Start Your Forever at The Otesaga Resort Hotel
AWARD WINNER (1X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
The Otesaga Resort Hotel is a wedding venue located in Cooperstown, NY. Highlighted by historic elegance and charm, this property offers to-be-weds a timeless setting for their milestone moments. The hotel’s event team welcomes couples to celebrate their happily ever after here, surrounded by picturesque views of the region’s abundant natural beauty. Throughout their stay, the happy couple and their loved ones can enjoy a number of serene activities, such as relaxing on the veranda’s rocking chairs.
Since 1909, The Otesaga Resort Hotel has been the site of countless wedding day celebrations. When translated to English from the regional Native American language, the hotel’s name means “a place for meeting.” Today, it continues to carry on this tradition by offering a selection of luxurious event spaces where couples can embark on their next chapter together. If you’ve been dreaming of an open-air ceremony, you are welcome to tie the knot on the shores of Lake Otsego. After a blissful vow exchange, you and your new spouse can continue celebrating outside, or head into the hotel for an unforgettable reception. Inside are various versatile event spaces that you can choose from. For those celebrating with up to 200 loved ones, the ballroom or Glimmerglass Room are ideal. Complete with ornate decor, such as warm chandeliers, eye-catching wallpaper, and ample windows, the interiors offer a romantic atmosphere for any occasion. After the last dance, laugh, and smile of the day, you and your loved ones can rest in any of the hotel’s rooms or suites.
To help you host a one-of-a-kind event, the team at The Otesaga Resort Hotel is happy to offer an array of services. On the special day, the attentive staff will be there to set up your selected event spaces for your convenience. Event items such as tables, chairs, linens, and sound systems will be provided. For a seamless planning experience, the hotel’s staff has curated a variety of packages, including catering, micro-wedding, and winter wedding options. For a stand-out reception meal, the in-house culinary team is happy to provide catering and beverage services. Delectable dishes can be served in the style of a buffet, stations, or plated meals, depending on your preferences. Menus include classic, mouth-watering options such as filet mignon, pan-seared halibut, and surf and turf. Upon request, the catering staff can provide alternative meal options for those with dietary restrictions.
What You'll Love About The Otesaga Resort Hotel
Couples love how beautiful this venue and its views are. They also appreciated the staff, noting how friendly and attentive they were. Have a look through their photo gallery to envision your special day here.
Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
Contact for price
Ceremony:
$500
Bar services:
$24 per person
Catering:
Contact for price
Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices. Peak season for this venue is Jun-Oct.
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Ballroom
Beach
Waterfront
Hotel
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Food & Catering
Planning
Service Staff
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Reviews
4.9
out of 5.039 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.
The Otesaga is consistently praised for its stunning views, attentive staff, and seamless service, making it a highly recommended wedding venue. Reviewers highlight the helpful and organized coordinators, such as Megan, Amanda, Brooke, and Felicia, who ensured a stress-free planning process and smooth execution on the wedding day. Guests appreciate the beautiful and historical feel of the venue, the delicious food offerings, and the convenience of hosting multiple wedding events on-site, culminating in a memorable and magical wedding experience.Review photos
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Brooke B
Highlighted review.
5.0
9/09/2024
We couldn't have had a better experience with our wedding at The Otesaga. Brooke, our contact person (and absolute gem of a human) was helpful and present throughout all our planning. She made sure we had all of our questions answered and genuinely was excited for our marriage! She always checked in and was there the day of to ensure things went smoothly. The Otesaga is beautiful, classy, and timeless, but the people there made the event spectacular.
Samantha S
5.0
9/14/2023
Book this venue! Spectacular view and just the best day! The staff including Brooke, Felicia, and Katherine were amazing to work with making the day seamless. Do it, I had the best wedding ever!
Any questions?
Ashleen D
5.0
6/06/2023
Having our wedding at the Otesaga was an absolute dream! My husband and I got married on May 20, 2023 and it was everything we were hoping for and more. The staff was incredible, the venue is amazing, the food was high end...everything was 10/10.
Leading up to our wedding, we worked with Megan Chase to plan all details, solidify our menu, go over any questions, etc. Megan was a pleasure speaking with/working with, and always made us feel like we were in good hands! She was always more than happy to answer our questions/concerns in a timely and professional manner.
On the weekend of our wedding, we worked with Megan as well as Felicia, who was our day-of coordinator. Felicia was so great! I loved working with her on the wedding day - she was so nice and organized, and always made me feel like she was there for us. When we arrived to the Otesaga at the beginning of the weekend, both Felicia and Megan met us and went over all food selections, beverages, timelines, all details for ceremony, reception, etc. It was comforting knowing that they were so organized and were asking questions to make sure everything went according to plan with no surprises.
