Wedding venues in the metro NYC area
Jan 6th, 2009, 11:04 AM
#21
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So, heard from my SIL - She didn't like too many of the venues she looked at - turns out it's her fiance who wants the fairy tale and not her! Her most important issue with a venue was that it not be a place that has 3 or 4 other functions going on at the same time. She liked The Rockleigh best, and also liked a place in Tarrytown :
http://www.tarrytownhouseestate.com/...r-weddings.php
She said that the going rate for what they wanted was around$150. per person.
Other posters - please don't start a discussion about "how can anyone spend that in this day and age . . ." I know. I am quoting someone else. This is not my wedding. These are not my values. I am just the messenger.
http://www.tarrytownhouseestate.com/...r-weddings.php
She said that the going rate for what they wanted was around$150. per person.
Other posters - please don't start a discussion about "how can anyone spend that in this day and age . . ." I know. I am quoting someone else. This is not my wedding. These are not my values. I am just the messenger.
Jan 6th, 2009, 01:46 PM
#23
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I know lissette - people don't really understand NYC prices - when it comes to food/gas/real estate/tuition/ or salaries!
meant to add - the $150 per head was for food plus the venue, for approximately 100 to 150 people and did not include flowers, band,invitations, gratuities . . .
meant to add - the $150 per head was for food plus the venue, for approximately 100 to 150 people and did not include flowers, band,invitations, gratuities . . .
Jan 6th, 2009, 05:10 PM
#24
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Take it from a bride who was married in New Jersey a few years ago - it's not much cheaper 
And if many of the guests are coming from NYC, you'll want to keep convenience in mind for your guests. Many places in the metro area are accessible by train - and perhaps a thoughtful convenience would be to have a shuttle available for guests. Just a thought!
Our wedding was on the relatively inexpensive end (for NY/NJ!!) so I thought I'd offer a few of our own ideas, for what they're worth!
We ended up creating our "fairy tale" by renting the Woman's Club in Maplewood (my hometown) and bringing in everything. This isn't always cheaper, but as we had a very specific idea of what we wanted, it was perfect. Weddings are BIG business for these venues, so you have to be careful; in our case, we would have paid for a lot that we didn't want or need.
Our wedding was a Sunday night - and yes, this is cheaper! We were married over Memorial Day Weekend, and with many out of town guests the Sunday was perfect. This can be great if you have lots of locals too - I'd always suggest a Sunday over a Friday though; too stressful for folks to get out of work on time (or have to take a day off)
Also, we had a dessert reception, which was both elegant and inexpensive. The wedding was at 7:00, so the reception didn't start until after 8:00. We offered crudite and several tables of beautiful desserts, plus a crepe station and ice cream sundae bar. We were able to keep our cake small as well, just 2 tiers, since it wasn't the main dessert. We loved our caterer, and I'm happy to share the name if anyone's interested.
Rather than a full bar, we served wine, beer, and a special martini bar - "something old (classic martini), new (apple martini), borrowed (my raspberry cosmo recipe), and blue (Tarheel martini)." This way, we saved a ton by not having to stock all of the various mixers, etc. a full bar requires.
Finally, we hired a small 5-piece jazz combo, rather than a full band. A DJ is the cheapest option, but we really wanted jazz and standards, and there's nothing like live music.
I hope this is helpful!
And if many of the guests are coming from NYC, you'll want to keep convenience in mind for your guests. Many places in the metro area are accessible by train - and perhaps a thoughtful convenience would be to have a shuttle available for guests. Just a thought!Our wedding was on the relatively inexpensive end (for NY/NJ!!) so I thought I'd offer a few of our own ideas, for what they're worth!
We ended up creating our "fairy tale" by renting the Woman's Club in Maplewood (my hometown) and bringing in everything. This isn't always cheaper, but as we had a very specific idea of what we wanted, it was perfect. Weddings are BIG business for these venues, so you have to be careful; in our case, we would have paid for a lot that we didn't want or need.
