We just got married at the Riviera on July 19. It was absolutely positively AMAZING. Everything went perfect. Here are some details...
We had both the ceremony and recption at the Riviera. The grounds were very well kept and the flower looked great. The views were spectacular. Our guests even asked if we paid extra to have the boats in the background. It was picture perfect. We arranged to have our guests enter throuh the side so that they would not congregate within the main reception hall. We arranged for strings to play during the ceremony, it was another perfect touch.
The cocktail hour was AWESOME. We decided to go with the clam and oyster bar, the sushi, the pasta station and a bunch of other delicious dishes. The baby lamb chops and penne alla vodka sauce were tremendous hits. My husband did his best to sneak in bites between hellos. Michelle (more about her below) our main contact then suggested we get a steel drum band to play. They were GREAT. It gave everyone the feeling that they were on vacation. People are still talking about them a month later. The outside views were wonderful and there was more than enough comfortable placed to sit.
When we first saw the set up inside we were speachless. Michelle suggested the chair covers. and they made a huge difference. The main room had an elegant and warm and cozy feeling. It felt like an first class country estate. The balcony above the entrance to the room, made it feel even more like a fairy tale. We had 168 people at the affair and still had more than enough room.
The food was tasty and fresh. We chose to start our guest with a fruit plate, then a raspbery vinagerette salad (WOW), an intermezzio (cleaned the pallet), and our main course choices were Filet Mignon (we were told 'as good as the best steak houses in the city), the mahi mahi (like Hawaii), Chicken (only my grandmother had the chicken), and Salmon. My husband made it a point to sit down and eat his entire meal before we did our rounds at the tables.
The cake was really really good. I can be seen on my video saying 'wow, that's good cake'. People enjoyed the vienese table. In was set up in the indoor cocktail area. I was happy we got to cut the line to get our choice of tasty pastries and cakes. The cannolies were fantastic.
The Waitstaff was great!!! We later found out that my uncle billy even tipped his wattress. Anything people needed they got. They were friendly and polite. The server for the wedding party Megan was exceptional.
The bartenders were freindly and pretty quick. No one had a problem getting drinks.Our Maitradi, Jennifer was professional and polite
Michelle, our account manger was the BEST. From the very beginning she made us comfortable, made us feel like the Riviera was our home. She even gave me her home phone number, when she could see I was getting nervous. She helped us select dishes and even gave us advice about how to tell answer our parents silly questions. Wedding planning can be stressful, dealing with vendors can also be a nightmare, but we never left a meeting with Michelle without feeling good.
Noteworthy Vendors....
Timeless-impressions.com 's Tanya was our photographer and she was excellant. Can't wait to see our pictures, if the pictures the laptop she displayed at the affair are any indication of her work. The pictures are going to be perfect. She took charge when needed, made me feel comfortable all day long. Her assistant was also taking pictures.
Tim's florist. Perfect... beautiful flowers...patient...reasonably priced... everthing was set up like we asked...
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