We had our rehearsal dinner and welcome party at the Otesaga on Friday, our ceremony/reception/after party on site on Saturday, as well as a breakfast the following morning on site. For every single event, the staff was incredible. SO attentive, anticipatory, and genuinely nice. I had several guests who were gluten free, vegan, etc and the staff was on it - they knew exactly who had dietary restrictions and brought out beautiful alternatives for items they couldn't eat and made sure they felt accommodated throughout the whole weekend.
During the cocktail hour and reception, the banquet staff were all top notch as well. We were all really impressed. While my husband and I were taking photos after our ceremony, Amanda, who is on the banquet staff, came over and asked what we wanted to drink and eat and brought out a whole tray of food and drinks from cocktail hour for us. She was amazing, and it was her birthday on top of it! Our banquet captain was so nice and organized as well - after the reception he even brought up all of the items/decor we wanted to save to our suite on a bell cart immediately so we would have it safe for the evening.
We were so happy with every aspect of our wedding at the Otesaga - the people, the atmosphere, the service, the venue. We would highly recommend having your wedding here if you are considering it as an option! Thank you so much to the Otesaga team for making our wedding such a dream!
Lauren S
5.0
12/26/2022
Choosing the Otesaga as our venue was one of the easiest decisions that we had to make when planning our wedding. We could not have chosen a more beautiful place to celebrate with our family and friends! Our planner, Amanda, as well as our day of coordinators, were also amazing to work with. They were very thorough throughout the entire wedding planning process and were instrumental in making sure everything went smoothly on our big day. In they end, they really did make our dream wedding come true!
Mandy R
5.0
12/23/2022
There is no place like the Otesaga. Our wedding day was magical – the views of the lake from the lawn, veranda and ballroom are stunning, and the hotel spaces are elegant and unique. Every single member of the staff was so helpful and genuine, they went above and beyond to make the whole experience special.
(The Otesaga is a perfect wedding venue for so many reasons, including a few I didn’t expect going into planning our wedding: 1 – it has a seamless indoor Rain Plan that we came VERY close to using, and 2 – nice, accessible bathrooms with plenty of stalls)
Our wedding was on 10/14/22 with around 150 guests. We held our Ceremony on the Lawn overlooking the lake, Cocktail hour on the veranda, Reception in the Grand Ballroom, After party at the Hawkeye Grill. We also held our Welcome Gathering in the Kingfisher Tower Room on 10/13.
We stayed at the Otesaga with our family and wedding party, it was amazing to be able to have the whole weekend of events in one place. Guests in our room block had the hotel breakfast buffet included in their room rate. We arranged a shuttle from the Holiday Inn Express in Cooperstown to the wedding to accommodate more guests.
Megan Chase is the Otesaga’s event manager who gave us the royal treatment from our initial tour of the venue through the wedding day. She was always so responsive along the way, and made sure all of our details were attended to. Kayla also helped coordinate the Day Of, both ladies are fantastic to work with.
The food at the Otesaga exceeded expectations. We had a Yakitori station at the Welcome Gathering, and Megan helped us curate a menu that worked for that special event, based on the banquet catering menu.
On our wedding day we had passed hors d'oeuvres and a Mediterranean station for the cocktail hour, plus 2 signature cocktails: Dirty Martinis and French 75s. We had Filet Mignon, Chicken Scallopini and Mushroom Ravioli for the entrees. Everything was cooked perfectly and the guests all gave rave reviews. Our wedding cake was made by the Otesaga’s pastry chef, who also agreed to make Beignets to serve for dessert along with chocolate-covered strawberries.
Notes:
- The Otesaga hotel rooms book very far in advance, as do many other area hotels
- We had a 50-person shuttle, it was too large to drop guests at the lobby of the Otesaga. I’d advise to ask questions around these logistics when booking so you can ensure a seamless experience for your guests and on your wedding day.