Our wedding was a Sunday night - and yes, this is cheaper! We were married over Memorial Day Weekend, and with many out of town guests the Sunday was perfect. This can be great if you have lots of locals too - I'd always suggest a Sunday over a Friday though; too stressful for folks to get out of work on time (or have to take a day off)
Also, we had a dessert reception, which was both elegant and inexpensive. The wedding was at 7:00, so the reception didn't start until after 8:00. We offered crudite and several tables of beautiful desserts, plus a crepe station and ice cream sundae bar. We were able to keep our cake small as well, just 2 tiers, since it wasn't the main dessert. We loved our caterer, and I'm happy to share the name if anyone's interested.
Rather than a full bar, we served wine, beer, and a special martini bar - "something old (classic martini), new (apple martini), borrowed (my raspberry cosmo recipe), and blue (Tarheel martini)." This way, we saved a ton by not having to stock all of the various mixers, etc. a full bar requires.
Finally, we hired a small 5-piece jazz combo, rather than a full band. A DJ is the cheapest option, but we really wanted jazz and standards, and there's nothing like live music.
I hope this is helpful!
Jan 7th, 2009, 08:09 AM
#25
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That's right, MP. Those prices usually do not include gratuity or the other things you mentioned.
However, if your friend is planning to go with an off-site caterer, Mclaurie, they should definitely ask what is included in the price per person. So, you pay a site fee and then you pay a caterer, say, 120 pp. Does that include the booze? The rentals (chairs, tables, linens, plates, glasses)? Does it include all personnel? Gratuity? Do you have to provide dinner for the waiters (I was told I did -- so it added 3 or 4 dinners to the tab). Etc.
However, if your friend is planning to go with an off-site caterer, Mclaurie, they should definitely ask what is included in the price per person. So, you pay a site fee and then you pay a caterer, say, 120 pp. Does that include the booze? The rentals (chairs, tables, linens, plates, glasses)? Does it include all personnel? Gratuity? Do you have to provide dinner for the waiters (I was told I did -- so it added 3 or 4 dinners to the tab). Etc.
Jan 7th, 2009, 09:02 AM
#27
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DH and I attended a wedding at the Rockleigh about 15 years ago. It was very classic Jersey "big wedding" and I think they had several other events at the same time (I believe they've had a major renovation since then, and are a bit less "wedding palace"), but they did a very professional job and the food was quite decent.
I also attended a fairly elegant wedding at The Brownstone in Paterson in 2000. The venue was lovely, and was probably the best catering food I've eaten, complete with a very good raw bar. I think that it tends to be a relative bargain, at least partly because people hear Paterson and panic (which there is no need to, as the neighborhood it is in is perfectly fine, and you would not normally drive through a questionable area to get to it either). As far as I know, they're still in business.
I shopped a couple of places in Southern Bergen (the Cameo is the only one I can recall) when DH and I got married, and while we thought they were professional, I would not have called the venue elegant. We were very much looking for the kind of wedding our friends had had at the lowest possible cost, and were very willing to call tacky "camp" if it would save us a few dollars. If we had kept our original plans we would probably have gone with the Cameo as being the best all around compromise.
I also attended a fairly elegant wedding at The Brownstone in Paterson in 2000. The venue was lovely, and was probably the best catering food I've eaten, complete with a very good raw bar. I think that it tends to be a relative bargain, at least partly because people hear Paterson and panic (which there is no need to, as the neighborhood it is in is perfectly fine, and you would not normally drive through a questionable area to get to it either). As far as I know, they're still in business.
I shopped a couple of places in Southern Bergen (the Cameo is the only one I can recall) when DH and I got married, and while we thought they were professional, I would not have called the venue elegant. We were very much looking for the kind of wedding our friends had had at the lowest possible cost, and were very willing to call tacky "camp" if it would save us a few dollars. If we had kept our original plans we would probably have gone with the Cameo as being the best all around compromise.
