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May22nd

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The new online vendor directory launch is almost here!

Posted in: Updates

Big news! In just a few days, our online vendor directory will be getting a major facelift. It’s been a massive (massive!) project for us here at Adirondack Weddings, but if our brides and grooms find it as useful as we think they will, the long hours will be well worth it. Our old directory was a bit plain, so we envisioned something bigger and better—something truly in keeping with the natural rustic beauty of the magazine.

The new vendor directory will feature about 50 fantastic Adirondack wedding professionals. Keep an eye on the blog in upcoming weeks, because we’ll be highlighting all of them right here. Finding the right wedding pros is definitely one of the most important parts of wedding planning, and we are very excited to be able to help you with this task.

Here’s a preview of our new look. What do you think?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!
April25th

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What’s in the new issue of Adirondack Weddings?

Posted in: Updates

Wondering what’s in the new issue of Adirondack Weddings? Well, here’s a peek at our table of contents:

We’ve updated our Current Issue page with a list of everything you’ll find inside Volume Three, our 2013 edition. If you haven’t yet gotten your copy, check it out!

You can also find a retail location or buy it online.
April4th

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Adirondack Weddings Magazine Volume 3!

Posted in: Articles, DIY, Events, Inspiration, Real Weddings, Recipes, Updates

Happy birthday to Adirondack Weddings Volume 3! The newest addition to our happy family began appearing on newsstands last month and will be widely available (13 states and Canada!) in the coming days and weeks. Isn’t she a beauty?

If you can’t wait to find it on newsstands, get it here (either individually, or along with Volumes 1 and 2): Buy Adirondack Weddings Magazine Online!
January1st

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Happy New Year from Adirondack Weddings!

Posted in: Holiday, Updates

It’s 2013! We are so excited here at Adirondack Weddings as we prepare for the launch of our third print issue and a relaunch of our online vendor directory. We also have lots of blog goodies in the works, including more real weddings, recipes, DIYs, and spotlights on local wedding pros. We can’t wait!

Have fun, be well, and check back with us often for more beautiful brides, handsome grooms, and stunning Adirondack vistas.
—Winter bride photo by Greer Cicarelli Photography.
December27th

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Holiday party tips for seasonal celebrations

Posted in: Advice, Articles, Events, Holiday, Inspiration

At Adirondack Weddings, we love the holiday season—not only because of the joy of gathering with family and loved ones, but also because it’s a popular time for marriage proposals! Over the past few days, our Facebook feeds have been buzzing with news of Christmas engagements. For these happy couples, we have a suggestion for you: it’s time to celebrate!

Whether you’re throwing a New Year’s Eve party, a shower, an engagement announcement party, or simply having friends over for cocktails, here are a few tips to help make your soirée spectacular.

General Décor
This part’s easy! If your home isn’t already decorated for the holidays, seasonal décor is inexpensive to buy or create. Make your home warm and inviting with glossy gemstone-colored ornaments that glimmer when the light hits them, mason jars filled with flickering white candles, and red satin ribbon wrapped around the backs of tall chairs. Don’t forget the mistletoe above the doorway.

Table Decorations
Make your tabletop festive by spreading shiny snowflake confetti across the surface. Want an easy centerpiece idea? Fill large glass bowls or vases with your favorite tree ornaments. Before nestling candles into mason jars, coat the jar bottoms with a layer of kosher salt—it will look like snow! Choose plates, glasses, and linens to coordinate with your color scheme. There are plenty of holiday sets available this time of year, both real and disposable.

Color Scheme
Speaking of colors, don’t feel boxed in by the traditional green-and-red combination. Blue and white or silver and gold also create a warm wintertime feel. You can mix metals, like gold, silver, or bronze, with a bold color. For example, combine blue with silver, or emerald green with gold. Or pair winter white with a deep gemstone tone, like dark purple. Alternative Guestbooks Ornaments can be more than simple decorations—they can also serve as a guestbook on which friends and family can jot down sentiments and advice for the party’s hosts. Fill a table with felt-tip pens and writeable ornaments. When it comes to non-traditional guestbook alternatives, your imagination is the limit. Have guests sign a Christmas tree skirt, a wooden hope chest, or even a tablecloth.

