May/June 2009: Love on the Rocks, in the Woods, on the Water
Love on the Rocks, in the Woods, on the Water
Advice on blissful backdrops, avoiding weather woes and the hazards of stilettos. An insider's guide to Adirondack weddings.
By Annie Stoltie
Newlyweds outside the Art Deco–style Schroon Lake Strand Theater. Photograph by Brian Haynes
My husband, Drew, and I have played music at lots of weddings. It's nothing we really pursued: as a favor Drew strummed his guitar and I bowed my violin at a friend's nuptials and then someone else called and someone else and next thing we knew most of our weekends were booked with ceremonies all over the Adirondacks. Drew, who used to cruise stage to stage on a renovated school bus with a rock-and-roll band, cringes when he's referred to as a wedding singer. But he'd be the first to admit that wedding ceremonies are some of the most demanding, high-pressure gigs: You just can't forget a chord or jumble a verse during your clients' most important moment. And though music during these occasions can be as much an accessory as boutonnieres and hors d'oeuvres, there's usually a captive audience, particularly as a bride makes her entrance—you can hear a pine needle drop.
I remember what it was like when Drew and I tied the knot. Family and friends performed our favorite tunes at a Lake Placid ceremony, but our ring-bearer's heavy breathing distracted me. She was pulling, straining every stitch in her satin collar, to chase a golf ball that rolled onto the green near where we stood on the Crowne Plaza Golf Club's pavilion. I should mention the ring-bearer was our Lab mutt, Gwen. Incidentally, dogs seem to be another Adirondack wedding accessory. If you invite furry ones, as did friends to their Lake Clear wedding, be sure they have manners. This pup joined the receiving line, leaving his paw print on the bride's ivory gown.
During ceremonies we're often asked to stand up front, near the bridal party, giving us an unusual perspective that can feel a bit voyeuristic. After all, the marriage ritual, with its lifelong promises, is a raw, intense affair. That means—for women and men—fat tears, fumbling hands, quivering lips, the deepest you-complete-me gazes. A couple of years ago an August drizzle pushed a bridal party—and Drew and me—into a gazebo at Fort William Henry Resort. (Ask for a cannon blast from the adjacent fort to punctuate your I dos. Also, folks won't look twice if you show up in 18th-century–style duds; same goes for Fort Ticonderoga.) Overcome with emotion, the groom couldn't get through his vows. His sister, one of the bridesmaids, whispered, "You can do it, buddy."
Witnessing these intimacies is a privilege, a lesser version of what a nurse might feel after helping deliver a baby. (I do realize we're just supplying a couple of songs. Still, our service provides a soundtrack that I hope enriches an experience.) I'm not alone in getting mushy: last summer, as two rafting guides got hitched in Dillon Hill Inn's wildflower garden, I spotted the Wevertown bed-and-breakfast's proprietors hanging back, holding hands.
I can count the church weddings Drew and I have played on one hand—not so much a trend, I'm guessing, as a result of our surroundings. There are many sacred houses in the park, including Big Moose Chapel, St. John's in the Wilderness Episcopal Church at Paul Smiths, and Chapel Island, on Upper Saranac Lake. But look outside: for some people the Adirondack landscape is a spiritual enough backdrop. Find a sacred/secular balance at Chapel Pond, beneath Giant Mountain; Cathedral Pines, near Inlet; and Cathedral Rock, in Wanakena. There's also Pulpit Rock, a cliff along Lake Placid, beside which years ago I accompanied a ceremony aboard the Doris. The boat rocked with a collective gasp as the nervous groom dropped his bride's wedding band, but it was quickly collected from the bow and placed on her finger.
Not holy enough? Get closer to heaven atop Whiteface. Lovers tie the knot at the summit, above the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway. There's even an elevator that'll launch you skyward to a wind-whipping, vertigo-inspiring view that makes for impressive photographs. In all seasons the ski center permits ceremonies on its slopes. Last January a couple—the woman in a white Gore-Tex ensemble—rode a gondola up, exchanged vows on Little Whiteface, and skied down, spouse and spouse.
Mount Jo, at 2,876 feet, is a popular venue. Adjacent Adirondack Mountain Club's Adirondak Loj, against Heart Lake, offers another rustic but romantic option. And 5,344-foot Mount Marcy means a seriously high-style wedding. Add training to climb the state's highest peak to your best man's and maid-of-honor's to-do lists. To the relief of some of your guests it'll have to be a fairly intimate gathering: the Department of Environmental Conservation limits High Peaks day-hiking parties to 15.
Which brings to mind the necessity of Adirondack-appropriate attire. I can't begin to tell you how many wedding guests I've seen stagger across meadows, beaches, docks or from Porta-Potties in stilettos. It's a good idea to let folks know if you plan to shuttle them via dogsled, guideboat or railcar—all will probably require extra hair spray and a wrap. Also, you might want to mention that in these parts the climate can change on a pebble, so have an indoor backup if you're planning an outdoor extravaganza. Snow can fall as early as September and as late as June; in a day temperatures can spike and dip more than 40 degrees. I recall a late-summer wedding at the Keene Mountain House, on a shoulder of Hurricane Mountain, when the clouds slid over the sun. Attendees, a handful from Ireland, huddled around an outdoor fireplace until the whiskey flowed. But it all worked out—the jigs got jauntier, the crowd livelier.
