New Jersey

The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion

I visited the Manor the other night and loved it. But my mom said it smelled mildwey to her..I didn't really notice it. She said she wants to take a look at the Highlawn Pavilion and we're going to check it out on Sunday. How do they compare, inside and outside? Does anyone have any pros and cons on both places? I would love everyones opinions (postive and negative!)
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Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion

  • Reilly626Reilly626 member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011

    Im not a fan of The Manor either, but the problem with the Highlawn Pav is the room, half your guests wont be able to see the festivities as its an odd shaped room. What about Mayfair Farms in that area? We liked that one better than the other 2 you mentioned.

  • edited December 2011
    I have to agree with Reilly, while Highlawn Pavillon has awesome food, the room is shaped like a T.  I guess it would be okay if you had a smaller wedding and also the cocktail hour room is really small.  We are getting married at Valley Regency which is close to there!
  • edited December 2011
    Both places you guys mentioned look veryyy pretty. What are the price ranges for those places?..if you don't mind me asking. That was one thing I liked about both the Manor and the Highlawn..they were in my price range.
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  • vanillaxsugavanillaxsuga member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    giantsgirl, I sent you a PM if you could take a look
  • ginabean82ginabean82 member
    Knottie Warrior 100 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    We checked out both, and honestly, we chose The Manor.  I didn't smell a mildewy smell.  We chose it, not only for their food (which is really good, and gets really good reviews), but also because we thought the outside was beautiful, and we liked the glass cocktail hour room.  What we didn't like about Highlawn Pavilion was the weird shape room (shaped like a T), how wedding guests and customers of the restaurant came in threw the same door (you have to pretty much walk through the restaurant to get to the reception), and the outside ceremony site was near the main road (Cars could drive past as you are getting married).  But I suggest checking it out for your self!
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  • edited December 2011
    We looked at a ton of places (weirdly we didn't see The Manor but just about every other place in the area) and were about to book another venue when we found Highlawn. The t-shaped room might be tough for some but it didn't really bother us - we are having around 110 people and hope most people will be up and dancing during the night. There are some things that some brides won't like - they don't offer tastings (although they give you a gift certificate for the restaurant when you book) or cake tastings, but they've been very easy to work with and gave us a really great package. I hope this helps. I'm happy to answer more questions if you have any!
  • edited December 2011
    I like the Madison or Mayfair Farms. They are in the area and are nice also. I would check out the Highlawn so you can compare for yourself.
  • edited December 2011
    im getting married at the manor in june 2012!! the inside is a little dated! but the gardens and fountains are FAB! esp. for pictures!! =)
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  • edited December 2011
    We're getting married at the Highlawn Pavilion next weekend and it works for us!  We're having just under 100 people and my mom thinks that our elderly guests will be happy to be slightly removed from the noise from the dance floor.  I completely understand that the T shape doesn't work for everyone but knwooing our families and since we're having a relatively small number of guests we were happy with it since the food is amazing.  Growing up in Montclair we would go eat there often and I've always loved the food.  People I know who have been married there and gone to weddings there have always had nothing but good things to say so we're excited to celebrate our wedding there!  Our officiant, April Beer, was married there herself and loved it!
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  • edited December 2011
    I have had many events at both places.  Agree about the shape of the room at the high lawn.  Food is the same, so if you like it at one you will like it at the other, if you dislike it at one, well, you will dislike it at the other.

    The other advantage of the highlawn is that it's not as much a wedding factory.  The manor has valet parking issues when multiple events start and end at the same time (we've waited up to 30 minutes to get the car parked), I have not experienced this at the highlawn.
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  • Em72653Em72653 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I haven't visited The Manor but I booked my wedding at the Highlawn. At first I didn't like the "T" shaped room but the event manager suggested that we put the younger crowd off to the sides for dinner since they will be the ones mostly on the dance floor throughout the night and almost all my friends and I have degrees in dance from college so I knew that was a great idea for us.

    The food is amazing and was nice that they gave us gift certificates to try the food right after we booked them. I didn't sweat too much about not having a cake tasting because I'm sure it will be great. Plus, they threw in the Viennese table for free so there will be other desserts there as well.

