Ithaca's Premier Reception & Ceremony Venue
$9,350 starting price
251 to 300 guests
Celebrations is a charming banquet hall-style wedding venue located in the countryside of Ithaca, NY. Combining the comfort of lavish facilities with the serenity of the surrounding nature, this unique destination offers the best of both worlds. The main building was built in 1999 and, over the decades, has successfully hosted countless events. Guest capacity here ranges from intimate gatherings of 10 to extravagant soirees of up to 300 individuals. Making your experience all the more memorable is the venue’s seasoned and attentive staff. These professionals can’t wait to help you flawlessly execute your dream wedding.
Celebrations Banquet Facility has both indoor and outdoor event spaces. Greet your guests upon arrival outside on the lushly landscaped grounds that are surrounded by rolling tree-covered hills. Host your ceremony in the garden’s charming gazebo or beneath a sharp white tent when the weather requires it. After you have tied the knot, enjoy a social cocktail hour on the patio before heading inside the banquet hall for your reception celebration. Defined by its bright and airy atmosphere, this stylish event space features carpeted floors, paneled ceilings, and a hardwood dance floor.
Your wedding planning process will benefit from Celebrations’ all-inclusive wedding package and its various service offerings. From the in-house DJ to the on-site catering service, you can arrange most of your essentials right here at the venue. Furthermore, furniture, decor, and other rental items are accessible to your event design needs. The event staff here are also available to offer setup and cleanup assistance throughout your function.
What You'll Love About Celebrations
Celebrations has glowing reviews from couples who have previously hosted their big day with them. The gorgeous location, top-class services, delicious food, and overall seamless experience are all highlighted as contributing to an unforgettable celebration for many clients. Check out their review section for more information.
Woman-owned Business
Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
Contact for price
Ceremony:
Contact for price
Bar services:
Contact for price
Catering:
Contact for price
Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices.
Amenities + details
Amenities
Covered Outdoors Space
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Ballroom
Tented
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Food & Catering
Service Staff
Any questions?
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.025 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Celebrations is highly praised by multiple reviewers for its perfect wedding experience, beautiful location, delicious food with varied options, and valuable services offered at an affordable cost. John and Laurie are lauded for their professionalism, helpfulness, and organization in planning weddings. Guests appreciated the well-designed venue, landscaping, fire pit, outdoor ceremony spot, and entertainment options like the photo booth. The overall stress-free experience, compliments received from friends and family, and the high recommendation make Celebrations a top choice for couples getting married in the Ithaca area.- Top reviews
- Newest first
- Oldest first
- Highest rated
- Lowest rated
Sort by
Beth P
5.0
10/22/2024
Perfect Wedding! Venue, Food, Everything!
Andrew C
5.0
6/27/2023
We are so happy that we picked Celebrations for our wedding, it turned out absolutely amazing!!! The location is gorgeous! John and Laurie are so amazing to work with and are so helpful! They definitely know what they are doing to help walk any couple through the wedding process. And they do so much for an affordable cost! Laurie even helped us find a hotel to book a room block with for our guests when we were struggling to get in contact with them. They take care of a lot of the basics so that you can focus on the other small things that make your wedding unique, and I really liked that. Oh did I mention the food everyone raved about? It was very good, and many many options to choose from depending on different price points. All in all we had a fantastic experience with Celebrations and would absolutely do it all over again. You will not regret it!
Any questions?
Emma M
5.0
1/13/2023
Jason and I could not have had a better experience at Celebrations. We toured several reception venues for our July 2022 wedding, and were extremely impressed by John and Laurie’s professionalism and wealth of experience. They helped us envision how the space would look and feel during the event, clearly presented food options and extra services, and were very easy to communicate with through the whole process. They worked with us to create a schedule for the evening and their day-of coordination was invaluable. Many friends and family members told us that our wedding was one of the best they had been to and that the food in particular was excellent, and John and Laurie certainly played a role in helping everything go so well.
P.S. I was particularly thrilled with the clever sound system that allowed the dance floor to be at a louder, danceable volume while keeping the music low enough to talk over at the tables!
Rachel N
5.0
11/29/2022
Celebrations was absolutely amazing and perfect for our wedding! John and Laurie are competent, experienced, and respond quickly and helped make our wedding the spectacular affair it was (our guests and we were thrilled with it). The venue is well designed and beautiful! John puts in so much effort into the landscaping and it clearly shows. The fire pit and the ceremony spot outside (with tent, speakers, and beautiful gazebo and bridges) set against the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes makes it an ideal spot to hold a ceremony. The food was superb (which I think Laurie was in charge of) with a variety of options to make everyone happy. Faith the DJ at celebrations was fantastic. Also our guests especially the children enjoyed the photo booth. Overall our stress was reduced because of how well Celebrations is run and how Laurie and John operate it.
