Hello experts!
I am trying to plan a small wedding and dinner in Manhattan for aprrox. 20-30 people. Would like to have small civil ceremony, drinks and dinner at same place. Looking for something a little fancy but not stuck up Open to different areas of city. Any suggestions would be fabulous!
Thx!

I would definitely post this on chowhound.com

You might want to look at the web site - which says it has info on hundreds of venues for group events:

www.paintthetownred.net/bin/find.cgi

It allows you to search for number of people, budget and weddings only.

When and budget are of *primary* importance. Have a look at the Zagat guide and look under the category of "private dining". There are tons and tons of options here in Manhattan.

Thank you all for such great ideas!

Congratulations!

Please come back and post your experience, you could help another poster in your situation

Best wishes

Look at opentable too. The website has a listing of places that have private rooms.

I think the difficulty lies in having a ceremony in the same place as the dinner and drinks.

'inoteca on the Lower East Side has a fantastic wine cellar that fits 30 people. It's a three hour prix fix menu and you can design the wine pairings.

If you're willing to go to Brooklyn, Frankie's on Court Street in Carroll Gardens has an old stable that they've converted into a private party facility. It's a really cool, relaxed, but elegant space. Here are the websites:


http://www.inotecanyc.com/partiesCatering.html

http://www.frankiesspuntino.com/457/events.html

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art has several rooms available for rent to members for private parties. You can become a member for under $300 to quailify. Part of the rental fee (depends of which dining room) is tax deductable.

I agree that space for the ceremony in the same place as the dinner could be a challenge. A hotel might be your best bet. They might provide space for the ceremony and then dinner in the restaurant. It's hard to make recos with no budget or sense of how formal you want. Some hotels that have good "go to" restaurants are

W Times Square (Blue Fin)
Sofitel (Gabay's)
City Club (DB Bistro Moderne)
Chambers (Town)

Bayard's is a restaurant downtown in the Financial district that feels more like a club (which it was) and has several different spaces.

http://www.bayards.com/index.cfm

I went to a lovely private party once at Remi in midtown. In addition to a couple of private rooms they also set up and do things in the adjoining atrium.
Take a look at this:
http://remi.ypguides.net/page/nsck/Private_Parties.html