Spinoff to how many reception sites visited /// what sites did you visit??

I visited my 12th reception hall today. This thread is very helpful. Thank you all!

Flowerfields- Feel in love as soon as we walked in! We compared every hall to Flowerfields thats when we knew it was the place :)

Lands End -very pretty, loved the CT room it was just too far for my guests to travel.

John Anthony's -too far, not really my style, wanted one wedding at a time.

Crescent Beach Club -The view was great, didn't like the idea of the rest. being open and people walking around while my guests where there during the CT hour...wasn't crazy about the design of the ballroom.

Sans Souci - pretty, just too small for our wedding

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens- Where I always wanted to get married, I went and was SO disappointed! The bathroom looked like a school bathroom, the hallway was so rundown, i was so upset!

Harbor Club- My 2nd choice, just too small for our CT hour if it rained, but it was beautiful!

Puck Building NYC- No parking available

Tribeca Rooftop- Way too much money for a Sat. night! Very pretty though

Harrision House- Loved the outside CT hour, but not the inside (was afraid of the weather) didn't like the shape of the ballroom

Watersedge- Great view of NYC, didn't like the idea of the CT room and Ballroom being the same room

Chateau La Mer- wasn't my style, wanted one wedding at a time, wasn't crazy about the ballroom.

Jericho Terrace was the first one and WE just loved it!!

We went to Leonards afterwards but we just had Jericho Terrace and the Dome room in our hearts, we knew that was the place and didn't look any further so we booked it.

Port Jeff Country Club- actually booked first but wanst happy with the service- wound up canceling

Lands End- beautiful but also too far

Watermill- 2nd choice

Villa Lombardi's

Carlyle on the Green- fell in love with the ballroom. We had two more appointments the next day for Harrison House and Carltun and cancelled them after seeing Carlyle. I just pictured myself dancing in my gown on that dance floor.....

My sister had gotten married last year so I went with her looking at places, so that ruled out some places for me too...

Flowerfield- beautiful- sister had her wedding there

Carltun on the Sound- nice but didn't like a few things about it.


We wanted something with only one wedding at a time.... I wanted windows and was very picky with carpeting--- i hated it when i walked into a ballroom and the carpeting was sooo tacky..... we all have our quirks i guess right....

We Saw the Fox Hollow & Jericho Terrace.


We didn't go with Jericho Terrace because basically when we got there the sales guy threw us the menu and told us to look at it and he left the room for like 30 minutes and when he came back he said 'so what do you think'

The fox Hollow sat with us and went over everything from beginning to end. We are so happy we booked the Fox Hollow! It's a beautiful place!

Westbury Manor - Too old fashioned for us and couldn't have an on site ceremony there at the time/day we wanted.

Jericho Terrace - The menu was awesome and it had beautiful ballrooms but no outdoor cocktail hour. Too many weddings at one time and on a main road, which we didn't want.

Riviera - Been to a wedding there, a little dark for our tastes but really nice views and bar area. Too small for our appx 220 guests.

We chose Chateau La Mer!!!! It's not on a main road, it's right on the water and the ballroom has huge floor to cieling windows. Plus, the price was $10-20 cheaper pp (sat night in summer) than the other 3 above. We love that the ceremony and cocktail hour is outside and the food tasting sealed the deal.

we looked at

George Washington Manor - wasn't appropriate for what we wanted.

Roslyn Claremont Hotel - we didn't like what they were offering us

21 Main - too pricey and not enough options for timing.

West Sayville Country Club - the day we went we were not able to walk in because they had another party going on.

We visted over a dozen places in NYC, Nassau and Suffolk (and still haven't decided!!) If you want details on pricing, FM me.

NYC
3 West Club: wierd layout, the cocktail hour was on a different floor, the hall had great tall ceilings, but seemed dark and boxy. not expensive (for NYC standards)

Battery Gardens: gorgeous, in the NY harbor, but way too expensive

Loft 11: they say there is outdoor space, but not really.