Festive Food
For a holiday-themed crudité, create an edible Christmas tree by sticking small heads of broccoli and cherry tomatoes on toothpicks into a foam tree. Use cookie cutters to cut out bite-sized finger sandwiches in merry shapes. Make sure your guests save room for dessert, because that’s where the spread really gets jolly. Get into the holiday spirit with chocolate peppermint cupcakes, white powdered donuts, and gingerbread men. Serve eggnog and hot chocolate garnished with marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, and powered cinnamon.

Unique Activities
If your friends and family are “foodies,” ask everyone ahead of time to bring their favorite seasonal recipe written on an index card to exchange with another guest at the party. It will be a great icebreaker and topic of conversation for guests who don’t know each other.

Invitations
If your guests are local and you have enough time to mail invites, the plethora of cards available at this time of year make it easy and inexpensive. Grab a few packs of holiday cards and slip an insert into them with the invite and details. Don’t forget to include the time and date, location with directions, and if applicable, gift registry information.

Wishing a happy and safe New Year to all, and warm congrats our newly-engaged couples! See you in 2013.

—Story by Lindsay Pietroluongo, contributor to Adirondack Weddings Magazine, with additional reporting by Laura Ward, editor of Adirondack Weddings Magazine. Winter bouquet photo by Greer Cicarelli Photography.
December17th

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15 Romantic & Fun Holiday Gift Ideas

Posted in: Advice, Articles, DIY, Events, Holiday

If you’re anything like us here at Adirondack Weddings, you might find that time before the holiday season seems to fly by faster each year. Luckily, there’s still time to score fabulous gifts for your sweetie at your favorite local shop or online retailer. Here are 15 of our favorite gift ideas for engaged and newlywed couples.

Traditional and romantic
1. Decorative mistletoe makes a fantastic Christmas Eve gift. Wrap it up or simply hang it above a doorway and reveal its presence with a surprise kiss.

2. Ornaments are an inexpensive and romantic way to commemorate the holiday, whether it’s your first or your fiftieth holiday together. Purchase a quirky ornament he’ll love, such as this “Back to the Future” DeLorean, go traditional with this illuminated gold ball, or celebrate Adirondack pride with a real preserved gold Sugar Maple leaf. Alternately, whip out the glitter and Popsicle sticks and create your own!

3. Luxurious bedding can make newlywed breakfasts in bed even more comfy and delightful. Try Egyptian cotton 1200 thread count sheets, or for a more affordable option, a satin sheet set.

4. Snowflake necklace for her—or snowflake cufflinks for him—are a great way to accessorize while celebrating the season. Laura’s favorite necklace is a white gold filigree snowflake from Darrah Cooper Jewelers in Lake Placid. (Stop in if you’re local!) We also like this diamond snowflake jewelry set from Amazon.

5. On the jewelry front, if your sweetie is hard to please, it’s rare you can go wrong with white gold diamond studs, a perennial favorite for wedding day wear. Locally, check out Kneucraft Fine Jewelry & Design and ask Shawn about three-pronged versus four-pronged designs.

6. A personalized gift basket will always hit the mark, whether it’s an assortment of lavender bath products, or a sampling of delicious designer chocolates. If a pre-packaged option doesn’t fit the bill, purchase a pretty basket and make it yourself! Add a gift certificate to a favorite local bakery, such as cakeplacid. Wrap it all up in cellophane and voilà!

“Experience” gifts
7. Camping equipment is a perfect gift for an Adirondack lover, whether it’s a large dome tent, bear-proof food containers, or pink Timberland boots. The best part of this kind of gift is that it comes with the promise of future adventure!

8. Snowshoes or Lake Placid Glider ice skates. When you live (or vacation) in these parts, winters are just as fun as summer. If you’ve always wanted to learn but don’t know how, there’s no time like the present.

