When we started planning our wedding, we wanted to bring together 300 family and friends in a nature-filled, relaxed, and personal environment for a whole weekend. We thought we'd ...never find a venue and then a friend recommended Ogontz. It was perfect! We described our ambitious wedding vision to Sarah and Andrew in our first meeting, and they delivered on every detail. Ogontz took care of all catering except alcohol, decorating/flowers, and prepping venues throughout the weekend. We took care of DJ, bartending, and a lifeguard though we had no problem because Sarah connected us to local vendors. We did not want to get bogged down in details (like choosing place settings or flowers) and Sarah and Andrew were able to take a little inspiration and work their magic for us; the colors and theme were based on the picture of the bride’s wedding dress (colorful Indian garb). Our wedding was the biggest they had hosted and they did a great job transforming the dining area to comfortably seat that crowd and ensuring people weren't getting hungry waiting to get food. They even thought of little details we forgot, like having high chairs for babies. If we ever needed anything (such as when our family member got his car stuck in a nearby ditch), we just had to ask and someone took care of it right away.
We told Andrew that we wanted Indian food, and not only did he research all our family recipes, he also spent an entire day with our families learning how to make those dishes. Andrew’s food and Sarah’s baking were a hit with everyone at the wedding. We still dream about the lemon tart, roast pig, chicken sandwiches, fresh bread, and homemade chutneys. Many of the vegetables and some meats were homegrown at Ogontz. The scenery at Ogontz is breathtaking with the mountains in the background, the lake, and the quaint cabins. Everyone enjoyed the lake (boating and swimming), the grounds (sports fields, hiking, waterfalls, and even a wood-fired hot tub), and the many different buildings for late night board games, family time, and just hanging out. We had full use of the grounds and there was no restriction on time; we even canoed to a nearby island at midnight.
We had bonfires on Saturday and Sunday night and Andrew prepared a s'mores kit with home-made marshmallows (amazing). We made use of the rehearsal hall for dance practice, and Ogontz Hall itself was beautiful.
The majority of our guests stayed on the campsite and it was great to be able to spend time together without worrying about people needing to drive or find rides late at night.
In the months running up to the wedding, we (and our parents) got a little nervous once in a while because we wouldn't hear from the team sometimes. We realized later that they are super busy with summer camps and also don't have great phone service. If it happens to you at some point, don't worry, because they have everything covered; it’s just important to know that texting works better than calling if you really need to get in touch.
We had such an amazing wedding and find ourselves wishing we were back in our cabin at Ogontz overlooking the gorgeous lake view.