Venue search EEEEK

Hi! I'm new to this site and recently got engaged. I've been visiting dozens of venues with my fiancé and we can't seem to find a venue that is within our budget, fitting to our style (garden/green/homey), and comfortable for 200ish guests. =(

After looking at SO many places, we're narrowed down to North Ritz Club, Chateau Briand, Fox Hollow, or Sand Castle (and plan to visit Thatched Cottage very soon). Any thoughts/pictures/wisdom would be much appreciated!!

Here are our perceived pros/cons for each, based on our visits and/or reviews from family/friends who've visited the venues:

1. North Ritz Club -- love that they have one wedding at a time and their food and service reviews seem consistently great; we also felt very comfortable with the BM we met with (Nadine). The only cons are that we feel like it could be missing a 'wow' factor. We love that they have a nice outdoor area, but it is quite small and the inside space is slightly less aesthetically than some of the other RHs (especially in the carpet area!). Please correct me if I'm wrong! Or if there are 'wow' factors that I am just not seeing, since it has been a few weeks since we last visited there.

2. Sand Castle -- again, love that they do one wedding at a time and their food and service also appears to be spectacular, and we absolutely love their BM. However, the dates they offered us are not ideal and would push our honeymoon back 3 months based on our work schedules. I'm not sure if a venue is worth doing that. =T

3. Fox Hollow -- love their Somerley room and the lounge room on the side, but we're concerned about the size of their cocktail room, which only seats 150 people. The Somerley room itself seems a bit tight for 200 guests as well. We've also heard first-hand complaints from guests who attended different weddings there very recently that the food is average and the amount is insufficient, esp. regarding hor d'oeuvres, and that service can be poor. We also didn't have the best experience with the BM there, who seemed to just want to pitch a sale and pressure us!

Has anyone had or attended a wedding in that room with around the same number of guests as we expect (200)? We would love to hear your thoughts/feedback.

4. Chateau Briand -- we only saw their space for the downstairs room. My fiancé really liked their cocktail space, but I was not very crazy about the white plastic couches outside -- they were a bit uncomfortable to sit on (vs. the cushy ones that are placed around Woodbury Country Club's cocktail area outside). I do like that there's an outside space available for the cocktail hour though (vs. exclusively indoors for Fox Hollow). I also liked their reception room -- very well spaced and decently sized.

Any thoughts on any of the above (or for our upcoming Thatched Cottage trip) would be much appreciated!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, but determined to get married in 2014! Thank you in advance!!

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I didn't visit any of the 4 you did, but I did just have my wedding at Thatched Cottage and it couldn't have been more perfect. People are still raving about the food! It has a beautiful set-up outside for an outdoor cocktail space (as well as a huge room inside for cocktail hour in case of cold/rainy weather).

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

Out of those 4 I have heard the best reviews about North Ritz Club. Went to a wedding there this past March and it was really wonderful! From the food to the service etc. I would highly recommend it!

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I am getting married at Chateau Briand in April. FM if you have any specific questions! I have the upstairs room, which is grander than the Normandy room that you saw. It is a minimum of 200 guests. I never sat on the white couches, but if you feel their uncomfortable, just think that it's only being used for cocktail hour so it's not as if they'll be sitting there all night!

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I went to the Chateau briand two years ago and it was great!! We looked at the North Ritz Club but they had our date booked.

Our venue is kinda a hidden gem. It is the Woodlands on the Green in Melville (NOT WOODBURY). We got a great deal and the food was outstanding and the room fits like 300. We had 165 ppl and it was very roomy and comfy.

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

have you checked out Westbury Manor? It has that feel you are looking for. Of those that you mentioned I looked at North Ritz & Fox Hollow. North Ritz I felt the cocktail area was too small for my guests god forbid weather wasn't good & fox hollow was nice i just hated the BM so I was really turned off. I have been to a wedding at Fox Hollow & it was done great though.

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

Why don't you look at vineyard caterers in aquebogue.. My cousin had her wedding there in June & it was beautiful! The grounds are beautiful & the food was great!

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

of those four, i'd pick the north ritz.. but i'm in love with the milleridge cottage because of the no carpet :) check it out!

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

Floral Terrace- you are the only wedding and the party room is big and fits 400 people cocktail hour room big as well

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I'm a Thatched Cottage bride and am so excited about it! There's so much food and the fact that it's one wedding at a time was very important to me. Everyone has been so helpful and friendly with answering any questions I've had. They let you do a food tasting before you sign a contract so you don't have to wonder about the quality of food (which is delicious...the owner is a chef!)

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

check out majestic gardens. They have a garden feel

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

Giorgio's in Baiting Hollow is the whole package-probably just what you're looking for and will really work with you-great people-great food-gorgeous grounds

Re: Venue search EEEEK

I'm Team Chateau Briand, though I may be biased.

We are having our reception in the upstairs room, the Leonardo DaVinci. The chances of us having our cocktail hour outside is slim because it will probably be cold, unless we get lucky, so our indoor cocktail hour room is real nice too.

I was at Fox Hollow last December for my friend's wedding. Loved it! My FH didn't want to have it there because he's been to weddings there before and wanted some place different.

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

Have you looked at The Royalton? Based on what you want it might be a great option for you!

Re: Venue search EEEEK

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Posted by amber011299

Floral Terrace- you are the only wedding and the party room is big and fits 400 people cocktail hour room big as well

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This! If you didn't like Floral Terrace but you love Sand Castle, they're owned by the same people. We have our food tasting tonight - I'll let you know how it goes!

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

My cousin got married at North Ritz, during a blizzard. They were wonderful and accommodating, and I remember the food being unbelievable. My parents also attended a wedding there last year and said the outdoor space is beautiful.

Out of all those places, I'd say that's my favorite.

I also visited 35 venues, and was looking for something very specific. It took me almost 6 months to find a venue in my price range that I was happy with. I'd say see what else is out there.

Re: Venue search EEEEK

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Posted by MrsDtoBe

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Posted by amber011299

Floral Terrace- you are the only wedding and the party room is big and fits 400 people cocktail hour room big as well

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This! If you didn't like Floral Terrace but you love Sand Castle, they're owned by the same people. We have our food tasting tonight - I'll let you know how it goes!

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How was your food tasting?

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

We went to all these places and to many more. We were torn between the Woodbury Country Club and NRC. Because NRC negotiated a very good price with us, we picked them. Yes, my fiance hated the carpet and the outside area was super nice at Woodbury but what if it rains? Plus if you have 200+ people wedding, the cost adds up. Fox looked ok but the sales person turned me off A LOT! So, yes, we might have settled on some issues but def will be doing uplighting and chair covers and some extras to make NRC look to our taste...

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I attended a wedding recently at the visually appealing Calamiagos Ranch in the breathtaking Malibu mountains and fell in love with it instantly. It is the perfect place both for an intimate marriage as also for the big bash. The food is awesome, the location is picturesque, the service beyond compare.

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I haven't tried any of those, but the Cottage at East Wind, while it is far out there is $9,999.00 plus plus. If you have the ceremony there it will be extra, plus any upgrades you do of course.

I don't know if your date will be available, but you can try. We got lucky (feel bad though) as someone cancelled, that's how we got our date.

We also went to Mediterranean Manor, which while it's not our style did have a package at the time we viewed it.

The chairs are those bamboo looking ones that hurt your back. East Wind has normal dining room type chairs.

We went to a showcase at East Wind and the rumors are true - the food is fantastic.

Congrats and good luck venue hunting.