Katie R
5.0
10/11/2022
This venue is absolutely stunning and provides the most amazing service! This venue really does it all from providing a place to stay on site for our out of town guest to even hosting the rehearsal dinner, welcome party, ceremony, reception, and even an after party! You really do not have to leave the venue at all which is amazing! We got married at the Otesaga on 9/3/22 after two years of planning due to the pandemic and had the pleasure of working with several coordinators – Amanda, Brooke and Felicia. Each of the coordinators were so easy to work with, responded quickly to emails, and really took care of everything on the day of the wedding for us. Even from the moment we arrived at the venue for our wedding weekend, the staff here really catered to us and made our wedding weekend feel so special. We were lucky enough to be able to check in early and the bell hops outside were able to help us unpack our car quickly and even brought all our wedding stuff to a closet to be stored for the day of the wedding. They really made the weekend as stress free as possible! As the bride, I can honestly say that I got to sit back and relax on the day of the wedding. The coordinators took care of everything for me and were constantly checking in to see if I needed anything at all. It was truly amazing and everything ran so smoothly without any hiccups.
We had the rehearsal dinner at the Otesaga outside on the veranda of the leatherstocking golf pro shop. The food and service was great! The coordinators even worked with the chef to come up with a buffet menu that our guests and us really enjoyed. We also had the welcome party located outside the Hawkeye Bar, where half the fire bar was reserved for our guests. It ended up being a colder night than expected and dipped into the low 40s, but the coordinators were nice enough to bring out blankets for our guests to keep warm without us even asking! Even the after party in the Hawkeye Bar after the wedding reception was amazing. The venue hired a DJ for the night who was amazing and our guests loved and the party continued until the bar shut down.
We also asked our guests for feedback about the wedding weekend and they could not say enough good things about the staff and service provided here, it is really top notch! Our guests said that the staff came up to the tables frequently during the reception and dinner and asked guests if they could get them any drinks from the open bar as well.
Lastly our vendors for our wedding included DJ Vinney Vin (Non Stop Music); florist: Jackie Hull (A Rose is a Rose); Hair/Makeup: Timeless Salon; Photobooth: T&T Photobooth; officiant: Bishop Christopher Richard; photographer: Erin Camp Photography; Videography: Nostalgic Innovations; and Transportation: Leatherstocking Trolley. All these vendors did an amazing job and we also cannot thank them enough for making our dream wedding come true!
Gabrielle C
3.0
9/30/2022
Four months after our wedding, my husband and I remain disappointed by the Otesaga. The wedding planning process was plagued with errors – we were sent incorrect contracts, our emails would go unanswered for weeks, and we weren’t ever told that our event coordinator had quit (we eventually discovered it from an email auto-reply). We could forgive the planning mistakes if the Otesaga had nailed the actual wedding weekend, but the wedding weekend was also full of mistakes.
First, the Otesaga set up our reception incorrectly. They didn’t use the chairs we paid extra for, but the hotel’s own brown conference chairs. My husband and I noticed this mistake 45 minutes before our reception started and told the events team. They said they couldn’t switch the chairs without permission from our event coordinator, who was nowhere to be found. 45 minutes later, our guests were ushered into the ballroom before our coordinator was found and before the chairs were changed. I still get annoyed every time I see a picture of those chairs!
Second, we reserved the Otesaga’s porch for our wedding breakfast. When we woke up and looked out the window, we saw that no tables were set up. Again we tried to contact our event coordinator, to no avail. And when we went down to the ballroom and asked the events team to relocate our tables, we were told it was impossible as there was not enough staff on hand. Our wedding breakfast ended up taking place alongside the buffet breakfast for hotel guests.
Third, many of our guests reported problems with the Otesaga’s reservations team such as getting yelled at by staff and getting quoted wrong room rates. For example, the sister of the groom was told (with an attitude that has no place in the hospitality industry) that she had to pay for two rooms (the Otesaga cited a double booking) until she pointed out she had only ever received one confirmation email and the Otesaga admitted their mistake.
On the morning after the wedding we were asked to spend an hour detailing these errors to our event coordinator, who had finally appeared. To their credit, they were apologetic and promised us a $1,500 refund as an apology for their mistakes. We never received that money.
The Otesaga is beautiful, the rooms are lovely, and food was delicious. But long story short, the event coordinators (Gordon, Erica, Latoya, Felicia) were not on site for our wedding and details outlined explicitly in our contract were not delivered. The events team did not provide the service we’d expect for the amount of money we paid. While the Otesaga remains a beautiful place to get married, based on our experience, we can’t recommend that future couples rely solely on the events team. Get an outside planner that can keep them in check!
