CAKENY...are you out there honey? QUESTIONS about your NYC venue - Need Help!

[Bia]

Gotta question for ya! *Or any NYC brides who have worked with venues in and around NYC*

I recently contacted Battery Gardens to get some prices for a Nov/Dec 2010 wedding. My contact, who I also believe you worked with (Ilene Wolf) is fantastic--really nice lady.

My question is: What was included in your package? The prices seem very reasonable for such a beautiful spot, but I''m worried that they don''t include some of the things that caterers like Abigail Kirsch do. I am going to plan to meet with her in a few weeks, and it looks like they are willing to work within my budget. As a matter of fact, a lot of places are bringing prices down in NY, specifically Abigail_Kirsch. NYC brides: if you look on her web site you''ll notice they have cut prices for 2010 in all 6 of her locations, including The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, Stage 6, and her Bronx/Westchester locations--although, how much, I don''t know.

Any information you can offer would help me immensely! TIA!

 

[marlie]

hi bia!
i''m new to this forum. this is actually my first post!

i''ve just started planning a nyc wedding so i think i can help out some. it''s true that abigail kirsch has lowered her rates at her venues. the lighthouse, for example, would basically give you in for a june wedding their april rates which is about $15pp cheaper. i think they are just discounting their peak months. stage 6 was a much more reasonable deal but not sure exactly what the discount was. the food looks AMAZING at both.

battery gardens was also great. i met with ilene who was very sweet. their pp price was comparable to stage 6 and included around the same. much less expensive than the lighthouse.

you might also want to check out waters edge in long island city. amazing food and a pretty good deal. huge windows with unbelievable views of nyc.

not sure how much that helps but let me know if you have any specific questions!

 

[curlygirl]

Bia, I got married at the Yale Club in 2006 and absolutely loved everything about it. I highly, highly recommend it. And you can totally negotiate prices--I did it 3 years ago when the economy was fine! The food is the BEST I''ve had at any wedding, the location and venue are amazing and people are still talking about my wedding years later. You should check it out.

 

[Bia]

Date: 6/30/2009 4:44:47 PM
Author: marlie
hi bia!

i''m new to this forum. this is actually my first post!

i''ve just started planning a nyc wedding so i think i can help out some. it''s true that abigail kirsch has lowered her rates at her venues. the lighthouse, for example, would basically give you in for a june wedding their april rates which is about $15pp cheaper. i think they are just discounting their peak months. stage 6 was a much more reasonable deal but not sure exactly what the discount was. the food looks AMAZING at both.

battery gardens was also great. i met with ilene who was very sweet. their pp price was comparable to stage 6 and included around the same. much less expensive than the lighthouse.

you might also want to check out waters edge in long island city. amazing food and a pretty good deal. huge windows with unbelievable views of nyc.

not sure how much that helps but let me know if you have any specific questions!

Yes! Another NYC bride!!! Welcome!

I''ve been engaged for 7 months and just started planning, so I need all the help I can get!

I really like Battery Gardens, love the modernness of it. The price per person is approx $130 during the winter months, which is significantly less than The Lighthouse--I also corresponded with Ilene, and you''re right, she is VERY nice!

The thing that concerns me is that things like the cake aren''t included (not sure what else) so I''m wondering if you start adding things, the $ pp might just be similar to something more all-inclusive like Abigail Kirsch.

Have you decided on a venue yet? Would love to hear more!

 

[Bia]

Date: 6/30/2009 4:55:59 PM
Author: curlygirl
Bia, I got married at the Yale Club in 2006 and absolutely loved everything about it. I highly, highly recommend it. And you can totally negotiate prices--I did it 3 years ago when the economy was fine! The food is the BEST I''ve had at any wedding, the location and venue are amazing and people are still talking about my wedding years later. You should check it out.

Thanks curlygirl, I will definitely check it out. Options, I need OPTIONS! Do you mind telling me what was included?