9. If your betrothed is a music lover, instead of a latest MP3 player, consider splurging on an old-fashioned record player, such as this Crosley Mini Turntable, along with a selection of vinyl. (Does it get much cooler than that?) Make it an experience gift by including a homemade voucher promising an evening of dinner and dancing in the living room.

10. For movie lovers, along with a favorite DVD or a TV boxed set, toss in marshmallows and a Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix, which will round out a romantic evening at home.

11. If you’ve never had professional photos taken, book a session with a local photographer. (Skip the cheesy portrait studio package and instead look through the pages of Adirondack Weddings magazine to find a photographer whose style you love!)

Gifts that keep on giving
12. A gift-of-the-month club or subscription-based gifts will delight your sweetie year-round. Try a Gourmet Cake of the Month Club, a Gourmet Bacon of the Month Club, a Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club, or even a Gourmet Peanut Butter & Jelly of the Month Club.

Inexpensive and homemade
13. Create a coupon book for your better half and include all of the things that you know they love. Make coupons for massages, breakfasts in bed, pancakes at midnight, early morning coffee runs, scary movie nights—whatever it is you know they’d appreciate and enjoy.

14. Want to show your guy or girl how much you adore them? Make your own “52 Things I Love About You” booklet with just a deck of cards, white paper, tape and a marker. Punch two holes through the cards, bind them with large rings and attach a note to the back of each one that expresses something you value in your sweetheart.

Wedding planning
15. Last but not least, if you don’t yet have both copies of Adirondack Weddings Magazine, you can still order in time for Christmas! Now through the holidays, we’ll ship out the same business day for all orders placed by noon. (We ship by USPS Priority mail, so understand we are at the mercy of the postal service, but we’ll do our part in getting orders out the door.)

Feel free to add further gift ideas in the comments section! Perhaps your beloved desires a 7-carat ring that costs nearly as much as your starter home or something completely practical, like wool socks for the chilly days ahead. Whatever the case may be, happy shopping and happy holidays!

—Story by Laura Ward, editor of Adirondack Weddings, and Lindsay Pietroluongo, contributor to Adirondack Weddings. Snowflake photo by Greer Cicarelli Photography.
November20th

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Pumpkin bread muffins and pumpkin pie martinis {Thanksgiving-inspired treats!}

Posted in: DIY, Holiday, Inspiration, Recipes
UPDATE 12/08/12: We’ve received dozens of emails asking where we bought our leaf-shaped muffin pan. We picked it up at a local shop, but we found the exact same one available on Amazon: Maple Leaf Pan. We added links into the article as well. Enjoy!

With the holiday season upon us, it’s officially time for warm fires, cozy sweaters, and holiday-inspired recipes to make and enjoy with loved ones. When Thanksgiving rolls around at the Adirondack Weddings test kitchen, we break out our leaf-shaped muffin pan and start creating! Our pre-holiday bakefest yielded a tasty recipe for pumpkin bread muffins, which we slathered with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting to create leaf-shaped whoopie pies. To add some holiday “spirits” to the mix, we paired the treats with a delicious pumpkin pie martini.

Pumpkin Bread Muffins
After whipping together the batter, bake it in traditional loaves (and spread the frosting on each slice like butter, yum!) or pour it into muffin pans, such as our leaf-shaped muffin pan, to create whoopie pies or cupcakes.
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar OR brown sugar
1 cup melted butter
3 large eggs (3 will create a fluffier, cakelike loaf; use 2 if a denser bread is preferred)
1 can of pumpkin filling (16 ounces)
.5 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
.5 teaspoon of ginger
.5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
.5 teaspoon baking powder
Optional: pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips, or whatever strikes your fancy!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In one medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave (30 seconds should do it). In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and eggs. Cream together with a mixer on medium speed for about two minutes. Add the pumpkin and blend.
3. Beat in the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing until each batch is fully blended.
Scrape down the sides between each batch. Mixing by hand, add any desired optional ingredients, such as pecans or chocolate chips.
4. Prepare two medium loaf pans or two muffin pans by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Pour the batter into the pans and bake both on the middle rack for about an hour. The finished product will be a light golden color.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
This easy recipe is relatively low on sugar, which brings out the flavor of the cream cheese. Want a sweeter frosting? Add another cup of sugar–either confectioners’ or brown, the choice is yours!
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup brown sugar
.5 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
With an electric mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy, then blend in the vanilla and sugar. When the muffins are cool, spread it on and enjoy!

