STRUGGLING TO PICK A VENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ecaro812 · March 2011

Hello ladies i am still struggling on a venue. I like the a few my top 3 are the royal manor in garfield nj, the gray cliff, and the landmark...

diamondx423 · March 2011

wow that's a lot of exclamation points.

it might help to lay out each venue's menu and compare what you get for your money. you could probably knock out one of them from that.

ecaro812 · March 2011

Yup lots of exclamation points I'm stressed lol!!!

maddie7 · March 2011

When I got down to my 3 favorites I put them out in front of me and marked off item by item until we got to price, also look at who has hotel shuttle service, is it in a good location, is it appealing to look at, but honestly when we got down to the cocktail hour and one included everthing and 3 main courses, we knew we had the best deal. Plus we wanted an impressive place to look at...

mbcdefg · March 2011

Did you visit them in person yet?

How do the menus compare? What about the prices? Will any of the venues negotiate with you on price?

Will your ceremony be at whatever venue you pick? If not, how far is each venue from your church/ceremony site?

Did you research customer reviews on Yelp.com, Weddingwire.com, this message board, and a general Google search?

ecaro812 · March 2011

i did visit the landmark and graycliff. the menu's are almost the same not too much of a big deal difference the prices are almost the same except the royal manor is a few bucks more but the view of royal manor is amazing the outside of landmark looks like a reg building the graycliff is ok outside not fabulous but inside both are nice. the royal manor is beautiful inside and out but more money

dmoney79 · March 2011

we had our wedding at the landmark and it was fantastic...

the outside of the building is just plain, but the gazebo and the trees do make for some great pictures...you wouldn't know it was right on 17 like that....

i would definitely recommend it....

goaliegirl · March 2011

Of those 3, I would go with the Graycliff, just based on reviews I have heard from friends, family and here on the Knot. But like the others have said, you need to lay everything out for yourself and make a decision based on what is best for you.

ecaro812 · March 2011

@

dmoney79 when did you have your wedding there? the gazebo looks crazy now cause the winter storms i guess lol

ecaro812 · March 2011

@ goaliegirl I like the graycliff just dont know if its better looking than The Royal Manor

HobokensFury · March 2011

The Graycliff and the Landmark were my top 2. I went for the Graycliff because not only a few bucks cheaper (like 7 maybe, which was not a big deal) but I felt the people were nicer. The guy we met at the Landmark was kind of cold and turned me off. We were also able to get a lot of extras at the Graycliff.

gina1976 · March 2011

Out of the 3 I would pick Royal Manor.

ecaro812 · March 2011

thanks gina have you experience the royal manor in garfield?

amarie1979 · March 2011

out of the 3 I would pick Royal Manor as well.

Faith2730 · March 2011

Did you visit other venues other then these? I visited 16 places ( I know a little much) and I fell in love with the place I am having it instantly. Maybe your not completely happy with any of the places yet and that's why it's SO difficult to choose. I don't know just throwing this thought out to you. If not, I would really just sit down and talk with your fiance and family about the pros and cons of the places. Maybe go back and visit all of them again.

uppereastgirl · March 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_struggling-pick-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:7567cf0a-b98a-4914-911e-8c76d5850f12Post:e243a164-6e8d-44f9-8034-b1da6f39a0cc">Re: STRUGGLING TO PICK A VENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]Did you visit other venues other then these? I visited 16 places ( I know a little much) and I fell in love with the place I having it instantly. Maybe your not completely happy with any of the places yet and that's why it's SO difficult to choose. I don't know just throwing this thought out to you. If not, I would really just sit down and talk with your fiance and family about the pros and cons of the places. Maybe go back and visit all of them again.
Posted by BridetoBe730[/QUOTE]

I agree with all of this.

gina1976 · March 2011

I have been to The Royal Manor and the food was very good and the place is nice.
I have been to the Graycliff and the dinner was not good and half my table complained about how there food did not taste good and some said it was dry.
Landmark I just don't really care for.
I saw that you also looked at The Empire Club, I personally got married there and everything was great and my friend liked it so much that she also booked her wedding there for the following year. What I would do is narrow your search to 3 or 4 places, have a food tasting, and decide from there. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dmoney79 · March 2011

our wedding was 10/10/09

nella was fantastic, and so was our maitre d....and all our guests kept going on about how much food there was and how good was it

for some reason the landmark gets a bad rap on these boards, but we were very happy with everything....and it was the only place we visited

don't make your decision based on what other people tell you...just meet with them all and just go over the pros and cons of all the places

if you have any questions about the landmark, don't hesitate to ask

goaliegirl · March 2011

I know several people that have recently been to the Royal Manor for a wedding and they said the food was awful. The main course was cold and all of them said they didn't eat any of it because of that.