 

[marlie]

hi!
i''ve just booked tribeca rooftop. i fell in love with the place b/c of how modern and light it was. it''s such a beautiful place! everything is included there with the exception of parking (which seems to be the case with all nyc venues) and they charge a fee for the bridal suite which i thought was kind of strange.

not sure how helpful i''m being as far as prices go since the summer prices seem to differ from winter ones. that being said, i think you should check out bridgewaters in south street seaport too. cool location (cobblestone streets make awesome photos!) and beautiful brooklyn bridge views. pretty reasonable prices too and a lot is included.

if you have your heart set on battery gardens i''m sure you can find a bakery that could make the cake for you outside the city which would be cheaper. maybe hoboken or brooklyn?

in all my searching, i''ve noticed that venues never include everything. some charge for the on-site ceremony, all charge a fee for valet parking, some don''t include a cake (though most i''ve found do). you can always try to negotiate to make it work if you love the place, especially in this economy.

hope this helps!

 

[happydreams]

I would look into water''s edge. it''s in LIC and has a killer view of the city. killer view. the food is good too. I believe the 120 per person during winter months.

 

[audball]

Hey Bia!

Glad to see you''re getting started with wedding planning! I just had another thought since you frequent LIW so often still, NakedFinger is a wedding planner in NYC. I don''t know how often she frequents BWW so we may have to shout her out as well, but I''m sure she could offer some professional insight!

Keep us posted!

 

[Bia]

Date: 7/1/2009 9:22:27 AM
Author: audball
Hey Bia!

Glad to see you''re getting started with wedding planning! I just had another thought since you frequent LIW so often still, NakedFinger is a wedding planner in NYC. I don''t know how often she frequents BWW so we may have to shout her out as well, but I''m sure she could offer some professional insight!

Keep us posted!

Ahhhh...you are COrrrect! I totally forgot about that (I swear, I''m missing that bride gene--it''s so annoying!).

Thanks for the tip sweets!

 

[audball]

Date: 7/1/2009 9:42:59 AM
Author: Bia

Date: 7/1/2009 9:22:27 AM
Author: audball
Hey Bia!

Glad to see you''re getting started with wedding planning! I just had another thought since you frequent LIW so often still, NakedFinger is a wedding planner in NYC. I don''t know how often she frequents BWW so we may have to shout her out as well, but I''m sure she could offer some professional insight!

Keep us posted!

Ahhhh...you are COrrrect! I totally forgot about that (I swear, I''m missing that bride gene--it''s so annoying!).

Thanks for the tip sweets!

Glad I could help!

 

[Bia]

bump

saw cakeny in the building

 

[cakeny]

HA! I just saw this thread and only cuz you mentioned it in the LIW thread. Guess you know where I hang out a lot more

Ilene is great- she's helpful, responsive and sweet. she stayed all night for the wedding so she is there for you the whole time.

And they def brought their prices down if they quoted you 140pp!

For 200pp I got:
-Sat night in April
-open bar
-sushi station
-carving station
-standard veggie and Mediterranean spread
- 8 passed Hors d'oeuvres
- dinner (app, salad, entree, dessert with the cake)

You are right, cake was not included

Fortunately, one of our friends is a pastry chef. But there are some local bakeries that BG works with and I'm sure could provide you with a reasonable cake!
of course

 

[Bia]

cake: Thank you! I really, REALLY, appreciate your help. And I will probably be calling on you (and the few other NYC brides here) for tips as this whole process moves along. Also, I really liked Ilene. She was fantastic about answering my emails and got back to me very quickly. I have a feeling they might be the place I go with. Wedding will likely be in December, on a Sunday, so I imagine I will get some good deals. Maybe I can get my FL family to make it a whole Christmas-in-NY-mini-vacation+wedding experience.

As I said, I''ll keep you all posted. Thanks again!!!

 

[freckles127]

Hi fellow NYC wedding planners,

My FI and I just decided on a place but we went all around the city and even into BKlyn and Westchester to check out places. I know that a lot of weddings take place at Bridgewaters if you are interested, plus they have a great view of the bridges. Battery Gardens is very modern and looked nice but I didn't wind up going to the venue in person.


eta: I contacted Abigail for Studio 6 and Tappan Hill for a late Summer 2010 wedding and received quotes ranging from 130/pp to 170/pp (first was Tappan Hill, second was Bklyn).



When you stated $140 a person, does that usually mean without the 20% gratituity and tax included?

Thanks!