Courtney A
5.0
10/24/2021
Our 10/8/21 wedding was beautiful and magical thanks to The Otesaga Hotel! We could not have selected a better location for our event and Amanda Sittler was the most organized and professional coordinator to bring it all together. We chose to have an intimate rehearsal dinner followed by a "Welcome Reception" open to all guests the night before as well. Having all of our wedding events on site at The Otesaga made it easy for guests to stay and enjoy their time! It also allowed my husband and I to really get to talk to everyone who had traveled in for our wedding. Everyone had an awesome time and complimented us on the uniqueness and historical feel of the hotel and quality of service. We would recommend to anyone!
Alexis K
5.0
9/28/2021
We got married at Otesaga on 9/5/21. And it was nothing short of amazing. The grounds are breathtaking. Feels like it's stuck in time. The events manager, Gordon Clarkson, is the absolute best. I knew I didn't have to worry because Gordon and the team at Otesaga knew exactly what to do. The decorations were set up perfectly. The memory table was beautiful. It rained but we pushed forward with Gordon's encouragement and I'm so glad we did. The ring bearer didn't have the rings and Gordon quickly pivoted and got the rings to the altar without anyone noticing the mix up. We would get married at Otesaga every year if we could. It was the best wedding and weekend we could have imagined. Look no further, Otesaga really is the perfect venue.
Emily M
5.0
8/04/2021
The Otesaga is and always will be one of the most special places for my husband and me. My husband proposed to me at the Otesaga in 2018 and within a few months, we booked our wedding for July of 2020. During our planning, the Otesaga and our event coordinator, Megan, did everything they could to ensure we had the best day ever. They were always kind, responsive, and fun to work with. Then COVID-19 hit... I was devastated. But with the help of Megan and the Otesaga Resort, we were able to stay in constant communication about the protocol and reserve a new date for July of 2021. We finally had our amazing day last month and honestly, the resort, the staff, and Megan exceeded our expectations. They were always there when we needed them. I really feel I was able to create amazing connections with Megan and the staff. It should also be noted that every single staff member at the Otesaga was nothing but incredibly kind and accomodating. I felt so lucky to be able to have a wedding here. The wedding day was the best and most fun day of my life and that wouldn't have happened without this amazing hotel and its staff. I couldn't give a higher recommendation for a wedding venue. Everyone at the wedding had nothing but amazing things to say about the view, the beauty of the resort, the staff and the amazing time we had dancing and eating the delicious food. So if you are on here looking for a venue to have your wedding, you have found it. I promise you will not be disappointed
Kiersten P
5.0
6/28/2021
I could not have imagined a more perfect day. The Otesaga took care of everything! The event coordinator was super responsive and helped the whole day run flawlessly. I would pick this venue 100x over again.
Daria C
5.0
12/05/2020
I used to visit the hotel as a child and never imagined I would get married there. This past summer, I visited Cooperstown on my bachelorette party. At the time, we were in the midst of rescheduling our October wedding due to COVID. I still wanted to get married on our original date, but with a smaller ceremony and private dinner with immediate family and friends, so I reached out to The Otesaga to inquire about availability and pricing. I heard back from Megan, who was fantastic! She and Ksenia were so responsive and professional throughout the process and answered my hundreds of questions. We visited a month before the wedding to see the room we would be using for our private dinner and to work out final details with Megan. She was so accommodating! When we arrived for our wedding weekend, I was amazed by the service presented to us. We were offered full-day use of a room near our private dinner room which came in really handy for getting ready before the ceremony and to freshen up before dinner. The price was reasonable too and for the weekend, we kind of felt like royalty! It was such a nice place to gather with our close family and friends and of course, we were able to take advantage of the stunning lake views for wedding photos. 100% recommend! I wish I could get married there again! :)
Alexandra B
5.0
9/22/2020
Having our wedding at the Otesaga was the best decision we could have ever made. It is HANDS DOWN the most magical place for a wedding in the upstate NY area, and the only thing more beautiful than the venue is the unbelievable team that works there.
Working with Megan Chase, the Event Manager at the Otesaga, was such an amazing experience. She was the definition of “calm, cool, and collected” no matter what, and made even the most stressful moments of wedding planning feel like a piece of cake. From beginning to end she was helpful, caring, communicative, hard-working, and an absolute pleasure to coordinate with.
The food, the staff, and the venue itself are all exceptional and exceeded every expectation — they truly allowed us to have the wedding of our dreams. I could not recommend the Otesaga more!
Melissa S
5.0
7/19/2020
We had planned to have our July 4th wedding at the Otesaga until COVID, however the process up until the pandemic, and even afterwards was made very easy during this difficult time. We worked with Amanda to create our dream brunch wedding. She was incredibly responsive and accommodating throughout the process. When large events were limited throughout NY, and we decided to postpone our wedding, the Otesaga offered to return our entire deposit. We decided to cater a small 4th of July party instead of holding our wedding, and Amanda helped us put our deposit towards the catering and a two night stay at the hotel. This is an establishment that truly puts the patron first and prioritizes hospitality.
