Pennsylvania-Philadelphia

The Silsby Room & Christina's Catering

I'm planning a wedding in Chester County (where I'm from) but we live in California.

Because we're doing two receptions - east and west coast - we're working on a tight budget. We found a reception venue called The Silsby Room, which is a really reasonably priced venue in West Chester. They said they are renovating the location this December - we'd get married some time next year.

Has anyone been to a reception there? Any feedback would be much appreciated. They are catered by Christina's Catering, which I've read good reviews about.

http://thesilsbyroom.vpweb.com/

Re: The Silsby Room & Christina's Catering

  • jeni4220jeni4220 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are using Christina's Catering for our wedding at the Woman's Club in Bala Cynwyd.  So far, I'm very happy with them...but I can't be much help with the Silsby Room.  
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  • eastwest7eastwest7 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you! Did you end up checking out any of the other venues they work with by chance, like the Ballroom at Westside? Trying to get an idea of which venue is the nicest for the budget we're trying to manage. Whether we go with Christina's or not, we're definitely hoping to find a good venue with an open catering policy. 
  • Lboland311Lboland311 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We saw the Ballroom at Westside online and thought it had to be too good to be true- and we were totally right! It was difficult to find and a complete dissapointment! I knew as soon as we pulled up the long, steep driveway-and saw the children skateboarding in the skate park out front of the ballroom, that this place was totally misrepresented online and not for us.  I also immediately realized why we could hardly find any reviews for this location.  Once we walked in, we met with someone from the Christina's Catering who was very nice.  She immediately apologized for the skaters out front and explained that the ballroom is actually a church during the week and that the skate park is something the church is doing to support the community during the week.  I looked past this because it does seem like a good thing for the children but when I saw the ballroom we were both completely disappointed.  It is very small, very dark, and I have no idea how they call it a ballroom.  I guess they installed one chandelier and decided that classified it as a ballroom.  The cocktail hour room was pretty but the ballroom where the majority of the reception would be held was just very underwhelming and I couldn't imagine having a wedding there.  I felt the pictures online were extremely deceiving.   However, Christina"s does do catering at other sites which I have not been to.  The Woman's Club looks very pretty from what I have seen online and they also cater Ridley Creek Mansion which I hear great things about! Ridley Creek Park is five minutes from my house and really beautiful but I have never seen the mansion.  I know the rental fee is posted online and was a little high for us but it really is a beautiful location.  Hope this helps!!
  • DKS29DKS29 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am also planning a Philadelphia area wedding and I live in California.  I looked into all of these places online, I think out of all of these places the Women's Club is the best.  I was set on going there, however I know what a place that is all inclusive, since I am planning from the West Coast I figured an all inclusive is the best option.

    I know you are looking for open catering, but my friend sent me the link to the West Chester Country Club, they have an 80 a person all inclusive package.  It's a little to far for me since i am looking for something closer to the city.  
  • jeni4220jeni4220 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We picked the Woman's Club because we are getting married at my church across the street. Then we started looking for caterers and Christina's was the most affordable with the most upgrades (linens, hors devours...).
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  • edited December 2011
    I had my perfect fairytale wedding at The West Side Ballroom in June. Christina's Catering did a magnificent job, the food was amazing. I was also a little sceptical about the room when i saw it but doesn't any room look dull before its all made up. Dan and Christina truely transformed a bare room into a goergous reception. My father was a retired chef in Philadelphia and originally wanted his friend to cater but after months of looking at many rooms and the obscene prices, we decided to go with The Ballroom of Westside and Christinas Catering.  We had a modest budget and figuring we could put more into the building decor if needed.  Last minute we decided to save the money after seeing pictures of recent weddings at The Ballroom.  Our guests were wowed!
    Everything was a 10 and we could not have asked for a better location. My best friend is getting married there next Spring and knowing this team at Christinas, it will look amazing and different from our party. You really need to meet this team. Dan has been doing this for over 35 years and really works for you.  Christina is very helpful and will help you whenever and will give you tips or vendors to save you money.  Christina gave us so many great tips on vendors and hotel options that we were able to save for our dream honeymoon.   I agree it may be hard for some people to vision decorated but leave it to this team and you wont be disappointed!
  • stephsaukstephsauk member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How much do they charge to rent the venue at the silsby room?
  • HaryanaHaryana member
    First Comment
    Christinas Catering was the best in every way. Our wedding was held at The Silsby Room. The building was a great choice and we were very happy. Our church made a mistake and Dan was able to accommodate our ceremony at the Silsby room with only two weeks notice before our wedding. Our ceremony and reception reception was flawless. The banquet room was beautifully decorated and the food was delicious. Our families are still raving about the appetizers, ice carving and dinner! We were the last event before the full renovation of the room. The room is even better now. I suggest using Christina's Catering for your wedding at The Silsby or any location that they cater. They love what they do and it shows!
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