Hotel Group Rate

Twin Ponds Golf and Country Club

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Delta Hotels by Marriott Utica

All Things Utica Brunch

Fall

Our Wedding

We met on his favorite holiday, fell in love, it wasn’t our time, until it was, which happened to be on her favorite holiday and here we are now, finally making it government official! Partners for life…

He’s her lobster! 🦞

Our Story

Photos

Beth Eksterowicz

Kristina Moon

Denyel Miller

Joel Crawford

William Cates

The best decision my brother has ever made! 

Christina Thompson

Michael Obernesser

Oakley Obernesser

Wedding Party

Ask us anything about the area or the best places to eat! We will do our best to help with logistics.

Are kids invited? Yes

Is ceremony and reception in same place? Yes, reception to immediately follow ceremony.

What color scheme is wedding? Fall colors, dark mauve/wine, dark teal, burnt orange, …

Is there a shuttle from hotel to ceremony? Yes, Party Bus will travel back n forth before ceremony and after reception.

How far is ceremony from hotel? 10 mins.

What is best airport to fly into? Syracuse, it’s about a 45 min drive east on I90. This is a toll road, please note that when renting a car.

What airports fly direct to Sacramento? Only direct flights through NYC, so LaGuardia or JFK. The train is a great way to get to the City.

Other airports? Buffalo, 3 hr drive east on toll road. Rochester, 2 hr drive east on toll road. Albany, 1 1/2 hr west on toll road.

How far is NYC from Utica? 3 1/2 to 4 hrs southeast on a toll road. Bridges to get into city have tolls too. There are bus & train options as well.

How far is Niagara Falls? 3 1/2 hrs on toll road best to fly into Buffalo, hit this and then drive to Utica.

What airport is closest to Niagara Falls? Buffalo Niagara International

How far is Adirondacks? About an hour. Old Forge is the best bet for cute town shopping and the best fall views. Great local eateries as well.

Are they any other hotels in the area? Yes but I didn’t get a group rate for any of them. Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, Ramada, …

What are best places to eat and things to see? See ‘Things to Do/Places to Eat’ tab

Q + A

This is about a 10 min drive to ceremony/reception site. $169 rate is for double beds or King Size. $259 for suites Book individually with link below or contact Sabrina. We look forward to seeing you! https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1736877205280&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink Sabrina Vedder Sabrina.Vedder@marriott.com

Delta Hotels Utica

This is about a 45 min drive east down I90. (This is a toll road.) Car Rentals - Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, SUV Rental & Avis. Amtrak is also about 10 mins from airport and goes directly to Utica about 5 mins from hotel.

Syracuse Hancock Airport

This is your best bet to see Niagara Falls. Then it’s a half hour north to the Falls. 3 1/2 hrs back to Utica (along a toll road, be mindful of that when renting a car). 

Buffalo Niagara International Airport

Travel

Visit the place where the happy couple met! Mike & Debbie are a staple when going out for a drink. This is ‘our’ spot! 

Griffins Pub

$10 adult, $6 kids, 6 & under are free. This is a great way to see the beauty of fall in NY! Old Forge is a cute town to do a little local shopping. The ski lift is a quick ride to the top. & there are many local eateries in town. This is about an hour ride north on Rt 28 (beautiful drive).

McCauley Mountain Scenic Chair Lift

$25 for a roughly 45 min tour topped off with a cold beverage of your choice! The brewery has been in business since 1800’s and was first to legally sell beer after prohibition. I recommend a Utica Club!

Srarnac Brewery Tour

About a 45 min ride to a beautiful waterfall! Park has several quick trails to take a nice walk. Hike to waterfall is about .2, maybe. I do not believe there is a fee but there might be a small fee to park.

Chittengo Falls State Park

1.8 mile hike there & back. Super easy climb, 20-30 mins to the top. The view is awesome!

Bald Mountain (Rondaxe Fire Tower Trail)

Your best bet might be to fly into Buffalo airport, drive the half hour north to Niagara Falls and then make the 3 1/2 trek to Utica (on a toll road). Maid of the Mist tours are pretty awesome! $28.25 adults, $17.75 kids 6-12, 5 & under are free.

Niagara Falls/Maid Of Mist Tour

For those of you who like to gamble, About a 20 min ride west, Turning Stone Casino has a bunch of fun things to do. Casino, spa, pool, clubs and event center. 