Lauren G
5.0
7/31/2019
Our wedding at the Otesaga was utterly flawless. Brooke was an amazing wedding coordinator and she took care of absolutely everything.
Katie H
5.0
7/20/2019
There are no words to express how truly wonderful our wedding was at the Otesaga Resort. My husband and I had our welcome event, ceremony, reception, after party, and morning-after breakfast at the Otesaga, and we could not be happier with how amazing everything was! We had a true fairytale weekend. The staff were incredible, the service was impeccable, and the views were breathtaking. Brooke was wonderful to work with and made our wedding vision come true. The decision to have our wedding at the Otesaga was the best decision we could have made and we could not recommend it more highly to other couples. Look no further for your wedding venue, as the Otesaga is the perfect place to have your dream wedding! My husband and I look forward to celebrating our anniversary at the Otesaga in years to come!
Jane O
5.0
2/21/2019
Recently we had our daughter's beautiful winter wedding at the hotel. It was a fantastic weekend from the rehearsal dinner to brunch on Sunday. The wedding and the reception can best be described by the bride and groom as the magical perfect wedding!! They said it was exactly the type of winter wedding they wanted and it was spectacular in every way!! Gordon Clarkson was a joy to work with! He made the planning very easy and the end result was wonderful!! The staff was cordial and friendly as well as efficient! All of our guests commented that it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to! From the delicious food to the winter wonderland setting, it was fabulous! Many thanks to everyone, especially Gordon!
Vendor response 02/21/2019
Thank you, Jane. It was absolutely our pleasure!
Eleanora A
5.0
2/01/2019
We cannot say enough nice things about our experience with The Otesaga. We, and all of our guests were treated like royalty during our wedding weekend and it was wonderful. They made the experience seamless and truly the best day ever. We worked with Brooke, and she came onto our account two months before our wedding due to some personnel changes and she was a rockstar! She handled all questions and issues and especially during the wedding day she directed our families and wedding party to come to her with any questions which was such a relief for us! We love The Otesaga and can't wait to go back to celebrate our anniversaries!
Erin D
5.0
1/19/2019
There are no words that could truly describe how happy my husband and I are for choosing to hold our wedding at The Otesaga. 10/10, 5 stars.. the whole nine yards.
We were married on 12/1/18, and had dreamed of having our wedding there since my husband grew up just a few minutes outside of town, and we had visited for other occasions many times before.
From my first phone call with Megan, to our tour of the venue, to the tasting, and finally the wedding day (and all the emails and phone calls in between), the Otesaga staff (especially Megan!) was professional, quick to respond and so helpful. I did not have a wedding planner so Megan helped with a lot of the decision making and was the day-of coordinator... she made my life so easy. For example, we had a minor issue with transportation for the rehearsal dinner and Megan snapped into action and came up with a solution for us, which was much appreciated.
Our wedding took place when the hotel was closed, which I was a little unsure about, but it was PERFECT. Highly recommend. We had full run of the place and it felt like our own home away from home for the weekend! We were able to use both ballrooms (ceremony in one, reception in the other) as well as the main lobby for our cocktail hour. Our wedding of ~170 guests fit perfectly in the space, with room to spread out. We also used the Hawkeye Bar and Grill as our after-party space.
The food at the Otesaga is to die for... seriously, wedding food isn't always great and this was GREAT. All of our guests were raving about it. The service was impeccable (the bellmen, front desk employees, waiters, bartenders.. Hawkeye staff.. everyone was wonderful!). And the venue itself is truly beautiful.. we had a picture perfect December day with just the right amount of snow on the ground.. as one of my guests said.. it felt like a Hallmark movie! Not to mention the hotel rooms themselves are beautiful and large... we had over 70 rooms in our block and all of our guests were extremely pleased with the accommodations (shout out to Jennifer in reservations - thank you for being so helpful!).
If I could relive our wedding day over and over again I would, as long as that meant I could keep coming back to The Otesaga.
I highly recommend this venue for your next special event.