I am not a fan of the location of the Landmark, right on Rt. 17, and I have heard more than my fair share of bad reviews of the Landmark as well.

I have never heard a bad thing about the Graycliff, and everyone that know that has either gotten married there or been to a wedding there has raved about the food, service, etc.

jcg98 · March 2011

What happened to the Berkeley Plaza? Is that out of the running?

Seems like you have plenty of time if your wedding isn't until May 2013. You should take your time, visit some more places, and not stress this early in the game about your reception site. A lot can change in 2+ years!

VivianM27 · March 2011

I can't speak to the food of any of those three, or the looks of the Royal Manor or the Landmark. We did visit the Graycliff, and the decor was really dated IMO.

We are getting married at the Empire Club. The place is beautifully renovated, and only one wedding at a time. But what sealed the deal was our food tasting, it was fantastic!

I highly suggest you go for a food tasting at each place before you make your decision. There were some other nice-looking halls we briefly considered, but when we went for the tasting we were shocked at just how awful the food was and twice we got sick to our stomachs afterwards.

mcjays · March 2011

I saw the Graycliff over the weekend and really liked it. It's not in the most scenic part of town but it's true, you do get a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, I liked how they offer tastings even before you book. It's one of my top contenders.

Giaspo · March 2011

We had to decide between two and just couldn't. My FI came up with a spreadsheet that literally took the menus and other options and went line by line. We realized that the venue we liked the best just didn't compare with the food of the other. Food was more important to us so that's where we landed!

If you are interested in the spreadsheet - send me a PM. I'm happy to share!

ecaro812 · March 2011

Wow giaspo I am interested ill pm u

Moza2175 · March 2011

The Landmark and The Graycliff were also in my list of venues. The lady who i was speaking to at the Landmark was so helpful and very pleasant but I wasnt too fond of the Landmark location and the outside was just really plain. The Graycliff's location wasnt any better also but they did have a fantastic menu selection. I also visited The Empire club and although it seemed uninviting from the outside, as soon as we walked in it was very nice. They were actually painting the building and adding new plants at the time. The room we were shown was beautiful and they recently installed new LED lighting. The menu option was great and were willing to add in extras....We almost sealed the deal with the Empire until we visited the last venue on our list - The Atrium country Club. Although this was more expensive than the others, the location, and the rooms were amazing!
Good luck on your search!

pandenguin · March 2011

Been to the graycliffe twice. Once for Prom and once for a wedding. Both times the staff was very pleasant and the food was great. Overall, they offer a very good package for the price and they're pretty flexible.

I'm looking into the Royal Manor for my wedding as well. I haven't visited but the pictures on the website look really nice and the menu looks delicious. Cheaper than many of the venues in North Jersey as I'm sure you've noticed in your research. I agree with the ladies who said that it looks out of place compared to the surrounding area but i heard there is also a park with a gazebo and bridge nearby where you can take pictures.

Never been to the landmark and haven't heard anything good or bad about it.

If you haven't considered The Empire Club, they are outstanding. Not as well known as other venues but my sister got married there sept 2009. The staff is superb, the food is amazing (cocktail hour blew everyone away), and they only hold one wedding at a time. From the outside it doesn't look special but its very nice inside.

Congrats!!

ecaro812 · March 2011

@ pandenguin congrats to u also doll! So I went to a tastin at graycliff food was great! I also went to bridgewater manor which I fell inlove with the outside area but not so much the rooms! I went to berkeley plaza also I liked that one but the entrance kinda reminded me of a funeral polar! I went to empire an hated it! The parking was almost a block away it was literally on a resident block Lmao, I went to the royal manor an I don't know who said it was out of place but I freaking love it!!!I love everything about it! I think that's the one!

pandenguin · March 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_struggling-pick-venue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:7567cf0a-b98a-4914-911e-8c76d5850f12Post:1c3f33a6-3376-4607-82a7-51d4270674fa">Re: STRUGGLING TO PICK A VENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]@ pandenguin congrats to u also doll! So I went to a tastin at graycliff food was great! I also went to bridgewater manor which I fell inlove with the outside area but not so much the rooms! I went to berkeley plaza also I liked that one but the entrance kinda reminded me of a funeral polar! I went to empire an hated it! The parking was almost a block away it was literally on a resident block Lmao, I went to the royal manor an I don't know who said it was out of place but I freaking love it!!!I love everything about it! I think that's the one!
Posted by ecaro812[/QUOTE]

yeah the parking was a bit far but to be fair the valet was complimentary! hahaha im glad you've found your venue. let us know how it goes! :)

STRUGGLING TO PICK A VENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: STRUGGLING TO PICK A VENUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ goaliegirl I like the graycliff just dont know if its better looking than The Royal Manor

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