Does anyone have any Northern NJ Venue Reviews..

danielle60314

Hi everyone...

I was looking online at some Northern NJ Venues and was wondering if anyone had any reviews on the following venues:

Crystal Springs Country Club

Ravello's

Atrium Country Club

The Imperia on Easton

IL Tulipano

The Old Tappan Manor

I'm trying to narrow down my search so that I can start calling for appointments.

Any feedback you could give me on the above venues would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Thanks sooooo much!

divaesque130

Are you referring to the Atrium Country Club in West Orange, NJ?

danielle60314

@ Divaesque130.... Hi!!!!   Yes, That was the venue I was referring too.

jaz3088

I've only been to the Atrium for a party and the food wasn't that great. Maybe for a wedding they kick it up a little but it wasn't anything special to me.

My issues with Old Tappan Manor are that the cocktail area isn't that nice looking, the bridal suite looks like they just threw some old furniture in there and called it a day and the only bar in the place is in the main foyer area, none in the main ballroom  also $3000 deposit to keep your date on hold. 

danielle60314

OH WOW!!!! Thanks so much for all the information.. 

How do you have a wedding venue with one bar? LOL  That's not good! 

danielle60314

Thank you @letoy83...  Do you remember which space that was at Crystal Springs?

I know they have a few different buildings.

silver0319

@danielle60314‌ I got married a Black Bear Golf Club at Crystal Springs 2 1/2 months ago. I had a wonderful experience working with them; the food and service was outstanding. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

divaesque130

@danielle60314. Went to see The Atrium as quite a few people told me how nice it was. Unfortunately I wasn't impressed. Since I couldn't guarantee a minimum of 200 to use the large ballroom, I was quoted a price of $109.95 pp for a Saturday night in a room on the lower level. The room had a basement feel to me. No rest rooms on that level. Didn't have the intimate feel I was looking for. But the area for the cocktail hour was really nice. This is just my opinion but I hope it helps.

majesty318

danielle60314

We visited Atrium, Ravello, Old Tappan, & Il Tulipano although we didn't book any of them.

I thought Atrium looked dated and also agree with @divaesque130 regarding the basement feel. However, we were told we would have the whole venue to ourselves - the downstairs was for the ceremony and ballroom for reception. It looked like you get a lot for your money there but I think you would have to personally visit it to see if you liked the style.

Ravello's price was unreal - pretty sure we were quoted $100 pp for the 1st 100 guests and then even cheaper for any additional guests. The ballroom was pretty but my husband thought the lobby was really cramped. The cocktail room also looked cramped. And we hated that the outdoor ceremony space was across the parking lot so you'd all walk through the parking lot on the way back inside.

I loved Old Tappan. It was actually in our final 4. I disagree with @jaz3088 about the cocktail hour room. I thought it was quite pretty. And I think a lot of venues set up temporary bars in the main room during events so you might want to double check the bar thing. The reasons we didn't book there were the fact that you can't have the ceremony outside (although they are working with the town to start to allow this), the distance from where we live (in central NJ), and the fact that we got a better deal elsewhere. However, the guy there (Martin) was really helpful and definitely seemed willing to work with us, drop the price, add more stuff, etc.

I loved Il Tulipano. It made me cry. It was my dream venue. But not my dream price or dream date, plus my husband wasn't actually a huge fan. The venue is really modern and beautiful, and the guy there (Jacques) is so passionate about his job. I am sure he would have been great to work with. You get a ton of food there.

Not that you asked, but we ended up booking at the Knoll Country Club East, and I am beyond thrilled that we did. Our wedding was amazing and we got a great deal. Check it out and let me know if you want more info!

danielle60314

@majesty318.. THANK YOU.. THANK YOU.. THANK YOU!!

I so appreciate all your comments and reviews on venues etc. It is super helpful!!!  We have an appointment at Ravello's next week and also at another place.  I'm going to look into making an appointment for Knoll CC for sure. We also want to look at Crystal Springs too...

I thought Il Tulipano was really nice but, my fiancé didn't like it so I'm not sure if we will go visit.

@silver0319..THANK YOU!!!  Can I ask how many guests you had at your wedding? We aren't looking to have a huge wedding. I'm thinking that Black Bear is the smaller of the rooms? It looked really pretty and I also liked that guests can stay. Do they give a good rate for the rooms if you book your venue?? I'm originally from NY and most of my guests will be coming from there or a different state so hotel accom. are important.  

danielle60314

divaesque130   Thank you for the information.  It totally helped a lot!!   I liked the venue on line and we put it on our list to see but, I think we have a bunch that we liked more than the Atrium.  With your review and some others.. We may see all the others places and if need be.. We'll go visit the Atrium. 

divaesque130

@danielle60314 Good luck finding your venue. I'm so glad I have that out of the way.

danielle60314

@divaesque130... thank you!

silver0319

@danielle60314, Our top 2 choices were the Knoll West CC and Black Bear.  What we loved most about the Knoll West was the beautiful front "living room" area and Louis (catering sales).  The price that we got at Black Bear was unbelievable, and the venue itself was exactly what we were looking for.  

We had about 100 guests at our wedding.  I think the space can accommodate up to 180, but it was perfect for us.  We had 12 tables, ranging from 6-10 guests per table.  

Black Bear is about 15 minutes away Minerals Resort and Spa.  It is a separate property that is owned by Crystal Springs, just like Ballyowen.  The resort provided a shuttle bus for all of our hotel guests, and the room rates were a little bit less than booking without a group rate.  We had guests stay at Minerals and The Appalachian (condos near the ski resort).   Most of our guests were from OOT, so it was the perfect setup for our guests. As an added bonus, the slopes were open for their final weekend, the golf courses had their opening weekend, and the resort held their annual Food and Wine Festival, all in the same weekend as our wedding.  Our guests loved having so many things to do. 

danielle60314

@silver0319.. thank you for the feedback and information! I didn't realize all the Crystal Spring Resorts were separate and you needed a shuttle to get to each of them.  We are looking for a wedding similar to your size so perhaps looking at Black Bear would be a good idea. I see pictures of the room. Do they put chair covers on them or do they leave them uncovered? Were the rooms expensive for your guests?   I'm looking forward to seeing that venue.  It looks amazing online. I'm sure its just as gorgeous if not more so in person! Thank you for sharing with me!!

silver0319

@danielle60314‌ Crystal Springs has 4 properties that they use for weddings: Black Bear, Ballyowen, Minerals, and Crystal Springs (at Grand Cascades).

I don't know if they offer chair covers, but we also liked the chiavari chairs. Guest rooms started around $160, but it probably varies based on season. H and I got our room for free, which was awesome! 

amandaleigh2016

Does anybody have a recent price per person at black bear? i've seen everything from 65-110???