Theresa E
5.0
12/06/2018
We had both the wedding ceremony and the reception at the Otesaga in Cooperstown, and the entire experience was really wonderful from start to finish! All of the staff were so helpful, professional, calm and kind through the entire planning process as well as during the event itself. Every step along the way, from the flurry of nervous emails coming from me in the weeks leading up to the wedding weekend, to the beautiful onsite dressing rooms for the bridal party to get ready in, to the cuing us along during the ceremony, to the fantastic food and fun reception, there was always some one there to make sure everything was going exactly as we wanted. Add all of that amazing service to the incredible scenery of the gorgeous lake and the breathtaking venue itself, and we could not have asked for a more perfect wedding! We are forever grateful to the lovely Otesaga and could not more highly recommend it to all engaged couples that are making their wedding plans. We are looking forward to returning to The Otesaga to celebrate our wedding anniversary and will cherish our memories there for years to come!
Claire L
5.0
11/19/2018
Getting married at the Otesaga was easily the best decision we made about our wedding. The hotel itself is absolutely stunning. The lake was the perfect serene backdrop for our ceremony. Beyond the setting however, we can not say enough good things about the experience and service at the Otesaga from the planning process through the entire wedding weekend. Brooke was our point person, and she was wonderful to work with. We had a fun and delicious tasting with her during our planning. She seamlessly managed all the details the day of, putting my husband and me completely at ease that everything was taken care of. The food was outstanding. The staff took excellent care of our guests, who all raved about the venue. The Otesaga truly does everything flawlessly. We can’t wait to return to such an amazing place for future anniversaries.
Cindy K
5.0
10/31/2018
Our wedding day was better than we could have ever imagined. The venue itself is stunning and the food is amazing. We were lucky enough to have a sunny fall day, so our ceremony was outside on the east lawn. Our cocktail hour was held on the east veranda, and our reception was in the main ballroom. There were other weddings at the hotel that day, but you couldn't even tell. It still felt very intimate. The flow of the entire day was perfect, all thanks to our coordinator Brooke. She was SO amazing to work with throughout the entire year. She had such great ideas, helped us through all stages of planning, and even ironed out details with our vendors as our wedding got closer. Our officiant was a first timer, so Brooke even helped us plan our ceremony details. She went above and beyond in so many ways and was there to help until the end of the reception. We cannot thank her enough. Our vendors were also incredible and we would recommend all of them. We went with A Rose is a Rose Florist -- Jackie is the BEST and the absolute sweetest. Her flowers lasted 3 weeks! Our DJ was Vinny from Non Stop Music. We are STILL getting compliments about the music, so definitely check him out. He also works with Outside the Booth Photobooth, which our guests loved. Our photographer was Katie from Clark + Walker Studio. She's super familiar with The Otesaga and had awesome ideas for places to shoot. Some of our guests stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, so we used Oneonta Bus Lines as our shuttle service. We highly recommend them as well. Long winded review, but we honestly had such a perfect wedding day and we owe it all to Brooke, The Otesaga, and our vendors.
Bonnie P
5.0
6/02/2018
Words could never fully describe how happy we are to have chosen The Otesaga for our wedding! Everything was flawless and amazing. Gordon Clarkson was our wedding coordinator and he was wonderful and incredibly helpful! I didn't have a worry in the world on our big day and wasn't even stressed leading up to it because I knew that we were in such good hands. The food, the service, everything was just the best. April was the server assigned to take care of us during the reception and she really made our evening. By the time we knew we needed a drink/food/anything, she already had it ready for us! We continue to get compliments about how perfect the venue was. We did an afterglow downstairs in The Templeton Lounge and I can't express how awesome it was to have the option to continue the party downstairs with the amazing DJ provided by the hotel. I would encourage anyone to strongly consider The Otesaga for their big day.
Ciera L
5.0
12/06/2017
There is no better place than the Otesaga. It is truly one of a kind place for a ceremony and reception. The thing I loved most about the Otesga is that I was not concerned with the weather because if it rained there was still a gorgeous room inside where we would of had the reception and that was just as nice. Gordon was AMAZING! He took care of literally everything and the food.....THE FOOD! Best food I have ever had. Gordon was very accommodating to whatever my plans were and even though I e-mailed him 1,000 times he never made me feel like I was nagging him. The service was perfection and I keep getting compliments about how great and beautiful the venue is. A breathtaking venue for a wedding!
Thank you Gordon and the Otesaga staff!
Mary S
5.0
11/28/2017
We loved our off-season wedding at the Otesaga! It is such a beautiful venue and was so reasonably priced! The staff was attentive and responsive and gave us the wedding of our dreams! Our guests can’t stop talking about what an unbelievable weekend they had celebrating with us!
