. Especially about photography since it’s also a passion of mine. Do yourself a favor….. if you need a photographer in syracuse…. Hire Mike. Enough said!!!
http://syracusephotographer.com/
engagement photography: andres de la rosa photography
We went all the way to Cancun, Mexico to have our engagement photos done by Andres De La Rosa (andresdphotography@yahoo.com) . If that doesn’t say it all – I don’t know what does! We went back and forth and he answered all our questions immediately. Great communication — and VERY easy to work with!!!! And if that wasn’t enough — the photos turned out absolutely amazing!!! We couldn’t be happier with our photos!!! Thank you Thank you Andres! So if anyone is going to have a destination wedding in Cancun – or if you’re going to Cancun for your honeymoon – or even if you’re looking for an excuse to go on a Mexican Vacation to the Riviera Maya ….. GET AHOLD OF ANDRES DE LA ROSA! His pricing was very reasonable and you end up with digital images plus edited images. No “per-photo” pricing! He’s straight up and has an amazing eye for photography. He knows his stuff cold. He will make you look like a model — even if you aren’t one! (like us!) It was an amazing experience and we will forever remember our engagement shoot on the white sand beaches of Cancun, Mexico with Andres. On a personal note, he’s such a great guy — we have made a friend for life!!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Andres-De-La-Rosa-Photography/134686256566657
dj services: perfect sounds dj entertainment and lighting
As a local radio personality for 93Q Radio, and as someone who’s DJ’ed weddings and parties — I have to admit that I’m pretty picky about not only the quality of the MC (Master of Ceremonies) but everything else that makes a fantastic wedding DJ! … the attention to detail … the experience coming from years and years of experience … the quality of the lighting and audio equipment used … We needed the perfect wedding DJ.
I started talking to lots of different local DJ services and found at least one we would never use. I hate to bad mouth anyone because this industry is so small – and of course everyone’s mileage will vary on this, but we absolutely did NOT appreciate the attitude and lack of professionalism of Liverpool DJ’s in Liverpool, NY. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Liverpool-DJs/108482992519281) “Powder Jay” – the owner – lacked professionalism and polish. I’m, of course, being nice here – but there’s NO way I would ever hire them for any event… ever. Again, your mileage may vary.
All the research brought us to Tom Soccocio Jr. and “Perfect Sounds DJ Entertainment and Lighting”. And thankfully!!! Tom was fantastic to work with — he was very accomodating of my busy schedule (sorry – I kept him waiting for weeks but yet he still held the date for us!) and the most knowledgeable wedding DJ i’ve ever talked to! With years and years of experience in the radio field – and equally in the party / wedding / event DJ business – Tom is absolutely the perfect fit for us! Since the DJ is the focal point of keeping the wedding reception schedule on track – selecting the perfect one is absolutely critical. Tom came to us with a timeline and offered multiple suggestions to make our reception flow more smoothly.
His equipment is top-notch! From a techie who has been intimately familiar with audio and lighting gear – I’m telling you that Tom’s gear is TOP NOTCH! He has pro lighting equipment, options to do whatever you want — can you say customized projections on the wall of whatever you want!?!?!? The options are endless and pricing is very reasonable! If you’re looking for a wedding reception DJ with tons of experience and professional flair…. Look no further than Perfect Sounds! Tell Tom I sent you! =)
http://www.myperfectsounds.com/
limousine: american prestige limousine
Straight up, American Prestige Limousine was extremely accomodating and held the date for us even while we were unable to confirm everything with them! They absolutely are top-notch people and come highly recommended by multiple people and businesses. I can’t speak for their cars, but I have heard that their website pictures don’t do their cars justice!!!! I’ve heard nothing but good things about APL and renting a pair of identical 10 Passenger White Lincoln Towncar Limos — it couldn’t be more perfect!!!! ”The Twins!”
If you’re looking for a wedding limo or a limo to the prom or winery or any special event….. give them a try!!!
Cherene (ChereneCarroll1@aol.com) has been an absolute joy to work with!!!! Tell her I sent you!!
wedding rings / wedding bands / engagement rings: jp jewelers
When I started looking at Engagement Rings — I went all over Syracuse to shop around for styles, pricing, and designs. I went to all the usual shops – Egon Ehrlinspiel in East Syracuse, Hayden Jewelers in Liverpool, Dazzling Diamonds in downtown Syracuse, etc. I also shopped online at Blue Nile (what a fantastic iPhone app they have!), Tiffany & Co. (holy expensive!!!), Jared (commercials DO work!), etc.
I started asking friends where they purchased their rings and asked for suggestions…. Hayden Jewelers was significantly less money for the same product as Egon Ehrlinspiels - and Mark Hayden had the ability to custom design the ring for me. Mark looked at the style of ring I was interested in – and made some suggestions on how to make it more unique. I was pleased – I just wasn’t wowed.
