Katie & Adam's Owasco Lake Wedding
The Setting-Chantelle Marie Celebration Hall
Katie and Adam chose the lovely Chantelle Marie Celebration Hall just a few miles south of Auburn, NY as their wedding venue. Chantelle Marie offers the option of outdoor and indoor spaces, both of which allow beautiful lake views. I was especially glad that we had the indoor reception space on that chilly (& rainy) late October day! Katie & Adam had a lengthy guest list, so one of my main objectives in the search for their venue was to find a space that could accommodate their guests comfortably, a point on which Chantelle Marie delivered.
The bridal party booked the two vacation rentals next door owned by the venue as well. They had the convenience of being close by as well as ample and comfortable space to get ready.
The wedding planning
Katie and Adam contacted me to begin planning their wedding when they were at square one with planning. Through the course of several meetings over several cups of coffee, a few site checks, and countless emails; we decided on vendors, colors, style, and menu. It’s always satisfying to see all of the plans and meetings pay off when the details come together on the wedding day. One key mention in the wedding planning process is that we were having the discussion about their wedding photographer choices just a few weeks after Joe and I had started dating. He had been on my vendor list ever since I had worked with him the first time, but when I mentioned his name to Katie and Adam, I made sure to fully disclose that now there may be a little bias in my recommendation! They hired him on the condition that we wouldn’t break up before their wedding day, so, instead of breaking up we got engaged.
The wedding design
Late October provided the perfect inspiration for bringing in deep, saturated colors. We used a local rental company, Auburn Party Rental, for everything from linens to place settings. I ordered the bouquets, boutonnières, corsages, and bulk flowers for everything else from The Flower Cart in Penn Yan. From the bulk flowers, my team and I designed the centerpiece arrangements and aisle arrangements. Pro tip: If you are planning to DIY any part of your day including flowers, allow yourself at least triple the amount of time that you think it will take!
Takeaways
Every wedding that I plan and coordinate offers me the opportunity to learn and refine my process for future weddings. On Katie and Adam’s wedding, I learned these points:
Create a dedicated email for RSVPs or a wedding website that allows for direct RSVPs. If you are using paper RSVP cards, number each card with that guest’s RSVP number. We had a few guests send in their RSVP cards without writing their names on them.
If you want a sparkler exit photo, get sparklers for the bridal party and maybe family. Managing a crowd of guests (post open bar) with fire in their hands is risky at best.