Finger Lakes/Ithaca/Syracuse Venue Ideas

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

Hi there! My name is Jaclyn and I just got engaged this past Friday.

Since I am from the Albany area and my fiancee's family is from Rochester, we were looking to have our wedding somewhere in-between. We are anticipating about 200 guests and have just started looking in the Finger Lakes region, Ithaca, Syracuse, etc. Ideally, we would like some aspect of our wedding outside preferably next to a lake (I'm thinking maybe a big deck for dancing after dinner, or strolls outside to get some fresh air during the reception), but we are open to different suggestions as long as the surrounding landscape is gorgeous (think mountains, lush gardens, flowers, etc). There are many beautiful places for an outside ceremony but I would like to get married in a nearby church. I've had trouble finding a place that has an elegant banquet facility (many look plain and uninspiring even with decorations). I've already read about Belhurst Castle, Esperanza Mansion, etc. I also accidentally posted this on the Capital District board so I received a few helpful responses there (i.e. Glenora, which is beautiful but doesn't accommodate 200). We would like to get married next August 2012 but are flexible for the right venue as it seems that many places are booking up fast. Any and ALL help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you so much!

DondadaTimes2 · July 2011

Congratulations.

What are you looking to spend? Theres a ton of places you could get married but prices vary huge!

My first thought was The Lodge on Skaneateles Lake. That was my dream location. Beautiful inside, porch outside. Just amazing. But its $$,

sbolger17 · July 2011

I'm getting married at the Fontainebleau Inn in Alpine, NY (near Ithaca), which sounds like what you're looking for. 200 people might be a stretch though.

Congratulations on your engagement!

ski2play · July 2011

Congrats....we are getting married in Alexandria Bay, NY at Boldt Castle. No mountains, but beautiful sunsets and lots of water. I am from Rochester also.

ChelseaB425 · July 2011

I'm partial to Ventosa Vineyards In Geneva because that's where I'm getting married, but it does seem to match your requirements including size as its banquet room can accommodate 350. Many of our guests will also be coming from Rochester.

It's on Seneca Lake and has a beautiful terrace which overlooks the vines and water. The view is stunning.

One of my priorities was finding venue that was both modern and elegant. After looking at several places in Rochester and a few in the Finger Lakes, this was one of very few that I liked.

People also rave about the service and food.

Good luck in your search!

MCTD31 · July 2011

The Brewster Inn is beautiful, on Cazenovia Lake, accommodates up to 200, and is only about 10 minutes off the Thruway. Tons of places on Skaneateles Lake too. Anyela's Vineyard on Skaneateles is a really nice place but pretty costly just to reserve the space. Good luck with your search!

kks4471 · July 2011

Like Chelsea, I'm getting married at Ventosa Vineyards. They definitely have space to hold over 200 people, and have a gorgeous view of Seneca Lake. Their vineyards are in my siggy. My guests are coming from Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Elmira, so we thought Geneva was a great place in between. Good luck with your planning!

CanaryLiz · July 2011

Just continuing to throw in the partiality vote - check out Bristol Harbour Resort in Canandaigua. The bigger room can hold 200+ and the view is just phenomenal. Welcome to the board and congratulations!

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

The Lodge looks beautiful! How much was the venue, ballpark? We are still trying to determine our budget at this point. Also, do you know if there is a nearby church?

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

I absolutely adore Fontainebleau but my fiancee's cousin was married there last year. It is exactly what I am looking for so if there is anything comparable, I'd love to hear about it!

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

Thank you so much for the warm welcome, everyone! And all of the helpful suggestions! I'm such a newbie at all this. I have no idea what I'm doing! What should I expect to pay for an average reception in terms of price with 200 people?

Also, just a few comments:

The Brewster Inn - This place is beautiful but their website says they only let you have your reception from 11-5 pm, and I would like to have an evening wedding.

Bristol Harbour: I actually emailed them about additional information. Any idea on costs?

Boldt Castle: GORGEOUS!!! I would love to have it there! Maybe we can cut 50 people hahaha (they only allow up to 150 people). Where are you having your ceremony and how are you getting people on and off the island?

Ventosa Vineyards: After your suggestion, I am going to email them, as well. Any idea on costs? Is the terrace attached to the reception room for people to go in and out?

Anyela's Vineyard: I just emailed them, as well. They didn't have very much information on their website. Any idea on pricing?

The Lodge: A definite possibility. Emailed them, too.

