Hi Jersey Girl Brides - I need some help on venues

Laurenjb23

Hi everyone, I recently got engaged and am looking at venues.  I narrowed it down to three and I just can't decide.  I have some time so I really want to do my research.  My top three are Channel Club in Monmouth Beach, Sunset Ballroom (Lobster Shanty) in Point Pleasant, and the Waterside in North Bergen.  Has anyone toured/booked at any of these places?  I appreciate all of your feedback and help.

Denise91980

Channel Club tends to get pretty good reviews. FI and I checked it out and were close to booking it. Akmackay recently had her wedding there. Not sure about the other two though.

rosierose914

Lobster Shanty is gorgeous!  Food is great too.  The ballroom has a beautiful view of the water, it is a very romantic spot!

Heather822

We are getting married next month at the Channel Club!
So far they have been nothing short of amazing during the planning process!
Always available for questions... great communication... we got a really good deal for our Fri night wedding... really can't say a bad thing about them!
Fred is our Banquest manager, but often I deal with Liz, who is always friendly and knows who I am right away when I call, even though she is not our B-manager.

Allie (Akmackay) had her wedding there recently and could give you some more 'day of' reviews.

akmackay

Love love Channel Club. Fred and Liz are amazing- leading up to the wedding they were great, particularly the last month before when I had all my questions etc. Liz was wonderful and always answered questions immediately through email and the day of she was nothing short of spectacular. Her and Fred make a great team. So, to say the least I would recommend Channel Club- great place, great price. Everyone is still raving about the food. Any questions you have on CC, you can ask Heather or I :-)

As far as the Lobster Shanty, I was not a fan of how you have the cocktail hour in just a sectioned off area, with the bar etc. The space seemed very restricting and awkward and I was just not a fan. I wanted a separate area for cocktail/reception and that wasn't enough of a division for me, especially since when they open the division they would have to move the tables to where the cocktail area was. It was very pretty, yes, but it wasn't for me. I don't know of the other one.

SandDD

I've thrown work events at Waterside in North Bergen.  The food is great, but it's not a traditional wedding venue, more of a restaurant. I'm not sure if the other two are the same way, but Waterside isn't a huge, huge space. The food is really good though!!

Laurenjb23

Thank you everyone so much for your help so far.  It has been a really tough choice.  I am thinking I am more between the Channel Club and Lobster Shanty.  I have heard so many fabulous things about the Channel Club so far and Allie you definately confirmed them.  I met with Liz already and I was very impressed by her and liked her a lot.  The Lobster Shanty has a wonderful view however the only thing that's holding me back there is the fact that they are still serving dinner near where they hold the event. 

SandDD thank you for the info on Waterside.  That has been the most difficult venue to find feedback for and I appreciate you letting me know your experience there. 

MAB3

Hi, how were the people to work with in terms of event planning? I recently read a bad review that they were not responsive or easy to work with. I'm thinking about it for a wedding in 2011 - from the look of the photos, I really like it!

fortytwo

I think you can't go wrong with the Lobster Shanty.  It is truly magical.

akmackay

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_hi-jersey-girl-brides-need-venues?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:8202821c-4be3-436d-ad3d-e0a18bd74cd7Post:29a8a222-eb52-47a8-bbd0-53080cd530be">Re: Hi Jersey Girl Brides - I need some help on venues</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi, how were the people to work with in terms of event planning? I recently read a bad review that they were not responsive or easy to work with. I'm thinking about it for a wedding in 2011 - from the look of the photos, I really like it!
Posted by MAB3[/QUOTE]

<div>Which venue?</div>

mrs.spunky1508

The only "negative" thing about the Lobster Shanty is they don't have a separate cocktail hr room. It seemed like a must-have when planning & looking at venues but I went to a wedding there after our wedding and it wasn't that big of a deal. My shower was there, and the food and service were fantastic. My mom said they were so flexible, let her bring in her own cake and didn't charge a fee to cut them, threw in some things, etc.

MAB3

Hi, I meant Waterside...

Hi, how were the people to work with in terms of event planning? I recently read a bad review that they were not responsive or easy to work with. I'm thinking about it for a wedding in 2011 - from the look of the photos, I really like it!