The first image and the next two images are from the rehearsal dinner. I wanted to include these to remind other families why it is so important to have your photographer there with you.
I have never seen the Syracuse Oncenter look as nice as it did for Erica and Dan’s wedding! My expectations were high going in because I know Erica is an extremely talented interior designer at JGB Properties. Her work is cutting edge, and she definitely has a magical touch with spaces. Of course as a photographer this is something I can really appreciate. Her attention to every detail is second to none, and I must say, very impressive. She was also able to assemble a group of the finest wedding vendors available to help carry out her vision. I tip my hat to her and everyone for doing such an amazing a job. It is certainly something to be proud of.
For an event of this magnitude there is so much that goes on behind the scenes to keep track of and plan. It is all held together by little strands and sometimes it seems so fragile. It almost feels as if one strand were to break the whole thing would tumble down around it. Kimberlee Bendeck the personal event coordinator extraordinaire from Boutiquevents deserves a huge shout out for the magnificent job she did holding everything together. She had a three ring binder that was at least four inches thick. It was stuffed full with every contact imaginable, notes, plans, schedules, everything and anything. Perhaps even more amazing was her ability to find what someone was looking for in a matter of seconds. Kimberlee was the event planner for James Gandolfini’s (protagonist of the well known Soprano’s television show) wedding, and it was a pleasure to work with her.
I could go on and on about each and every vendor and special event throughout the day because they were all spectacular but then this post would probably be the longest I ever wrote. I asked Erica if she wanted to write something about her and Dan, and their wedding, and thought it would be best to let her tell you in her own words.
From Erica,
How we met:
I had two “rules” that I had been following: 1) don’t date younger men and 2) don’t date anyone from work. Well I broke both of them! Dan is four years younger than I am and we both work at the same place. Our friends were always trying to set us up but I always resisted due to my “rules.” Well one fateful night brought us together and as soon as we started talking, we never stopped. Within eight months of our first date, we were engaged!
If you would like to read a really cute story about “how we met,” please check out our website, Dan did such a great job with his portion, he blew me away with how much effort he put into writing “our story”!! He even talks about how he gave blood at a blood drive I organized just so he could see me, even though he was deathly afraid of needles.
The Proposal:
It was a gorgeous, hot night on July 28, 2009. I had a volleyball game and was going to be done playing around 7:45pm. Dan had a plan to propose to me after the match. He figured on a random Tuesday night, I would never suspect it. He told me that we were going to his parents’ house for dinner right after volleyball since they lived a few minutes away. I agreed to go even though I was hesitant after playing, due to being all sweaty and covered in sand!
When we arrived at Dan’s parents’ house, it was just about sunset. The color of the sky was amazing with purples and pinks. Dan started backing out of the driveway and told me that he wanted to watch the sunset. The site was a mile down the road, on the top of a big hill on some land that Dan’s father owned. When they arrived, up in the middle of a big field on the top of a hill about a half-mile off the road, I was surprised by a little picnic scene that Dan had set up earlier that evening. Only it wasn’t a picnic at all. It was a bottle of champagne, my favorite Wegmans cookies, and our dog Lexie, all waiting on a little blanket. With the sunset in the background, Dan read a beautiful love poem that he composed himself, and the poem ended with Dan proposing!
Why we picked Syracuse:
Dan and I are both from Syracuse and many family members are local. It was really important to us to get married at a location convenient for our elderly family members. Also, I had always dreamed that I would get married at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. My parents were married there, as well as my grandparents, and many other of my family members from my mom’s side got married there also.
Favorite part of the reception:
My favorite thing was seeing everyone’s surprised reaction to our “after-party” at our reception… I’ll back and explain that our wedding reception started with a cocktail hour in the Oncenter atrium that moved into the elegant ballroom for a three-course dinner. The room, which has the capacity to seat 1,000, was made more intimate with soft amber lighting and four walls of elegant draping to a size suitable for 200 guests. The music was a wonderful mix of romantic music from Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé to Jack Johnson and Ingrid Michaelson. We started off the evening with our first dance on the dance floor in the center of the room. After dinner and cake cutting, we did the traditional father/daughter dance, etc. The dance floor was purposely a little small to leave people wondering…“is this it?” During the mother/groom dance, I was whisked away to a changing room and I changed out of my large ball gown into a slim, light, airy dancing dress. I met Dan “behind the curtain” where the large band was quietly waiting on stage. My vision had come alive by way of all of the incredible vendors, with fun lighting (on the verge of looking like a club, but still elegant) and vignettes of couch groupings and seating with mirrored coffee tables. Finally we heard my brother take the microphone on the other side of the curtain, and after a brief monologue, he said, “hey has anyone seen Erica and Dan?? Did they already leave for their honeymoon? Well, I can’t find them, but we should still celebrate! Everyone get down tonight!” and with that, the band was cued, the curtains theatrically opened, and the horns of the band starting blaring “Let’s Get Down Tonight”. The guests gasped simultaneously as the curtains opened and they saw Dan and I, arm in arm, dancing on a larger dance floor in the “after-party” space. Nobody had a clue that there was an entire room behind the curtains! Everyone got up and joined us and it was a magical moment!