Megan S
5.0
8/14/2022
We honestly LOVED having our wedding at Celebrations! John and Laurie are incredible to work with and handled everything smoothly and they were perfectly organized. The value for how much is included with this venue for the Ithaca area is unbelievable. Not only did we love how everything turned out for our day and the planning process leading up to it but we received many compliments from friends and family about the venue itself and mostly the food. There are so many food selection choices and everything we picked was a hit, we truly had no complaints about anything. We would, without hesitation, recommend Celebrations to anyone looking to get married in the Ithaca area!
Danielle B
5.0
6/23/2021
Couldn't be happier! A perfect venue, excellent food, attentive staff...a perfect wedding day!
Joyce T
5.0
9/16/2019
We had our wedding reception here this past weekend and we were so happy we did!!
First of all, Laurie was always on the ball and really helped us to plan out everything. She is quick to respond to any questions or issues we had. They also did the majority of decorating for us. They offer so many services including a DJ and photo booth.
Our guests really enjoyed the food and the venue in general. We had so many compliments. The grounds and the patio are gorgeous!!! They have done so much work landscaping.
Finally, the DJ (Faith) was excellent. She took the majority of our requests and actually played them. This was really important to us and we were so happy about that. The other songs she chose were fun as well.
We are so grateful to Laurie and John. Thank you so much for making everything go so smoothly. We didn’t have to worry about anything once we were there, just having fun!! We would not hesitate to recommend this venue.
Jeremy S
5.0
10/14/2018
GET MARRIED HERE.! Everything I'm about write in the review below is 100% true. This place is amazing!
Firstly, you deal directly with the owners, no middle people. They are amazingly nice and very accommodating and when you see how hard they work on your wedding day, you know that kind of dedication and passion is rare.
The venue has beautiful grounds, well maintained and hosted a beautiful outdoor fall ceremony for us. The inside of the venue is a perfect banquet hall. The food was top notch, I've never had better food at a wedding.
They also make planning your wedding way less stressful, the venue offers photography, DJ, photobooth and catering. Boom, all those huge things done in one venue, and it's all high quality.
Giulia G
5.0
9/07/2018
staff, food, location and organization were very good. Beautiful venue offering different price packages for everyone's budget and needs.
Our wedding was perfect and nothing major went wrong! we received many compliments from our guests
Giulia and Chris
Christie P
5.0
6/08/2018
Mother of Bride from Wedding on 6/2/18 - John & Laurie are fantastic to work with. They thought of and planned for every detail. They and their staff are so friendly and attentive. The ceremony site outside is so well manicured and picturesque. Reception hall so well layed out and spacious - special private room for Bridal party to get ready in was Awesome! Celebrations is Amazing place for a Wedding.
Terezia U
5.0
2/19/2018
We are so happy we chose to host our wedding reception at Celebrations. John and Laurie were very friendly and accommodating throughout the whole planning experience. I had some cultural traditions I wanted as part of the celebration, and they helped us make it happen. They were easy to reach and communicate with whenever we had questions or concerns. The space itself was very well decorated, both with Celebrations décor and Laurie helped put around decorations we brought in ourselves. We got countless compliments from our guests about how friendly the staff was, how good everything looked, and how tasty the food was. Definitely get the salmon for dinner and the bacon wrapped scallops! We also planned our wedding long distance, so having an in-house DJ, catering, and a photo booth made everything so easy and stress-free. There is even a wonderful cake baker a few houses down, Darling Cakes, who delivered and set up for free! The DJ was also wonderful, playing good music and keeping the dance floor packed. We highly recommend using Celebrations!!
Brittany R
5.0
10/16/2016
My groom and I can't say enough about the amazing job done by Laurie, John, DJ Faith, and all the Celebrations staff. Planning meetings and our rehearsal went very well - they walked us through everything and helped us plan things we hadn't even thought of. They did an amazing job decorating the facility for our wedding - I especially loved how they added some of their own decorations. It was wonderful not having to stress about set up, take down, or anything else. All of our guests thought the venue was perfect - nice reception hall, beautiful garden. The food was amazing. I also appreciated the bridal dressing room. During the reception, staff organized and packed up all of our things so me and my bridal party could just load it up and leave instead of spending an hour cleaning up. Very professional, great communication with us throughout the event - they obviously know what they're doing and have it down to an art. Thank you!