Keep the suggestions coming, this is such a huge help!!

ski2play · July 2011

Lady,
So glad you are enjoying the planning. It can be fun. We are having the wedding at the Gazebo, the bride gets dressed in the old playhouse. After the wedding we can take pictures most anywhere on the island and in the castle. Our guest will tour the castle while pictures are being done. We have hired a large tour boat to ferry our guests between the castle and the reception site. Bonus, because we are having the wedding on July 4, we are ending the reception with fireworks over the castle. Watching the fireworks with all of my favorite peeps.....priceless!

kks4471 · July 2011

For Ventosa, there is a $9000 minimum for Saturday receptions. Meals average $35 to $40 per plate. We're having an open bar and a few appetizers for the cocktail hour. The picture in my siggy is taken from their terrace, which is attached to the reception room with glass doors. The reception room has huge windows that open up to that view of Seneca lake. RJ responded quickly to my original email, so hope you hear from him soon. Good luck!

whereismymind32 · July 2011

If you aren't opposed to a tent wedding, I would check out Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua. The grounds are the most beautiful I've seen in the area. They have several different formal gardens and a historic mansion. They set the tent up right next to the carriage house, so you don't have to worry about portable "facilities".

I looked into over 20 locations in the finger lakes region and most of the places I would suggest have already been mentioned by the helpful previous posters. I went to a wedding at Bristol Harbour, and it seems to be right in line with what you're looking for. They have a really big banquet room right next to a smaller "lodge" room. The prices are in the same range as Ventosa.

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

The Knot discussion boards are proving to be an invaluable resource!

Ventosa looks great and I have emailed them but am yet to hear back. I did see, however, that a few brides on here have already booked the dates that I was considering. That's fine because we are flexible but I am getting increasingly worried that many places are booked through the summer. :-/

We have an appointment to visit Bristol Harbour this Sunday, as well as Esperanza and Heron Hill. When I showed my fiance Esperanza, he said it looked a little snooty hahaha Has anyone had experience with them?

In general, how much would you ladies estimate a reception will cost for 200 people at these types of venues? $20,000? I'm so lost with the financal aspects of this!! Or, if you don't mind sharing, how much are you paying for your reception?

Thanks again!!

ChelseaB425 · July 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_central-new-york_finger-lakesithacasyracuse-venue-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:621Discussion:1b73d253-8860-4905-9139-556e11abab5bPost:fb7c93fb-0317-41a7-b341-b27bf35ce8b8">Re: Finger Lakes/Ithaca/Syracuse Venue Ideas</a>:
[QUOTE]In general, how much would you ladies estimate a reception will cost for 200 people at these types of venues? $20,000? I'm so lost with the financal aspects of this!! Or, if you don't mind sharing, how much are you paying for your reception? Thanks again!! :)
Posted by LadyJ2949[/QUOTE]

At Ventosa, we're serving a wide selection of apps, a choice of filet mignon, stuffed chicken or a vegetarian dish, and an open bar. With service fees and taxes, I anticipate we'll pay around $100/person or a bit less. There's also a $750 reception fee.

I'm surprised RJ hasn't gotten back to you yet. He's usually very responsive. I'm sure you'll hear from him soon.

I noticed above that you asked about the terrace. It is attached to the reception area. This is the view:

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DondadaTimes2 · July 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_central-new-york_finger-lakesithacasyracuse-venue-ideas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:621Discussion:1b73d253-8860-4905-9139-556e11abab5bPost:fb7c93fb-0317-41a7-b341-b27bf35ce8b8">Re: Finger Lakes/Ithaca/Syracuse Venue Ideas</a>:
[QUOTE] In general, how much would you ladies estimate a reception will cost for 200 people at these types of venues? $20,000? I'm so lost with the financal aspects of this!! Or, if you don't mind sharing, how much are you paying for your reception? Thanks again!! :)
Posted by LadyJ2949[/QUOTE]

I dont know about these venues specifically but I would say $20G plus. I had a $10G budget and had a fabulous daytime wedding for $8G. So I couldnt help you with the higher priced venues. But depending on what is/isnt included and then add DJ, bar, etc. Youre looking at $20G+

kevinandmonica2011 · July 2011

I'm kind of embarrassed at how stupid expensive mine was. I cheaped out every which way I possibly could (DIY centerpieces, flowers, etc) and it was still... gulp... $25K+ easy. I only had about 110ish. Makes me want to cry thinking about it.

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

Monica! I stumbled upon your blog and your reviews have been so helpful! I love that all you ladies post this information for us newbies. Especially the ones that are done after the wedding is over; I think that's when you really have the full picture.