Penthouse 15: rooftop was wonderful, the CH room was great, but the dinner space could only really hold 100 (but they'll try to tell you 125 can fit). not-so-nice bride's room, no private bathroom

Suffolk
Timber Point: totally affordable, quaint, but my FH thought it looked run-down, beautiful garden

Danfords: awesome location, bid dance floor, on the sound, and the Inn is right there, room looks tight for more than 120, good price

Willow Creek: absolutely beautiful, inside and out. the CH is in the lobby and you walk thru the hall to get to a patio (awkward setup, personally), good price

Eastwind: country gardens is very 'country' the CH is in a whole different building and your guests have to walk across the parking lot. the Inn is beautiful, but the pull-back walls are weird, great patio on the North side of the Inn. High Minimums for the Inn.

Nassau:
Metropolitian: if I was getting married in the winter, it would be really cozy. the outdoor space is on the roadside.

San Souci: loved it, elegant, perfect for 130 or so, fabulous garden, family owned, great space for dancing

Harrison House: just very dark, the Inn isn't that nice

Lombardi's on the Sound: very spacious and open, but the CH is in the basement and the outdoor space is hard to get to and not right on the water, great hardwood floors, but feels like a catering hall

I hope this helps, if you other questions or want $$ details, FM me.

I am originally from CT and so when I started looking for a hall I was clueless! I wish I knew about this site back then!
Here is my list:

Water's Edge:
Beautiful view of the city, but as someone else said, I also did not like the 'quick change' of the cocktail room into the reception room. That was really weird to me.
The price was on the high side too (but it was for a Sat. night).

The Renaissance (Astoria):
Inside is beautiful, but there is nothing to the outside of the building...and the neighborhood looks sort of questionable (not to me....but maybe to my oot guests). The banquet manager didn't crack a smile the whole time I was there.
She really turned me off. Awesome DJ booth.

Douglaston Manor:
This was one of the 1st places we saw. We liked that you could see the city from afar and that it was close to where the ceremony was being held.
We didn't like that there was sort of a musty smell to it. It just didn't feel right.

Antun's (Westchester):
I liked it but my husband didn't. I think it appealed to me because of the location (convenient for guests coming from CT, NJ, NYC)....but then again, it is located right on the Saw Mill River Pkway and you could see the cars zooming by. They gave us a gift certificate for a free Sunday brunch just for coming out to see them (and it was really good!).

Coral House:
They were extremely nice but seemed a little desperate. There was a wedding going on while we were there and they walked us right through where they were taking pictures. I didn't like that.
I liked the rooftop cocktail hour, but didn't like the view of the highway.
The price is right though.

Caffe on the Green:
The reception would be upstairs and they didn't have handicapped access/an elevator. I have a few relatives in wheelchairs and also some older people who may not have been able to climb the stairs.
Plus I didn't really like the setup of the room. I'd like to check them out for dinner though.

Swan Club:
We had attended a wedding here about 8 years ago and we loved it! The dates they had available just didn't work for us. I think we may have booked here if they had the right date. We were pretty flexible, but nothing seemed to fit right.

Crest Hollow:
I instantly knew! I knew as we pulled into the driveway and when I was sitting in the lobby waiting for the bm. I just knew!
There were so many things we loved. It was just a little farther out than I originally wanted...but it was all perfect in the end.

Villa Lombardi's - Food is great but a friend got married there and I didn't want to redo the same wedding. Plus I don't like having more then one event at a time.

Thathed Cottage - I liked that it over looked Centerport Harbor but if it was low tide, the smell could drop a cow.

Rock Hill Country Club - Love the setting and the price was great for what you got. My sister got married there and we wanted something different.

Fox Hill - Very pretty but we went to a Christmas party there and I was completely disappointed. We waited over a 1/2 just to get into the parking lot and the food that was served left a lot to be desired.

Atlantis Marine - Loved it from the moment we walked in. We both wanted something different and this was it. I am still thrilled that we got married there.

We visited:

Coral House: Price was right, but something about it didn't feel right for me. I didn't like how it was in the middle of a street.

Leonard's: We were actually at DH's cousins wedding, got there a little early so had a BM show us around. After DH's cousins's wedding was over we thought it was too dark (we got NO pictures!) and basically would have been in the same rooms his cousin used.

Fox Hollow: Really liked it but my date was booked. Didn't like the ceremony area.

