Wedding DJ at Lourde's Camp Skaneateles, NY
Huge open grounds on the water, dinner under a tent across the road, and a booth that sets up on the patio over the lake. I have worked it, including a karaoke night for the rehearsal crowd the evening before.
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 Lourde's Camp before means that hour is already spent, and it was spent on a day that was not yours.
I arrive two and a half to three hours early regardless. At a venue I already know, that margin goes toward testing and detail rather than orientation.
The booth sits out on the water
There is an indoor space, but the booth goes out on the patio over the water. Water behind you and water underneath you, and it is one of my favourite setups anywhere. It also means condensation settles on equipment as the night cools, which is a reason to care about whose gear it is.
Dinner is across the road
Dinner happens under a tent on the far side of a roadway that runs through the property, separate from the reception space. That is two sound setups and a guest movement across the road, both of which belong in the timeline rather than the day.
Plan your buffet for both sides
At the wedding I worked here the couple had friends serving from one side of a buffet, and it took a very long time to get everyone fed. Dinner running long pushes everything behind it. If you are doing a buffet for a large guest count, make sure people can move down both sides of the table.
Karaoke the night before
We ran a Friday night karaoke event here for the rehearsal crowd, and it was one of my favourite things I have done. By the time the reception came around I knew who the guests were, which makes reading the room a very different exercise.
What couples ask about Lourde’s Camp
Answers from having actually worked the property, not from the venue’s brochure.
Can we do something the night before?
Yes, and this is a good property for it. We ran a Friday night premium karaoke event here for the rehearsal crowd, and it turned out to be one of my favourite nights of work. The practical benefit is that by the reception I already knew the guests, which makes reading the room a completely different exercise.
Where does dinner happen?
Under a tent on the other side of the roadway that runs through the property, away from the reception space. It means two separate sound setups and moving your guests across the road between courses and dancing, so it wants planning rather than improvising.
Do you have any advice for a buffet here?
One specific thing, learned the hard way. At the wedding I worked, friends of the couple served from one side of the buffet and it took a very long time to get everyone through. Every minute dinner runs long pushes the rest of the night back. If you have a large guest count, set the buffet so people can come down both sides.
Can our guests stay on the property?
Yes, there are accommodations on site. It is a campground that runs summer camps, so it is camp-style rather than hotel-style. Worth telling guests to bring bedding rather than letting them find out on arrival, and worth knowing there are hotels in Auburn if some of your party would rather have a room.
What is the setup like for you as the DJ?
Genuinely excellent, and a little demanding. The booth goes on the patio over the water rather than inside, which looks superb and means condensation settles on the equipment as the temperature drops. It is the sort of thing you plan for rather than discover, and it is one of the reasons professional gear and backup matter.
Do you charge extra to travel to Skaneateles?
No. Standard travel extends up to 180 miles from the Finger Lakes with no travel fee. Destination events beyond that are accepted, with travel arranged per event.
Other venues I have worked
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