SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR) — What should’ve been eight months filled with anticipation and excitement has turned into scrambling and uncertainty for one Syracuse couple.
“We had everything picked out and we had our dream wedding planned,” said Lauren Penizotto. “And now it’s kind of changing.”
Penizotto and Anthony Rufo booked their wedding reception for July at the Sheraton on the Syracuse University campus. But with the building closing after commencement on May 12, their wedding plans are taking a different turn.
“We haven’t heard anything else. And I don’t know if we should’ve expected anything else,” Rufo said. “There hasn’t really been a formal letter or anything. It’s really just been the news stories that have been official correspondence.”
Lauren and Anthony are receiving help from their wedding planner who works at the Sheraton and have a new venue in mind.
“She had just found out Wednesday, the day we found out the Sheraton was closing,” Penizotto said. “She gave all of her couple’s names to many places throughout Syracuse just to check their availability.”
But it’s not just Lauren and Anthony that have been affected. Multiple venues have had inquiries from couples who don’t know where to turn.
“We are local, and we are here. We have those two months of breathing room. I can only imagine the people who have it a week after. That would be terrible,” Rufo said.
The decision is still head-scratching for many couples.