The Water's Edge - LONG ISLAND CITY, NY - PLEASE READ
(I put this posting up a few months ago, but wanted to benefit other brides planning their weddings and warn them about my experience with this venue).
It has taken me almost a month to work up the courage to write my wedding day experience.
The Water’s Edge, is now under new management/owners AFTER we signed our contract last year to have our wedding there. Many things were promised to us by the previous owners that we never received during the switchover.
We arrived at the Water’s Edge on the day of our wedding with our wedding party ready to celebrate.
The gifts that were handed to us were transferred to our bridal suite throughout the night until the end of the wedding celebration where many gifts were put on our table and never brought to the bridal suite (which by the way does not lock).
Exactly at midnight when the wedding ended, we had numerous first hand accounts from a few of our friends who saw about 25 envelopes and a small red box (I think a Macy’s jewelry box) still sitting on our bride and groom table. During the chaos of the wedding ending, and half the guests being ushered to the after party boat cruise, we forgot about the gifts that were left on our table while we went on the boat ride. From that point on, those 25 envelopes and red box with cash in it were never found again.
On a separate issue, two of my bridesmaid’s and the groom’s mother were ASSURED by our Maitre d that we would have access to the Bridal Suite upon our return which was at 2am. Upon returning to the venue, my husband and I were shocked when we found ALL of our personal belongings (veil, shoes, makeup, bags, purses, and what we had of the GIFTS) on a push cart sitting in a hallway on the lower level of the venue with nobody watching it. So long story short our personal stuff was picked up, picked through and brought down to a high traffic area without anyone standing with our belongings. Thinking we had everything, we loaded up our limo and headed to our hotel.
The next day, after a long night and a morning Brunch, we were finally able to open our gifts at 5pm Saturday, (day after our wedding). To our dismay about
1/3 of our gifts were missing. We knew we would have some people who would order off the registry and/ or mail us gifts in a few months, but 1/3 seemed like a very large amount to be missing. After making a separate list of who we did not receive gifts from, we realized that many of the people on this list physically handed us gifts.
We knew we had to make a decision before our gifts were put into the wrong hands and as humiliating as it was, literally called every single person we did not receive a gift from, asking them if they did hand us an envelope, get their story and kindly ask that they cancel their checks.
We then proceeded to call the venue and tell them what happened. The coordinator assured us everything would be okay, and agreed to show us the surveillance tapes so we could see firsthand what happened to the red box and envelopes.
We offered to come to the Water’s Edge and sift through the trash for our missing gifts (what we estimated were around $5,000 in cash and checks) a few hours before we left for our honeymoon, just in case they had been thrown out by mistake. We were denied access, and were blatantly told ‘none of the Water’s Edge staff would throw out such a large amount of envelopes and a jewelry box.’ We TOLD the Water’s Edge that we unfortunately will not be around for 2 weeks (as hard as it was for us to leave), but that the groom’s parents would be calling to schedule an appointment to watch the tapes so we all could have peace of mind and TRY to get to the bottom of the mystery as to where the gifts went, knowing they never made it from the bride and groom table to the Bridal Suite.
The banquet manager agreed to comply and meet with our parents while we were away. My husband’s parents called the Water’s Edge trying to set up a time to watch the tapes but had a very difficult time getting in touch with the manager. A severe lack of customer service and callbacks were to blame for the more than 2 week time lapse for scheduling a few minutes to look at the tapes that had recorded the bride/groom table the entire night. The way that our family was treated regarding this serious issue was a complete joke and outright wrong. I am appalled at how this was all handled, especially after spending so much of our hard earned money to have our wedding here. I felt that we were owed respect and courtesy, NONE of which were received.
My husband and I were on our way to the venue for our scheduled appointment to view the tapes and literally 15 minutes before, we received a call saying the tapes had been deleted. The call was from someone that we had never dealt with before. We still proceeded to the Water's Edge, and after a hysterical breakdown (from yours truly), we were treated with the outmost disrespect and the venue having no wrongdoing.
I can’t explain what I think of when I think of my wedding day, but imagine a crime being committed on what is supposed to be the most memorable night of your life. The Water’s Edge has been so awful to us and our family since our wedding night that we are shocked and angry; and never want anyone to experience what we did. From managers blatantly telling us to sue them if we are insinuating that one of their employees did something with the envelopes, to not calling us back. The only way we are going to get over this is to put this behind us, but not until as many people as possible know about what we went through with this venue. If we didn’t do this, it would be an injustice to other people getting married at the Water’s Edge.
Even though writing this was somewhat therapeutic, the only advice I can offer if you are getting married at the Water’s Edge is to WATCH YOUR BELONGINGS because you never know who will touch them without your permission. Surveillance tapes were deleted after they knew we had gifts missing from their venue. Our only assumption is that there was something on those tapes the venue did not want us to see.
The Waters Edge says that we could pay an outside company $1200-2500 to ‘recover’ the surveillance tapes (which we cannot afford to do). They should have saved the video recordings from our wedding night immediately after we called about the stolen/misplaced envelopes; there is no excuse for them not doing that. At the very least, it would have shed light as to what happened, absolving the venue of any wrongdoing, and not having such an angry customer along with a few hundred guests who know how we were treated.
All I can do is keep thinking positive thoughts and look at the pictures I took before this crime was committed and my day was ruined.
Re: The Water's Edge - LONG ISLAND CITY, NY - PLEASE READ
Ellie
Once you file the complaint, a detective will be assigned. (this will take a week) The detective will go out to Water's Edge and see if there is a tape. If he can tell TARU the tape exists, TARU will come out and get it.
Most owners of cameras know how long their memory is stored for before it gets erased. They viewed the tape, saw that it WAS one of their employees (either stealing or being negligent) and then pushed you and your parents off for the meeting until the tape was deleted.
DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS. SUE THEM CIVILLY TOO. They will settle with you and give you some money because it costs them at least a grand to pay a lawyer.
OH and put up a BAD review on Wedding Wire .com
Thanks again everyone and please share my story with anyone wanting to have a wedding at this place.
You don't have any kind of lawsuit, it was your responsibility to keep these things in a safe place, you didn't. You want to place all the blame on the hall but you have nobody to blame but yourself.
How do you know it was staff and not one of your guests. you don;t
Live and learn.