Park Savoy?

vnmazzola

My fiance and I got engaged a few months ago and we've looked at about 8 places so far. We are most likely doing the ceremony on site as opposed to a church ceremony.

We are only expecting between 100 and 125 guests. We have looked at Brooklake Country Club, Park Avenue Club, Grain House (Olde Mill Inn), Park Savoy, Indian Trail Club, Valhalla Club and a few others.

We are strongly leaning towards Park Savoy in Florham Park. It was the only place that I walked in and really got that WOW feeling. The renovations they completed are beautiful, and it has such a nice outdoor area for the cocktail hour. Also, the amount of food you get during the cocktail hour can't compare with other places we've looked at. Unfortunately, it's definitely not cheap, and we would have to do a Saturday afternoon wedding since the evening minimum is too high.

If anyone has had their wedding or attended a wedding their recently, I would really appreciate fany feedback on the service throughout the process, food, etc. I guess I'm trying to justify booking there! We really didn't want to spend a ton of money on the reception, but I also don't want to settle on a place and then regret it later. I'm hoping they'd be willing to negotiate at least a little with us.

Thank you!!

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twin2gv1

My uncle is actually the head chef there. Naninas in the park and park savoy are the same owners now. You might want to try naninas in the pak in belleville. They also renovated. the food is excellent at both places. Havent been to a wedding at park savoy yet but I've heard all good review in general overall. but def check out naninas as well. The prices I believe are a little lower but still not cheap. good luck!!

LindsayMeg

I'm getting married at the Park Savoy in July, also a Saturday day wedding. We actually wanted a day wedding there because of the beautiful grounds. My FI went to a wedding there a few years ago that was during the day and then many of the guests went back to the hotel and hung out by the pool the rest of the day. My FI still raves about this wedding and is one of the biggest reasons we went to look there. They are amazing people to work with and have been so accommodating and helpful throughout planning our wedding...even when I email them ridiculous questions!

I think you definitely get your money's worth there, but it is expensive of course. I don't know about other times of the year, but our minimum guest guarantee is 125 for a Saturday day wedding in July.

vnmazzola

Wow, you must have some good food at family get-togethers. :-) I've heard Naninas is awesome as well but I'm not crazy about the area. I live in the Florham Park area so Park Savoy is definitely convenient!

LindsayMeg, I can't wait to hear all about your wedding! We are looking at prime months (May-June, or September-October) and were told that the minimum is also 125. I wonder if there is any way we could lower that minimum because I think we'll be closer to 110. I agree that if you are paying for a place with beautiful grounds, you really don't get to take advantage and SEE the grounds if it's an evening wedding. We would definitely pick a hotel with a lively bar for the after-party, but that's a great idea about the pool too. Something to think about...

We met with Sam and also met one of the owners. Sam seemed great and like he would definitely help a lot during the planning process. Some of the catering people we met with at other places left a LOT to be desired...at a few places we basically had to walk ourselves through the paperwork/menus and the person just answered any questions we had. Scary to think of how they'd be during the planning process...didn't think that this would be such an important factor but we really want someone who will really help out a lot along the way. :-)

Kimachado

Hi, I am getting married at the Park Savoy next March on a Friday. Quite frankly booking the Park Savoy was the easiest decision we've made. It was the only place we visited. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about the food and the overall service not to mention the renovations are absolutely beautiful. I was only asked to guarentee a minimum was 175, although we are expecting about 250 guests so they definately work with you.

We have been working with Melanie who is such a pleasure to work with. I agree with Lindsay Me, that if you ever have any questions they get back to you quickly or someone is always around to answer your questions when you call.

My feel is go with your gut because you're likely to not regret it.

Berry327

We're getting married at the Park Savoy a year from today! We're actually heading up there tonight to check out the renovations first hand and to show my sister (she lives out of state and is visiting). We're having a Friday evening wedding, which was definitely more affordable, and because of the time of year, we'll have plenty of daylight to enjoy the grounds. We have a minimum of 175, though I really think I could have gotten them to agree to 150. We looked at a lot of places, but the Park Savoy was the only one that had everything I wanted. Good luck!

LindsayMeg

You'll definitely get support from the Park Savoy throughout your planning process. They've always been able to answer even my silliest questions quickly and are always available for you. We've actually been there multiple times to show family members and see the renovations and were always given a complete tour of everything. Bill went over the menu and included his expert opinion on the most popular dishes. Obviously, I'm biased toward the venue, but I fully believe it will be amazing.

If you decide to book there, definitely look into the Hanover Marriott. They have the Auld Shebeen Irish Pub as well as a self-serve wine bar in the lobby. Those combined with the pool will definitely keep our after-party guests happy!

vnmazzola

Thank you everyone for the feedback and congrats on booking such a beautiful place! It really is different than a lot of places in NJ. Such a classic historic feel....almost like a southern mansion. I loveeee the creaky wood floors in the foyer area...and how bright and airy it is (tons of windows and glass doors). My list of possible places was pretty small since I wanted to avoid anything too gaudy and manufactured looking...i.e. marble floors, ornate chandeliers, etc...and NJ seems to have a lot of places like that. I am bringing my parents there next weekend to look at it again with me but I'm sure they will love it...especially since the cocktail hour seems to be so extensive and I come from 100% Italian family...food is very important to us! :-) So based on everyone's feedback, it seems that an afternoon wedding is the only thing that would work for us there since they have a high minimum guarantee for Friday night weddings as well.

I live right in Whippany so I've been to the Auld Shebeen a few times for happy hour and that's definitely one of the places we would consider for a hotel if we book a place in the area. I actually didn't realize they had an outdoor pool so that's good to know. The only thing is that I'd want to go in the pool too but wouldn't want to take off my dress so early in the day!

Fanta620

In Response to Park Savoy?:

To all brides in this Park Savoy post....I got married there in May 2011 before any of the renovations occured but right after the place was sold and handed over to owners of Nanina's in the park. After the initial scare that things would change from what we agreed on in the contract, all went great with planning and to the last minute of our wedding day.

We had the Saturday afternoon wedding because we too couldn't even reach the 125 minimum (we only ended up with about 100 guests in the end). Even though we spent so much per head, we still think our choice was the best one we could have made! While we are eating at other weddings and functions a year+ after, family STILL bring up the food from our wedding and saying it was the best wedding they ever went to!

If you can afford it, we highly recommend it.