    They are very easy to work with which I love! Got a great deal on the menu and they are including some ethnic foods for us from both of our heritages. And plus I love that it isn't a wedding factory, only 1 wedding at a time and the view is spectacular! :)

    Sorry I don't have any comments on The Manor but good luck! :)

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  • Em72653Em72653 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:9df45237-dc47-49b6-91d9-e5af4197834d">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]I haven't visited The Manor but I booked my wedding at the Highlawn. At first I didn't like the "T" shaped room but the event manager suggested that we put the younger crowd off to the sides for dinner since they will be the ones mostly on the dance floor throughout the night and almost all my friends and I have degrees in dance from college so I knew that was a great idea for us. The food is amazing and was nice that they gave us gift certificates to try the food right after we booked them. I didn't sweat too much about not having a cake tasting because I'm sure it will be great. Plus, they threw in the Viennese table for free so there will be other desserts there as well. They are very easy to work with which I love! Got a great deal on the menu and they are including some ethnic foods for us from both of our heritages. And plus I love that it isn't a wedding factory, only 1 wedding at a time and the view is spectacular! :) Sorry I don't have any comments on The Manor but good luck! :)
    Posted by Em72653[/QUOTE]

    Oh and we are also having about 180 guests so the fact that most of the guests wont be able to see the dancefloor is actually kinda cool because that will motivate them to get up and be part of the party! We will be having tables set up in the cocktail room which will be open throughout the night so that if people want to sit but watch they can choose to sit there and still see everything.

    As you can tell, I really like this place, lol!
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  • SmidgerSmidger member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We're getting married at The Manor July 30th. We were actually just there last weekend doing our menu and cake. For the amount of times I've been there in the last year, I've never smelled mildew. If we had, I'm sure we wouldn't have booked it. When we looked, we went to Mayfair Farms and The Manor back to back. Both have great reputations and give you a lot for your money. We went with The Manor because in comparison, we felt that Mayfair was extremely dated inside. We also felt that the outside grounds at The Manor were way better. We didn't look at Highlawn for the same reason most PP's have mentioned...the room shape seems to be an issue for a lot of people who are having weddings on the larger side. I've only heard good things though about Highlawn's service and food. It seems like no matter which place you choose you really can't go wrong.

    Good luck with your decision! =)
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  • cindyn9178cindyn9178 member
    1000 Comments 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    We also didn't like the T shape at the Highlawn. Also, remember that if it is a cloudy/rainy day, there won't be much of a view outside of those windows. We were there on a cloudy day and there was a ton of fog, so you couldn't see anything at all.
    I've been to the Manor a couple times never smelled anything, but we did smell mildew at Mayfair Farms as soon as we walked in.
  • edited December 2011
    I wasn't a fan of either place- Higlawns T and tiny bridal prep room pretty much nixed it for me and I did notice the mildew smell at The Manor as soon as I pulled open the door. I did think the exterior was lovely and Higlawn has some incredible views. Both are owned by the same family so I'd assume the quality is strong for both places!
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  • Em72653Em72653 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:8c82fde5-8bdf-40ea-a285-b8b3a8ca380a">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]I wasn't a fan of either place- Higlawns T and tiny bridal prep room pretty much nixed it for me and I did notice the mildew smell at The Manor as soon as I pulled open the door. I did think the exterior was lovely and Higlawn has some incredible views. Both are owned by the same family so I'd assume the quality is strong for both places!
    Posted by TripleJTobe[/QUOTE]

    I wasn't fond of the Highlawn's Bridal Room, rather Bridal hole because its so tiny so I requested their wine celler room, all the way downstairs, which is soooo sweet and spacious for us to hang out in during cocktail hour. They were totally fine with our request and didn't have to put money down on it or anything! :)
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:fa59a2d4-3e8d-4a5b-811c-52e671ee8373">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion : I wasn't fond of the Highlawn's Bridal Room, rather Bridal hole because its so tiny so I requested their wine celler room, all the way downstairs, which is soooo sweet and spacious for us to hang out in during cocktail hour. They were totally fine with our request and didn't have to put money down on it or anything! :)
    Posted by Em72653[/QUOTE]

    That's pretty neat! Yeah that bridal room was insanely small! Good thinking requesting the wine cellar!!
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  • edited December 2011
    Thanks for all the info!! =)
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  • bling81bling81 member
    Third Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I have been to the Manor on several occasions.  I love the buffet but think the weddings are just awful.  It is a beautiful place, but the weddings are not special.  HP is same owners and looks as if it would be a bit more intimate. 
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:1a35c84f-5fcf-480e-9a3b-c45941edd60d">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]I love the buffet but think the weddings are just awful.  It is a beautiful place, but the weddings are not special.
    Posted by bling81[/QUOTE]

    I love your honesty!
  • bling81bling81 member
    Third Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:1bfbeaf1-0477-4b94-9f42-b374f3283b26">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion : I love your honesty!
    Posted by 37 Butter Knives[/QUOTE]