Westbury Manor: LOVED the peacocks, booked them!

Thatched Cottage: First runner up. I really liked this place but when we ran the numbers it was a little higher than we wanted to spend and I didn't like their indoor ceremony area. I needed to love the 'worst case scenario' in order to book it.

Crest Hollow CC: Really liked it but the room we liked best was booked already.

Jericho CC: They didn't have a room that fit us - everything was too big or too small. Didn't like the BM who showed us around - too negative.

George Washington Manor: No outdoor ceremony grounds, no wheelchair accessibility.

Mediterranean Manor: couldn't be further from my taste if they tried.

Floral Terrace: If we were having an evening wedding we would have booked them, but since we were having a day wedding, we wanted someplace with more sunlight. No outdoor ceremony grounds.

Cottage/Carriage House: Nice, but the worse case scenario would have had my ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all in the same room and I wouldn't take that chance.

Three Village Inn - Beautiful - but a little too country style for my taste. The room was also a little small.

Majestic Gardens - I loved the gardens - but the price just was not what we wanted.

Meadow Club - For the amount of food we're getting - the price was excellent! Loved the gardens/cocktail room. Dance floor is a little small, but we should be fine. Plus, I just adored the BM. The nicest guy!

We were going to also look at Villa Lombardi, but almost every event that i had in HS was there - just too much!

We visited:

Milleridge Inn itself- Liked it, but didn't know if they had too many weddings there

Milleridge Carriage House - didn't like that everything was in one room, but very nice.

Maine Maid Inn - Really likes this place, but didn't like that if you couldn't have an outdoor ceremony, it was on the dance floor.

Stuart Thomas Manor - REally nice BM, but didn't like the layout of the rooms b/c we would only have part of the big room. If we were having a bigger wedding with the whole room, definately would have considered it.

Verdi's - LIked a lot, but the small room was a little small, and the larger room had a minimum that was too high.

Huntington Town House - BM was too pushy (a used car salesman type) and tried to pressure us in to booking right there, and said that if we didn't, he was going to raise the price dramatically! Also didn't like the fact that they walked us through rooms while a wedding was going on! Did, however, like the fact that they had a separate chapel, so the room wouldn't have to be 'turned', and liked the fact that all menus automatically come with a vegetarian option.

Manor East - Booked here. Really nice BM, the price was right, I've heard good things about the food and service.

This is hard, I had to cross out a bunch of places from the beginning B/C of location, capacity, friends/family had their reception there already... I really wanted something different. I had booked one of these halls and cancelled it 6 months before my date. Sooo, we booked with the foxhollow. They were great gave us a great price & were very helpful.

If it weren't for friends & family having their reception at these halls, I would have checked them out.

1. Lombardi's on the sound: Uncle was married there. Great food, the view is breathtaking. I loved it, but it was really hard to get to.
2. Flowerfield: I really liked it there the CH is amazing, it's so cool, the coi pond, plants, trees...but cousin was married there.


I VISITED THESE HALLS FOR MY WEDDING

1. Villa Lombardi's: Great food, love the CH room. Not a fan of the decor. BUT my FILS had their 25th there, and I wanted my OOT'ers to go somewhere different.

2. Carltun On The Sound: Too Small for my wedding, wasn't crazy about the menu or decor (too plain, almost barren) Did not like the banquet Manager at all!

3. The Riviera: In the middle of a residential community, I thought I was given the wrong directions. The staff was really friendly & helpful, but As soon as I walked in I knew it was not right for me. It looked very dark. I think it was the wood paneling. It reminded me of this german restaurant I went to one time.

4. Crescent Beach Club: View is awesome, Food is OK. Location a bit hard to get to, especially for OOT's & Eastern LI folks.

5. East Wind: Loved the chandelier, but if the front rooms were booked, you wouldn't see it. The price was right, but I did not like the room partition. I liked the 'estate', but hated the wallpaper & color scheme. I know it sounds crazy, but It made me dizzy, and it would be in all of my pics.

6. Bellport Country Club: I love it there, but a bit hard to get to for my NJ & NYC folks. I had my engagement party there, loved it & the staff. Food was great.

