Looking at venues - Graycliff & Bridgewater Manor Brides?

Re: Looking at venues - Graycliff & Bridgewater Manor Brides?

• futuremrsdavies

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I'm a BWM bride.  Wedding is set for a sat in april.  I found that BWM wasn't too keen on doing all that much by way of negotiating on price, but like most venues they added some things for me for relatively cheap or knocked off the cost.  I went with the Imperial Ballroom (upstairs) and they worked on the minimum with me.  I loved that the Somerset room allowed you use of the patio but I fell in love with the high ceilings upstairs. 
  
  I also went for a tasting and the food was AMAZING

  How I unwind? The FI and I watch old TV shows 187 124 48 15 RSVP Date March 31

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• HobokensFury member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  We went with The Graycliff.  Of all the venues we saw that gave the most for your money.  They have been very easy to work with so far. 

   
   

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• mariasemail86

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I'm a Graycliff bride and I also believe they gave me the most for your money.The food tasting was great as well. THey have so much food available as well as cocktails for free. I was dealing with Cathy Marro. She is super nice and very easy to work with. Pricing might depend on time of year. When are you planning your wedding for?

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• xxstardust member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  Thanks for the feedback!
  
  We have plenty of time - August 2013, and we want a Saturday night - but would like to get it checked off the list as soon as possible. I'm hoping that venues are willing to negotiate prices at least a little as we will have an entirely shellfish free wedding (I have a severe allergy) and, working in catering myself I know that that's one of the priciest pieces of it. I'm so excited to go look!
  
  
  

  
  

  140 invited -- 118 are ready to party! -- 27 can't make it
  

  
  

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• k8888

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I'm a BWM bride and I booked the downstairs room (The Somerset room) for my July 2012 wedding.  The staff was really friendly and answered all of my million questions promptly.  The food is to die for, and we felt the pricing was extremely fair for what we got for it.  They ended up lowering our minimum requirement when we negotiated, and it helped out a LOT.  We didn't book the huge ballroom upstairs because we would have never met the minimum, but we liked the downstairs room better anyway because of the outside patio.
  
  I felt the venue itself suited us perfectly.  Huge bonus is that it's located near a bunch of hotels, which was a requirement for us since FI's family is all OOT.

  
  
  

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• annandted86

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I'm neither, but I have been to a wedding at the Graycliff.  The food and service was wonderful and I do here they're a good value.  The location, however, leaves a lot to be desired.  And if you go with them, plan on stopping somewhere for pictures as they really don't offer much.
  
  Don't misunderstand me, I'm not negative about the Graycliff; quite the opposite.  But it does have that limitation.

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• Lauren2426 member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  I'm a BM bride getting married May, 2012. I have been impressed with them and think the value and their expertise is pretty outstanding from what I've seen so far!!!

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• RKPugs

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  Im happy to hear all these great reviews for BWM. We booked our rehearsal dinner last week!

  

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• teh1337cookie

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  Which weekend?  We're looking at May 19th there.

  
  

  We looked at the BWM.  So far it has been a pleasant experience (although we haven't finalized it yet).  For those who said they were willing to throw a few things in/reduce prices - can I ask on what?  We were looking at the seat covers + higher end table cloths but the cost for that adds like an extra $1,000.  Would be curious to see what other people have been able to negotiate!

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• Renaleee1 member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  We looked at the Greycliff and I have a friend who got married there.  They gave us a price of $75.00 a head for a Friday night wedding in May 2013.  W/ veniese table it was $10.00 extra a head $3.00 per chair cover and more for a bunch of other stuff.  My friend that got married there got all of the extras for NOTHING!  They will totally bend!  I love that the bar is on the dance floor!
  
  Good luck!  We still have not made our decision!
  

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• xxstardust member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  We went today, and now have so much to think about!
  
  I loved BWM online, but I really didn't like the Somerset Room ... I felt like it was a little on the cramped side, especially for the cocktail area. And with an minimum of 130 for a Saturday night, I'm not sure we'll hit that and they seemed very unwilling to negotiate that. The menu is amazing, though!
  
  Despite the area (you're right, anna, it's definitely not the prettiest locale ... I didn't realize it was right next to the Teterbooro Airport, lol), FI and I both really liked the Graycliff. The Forum room is very pretty, the cocktail area is beautiful and the price they gave us was *really* attractive. Not sure anywhere else we look will beat it, honestly. Cathy, who we spoke with, also told me that she has recently done a wedding with a bride with a severe allergy like mine, so she'll ensure fryers are cleaned and no shellfish at alll is present so I can eat everything on the menu.
  
  We really, really liked the Graycliff and plan to go for a tasting ASAP (they offered to do a private tasting, rather than a group tasting, to accomodate my allergy). I feel like *I'm* set in my head, but we'll likely look at a few other places just to be sure.

  
  

  140 invited -- 118 are ready to party! -- 27 can't make it
  

  
  

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• Lauren2426 member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  They reduced the minimum for us but we are getting married the Sunday night of Memorial Day Weekend..I was still surprised they reduced it though being it's a popular date.

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• HobokensFury member

  

  November 2011 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_looking-venues-graycliff-bridgewater-manor-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:3083cac4-4c88-44f0-95ed-39d03420855fPost:81ab5523-23a1-4188-b009-bfaeae151fa2">Re: Looking at venues - Graycliff & Bridgewater Manor Brides?</a>:
  [QUOTE]We went today, and now have so much to think about! I loved BWM online, but I really didn't like the Somerset Room ... I felt like it was a little on the cramped side, especially for the cocktail area. And with an minimum of 130 for a Saturday night, I'm not sure we'll hit that and they seemed very unwilling to negotiate that. The menu is amazing, though! Despite the area (you're right, anna, it's definitely not the prettiest locale ... I didn't realize it was right next to the Teterbooro Airport, lol), <strong>FI and I both really liked the Graycliff. The Forum room is very pretty, the cocktail area is beautiful and the price they gave us was *really* attractive. Not sure anywhere else we look will beat it, honestly. Cathy, who we spoke with, also told me that she has recently done a wedding with a bride with a severe allergy like mine, so she'll ensure fryers are cleaned and no shellfish at alll is present so I can eat everything on the menu. We really, really liked the Graycliff and plan to go for a tasting ASAP (they offered to do a private tasting, rather than a group tasting, to accomodate my allergy). I feel like *I'm* set in my head, but we'll likely look at a few other places just to be sure.</strong>
  Posted by xxstardust[/QUOTE]
  
  We're in the Forum room.  I felt exactly the same was that you did.   I made up my mind before I even left there but still continued to search but nothing else compared.  The food tasting will knock your socks off.  It's funny that you mention the shellfish allergy because my aunt has a severe one to scallops.  She can't even smell it. They assured me everything would be cleaned and all the seafood dishes would be prepared without them.  I know it doesn't have the best curb appeal but it was exactly what we were looking for.  We had planned on taking our pics beforehand so it really isn't an issue for us. Another plus of booking now- you'll get 2011 pricing for 2013!

   
   

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• Hloretta member

  

  January 2012

  I was planning on looking into the graycliff manor, but now I'm not so sure. I keep hearing comments about the curb appeal being lack luster. Is is really that awful?? And do the pros out weight the cons?? For instance pricing...someone help.

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• JessandHarrison member

  

  March 2012

  I'm a Graycliff bride too.  The surrounding area isn't the most scenic, but it is a nice building that can definitely be photographed well.  The Graycliff is doing a total renovation of the outside area and adding an outdoor ceremony space.  I believe they're supposed to be done by this May.

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