Jan 8th, 2009, 01:35 PM
#29
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Thanks for ALL this info. Will start to disseminate it and hope they don't kill the messenger! Any other thoughts are certainly welcome. Will post back with any more relevant info if I get some. Thanks again.
Jan 28th, 2012, 05:09 AM
#30
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Snug harbor is a historic and botanical garden in Staten Island. You will find there pricing much lower than similar botanical garden venues. Check it out at http://www.snugharborweddings.com/
Jan 30th, 2012, 05:43 PM
#31
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You/she should visit the NYC, NJ, or CT 'local' boards on theknot.com. It's all wedding planning, all the time -- your SIL can get up to the minute venue/vendor recommendations and pricing for specific cities. The Knot's equivalent of the trip reports people post here are (often amazingly detailed) 'planning bios' and/or wedding recaps with photos, detailed reviews, etc. I planned my NYC wedding remotely and got loads of great info from the knot (it was in '05 so too out of date to be really of much use as a reference point).
Jan 30th, 2012, 08:57 PM
#33
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There are numerous places on LI with good value if they want to go that route.
The Lawrence Country club is very affordable and is very upscale for the price,
Also,Pine Hollow Country Club in East Norwich NY
Carlton on the park is beautiful but expensive.They have a sister catering hall in bayville on the Water that is less expensive.
Another great spot and very affordable off season would be the Crescent club (Pine Island rill) in Bayville,Both have beautiful water views.Any place outside of NYC will be more affordable.I recently checked out having a reunion in NYC and everything nice was at least 200 per and this was for a buffet.It would help to know a budget.
Another idea is waters edge in LIC,not cheap but no where near NYC,beautiful views and they cater a lot of weddings ther and The Terrace in Harlem is very nice.Hope this helps
The Lawrence Country club is very affordable and is very upscale for the price,
Also,Pine Hollow Country Club in East Norwich NY
Carlton on the park is beautiful but expensive.They have a sister catering hall in bayville on the Water that is less expensive.
Another great spot and very affordable off season would be the Crescent club (Pine Island rill) in Bayville,Both have beautiful water views.Any place outside of NYC will be more affordable.I recently checked out having a reunion in NYC and everything nice was at least 200 per and this was for a buffet.It would help to know a budget.
Another idea is waters edge in LIC,not cheap but no where near NYC,beautiful views and they cater a lot of weddings ther and The Terrace in Harlem is very nice.Hope this helps
Jan 30th, 2012, 09:54 PM
#34
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You can try Entertainment Cruises(http://entertainmentcruises.com/), The Montauk Clu
http://montaukclub.com/), Delmonico's(http://www.delmonicosny.com/).
The Rates per person is really good and seating is also as per your demands.
http://montaukclub.com/), Delmonico's(http://www.delmonicosny.com/).The Rates per person is really good and seating is also as per your demands.
Jan 31st, 2012, 11:24 AM
#36
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LOL, vjpb! I didn't even notice.
I was about to suggest this lovely place where I attended a wedding about a year ago, in northern Jersey.
IMHO, the website doesn't do it justice. It was lovely and the food was outstanding.
http://www.florentinegardens.com/wedding.html
I was about to suggest this lovely place where I attended a wedding about a year ago, in northern Jersey.
IMHO, the website doesn't do it justice. It was lovely and the food was outstanding.
http://www.florentinegardens.com/wedding.html
Jan 31st, 2012, 11:47 AM
#37
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I also initially missed that this is a 3-yr. old thread, since I only noticed it said Jan. 1.
So, mclaurie, come back & tell us what venue the bride picked!
persimmondeb: Not only is the Brownstone still in business, but it's featured on the Real Housewives of NJ since the owner's whole family is on the show. Based on that alone, I'd never set foot in the place!
So, mclaurie, come back & tell us what venue the bride picked!
persimmondeb: Not only is the Brownstone still in business, but it's featured on the Real Housewives of NJ since the owner's whole family is on the show. Based on that alone, I'd never set foot in the place!
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