Southern Mansion

We had a fairly long engagement (17 months) and we were planning our wedding from afar (as we lived in Colorado at the time). I was able to return to New Jersey several times before the wedding to take care of a lot of things - and I'd have to say that since I love being organized and planning things, it was all a lot of fun for me.
Our wedding coordinator from the Southern Mansion, Andreea, was absolutely amazing. I must admit that I made the mistake of reading some of the reviews posted on here before writing my own. I saw the extremely negative review posted on here and it made me feel very angry. Like the other bride who had written said review, I was not a fan of the fake plants. The Southern Mansion takes away any fake plants they have on the floor free of charge except for those hanging ferns BECAUSE IT'S A PAIN IN THE NECK TO TAKE THEM DOWN. I understood this, but apparently that bride did not. ALSO - I actually lost that battle with my mom. She didn't want to pay the measly $200 fee and I said I'd pay for it out of my own pocket, but I guess my mom really loved them... and when they're hanging in that room, NO ONE knows they're fake anyway and no one even notices them.
Secondly, the chairs - that's another thing that kind of hit home for me. My mom wanted the white chairs. We ended up getting the gold chairs (which is what it sounds like this bride ended up with). The gold chairs are made for indoor seating. They are higher than the white ones (which are for outdoor seating). Also - if you had your ceremony on the grounds, they'd have to move the chairs during your cocktail hour.
That's enough about that.....

We had an amazing experience at the Southern Mansion for our wedding. Our guests were happy, we were happy, and it couldn't have been more beautiful - despite the last minute rain. The turquoise Victorian room is STUNNING. The guest rooms are absolutely incredible. Our photographer took some great shots with the antique clawfoot tub that I will cherish forever.

And none of what happened could have been pulled off without the help of Andreea. I found her to be an excellent communicator and extremely accommodating. She understood exactly what I wanted and I was able to give her verbal instructions in addition to my detail sheet. The rest of the staff was also a delight. And the food (for wedding food, especially), was outstanding.

I honestly could not have been a happier bride. It's easy when you find the right groom, of course (which I have), but when the ceremony and reception site end up exceeding expectations, it makes the wedding day that much more magical.

If you want some cheesy New Jersey experience, go somewhere else. If you want an elegant wedding where all of your guests will be talking about how it was the best wedding they've ever gone to, have your wedding at the Southern Mansion.

I don't think there are enough words to express how wonderful my wedding was at the Southern Mansion. We planned our July 2011 wedding with the southern mansion for over a year. Living almost 3 hours away from Cape May, we thought it was going to be tough to plan, but the entire process was as smooth as can be. The event planner Andreea is nothing more then wonderful! She made our day so special. Every detail of our wedding that we discussed, Andreea made it happen. There was no scrambling, frustrations, or problems with our wedding. We couldn't have asked for a better person to plan it. The food for the cocktail hour and reception was absolutely delicious. All of the food came out as scheduled and at the perfect temperature. The venue is gorgeous with beautiful ground and flowers, the woodwork is absolutely stunning... and the rooms are immaculate and clean. Our ceremony was held on the Southern Mansion grounds and it was beautiful. Being in the garden with all of the flowers just made it so special. The Southern Mansion is so beautiful, the atmosphere is perfect for a wedding.

Our guests were blown away with our wedding. Everyone gave us compliments. I heard so many times "this was the best wedding I've ever been to". Its hard to explain but you can't imagine how beautiful your wedding will be at the Southern Mansion until you are actually there. It was so memorable and we look forward to going back time and time again. Thank you to the Southern Mansion, their staff, and Andreea for the perfect wedding day. - Amanda & A.J. 7/10/11

I had my wedding at The Southern Mansion on June 25th, 2011. It was so amazing. The service, food and grounds were very beautiful! Andreea was very very helpful throughout the whole process. Andreea made my wedding flow so smoothly and made sure our guests and my husband and I had everything that we needed!!!! I could not have imagined a better place for my wedding!

My husband and I had our reception at the beautiful Southern Mansion in Cape May, NJ on May 14, 2011. I always wanted to be married down at the shore. My parents, husband and I checked out a few places in Cape May. After seeing the Southern Mansion, we knew it was the place we wanted to have our reception. No other place came close to the beauty of the Southern Mansion. The gardens, the decor, everything about the Southern Mansion will have you in awe. We had about a two year engagement so I had plenty of time to plan for everything. Andreea, the wedding coordinator, was a pleasure to work with. She accomodated our needs every step of the way. She made sure everything ran smoothly. I had not a care in the world with her running everything.

We had a small wedding of 100 people which fit perfect in the South Wing Solarium. Dinner was delicious! We had a taste testing about 2 months prior to the wedding and chose the dinner choices. Everything at the tasting was delicious but we agreed on Crab Cake and Filet Mignon. All the food, including hors douvres and our soup and salad were excellent. Hats off to the chef!

We had planned on having cocktail hour outside in the beautiful garden, however, due to the weather forecast, Andreea called me the day before the wedding and said that we had to go with plan B, which was to have cocktail hour in the South Wing Ballroom. We were still able to take pictures outside as the day was not a total washout. Even though this was our plan B, we still got so many compliments on how beautiful everything was.

