Wedding DJ at New Park Ithaca, NY
New Park is tucked into the forest outside Ithaca. The ceremony is down in a ravine along a creek, the reception is in the main building with an open dance floor, and dinner and toasts happen in a tent attached to the side of it. There is lodging on the property and a bonfire area, which changes how the night ends.
What I know about this room
A DJ walking into a room for the first time spends the first hour learning it. Where power is, how the ceremony space carries sound, where the booth can sit without blocking a sightline, how long load-in actually takes when the parking is full.
None of that is difficult. It is just time, and on a wedding day time is the one thing nobody has spare. Having worked New Park before means that hour is already spent, and it was spent on a day that was not yours.
The wedding I worked most recently here was for DJ Tori Vee, who runs Washburn Entertainment. Being the DJ another DJ hires for her own wedding is a particular kind of compliment, and it is also a particular kind of pressure. The room was full to the end.
The ceremony is down on the creek
A gravel aisle runs between the chairs in a ravine, with the arch at the far end and the creek bed behind it. Most days there is water moving through, and a ceremony on running water means competing with it. The site funnels wind as well, so on a bad day you are competing with both. Neither has to reach your guests. It is microphone choice, placement and keeping ambient noise out of the vows, and it is decided before the day rather than during it.
The dance floor is also where the buffet goes
The main building has an open floor, and that same space is where the buffet sets up at dinner. So the floor is not the floor for part of the night. It matters when the timeline is built, because the room has to reset between dinner and dancing and somebody has to be watching for the moment it is ready.
Dinner and toasts are in the tent
Attached to the side of the main building is a tent where dinner is served and the toasts are given. That puts speeches in one space and dancing in another, which means microphone coverage in both and a planned move between them. A venue with one room does not ask this question. This one does.
Guests can stay on the property
There is lodging on site, so a portion of your guest list is not driving anywhere. That changes the end of the night more than people expect: nobody leaves early to beat a drive, and the floor stays full later. There is a bonfire area outside as well.
There is usually more night after the reception
Because people are staying, the night tends to keep going once the reception formally ends. I have hosted karaoke here and run the after party, and it is worth deciding in advance whether you want one rather than discovering at midnight that everybody is still awake.
Questions worth asking about a venue in the woods
A property with the ceremony in one place, dinner in another and dancing in a third asks more of a timeline than a single room does. These are the ones that shape it.
Is the ceremony outdoors?
Yes, down in the ravine along the creek. It is its own sound setup rather than a speaker pointed out of a building, and it needs a weather plan decided early rather than on the morning.
What happens if the creek is running?
It is handled. Moving water is broadband noise sitting right under a speaking voice, and it does not sound loud standing there, which is exactly why it catches people out. Microphone choice and placement deal with it. The same goes for wind, which that ravine funnels.
Where do the toasts happen?
In the tent, where dinner is served, rather than in the room with the dance floor. Both spaces need microphone coverage and the move between them is worth putting in the timeline rather than leaving to the moment.
Is the dance floor used for anything else?
The buffet sets up on it at dinner. The room resets afterwards, and the gap between the last plate and the first dance is the part worth planning.
Can guests stay on site?
Yes, there is lodging on the property and a bonfire area outside. It tends to mean a longer night, and it is the reason an after party is worth deciding on in advance.
Getting married at New Park?
Tell me your date and I will reply with availability and a real number. I read every inquiry myself.
Check Your DateAll Wedding inquiries are coordinated through my booking partner, Washburn Entertainment.