The Manor

We had our wedding at the Manor in September 2005. It was perfect in every way! We used the room to the left with the outside cocktail reception & waterfall area. It was gorgeous.

The service was phenomenal. We had THREE bars set up at all times, no one ever had to wait for a drink (which was important to our guests!!!) The cocktail hour had more food than I could have imagined and we STILL, 3 years later, hear people talking about our extensive cocktail hour.

When our florist left without decorating the cake, they asked me what to do. Frustrated, I just asked them to do their best. When it was time to cut the cake, the most gorgeous cake arrived, with the flowers arranged beautifully! I was very impressed how they handled the matter and put the time and effort into something so last minute as my un-decorated cake!

The Manor is a gorgeous place to hold your wedding, you will not be disappointed by either the service, grounds, or food. I hope to get back for one of our anniversaries!

We had a great time at the wedding. The staff did a great job and food was excellent!

Wonderful venue. Extremely accomodating, wonderful food and service!!!!

My wedding was amazing everyone was so great here....

My husband and I are so happy we chose The Manor. We like old charm and the The Manor definitely had that. Preston was very easy to talk to. They are all very accomodating! My guests cannot stop complimenting us about how good the food was and the abundance of it! In addition, The Manor will not break the bank! Very affordable! You cannot go wrong!

The Manor delivers world class service and did not fall short at our wedding. Everyone loved the food, and the place is paramount with its gardens and overall ambience. Jorge Duarte was our Maitre'D and delivered a personal touch to the event that I appreciated. We are happy with our overall experience and would recommend The Manor to anyone.

Just got home from my honeymoon today and wanted to make sure to come on this website to give The Manor a well deserving review! They were exceptional! Everything was so beautiful and stunning, it really exceeding all of my expectations! George was our Maitre D', he was awesome, helped us with the rehearsal and made the whole wedding day a success, thank you!

We truly had a beautiful wedding reception at The Manor. We couldn't have asked for a better place to get married. The ceremony site is gorgeous and romantic. The customer service was impeccable and we felt like they made our day run smoothly. The bride and groom are often so busy during the reception that they do not get a chance to eat and spend quality time together. Not us, the staff made sure we had special private moments, and that we sat down and enjoyed our main course. Our guests raved about the quantity and quality of the food. We had no complaints at all!

The Manor went above and beyond in every possible both through the entire planning process and the day the day of our wedding. The Maitre’D George was very helpful and knowledgeable without being intrusive. All of the food was outstanding and our guests could not stop talking about how amazing all of it was, with people posting pictures of the food describing it as unbelievable. The place was gorgeous and immaculate, and everything went perfectly on time to the minute. They upgraded our cake and made it using fondant instead of buttercream as a surprise to us, and it looked better than any picture I provided (and tasted even better!!!! Many guests commented on how delicious it was, and I am a wedding cake criticizer lol, and though it was moist and delicious myself!). Throughout the entire process Preston was also so friendly, accommodating and patient. He threw in tons of stuff both before we signed, and even after. We really could not have had a better experience.

The Manor is absolutely beautiful. Our guests raved about the amazing food and attentiveness of the dining staff. We wouldn't change a thing about our wedding weekend. Despite the rain and not being able to have our cocktail hour outside, the Manor (Virginia Room) was the perfect venue.

