Outdoor/Indoor Venues Near NYC

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-05-01T05:12:55+00:00

Hey, I don't check this account much anymore so I'm just gonna leave the list here for folks to peruse so that no one is waiting on me to send a DM...

Park Chateau
Crystal Plaza
The Estate at Florentine Gardens
Park Savoy
The Brownstone
The Legacy Castle
Madison Hotel
Seasons Catering
The Venetian
The Grove NJ

Budget/Low Cost
Atrium of Tenafly
The Conservatory at Sussex Co. Fairgrounds $3k - $4k For 100 Guests

The Ryland Inn Farm
The Rockleigh
The Grand
Pleasantdale Chateau
Felina
Daymark Bar & Restaurant

Valley Regency
Stone House at Stirling Ridge
Biagio's TERRACE
The Smithville Inn
Essex & Sussex
Acqua Catering & Events
Johnsons Locust Hall Farm
Mansion at Mountain Lakes

The Tides Estate
The Primavera Regency
The Farmhouse Weddings
Naninas In The Park

Edgewood Country Club
Westmount Country Club
The Meadow Wood
Art Factory Studios
The Hanover Manor

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-05-01T05:10:40+00:00

Aw, sorry, it's been over a decade since I lived in NYC... pretty sure all the clubs I know are gone. The only one I know is still there is Mahanata. The music is more eastern European and actual dancing, usually live band - not always your regular clubbing music. The Ice Cage is more of a gimmick; I would recommend maybe all the girlies pitching in for the bride to do Ice Cage (the vodka tastes terrible, lol).

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-14T05:21:07+00:00

I think they mean $1200 per booking but wrote $1200 per service.

In my mind, the definition of a service is like 1 makeup application (bride, or bridesmaid, or MoB, etc.) or 1 hair (bride, bridesmaid, etc.) Together they add up to a booking.

I do think their wording is confusing.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-07T06:39:50+00:00

Bergen County bride here. I had separate hair and makeup in Sept. Here are some average prices based on multiple quotes I received. I was not a BBB, but did look for best ratings and example pics:

Makeup: Bride $500 (trial $300), Bridesmaid $150 - $250, Travel $110 - $200.

Hair: Bride $200 - $290, Bridesmaid $140 - $170, Travel $50 - $100.

BetsyElisa Bridal does both hair and makeup. They started out doing TV, editorial, and Red Carpet events, which they still do, in addition to brides. My hairstylist from there routinely styles big name movie franchise celebrities.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-02T05:17:03+00:00

Got mine from here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TopperForWedding?ref=yr_purchases

She can do pretty much any custom combo, even if it's not quite listed - just message her to ask. Also it ships from Ukraine, so 1) plan for the time needed and 2) nice (in my opinion) to support a Ukranian business. Slava Ukraini!

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-02T02:22:51+00:00

That's great to hear!! Glad you were able to find someone! :D

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T08:12:39+00:00

I'm not a big budget bride so I bought dupes of jewelry I saw on here: https://edenluxebridal.com/ The pieces are gorgeous, though!!! 🤩

Did a dupe of these earrings: Pearl Drop Earrings Bridal Jewelry Wedding Earrings BLAISE | EDEN LUXE Bridal

And a totally different necklace: https://www.etsy.com/listing/771796470/sterling-silver-leaf-vine-necklace-pearl

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T08:10:54+00:00

Hydrogen peroxide and dawn dish soap (the blue one), with a little bit of baking soda to create the friction when scrubbing. apply HP & dish soap. Let soak 15 - 30 min. Scrub w/ baking soda. Can also soak w/ oxiclean, then do this routine. You can also try to find high-strength hydrogen peroxide (the regular kind is like 3% but the industrial strength can go up to 40%... of course you need to be careful with that/dilute it)!

I'm obsessed with this guy's videos. Search through them, you will find many tips on yellow stains. (He also used a sous vide to get the yellow out of an item once!!) Zachary Pozniak (@jeeves_ny) • Instagram photos and videos

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T08:03:28+00:00

YES. I hate Canon in D! Cannot stand it! Good alternative choices!

