Celebrations Banquet Facility is an event venue in Ithaca, NY that is privately owned by John and Laurie Morse. Our very own business manager (and daughter), Cassidy Perry, had her wedding and reception at Celebrations, and it was nothing short of spectacular!
If you’re looking for a picturesque local wedding venue that offers a complete array of fantastic services, look no further than Celebrations. They dazzled us from beginning to end.
Considering Celebrations as a Wedding Venue - The Tour
Celebrations was the first and only wedding venue we visited and considered for this momentous occasion. Upon arrival for our tour, John greeted us warmly at the door and proceeded to show us around.
It was late October, and the hills were adorned with majestic red, orange, and yellow fall colors. They alone set the perfect backdrop for what we were sure would be a beautiful wedding.
Weddings take place under the tent, which is located at the end of a perfectly manicured brick walkway complete with a charming bridge. The plants and flowers were beautiful and John takes great pride in his landscaping. It was just flawless, even at the end of fall.
John explained that all the ceremony details would be taken care of for us. We were welcome to include our own decorations, but everything he already had in place lent a simple elegance that was just what we were looking for.
If we chose, the happy couple could get married in the gazebo while guests watched under the tent. But each guest would have a great view. John explained that they would take care of playing the processional music and our officiant would be outfitted with a microphone that would allow all guests to hear every word he or the couple spoke when they made their vows.
When we ventured back inside, John explained the options for the reception, which would take place in their banquet room. We could choose tablecloth and napkin colors, centerpieces, and additional details that would all be included. They even offered us the use of their birdcage-style card holder, if we wanted to forgo that expense.
It was easy to envision our friends and family enjoying the large dance floor or taking a breather out on their 1600-square-foot deck. After our first meeting with John and Laurie, we were convinced that there would be no need to see any other wedding venue. Celebrations had everything we were looking for.
Our First Wedding Meeting
For our first wedding meeting, we came equipped with the requested deposit. We sat down with John and Laurie and they answered all of our questions completely and thoroughly. We discussed everything from what time the bride should arrive to what would happen when the festivities were over.
Then it was time to choose the menu.
John showed us a number of different options for the menu. We decided on a buffet-style meal that would include hors d'oeuvres, a partial cash bar, all non-alcoholic beverages, and an ice cream sundae bar, per the bride’s request.
All of the food on Celebration’s menus is prepared by trained chefs with the best ingredients. The facility even outsources its catering services to other wedding and event venues in the local area.
The bride and groom also decided to include the use of the facility’s photo booth as a way to capture some fun pictures of themselves and guests wearing various costumes and props. We couldn’t wait to see some of the photos our friends and family chose for their turns in the photo booth.
We couldn’t believe everything else Celebrations offered us for the bride and groom’s big day. They offer an in-house DJ on top of everything else they do. We were excited to work with their DJ and we were thrilled that we didn’t need to shop around to get a great deal on this service.
When the meeting was over, we had all the information and paperwork we needed. Laurie told us that she would keep in touch by email and she gave us a timeline of everything we needed to do leading up to the wedding day, such as planning our guests’ seating assignments.
We were so thrilled and honestly, we were also relieved to have found a wedding venue near us that would provide us with so many services.
The Wedding Day
On the day of the wedding, we arrived at Celebrations and John and Laurie seemed to have everything under control. The banquet room was breathtakingly beautiful and perfectly decorated. The tent was ready for our 100+ guests, and the landscaping and sunshine set the scene for an amazing day.
Everything was so perfect as we waited for the ceremony to get started that the bride wasn’t even anxious. It was amazing! John had helped us all understand exactly what to expect for the processional the previous day during the rehearsal. When he lined us up, our exit from the banquet room and our walk to the tent and gazebo were even better than we imagined they could be.
The Reception
After a short cocktail hour that included pictures, we were ready to party!
John and the DJ lined us up outside the banquet room in preparation for our grand entrance and introductions. The DJ quickly put everyone at ease with a few jokes, and he pronounced all of our names correctly.
The bride and groom immediately had their first dance as husband and wife, and their names, Cassidy and Shea Perry were prominently displayed on the dance floor. After a few toasts and a prayer for the meal, it was time to enjoy the buffet that had all of our stomachs rumbling. The food was delicious and the reception was officially underway!
The remainder of the event was filled with plenty of dancing, lots of crying, good friends and family, and a ton of photos to remember this amazing day.
When it was all over, we spoke to John and Laurie and thanked them profusely for everything they had done for us. It was incredible to have so many small details taken care of by them and their awesome staff. We let them know that we have three more children, so they’d probably be seeing us again in the future!
Are You Planning a Wedding? Choose Celebrations in Ithaca!
If you’re planning an upcoming wedding and you haven’t chosen your venue yet, we HIGHLY recommend Celebrations Banquet Facility in Ithaca.
Planning a wedding is hard work when you have to take care of all the details yourself. But John and Laurie made it so much easier and relieved SO much stress. All we had to do was show up and have a wonderful day. There’s nothing better than being able to enjoy every second of your only daughter’s wedding day.
Celebrations is booking now for 2023, so contact them today to schedule your tour!
Would you like your business to be featured on our blog? Contact us today!