 

[Bia]

Date: 7/1/2009 8:31:34 PM
Author: freckles127
Hi fellow NYC wedding planners,


My FI and I just decided on a place but we went all around the city and even into BKlyn and Westchester to check out places. I know that a lot of weddings take place at Bridgewaters if you are interested, plus they have a great view of the bridges. Battery Gardens is very modern and looked nice but I didn''t wind up going to the venue in person.



eta: I contacted Abigail for Studio 6 and Tappan Hill for a late Summer 2010 wedding and received quotes ranging from 130/pp to 170/pp (first was Tappan Hill, second was Bklyn).




When you stated $140 a person, does that usually mean without the 20% gratituity and tax included?


Thanks!

Yes. $140 pp, not including tax/service fee. Sucks, huh?

 

[freckles127]

Totally sucks.

We decided to have it at Brasserie 8.5 in Midtown after seeing the space. It doesn''t have the views of downtown but the space is so modern and clean.

They included cake and dessert buffet with our price so it was a better deal than other places.

 

[NakedFinger]

Hey bia I was just thinking, have you looked at The Roosevelt Hotel? They are typically $200-250 per head but are offering a discount of $165.00 if you sign by the end of July. It includes comp ceremony, 5 hour open bar, 1 hr cocktail reception with 8 passed HD, two hot stations and one cold, and then 4 hours of dinner/dancing with a 5 course dinner. Its app, salad, entree dessert and wedding cake. And their package includes a Sylvia Weinstock cake even at that discounted price!

I know its a little higher than you were hoping, but remember because its a hotel, that includes the tables/chairs/linens, the set up/break down, and an onsite manager that puts out everything, coordinates the evening, etc as well as a maitre ''d. Also, if i recall, it includes a suite for you the night of the wedding, as well as 2 comp rooms for both sets of parents.

Just a thought. Its very traditional, old nyc charm so if you are looking for contemporary it may not do.

 

[NakedFinger]

Date: 6/30/2009 4:55:59 PM
Author: curlygirl
Bia, I got married at the Yale Club in 2006 and absolutely loved everything about it. I highly, highly recommend it. And you can totally negotiate prices--I did it 3 years ago when the economy was fine! The food is the BEST I''ve had at any wedding, the location and venue are amazing and people are still talking about my wedding years later. You should check it out.

The Yale club is very nice! Very nice space, a hidden gem. Turns out they had a problem this year. They were deeply discounting prices just to get the business, because technically its supposed to only be for alumni or someone sponsored by an alumni. Because they were doing all kinds of events, they ended up getting in trouble with the IRS! (something about taxing with it?) Eeek!

But hopefully that will all work out. They are going through some renovations so it should look even better!

 

[NakedFinger]

Hey Bia- just wanted to add my previous two posts, to mention the Chart House, its in weehawken, nj but has amazing nyc views. I havent done a wedding there myself, but just had dinner there the other night and the food/view is fabulous. They have event space, may want to give it a shot. Prob cheaper than nyc, and tax would be less.

 

[Diva0413]

Hello!

I''m getting married in September at the Tarrytown House in Tarrytown, NY (Westchester County). They have an awesome view of the Hudson River and they also allow you full access of the 20 plus acres (for pictures, etc) and they have a hotel on the grounds. When I booked them in October of last year, they had 4 different wedding packages, ranging from $130 to $245 a person I believe, but that''s not including gratuity and taxes. They do also charge a site fee, if you want to have your ceremony there (about $1200), but I believe that''s also negotiable. All the packages include a wedding cake, 1 hour cocktail, and 4 hour reception, all with top shelf open bar. The most expensive package, added another hour of "party" (that''s how the catering director put it. LOL!)

They''ve been an absolute pleasure to work with so far and I don''t foresee any problems with them.

 

[marlie]

i agree with naked finger that chart house is a good thought. the views are amazing and the food is great. never been for an event but for a few dinners and it was a beautiful and yummy place. It''s not a far drive from the city at all either which is nice. i had it on my list of places to consider but never got that far into researching b/c we found my venue first.


also, i''m not sure if this would work for you but the foundry in long island city is another beautiful venue. there capacity is around 120 though for dinner/dancing so not sure if that''d work for you. that''s the only reason why i couldn''t look there.

good luck! i''m sure you''ll find a place soon.

 

[Bjedifish]

oooh thanks for this Bia!! I am just recently engaged and we are looking for a venue right away for our august 2010 wedding in nyc. I will definetly check out Abigail Kirsch!! Thanks again!