On a recommendation of a friend, he suggested I see Jamie at JP Jewelers in Oswego, NY to explore some options. I brought him pictures of what I had looked at, some drawings and ideas I had been throwing around for what I wanted in an engagement ring… I spent hours with Jamie looking at “the book” and at some of the styles he had in-stock… Now for those of you who have ever gone there – you know how straight forward Jamie is. For those of you who haven’t… here’s the straight scoop:
His store is small. He doesn’t have a ton of stock to show you, but anything you want he can create with the help of his goldsmiths and custom jewelery manufacturers. Local people. You aren’t dealing with a mail-order company — you’re dealing with a local central new york jeweler who takes the time to understand what you want… and makes it happen. Don’t be fooled by the size of his store…… I was a little apprehensive at first because I was looking for immediate gratification! I wanted the ring NOW! It didn’t happen that way – but it not only saved me a ton of money, but it also turned out perfect. Custom built and one-of-a-kind! So it took a couple days… it was FAST and the quality is unbelievable. Let’s take you through my story:
Jamie pulled out some loose diamonds and some diamonds already mounted in other settings. He advised me to disregard the mountings and ring settings as everything can be custom made. After telling him the size I wanted, he pulled out a ring and said “Take a look at this!” The ring was nothing of what I was looking for – but the diamond was…… amazing! I fell in love with it. The brilliance. The color. The size / carat. The clarity. The cut. And Jamie sat there and gave me education about how the diamond cut / angles makes all the difference in the world. He got out the magnifying loop and gave me the diamond education of my life.
Once I found the perfect center stone, Jamie pulled out the stock book and said “I think we have something we can start with – modify – and come up with something unique for you! And that’s exactly what he did. I described precisely what I thought and what I wanted to create and viola – the perfect engagement ring was created!
When it came time for the wedding bands – I started looking online … and locally (same jewelers as before) and then visited Jamie again. With some ideas in my head – in we walked. Again Jamie showed me a ring that was similar to what Mandi was looking for – and off we went with the customization again! Mine was stock out of the “jewelery book” that most jewelers use. Mandi’s ring was perfect! (WOW) Mine came in and the detail on the band wasn’t as pronounced as I thought it would be. NO PROBLEM! Jamie sent this ring out and got it custom enhanced (like sand blasted) so there was more detail on the band. Again he created the perfect custom ring for us – at a fraction of the price that other jewelers wanted for a similar ring. All our rings have a custom flair to it — one of a kind wedding rings — so they stand out. Exactly what we wanted!
Anyone looking for a local engagement ring jeweler or shopping for wedding bands — check out JP Jewelers in Oswego. It’s worth the drive! I will certainly be going back when we need anniversary gifts, birthday diamonds, or whatever! Thank you Jamie!
http://www.jpwholesalejewelers.com/
wedding invitations / response cards / save-the-date cards: wedding paper divas
After an extensive, exhaustive search both locally and on-line for save-the-date cards that could be personalized (with the pictures from Andres de la Rosa!) with photos – we settled on wedding paper divas! Fantastic quality – great web tools to design the custom look you want – and VERY VERY FAST! They exceeded my expectation 100%. The pricing was absolutely reasonable as compared to other services and we found a coupon code that gave us a discount – which made it a very good deal overall.
When we started shopping for invitations, we ordered samples from a bunch of companies…. but in the end, we selected weddingpaperdivas.com again! Again, they came VERY fast and were very high quality!!! Great selection, quality printing and paper, and did we mention…… FAST!!?!?!
http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/
wedding favors: favorfavor.com
We wanted to stay with our “theme” (can’t let the cat out of the bag yet!) and we found lots of online and local vendors who could create the personalized favors we wanted. They came in fairly fast, very reasonably priced, and VERY beautiful. We can’t recommend them enough. They were just as described – and the reviews there were pretty accurate. If you’re looking for wedding reception favors (bridal favors, groomsmen gifts, bridesmaids gifts, etc.) — check out their website!!! The pricing couldn’t be beat!
wedding dress: david’s bridal
(from Mandi)
My first visit to a salon was an appointment at Spy Baby in Armory Square, Syracuse. The owner listened as I described my likes and dislikes as well as my “must-haves”. When she returned to the fitting area, she had three dresses – none of which were even close to the color or style I described to her! I reluctantly tried on the first dress being that I was fairly excited to try on my first wedding dress! As I tried it on, at a price of over $2,000!!!!, I was asked to move out in front of the only mirror as a bridesmaid from another wedding needed to use my mirror! The owner also did not select any of the designer I requested (that she carried as well!) as they were priced half as much as the options she selected for me. Overall, it was a bad experience — especially for someone’s first wedding dress shopping experience.
From there, I looked at other local shops as well as online wedding dress retailers and finally ended up at David’s Bridal
As a small framed girl, it’s very difficult to find a salon that has dresses in all different sizes. Everywhere I went, it seemed they only had a size 8 to try on. Everything as you can imagine looked awful on me!
I went to David’s Bridal on Erie Blvd., and met Lady who informed me that they carry dresses in all sizes for sampling. After over 100 dresse and 4 appointments later – I found the perfect “must have” wedding dress! Even at 8 months pregnant, Lady went out of her way to help me find the perfect dream wedding dress!!