QOTD - July 31, 2014

What are your favorite things about your wedding venue? What made you say “This is it”?

Our ceremony and reception are both taking place at the West Sayville Country Club. The location was the first thing that intrigued us. We wanted to get married on the south shore, close to home and have an outdoor ceremony near the water. WSCC gives us all of that. We had our first date in Sayville so the sentimental value is a nice bonus! We love how cozy it feels and all of the different layout options we have.

I could go on but you get the idea! I love it

QOTD - July 31, 2014

We have a love of bridges and the view of the Robert Moses bridge was what pulled us in to check it out. We fell in love with everything immediately, so much so that we had to pull ourselves away to make sure we at least looked at a few other venues. A BIG selling point was that they have an underneath space that we can be outside and take pictures even if (please weather gods be kind) we have another winter like we just did. Location was perfect, and we just felt that 'this is it' feeling while we were there.

QOTD - July 31, 2014

I had always wanted to get married at East Wind (the estate) so once we got engaged that was the first appointment we made. Unfortuantely their minimum was way too high for us and I was so disappointed. We didn't have any other appointments set up because I was sure I was going to get married there. As we were driving away FH said lets just go somewhere else. A friend of mine had mentioned the watermill to me but I never even saw pics of it. We called them and they said to come right in. I was sad about East Wind and expecting the worst from the watermill but we loved everything about it. They have a great outdoor ceremony/cocktail hour space & also a great indoor ceremony & cocktail hour space which was important to me because weather is so unpredictable in May. Their gardens were gorgeous & the indoors was just as nice. Our BM was throwing in so many extras without us even asking for it. I had no idea what their price range was because I had never researched any other venue besides east wind. When I heard the price I thought it was so good for the quality. We checked out a couple of more venues after that just to be sure, but we both knew it was perfect for us.

QOTD - July 31, 2014

As a starting point, we only looked at places that we've been to before - just because we experienced weddings from the guests pov there. After meeting with 3/5 venues we were 99% sure of lands end - we loved it. I just wasn't ready to commit without seeing the other two. Long story but we only ended up going to one of the two - fox hollow and we fell in love with the Somerley. Everything about it was beautiful and we were really impressed

QOTD - July 31, 2014

We were going to married in a restaurant with about 50 people but it grew to about 130.We wanted something rustic ,on the water and when we went to the Riviera it fit us perfect....Still small enough for us

QOTD - July 31, 2014

We were really looking for a place with great food. We are big foodies and wanted a place that had that. I had done some research, since we are a smaller wedding (80 people), and found that Irish Coffee Pub was great for that. When we told people we were going to consider them, everyone had nothing but awesome things to say or that they'd been to a wedding/party there before and thought the food and service was amazing.

What really sold us was the way the person we talked to treated us. He took pride in the place and had been working there since it's inception.

QOTD - July 31, 2014

I love all seasons but there is something about fall into winter. The holidays from Thanksgiving to New Year's are my favorite -the family get togethers, the food, the Christmas songs and lights, the first snow fall, etc. So since we are having a winter wedding when we saw the Winter Garden Pavillion we were sold. We are having a smaller wedding and it just has a warm, cozy feeling and that is exactly what we wanted for our special day =)

Re: QOTD - July 31, 2014

---

Posted by Jsabbatino

As a starting point, we only looked at places that we've been to before - just because we experienced weddings from the guests pov there. After meeting with 3/5 venues we were 99% sure of lands end - we loved it. I just wasn't ready to commit without seeing the other two. Long story but we only ended up going to one of the two - fox hollow and we fell in love with the Somerley. Everything about it was beautiful and we were really impressed

---

We were so close with booking Lands End also! We loved everything about it, except that it didn't have accommodations on site (the motel only had a couple rooms and they couldn't guarantee the whole motel for my guests). After that we saw Fox Hollow, the Winter Garden Pavilion and it was beautiful especially for our smaller wedding. There were so many options and the hotel was right next door - that was the major selling point for us!

QOTD - July 31, 2014

We loved the location on the water, and we couldn't get over the size of the room. Large room, high ceilings, large windows, big chandeliers, everywhere else we looked we were comparing to the Bayview House and felt like everything else was too small. We knew then that we were sold!

QOTD - July 31, 2014

I had gone with a girlfriend a few years back when she was looking for a venue to Fox Hollow. They were just about to start construction to build The Sommerley. I fell in love with everything I saw. She ended up booking somewhere completely different. So once I got engaged, I said we had to go there and check it out. So we went, and it was better than what I thought it would be. I love the intricate details! Also, for a winter wedding there is so much space and we wont be on top of any other wedding. It is gorgeous inside and out. FH did make us go look at a bunch of other venues, but I knew we would end up booking The Somerley :) 205 days away :)

Re: QOTD - July 31, 2014

---

Posted by kammy322

---

Posted by Jsabbatino

As a starting point, we only looked at places that we've been to before - just because we experienced weddings from the guests pov there. After meeting with 3/5 venues we were 99% sure of lands end - we loved it. I just wasn't ready to commit without seeing the other two. Long story but we only ended up going to one of the two - fox hollow and we fell in love with the Somerley. Everything about it was beautiful and we were really impressed

---

We were so close with booking Lands End also! We loved everything about it, except that it didn't have accommodations on site (the motel only had a couple rooms and they couldn't guarantee the whole motel for my guests). After that we saw Fox Hollow, the Winter Garden Pavilion and it was beautiful especially for our smaller wedding. There were so many options and the hotel was right next door - that was the major selling point for us!

---

The hotel right next door was also a huge plus for us as well!!! So convenient for your guests especially those that are coming from out of town.