If you plan to marry at Saranac Lake's ice palace during its annual winter carnival, which some couples do when the carnival falls on Valentine's Day weekend, you might offer family and friends disposable hand- and foot-warmers or Yaktrax. Thinking about an early spring outdoor event? Consider the mud: maybe Muck Boots can be dyed to match bridesmaid dresses. Planning a May or June ceremony? Don't forget about the blackflies. Distribute squirts of insect repellent or mesh bug bonnets as guests arrive. Sunscreen's a necessity no matter what the season. I got scorched while playing a Labor Day gig on SUNY–Plattsburgh's Valcour Conference Center lawn. The center abuts Lake Champlain, as close to big water with coastline as you get in the Adirondacks—just right for a sunburn. Or daydreaming. Here, more than two centuries ago, you could have observed some naval action as Benedict Arnold and his fleet outwitted the British during the Battle of Valcour.
Farther south, Lake George has supported its share of history, and not just involving muskets and massacres. Ask about the wedding packages aboard Lake George Steamboat Company's Lac du Saint Sacrement or its smaller Mohican: both have on-site catering, dance floors, even captains who will make it official, Love Boat–style. Raquette Lake Navigation Company's posh W. W. Durant, named after the 19th-century Great Camp–builder, also hosts special events.
On the subject, Great Camps lend ambiance to grand occasions—something about all that birch bark and wood, soaring ceilings, the spirits of the corseted and top-hatted elite who put up these rustic palaces. You can get married at Santanoni, in Newcomb, where the Pruyn family once escaped for deep-woods downtime. Motorized vehicles are prohibited on this state-owned tract, so you'll have to stroll, pedal, ski or book a horse-drawn wagon ride the five miles in. The Vanderbilts' former getaway, Great Camp Sagamore, on Sagamore Lake, is a sweet spot for a wedding. White Pine Camp, U.S. President Coolidge's summer White House, in Paul Smiths, has a Japanese teahouse that, when Osgood Lake is misty and moody, creates an enchanting scene. Of the same era, though the original hotel burned a couple of times, is the decidedly non-twiggy Sagamore. This sprawling Bolton Landing resort has numerous picturesque places for I dos, plus a spa, climbing wall, golf course and four restaurants, and everyone can stay on campus.
Of course, some couples' idea of bliss is escaping everyone, which is easy do to in the Adirondack Park. Town halls such as the ones in North Elba and Warrensburg have justices who will marry you, and there are plenty of public spaces—Jay's covered bridge, Indian Lake's Byron Park, Schroon Lake's beach, North Creek's Ski Bowl—where, at little to zero charge, you can exchange vows. Or choose bare-bones backwoods inns or luxury lodges for holing up. The upscale Fern Lodge, on Friends Lake, in Chestertown, caters to elopers and those who want quiet gatherings. Great Sacandaga Lake, a gazebo and a quaint Victorian bed-and-breakfast draw couples to the Inn at the Bridge, in Northville. And privacy is key at Keene's Rock and River, beside the Jackrabbit Trail, where a few years back Drew and I accompanied a wedding. The lovely bride emerged from a stand of evergreens and made her way to her handsome husband-to-be, like the final passage of a romance novel.
The New Land Trust, in Saranac, was the venue for another celebration en plein air we attended, though there was nothing intimate about this one. Hundreds of guests camped out near a tepee and partied beneath a hockey rink–size tent that sheltered local wildflowers, local food and local talent by Ellenburg Center–born bluegrass stars the Gibson Brothers. A fire-dancer even shimmied for an entertaining nightcap.
In contrast, Drew and I performed for some Manhattanites' formal function at the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks (aka the Wild Center), in Tupper Lake. Cultural institutions make classy settings for any gathering—Blue Mountain Lake's Adirondack Museum now hosts private events—and the Wild Center has a pond, cool exhibits and resident wildlife. (Otters Squeaker, Squirt and Louie sometimes show up doing the adorable things that otters do.) Plus, the place is open year-round. In fact, one of the best-kept secrets in the park—if you want to throw a fete to remember and save some dough, since prices dip in the off-season—is just how idyllic a winter wedding can be. Give arctic blast new meaning by inviting guests to ski, skate, sled, snowshoe, snowmobile or snug by a fire. Imagine the possibilities at the newly reconstructed—and gorgeously appointed—Lake Placid Lodge, where there are multiple outdoor fireplaces and an attentive staff to refill steamy toddies and supply s'mores. Lake George's Inn at Erlowest, a Queen Anne–style castle, is a lush setting, with sweeping staircase, stained-glass windows and gourmet fare. The historic Woods Inn, in Inlet, beside Fourth Lake, has put on extraordinary cold-season affairs, with bonfires and fireworks. I have to mention one of the inn's warm-weather ceremonies, when a bride elevated the drama by joining guests and her groom-to-be on the lawn via floatplane that glided to the dock.
