Venue Opinions? Florentine Gardens, Park Savoy, Crystal Plaza, etc.

CallaLily25

This is our list right now of places that we'd like to see. Does anyone have any "insider perspective" on these venues? Heard anything, visited, attended a wedding, or had their wedding there? We're from PA, so we're trying to consolidate our list as much as possible.

We plan on having a November 2014 wedding and about 200 people. Each venue is about an hour away for our PA guests, so we're hoping we pick a venue that makes it "worthwhile" haha for some of our guests to travel.

Thank you!

1. Estate at Florentine Gardens
2. Crystal Plaza
3. The Park Savoy
4. Westmount Country Club
5. The Palace at Somerset Park

meccaqt99

We booked our wedding at the Palace for November 2013. Melanie was great to work with so far. She responds quickly to emails and is very knowledgable about the venue. We won't go for our tasting until the spring but every other vendor we've booked with has raved about how great they are to work with and how professional they are.

aracely1234

I'm having my wedding at the crystal plaza in June. It is a very nice place. I heard great things about them.

tth14

Westmount was beautiful, but a bit too modern for me personally; felt like a nyc club..... also the guy who showed us around completely turned us off

florentine was one of our top three.. although, the ballroom was probably my favorite .. i wasn't a fan of anything else there.

we just booked park savoy and could not be happier!! 

i've been to crystal plaza, and it's beautiful.. so classy.  i haven't been to palace but i heard great things!

SewInLoveWithDMB

I've been to events at Park Savoy, Westmount and Palace at Somerset.

Food at Park Savoy was by far the best. Food was actually pretty amazing there. I don't think they are inexpensive, however.  The grounds are pretty if you have a nice day with the decks and the fountain/pond area. I think the bathrooms are on the second floor though (unless this was changed in the recent renovations)

Westmount, to me, feels very impersonal (but might be the least expensive? We were given a pretty decent price for September/October 2013) Also, my high school used the Westmount for events and to me, I see it as that, and not a wedding venue. 

Palace was meh. It was fine, food was fine, but nothing to brag about or woudln't care if I ever went back. Some of FI's family members actually still talk about how they did not like the food there at all. To me it was fine, but not outstanding.  (Food is not super important to me though)  FI and I did go to the wrong side of the building and into the wrong wedding upon our arrival though. There is a man standing in the driveway as you pull up and we did not stop to talk to him, drove to what we thought was the entrance, only to find out that none of the name tags or guests were anyone we knew.  Got back in the car, asked the valet guys and drove around to the other side of the building. Oops.

littlekik

We booked The Palace for 2014 and just love the professionalism of the entire place. Every time I e-mail with a question they are so quick to respond and that is one of the most important things.  Park Savoy is BEAUTIFUL and we love Florentine but it was to far away for us.   GOod luck!!

ljsquintz

We looked at the Palace in October 2011 for our October 2012 wedding.  We did not end up booking there simply because we liked another venue better.  This was our second choice though.  Here are what I consider the pros and cons:

Pros - Beautiful inside with tasteful decor (not overly ornate or cheesy), fabulous (read: HUGE) bridal suite, tons of food including a ridiculous dessert hour, responsive sales staff, close to a number of hotels, wedding cake is included and the options included are elaborate

Cons - outside is stark white and that was cold to me, they host more than one wedding at the same time (although they are on separate sides of the building, that was still not enough separation for me), no great outdoor space for pictures (or indoors, for that matter), pay extra for color linens

I believe we also met with Melanie and she is the saleperson, and our interaction with her felt very sales-y.  I work in events so I felt that right away and for some reason it didn't quite sit right with me.  We did negotiate pricing with them, so try that.  If you haven't seen it in person yet, it's definitely worth checking out. Good luck!

Giaspo

I'm a little late here... we got married at the Palace and loved it for two main reasons: 1) the decor (we actually loved the clean lines as it went with our "Romantic Chic" theme) and 2) the food and ability to customize the menu. 