Pumpkin pie martinis
This drink can be made with pumpkin pie filling, or for an even more authentic taste, with leftover chunks of actual pumpkin pie. No pumpkin on hand? Check your spice cabinet for something called pumpkin pie spice, which makes a great substitute. If there’s none to be found, nutmeg will provide a similar flavor.
2 oz vanilla vodka
2 oz creme de cacao
1/3 cup half and half
2 tablespoon pumpkin pie filling
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg
1 graham cracker, crushed
1 teaspoon honey
Optional: cinnamon stick, whipped cream
1. Crush the graham cracker and disperse the crumbs on a plate. Line the rim of a martini glass with honey, then tip the glass upside down and press gently onto the crumbs.
2. Blend the pumpkin and half and half. Fill a shaker with ice and add the vodka, creme de cacao, and pumpkin/half and half. Shake well, then strain into the martini glass
3. Add optional garnishes, such as pumpkin spice, whipped cream, or a cinnamon stick.

Happy Thanksgiving!
November16th

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Adirondack bridal shows in review

Posted in: Bridal Shows, Events, Updates

At Adirondack Weddings magazine, we attend a lot of bridal shows. We love meeting engaged couples in person, and boy, have we ever done that–since January 2011, we have met more than 1,200 local brides! In our mission to provide the area with a gorgeous bridal resource, we have traipsed from the heart of the Adirondacks (Speculator), to the western edge of the park (Lowville), to the northern tip (Altona) and down to the Capital Region. Additionally, we’ve attended multiple shows in one of our region’s best-known villages, Lake George.

Here are a collection of some of our favorite images from five different shows. We begin with a beautiful September 2012 day at Oak Mountain Resort in Speculator, where the leaves were already changing. Check out this view from under the tent!

And here’s our display inside the lodge:

The spacious main lodge provides the perfect canvas for a variety of wedding decoration styles–you could go rustic, elegant, traditional, or a combination.

Next up is October’s AWA show in Lake George, where we busted out our 8-foot displays of both covers. Cree the wolf was practically life size!

And below, from last fall, is our display at The Georgian Resort’s bridal show. We were too busy manning the booth to take photos of the scenery, which is too bad, because the ballroom sits directly on Lake George and has a killer view of the lake.

Hey, look, we are high tech! Showing off our website right from the table.

Below are photos from the Lewis County bridal show, which was the first show we attended, all the way back in January 2011. We took a snowy, beautiful drive through the Adirondacks that weekend, passing so many beautiful towns and villages including Star Lake, Cranberry Lake, Tupper Lake, and Saranac Lake. On the same weekend, we stuffed packets for brides attending bridal shows in Canton and Altona.

Last but not least, here is our display at last fall’s AWA show, also in Lake George.

As you can see, we keep busy! With our newsstand reach, we are the foremost way destination couples get their information about getting married in the Adirondacks, but that doesn’t mean we neglect the couples who live right here. We’ll keep you updated on the shows we plan to attend, both here and on our Facebook page. But no need to wait for a show if you’d like to get in touch; our inbox is always open!
November8th

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DIY project: Fall leaf bouquet

Posted in: Articles, DIY, Inspiration, Projects

Autumn is undeniably a lovely time of year for an Adirondack wedding. Bright hues of gold, crimson, and orange color every leaf, seemingly overnight. Peak leaf dates can be hard to pinpoint, however; no matter how precisely you plan, unpredictable weather can cause leaves to turn too soon or too long after your special day.

Fortunately, there is a way to guarantee that a vivid palette of fall foliage takes center stage on your wedding day: create a bridal bouquet made of real leaves!