With a region as diverse as the Adirondacks, there's something for everyone. I mean everyone. Couples really do get hitched on hogs at Lake George's motorcycle rally, Americade; above terra firma during the Adirondack Balloon Festival; and surrounded by the fat man and his elves at Wilmington's Santa's Workshop.
Music tastes seem to be as varied as the venues. Sure, Drew and I play classics like Pachelbel's "Canon" and "Here Comes the Bride," but nontraditional ceremonies usually equal nontraditional requests. We'll give most picks a shot (as will local harper Martha Gallagher, who once performed the theme song to Jeopardy! as a processional). Still, we know our limitations: a guitar and violin duo can't do Guns N' Roses's "Sweet Child O' Mine" justice. Our niche is Adirondack music, though I suppose that can mean just about anything.
How to, Where to I Do
Sealing the deal at Lake George’s Inn at Erlowest. Photograph by Matt Ramos
VENUES
The number of names on your guest list will determine which facility can best accommodate your event, so ask about capacity. And consider accessibility: Can elderly or disabled guests maneuver the terrain? Is there a covered space to escape the elements? If you've picked a remote spot, do you need to supply toilets? Is there electricity—or a generator—for lights, a PA system and a kitchen?
FOOD
Some couples choose places that offer on-site food preparation to eliminate the hassle of hiring a caterer. But plenty of local restaurants are willing to supply food at area events; call your favorite eatery and ask. Also, make sure alcohol is permitted and that your caterer has a liquor license.
LEGAL STUFF
New York State requires that couples apply for a marriage license in person together (anywhere in the state), at least 24 hours before tying the knot. Call local town clerks for a list of available justices of the peace. Or phone regional houses of worship and ask about their policies.
MUSIC
Check venues' wedding-vendor lists, which usually include bagpipers, string quartets, jazz ensembles, DJs, you name it. Other sources are regional arts centers, where staffers should have an idea of local talent: Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, Blue Mountain Lake (518-352-7715); Arts Center/Old Forge (315-369-6411); Bluseed Studios, Saranac Lake (518-891-3799); Lake George Arts Project (518-668-2616); and Lake Placid Center for the Arts (518-523-2512). Saranac–based Hill and Hollow Music (518-293-7613) has early-music contacts. Also, see and hear samples of area musicians at North Country Public Radio's UpNorth Music project's Web site, www.upnorthmusic.org.
PHOTOS AND FLOWERS
Need to hire a photographer? The credit lines for the photographs in this article are a start. Flowers? Again, a list of vendors is helpful. Ask florists to connect you with clients for an endorsement. Visit area farms and Adirondack farmers' markets to see if they cultivate flowers, or pick your own wildflowers (not on state land—that's illegal). Also, nurseries have seedlings or boughs.
ADIRONDACK ACCENTS
Give your event a regional hook by tucking wedding bands in a fishing creel, arranging flowers in pack baskets, decorating cake tops with mini Adirondack chairs, serving locally made suds (there are three breweries in the park) or offering guests tiny jugs of maple syrup as party favors. Some couples have incorporated birch-bark huppahs and guest tables named after Adirondack mountains and waterways.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR VENUES
Adirondak Loj, Lake Placid
(518)523-3441 www.adk.org
Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake
(518)352-7311 www.adkmuseum.org
Big Moose Chapel, Big Moose
(315)357-2622
Crowne Plaza Resort Golf Club
(and the Doris), Lake Placid (518)523-2556, www.lakeplacidcp.com
There are, of course, many other super places in the Adirondacks for weddings. Word of mouth is a fine way to learn about locations and other bridal-related services, or call area chambers of commerce for lists of venues and vendors. Mannix Marketing, a Glens Falls–based company, has online wedding directories—www.adkweddings.com, www.lakegeorgeweddings.com and www.lakeplacidweddingguide.com—though all businesses listed appear because they pay an advertising fee.
If you're overwhelmed by organizing a wedding or you're planning a shindig from outside the Blue Line and want insider-help, hire an Adirondack wedding planner, such as Cindy Byno, of Northwood Events (518-523-1418, www.partyevents.com). Or request a list of wedding planners from hotels and other backdrops that accommodate such gatherings. And a wedding-music aside: contact information for harper Martha Gallagher, who strummed the theme to Jeopardy! for one couple's nuptials, was accidentally omitted from How to, Where to I do. Her Web site is www.adkharper.com.
I had my second wedding at Top of the World Golf Resort (www.topoftheworldgolfresort.com), in Lake George, 2007 and—despite a few potential pitfalls, though what wedding is complete without them?—it turned out really well. My husband and I were very pleased with the venue both inside and outside, the food (delicious and much of it grown organically on their farm), and the value/price. We wanted to get married in the Adirondacks and had considered several different places, some of which were mentioned in "Love on the Rocks … " but in the end this was the most accessible for our guests from NJ, PA and FL, and still qualified as in the Adirondack Park.
Kim Feeney at TOTW took care of everything for us.
