Long Island Wedding Venue Help Please!!

Welcome to the WeddingWire community, Gracie

The WeddingWire venue directory is a fantastic place to search for a wedding venue - Long Island Wedding Venues.

On this directory, you can filter by venue type, amenities, capacity, setting etc. which makes it super easy to find somewhere that fits your vision.

On each of the venues WeddingWire profiles you can also check out any real weddings, read previous couple reviews, etc. All these things can make it a lot easier to find venues which stand out from the pack!

Do you and your FS have a particular venue type in mind for the day? E.g. hotel, country club, park, beach, etc.

I just figured that there must be plenty of brides precisely where I am at in their own wedding planning journeys (or beyond). we can all share pos+ and neg- experiences/encounters -- perhaps helping making this easier by sharing information and comparing venues and other vendors.

My wedding will be about 150 guests. How are all of you other brides comparing venues? Spreadsheets? General subjective impressions?

Gracie

Hi,

I got married at Chateau Briand in Garden City May 2017.

It's been a while, but from what I can remember we visited roughly ten venues. Cost was the #1 factor for us and what was included with that price. Another big factor was how we were treated. For instance, I didn't care for the rushed meeting we had at The Coral House in Baldwin. So much so, we knew we weren't booking with them before the meeting was over (not to mention, uplighting wasn't included!) Lastly, another priority for us was the look/vibe of the venue.

Ultimately, we picked Chateau Briand for all the reasons I mentioned above. The price per person was phenomenal, the banquet manager treated us like family, they amenties included with their package was hard to beat, and the South Beach type vibe the outdoor area gave was perfect for us. It ended up raining on our wedding day, but we absolutely loved everything about our day, the venue and the way the staff treated us and our guests.

Also, we did use a spreadsheet and had a folder to stay organized because it got overwhelming.

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THANK YOU!!!! Sooo much for the feedback. I will definitely check out Chateau Briand based on your recommendation.

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HUGE UPDATE!!!!!

DODGED A BULLET!

We were just about to sign the contract with Villa Lombardi's and then the RED flags started popping up. The first was when we saw that the price being charged was higher than the quote. Only to find out that the difference was in the required add-ons -- like valet parking (which we dont need or want). Then as we talked more with Villa Lombardi's person, it seemed she didn't have a lot of wedding experience and couldn't answer questions. When we learned that they had another wedding booked that same night as ours... And weren't going to mention it until after we signed the contract... I was out of there.

Hello Gracie,

We had a similar bad experience with Villa Lombardi's on Long Island. Spent a lot of face time with them (they like meetings way too much) but accomplished little. They claim to personalize your wedding but then when you meet to discuss, the conversation always and quickly turns to "up-charges" for everything. I also found that there were things that they weren't going to mention if I hadn't asked (which would have surprised me with a lot of unexpected added expense right before the wedding).

We chose to stay away from Villa Lombardi's and look at other venues. We liked Soundview, Stroudsmoor, Watermill, and East Wind. All had much better customer service and were much more responsive to inquiries (Villa Lombardi's is horrible about responding -- sometimes taking days for simple questions).

Marion

Chateau Briand is beautfiul and food is amazing! We also love Crest Hollow Country Club, but we are getting married at Sand Castle! Message me if you want any more information! We are OBSESSED with sand castle and what theyre offering us!

Hey!


We’ve been looking at Long Island Venues this week as well and just booked at the Fox Hollow in Woodbury. The guy we spoke with (David) was great and totally knew what he was doing. Seems like they really care about making your day the best and didn’t have hidden fees or tons of rules about what decorations we could bring. Hope this helps!

Hi,

We looked at about 10 venues, Villa Lombardi we never got the chance to meet with because when I called them to speak to a banquet manager they kept me on hold for half hour and told me no one was available! they took my info and never even called me back. We looked at Crest Hollow Country Club, Chateau La Mer, Floral Terrace, Westbury Manor etc.... but when we met with Chateau Briand (one of the last) my fiancée said this is what he was waiting to feel.... the atmosphere is like no other, you are greeted and treated with such respect and care. They give you TEN dinner options the day of, they include up lighting and give you a free night stay at hotel the day of your wedding..... I know I am bias because this is my venue but Chateau is literally top notch and such a bang for your buck... please keep us updated on who you choose!!! fingers crossed it is Chateau LOL

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Hey venue twin,

I do not want to sound like a creep but I am obsessed with your wedding!!! I will be getting married at Chateau Briand on March 6th, do you have any tips for a soon to be bride! I love your style!!!!

WOW!!

Wish I had come across this forum sooner. Unfortunately we are already booked with Villa Lombardi's and cant escape. We have experienced everything mentioned above.

PLUS -- after signing the contract and sending out save-the-dates -- we learned that they had double-booked our date!!!! Then they said that the other couple booked their date first so they made us change. Ugh!!!

Service has been terrible and I am not looking forward to my wedding at Lombardi's.

My fiancee and I are looking at Chateau Briand next Thursday. would anyone mind sharing the pricing they received for the venue? Thank you so much guys!!!!

Has anyone else heard that Villa Lombardi's has filed for bankruptcy? What happens to all of the brides with dates and deposits? Will they have to find new venues/dates?

Hello

has anyone used cold sparkler machines (not the hand held sparklers the actual cold spark machine DJs use) in Nassau county? i know they were outlawed in 2018 but have since been allowed for use in Suffolk and NYC. for some reason Nassau county will not allow them. Most vendors look the other way but mine is being a stickler and will not. Just wondering if anyone else had this problem and found a solution? maybe contacting the fire marshal is their a form or fee to be filled out? i will do it just don't know what needs to be done

thanks !

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Hii

We just booked at the Fox Hollow as well in April but of 2023! So excited! Which room did you go with?