If you are reading this review, you are likely a newlywed trying to make important decisions about where to have your wedding. I hope this review helps convince you that Old Daley on Crooked Lake is the right choice for you, and why.
There ...are three overarching reasons why our wedding was truly perfect and why I recommend this venue to anyone, without reservations.
First, the venue itself is gorgeous. Regardless of the time of year (we had a winter wedding) the setting is elegant without being overly formal. The natural beauty of the building lends an atmosphere of history and elegance that can suit any wedding budget, style or preference. Our wedding was on the smaller side (about 90 people) and we wanted to have it be fairly relaxed. We got married in the great room in front of the fireplace. The candles on/in the fireplace and the lanterns lining the aisle were gorgeous and made for romantic, beautiful lighting. We had cocktail hour and dinner stations in the Oak Room. We opted for no assigned seating, with exception of one table for family and one for me and my wife. Our guests were able to move around and mingle with each other, sit by the fireplace, etc. After dinner we had dancing and dessert in the Great Room – this allowed guests to move back and forth between the two rooms depending on their preference.
Secondly, the food was outstanding. Everything served was cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. Everyone has been to a wedding where the food feels like mass-produced cafeteria food and this is the exact opposite. Everything was delicious and there was ample food and choices to please all our guests. We had a few guests with dietary restrictions and one severe allergy and the venue staff did an excellent job being responsive to all of the dietary needs.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Kate Mace (our wedding coordinator) and her team were incredible to work with. Leading up to the wedding our friends kept asking us if we were stressed out and the answer was always a resounding, “no!” Kate is outstanding at her job, she is professional, responsive, resourceful, detail-oriented, a great communicator and just all-around nice person who is both easy and fun to work with. There was one minor issue that came up on the day of the wedding (external to the venue); Kate and her team handled with poise, grace, tact and clearly with the goal to ensure that the brides didn’t have any stress or decisions to have to make the day of our wedding. Planning and having wedding should be joyful and fun – it was because of Kate that we had that exact experience.
I’ll add that my wife and I are a same-gender couple - as a gay couple we were welcomed, valued and celebrated by the team at Old Daley on Crooked Lake. (This was not true at all the venues we visited).
My concern about the location being a little outside of the Capital District was solved by hiring a shuttle to/from a hotel in East Greenbush. Many of our local guests opted to stay at the hotel an take advantage of the shuttle.
Our wedding day was perfect for two reasons: 1) we married the right person and 2) because we opted to do so at Old Daley on Crooked Lake.