    <div>
    </div><div>I must look terrible-lol! I come on this board and say that about The Manor.  I really do think it is the most beautiful place and want to love it more than anything for a wedding.  However, I was there for a wedding not that long ago and heard the coordinator tell the photographer that their 15 minutes was up (when referring to them taking pics outside) and it just left a bad impression.  Also, I don't like how you have to walk through the ballroom to get to the cocktail hour (which was tooooo tight!).</div><div>
    </div><div>Love it for dinner though!  </div><div>
    </div><div>Thanks!</div>
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:eec0ed1a-6601-4061-bb99-5a09d1540107">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion : I must look terrible-lol! I come on this board and say that about The Manor.  I really do think it is the most beautiful place and want to love it more than anything for a wedding.  <strong>However, I was there for a wedding not that long ago and heard the coordinator tell the photographer that their 15 minutes was up (when referring to them taking pics outside) and it just left a bad impression. </strong> <strong>Also, I don't like how you have to walk through the ballroom to get to the cocktail hour (which was tooooo tight!). </strong>Love it for dinner though!   Thanks!
    Posted by bling81[/QUOTE]
    Perhaps the coordinator said that becaues there was another wedding about to take place outdoors or in the room overlooking the gardens?  Or perhaps the photographer got started late?  You can't make judgements when you don't know all the facts.   I was at a wedding there recently and they had TONS of time to take pictures outdoors.  Also, one of the good things about The Manor is that despite the fact that they do multiple weddings at a time, they do everything in their power to ensure brides and guests from different weddings don't run into one another unless, of course, they're using the bathroom at the same time.

    What room are you talking about, by the way?  The two upstairs rooms have completely separate areas for the CH and the seated dinner and they have separate entrances... there's absolutely no reason for guests to walk through either of those two ballrooms in order to enter the CH unless they were misdirected by someone or the bride and groom decided to set their room(s) up in such a way that the main CH entrance was blocked.
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  • edited December 2011
    We didn't consider either, but I've been to both, so I'll add my impressions.

    My best friend got married at The Manor six years ago.  I remember it being beautiful inside and out and that the food was decent. Unfortunately, that was a while back, so probably not too helpful :P

    Another friend just got married at the HP and I wasn't impressed at all.  The cocktail hour room was WAY too small for the amount of guests they had, plus the food was barely replenished, so it looked empty and dead by the time half of the guests were done serving themselves.  There were two table set up on the dance floor and the MD literally moved the table out from under us as we were eating in order to switch it over for dinner.  The bridal prep room was literally a converted closet and was terrible.  I didn't like the T-shape room, but that works for some.  I know my friend hated his MD and felt like she was barely helpful all night.  The wedding itself was beautiful, and you can't beat the view, but I wasn't impressed by the HP overall.
  • bling81bling81 member
    Third Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    The room was the Virginian.  Beautiful room, but didn't like walking through the ballroom to get to the cocktail hour.  Also, the cocktail hour menu is VERY limited.  The CH room was extremely tight and there was not a place to sit.  I do not like that.  
    The Virginian is a beautiful room, but I felt that they put way too many people in there.  There were about 150/160 people and it was so crowded and uncomfortable, not much room for dancing.  Food-not so great.  Although, I love the buffet. 
    There were many weddings going on.  I had been interested in the place, I asked if I would be able to rent out the The Dome for an after party.  They said that they do not do that, especially since there is always at least 3 weddings going on.  Sometimes 4.  
    In regards to the photos, the one photographer made a comment that there is never enough time to take all the photos. 
  • edited December 2011
    I've been to a wedding at both The Manor and the Highlawn Pavillion and prefer the food at the Manor and the decor/view of the Highlawn. 

    I too visited the Manor with my mother and we both smelled the strong smell of mildew in the downstairs rooms which was a shame since we've enjoyed going there for their buffet for years. I also don't like the rooms because they of the faux windows and the old world decor. However there was one room, I believe it was called the Imperial room(?) that was nearly all  glass, upstairs and was very pretty, had lots of windows and smelled just fine but required more people than we had planned to invite.

    Some factors you may want to consider are the time of year too. Hands down, the Manor is perfect if you're getting married in the winter, it is SO charming around Christmastime, they do a great job and the decor (which I normally don't care for) really makes it feel special and quaint. 

    The Highlawn on the other hand  has a newer, Tuscan look and feel and has a nice, unobstructed view of the city which is really pretty from the room at night, however, the room layout is really awkward, T-shaped I believe, so the dancing situation was weird. The outside ceremony area is small but pretty, I wouldn't consider it if I had more than 100 people tops or else the chairs would end up in the parking lot. We were left underwhelmed. 


  • edited December 2011
    Thanks for the info! I ended up choosing The Manor. We went back for a second look, and too see if we smelled mildew! But smelled nothing! I never did, but my mom said she didnt notice it this time either. I'm actually taking the downstairs room, and heard they put in new rug and dancefloor..so maybe thats why it smells fine? I'm not sure..but I knew once I saw that room again today that it was the right choice. :)
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:576d1222-9126-4d37-ad18-6a2e9d8c1776">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]Thanks for the info! I ended up choosing The Manor. We went back for a second look, and too see if we smelled mildew! But smelled nothing! I never did, but my mom said she didnt notice it this time either. I'm actually taking the downstairs room, and heard they put in new rug and dancefloor..so maybe thats why it smells fine? I'm not sure..but I knew once I saw that room again today that it was the right choice. :)
    Posted by mfarl007[/QUOTE]
    Congrats!  I'm getting married upstairs in the Imperial room in just under a month.  I don't know what smell everyone has been talking about is as I've been there tons of times and never once smelled mildew... if I had, there's no way we would have chosen it as our venue, especially because I didn't even want to check it out to begin with and went in with a sour attitude expecting to hate the place. 

