Crystal Springs Resort

soco429

Has anyone had their wedding at any of their resorts?  Trying to choose between Ballyowen and Crystal Springs Resort.  Any input would be appreciated.

christineashley

My friends brother used to work there and he had said they "re-use" their food. So if someone had "un-touched" food, they would just reuse it for the next person who orders it. I wouldn't recommend it.

TaraK22

i just took FI to the Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs for his 30th bday...I thought it was fantastic...I did peek into what appeared to be the ballroom for their weddings when they were setting something up - and it looked nice, but haven't been to a wedding there so can't say for sure.

gymchick05

I live right next to both resorts. Crystal Springs is a very nice venue (Grand Cascades lodge), and we called there when we 1st got engaged just cause it was so close and convenient. They wanted $190pp for a Saturday evening in May/June, which although it is very nice, I though was very overpriced. We were over at the bar there one night when a wedding was going on, and what I didnt like what the cocktail hour room was right next to the bar and you could look in/or walk in and see everything. The guests all had to walk thru the bar to go to the reception room as well as the bride and groom. I like it more private. We are having our reception at the Hamilton Park Hotel and it is completely removed from the rest of the hotel/guests etc We are having our rehearsal dinner at Crystal Springs and the food is very good.


Ballyoween has beautiful grounds and views, but when we looked at it, it looked very small. I didnt think our 150 guests would fit. You also have to go outside to get to the bathrooms, which was a big no for me. I am also not sure if it is air conditioned.

Minerals resort also does weddings over in Vernon and pricing is more reasonable. It still has beautiful grounds.

GolfChick78

I also live close to them both (and have lost many a golf ball on each course).  They have beautiful settings and the food is very good, but they do seem a little over priced (IMO).  Certainly beyond our budget.  Black Bear is also owned by Crystal Springs and can be a little more moderately priced, but is still up there.

G&G2010

We got married at Crystal Springs Resort in August 2010 and were really happy with the venue. We looked at Ballyowen, but ultimately chose CSR because we preferred the style for us. I think Ballyowen is more rustic, whereas CSR is more elegant/traditional. Ballyowen's views are absolutely amazing and the place is gorgeous so I don't think you can go wrong with either place. A friend attended a wedding at Ballyowen and cannot stop raving about how beautiful it was. The only drawback of Ballyowen that I can remember is the floor--I think they have paver stones for the rustic look or something like that so I thought it would be difficult for women in heels to walk. 

We were really happy with CSR and would highly recommend it. We thought it was a little different than most of the other venues in North Jersey that we looked at because it was like a destination wedding without having to travel. We heard great things from our guests about how much they loved the venue & the food and many who had never been there before plan to return.  Several of our guests stayed at the Grand Cascades Lodge and we had a great time the next day at breakfast & by the pool recapping the night.  

The staff was professional, helpful and accommodating throughout the process. The sales department was a little difficult to reach initially, but once we booked, they were very cooperative. Our on-site coordinator at CSR, Peggy Serino, did a great job helping us to select the menu and was a huge help to us at our rehearsal dinner & on our wedding day. (If it wasn't for Peggy, our disastrous outside Day-Of-Coordinator vendor would have ruined our wedding, but I won't get into that in this post!)

Our ceremony was outside in the garden & the grounds were beautiful! We had the cocktail hour in the open-air rotunda at sunset and it overlooked the mountains. I have a large Italian family so food was very important--the quality and quantity--and CSR did great with both. Many, many of our guests mentioned that they really enjoyed the food.

Just in case you end up booking either venue, we had our rehearsal dinner outside in the Chef's Garden at The Grand Cascades Lodge (connected to CSR) and we LOVED it. It felt almost as if we were on vacation in Tuscany! The food was delicious, the staff was accommodating and the views were gorgeous. We had the entire place to ourselves (about 30 or so guests) and they let us stay long after dinner was over. We even brought supplies to make s'mores by the fire pits afterward and had such a great time there the night before the wedding with close family & friends. We would love to host another occasion at the Chef's Garden because we absolutely loved it!

Ultimately, both places were more than we wanted to spend, but both were well worth it! Good luck and I think you will be happy with either Ballyowen or CSR!
 
Feel free to PM me if you need more info or want to see pics. Here's a link to our same-day edit video.    
http://www.cinemacake.com/video/gina-and-gregs-same-day-edit/

gymchick05

G&G- can you PM me who you use for DOC? I was considering one and want to make sure I dont end up w/ someone like that. Thanks so much!

USER876

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_crystal-springs-resort-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:45e55ecb-68c7-456f-83c3-89d9efcf9eaePost:a5162243-2be9-4277-9d34-83450616d5c2">Re: Crystal Springs Resort</a>:
[QUOTE]My friends brother used to work there and he had said they "re-use" their food. So if someone had "un-touched" food, they would just reuse it for the next person who orders it. I wouldn't recommend it.
Posted by christineashley[/QUOTE]


I am pretty sure that falls under the category of ILLEGAL

jchristel

I wanted to look there but found coordinating a simple appointment was a nightmare.  For some reason you have to call the main office and then that person contacts each of their venues separately.  After about 8 phone calls and going back and forth I gave up. 

G&G2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_crystal-springs-resort-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:45e55ecb-68c7-456f-83c3-89d9efcf9eaePost:d396c99f-3ca3-4a37-85ad-83c16e731cfa">Re: Crystal Springs Resort</a>:
[QUOTE]G&G- can you PM me who you use for DOC? I was considering one and want to make sure I dont end up w/ someone like that. Thanks so much!
Posted by gymchick05[/QUOTE]

Gymchick-I sent you a PM with the details.

If anyone else is interested, I used Stacey Kallenberg from As You Wish Events as a DOC and I would NOT recommend her. She was unprofessional, inexperienced and lazy. I would be happy to provide further details to whomever is interested.  

soco429

Thank you sooo much for your help (especially G& G). We have a second appointment this Thursday with my parents!  Can't wait.

elc204

does anyone know what the Saturday night prices are off season, like in November? 

taramazing123

@ $110 I think.