Venue search EEEEK

Original post by raooo

Oct 24, 2013 11:42 PM

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!!

CortneyAndKevin Posted: Nov 30, 2013 04:33 PM

Re: Venue search EEEEK

Posted by KimnAndy

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.

Chaz Posted: Nov 30, 2013 06:47 PM

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

Try the Inn at New Hyde Park. Definitely has the wow factor! :)

modernbride Posted: Mar 20, 2014 10:36 AM

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I had my reception at the North Ritz Club and the service was phenomenal. Our cocktail hour was both indoors and outdoors. We had a steel band entertain our guest in the patio area. Our guests raved about the service and food at our wedding. I have been to weddings at fox hollow, jericho terrace, NYIT de Serversky Mansion, Inn at New Hyde Park and a few others. They all have advantages and disadvantages. Consider service, decor, your theme, number of weddings at the venue (bathroom issues, crowds)and of course. We were able to add personal items and other decorative things around the hall because of the one event at at a time rule. My wow (dream)-factor was the Oheka Castle but that was out of my budget so my 1st choice was NRC

modernbride Posted: Mar 20, 2014 10:38 AM

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

ypharmacy Posted: Mar 20, 2014 06:00 PM

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

I went to a 15th bday party at the chateau briand and the cocktail hr was outside it was a beautiful set up only problem it was in July and it was 100 degrees outside and all I wanted to be was inside but had to tough it out for an hour. We enjoyed the indoor reception.

StarIzInkd Posted: Mar 20, 2014 06:13 PM

Venue search EEEEK - Long Island Weddings

FH and I went to Westbury Manor and had a tasting. The food was delicious. The price was over what was discussed on the phone though which annoyed me. The room was not for us but maybe for you based on your saying you want something 'homey' looking. It did have a warm, homely feel to it.
Went to a NYE gala at Fox Hollowthis past NYE and was very let down. The food was bland and they got my order wrong twice (after spending $600 for the package.. not very happy for what we got for our money) but maybe they do better for weddings. They ARE very popular so they must do something right.