The best kind of leaves to use are preserved, treated leaves, which you can get from your local florist or purchase online. Leaves from your backyard won’t hold their form for more than a few hours, so unless a professional is making the bouquet on the morning of the wedding, we strongly recommend choosing preserved leaves. Sugar Maple leaves are a great choice because their broad tiers are easier to shape than the thinner tiers of other types of Maple leaves. This tutorial uses Silver Maple leaves, which have been both dyed and preserved. You’ll also need scissors, glue (hot glue works best), floral tape, and twigs, along with a good dose of patience and willingness to experiment.

1. Start off with a single leaf and iron out any wrinkles so you have a flat leaf to work with. We set our iron at medium heat with steam. Be sure to test the iron out on a sample leaf first.
2. Once flat, place a dab of glue on the lowest tier of the top three tiers of the leaf (for Sugar Maple, focus on the three branches in the top center). You can use hot glue or regular glue, but we encourage hot glue for speed and ease.
3. Bend the tier with the glue down to the center of the leaf, and hold until set.
4. Place a dab of glue on top of the leaf that you just set, or on the second-highest tier.
5. Bend the tier over to the center on top of the first tier and hold until set.
6. Repeat for the final center tier.
7. Once all tiers are set in place, cut the excess leaf off on one side.
8. Repeat for other side.
9. You should now be left with the folded tiers in the shape of a rounded triangle. Repeat this with leaves of many sizes ranging from extra small to extra large if possible.
10. Starting with the smallest leaves, flip the leaves over (so the previously glued sections are not visible) and put a dab of glue on the center bottom of the leaf.
11. Wrap the leaf around a stick (we used the branches and twigs that came with the preserved leaves).
12. Repeat, continuing with larger and larger leaves, turning the rose around to keep the bloom even and natural-looking.
13. Once all is glued, add floral tape for more security.
14. Once you have about 7-10 petals on your rose, you’re finished!
15. Repeat until you have at least 10 flowers, and wrap them securely with floral tape.

Congratulations! You now have a lovely bouquet of fall foliage. Each leaf can take about 30 minutes to perfect, but the end result will be a completely unique bouquet. For added color and texture, add seasonal flowers around the edges and secure them with floral tape. Wrap the bouquet in colored ribbon of your choice for a finished, professional look.

Store your final product at room temperature in a dry location that is safe from hazards (pets, kids, items falling off shelves, etc.). If you love how it turned out, the same technique can be used to make centerpieces and boutonnieres. If you’d like to share your results with our readers, feel free to send your photos to editor@adirondack-weddings.com. Happy crafting!

Photography and tutorial by Eva Mizer.
November5th

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International Bridal Fashion Week Part 3

Posted in: Bridal Shows, Events, Inspiration, Updates

In our third and final installment of Adirondack Weddings’ Bridal Fashion Week series, we take a look at the Anne Barge runway show, which was a celebrity-studded gown extravaganza. The press was out in force, as were some huge names in the wedding industry, such as designer Mark Ingram and world-famous cake maker Sylvia Weinstock. Without further ado, let’s get to the gowns!

Hey, who’s that guy at the end of the runway?

It’s Randy Fenoli of “Say Yes to the Dress” and “Randy to the Rescue”! We actually met up with Randy at another show, later that day, and only later realized he had been at the Anne Barge show as well. (The bridal industry is a small world, and naturally, the Anne Barge show was not to be missed.) Randy fans, be assured that he is charming, gracious, and extremely dapper in person! We had a lovely chat and he went home with a copy of Volume 2 of Adirondack Weddings.

That’s a wrap on our Bridal Fashion Week coverage, but we’ll be back again this week with the blog’s first original DIY project!

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ABOUT the MAGAZINE

Adirondack Weddings is the official bridal magazine of upstate New York’s Adirondack region, covering Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Lake George, Old Forge, Saratoga Springs, and beyond. The magazine features stunning photography, insightful articles, and the region's top wedding professionals. Volume 3 is on newsstands now! Look for it in stores including Barnes & Noble, Rite Aid, Price Chopper, Hannaford, Kinney Drugs, and Wegmans or purchase online.
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