Jacqueline B
5.0
9/22/2014
John and Laurie were absolutely wonderful! We were planning our wedding in less than 3 months and they acted like it was no big deal - they were very pleasant to work with. They also helped us pick the right package according to what we were looking for and our budget. We highly recommend them!
Kacey B
4.0
7/23/2012
Beautiful landscaped grounds for outdoor ceremony. Nice indoor reception hall with large dance floor. Our guests liked the food. We didn't have much time to eat. Deck needs some repair, my dress caught on it. Owners are a married couple. The husband is very pleasant, the wife is a little rough around the edges. A little pricey but that comes with the area. Overall a positive experience and happy with our choice. Many guests were impressed with the venue.
Greg D
5.0
7/16/2012
Five stars do not do justice to the terrific job performed by Laurie, John, and the entire Celebrations staff! Beginning with our very first meeting almost a year before our wedding, my husband and I were so impressed with Laurie’s depth of knowledge about anything and everything having to do with weddings and receptions. Both Laurie and her husband John made it clear that Celebrations was committed to delivering a wedding ceremony and reception that my husband and I wanted. Every question we asked, every email we sent, and every request we made was answered by Laurie or John almost immediately and positively. Celebrations offers a wide array of options and can provide an amazing experience for any budget. Laurie was a tremendous help when it came to accommodating guests with special dietary requirements, making even dramatic changes without hesitation. Along those same lines, when we requested hors d’oeuvres that were not on their menu, they worked with their chefs to create exactly what we wanted, much to our and our guests delight.
My husband and I are from southeastern Pennsylvania and so we were thrilled to find out that Celebrations offered, in addition to catering, a photographer and a DJ. Having these options available to us made planning a destination wedding so much easier and also made our wedding day less stressful. Our photographer knew the best places to take photographs and was so efficient that we were able to enjoy the majority of our cocktail hour. In addition, a few days before our wedding day John told us that this was Celebrations first same-sex wedding ceremony and that he and their photographer Shannon had researched how to photograph same-sex weddings to make sure that we got the best pictures possible. Celebrations’ DJ, Dave, was so easy to work with! He took the list of songs we provided and effortlessly weaved in songs that complimented the overall mood we were trying to create.
After the ceremony our guests were taken back to the reception hall while the wedding party stayed down at the ceremony site to take pictures. Laurie and John sent down a bartender with drinks and then Laurie brought down a full complement of hors d’oeuvres so that we wouldn’t miss out on any part of our day.
My husband and I could not believe how many of our guests told us that this the best wedding they had ever attended and that the food was the best they had ever tasted at any catered event. These comments were coming from guests in their 50s and 60s who have attended dozens of weddings. After dinner had been served John and members of the Celebrations staff went to each table and asked each of our guests how their meals had been and if they needed anything else.
Laurie and John also have extensive experience with the best local florists and bakers, making coordinating flower and cake delivery and setup a breeze. After choosing a florist and baker for our event, it gave us tremendous confidence knowing that they had such positive relationships with the staff at Celebrations.
We cannot give Laurie and John enough credit for creating a wonderful wedding experience for my husband and me. We, and our guests, had a fabulous time and have so many great memories from that evening. Laurie and John are wonderful, knowledgeable people who will make your wedding day the most memorable experience of your lives!
Kaela C
5.0
7/10/2012
If I could give Celebrations more than 5 stars I would! Everything was fabulous that day from our food to the DJ to the beautiful grounds and definetly John and Laurie. They made our wedding day amazing and exactly how I dreamed it would be. They were attentive and helpful and nice and great. The food was so good and everyone commented on it. I am so happy we went with Celebrations and wouldnt have changed anything@
Abigail N
5.0
2/03/2012
I had heard some good things about Celebrations from other people, but it wasn't until I went to visit and had a tour of the facilities that I was truly impressed with it. We used them for the reception only. Laurie is a bit rough on the edges and very intense, but John is easy going. The price is very good for the excellent service they provide. The atmosphere is very professional and friendly. I would also recommend using one of their DJs. I wasn't going to because I was trying to be cheap, but it was worth it!! He made the whole day run smoothly and was so nice to not have to worry about songs. As far as the time spent, I felt that as soon as I got to the reception I could relax and didn't have to worry about things going wrong. They took care of everything. I was worried that I would be exhausted from being in such a large crowd but it didn't feel crowded and I had so much fun! Thanks so much John and Laurie!