We received so so many compliments on how great the venue was and how different the reception was from any other wedding they had been to. This was exactly why we chose the Southern Mansion. It is not your typical wedding reception venue, but that it what we wanted. I would not have changed anything! Please check out the Southern Mansion for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

My husband, Sam, and I are two busy professionals, having a blended family consisting of five children ranging in ages 21 to 8. So certainly, anyone would understand some delays in the ordering and receiving of our wedding pictures. Well, the day has finally come and even though we saw a glimpse of how the wedding appeared in our guests’ eyes, now that we have the professional photos, we can truly begin to appreciate the beautiful Southern Mansion, and our favorite Wedding Planner, Andreea Leaha. Andreea, as promised, the Southern Mansion was beautifully appointed in antique holiday Christmas decorations. You can tell by the photos, that Andreea’s experience in transitioning from the ceremony to the cocktail hour to the formal reception was seamless. Both Sam and I can’t begin to share our appreciation for how Andreea managed the support staff to be attentive to all our guests’ needs. Our guests came from all over the country to meet and stay the entire wedding weekend with us at the Southern Mansion. Andreea’s professionalism, attention to detail and complete care of our needs made it a wonderful experience for all of us. In closing, my family and I want to thank Andreea and the Southern Mansion for making our special day truly beyond any expectation. We love Andreea and the Southern Mansion.
Love,
Vera Romania

My husband and I were very fortunate to be married at the lovely Southern Mansion in magical Cape May, NJ on April 17, 2010. This review has been a long time coming. Words cannot express how lovely we feel the Mansion is nor how wonderful, kind, organized and professional Andreea the Wedding Coordinator was and is. Those close to me describe me as meticulous, particular, obsessive and demanding. I made extensive calls and wrote numerous emails to Andreea as well as to Denise, the B & B Manager as I live in Northern NJ, so I had to rely on Andreea, the coordinator and her colleagues immensely. Consistently, they responded promptly and answered my questions (i.e., do you think this dish is better than the other dish, which tastes better, which is the best dessert, what do you think of my flowers, etc...). Andreea deserved a drink or two after dealing with me! Even during unexpected occurrences, such as a change of room, cancelled and rescheduled reservations, they were on top of it all! Andreea and the Beautiful Mansion and excellent staff truly made my day everything and more than what I had expected or imagined.

My guests still thank me for having invited them to my wedding, as they had such a great time. They loved everything about it, the place, the management, and the food! It was a great reassurance to know that on such a stressful day for any bride, Andreea took care of everything, leaving me without unnecessary worries. Had I gotten married in Northern NJ, my wedding would have been a cookie cutter type wedding that most have up north, not to mention my beautiful wedding would have certainly been much more expensive.

I would highly recommend the Southern Mansion to anyone.

The Southern Mansion hosted a wonderful wedding for my husband and I and all of our guests. The food was outstanding and service by waitstaff and bartenders was professional and courteous. All involved worked well with our vendors and ensured the day went smoothly.

This is a beautiful location and we wanted to have our wedding there from the moment we thought of it. The grounds and house are extremely well kept, adding to the beauty of any wedding day.

The variety of packages offer so many choices that we had trouble deciding on some options, but we always knew that no matter our choices we wouldn't be disappointed.

We held our wedding and reception this past July at The Southern Mansion, which is a beautiful, historic location. We live in England and had guests from all over Europe and the USA in attendance -- from England, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Canada as well as California, Georgia, Florida and other states. After asking our guests to travel all that way for our wedding, we needed it to be special and it was. We planned it for over a year with the help of the Southern Mansion's special events manager, Andreea Leaha, who was extremely responsive and helpful. We wanted our wedding ceremony to be held indoors in the main ballroom, which is a stunning room, instead of outside in the lovely gardens, which we thought might be too hot in July. (We were right. It was 98 degrees and humid.) The Southern Mansion accommodated our request (which entailed moving out all the antique furniture in order to accommodate chairs for the guests). We were able to hold our celebrations in various parts of the mansion. After our wedding ceremony was performed in the ballroom, we had cocktail hour on the porch and in the garden (in the shade!), and then dinner was held on another long porch. Afterward, dessert and coffee were served in a downstairs function room/ballroom, where we had music and dancing. The staff all worked very hard and were most pleasant during our 4 night stay. The wedding dinner was good without having a particular wow factor, but the food was not the most important aspect in making our decision. We could have upgraded some of the menu choices but decided not to, and it was fine. We live in England and only had 1 visit to the Southern Mansion in the months leading up to the wedding, and therefore it was crucial to us to have had the cheerful and responsive assistance of Andreea. Highly recommended!

First and foremost, I had a great wedding. I loved my wedding, but this was in spite of the Southern Mansion staff, especially their event coordinator, rather then because of them. The Southern Mansion does not value customer service or satisfaction.

The wedding coordinator worked against us at every turn, and when she did give into a special request (i.e. they remove the millions of fake plants they have adorning their porch), it was at a heavy cost. Even after we paid for certain services they were not accomplished with in the time promised. We were also charged heavily for her mistakes. For example, she gave us the wrong type of chair and charged us 700+ dollars. When I approached her about the mistake, she first blew me off, then later interrupted me while I am in the middle of saying good-bye to some guests to tell me it was my fault -- we had the wrong chairs because I didn't put the information in her detail sheet, even though there is not a place on the sheet for this information. Apparently the emails I had sent and the conversation we had in person was not enough. If the Southern Mansion were to offer a friendly, conscientious coordinator I would highly recommend them, but as it is now, the hassle and frustration is not worth the beautiful location.

The Southern Mansion is a haven of elegance in a by-gone-era in romantic Cape May, NJ. We have worked with the Southern Mansion for many years, their sweeping lawn makes an unforgettable backdrop for your intimate seaside wedding. Their gorgeous accommodations are unique in a quaint town filled with lots to see and do. A great place for a couple who craves the very best for their wedding. We are proud to recommend them and look forward to working with them for many years to come!

We always look forward to events held at the Southern Mansion. Andreea is professional, enthusiastic and works hard to make each event perfect! We appreciate her attention to detail and her friendly, welcoming manner. The historic charm of the Southern Mansion and the picture perfect gardens make for a perfect setting for an intimate wedding, and we love adding the final floral touch!