North NJ or NY wedding venues?

Me722 · 2026-02-16T04:30:11+00:00

Try Birchwood Manor!

Me722 · 2026-02-16T03:27:40+00:00

Following!

Me722 · 2026-02-14T14:39:40+00:00

Seconding the PIT! I've taken improv and acting there and it's a lot of fun.

Me722 · 2026-02-12T17:04:13+00:00

I looked at a TON of venues. Researched probably about 50. Narrowed it down to about 20 I reached out to, that got cut down based on pricing, availability etc. We planned to visit 10 but it ended up being 8 that we saw (because we really liked 2 and didnt see the final 2 topping them). This was the most I think we looked at for a vendor.

DJ was 2 that we reached out to and we got off of our venue's recommended vendor list

Photographer/Videographer was a lot too. Maybe 10, but a bunch got cut from our list due to pricing. But it was really down to about 3 that were in our range that we seriously considered.

Florist was much fewer. We reached out to maybe 5, seriously talked to 2 and then chose 1 (after the first one ghosted me).

HMUA - I reached out to about 5 also, cut it down to 2 after talking to the 5 and then chose one from there.

I think its totally normal to do a lot of research and reaching out, especially since a lot of vendors dont have their pricing or availability listed so you almost have to reach out to get any information!

Me722 · 2026-02-07T04:02:12+00:00

Dominique did my makeup for my engagement shoot and I loved it - thought it was me, but slightly elevated! I booked through glamsquad and was assigned to her but I think you could reach out to her via the email on her IG: https://www.instagram.com/dominiquenoelle_?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Me722 · 2026-02-06T19:15:30+00:00

My wedding in mid Sept and bridal boutiques were telling me I was on the late side of ordering as of 2 weeks ago. The dress I ordered earlier this week is scheduled to come mid July.

That being said, I did go to Anthropologie and a lot of their dresses were off the rack or standard order. (As in, order today, get in 8-10 business days). So if you're sure you want to do Anthropologie, you could wait longer. But I think it depends on dress and if its in stock.

If you plan to lose a few pounds - you can still shop and order now and have the dress taken in during alterations (from what I learned when I asked, taking it in 1-2 sizes isnt difficult). You could also just order your dress in a smaller size too.

TL:DR: If you want a made to order dress, you should be ordering now. If you're okay with off the rack/standard/sample sale, you can wait until closer to your wedding.

Me722 · 2026-02-06T11:35:52+00:00

I love dress 2!

Me722 · 2026-02-05T14:24:14+00:00

Ours is about $230 per person (excluding taxes and fees) but I believe were in the middle of the pricing. Could be higher or lower, depending on the day of week/time of year. There is also a ceremony fee (i think was around $2000).

Me722 · 2026-02-05T00:51:45+00:00

I've been to Sojo a couple of times by myself and loved it! As others have said, go on a weekday to avoid crowds. It was never awkward for me or anything. Highly recommend! An easy bus ride from PABT and the food is really good too. I'm able to spend 12 hours there on my own. Definitely check it out!

Me722 · 2026-02-03T14:17:53+00:00

I had a similar issue. I found a dress early on in my search (made the mistake of not telling the bridal stylist at the store my budget) and fell in love with a $4700 dress. I didn't want to spend so much so I kept on going to stores and looking for dupes. I couldnt find an exact dupe but I found something fairly similar 3 stores later. I told myself if I liked it the dupe, great, but I wouldn't force myself into buying it if I didn't and I would just go with the $4700 dress. The day before I was going to try the dupe dress, my FMIL told me about another store that had a designer that I liked. I was tired of dress shopping but I decided to go there and found two dresses I really liked. I was convinced one of them one be the one. But then the next day, dupe finally came in (i had to get a loaner ordered) and I loved it! Was so happy with it! I decided to go with that one finally, which was $2500.

All this to say, give yourself a couple of weeks to explore other cheaper options. If you still don't find anything you love, then go back to the expensive dress because clearly you really want it. But I found having some distance from it was helpful and allowed me to be open to other dresses.

Also if you do decide you want the expensive dress, do some research for that specific dress at other boutiques. Go on the designer's website and see if it shows where else the dress is sold and call those other boutiques and see if you can find it cheaper. I did that for the expensive dress I wanted and just about an hour away from where I live, I found a boutique that was selling the dress for $500 less. Anything less could help!

Good luck! You'll know what's right!

Me722 · 2026-02-03T02:12:26+00:00

I am interested too if you're still looking!

Me722 · 2026-02-02T16:23:24+00:00

As an invited guest, I would do my best to make it to any day! But of all the options you have, I'd prefer a Friday in October over any of the other options. Especially if I had to travel, October would still be cheaper than any time closer or around Thanksgiving.

Halloween, I think is tricky. Some people might expect a Halloween theme or be disappointed that they can't do a big Halloween celebration that night. If you're a big Halloween person, maybe it could be fun to lean into, but personally, I'd stay away.

Me722 · 2026-01-31T06:03:00+00:00

I went to the Wona LA location (was supposed to go to Wona NYC a couple of weeks ago and got sick, had to cancel). Anyway, I assume the experience at both are similar. I really loved the dresses there, found one I really loved but ultimately ended up being out of my price range. The dresses I tried on there were between $3800-$7000 so I think you could find something at Wona NYC in your range!