There is nothing I can say about The Manor that will convey just how incredible everyone we dealt with there was and how amazing they made our wedding day! Our guests haven’t stopped telling us how beautiful our room was, how amazing and extensive the cocktail hour was (both the food and the drinks), and how delicious everything was during dinner! We mainly worked with Rolf (who is the complete opposite of so many of the used car salesman-like banquet coordinators we met with at other venues) and we also worked with Preston a couple times. Both of them are incredibly nice, very honest, have a great sense of humor, and are just really easy to work with in general. They were willing and able to accommodate every single request we made from incorporating Greek and Spanish foods into the cocktail hour to replacing some foods on the menu with others to rearranging the typical setup in the reception room to having certain drinks available for our guests. What I think sets The Manor apart from so many other venues is that not only did they make those promises to us, but they kept them and then executed them PERFECTLY! The special food requests we made could have easily gone terribly wrong, but because The Manor is a restaurant with reputable chefs all of those special requests were beyond delicious, as was the rest of the food throughout the cocktail hour, dinner, and Viennese hour. On top of that, every single member of the staff from the bridal room attendant (I hate myself for not remembering her name) to the Maitre d’ (Ivan) to the bar staff to the servers was incredible and I can’t say enough about how nice, accommodating, and professional they all were from the time my husband and I first entered our room before guests had even started arriving at our ceremony to the moment we all left. I never once had to ask for anything (something to drink, something to eat, someone to fix my bustle, etc.) because someone always was one step ahead of me – though not in an obnoxious way by any means… they just know what has to get done and they know what they’re doing so it was like second nature to them. Also, all of the people who were helping out during the cocktail hour and reception always had a smile on their face and were nice as can be to our guests. I’ve been to weddings where the bartenders and servers either look miserable or just super serious, but a wedding is a happy occasion and there’s a way to be highly professional while still looking pleasant – the staff at our wedding all did just that and they really seemed to be enjoying themselves… so it really felt like everyone from us to our families and friends to the staff had a good time at our wedding! Another thing to add is that everything on our wedding day was set up exactly as we had envisioned and described it to them… we don’t have a single complaint from the food to the drinks to the service to the ambiance. And, to top it all off, anything they had to pack up for us at the end of the night to be picked up was packaged and wrapped up very carefully, which was nice. The Manor is, without a doubt, an amazing place to get married and have a reception and my husband and I have nothing but positive things to say about the venue itself, the way it’s run, and the staff… it’s a prime venue for an amazing price!

We absolutely, positively recommend The Manor for hosting your most precious day. Our day was absolutely perfect and to add on the wonderful service, food, and grounds was just fantastic. We would like to say thank you to Roman and his great staff for responding to our every need and making sure everything ran smooth. Our guest really enjoyed themselves and we couldn't be more pleased. The Ceremony took place outside in the beautiful garden and we hosted our reception in the Imperial Room, which is such a gorgeous room. I hope your day is as wonderful as our was.

The Manor provided us with everything we needed to make our wedding day perfect. The food was amazing. The service was so professional. Their attention to detail was extraordinary. I recommend upgrading to the filet. We had some guests remark that it was some of the best steak they ever had. I also recommend the viennese table for an amazing selection of cakes, pastries, chocolates and cookies. We had our ceremony outside in their beautiful garden on a perfect day. The flowers provided a perfect background to the event. I would recommend The Manor to anyone having a wedding!

One word to describe The Manor--Perfection!

We just got married a few short weeks ago and I must say, one of the hardest things that we had to do initially during the wedding planning process was pick the venue. The Manor was the third place we saw and we liked it right away. There is something to be said for people who just have it down. There is a certain confidence that goes along with the presentation. We had some unique requests for our wedding. We had a Russian Jewish wedding that required flexibility and cultural accommodations that were very pleasantly respected and fulfilled.
We worked with Preston, who is the manager of the team, who really was a great help. I can honestly admit that I was a bit OCD about things that needed to be done and he was very professional and reassuring about it all the way through. I highly recommend working with him.
The day it self was seamless, it is really great to say that I relinquished control and had a blast!!! If I can give one suggestion to the manor it would be in the food category. You get to try the food at the restaurant as your food tasting. This is different then the food at your reception. Due to logistics the Manor does not do Reception Menu food tasting. I wish that was different, then I would not have picked the fish that I picked (Miso striped bass) but hey everything else was delicious!
Thank you Manor team for an incredible day. We will always hold you close in our hearts for the best party we ever through!

