Westmount Country Club

CuomsJ2

Hi everyone,

I have an appointment at the Westmount Country Club this Saturday to meet with Stephanie.  A couple of friends recommended I go check it out as they are having their weddings there.  I was hoping that brides who have visited the venue could give me some info that they received at their meetings so that I can be prepared with some prior knowledge of their packages/pricing, or any other relevant info.

One specific question - I noticed on a message board here that someone said they include uplighting at the venue.  Anyone know anything about this?

Thanks so much!

hcer0708

I know that you have to use one of their 2 in house florists.

Erica0409

My sister went there last Saturday. She didn't mention anything about uplighting being included or not. Price was around $170pp for a Saturday evening in Dec (plus tax and gratuity). You must use one of their 3 approved florists. The larger ballroom was 'reserved' every Sat in Dec 2011 for their corporate clients' holiday parties and kept pushing a Thursday night.  There was a wedding going on during the afternoon in the smaller ballroom and when they left, one party was ending while another had guests arriving for the evening affair and it was crazy in the lobby and with valet parking. The groom and his parents loved it, but my Mom and sister thought it was a bit 'over-done' and weren't happy they couldn't use their own florist.

She did comment on how professional they were, though. They brought my sister and her fiance, and the three parents, cocktails and a sample of hor d'orves and pasta.  This was in contrast to Stanley, at the Rockleigh CC, earlier in the day, who was rude to them.

Curly1311

Hey there! I'm getting married at the Westmount Country Club in 3 months!! they recently renovated their facility so it looks really nice. Our coordinator is Bobby. You MUST use one of their 2 florist which kinda sucks because they are both REDIC expensive. We used Atlas florist (they are downstairs from the westmount) and we are paying like $5k. The westmount is very expensive but from the reviews and boards I hear that their food and service is worth it. So far, we haven't had any issues with them. I think that when you go, you should have a list of questions so you don't freeze up. I think with Bobby in particular he speaks VERY fast and is high paced so if you don't have your list handy I will gaurantee that you will forget your questions. If you are trying to get married within the next 12 months I think you should book ASAP cause they tend to get booked fast.. hope this helps! let me know if you have any questions.

USER876

I always wanted to get married there after I had a few corporate parties there.  However I never even got past the first phone inquiry.  They were snooty, rude, and high on themselves when I called = no thanks.  It's a shame too, because it is a nice venue.  I would never accept having to use THEIR florist either, I think it's a money making scheme that makes no sense and that is unnecessary.  Also, a few vendors (band, photographers, video) we talked to hate the place and considered black balling it because of their vendor rules.

I'm sure they put on a good event, but it seems there is a lot of behind the scenes BS that I didn't want to deal with.  We ended up at Il Tulipano and it was an amazing experience, from the food, to service, to having the whole place to ourselves.  I didn't see one person at the bar the whole night, the servers were prompt with serving refills all night long and I saw people handing them 20's at the end of the night!  The outdoor cocktail hour on the piazza as a huge hit too.

vjt730

i checked out the westmount, and i went with naninas in the park it was alot cheaper plus you get the whole place to yourself AND they threw in tons of upgrades on cocktail hour & free viennese hour

carabrie

I am getting married there in 15 days. I dealt with Fred. I found that they did not negotiate much but they are extremely helpful and are there to please. I also heard that they are strict with their vendors b/c they want to make sure that everything goes very smoothly for the bride and groom. I am biased b/c I loved it there...obviously! However, I was and still am very annoyed by the florist situation. I did not want to spend as much as I am on flowers. You should check on their website for their value dates...not sure how long you want to be engaged for we got a good deal because we booked 6 months in advance...stressful!

Lauren15215

I am getting married there next September and have been dealing with Bobby.  I had looked at a ton of halls in North/Central NJ and just fell in love with the look and feel of the place.  So far they have been very professional to deal with and always get back to us right away when we call with questions.  As someone else said, I would definitely book relatively quickly since I went in March and then were already mostly booked up until the following September.  Although they are definitely expensive, they put on a great wedding.  I had gone to a wedding there prior to their renovation and just remember how delicious the food and drinks were and the service was impeccable.  Also, whenever I tell people or potential vendors where I am getting married, they always rave about how nice the place is and mainly how good the food is.  Definitely having to use their house florist is a negative, but I love the hall so much that I wouldn't use that as a deterant from having your wedding there. 

ahhndrea

I'm getting married (ceremony and reception) at the Westmount on a Sunday in April.

When my FI and I went there we loved the look and the food that we had that day and we were certain that we wouldn't be able to afford it and when Fred came back with the price, we almost fell over because it was much cheaper than what we thought. He asked us what other places we had gone to see (we saw Westmount last) and it was honestly right in the middle with the other places we had seen (Brooklake, Park Avenue Club, Highlawn ).