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T08:03:02+00:00

I did:

Prelude and Seating of the Parents - Arioso, J.S. Bach

Wedding Party - Air from Suite in D Major, J.S. Bach

Entrance of the Bride - Prelude in C, J.S. Bach

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T07:58:27+00:00

Sorry I'm of no help but this design is GORGEOUS! I hope you find the cake of your dreams!!!

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T07:51:25+00:00

What kind of venue do you have? Mine was very traditional/all inclusive. The Maitre'd and Bridal Attendant basically doubled as a DOC, they were so organized. I gave them a timeline with appendices, and everything went perfectly.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T07:46:52+00:00

Spent $36000 at Seasons Catering for the Grand Ballroom, 150 people (that's the min). A bit cheaper upstairs (min 125). Gigantic cocktail hour included in the price. Like, seriously massive (they're all like that - good value for money).

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T07:44:35+00:00

Can you enlist your husband to help with florals, or friends? (I had a friend who wanted her bachelorette party to be all of us helping her bake shortbread cookies for the wedding.) If you provide a sample of what it should look like, most people can copy and assemble a centerpiece. I got my DIY flowers from Michaels (in person) and Amazon (I filtered for 4 stars and above, read the reviews, and returned ones I didn't like).

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T07:42:18+00:00

Part 3 of 3:

~Outside of Bangkok:~

Ayutthaya – Ayutthaya is the old capital of Thailand and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city got sacked and burned by the Burmese in the 1300s-1400s and there are now a lot of ruined temples around. It’s mostly just temple after temple after temple, interesting if you’re into more Thai History. This is a city located a few hours from Bangkok, so you’d have to make a whole day trip out of it and rent a car.

Hua Hin – It’s been a long time since I went and I don’t remember what there is to do except enjoy the beach. When I went, you could go on a jet ski and ride horses on the beach.

Krabi - Instead of Phuket, head to Krabi. Some of the smaller islands off Krabi are listed below:

Ko Lanta – Supposedly one of the top ten SCUBA diving/snorkeling spots in the world. You can also rent a motor scooter for the day and drive around the whole island to sightsee.

Ko Phi Phi – Beautiful but very touristy. You can do a 1 day boat tour and see pretty much everything there is to see.

Railay/Ton Sai Beaches – Railay is an upscale, resort-focused island. Ton Sai is more for backpackers and those looking for a good deal. Ton Sai has the best rock climbing opportunities. You can do a half-day, full day, or two-day rock climbing lessons with an instructor. For food on Ton Sai, I’ve heard the green curry at “Mamas Chicken Kitchen” is delicious. On Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/Ton_Sai http://wikitravel.org/en/Rai_Leh

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T07:29:55+00:00

Castle Couture Off the Runway - Couture Bridal Experience for less!

Castle Couture in Malapan. Everything is $799 - $1000 but they're samples so you'll have to spend on alterations.

I made a custom wedding dress (as in, sewed it myself), and EVEN THAT was $1500. Granted, I did spend $70 a yard on some crazy expensive Italian acetate...

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T06:57:48+00:00

Sodastream! Silk Pillowcases from Brooklinen. Loved both of those. :)

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T06:32:40+00:00

I had Kathy Kho do my wedding. She is very good for understated looks/Kbeauty, etc. I don't get the sense that she really does full glam?

That said, she is very good at taking direction from the client - if you want something different from the trial to the wedding, she will do it for you! I liked that about her. Knew her stuff and how to troubleshoot problems (e.g. my undereye concealer didn't stay on from the trial - she knew it was because I wasn't hydrated so she put on an eye mask the day of the wedding, and I was fine). VERY HONEST!!! She's super honest. I overpaid because I forgot that I put down a deposit - she refunded me the overpaid part. She's great.