7. Lands End: The food is great there, view is nice. IMO, I think they charge too much.

8. Hamlet Willow Creek: Beautiful, Beautiful, Decor. In a gated community, the CH is in the lobby and you walk thru the cocktail hour to check you coat??? Set-up is weird. The DVD they sent us was really misleading. Great for a summer wedding, Staff was really helpful.

9. Areca: Beautiful Decor. In a gated community, if you go out on the patio you are facing the residents patios. Too Small for me.

10.Watermill: Rooms were ok, a bit dark. great food & service. I don't care for the location.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

10. Foxhollow: It was the last place I would ever check. Not my type.. but I am getting married there! Very helpful staff, good food, I really like the outdoor CH area. I pray it doesn't rain on my wedding day! Our room is a bit long and narrow, but it's fine for us! I like the whole English manor theme. PLUS, FH really liked it, so we went for it.

East Wind Estate- LOVED IT! Love the decor, the price was NOT the cheapest we found by far... BUT the place was just what we wanted and we are getting a lot of extras. It is a bit far- the drawback but hopefully guests will take advantage of the blocked hotel rooms

Westbury Manor- Not my taste at all, price was good, lady we met with was nice, they even brought us a platter of food to taste, i didnt like how the cocktail hour could be in three different rooms- it was a bit dark too

Hamlet Willow Creek- lady was ok- a little pushy for my style, i didnt like the set up with the cocktail hour, the ballroom was nice, they gave us the BEST price of the places we saw, but I just wasnt happy with it, also nervous about it having not been open yet, not being able to see the place, or know much about the food

Majestic Gardens- hated the road it was on, disliked the entrance and the parking lot placement, secret garden was nice for pictures, didnt love the waterfall thing in the back, the ballroom was nice, the man we met with was very nice, very friendly, the menu was good, the price was average, just didnt love it

watermill- i worked at when in hs and college- i know i could have gotten a GREAT deal there, and the place is beautiful, their food is great, BUT it was where my cousin got married and it is so close to my house... just wanted something new

worked at another catering hall too- wont say where BUT the food is not great, the sales people are not great, the prices are cheap- it is on or near the water which is nice, but ever go back there in the kitchen?hmmmm

BUMP because I need help deciding!!!

We checked out Majestic Gardens and Meadow Club just for the e-party, and both were out of our budget. MG is gorgeous though and the food is great. The outside area is beautiful. MC I just didn't like the way the banquet manager talked to me so it turned me off.

For our wedding:

Lombardi's On the Sound: Nice place but not very flexible on the menu. Has ceremony area in and outside. Over $100 pp ++, needs a guaranteed head count

Flowerfield: Absolutly gorgeous and unique, but again, out of our budget. Over $100 pp ++ needs a guaranteed head count

Willow Creek in Mt. Sinai: really nice but here's what bothered me: if you want your CH outside, it gets split between the front lobby and the other side of the building where the terrace is, so your guests have to walk thru the ballroom to get to either side during CH. Also over $100 pp++, but the banquet manager is a really cool lady!

PATCHOGUE MANOR: if you are looking for a very simple place that has EXCELLENT food and service, go there!!! They have a great package deal, and everyone who works there really cares about your event. the BM over there has many yrs of experience, and they are willing to work with you to get what you want. we are sooooo excited to have our wedding there!

Wow i think we looked at 90% of halls on LI.
Sancastle was the first. I loved it, but didn't like the location.
FOX HOLLOW-- liked it but didn't love it

CREST HOLLOW, Loved the entrance.

CHATEU BRIAND- Almost booked, but didn't like the decor too much.

Chateu Lamer Loved everything but My friend got married there the year before.

Leornards- too much goin on at once.


The Huntignton Town House was the last place i looked at. Thats because i didn't want it. It was the only place that left a smile on my face. They welcomed me, and made me feel important. That all changed soon after.

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens- Beautiful but too much $$$

Thatch Cottage- the food is amazing, but didn't like the main ball room

Riveira in Massapequa- Great location, but did not like the shape of the room

Villa Lombardy- Beautiful, but the rooms were not spectacular. I loved the cocktail hour room with the white chairs.

Sands catering in Long beach- would have to guarentee too many.