My H is a foodie and this was our #1 priority... many of the other places didn't include things like filet and lobster without an upcharge.  Justin, the main chef, was amazing and worked closely with H to make sure everything we wanted was included. 

I was worried about photos but our photographer found tons of great places to take them.  If you'd like to see pics and/or our video, just send me a PM.  Happy to share!

lrc221

I got married at Florentine and highly recommend it.  The ballroom is gorgeous with floor to ceiling windows all around allowing the twinkling lights from outside to shine thru.  They treat you very well there and the food is excellent.  You do pay a price there but what you get is worth it.

Westmount is very nice as well...food is great.  However, I agree with pp in that it has more of a modern, nyc lounge feel.  If thats your style, then great. Also, i was totally turned off by the salesman we met with.

The Palace is also nice but personally i dont think its on the same level as florentine and westmount.  The food was good and the inside was pretty.  The exterior does have a "cold" look to it and i felt it was oddly placed within a corporate park with all office buildings around.

I havent been to either the Crystal Plaza or Park Savoy but heard good things.  Another beautiful venue you may want to check out is the Rockleigh.

CallaLily25

Thank you so much for the amazing responses! This is extremely helpful!

Tcullari

 

As a finance guy, naturally I took charge of the financial planning for our wedding. Just got engaged in July, and we have already seen much of the top NJ venues, and also have attended many weddings. In my professional opinion, the Park Savoy doesn’t make any financial sense whatsoever. You can get the Pleasantdale Chateau for exactly the same prices that Park Savoy is asking, and if you’ve been doing your homework, you’d know the Pleasantdale blows it away tenfold. First off, Pleasantdale is an actual mansion, where as Park Savoy looks like an old colonial home that could belong to a grandma. Second, the minute you drive up to the Pleasantdale, you feel like your about enter some place grand, whereas the Park Savoy is right on a road next to SIMILAR HOUSES (it could pass for a funeral home). And thirdly, if I was going to compare Park Savoy to their sister joint, Nanina’s, Nanina’s is far more fancy and actually cheaper (again, makes no sense, and when I asked why Nanina’s is cheaper they told me it’s due to location).  I was in shock, and to be frank I could care less about that “antique charm” stuff and am trying to convince my fiancé to go with the Grove- the place is pristine and brand-spankin' new and Jimmy Gutentag seemed like my kind of guy, runs a tight ship, but of course I want to make my fiancé happy so I have to entertain venues like Park Savoy and Pleasantdale.  So, in conclusion, if you are about to invest a great deal of money on a wedding and your like my fiancé who like that old world charm, go with Pleasantdale because you’re not saving a dollar with the Park Savoy, even though it looks like you did to your guests.. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

gelaine22

Tcullari said:

 

As a finance guy, naturally I took charge of the financial
planning for our wedding. Just got engaged in July, and we have already seen
much of the top NJ venues, and also have attended many weddings. In my
professional opinion, the Park Savoy doesn’t make any financial sense
whatsoever. You can get the Pleasantdale Chateau for exactly the same prices
that Park Savoy is asking, and if you’ve been doing your homework, you’d know
the Pleasantdale blows it away tenfold. First off, Pleasantdale is an actual
mansion, where as Park Savoy looks like an old colonial home that could belong
to a grandma. Second, the minute you drive up to the Pleasantdale, you feel
like your about enter some place grand, whereas the Park Savoy is right on a
road next to SIMILAR HOUSES (it could pass for a funeral home). And thirdly, if
I was going to compare Park Savoy to their sister joint, Nanina’s, Nanina’s is
far more fancy and actually cheaper (again, makes no sense, and when I asked
why Nanina’s is cheaper they told me it’s due to location).  I was in shock, and to be frank I could care
less about that “antique charm” stuff and am trying to convince my fiancé to go
with the Grove- the place is pristine and brand-spankin' new and Jimmy Gutentag
seemed like my kind of guy, runs a tight ship, but of course I want to make my fiancé
happy so I have to entertain venues like Park Savoy and Pleasantdale.  So, in conclusion, if you are about to invest
a great deal of money on a wedding and your like my fiancé who like that old
world charm, go with Pleasantdale because you’re not saving a dollar with the
Park Savoy, even though it looks like you did to your guests.. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I was just married at the Grove last weekend. They did a PHENOMENAL job!!! They exceeded all of out expectations and the food was just amazing!!

