While the blizzard walloped the Three Village area with about 30 inches of snow last weekend, it didn't stop two weddings from taking place at the Three Village Inn, one on Friday and one on Saturday.
Power went out for an hour on Friday night so the guests enjoyed a candle-lit cocktail hour and danced in the dark, according to the groom, Dave Wynne.
The Inn was even able to accommodate about 20 guests who couldn't make it out of the parking lot on Friday night, and Wynne said the valets had one shovel between them but did the best they could to help folks dig their cars out.
"The staff made sure every one of my guests were well taken care of," Wynne told Patch.
"The people that stayed here, the staff shoveled out their car and these are the same people that worked the wedding the night before; they never left. It was really unselfish on their part, it really was outstanding," he said.
Manager Maria Reuge said while most were happy with how things turned out, they are glad it has passed.
"Weddings went off without a hitch, missing a few more guests than expected thanks to the blizzard," she said in an email to Patch. She said in addition to the two weddings, Mirabelle restaurant even hosted a rehearsal dinner on Friday night because so many other restaurants were closed. "It was an unbelievable weekend, and I think most everyone was happy," Reuge said.
But not all went smoothly, according to Kelly Heck, one of the stranded wedding guests. In an email to the management, Heck said the staff was disruptive late at night as guests were trying to sleep on couches at the Inn wherever they could.
"At no point did your staff try to be accommodating [or] make any of us comfortable," she wrote in her email.
Ellen Barrett, human resources director for Lessing's, said the management is handling the complaint internally and that the issues have been addressed.
"Actions have been taken," Barrett said in an email to Patch.
"I can confidently state that the majority of our staff that night went above and beyond the call of duty, and we are extremely proud of their performance," she said.
Wynne said in hindsight, he wouldn't have preferred a summertime wedding.
"You know what?" he said. "I think it made for great memories, so I wouldn't change it."
Matthew McGevna, editor of Sachem Patch, contributed to this report.