Erica C
3.0
10/24/2017
The Otesaga is a beautiful venue with excellent food, top notch wait staff, and luxury accommodations. However, I was sorely disappointed in my experience planning a wedding here. Generally speaking, I had to reach out to the event planner to get each step done and the communication was lacking, not just with me but between the different departments within the hotel. I was told one thing in regards to hotel room availability from events, then another from sales, then another from reservations. Then, I found out that all the rooms were completely booked up in the hotel from one of my guests shortly after sending my invites. I received no warning from the Otesaga that space was limited that night. This all seemed very shocking to me considering the high quality of this venue, but it all finally made sense on my wedding day when I realized that I was one of THREE weddings happening that day. In fact, I had the opportunity to witness one during my cocktail hour as we had our music turned down and my guests hushed as the ceremony happened just below us on the lawn. Future brides, you may certainly have a beautiful wedding here with excellent food and views, but be warned that you will have to chase down the event planner and will not be made to feel special at all during this process. Personally, I would go to another venue where it may be less extravagant but they have a more bride-focused experience. Considering the price I paid, I’m fairly disappointed.
Beth E
5.0
10/20/2017
Our wedding at The Otesaga was literally perfect, and I don’t abuse the word literally. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. Between the ceremony on the flawlessly manicured lawn overlooking the water, the appetizers on the veranda at sunset, and the absolutely stunning ballroom, our guests had a wonderful time. Megan was amazing. She helped us with a tasting to narrow down the menu. She was always there to help with our unending stream of questions. And her staff executed everything exactly as I had envisioned it…better actually.
Marissa B
5.0
10/04/2015
Top notch! Had our ceremony and reception at the Otesaga the Sunday of LDW. We were the last of the weddings that wknd (at least 2xday from Fri-Sun and I believe 4 on site in some capacity on our day). That didn't matter one bit-our wedding was just as amazing as if it was the only one. We worked with Brooke-She is the definition of professional. We threw so many random requests at her to make our big day unique and I was blown away when I got the wedding BEO form & all these requests were included. She didn't miss a thing! As a luxury resort, you may guess weddings would be pretentious But completely opposite-warm & accommodating. The day of our wedding we were treated like royalty with a room for the girls to get ready complete with steamer, mirrors, tables & water. Our ceremony was on the lawn overlooking the lake & the hotel even setup the chairs in a circular fashion with no objections bc I wanted a more intimate seating arrangement! Picturesque Cocktail hour on the veranda: Guests raved about the crudités & passed apps. The groom & I even had our own personal platter along with cocktails when we were taking photos so we didn't miss cocktail hour completely! During the reception we had our own personal server. Amazing food: Guests even received new plates when staff noticed the filet was not cooked to perfection! We live in Pittsburgh w/ the tradition of the cookie table. The hotel gave us a stunning cookie room with all of our desserts on display resembling a dessert boutique! For decor, I had all different centerpieces and the staff made the ballroom the most beautiful venue I've seen with only direction from me: "put things where they look nice." I could go on, but all you need to know is that this venue is so high class w/o being obnoxious or fussy. Our guests thanked us for having our wedding in one of NYs most beautiful locations. We can't stop taking about our perfect wedding and thank Brooke & the entire staff at the Otesaga for making that happen!
Carly S
5.0
7/17/2015
Flawless and a dream come true is how I would describe our wedding we recently had at the Otesaga. We have been getting compliments and raves about our wedding left and right (we've even had guests thanking US for having our wedding here, haha!) and I think honestly we are still in shock as to how perfect and FUN everything was! Gordon Clarkson is a true professional and an absolute joy to work with. He made everything that we wanted happen to turn our wedding into the perfect, personalized, and elegant weekend. From delivering welcome bags from the Fly Creek Cider Mill to the rooms we had blocked out for guests, renting boats and reserving golf tee times the Friday before, to the actual wedding day that included a kid's party for those 13 and under during the reception, lawn games and s'mores at the fire pit late at night, to the giant brunch on the veranda Sunday morning, everything was stunning and perfect! It's how every girl dreams of her wedding to be. The staff is amazing and so attentive throughout the entire hotel, and my husband and I even had our own personal waitress at the reception who got our food out for us first and kept the drinks coming! The food cannot be beat here (the tasting over the winter was definitely our favorite part of planning!!) and the selection is also to die fore. Overall, A+ staff and service; I would recommend having your wedding here to anyone, you will not be disappointed one bit!
