Silver Bay YMCA

ie cutter wedding at the Inn at Erlowest or the Sagamore. We feel in love with SB and knew it would be our venue as soon as we saw it and met the Sales Director, Lindsey. She was clearly super organized, incredibly invested in making our day (and every event she works on) special. From then on planning was a breeze. It was fantastic to know that our guests could stay right on the property (but be sure to communicate with people that rooms should be booked as far in advance as possible). Lindsey was so on top of any questions and deadlines which made my life much easier. The grounds are gorgeous and there are tons of activities so guests are entertained while you're busy getting ready. The new hotel is beautiful, but there are plenty of great housing options. We did our rehearsal dinner and cocktail hour in the Boat House , it was so cozy (it was chilly enough for a fire in the fireplace which was awesome) and our guests couldn't get over the amazing views. Our reception was in Gullen and was plenty big enough to fit tables and a band. As if we weren't 100% sure SB was perfect, the food was the icing on the cake. IT WAS SO GOOD. Both the rehearsal dinner, appetizers and reception dinner blew everyone away. The chef was our type of guy for sure. GO WITH THE BBQ OPTION! Our guests were raving about the food (especially the corn bread and Dr. Pepper/Strawberry BBQ pulled pork). We had so many people comment on how unique and fantastic SB was, I'm fairly sure we created some life long visitors. The staff was amazing (shout out to the event staff member who was up til past midnight laying out silverware and linens! Thank you!!), the bartenders were great and I cannot speak highly enough about Lindsey. She was an angel I did not deserve on the day of the wedding. She handled all the "back stage" tasks so seamlessly that I basically did nothing but get my hair and make-up done and have minor meltdowns. She and my photographer worked together so well to get us some incredible shots in places I hadn't even considered for pictures. I could not have gotten through that day without her calming presence and her organizational skills. She handled some unforeseen "circumstances" perfectly and truly made our day easy so we could focus on having fun. If you are looking for a Lake George wedding, but don't want to be treated like just another of the 23,894 brides passing through then have your wedding at Silver Bay. It might take a bit more planning since it's not a "traditional" venue, but I promise it is so worth it to know you had a truly one of a kind, pick your own adventure, make it yours type of wedding. We have absolutely no regrets.

ed Paine Hall, a large building on campus to lodge all of the family and the wedding party and it was wonderful having everyone in the same house. The halls and cottages are rustic but beautiful, and we kept cool best we could by bringing extra window fans. Everyone staying in the house got to use the campus (archery, boating etc) if they wanted to because they were staying on campus. Other family and friends were able to stay at the inn and in a cottage that had rooms reserved for our wedding. We happened to be on campus the same week that they train a lot of new employees at Silver Bay, so it required a little extra patience checking in, but everything was sorted by the time all the family had arrived. All of the planning and set up was very easy for us because we knew the campus very well, and the super helpful staff at the inn helped us set up Gullen lounge for the reception the day before. Jennifer, the Silver Bay wedding planner, was a joy to work with-- SO helpful, nice and on top of things. We had a little trouble getting a hold of her in the months before the wedding (because she is often very busy) but it did not matter because everything came together so well once we got there and she was there to help us with anything we needed! Our ceremony was held in the beautiful Hellen Hughes Chapel on Silver Bay's campus, and they had two helpful AV staff there at the rehearsal and the ceremony to take care of all the music I had planned. There are a million awesome places for photos around campus, so you don't have to go far for stunning photo ops! You even have a full view of the water from the steps of the inn. The boathouse and the docks were where we took some of our best wedding party pictures. Since we did want to go all the way out to slims point ( a 5-10 minute walk from the inn but it was very muddy) Jennifer was ready with 2 golf carts to drive us and both the photographers down there! It was windy but we got some beautiful pictures :) If you have a wedding at Silver Bay you certainly have to be prepared for a bit of unpredictable weather, but everything is so close together on campus that it would have been a wonderful day even if it had rained! We were blessed with a gorgeous day, but my mom and I had prepared with cute rain boots and an umbrella for me to use just in case, as well as some matching ones for the bridesmaids. Having that peace of mind was very nice, and I almost wanted it to rain because I wanted to wear them so much ;) Anyway, all this to say that Silver Bay is a wonderful, unique place for a wedding if you are looking for somewhere truly special to get married. The breathtaking views of the lake and the calm, tranquil atmosphere on campus cannot be beat. Just keep in mind that part of its beauty is that it's removed and rustic and right in the middle of nature, so sometimes just a little bit of flexibility is required:) For me, it was absolutely a 5-star venue!

tor Chet, he was fantastic and came from a place of "yes" ... he made everything we wanted happen. Our day was literally perfect and I am beyond happy we choose Silver Bay for our wedding day 9/20/14!

dly and helpful on our big day, and the food was great! The only reason I didn't give them a 5 for flexibility, is because they were booked for our preferred wedding date almost two years in advance, so we had to change it to two weeks later. I really recommend getting married here in the off-season. You really get the star treatment, and you have most of the entire campus to yourselves and your guests. Erin Grayson was our coordinator, and she was AMAZING. She kept everyone sane, and made sure everything ran smoothly. I could tell that her main priority was to make sure that we all had a great time. Bruce Tamlyn was our officiant, and he was an absolute dream. We met him only once before we were married, and he gave us a lovely book called The Five Love Languages. Our family and friends remarked over and over again what a deep down nice guy he was, and what a wonderful job of the wedding service he did. He's got a good sense of humour, and truly loves what he does.