Weddingbee boards

Jersey bees, I need some help!

We’re having the worst time finding a ceremony site in Monmouth County for an April wedding. The reception is at McLoone’s Pier House in Long Branch. We’d rather not have the ceremony there because we don’t want a beach ceremony and if we have it inside, the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception are all in the same room. They say they can do it, but I just don’t see the logistics working out if it rains – what are they going to do, shove all the guest outside onto the rainy boardwalk while they set up the cocktail hour?

So we’re looking for something non-church, with an indoor option because the rain seems to follow me (seriously, I’ve never had a sunny graduation!), within 20 – 30 minutes of Long Branch. Places we’ve looked already:

 - Two River Theater in Red Bank – They were so nice and the theater looked really cool, but their annual gala is the day after our wedding so everything will be taken up with setup for that.

- Monmouth County Parks – the ones with sheltered areas have a 100 person maximum and we’re pretty much guaranteed to have more than that

- Monmouth U – you have to be alumni and we’re not

- Sandy Hook – Don’t even get me started! You can no longer have only a ceremony there, because the government leased the chapel/theater to Merri-Makers and they will only let you have a ceremony if you also use them for your reception. Never mind that it’s a national park and all. (I’m not bitter or anything )

I had no idea it would be so hard to find a simple ceremony spot – it’s the shore, you’d think there’d be lots of places! We’ve already paid the reception deposit, so changing that isn’t an option. Does anyone have any ideas for any (non-beach, indoor option, room for at least 150) places I haven’t thought of?

Thanks Marzipan...we did call Monmouth and they explicitly said alums only. I have heard this is a recent policy change.

We ended up going with the gazebo at Pier Village - there's no rental fee, so we just have to rent chairs and pray for no rain. If it rains, we'll just have it inside at McLoones and deal with it being a little crowded.

Thanks!

What about Monmouth Park?  They don't officially open until May for racing, but maybe they would be open for a wedding ceremon...