Samantha
5.0
11/11/2011
Celebrations was nothing short of amazing or what they promised. It is every bride's dream location. Not only can you have a gorgeous outdoor wedding and indoor reception into the night, but everything is perfectly planned and they take really, really great care of you and your guests! They may be a little more expensive, but like my dad said, it was worth every penny!
Nicole F
4.0
9/05/2011
Everything was very nice, reception was nicely decorated, food was great, but I would not recommend in house DJ.
Katy H
5.0
8/02/2011
Celebrations went above and beyond to make my wedding day perfect. John and Laurie make the process of wedding planning so easy. They tell you upfront what the costs are for everything and they do weddings on any budget. The ceremony location was so beautiful as was inside during the reception. The food and drinks were also great. I don't have any complaints!
Shannon E
4.0
5/12/2011
I couldn't ask for a better place to have my reception! The DJ's were excellent, the food was outstanding, it was very beautifully decorated, owners were very attentive, staff was great, and I would definately tell everyone about this place!!!
Jason M
5.0
10/31/2010
This past September my wife and I were married in a small outdoor ceremony behind Celebrations Banquet Facility and then moved indoors there to have our reception. First off I’d like to say that we absolutely loved every minute of our wedding day and we have only heard wonderful things from other people.
On our wedding day we arrived to an absolutely beautifully decorated room. The layout for both the ceremony and reception hall was perfect for our 100 guests. We had ordered a package that consisted of 6 appetizers, buffet dinner, and partial open bar. The appetizers were passed around graciously during the first hour or so after the ceremony and some were even brought down to the ceremony site for us to have during our pictures. The options for appetizers were tremendous and we picked a variety for everyone from chicken wings to baked brie to teriyaki steak medallions. Each and every appetizer was delicious.
Following this we entered the hall and after introductions were sat at a gorgeous well-lit head table. Dinner followed. The buffet style dinner consisted of a carved glazed pork loin, chicken cordon bleu, seafood jambalaya, and mushroom ravioli. I had some of each, except for the jambalaya (as it didn’t look like jambalaya to me and I wasn’t sure what it was at first). The chicken, pork, and ravioli were delicious and if I didn’t have room left for jambalaya anyways. After dinner you didn’t even know Laurie and John were around unless they ran out to say something to the photographer or shoot some photos themselves. They were rarely seen until the end of the night.
We also decided to hire Celebrations photographer. This was another decision we were very pleased with. Not only does the photographer herself run around taking photographs all day and night long, but John was also running around with a camera taking photographs. In the end we received almost 1500 high resolution images from them, 200 of them edited nicely, and some artistic edits as well.
I cannot attest to the abilities of their in-house DJ as we did not use them. We instead hired a live band, The Bob Cooper Band, to play for our ceremony and reception. From what I saw it seemed as if the staff of Celebrations, especially Laurie and John, worked extremely well with Bob Cooper while he emceed everything that went on throughout the day.
In the end we had an absolutely amazing time. Along the way Laurie and John are easily accessible to answer any questions you have regarding pretty much anything that they could help you with and they answer quickly. We would highly recommend Celebrations Banquet Facility for your event or wedding.
Amanda K
5.0
10/30/2010
Everything was perfect. John and Laurie made sure everything ran smoothly, and it did. The ceremony was timed very well, with John using a walkie talkie to radio up to the hall to tell us who should be walking down the aisle next. It was very organized. The grounds were well kept and every outdoor photo came out perfect. The reception also went smoothly and the decorations were perfect - exactly what we were going for - simple, yet beautiful. If there was a bump in the road John or Laurie handled it right away.
Ashley S
5.0
7/06/2010
The staff at Celebrations did a wonderful job for our wedding. The food was excellent, the service was great and the grounds are beautiful. We had both our ceremony and reception on location. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a casual yet refined wedding.
Karen M
5.0
5/10/2010
The scenery was absolutely beautiful. There was beautiful landscaping perfectly manicured lawns and a gorgeous view of the hills as a background. The decorations were stunning with lighting underneath the tables providing a soft glow. The buffet tables were laid out very lavishly with palm fronds and other decorative touches.
Contact
Curious to learn more?
Start the convo
*=Required
$9,350 starting price
- Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
- Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
- Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
- For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.
By clicking 'Request Quote', you agree to The Knot creating an account for you, if you don't have one, and to our Terms of Use. See our Privacy Policy to learn what data we collect and how we use it.
Wedding vendors in Ithaca
Celebrations's photos
Why use The Knot to message vendors?
- Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
- Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
- Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
- For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.