LissyM83

Our wedding was at Florentine Gardens and we were beyond thrilled with the quality of service and food. Everything was perfect on our wedding day - I can't say enough good things about the place!

CallaLily25

Tcullari said:

 

As a finance guy, naturally I took charge of the financial planning for our wedding. Just got engaged in July, and we have already seen much of the top NJ venues, and also have attended many weddings. In my professional opinion, the Park Savoy doesn’t make any financial sense whatsoever. You can get the Pleasantdale Chateau for exactly the same prices that Park Savoy is asking, and if you’ve been doing your homework, you’d know the Pleasantdale blows it away tenfold. First off, Pleasantdale is an actual mansion, where as Park Savoy looks like an old colonial home that could belong to a grandma. Second, the minute you drive up to the Pleasantdale, you feel like your about enter some place grand, whereas the Park Savoy is right on a road next to SIMILAR HOUSES (it could pass for a funeral home). And thirdly, if I was going to compare Park Savoy to their sister joint, Nanina’s, Nanina’s is far more fancy and actually cheaper (again, makes no sense, and when I asked why Nanina’s is cheaper they told me it’s due to location).  I was in shock, and to be frank I could care less about that “antique charm” stuff and am trying to convince my fiancé to go with the Grove- the place is pristine and brand-spankin' new and Jimmy Gutentag seemed like my kind of guy, runs a tight ship, but of course I want to make my fiancé happy so I have to entertain venues like Park Savoy and Pleasantdale.  So, in conclusion, if you are about to invest a great deal of money on a wedding and your like my fiancé who like that old world charm, go with Pleasantdale because you’re not saving a dollar with the Park Savoy, even though it looks like you did to your guests..

@Tcullari

This was an old post of mine, and we actually decided on the Park Savoy for a variety of reasons. I can understand your personal preference for Pleastandale, but what I don't understand is why you think Park Savoy and Pleasantdale are the same price? I've gotten quotes for both, and Pleasantdale would've been about $100pp more for a Saturday night in November. I think Pleasantdale is beautiful, but $100pp more is not a small price difference to me. So, I don't appreciate that you assumed I "haven't been doing my homework," when in fact it seems like you haven't.

AshleyNicole1218

@callalily25
That exact post was posted in reply to several different threads...I wouldn't take it personal. I think it's just someone with their own agenda, for whatever reason...

CallaLily25

@AshleyNicole1218 Thank you for letting me know that! I was so confused as to why he would write that just to me, haha.

AshleyNicole1218

@callalily25 no problem!

lnic86

hello i am new to the know i just got engaged last weeek!!!! I have no idea what I am doing, or where to start! :-) where did you end up booking/ do you starting prices for any of those places, IN PARTICULAR the estate at florentine gardens!! thanks~!!!!

ctr24

lnic86 you're better off starting a new thread as this one is almost a year old. If you include budget and number of guests, people can provide more useful suggestions. 

CallaLily25

lnic86

I agree, it might be better to start a new thread, but I ended up going with the Park Savoy. Florentine Gardens was a close second. I'm getting married in November on a Saturday, and we were able to lock in the 2013 pricing. Park Savoy and Florentine Gardens were pretty comparable price-wise... about $195 pp with tax. The prices have definitely gone up since I booked, though. Also, if you're thinking of getting married in the summer or in a popular fall month like September, it will definitely be more. Probably $220++ pp. 

Both venues are beautiful, have nice grounds for photos, and offer a ton of food!

Michele1114

Park Savoy had us practically run out the door.  They quoted us over $300 pp for a Saturday night in April.  Ridiculous.  Nanina's in the Park was one of our top favorites and that is their other venue.  Much more reasonable and they give a lot.