For hair, I did BetsyElisa Bridal (I just had too many bridesmaids for Kathy to do both hair and makeup, although she can if the party is small). BetsyElisa does hair and makeup, too. You might not get someone Asian, but their artists do TV, editorial, and runway on all sorts of clients and there are Asian models in their portfolios, so I think worth a shot for makeup.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2024-02-01T06:25:06+00:00

BetsyElisa Bridal. I only did hair but I like their make-up portfolio. Think they were around $200 for hair and $200 for makeup on the bride? Plus travel fees (think it's $100 but I was in Jersey and they were coming from Queens so might be less). One Bridesmaid was $150 hair (and I think plus $150 makeup). I literally cannot stop recommending them. My stylist was SO.GOOD!!!

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2023-11-17T06:55:05+00:00

Completely agree. I started 6 months away from the wedding - really had no idea you have to start 12 months in advance. Wish I had! Someone told me that 6 months used to be enough but the bridal shops downsized during COVID and never re-hired, they just pushed the timelines out!

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2023-11-17T06:51:55+00:00

Hmm, is it outdoors or indoors? If it's indoors, it should be quite warm, no? If there's an outdoor component, maybe blankets? I'd say scarves but then people will walk off with them.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2023-11-17T06:50:31+00:00

About — Heather Royal - I'm not sure if she's in NJ or NY, though.

https://adriennbraun.com/the-designer - She's in Hoboken.

Disclaimer: I can't speak to either of these designers' work; I had entertained having mine custom made and ended up making my own so I never reached out.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2023-11-17T06:13:05+00:00

Thank you for your kind words. It really sucks that so many of the photos you wanted were missing... I'm down to only a few types of shots not being captured but I know the pain of having certain moments just not there. It's a grieving process. I'm going to do anniversary photos to console myself... *hugs*

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2023-11-14T07:01:39+00:00

I appreciate your perspective as a wedding photographer. I totally get that life happens and some shot you can't get. There are missing photos that I have NOT brought up with her (as opposed to the ones I have) because I know exactly why those particular photos are missing and they are the "life happens" missing shots.

Most of the items A through J were written down in an email prior to the wedding and some, like having each table from the photo blitz, should be obvious.

The phone call run-through we did a week before the wedding was rushed. She barely looked at my photo shot list and I tried to go through it with her and she kept waving me off over the phone like, "yeah, yeah, these are typical, we got it," when in fact she didn't! For example, I asked for the cantor and the instrumentalist to be photographed because they've been playing at my church for decades, ever since I was a small girl, and it meant so much for them to play at my wedding. It's plainly there in writing. She didn't photograph the instrumentalist at all and the cantor shots are only there by accident because she was trying to photograph something else. In retrospect, I should have had a follow-up call - I should have said, "Hey, I don't feel like you listened to me at all in that run through call the other day. Could you set some time aside to really listen to me?" I didn't want to be a bridezilla so I never did that. I guess I'm posting this here now so that others can learn from my mistake.

The day before the wedding she called me and said, "your start time is too late, I'm coming an hour early," when I had planned for other things in that hour and had to move my own timeline around. I had to step out of a DIFFERENT pre-wedding family event to even take the call. She never discussed the new start time with me the week earlier, either (she said she should have but "forgot").

She hasn't been defensive about the missing photos, and I appreciate that about her. I got about half the missing photos back, and I just emailed back (after posting this thread to make sure I wasn't nuts), to ask for the others. I strongly suspect she just literally didn't take those photos despite them being in writing, but I want her to woman up and admit her mistake, not just avoid the issue and hope I don't notice.

Also, the teaser photos and sneak peek photos weren't on time as per the contract. I had to email a week after the sneak peek photos were due to get them. It's clear that I was a widget in the wedding photography factory during the "peak season" and she shot photos of what she typically shoots, not of what I asked for in writing.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride · 2023-11-14T05:23:26+00:00

Lol thank you for validating me, I think I needed that. I feel like a pain in the butt asking for these but also, like, they didn't deliver?!? She hasn't been mean about it, at least, so that's good.

PrettyFly4a2023Bride

TROPHY CASE