Turning Stone Casino

A nice way to get to NYC. This train splits in Albany. So you could also drive an hour n half east to Albany and then hop on there to head south on the train. (There is also the Mega Bus that has super cheap tickets from Albany. Mega bus does not go to Utica though.) So many things to do in NYC - Statue of Liberty, Central Park, One World Observatory, Times Square, Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial, The Met, Broadway, Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, … The possibilities are endless! Also note that flights are direct from NYC to Sac airport.

Union Station (Amtrak) 

$9 adults, $8 seniors, $6 kids Fairly small zoo but a fun day for the littles!

Utica Zoo

Golf - plenty of options here

Lots of golfing around but this is one of our favorites! 

Pine Hills Golf Course

Utica College is a great team & Utica Comets hockey are an AHL team. Tickets are relatively cheap for both. They also might have indoor soccer going on. This arena was used as a blueprint to Madison Square Garden where my beloved NY Rangers play!

Utica Memorial Auditorium

The heart of art & music in the Utica area founded in 1919.

Munson Williams Art Institute

If you haven’t tried tomato pie, this is a must stop! & if you’ve had tomato pie, there’s a good chance you want to stop here! All made fresh daily. Sausage bread is another local favorite. You won’t find a bad thing in the place!

Roma's Sausage & Deli

One of my favorites for upside down pizza (sauce is on top, cheese is on bottom - YUM!)

Joe's Pizza

This is your spot for thin crust deliciousness! Calzones here are also phenomenal! Top notch desserts!

Venice Pizzeria

This is your spot for a thicker crust za!

Franco's Pizza North Utica

Best chicken wings in town! Everything sauce is my top choice. Garlic Parm are also amazing! Make sure to get them crispy - yum! The Irish Pierogies here also amazing!

Killabrew Saloon

Best Italian in town! A little more on the upscale side but locally owned and incredibly nice staff.

Ventura's Restaurant

If you’re looking for empanadas, this is your spot! The beef and cheese are to die for! Beef stew, pork and chicken, all delicious! Small mom & pop place, love them! 

Joel's Spanish Food

This is your typical bar pub food with an Irish twist. The pot roast grinder or Shepard pie made with the pot roast is soooo good! Potato soup is outstanding! (Family friendly)

Celtic Harp Pub & Restaurant

I normally make fun of people getting chicken at a steakhouse but the Chicken Alfredo here is my favorite! They do a good steak too.

69 Steakhouse

Chicken parm is at the top of my list here, along with steak! Another locally owned, family friendly place. 

Michael T's Restaurant

This place is a local gem! Bakery items are amazing. Deli side has wonderful lunches.

Holland Farms

The best bagels in town! Breakfast sandwiches are my go to!

Bagel Grove

Breakfast and lunch place. Locally owned, super sweet staff and always great food! They do a bunch of different specials so not sure I’ve gotten the same thing twice here - everything has been exceptional!

Top Of The Morning Cafe

Other places to eat include, there are so many mom n pop owned places in the are, nothing more than a 15-20 min drive to any of them -   BREAKFAST:  Castlewood Cafe,  Willy’s Bagels,  Debbie’s Cafe,  Cafe Florentine,  Utica Coffee &  Boulevard Diner.   LUNCH:  Pumpernickels Deli,  Georgios Cafe,  Cafe Canole,  Core Life Eatery,  Tex Mex &  Bennu Cafe.   DINNER: DO NOT PICK DELMONICOS (you will be disappointed).  Symeons Greek,  Swiftys Restaurant,  Cafe Del Buono &  The Franklin.   Lots of different ethnic foods around too but I don’t venture into them much -  Karam Middle East Bakery,  The Cuban,  Indian Taj Mahal &  Mi Casa Dominican.

Utica Children's Museum

Colonial fort built in 1750’s to guard a key trading route. Free admission to all!

Fort Stanwix 

There are tons of historic sites around, lots of history in the area:   Oriskany Battlefield,  National Baseball Hall of Fame,  Herkimer Home,  Stanley Theatre,  St Joseph’s Church,  Bagg’s Square Memorial Park,  Underground Railroad - Trail to Freedom,  Fort Bull,  Verona Beach Lighthouse,  West Point…

Lou Ann & Trampas