QOTD - July 31, 2014

I love the fact that my parents were married at fox hollow 27 years ago :) our cocktail room was their reception room which I find so cool. We loved that our room had a private outdoor area since we have a lot of guests who are smokers. I love how private it is, despite the fact that there are technically 3 weddings at a time. I love everything about it! The only thing I would change if I could, would be to put it on the water right where thatched cottage is lol.

Re: QOTD - July 31, 2014

---

Posted by rcotter90

I love the fact that my parents were married at fox hollow 27 years ago :) our cocktail room was their reception room which I find so cool. We loved that our room had a private outdoor area since we have a lot of guests who are smokers. I love how private it is, despite the fact that there are technically 3 weddings at a time. I love everything about it! The only thing I would change if I could, would be to put it on the water right where thatched cottage is lol.

---

Aaaawwwww that is so sweet! I could only imagine how your parents must have felt when you told them that was where you were going to get married.

QOTD - July 31, 2014

I always wanted the beach weddingand when I saw the crescent beach club...it was perfect for that!

QOTD - July 31, 2014

My first requirement was that I did not want a typical catering hall. FH had volunteered for a day at the organization that works at Coindre Hall. He told me about how beautiful it was and that they do weddings there. Fast forward 6 months later we made an appointment to see it even though it was out of our budget. Just the outside blew me away as the BM showed us around I felt so overwhelmed by all the rooms and how gorgeous it was. When it came to negotiating the pp was a little too high for us. I left feeling a little depressed. We looked at 2 other places and I didn't get the same feeling. After we got home from the last place me and FH discussed it and we were both in love with Coindre Hall so we had to bump up our budget and we are both so happy about our choice.

QOTD - July 31, 2014

We only looked at a few places. My FMIL was set on a synagogue, but that just wasn't us. FH is not super religious and neither of us is strictly traditional. Plus all the synagogues weren't so beautiful for pictures. I wanted something scenic that was also warm and beautiful. We saw Bridgeview on our first day of looking and we loved it. For FH, the biggest thing was a place that had a huge dance floor and a dedicated place for our band. A lot of places showed us an area that was only good for a DJ b/c there were big pillars or there wasn't enough space. We also needed a big enough place for a wedding that fit 250-300 people comfortably. Of course, having enough food for a good, Jewish wedding was also important to us!

Bridgeview was able to meet our needs for all of this, plus it really reminded me of growing up boating. My family had a sailboat in Maryland growing up, and I've always loved being on the water, but I'm not a beach person. I love all the decks/docks, which remind me of my childhood. The interiors are furnished beauitfully, but the wood and the finishings remind me so much of my childhood. I also fell in love with the bridal suite, it's a huge, private area that our bridal party can hang out in. The whole place is gorgeous, and it really was the place of my dreams (even though I didn't know about it before!). I've only heard amazing things and have never seen a bad review. I also love the vintage ferris wheel and carriage outside for pictures.

Re: QOTD - July 31, 2014

It doesn't have carpets in the main room! lol We fell in love with VCLS because it's very modern and different from the other venues we looked at. We also like that it is not too far out on the island ( a majority of our guests are either from out of town and will be staying in Manhattan or already live in either Manhattan or Queens) so especially on a Friday night, it's not too much of a hike. We loved the way the food will be presented as well as the fact that we will be able to do all of our photos there and weather permitting have a beautiful outdoor ceremony while the sun is setting behind us

Re: QOTD - July 31, 2014

---

Posted by ndc923

It doesn't have carpets in the main room! lol We fell in love with VCLS because it's very modern and different from the other venues we looked at. We also like that it is not too far out on the island ( a majority of our guests are either from out of town and will be staying in Manhattan or already live in either Manhattan or Queens) so especially on a Friday night, it's not too much of a hike. We loved the way the food will be presented as well as the fact that we will be able to do all of our photos there and weather permitting have a beautiful outdoor ceremony while the sun is setting behind us

---

No carpets was my #1 requirement! Also loved the chandeliers and waterview at Lombardi's!!

Re: QOTD - July 31, 2014

---

Posted by mab30

---

Posted by ndc923

It doesn't have carpets in the main room! lol We fell in love with VCLS because it's very modern and different from the other venues we looked at. We also like that it is not too far out on the island ( a majority of our guests are either from out of town and will be staying in Manhattan or already live in either Manhattan or Queens) so especially on a Friday night, it's not too much of a hike. We loved the way the food will be presented as well as the fact that we will be able to do all of our photos there and weather permitting have a beautiful outdoor ceremony while the sun is setting behind us

---

No carpets was my #1 requirement! Also loved the chandeliers and waterview at Lombardi's!!

---

Me too! My parents thought we were crazy but we found quite a few! They never replace those carpets as much as they should. Plus it's so much easier to encorporate your color scheme into the room when there's no green carpet when your colors lavender and purple! We went to see one recently rebuilt venue where I brought up that I hate carpets typically for this reason and the woman got really nasty and was like 'this carpet cost $500,000!' I was like lady you are not going to convince me that this 1/2 million dollar carpet won't smell like feet and spilled tequila two years from now!

QOTD - July 31, 2014

Absolutely everything made us fall in love with our venue!
It was the 1st and only venue we looked at.
I've been a BM many, many times and I've been to a lot of weddings. We didn't want your standard catering hall, as that doesn't meet our personalities.
So, when it came time to start thinking of venues, Harbor Club at Prime was the #1 spot for us. The location means a lot to us (my FH lived in Huntington when we started dating and we spent - and still do - spend a lot of time there) plus, we get the water views. That was a must for us as well.

In addition - the professionalism and the ease that the day will go FLAWLESSLY was a huge selling point.

We cannot waitttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!


BTW - 400 days today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!