Mediterranean Manor....

Has anyone been to the new updated Mediterranean Manor? How does it look.

Re: Mediterranean Manor....

Bump

Re: Mediterranean Manor....

very nice - their showing this weekend on sunday at 3:00

Re: Mediterranean Manor....

Let me first start this story by telling you that I am a type A personality and a control freak So you could imagine how stressed I was about planning a wedding in New York when I lived in Florida!

We started planning our wedding 2 years ahead of time. I know that seems like a long time but I figured since I lived so far away I would need that extra time.

To save time and to assist us in selecting a location I did some research on the internet and identified a list of locations that I would like to visit. During my research I came across the website for the Mediterranean Manor. I reviewed their “Who You Know” package and recalled my mother’s words of wisdom: If it is too good to be true then it probably is. So I did what any reasonable person would do and called them. I spoke to a gentleman by the name of George. George was extremely friendly and I asked him how he could give us so much for such an awesome price. I asked him what the “catch” was. George provided an explanation that seemed reasonable but I was still cautious.

A few weeks later I flew to New York and spent two days visiting numerous locations. I specifically saved my visit to the Mediterranean Manor for last. At each location the first thing out of the catering director’s mouth was “How much do you want to spend?” After hearing this a half dozen times I was about to scream. It was all about money, money, money. That was frustrating.

At the end of the second long day we only had the Mediterranean Manor to visit. My fiancée was frustrated and did not even want to go. I talked him into it. I told him that I wanted to meet George in person and see if he can put his money where his mouth is.

We walked into the Mediterranean Manor and I was shocked. It was beautiful. Marble floor, a baby grand piano in the lobby, beautiful crystal lighting and mirrors and….there was George, as pleasant as anyone could be. He greeted us and immediately (no he did not ask us how much we wanted to spend) asked us what things were important to us. We toured the facility and he gave us a blow-by-blow on how things could/would be set up for our event. I was really able to put together a mental picture of my wedding day.

We sat down and discussed the Who You Know package. We also discussed some additional items that I wanted such as a chocolate fountain, valet parking, chair covers, and having the ceremony at the location. It was not until after George found out who we were and what our likes and dislikes were that we discussed the price of our event. I kept thinking to myself that this was the perfect location and package, especially for someone planning a wedding from so far away. I did not have to search for vendors because they were all right there for me, even a minister to perform the ceremony (she was an extra cost). But still….I was skeptical.

I went home that evening and started more research. I read reviews on the Mediterranean Manor and visited all of the vendors websites. I researched each vendor, including their business licenses and any complaints with the BBB (I told you I was a type A personality).
My fiancée and I had a long discussion about the pros and cons of each location and compared each location to the Mediterranean Manor. The Mediterranean Manor won each comparison.

A couple of days later we went back and booked our wedding date. Don’t get me wrong. I was still extremely nervous about this and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. George kept telling me not to worry and that we would have an event of a lifetime. Mom’s words of wisdom were still ringing in my ear.

I must have called George a hundred times (well, maybe not a hundred but pretty close) over the next two years. Each time I had a question I would give him a call. Each time he would respond confidently and put my mind at ease.

I met with all of my vendors: Rev. Anne Ciumei, Floral Designs of Patchogue, Chris Biondi of Perfect Parties, Bob Knight from Madison Ave. Photo Studio and Clear Choice Limousine. Oh my goodness…each vendor was just as attentive as George was.

Time went on and we were making our preparations. Still, as any normal person would feel, I was nervous that this was not all going to come together and somehow my mother would be right. I shutter at the thought of mom being right (just kidding).

Two days before the wedding and I go into the Mediterranean Manor to drop off all of my wedding gear. This is when I meet Yoli who was going to be our Maitre d’. He was an awesome individual. He was extremely confident and took the time to put my mind at ease. We walked through the main points and he assured me that he would be with us every step of the way. I was feeling a little less nervous by the end of my visit.

The wedding day is here. I walked into the Mediterranean Manor and had tears of joy in my eyes. The chapel was set up beautifully, just as George and Yoli told me it would. The cocktail hour room was very nice and the reception room was perfect.

