Manhattan to Long Island-Douglaston Manor? Fox Hollow?

I posted another question about Vanderbilt Manor and Harrison House. Thank you to everyone who offered advice. I`m running into a bit of a problem though, because the church ceremony will be on the Upper East side, NYC...I`m concerned about the drive time. Both locations are about an hour out...no traffic. Two other options Fox Hollow and (newly renovated?) Douglaston Manor. More Country Club than 'mansion' but not too much of the 'catering hall' feel, so they may have to be considered, for convenience. I know they host more than one wedding at a time and I would like to know what anyone`s experience was with these particular sites?

What about some mansions north of NYC like . . .

The Estherwood, which is somewhere in Westchester. There are a lot of beautiful places in Westchester which is probably a lot closer to the Upper East side than LI.

What about some mansions north of NYC like . . .

I have the info packet from Estherwood and I just received the packet for Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill. Estherwood was about $120 to start and they didn't offer a buffet type cocktail hour and/or open bar. Both of which I consider an absolute necessity. Abigail Kirsch- menu looked great, but no pricing for Tappan Hill. Anyone?

What about some mansions north of NYC or these

Abigail Kirsch mansion-Tarrytown Estherwood-Dobbs Ferry Lyndhurst Castle-Tarrytown Tarrytown House-Tarrytown let me know if you want more info! I went through the same search, and we decided to go with Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage.

AK@ Tappan Hill starts @$110 and goes up depending on date *NM*

Heather - question out of curiosity . . .

What was the Tarrytown House like? I booked at the Fountainhead because I loved the ballroom, cocktail hour room and chapel and the food was plentiful. However, I was mad at myself for not even looking at the Tarrytown House especially since it has a hotel on the premises. Just wondering if you saw the big ballroom at the Tarrytown House and what price you were quoted for a Sat. night in a peak season? Not that I would change anything at this point but just curious. Thanks.

Jennifer A.-answer

I didn't go there, we decided not to do Westchester and didn't want to waist our time going there. I did however call all the places I mentioned, and asked about the size of the ballroom. I'm anticipating 250+ guests and they said 'no problem'.On a side note: I know someone who had their reception at The Fountainhead and they were very pleased! We looked at over 16 places- I wanted to see as much as possible before making my final decision. I'm sure you won't regret it. Continued success to all...

Jennifer A.

I'm planning on visiting Fountainhead as well. I think they're not that far from where I am...do you mind if I ask you details...menu options, pricing, etc., I sent them a request, but still haven't received anything.

Manhattan to Long Island-Douglaston Manor? Fox Hollow?

Between Douglaston Manor and Fox Hollow, I would go with Fox Hollow, no question. It's more of a rich and elegant feel. However, if you're considering Douglaston Manor and those types of places, you might want to look at Leonard's of Great Neck. I've heard mixed reviews, but it's covenient to NYC.

Susans - I`ll give ALL the details!

They have a very nice chapel for the ceremony rather than a make-shift room, which was important to me. I also looked at a ton of places in NYC and found the cocktail hours to be minimal. The Fountainhead provides in the basic package 6 stations and about 10 different passed. Each station has a variety of dishes though so it is really a lot, which was VERY important to my large Italian family! The ballroom is beautiful and HUGE - it can hold 350-400. I am having 250 but wanted it to be comfortable and roomy. Many places claimed that they could fit 250 and I didn`t see how that was possible. The Ballroom is beautiful with marble dance floor and nice chairs (for some reason the chairs at some places turned me off - maybe I am weird). If you have any other questions feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] Good luck!