Weddingbee boards

Hi all!

I'm newly engaged and have a few questions on NYC venues that I'm hoping you all can help me with!  We're looking to have a Saturday evening wedding next spring in NYC for approximately 135-140 guests.  It puts us in a tough spot because we don't meet the Sat night guest minimum at some of the larger spots (CP Boathouse, Bridgewaters, etc.) but we are too big for some of the smaller spaces (Smack Mellon, etc.).  Any suggestions?  So far we like The Park Restaurant in Chelsea - the woman we met with there was great, they seem very flexible, we like the idea of a bit of a nontraditional wedding space....our only concern is the separate room for dancing (we'd do the ceremony in the garden, then go upstairs for cocktail hour in the penthouse, then back downstairs in the garden for dinner and the Red Room would be open for dancing).  Any Park brides that can shed some light on this?  Also considering Battery Gardens, but honestly was not blown away by it.  Any other thoughts and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated!  The only thing we are shying away from is raw loft spaces, as we don't have the budget to bring everything in separately, and I don't think I have the patience for it, either!  We're also not keen on paying a huge site fee, although we are fine with a few thousand dollars.

Thanks so much!

@hilsy85: Thanks for the info!  We are setting up a time to go look at the smaller room at Bridgewater's this weekend.  Not sure if it will be worth it, as you lose the view of the bridge which is obviously the big draw of the space, but we are willing to check it out anyway.  The Picnic House is beautiful and exactly what we are looking for in terms of a site, however we were turned off by the site fee (around $5,000) combined with the idea of having to bring EVERYTHING in on our own.  24 Fifth is a possibility, but is a bit too traditional for our taste...but it's on our b list!

My coworker's brother got married at the Park and he loved it.  People rave about his wedding. Plus I've heard the food there is awesome.  There might be a perk to having your dancing set up in a separate room, and then the people who don't want to dance will still be able to talk and not have to shout over the music? 

I'm getting married in the Bronx up at Split Rock Pelham Bay Golf Course, I have about 130-135 people.  I wanted a Saturday Spring wedding and was working with a budget, and everything with them worked out.  The pictures on the site look very traditional but when you visit it, it's a nice space and you're allowed to decorate it yourself.  We got a really good deal.  I was really hesitant towards the Bronx (especially because I'm a Brooklyn girl) but the price and set up was what won me over.

@JMars718: Thanks for the suggestions, all - much appreciated!  I'm happy to hear the positive review of The Park.  I think we are heading back for visit #2 shortly!  We also went over our list a bit more carefully and realized that our # is probably smaller than we originally thought, so that may open up a few other spots for us.  (We're thinking more around 115 rather than 130 now.)  We are going to check out Public down in Soho, as so far we really like what we see online and we know the food is great there.  

Thanks for all of the help so far, and if anyone else has any other suggestions please feel free to send them my way!

@magilnyc: Thanks for the info - it looks beautiful!

Hi,

I have not book it yet has we do not have a set date...but I loved the Penthouse 808 at the Ravel Hotel...They have been extra nice with all my questions...Let me know about the park....it looks GREAT...Good luck