***Calling BlushingBride!***

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I posted here in case you don''t check BWW, but I was wondering if you ever posted pics of your wedding? I did a search for Castle on the Hudson (which BF and I have been discussing for future wedding) and one of your threads came up. Anyway, if you''re still around, I would love LOVE to see pics - I''m sure your wedding was simply gorgeous!

Thanks!

BEG

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Bump!

 

[blushingbride]

Hi BEG! Yes, we got married at the Castle and LOVED the entire experience (from planning to the actual wedding day). I took my pics down a few months ago because I just didn't feel comfortable having them up anymore. I will try and post some pics that don't show me so much.

We looked at about 10 or 12 places and nothing we looked at compared as far as what we got. We had our rehearsal dinner poolside the night before which had an open bar and a lavish spread of food. Our suite was enourmous and at the very top of the Castle tower (I was told it was the highest point in Westchester) - it was absolutely gorgeous. We did the European style where we had dinner in the great room and dancing in a room downstairs.

Our coordinator was Michael and he handled everything perfectly - he was such a pro! He even helped us to find a hotel which allowed us to have an after party once the wedding was over (we could've done one at the Castle, but our wedding ended at midnight so, we wanted to keep things going and the Castle's cigar bar closed at midnight too).

Bottom line - it's expensive, but worth EVERY penny!!!

Let me know if you have an questions!

 

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[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hi BlushingBride! Thank you so much for posting pics - wow, your wedding was simply stunning. I love the outdoor ceremony space - I thought I read that an outdoor space wasn''t available, so I''m thrilled to see that yours was outdoors. I do have some questions (as does BF!)

1) How far in advance did you book, and how far in advance do they let you book? Is it crazy trying to get a date for a summer wedding?

2) Do they give you the option of a morning of the wedding dress rehearsal? (I think the wedding times are 12-5 and 7-12).

3) What percentage of your budget ended up being the cost of the venue, including taxes?

4) How was the food and cake?

5) What other venues did you look at, and what made you decide on Castle on the Hudson?

Thanks so much! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful!

 

[loriken214]

Jumping in here.....WOW.....AWESOME wedding photos!!!

Lori

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 6/15/2009 8:31:39 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl
Hi BlushingBride! Thank you so much for posting pics - wow, your wedding was simply stunning. I love the outdoor ceremony space - I thought I read that an outdoor space wasn't available, so I'm thrilled to see that yours was outdoors. I do have some questions (as does BF!)

1) How far in advance did you book, and how far in advance do they let you book? Is it crazy trying to get a date for a summer wedding?

2) Do they give you the option of a morning of the wedding dress rehearsal? (I think the wedding times are 12-5 and 7-12).

3) What percentage of your budget ended up being the cost of the venue, including taxes?

4) How was the food and cake?

5) What other venues did you look at, and what made you decide on Castle on the Hudson?

Thanks so much! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful!

Thank you Loriken!

Thank you too, BEG!! OK - I'll do my best to answer your questions.

We booked our wedding about 11 months in advance. We picked a Sat. night to get married (which is the most popular) so, those nights get booked up quick. You would have to set up an initial meeting to find out what dates and times are available this summer. You may not be able to get a Sat. night, but they do Fri. nights and Sun. weddings. They also do Sat. day weddings (there was one that took place the day I got married). It was over and done with before ours started at 6pm.

I would imagine they would give you a rehersal the morning of if you asked. They are VERY accommodating.

The venue (including taxes) was a little over half our budget. I'd say about 55-65% of it. However, we were so impressed with the level of service and the quality of everything that it was worth it to us. Everything was first class all the way!

The food was amazing.

We had our tasting about 5 months prior to the wedding and it was like we were having a date night. We dined in the five star Equus restaurant and tasted each course we selected and all the wines. It was romantic and nothing like a tasting should be. There wasn't someone sitting next to us and pressuruing us to pick one thing over another. Our coordinator came by to answer our questions, but left us alone most of the time. All my friends were raving about the food and wine after the wedding. Everything was delicious! As for our cake, it was one of my favorite parts. I brought in a picture of what I wanted and they replicated it exactly the way it looked in the picture - it was gorgeous!

Tappen Hill was our second choice - it's right down the road from the Castle (Dani got married there and had a beautiful wedding). Some other we looked at were The Garrison in Hudson Valley, Wave Hill in Riverdale, Lyndhurst Caslte (the other castle in Tarrytown) and Whitby Castle in Rye (do you sense a theme here?), Blue Hill Farm and the Wainwright House in Rye - I know there's more, but I can't remember all of them. The Castle was the first place we looked at and in our eyes, nothing compared. My husband is also from Croatia so, it had the European feel he was looking for. It's elegant, majestic, scenic - not to mention a 5 start hotel with top notch service. You get what you pay for and then some. What could beat that?

Sorry I couldn't post more pictures, I wish I could show our wedding album! Anyway, best of luck to you and if you have any other questions, let me know!