I know plenty of people who have attending weddings there and they all raved about the food - that was the most important thing for us.

Our DJ has worked there before and had nothing bad to say about dealing with the mgmt team.

In the continental room they do have uplighting on the dancefloor so you don't have to do that yourself, I'm not sure about the rest of room. My FI & I don't care much about that so we didn't inquire further.

The big issue the florist and I'll be honest, I hated the house florist, but I then went to Spitz and Peck and that was a much better experience. Yes, I'm going to pay more than I want for flowers, but since we got a good deal at the Westmount to begin with, its not killing me.

If you have any other questions, PM me.

gymchick05

ahhndrea - are you saying the price you got at the Westmount was similiar to what you were quoted at the Highlawn? Im just shoked if thats true, since I thought Highlawn was priced way lower. If you did, thats awesome and a great deal!

ahhndrea

I wish I got the same price as the Highlawn! My comment above was that Westmount was in the middle of prices we got. Highlawn was the cheapest and Park Avenue Club was the most expensive. Brooklake was the closest, however when you look at all the food Westmount gives you in their "standard" package,  you would have to pay Brooklake extra for the shrimp and sushi and some of the other stuff so that would have actually cost a bit more in the end.

Lolyalyssa

I went to a huge wedding at the Westmount (330ppl) in the main ballroom.  The food was amazing. Can't say enough good things.  But it is one of the pricier venues.  I would rate itup there with the Venetian.

CuomsJ2

I really appreciate the info.

5k on flowers? Wow!  Does anyone know if the other required florist is any cheaper?  

At this point we have Addison Park holding a date for us, and unless I get a better deal at, or am completely in love with, Westmount then we will probably go there.  The thing is, they are pretty expensive.  Their top package for a Sunday in July of 2012 will cost us $175.  Two friends of mine who are getting married at Westmount this coming Spring told me they both got a lower price at Westmount for a Saturday then we did for a Sunday.  

I do love Addison though, although I haven't attended a wedding there myself.  I've heard good things and the place is absolutely gorgeous.

Lauren15215

I wouldn't get caught up in the cost of the flowers.  Atlas seems willing to work within the budget that you give them, but I would imagaine that you would get a lot more from another florist for that budget.  Is the $175 that Addison quoted you inclusive of tax and gratuity?  For a August/September wedding on a Sunday, Westmount quoted us $125++ to give you perspective.  I went to see Addison Park and really loved the look of the place.  I never attended a wedding there but have heard very mixed things about their food, so that made me a little uneasy. 

cknud112

My reception was at Westmount in July 2009.  It was fantastic.  At that time, you had a choice of three florists (S&P, Atlas, Pedestals), but maybe that has changed.  I used Pedestals, did not spend $5K on flowers, and they were willing to work with my budget.  I got married on a Friday night and Westmount was also willing to work with me (only a little bit, but every little bit adds up).  IMO, it does not compare to Addison Park... I've been to weddings at AP and the food and service at Westmount are much better and it's just a different "feel".  Good luck!

ahhndrea

It all depends on when you are getting married -July is still the "high" wedding season,  We're getting married on a Sunday in April and we got 125++

Atlas didn't seem willing to work with me. I wanted small CPs and he wasn't having it, he immediately shot me down and was trying to get me to use large ones, though  I had told him from the start I did not want. S&P will still be $$ but at least he was willing to listen to me and show me designs that were in line with what I had wanted.

CuomsJ2

Addison's $175 includes their top cocktail hour and main dinner package as well as a viennese hour.  It is also inclusive of tax & gratuity however I still feel this is kind of high for a Sunday.

I am also in love with the physical space but did hear mixed things on the food as well.  They also seem to be quite hesitant to let us taste before we sign which also makes me leery.  I am looking for July of 2012.  Would prefer a Saturday if we could get the right price but are willing to look at Sundays.  

So the Sunday price you guys got at Westmount does not include tax or gratuity?  How about a Viennese?  Seems that price wise they will ultimately come to be about the same.

Thanks again for the info...

Lauren15215

The Sunday price did not include tax and gratuity or the viennese hour.  They do seem willing to throw in a floating vienniese though that includes a lot of the same stuff like a chocolate fountain, baked alaska, etc, just not the extra hour.  We ultimately ended up going with a Friday, however, that is more expensive than a Sunday.  We didn't even price out a Saturday night because they had a 200 person guarantee and I really wanted to stick with 150 people. 

I was also a little weary that Addison Park doesn't allow food tastings first.  I had already been to the Westmount for a wedding prior to booking, so I didn't do the food tasting till after I booked, but they were willing to do one for us prior to booking and said to bring our parents.  Their tasting is very small and only a few of the CH dishes and a pasta, but it gives you a little sense of how the food is.