Nicole Samolis

Creating Memories, One Event at a Time

Explore Event Trends, Tips & Venue Inspiration by Topic

Bride and groom kissing outside Sky Armory building in downtown.

College Sweethearts

Jenn and Jordan met in college and were friends for years before finally realizing they were prefect for each other. After five years of dating, Jordan popped the question one simple morning upon waking in June of 2017. Tying in New York City and Syracuse roots, their wedding came together to be the perfect amount of industrial, rustic and chic. From the staff and wedding planners to SKY Armory being in the perfect location for exploration of a new city for out – of – towners, Jenn and Jordan’s

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Interior of event venue with decorated tables and string lights for a celebration.

What You Should Know: Venue Tour Edition

You get engaged, you tell everyone you know, and then you throw a party. Now it’s time to get down to business. Typically, the first step is deciding on a venue. The venue ultimately projects your overall vibe of the day. Resources such as WeddingWire and The Knot can be really helpful in your venue search. Once you’ve narrowed it down to your top picks, we’re here to help you ask the right questions, the things you may not even know you should know. We met with our pros and here’s what they thi

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Bride and groom celebrating on rooftop at sunset with champagne.

Combining Cultures

Jackie and Zerah met on a dating site in 2015 while he was practicing medicine in Syracuse. Three years after their first date to Sakana Ya in downtown Syracuse, they combined their cultures and traditions into one perfect combination for the union of their families. From the moment they walked into SKY Armory,

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Bride and groom portrait at wedding celebration.

Wedding Planning on a Budget

Lets face it – weddings are expensive. Here are a few ways to make sure you stay within your budget. Set Your Budget When it comes down to it, your loved ones are there to celebrate you, not how much food you feed them or how beautiful your venue is. Your guests are not going to know what you don’t have, but to start, take a realistic look at your finances, know who’s contributing (if anyone), and set a budget you can stick to. Figure out what you absolutely need at your wedding and where y

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Woman with curly hair praying or meditating with closed eyes.

Why You’re More Likely to Snap At Your Partner When You’re Tired

Sleep deprivation affects every area of our lives. If you find yourself snapping at your partner and getting irrationally irritated with everything they are doing, you might just be tired. When you are tired, you are significantly more likely to be grumpy and irritable. This is something that science is found over and over again. But what makes us more that way?Less Able to Handle StressSmall things such as an unexpected phone call or an annoying office mate humming to themselves will cause amp

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Groom pouring champagne at wedding reception with friends.

Cape Cod Comes to CNY

The pair chose SKY Armory because they both found it perfectly fitting to their Syracuse wedding venue needs. SKY was friendly to their community and openly held LGBTQ events. The venue spoke to their personalities with its modern and industrial style that could easily be transformed into anything they envisioned.

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Wedding seating sign at SKY Armory with elegant script and chairs in background.

A Taste of SKY

When you book with SKY Armory, you’re committing to more than just a venue. You’re committing to the whole wedding experience. With the assistance of the onsite planner, floral designer, and culinary team, we will guide you through all the steps in the planning process. Tasting events are increasingly important as….

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Calm water with pink water lily and lily pad for relaxation.

7 Ways to Reduce Stress Before the Big Day

Nothing in this world is more important than your mental health, no matter what anyone else tells you. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also determines how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Making decisions about your big day is hard enough, why make it more stressful than it already is?Read on for our tips on being in the right state of mind throughout the planning process. 1. SLEEP- Stress and sleep can be a vicious cycle, the less sleep you get the more stressed yo

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Bride and groom sitting on staircase during wedding celebration.

Koo Koo For Kukucka

Adam and Trista had been together three and a half years by the time he proposed, so the element of surprise was quickly fleeting. They had already talked about future plans together, so if he had taken her on a weekend getaway or for a romantic dinner, she would have known a proposal was coming. So instead, when Trista returned home from the gym after thinking Adam had to work late, she walked in through the kitchen and into their dark living room and there he was, down on one knee, in his very

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Bride and groom cutting wedding cake at SKY Armory event.

A Night at Colemans Irish Pub Turned to a Lifetime of Happiness

Throughout the wedding planning process they knew they wanted a wedding with an urban vibe and chic rustic touches. Exposed brick gave the perfect touch of urban, while vintage fine china and the rest of the decor gave the perfect touch of rustic chic. The couple loved how SKY treated the room like a blank canvas….

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Two smiling women at a wedding reception table with greenery and candles.

