Buffalo-Niagara Bride

Wedding Crasher in Niagara Falls

2009-07-14T11:40:00.003-04:00

The Buffalo News reported that a Texas man crashed a wedding being held at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel. The ordeal seemed rather confrontational, with the man knocking out an apparent wedding guest. He was charged with assault and harassment.

A resurfaced downtown Hyatt

2009-06-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

The downtown Buffalo Hyatt, located across from the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, recently remodeled many features within the 25-year old hotel. Check out their web page and take a look at their photo slide-show: looks great! They state on the website that they even have Kosher catering available.

In the past there were many negative reviews of the hotel/hotel rooms, and I'm sure it was this reputation that kept it struggling. After the renovation, there has been an increase in the positive reviews. These reviews do not reflect wedding-specific or related matters; only on hotel accommodations, service and decor, etc.

Things to note: parking (and, if you're/your guests are staying overnight, Internet) are not included in the cost of the room.

Wedding Traditions Around the World

2009-06-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

How late is a Brazilian bride to her wedding? What traditional gift does a Korean groom give his bride's mother? What day of the week does Italian tradition state is the luckiest day to get married?

Curious? Test your knowledge on Encarta's Wedding Traditions/Customs from around the world.

Statler continues to be in the spotlight

2009-06-04T14:02:00.000-04:00

Source: WNY Heritage Press

The Buffalo News reports today that a bankruptcy judge approved the auction of the Statler Towers. Buffalo’s Business First newspaper reported last week that another tenet of the Statler will move out.

Over the past few months there have been many stories from the news outlets and media [Statler enters into chapter 11, Is the Statler too big to fix?, White Knights Circle Niagara Square] regarding the latest downfall of the Statler in downtown Buffalo. Many Buffalo brides and grooms have their wedding reception at this spectacular venue. Many vendors, especially Park Lane Catering, a tenet at the Statler, depend on the events that occur each weekend (which includes many Buffalo weddings).

Another blogger, who has shared insight on her Buffalo wedding planning, had been worried about her reception planned for October 2009 at the Statler.

We'll have to see how everything transpires in the coming months.

Demolition of the Wintergarden

2009-06-09T13:10:00.002-04:00

Source: Skyscraper City

The Wintergarden in Niagara Falls, for many years an arboretum located practically across the street from the falls itself, is being demolished as part of a redesign project. As the Niagara Gazette states, the site served as a backdrop for parties and wedding ceremonies.

Buffalo bridal shop seized by the State: Brides left without gown

2009-05-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

There is an article from the Tonawanda News from earlier this month that talks about how Mary Lee's bridal shop in Kenmore was seized by the State Department of Taxation and Finance. The bridal shop failed to pay $10,000 in taxes to the State.

Officials are trying to fill existing orders for anxious brides and prom goers. The Buffalo News reports that it appears that the shop owners continued to take orders without ordering the merchandise. In light of this, the shop owners may be faced with criminal fraud charges.

Many are rightfully upset.

According to the Buffalo News, online customer reviews gave the bridal shop an average of 1.5 out of 5 stars. I also found a few sites [site 1; site 2; site 3] which showed a pattern of poor behavior. Again, word-of-mouth is important!

[Mary Lee was interviewed by the Tonawanda News in 2007]

My Destination Wedding: Buffalo

2009-05-18T22:39:00.003-04:00

I've been a transplanted Buffaloian for nearly the past decade. After living around the world, and currently in the Nation's capital, I've seen varying wedding traditions and cultures.

The main purpose of this blog? Well… as a transplanted Buffaloian who wants to get married in Buffalo-Niagara, where most of my family lives, I've found it difficult to research and preliminary-plan my wedding from afar. (I'm not sure if I want to hire a planner, but if I do, I definitely want to know what my comfort zone is: my parameters for the wedding; how much I'm willing to spend, etc. Prices and places are very different in Buffalo as compared to Washington, DC!)

While many sites and resources from the Buffalo area talk about "destination weddings" as meaning "a wedding in an exotic place, aka Mexico," I feel as if there are many people in my shoes: planning a wedding in their hometown from afar. I hope to shed light on area venues and vendors from my perspective.

I also hope to have some DIY tips and ideas that any bride or groom can use regardless if you're a Buffalo-Niagara Bride.

20th Century Club

2009-05-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

Steel from Buffalo Rising posted a story yesterday on the 20th Century Club, its history and architecture. I’ve heard great things about having wedding receptions there from many forums, as I discussed in a past post. Next time I'm in Buffalo I will definitely have to check it out!

It’s such a beautiful place!

Mapped: Buffalo Reception Venues

2009-05-19T00:01:00.011-04:00

Possible Buffalo Venues

Planning Step:
What I have started to do is to map out the locations of the possible reception venues within google maps. After I narrow down the venue, I will plot area hotels within the map too. It will give me an idea of the locations, distances and times to the various places. I'm not sure if all sites allow receptions, but these were various locals and venues that I found by searching or using a websites like Eventective.

My intent is to find a venue close by the parish I will have my wedding ceremony in; and in/around downtown Buffalo for ease of access to the church, hotels, Buffalo sites, etc.

You're welcome to use the map too! Just click on the above link!

Wedding Planner Notebook

2009-05-22T00:01:00.003-04:00

Microsoft has an amazing Wedding Planning Notebook to use within Microsoft OneNote.

With multiple tabs/sections, it's easy to keep all of your digital details in one place.

OneNote is basically a digital notebook. You're able to add pages, move them around, and capture all of your thoughts, pictures, data, all in one place.

I have modified this particular template for what I need. This is particularly helpful for the tech-savvy bride and groom, especially with saving pictures and screen-shots you find online (no more multiple photo folders, word documents, etc. this handles it all).

Word-of-Mouth... read it online

2009-05-21T00:01:00.002-04:00

User-review websites are a great starting point. If enough people comment about a particular store or vendor, it's easy to see a trend in service and quality. While I will contact the vendors on my list, and ask for references, this entails minimal effort!

Laura O. on yelp reviewed all of the services/vendors she used for her wedding. Not only do I get her opinion, I also gain greater exposure to other vendors I may not have known about.

On Wedding Mapper, people can give their reviews as well (not all are wedding-related reviews). [Find reviews on reception sites here.]

Discussion Boards: Buffalo Reception Venues

2009-05-20T00:01:00.007-04:00

I'm not the only one! There have been discussions on venues in the Buffalo-Niagara-Rochester (WNY) for out-of-town brides on different discussion-boards. The most recent one I found is on yelp.com, a user-review website.

I figure the venue search is going to take the longest time to figure out. Luckily, I have plenty of time to visit sites as I (a) am not getting married anytime soon, and (b) visit Buffalo on a semi-regular basis. I'm currently in the "making a list of all possible places" stage.

Unfortunately, it seems that many wedding websites only list those venues and vendors that pay to be placed on the list. Therefore it can be hard to get a complete list of locals: something I wish to remedy.

I also found another Buffalo reception venue discussion on city-data.com.

There was also a lively discussion on Buffalo Rising.