Brandi S
5.0
11/13/2013
Wedding venue is top notch. Stunning grounds, beautiful historic resort and staff was so helpful
Kristyn Y
5.0
10/30/2013
Amazing location with excellent views. Every aspect of service was above and beyond from the wedding coordinator to the bartenders to the servers!
Cricket G
5.0
10/29/2013
The Otesaga did a wonderful job with every little and big detail on our wedding day.
a member
4.0
7/08/2013
Although our wedding is a year away, my recent interactions with the wedding coordinator at the Otesaga have been wonderful. We are going there in a few weeks for our "tasting" which I've heard is a fabulous meal! The Otesaga is undoubtedly a beautiful venue and many successful weddings have taken place there. I chose this venue for it's beauty and the rave reviews from other brides and guests at other weddings. They have the expertise and experience that we are looking for since we are planning our wedding from Nashville TN.
The reason I only give it 4 stars is the fact that the sales team for reserving rooms doesn't have it together and they will tell you different things on the phone. I talked to a different person than my mother and they said COMPLETELY different things about the room blocking process. The one woman was very rude to one of my bridesmaids that was inquiring about booking as well. Since our wedding is taking place during peak little league time in the summer we have had trouble with hotel rooms in the area (beware Cooperstown brides in the summer) and trying to find places to block rooms. The Otesaga will make you pay a lot of money for the rooms to be blocked and they are very expensive. If no one books them then you are stuck picking up that tab. No thanks (unless you are super rich but we're not)! We get a complimentary stay there on our wedding night but our families will not be able to book there for that reason.
Claire M
5.0
2/19/2013
It was a fairytale weekend!!! I would get married here again and again. Everything was amazing, the staff, the service, the venue, the food, and of course our event planner Melissa. I would recommend this place to anyone!!! I can't wait to go back to celebrate our anniversary.
Kate S
5.0
6/26/2012
After visiting what seemed like every wedding venue in the Boston/Providence area, we decided to have a destination wedding in Cooperstown near my grandparents' summer house. (Our guests also loved that they could make our wedding weekend a vacation for themselves and loved the excuse to explore Cooperstown. One word of caution, though, if you're thinking of doing the same thing, area guest accommodations in the summer can be pricey!) From the beginning, Melissa was a complete professional and so easy to work with. She was attentive to detail and responsive throughout all the planning. Twenty minutes before our ceremony, Melissa alerted us that there was a small chance of showers and that she had a backup ceremony location already being set up just in case we didn't want to risk getting wet. The only snag to the day came in our reception starting an hour late for some reason, although I'm not sure whose job it was to flag us down to come in from pictures... I wasn't wearing a watch so I had no idea! Receptions end at 10 pm in the hotel, so losing an hour was a major blow for us. Anyway, the food and service were AMAZING and our requests to the chef to accommodate dietary needs and personal tastes were carried out perfectly. I can't recommend this place enough as a wedding venue- quality that stands up to any big city venue, but charm and service that can only come from a warm and friendly town like Cooperstown.
Brittaney B
5.0
1/03/2012
I had my wedding at the Otesaga, a beautiful hotel on a lake which is closed as a hotel during the winter but open for events. We were able to use all of the downstairs rooms for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception and it was surprisingly affordable. Also, the food was AMAZING! Only hiccup was some changes made via email and by face that were not carried out, so get everything you want in writing first!
Kristin D
5.0
11/04/2011
The Otesaga did everything in their power, from day 1 all the way through and even past the wedding date, to make sure that everything went as we wanted for our wedding day. Our planner (Brooke Tallman) went above and beyond to find answers for us and keep us generally happy.
The location was perfect, the staff friendly, it was a perfect wedding!
Megan O
5.0
11/02/2011
I can't say enough about the service we received at the Otesaga. I planned my wedding from 4 states away and it only took 3 visits and less than a dozen emails. These folks know what they are doing. I never felt pressured or stressed about anything. Our coordinator was straight forward with us and went above and beyond with making sure we got exactly what we wanted. The staff in the days leading up to and on the day of the day were amazingly friendly and accommodating. I didn't hear one guest complain about anything. We didn't have to handle our decorations, our gifts, our extras, everything was set up and taken down by the staff. They were especially attentive to the bridal party and even rescued my husband and I with an umbrella when we got caught under an awning trying to get our pictures. I would recommend this venue to anyone.
Barry D
5.0
2/19/2009
The Otesaga made everything so easy for us. It's a beautiful place with great food and they have your priorities in mind for your day. It is in Cooperstown NY which is a fun place for everyone to come to with a small-town feel.
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The Otesaga Resort Hotel
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