Future Riveria Brides

I am going to a wedding tomorrow night at the Riveria in Massapequa. Since I know that brides-to-be LOVE feedback about their reception venues, I just wanted to offer to 'check out' anything that you might be wondering about while I am there.

If you have any special requests, pls FM me. I will post a review w/pics over the weekend.

I just wanted to say have a wonderful time!!!! I do not know what you are planning,,,but really the only thing I saw as a flaw there (easily fixable) is if your cocktail hour is inside,,,,make sure they have waiters directing guests to the back area...otherwise the wedding I was at, even the brides family, it took a while to figures out there was a whole nother area.

ENJOY AND PRE-CONGRATS!!!!

I am having my reception there in March. Please post a review of EVERYTHING!!!! I will be forever grateful!


Thanks,
Mo

No problem, ladies!

Jenny2Penny - I'm not the bride! I am a guest at my friend's wedding!

have a great time



will love to hear the review

Any last requests??? I have to start getting ready soon...I'm so excited!

Hi everyone!

The wedding was great! The bride was simply stunning DH and I had a great time.

The Riviera was nice, but it was not what I expected. I thought the inside would be fancier than it was. 'Rustic' truly is the right word to describe the place. Of course, there is a certain charm that lends itself to the decor - I just prefer a place that's a little fancier.

The service was good - we had a very polite waitress who made sure everyone's drinks were always full. No complaints there. The meal itself felt a little rushed - if you weren't seated the entire time, than you missed out on tasting some of your food b/c they wisked it away so fast.

The food itself was a little disappointing. Nothing was bad. It just wasn't great or memorable. The appetizer was plated and on the tables way too early, IMO. When we walked through the room to got out to the deck for cocktail hour, the food was already on everyone's plates. It was mozzerella and tomato. Nothing to brag about - the tomatos were tasteless and they sliced them much too ultra thin...and, there was no olive oil to dress it.

The salad was okay - kinda boring. Just red leafy lettuce and walnuts w/raspberry viniagrette. I only had two bites b/c they came around so quickly to take it away. Rigatoni ala vodka was okay - not bad, but not the best either.

Entrees were choice of: filet mignon, chicken cordon blue, stuffed flounder and mahi mahi. DH had the filet and I had the chicken. The chicken was okay, but a little too dry and they didn't serve it with enough sauce. DH said the filet was very good and the sauce they served it with was very tasty. No one at our table order any fish, so I can't comment on how they were. The string beans that were served w/dinner were boring. The garlic mashed potatoes were okay.

Dessert was okay. They had a dessert buffet - DH and I took a piece of the brownie chocolate cake, and we were both disappointed. It was extremely sugary, but it lacked moisture. There were pastries and cookies galore - I'm not sure if these were supplied by the Riviera, or if the B&G brought them in. I had a cannoli that was very good! The wedding cake was pretty good - not sure if it was made by Riviera, or brought in.

I'll post more w/pics later on...gotta go!

Just for balance....

I got married at the Riviera in June.

We picked the place because of it's rustic, old world feeling. I agree that if you are into marble, mirrors and crystal chadeliers, then Riviera is not for you.

As for the food, I have to say everyone was delighted with the food, and we have heard nothing but raves about it since the wedding. Maybe it depends on your menu??

We had Bruschetta as an appetizer....delicious!

Tossed salad as the salad. No complaints.

The lemon sherbet as intermezzo. Can't screw up sherbet! LOL.

The entrees were Surf & Turf (75% of our guests ordered this and it was awesome! You could cut the beef with a fork!), Chicken Kiev (delicious), Prime Rib (also a winner) and Norweigan Salmon with Dill Sauce (rave reviews). For potato we chose red bliss potatos and they were also excellent.

Our Dessert was also incredible. There was so much food you didn't know what to try first. Our wedding cake was made by the house bakery, which is Black Forest Bakery, and it was also delicious!

We had our cocktail hour inside due to the rain. It was okay, but some people sat at their dinner tables instead of in the cocktail hour area. We really didn't care anyway. There is also a big bar, and a lot of the singles stood at the bar and had a great time there.

The service wasn't rushed at all. Our waiter was fantastic and right on top of everything at all times. We made his job difficult because we were up and dancing, running all over the place all through dinner, and he had to keep track of us. Even so, we didn't miss any part of the meal at all.

I highly recommend the Riviera, but again, I think it's a matter of preference. If you're going for a very sophisticated upscale formal event, you may not like it. If your looking for charm, warmth, and an old world feeling, then Riviera is awesome. (Our wedding was a Renaissance theme, so it was perfect for us).

Just a different point of view. I'd love to see pictures, though!!!!!!!

Karen

Karen, I just want to clarify...I agree that if you are into marble, mirrors and crystal chadeliers, then Riviera is not for you....when I said it is rustic, I wasn't comparing the place to marble and candeliers. I wasn't crazy about the brick walls in the ballroom. Otherwise, it was very nice and like you said, had a certain warmth to it.

Hi Claud,

Rustic is a good way to describe it. I think a lot of people want a more formal reception hall, something more traditional and that usually includes the usual marble and mirrors, which is why I mentioned it. I also agree the brick wall can throw you unless you're going for that kind of look.