Otesaga Resort Hotel Wedding in Cooperstown, NY

East Coast Soul was blessed to be asked to join Claire & Scott for their stunning Otesaga Resort Hotel Wedding in Cooperstown, NY.

Preprations for Claire & Scott's Big Day

Our preparations for the wedding began well ahead, with Claire & Scott offering a myriad of musical and logistical options with us for the wedding (we always leave an excess of time for preparation). Claire & Scott were heavily involved in this advanced planning and a huge asset throughout.

Once the wedding arrived, East Coast Soul traveled to Cooperstown, NY and began our standard load-in and sound check for Otesaga Resort Hotel weddings. We're often asked about our process for loading in and sound checking at various venues. This is a part of the day that we take seriously, spending extra time to avoid rushing, and ensuring our gear is properly tuned for the room.

Ceremony

In this case, East Coast Soul was not involved with couple's ceremony, with those arrangements having already been taken care of.

Cocktail Hour

As is common, East Coast Soul was asked to provide cocktail hour music. Cocktail hour is a wonderful chance for the bride and groom to unwind after the intense emotions of the ceremony. We contribute by providing a variety of relaxed music for guests to enjoy listening to. In this case, and featured music by artists such as John Coltrane, Miles Davies, and more.

Reception

In a majority of receptions, the band is asked to handle MC services for the formal portions of the wedding celebrations. This Otesaga Resort Hotel Wedding was no different.

The bride and groom’s First Dance

The bride and groom's first dance is invariably one of the most emotional parts of the wedding. It's a chance for the bride and groom to take a moment for themselves. With this part of the evening finished, the guests and vendors took a break for dinner. After a super brief break, East Coast Soul's Stax ensemble circled back to the stage.

Dance Party

East Coast Soul performances often start with older material. We've found this is a great way to get everyone relaxed and dancing with songs they know and love. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Sam and Dave, and more dominated the beginning of our set list. We then transitioned into playing tunes by artists like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince and more. Finally, we ended the night performing contemporary material that everyone could sing along with.

Guests danced non-stop from beginning to end, and we limited our breaks to ensure people had as much time to dance as possible.

Thanks so much to Claire & Scott for having us at their beautiful December wedding at Otesaga Resort Hotel! And thank you to Korver Photography for sharing these beautiful photos with us!