    I think one of the things everyone needs to remember is that so much of the experience a guest has at a wedding is dependent upon the couple getting married, the number of guests they have, and the vendors.  Some vendors get along better with certain venues than others and too large of a guest list can cause problems in any space.

    Oh, and for the record, their catering menu (especially for cocktail hour) is one of the most extensive we saw out of all the venues we visited... and they're MORE than happy to adjust the menu to your exact liking (something that many other venues wouldn't even consider doing even for an extra cost).
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:b4d9c2db-b2ab-450e-b434-72d7f6601cd6">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]The room was the Virginian.  Beautiful room, but didn't like walking through the ballroom to get to the cocktail hour.  Also, the cocktail hour menu is VERY limited.  The CH room was extremely tight and there was not a place to sit.  I do not like that.   The Virginian is a beautiful room, but I felt that they put way too many people in there.  There were about 150/160 people and it was so crowded and uncomfortable, not much room for dancing.  Food-not so great.  Although, I love the buffet.  There were many weddings going on.  I had been interested in the place, I asked if I would be able to rent out the The Dome for an after party.  They said that they do not do that, especially since there is always at least 3 weddings going on.  Sometimes 4.   In regards to the photos, the one photographer made a comment that there is never enough time to take all the photos. 
    Posted by bling81[/QUOTE]
    Funny.  I attended a wedding just last year in that exact room and never once set foot into the ballroom until the cocktail hour was over even when I had to leave the CH room for a minute to go to the bathroom in the main area. 

    I guess when you say "many" weddings, you mean 3 since that's the maximum number of weddings they generally have at a time as they only have 3 ballrooms.

    Also funny, because they definitely do rent out The Dome for after parties.  In fact, one knottie who got married at The Manor in October had her after party in The Dome and I don't believe they charged her (Tara - are you still around?).

    The CH menu is actually quite extensive and they are more than willing to add items, change items, etc.  We're making tons of changes to our CH menu to incorporate food from both of our cultures and The Manor staff has been incredibly accommodating; however, the standard CH menu is about three pages long to begin with, so even without the changes we were blown away by the amount of food that was offered. 
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  • bling81bling81 member
    Third Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_manor-vs-highlawn-pavilion-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:4cccb505-9cc9-45f5-a520-629f943d9513Post:39a306cf-91f2-47a7-b87f-3fe5c6bef042">Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: The Manor Vs. Highlawn Pavilion : Funny.  I attended a wedding just last year in that exact room and never once set foot into the ballroom until the cocktail hour was over even when I had to leave the CH room for a minute to go to the bathroom in the main area.  I guess when you say "many" weddings, you mean 3 since that's the maximum number of weddings they generally have at a time as they only have 3 ballrooms. Also funny, because they definitely do rent out The Dome for after parties.  In fact, one knottie who got married at The Manor in October had her after party in The Dome and I don't believe they charged her (Tara - are you still around?). The CH menu is actually quite extensive and they are more than willing to add items, change items, etc.  We're making tons of changes to our CH menu to incorporate food from both of our cultures and The Manor staff has been incredibly accommodating; however, the standard CH menu is about three pages long to begin with, so even without the changes we were blown away by the amount of food that was offered. 
    Posted by peaches178[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>Funny, the wedding in the Virginian room was a month ago.  My memory is pretty good as how to I walked in and out of the CH room.  I was not the only one either, the other guests walked in and out the same way.  I think everyone was shocked at that. </div><div>I have read the menu also, the CH menu is quite limited.  This is in my honest opinion.  We all see things differently.  However, at that wedding, there were 2 different cheeses to select from, cocktail shrimp (still frozen) and some bruschetta.  No butler passed items were brought out (much to the dismay of the bride's parents) and the line for the bar was very long.  It was also difficult to mingle in the CH room because it was incredibly tight.</div><div>I asked about the Dome, no it is not rented out.  Also, the women said in the 12 years she has worked there, there has never been less than 3 weddings a night!  It is a popular place for weddings, so I understand why it would be so busy.  </div><div>No need for the attitude Peaches.  We are all entitled to our own opinion, as you are.  Not everyone will like The Manor, not everyone will like The Venetian, etc.  Get over it.  This board was created to help couples planning a special occasion (or so I thought), not for one to bash who ever does not agree with her.  

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