North Ritz in Syosset Questions...please help with this

We booked our wedding at the North Ritz club recently and I have some questions for any brides who already had their wedding there and even anyone who has attended a wedding there...

1) Is the wedding cake they provide good?

2) Has anyone had the Viennese hour and would it be something that we should pay extra for or just skip?
The reason I ask is our wedding is not starting until 7pm on a Friday and I was not sure if it was worth it?

3) Has anyone had their ceremony there? Was it inside our outside? Did they do a nice job with the decorations for the ceremony? And are you glad you had the ceremony there?

4) For anyone who had their ceremony at the North Ritz Club...did anyone use live music for ceremony (i.e. Harpist, String Guitar, violinist, piano) and are you glad you did or would you have rather had the DJ play something instead of paying extra for the live music?

5) And did anyone use live music for the cocktail hour, such as a jazz band, etc.? And was that worth the extra expense? We have a DJ who can just play recorded music for the cocktail hour, but we were also interested in possibly having live music. Let me know if you guys have any feedback!

6) Did you guys think it was necessary to get lighting (ie: uplighting for the walls, dance floor, centerpieces)? And if so did you use an actual lighting company or just have the DJ or florist provide it? Please provide any thoughts on lighting.

7) Last question...please let me know if you guys have any thoughts on the North Ritz such as food, service or any additional thoughts or suggestions now that I have booked there.

Thanks everyone!

Hello and Congrats! Not sure if I can answer all your questions, but I'd love to provide some insight

We were recommended NRC by a former coworker of mine. When I tell you this girl is hard to please and super picky, I'm not exaggerating. She had told us when we got engaged last summer that we should definitely check it out. It was the second place we looked at and we booked it ON THE SPOT. Also, her cousin just had her wedding there this past March and she said everything was fantastic, the service and the food were incredible. SOOO good to hear.

Uplighting-we're doing this from our dj company. I asked our banquet manager Marianne if it was possible to lower the wall lights, so we can really show off the colored lighting, in the main room and she said no problem.

Viennese hour is supposed to be amazing, and they do that in the cocktail hour room.

Cake-I found out all the cake options from Marianne and she said the 2 best were the cannoli cake and black forest. Originally we askedfor red velvet, and it is an option, however Marianne said our better bet was the first 2 options I mentioned above.

You should check out the 2009 North Ritz Club thread on our boards for more info. Also an 09 bride, Flair for Fashion just had her wedding there a month ago. Check out all of her posts.

Hope this little bit of info I provided was helpful.

I am also a North Ritz bride. We are having our ceremony inside in the room they provide (we are not outdoorsy people!). There is a review on the review board that was recently bumped, PreshusSmurf, and she had her ceremony in that room as well. You can check it out for pictures - I think it came out beautifully!

Echoing what Mirabella said, I have not heard a bad thing about NRC at ALL, and believe me, I have scoured the boards for information.

Congrats to you and let us know if you have any more questions!

Another NRC bride here!

I'm not having my ceremony there, so unfortunately I can't help you with that.

I did go to a wedding there about 5 years ago, and I remember it being phenomenal. The food was great, and I know the bride and groom were VERY happy. It was part of the reason I booked there.

I'm adding the Viennese in my package. It was the one thing I KNEW I wanted, so that was an immediate add-on for me.

I'm using a band, not a dj, so I will be having a live musician at my CH. I get a choice of either a guitarist or pianist. Still trying to decide which one I'm going with.

I've never heard a bad thing about NRC. That makes me very comfortable. Whenever I tell people that I'm getting married there, those that have been there before immediately sing praises about it.

I was married at NRC in October 2007.
In one word - FABULOUS.
I can't rave enough about the NRC staff.

1. The cake is very good. So many flavor options just pick what you like. Only thing that they don't do is fondant. Icing choices are buttercream or whipped cream.

2. We did not do the Vienese - it's just too much food. We did do the touch of Vienesse, which is trays of mini pastries, cookies and fruit placed on every table during the cake service.

3. We had our ceremony at NRC, in the downstairs chapel since it rained. You can do your own decorations or use what Ida orders. She does simple flowers in a neutral white/cream. PreshusSmurf (07 bride) also got married here, and she added a wrought iron screen at the entrance instead of the white screen they currently have. No big deal for me, it is just something I did not pay attention to.
If you plan on having both your parents walk you down the aisle, then ask them to widen it a bit.

4. My DJ (my cousin) did the ceremony music, played a CD which I made up for him with my choices.
Your choice whether you want live music or not.

5. Again, used the house music for the cocktail hour. My opinion - no one pays attention to the music. Everyone tends to focus on the food, and on conversation. If you want live music, I suggest using it for the ceremony where it will be heard better.

6. I did not do any kind of special lighting. Did not feel it was necessary in the room. The ceiling does look nice draped in fabric, but that was not an expense I wanted to undertake. As a guest, it's not something I really pay attention to.

7. Food is fabulous. Our guests still talk about how it is the best wedding they have ever attended. Make sure you eat. We ate just a bit of CH food in the bridal suite, didn't get to eat anything at the CH because everyone wanted to talk with us. Barely ate any dinner, because again, guests wanted to talk with us. From what our guests told us, the wait staff was excellent, there were plenty of runners who brought drinks to the tables.

I'm an older bride, and most of my guests are older. We are really experienced when it comes to attending weddings, which is why I splurged on some things and didn't do other things, like live music for the CH and the ceremony.
Guests will remember the food, the booze, the music, the flowers, and what the bride wore.

Make sure that you get an appointment for a food tasting. They are held once a month, and you may have to remind your BM to get you on the list. You may bring up to 6 guests with you. Take detailed notes on what you taste so that you remember what you like/don't like when it comes time to make up the menu with George.

Enjoy and happy weddings !
Susi