One unexpected thing that happened:
One unexpected thing happened during our first dance. Dan and I had practiced with Terry Perrone, our dance instructor, for 3 months, once a week (sometimes twice a week in the beginning). We had a great fox trot routine all ready to go! Well, we had only practiced in regular clothes. So within ten seconds of our first dance, Dan and I were tripping all over my huge ball gown and we had to surrender our entire routine and just do basic box steps the rest of the time. Everyone said we did a nice job, but Dan and I were bummed we couldn’t do our fun routine for which we had practiced so long!
Fun details about the reception:
* We made a menu card with everyone’s name on it and I researched quotes about love and each person had a different quote about love under their name on the table.
* I surprised Dan with a groom’s cake in the shape of his favorite car (the same car that he mentions in “our story” on our wedding website).
* We had a smore’s station in our “after party” with real fire, sticks for the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers (because it’s my favorite dessert).
* An espresso martini bar was also in our after party because that’s what Dan and I love to drink sometimes when we are out and need a little pick-me-up.
* Another special detail was our dog, Lexie, meeting us after the church for some pictures, and our florist had made her a special dog collar out of fresh flowers.
* Cocktail Hour was special because I wanted it to be all about Dan (since everything else was my vision and he pretty much said, “do whatever you want”J) so for cocktail, I veered from the color scheme of the church & dinner and went for fun jewel tones popping out of the all-white atmosphere of the Oncenter atrium, especially the paper poms hanging from the ceiling and the colorful jewels holding up the metallic envelopes of the escort cards. Dan loves 80’s music, so the entire music set for that portion was all 80’s tunes. The colorful signature drinks were all named after inside jokes that we have between our friends and the menu of drinks provided for many laughs. It was a very hip atmosphere and all about having fun.
I was so lucky to work with such wonderful wedding vendors. Everyone was a joy and if you would accept pages of text from me, I would gladly write praise for each one. Maura Harrison is an AMAZING floral designer. Her creativity and ability to know exactly what you want is incredible. I knew what I was getting for the centerpieces and church pieces but when she asked me about the bouquets, I trusted her so much, I just said, “surprise me!” and everything was gorgeous! I’ve never heard so many comments about flowers before from EVERYONE, including guests, other vendors, and the Oncenter staff. John Carver of Bearfly Designs was BRILLIANT with his lighting and draping capabilities. Thinking back to the first walkthrough of the Oncenter, I am still amazed and so appreciative of the incredible transformation he made to the room. There were very particular things I did not like about the room and John made them all go away and turned my reception into a fairy tale! And then the draping he did for my dramatic “grand reveal” for the transformation of the room into a cool, club-like “after party” was genius. And of course there is Frank….Frank you do such amazing work and have a wonderful personality…a winning combination for a photographer. I found you on a google search on the first day that I started looking for photographers and I remember crying tears of joy at my computer from the emotions that your photos can evoke. From the moment we met you, to our engagement shoot, to our rehearsal dinner, to our wedding, we were so pleased with your work, Frank. Your attentiveness and kindness was out of this world. Thank you to you and George for capturing our beautiful moments! (George, we had just met you that day, but we thought you were great, too!) We are so excited to see the pictures!
The Names of the Wedding Professionals involved:
Event Planner: Kimberlee Bendeck, Boutiquevents
Photographer: Frank DiMeo
Floral Designer: Sassafras Flowers
Cake Designer: Gingersnap Bakery
Caterer: Oncenter provided the catering, with executive chef Jerry Bolton
Event Rentals: Hank Parker (lounge furniture for the “after party”)
Invitations: Bella Figura
Save the Dates: Cheree Berry
Menus/Placecards: BDUB
Calligraphy: Debi Zeinert, The Blooming Quill
Lighting/Draping: Bearfly Designs
Band: Atlas
Linens: Wildflower Linen
Transportation: Caz Limo and Prestige Limo
Jewelry: Diana Jewelers
Dresses: Spybaby (ball gown – Spybaby’s “private label”) and Melissa James (“party dress” – Romona Keveza) Bridesmaid dresses were from Spybaby
Videographer: SZF Productions
Hair: Paparazzi Day Spa
Makeup: Syracuse Makeup Artistry
Dance Lessons: Terry Perrone
Paper Poms for cocktail hour, bridesmaid clutches, and other special décor items and bridal party gifts purchased from Etsy, please contact me if you would like to know each vendor
Thank you again to Erica, Dan, their friends and families for welcoming me with open arms and making this a most pleasurable experience. I wish both of you much love and happiness on your journey together.
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