Yoli immediately greeted me, gave me a hug and told me how beautiful I was. He took me to the bridal suite where he immediately asked if there was anything that I needed and made sure that I was comfortable. He checked in with me several times before the ceremony. He gathered all of the wedding party together at the appropriate time and lined us up for the big event. He made sure I was aware of what was going to happen and when. The wedding ceremony went off without a hitch.

Rev. Ann Ciumei was awesome as well. She made sure that she was there an hour before the ceremony. She had called me several times before the wedding day to see how I was feeling and to finalize the details of the ceremony. On the wedding day she came in and made us feel at ease with the ceremony. She is a gracious and sweet individual who truly cares about her clients. After the ceremony she offered her ear if we ever needed to talk.

After the ceremony we went back to our bridal suite. Our bridal attendant was fantastic. She asked us what we needed and we advised her that we just needed a few minutes alone. She graciously excused herself advising us that she was going to prepare us something to eat from our cocktail hour while we had some time alone. She brought the food back in and made sure that I was covered up so that I did not spill anything on my dress. This was our first opportunity to taste the food and let me tell you something….IT WAS AWESOME. I am a very difficult person to please. From the first bite I was in love with the food and if my dressed allowed I would have eaten a lot more of it! My fiancé, who can also be a critical person, raved about how good the food was.

After we ate we had a few more pictures to take. Our photographer, Ted, was fantastic. He understood that we did not want to be pulled in a million different directions to take photos and that we wanted to enjoy our cocktail hour and meet our guests. He complied with our requests.

We got the opportunity to spend about 30 minutes with our guests during the cocktail hour. The ranted and raved how beautiful the location was and how fantastic the food was. Many of our guests thought that the food served at the cocktail hour was “dinner”. When I told them that there was a sit down dinner to follow they were shocked. They could not believe the amount of food that was at the cocktail hour (and we did not order anything extra – just what came with the package) and how fantastic the food was. My future son-in-law told my daughter that she is going to need to learn how to cook like that!

On to the reception…. Yoli and our bridal attendant were very attentive but not overbearing. They made sure that we knew where we needed to be and made sure that we were taken care of. My drink was never half empty. I would leave the reception hall for a few moments and when I came back one of them were following me with a fresh drink in hand. Yoli kept an eye on the reception making sure that everyone had what they needed. My dad, who is disabled, made a comment about how accommodating the staff was. He indicated that knowing he was in a wheelchair, they made a special effort to make sure that he had anything that he needed or wanted.

Our Emcee, Chris Biondi, was fantastic. He had the crowd up and dancing. Everyone was having a great time.

The flowers from Floral Designs of Patchogue were beautiful. Our limo was on time for both the ride to the ceremony and ride back to our hotel.

The photographer and videographer were fantastic. They never got in the way of our guests.

Dinner was awesome. Everyone raved how good the food was and they were shocked when the wait staff came around and offered seconds.

The cake..mmmmm… was great. We had cannoli filling.

After the cake was served my guests though that was the end of the food. Nope..they were wrong. Out came the ice cream bar, cordial bar and chocolate fountain. They were amazed. I do not think there was one person who stood in their seat. Everyone came up to have a taste.

At the end of the night Yoli and our bridal attendant made sure that they gathered up everything (flowers, toasting flutes, guest book, cake server, etc..) and packed it into our vehicle.

They gave us a hug and wished us good luck. When I was leaving I felt like I was leaving my family.

Days after the wedding my guests are still talking about the awesome time they had and how wonderful the food was.

You hear horror stories about people not being able to enjoy their wedding or eat at their wedding because they are running around doing this or that. Not us. My husband and I agreed that we were really able to enjoy our special day because of the staff at the Mediterranean Manor and their vendors.

On the ride back to the hotel and I looked at my husband and said, “What a better way to spend a day than to marry the person you love and to prove your mother wrong (lol)!”

I guess that my mother’s words of wisdom does hold true in most situations however the Mediterranean Manor is definitely the exception.

We have a very large family and I would strongly recommend the Mediterranean Manor to cater the future communions, confirmations, sweet sixteen parties and weddings we are bound to have.