Unique down-to-earth Jewish Wedding on Long Island impossible?

Original post by ysilver1

May 22, 2008 10:57 PM

I'm very new to this and finding it really hard and disappointing! We're planning a Jewish / Kosher wedding for summer 2009, for about 170 people. We're looking on Long Island since that is where just about all our family and friends are from.

All of the places we've visited (Jewish Centers, Halls, and Country Club-ish places) seem the same type of cookie-cutter wedding pushed off of a factory line. We're looking for something unique, simple, down-to-earth, cost-effective, Kosher (which kind of makes the cost-effective part difficult), eco-friendly, not ornate, not tacky, not gaudy, not extravagant, not excess.

I realize I will probably have to find a typical venue, and perhaps put some unique twists (not sure how/what yet). I'm getting so discouraged.

Any suggestions??? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

ysilver1 at aol dot com

ysilver1 Posted: May 25, 2008 11:26 PM

Re: Unique down-to-earth Jewish Wedding on Long Island impossible?

Quick update....

We went to see three places this weekend:

Glen Cove Mansion (different, beautiful and not a typical catering hall- but with bringing in a Kosher caterer it will get very expensive and complicated)

Carlyle on the Green at Bethpage State park (another beautiful down to earth classy rustic type non-catering hall- more reasonably priced than we thought it would be! didn't love the idea of people playing golf right outside the windows of the hall though, and didn't offer as much as some other places especially after all the service fees, etc.)

The Royalton!!!! We both actually liked this place. They really catered to a Jewish/Kosher wedding, with great hospitality and a beautiful mansion. It was reasonably priced too.

I have a feeling though as this becomes more of a reality, 'reasonably priced' is too expensive- especially when we saw a temple that offered so much for a lot less. Gross carpets, chandeliers and fake fireplaces, but creative and good food.

Not sure how this will end up. I'm assuming that this is supposed to be somewhat stressful, but, I kind of hate this. I never was a girl who grew up thinking about 'my dream wedding'- in fact, as I got older I figured I would have a really simple, small, elegant wedding. But, that doesn't seem like a reality with all that is really entailed.

THANKS AGAIN... Will keep you updated.

ysilver1 Posted: May 25, 2008 11:37 PM

Re: Unique down-to-earth Jewish Wedding on Long Island impossible?

Checked out WSCC online- liked what I saw! Thanks for the info. But.... they don't do Kosher. They can do 'kosher style' which means no pork, shellfish, etc. and get some real Kosher meals for those guests that request. But sadly, that wouldn't work for us since many of our guests keep Kosher inside and out of the house. They wouldn't even be able to eat at the cocktail hour :(