Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

Hi everyone! In the process of choosing a venue for our summer 2013 wedding and need some help.

Riviera- how many people can it fit comfortably in the cocktail room and ballroom? We loved the place and the price but are concerned about fitting everyone. We are hoping to have around 180 but could end up with up to 200 or a little more. What are your thoughts on the space? Also - how's the food?

Lombardi's on theSound- also loved this place, but are concerned about the ceremony space. The people we spoke to said it could hold 230 outdoors for the ceremony but it lookd very small. Can you really squeeze that many comfortably? Any other reviews of this place are also appreciated!

Also- any other venue recommendations are appreciated! We would prefer somewhere with an outdoor space and view of water.

Thanks!!

Re: Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

I may be a bit biased, but I love the Riviera.

However, that being said, I DO think that 180-200 people would be really tight in there, possibly uncomfortably so. It would likely mean putting tables in those odd corners and hallways and I have heard people complain that they couldn't see the dance floor when there was a large crowd there. We're probably topping out at 125, so it should be a good fit for us.

The food is good, though. We enjoyed our tasting (especially the eggplant rollatini!) and I've heard other people speak very highly of all the food there.

HTH!

Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

i've only been to Riviera (3 times lol) loved it every time! in the course of 5 years the food is still sooo good, and the staff is so nice and helpful. the largest wedding i went to had 178ppl, it wasnt 'tight' however that lil area in that back (opposite end of the bar that leads to the outdoor area) had to have a few tables and when you sit there you cant see the dancefloor at all.
you can ask them for a layout of where all the tables would be for 200ppl to make sure you are comfortable first. each wedding i have gone there the tables were set up differently and the bride and groom sat in a different spot each time.

Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

The Riviera seems like it might be a little bit tight for that many people. Never had the food, but FH and I did look at it when we looked at venues and liked it.

I booked with LOTS over the summer and am head over heels in love with the place! The ceremony space does look a little small (I NEVER would have guessed 230 people could fit there), but I suppose it's been done before!

I went to a showcase there a few weeks ago and they did a tasting of the food they serve at cocktail hour. TO DIE FOR. I've also eaten at the restaurant there and well, food is a pretty big part of any wedding and you will most certainly not go wrong here!

Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

Thanks for the help ladies! Lombardi's on the Sound is a top contender right now but it seems to have mixed reviews. I just thought the view and space was beautiful and got a good feeling about it. Such a big decision! Lori- when is your wedding at LOTS?

Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

I went to a wedding at the Riveria this summer and I don't mean to down the place, but I thought it was eh. The service really wasn't that great. Our waitress forgot about us at the end of the night and our table never received coffee. We got our dinner well after other tables. I think it's just because a waitress has 3 tables and its not 1 table 1 server like some other places.

And although the dinner was decent, I thought the cocktail hour was eh. For te way people talk up the place, I really wasn't impressed. And we were really annoyed about the coffee. All of the servers were at the dessert bar during dessert so we like couldn't even ask anyone for coffee

ETA: if you are having a ceremony there, they use folding chairs outside. I've been to other outdoor places that had nice chairs? But the riveria used white folding chairs - some of which were broken.

Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

I looked at LOTS. Something that really annoyed me was that they charge $10 p/p FOR THE VIEW!!!!! How crazy does that sound?! And I LOVED how the lady didn't tell me that when working up the price until the very last second. That makes me so angry! SO BEWARE!!

Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

i liked being a guest @ the riviera i thought it was nice and nothing wrong with service or food that i recall. the only thing is that cocktail hour is a little annoying bc there is nowhere to sit.

Re: Riviera Massapequa or Lombardi's on the Sound advice needed!

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Posted by EricaC

Thanks for the help ladies! Lombardi's on the Sound is a top contender right now but it seems to have mixed reviews. I just thought the view and space was beautiful and got a good feeling about it. Such a big decision! Lori- when is your wedding at LOTS?

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My wedding is 7/3/14. And as somebody said on here, yes, they do have a $10 line item for the waterfront location. However, I was told about it up front and even with it tacked onto the per person price, it was still a great price. While it is a little weird that they would charge that, it's also got the most beautiful waterfront view I have ever seen. My venue *had* to have a waterfront view, so to me, it's totally worth it! I've honestly never heard anything bad about the place.