Also, even with all of the DIY projects, what do you think made yours cost more than you had anticipated? The venue? Food? My fiance and I are currently crunching the numbers and trying to set parameters (he's actually in the other room right now working hard on his laptop haha)

Also, RJ did get back to me and we are meeting with him tomorrow.

Very excited. We are trying to fit in as many venues as we can in one trip so I'm currently looking up others to possibly drive by while we are out there. Fingers are crossed!

LadyJ2949 · July 2011

Oh and Dondada! I checked out the Lodge and they are booked up through November. So beautiful though! I totally understand why it would be your dream venue.

sbolger17 · July 2011

I think the price really varies based on place, numbers (obviously), and how many "extras" you do. We have a 30K budget for everything (reception, ceremony, attire, etc.) and are hoping for 125 people. If our numbers go over that, we will probably end up a little over budget. There are definitely some areas where we could have cut costs, but others where we kind of went as cheap as was feasible to still have what we want. For instance, we went with a "cheap" caterer (cheap is really the wrong word, but definitely not one of the more expensive, fancier ones around here). I would think that in the right location and by making smart budget choices, you could have a nice wedding for 200 people for 20K.

kevinandmonica2011 · July 2011

Well, the venue ($3K to rent), the food ($38/pp for buffett) and the BOOZE!!! Seriously. I grossly underestimated the alcohol drinking ability of our guests. They suggest to budget 2 drinks for the first hour then 1 drink every hour after.... I think we were about 1or 2 drinks over that (which translates into an extra 110-220 drinks... you get the idea) ouch. We even tried to do what we could to limit this number by using full bottles of wine as table numbers (hint hint drink the wine that we bought please!!) but people thought it would be cute to take them home instead. Jerks. lol

Also, we didn't want the transportation to be a pain for our guests, so we rented 2 party buses to bring them to/from the ceremony. I'm so glad we did this and would absolutely do it again, but of course it cost a pretty penny.

Lastly, I did not factor tipping into our budget. So that last week, gathering all the tips for all the vendors, made me want to puke. I wish they would have just included it in the price. Note for everyone planning.... FACTOR IN THE TIPS as soon as you find out the price and budget for them ahead of time.

***Oh OHHHHHH I almost forgot. TAXXXXX. Yeah. NY State got a prettyhefty share of my wedding day. I definitely forgot to factor that in, as well as some sort of service charge at Glenora in fine print that was like 18%. Talk about a "WTF" moment. When I went to write the last check, my numbers did not match their numbers by umm... a few grand.... and it was the extra booze, tax and service charge. Talk about unhappy.

Jaclyn- thanks so much for the kind words about my bio! I'm so glad that it's helpful to someone!!! Took me forever to write the darn thing. lol!!!!

kks4471 · July 2011

Hope you have a great meeting at Ventosa! I'm hoping to go there late August or early September to do some planning. Let us know how it goes

whereismymind32 · August 2011

Just wanted to add that I have the same venue that Monica did- Glenora Wine Cellars- and they have upped their prices from what she quoted. Yeah, it's now up to $40 a person for the buffet and the room rental is $3500. It's also a consumption bar, so you don't know how much the alcohol will be in advance like you would with an open bar. So Glenora is near the top when it comes to reception costs. Belhurst Castle, Ventosa, Bristol Harbour and Esperanza are all near it in prices, but have slightly different packages. I calculated it all out with the base packages at these places with 150 guests and it's between $12,000-$15,000 before tax and gratuity. I also quoted two caterers for a "tent wedding" and they were $6,500-$10,000 for an all-inclusive package for 150 guests. The common budget guideline is that your reception will be 48-50% of your total wedding budget.

I know I'm a few days behind in responding to this thread, but my advice is to figure out your budget first and not even look at a venue that is out of your price range. You can get all of that info through email. Once you see a great venue, nothing else will compare and you'll feel like you're compromising on the most important day of your life. I did not follow my own advice. Hence, we ended up booking Glenora

LadyJ2949 · August 2011

Hi Ladies!!!

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. It has been quite the hectic week. After looking around and checking out various venues, it looks like we will be having our wedding at Belhurst. When I walked in I just knew we would be getting married there.

We finalize everything on Sunday with one last visit to make sure everything is in order. I'm so excited!!! It is such a relief to have the venue lined up.

Ventosa was gorgeous but they only had a late October date available. Bristol Harbour was also beautiful (LOVED the view for the ceremony, hated the antler motif in the lobby haha) but ended up being more expensive overall. The woman who I spoke with at Bristol Harbour was also extremely nice and helpful. But overall, Belhurst was the one.

Thanks so much for your help ladies!! I hope I can return the favor!

Jaclyn

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