Meet Your Planners

The Event Planners are the backbone to SKY events. I mean without them would we even have an event in the first place? Probably not. Design meetings, room layouts and running down the street to buy a 6 pack of Smirnoff so the bride can ‘Ice’ her groom is just all part of the process. Katie Sipple and Rachael Demling are some of the best in the biz and they want you to get to know them better. Q: How did you get your start in event planning?K- During college I had an internship at Make A Wish Fou

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Bride holding a colorful wedding bouquet outdoors.

5 Wedding Bouquet Do’s and Dont’s

To many, wedding bouquets are just one more little detail to worry about, but they’re meant to be more than just a detail. Whether your keeping it casual or prefer the finer finer things, find the right bouquet for you!

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Chef Challenge ingredient list on blackboard at SKY Armory event.

Chef Challenge Syracuse meets SKY Armory

The Chef Challenge started in Syracuse, NY as a collaborative, community-based marketing experiment. Within four months the team was bringing boxes of “mystery,” local farm-goods to a new restaurant 2-3 times per month to serve a mystery meal to 30-40 guests per event.They evolved with the event, focusing on pushing culinary boundaries, elevating cities like Syracuse, NY, closing the gaps in our food systems by making connections between chefs, farmers, and consumers, and promoting sustainabili

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Guests enjoying a pop-up dining experience at Sky Armory.

Pop-Up Dining: Summer Spritzers meets the Farmer’s Market

Pop- Up dinners have seen an 82% increase across the nation in the past year! The pop-up dining trend brings more than just a unique menu to the the table but a unique dining experience too. Family style seating is sure to make you a friend or two, especially when bonding over food. In July, Syracuse foodies were able to enjoy a 5 course tapas style meal paired with a delightful summer spritzer at SKY Armory. Caprese Salad featuring first harvest of the season ‘cherry orange tomato’ layered wi

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Person wrapping gifts for a non-profit event with laptop and decorations.

Promoting Attendance at Non-Profit Events

Nonprofit organizations often rely on an annual event to raise money and improve awareness of their mission. These can include silent auctions, conferences, fun runs, guest speakers, and more. Regardless of the specific type of event in question, email marketing is a great way to connect with your audience and efficiently promote your event. While social media marketing is a growing field, email marketing provides an average of 3800% ROI, showing just how lucrative it can be.An email marketing

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Beautiful wedding stage with draped curtains and floral arrangements.

Planning a Multicultural Wedding

I am originally from the Middle East, and I know how hard it is to find a wedding venue that gets my culture, traditions, and most importantly, food. Whether you’re Indian, African, European or Asian, I know you face those challenges, too. A multi-cultural wedding requires extra work, from décor to food to specialty items. Venues that are willing to accommodate these special requests with custom–and not set–menus and décor are rare.Until SKY Armory came along, that is! SKY Ar

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Indian bride and groom in traditional attire during wedding ceremony.

Danielle & Siraj – Sarah Heppel Blog

Sky Armory did an awesome job fitting nearly 300 guests into the ceremony area. The altar was framed by a Mandap, which the both ceremonies took place under. Sriraj was blessed by the Pundit and then Danielle was asked to enter the ceremony space. The Hindu ceremony commenced, and it was another awe-inspiring…

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Wedding party with bride, groom, and bridesmaids and groomsmen outdoors.

From Muggle to Mrs

Some may think their obsession is riddikulus but Granger things have happened. Claire and James met in 8th grade where James quickly learned of her "fireball attitude" and fierce loyalty…both traits of which captivated James for the next nine and a half years. They wanted their wedding to be Harry Potter themed with an upscale candlelit vibe yet they knew they’d be walking a tightrope between tacky and classy.Claire and James took on the challenge and created the wedding of their dreams with s

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Fresh homegrown tomatoes for sale at the farmers market.

Tuesday Trip to the Farmers Market

Featured Seasonal Ingredient: sicilian eggplant Every Tuesday in the sweet season of summer, Clinton Square of downtown Syracuse hosts a local farmers market- our favorite place to find fresh ingredients for daily use! Firm to the touch and a beautiful dark purple color, there are many uses when it comes to eggplant. You can bake it, mash it, grill it, stuff it, braise it, the list goes on. Our kitchen staff uses sicilian eggplant to create their delicious version of a Vegetable napoleon. A typi

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Bride and groom exchanging vows with wedding party at SKY Armory.

Evan’s Personal Season of the Bachelor

Dorien and Evan met in college when Evan was in a class of 27 women- his personal season of the bachelor.They reside right across the street from us in downtown Syracuse- always seeing the hustle and bustle of bride and grooms before them and decided to check us out for themselves. Having their wedding at SKY was a perfect way to share their home of downtown Syracuse with out of town guests.Their floral industrial wedding was filled with pink, purple and ivory florals, mixed greenery and twinkl

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