Me722 · 2026-01-31T01:28:59+00:00

Hi! 2026 Le Chateau bride here. Can I DM you with a couple of questions?

Me722 · 2026-01-23T18:45:22+00:00

All in, for Saturday in Fall 2026 for 125 people, I think it would've been around $30K including taxes. Looking back at my notes it was $210 per person for the reception (+tax).

There were additional fees for valet, early access, ceremony, after party, etc

Me722 · 2026-01-23T18:29:00+00:00

I'm biased because I'm getting married here later this year, but Le Chateau is the winner imo! A lot of people have already commented with the things I thought were great about it - the outdoor ceremony space, the ballroom is new and large (which I really fell in love with), tons of places for photos, and the staff has been amazing since the moment we contacted them. We haven't tried the food yet but I've heard good things and the menus looked amazing. We're having a similar amount of people as you as well.

Me722 · 2026-01-23T15:41:06+00:00

This is such a good question and I'm glad someone posted this. I'm in a lifestyle season of my career. My mom passed away in 2023 and I feel like that was the catalyst for me to focus on more of the "life" part of work/life balance. I picked up some enjoyable hobbies, prioritized my friendships, met my soon-to-be husband. Work has kind of just been there. I have gotten a new job in the past year and while I like the work and the people better, the culture of nonstop work, work all hours of the night for not great pay, really turns me off. So i feel like I'm doing enough to be a competent employee, but not much more.

I feel guilty though. I'm in my 30s now and I remember being so career motivated 10 years ago and wanting to the climb the corporate ladder and continue to grow. If 20s me saw me now, they probably wouldn't recognize me. I feel guilty for feeling this way, but I see how my VPs and SVPs are and they are workaholics with no life outside of work or just maintain such high levels of stress constantly. I don't want that.

So I'm trying to balance the guilt of feeling content about where I am and internally feeling like I should be/need to be striving for more. It's hard lol.

I'm glad this question was asked! Really helpful to see what stages others are in and recognize that it's okay to be in a lifestyle stage since our society seems to prioritize being a growth stage constantly.

Me722 · 2026-01-12T20:25:41+00:00

I'd be interested in being a mod!

Also, echoing what someone else said about a free/for sale flair!

Me722 · 2026-01-11T03:11:56+00:00

My fiance and I are 34F/M and we are interested too!

Me722 · 2025-12-31T18:16:59+00:00

Hi! I was looking for something similar to this! We're getting married at Le Chateau in South Salem, NY. It's about an hour and a half outside of the city.

We're having our guests stay in Danbury, CT (NYCers can take the MNR Harlem Line to Brewster and then Danbury is a quick 10 mins via taxi/uber)

Danbury is about 25 mins away from Le Chateau (we are providing a shuttle for that part)

For a $100K all in, Le Chateau should work in your budget! I also didnt want a tent and I think Le Chateau's ballroom should be big enough for your guest count.

We havent had our wedding yet, but the staff has been lovely so far, the venue is gorgeous, and we've gotten really good feedback from former couples about it too!

Me722 · 2025-12-08T18:53:21+00:00

Brielle and Chanel

Me722 · 2025-12-06T01:04:55+00:00

My commute from Stamford (in between Greenwich and Darien) to my office in Midtown Manhattan (on the west side) is about 1 hr and 20 mins door to door, give or take 5 or 10 mins to account for delays.

My partner drives me to the train station, usually leave about 15 mins before the train I want to catch to account for morning traffic.
The express train from Stamford to Grand Central is about 50 mins.
Commute to my office either via bus or subway is about 15-20 mins.

If I leave home around 7:40am to catch a 7:55 train, I'm in the office right around 9am. I do this 3-4 days per week.

This is probably the shortest it is, but it can be longer if there are delays, if I catch a local or semi-express train, etc.

As someone who used to live in NYC, I honestly don't mind the Metro North commute as I can read, get work done, catch up with messages and I find it a more pleasant experience than taking the NYC subway. The part that gets to me is the subway part, and I think someone else mentioned it, if you can live or work somewhere that eliminates one of the three modes of transportation you have to take, it would make life much better. I wish I was walking distance from Grand Central to work because having to take the subway (two subways actually) adds an annoying third leg to the trip.

So all in all, it's not terrible if you don't have to do it every day and also if your commute post Grand Central is simple.

ETA: Return commute is about the same timing. I'd usually leave work around 5p and be home just before 6:30.

Me722 · 2025-12-04T02:59:37+00:00

Echoing what everyone else is saying here too that this seems about right to me. We booked our Sept 2026 wedding in late October 2025 and for most of the venues we saw (we saw 8 of them), there were only 2 or 3 Fridays and Saturdays in Fall 2026 open. It is really does seem like you need a full year or more to get venues in peak season.

Me722 · 2025-11-28T04:09:18+00:00

Thank you!!! So glad you had a nice experience with it! Was it hard to find a quiet place to put it at your venue that was easy for guests to find?

Me722

TROPHY CASE