When I started looking at venues I went to many different style places and could not find anything that really caught my eye. My dad told me to go back to The Manor where my sister had gotten married a few years ago. We went back and everything The Manor was giving us was to good to pass up. We dealt with Roman from the very beginning. Dealing with Roman was an absolute pleasure. Everytime we met he greeted us with a smile and we left there more and more pleased with his service. He was so accomodating and gave us everything we wanted and more! He knew my favorites from the buffet and he made sure they were in my bridal suite. The day of the wedding he greeted us at the door as our limo pulled up and made sure my family and I had everything we needed! I am so happy we had our wedding at The Manor. Our guests have complimented on how amazing the food was!I emailed Roman a picture of the cake I wanted and he ensured us that it was possible. All of the items I had brought to be put out were nicely put out. Everything was so well presented and was everything I had dreamed of. I would like to thank The Manor and Roman for an amazing wedding!My husband and I are so pleased with the services we were given and give them the highest reccomendation. Thank You Roman & The Manor! Melissa & Danny Bauza

The Manor is absolutely a beautiful place for a wedding. There are so many areas on the grounds to take pictures it would take you hours to get to them all. The staff was very professional and courteous. Our Maitre D' made our experience there as worry free as possibly, allowing us to enjoy the night. The food was fantastic and tasted amazing. We are so happy we chose The Manor for our reception and highly recommend it.

The Manor is a beautiful reception place for a wedding. The food was excellent and the staff was very nice and friendly. They were accomodating to the tables and food we selected and substituted food for other foods we wanted. They are great to work with and want your day to be perfect. So happy we had our reception there!

Rolf and his team at The Manor were a complete joy to work with. The food was amazing- we've gotten so many compliments. Their grounds are beautiful. We were suppose to get married in their gorgeous garden, but unfortunately it rained :( They were very accommodating and all of our guests had a great time!

Our ceremony and reception both took place at the Manor. It is a beautiful venue. It was the first venue we visited in the Northern New Jersey area out of five and as we visited the other places, no venue came close to the beauty and elegance of the Manor. The staff is so professional and provides exceptional service. If the weather permits, the outside grounds are so beautiful, that it creates such a great ambience for an outdoor ceremony. Unfortunately it rained during our ceremony, so it had to be moved inside, which we were informed of at our first meeting if it did rain. The staff was so quick in moving the ceremony inside. As for the reception. the rooms are beautiful and the food is so great!!! Heard nothing but good comments about everything. Preston was our banquet manager and he is so great and helpful, also very pleasant to work with. Marawan (Marvin) and Isabella were our maiter d's and they were also so great in taking care of us the whole night making sure everthing went smoothly. Great venue!

The Manor in West Orange was the perfect place for my wedding! Everyone at The Manor was so helpful and my husband and I could not have asked for a better day! The entire wedding day went so smoothly, there was always someone there to help when we needed something, and our guest had a blast : ) I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.

We searched all over northern New Jersey for the perfect wedding venue and only stumbled across The Manor accidentally when checking out the hotel next door. By the way, the hotel next door (which is owned by the same team as The Manor and operated by Marriott) was a huge bonus for us as we had tons of guests traveling in from out of town. Our guests could easily take advantage of the open bar at our reception and not worry about driving in an unfamiliar place at the end of the (snowy) night.
We were amazed at the value provided by The Manor. The rates were some of the best we found and yet we really felt we received everything that the other more expensive venues provide. One downside is that there's a chance there will be another wedding going on at the same time as yours, but we picked a day where we ended up being the only wedding which was really nice. A year after the wedding our guests still rave to us about the quality and quantity of the food, and we still hear people say "that was the best wedding I've ever been to."
We were not fans of the "pink room" downstairs where most ceremonies take place, but the staff was very flexible in offering us other areas to have our ceremony (we chose the downstairs rectangular ballroom). The Manor provided us a day-of coordinator that helped IMMENSELY during our rehearsal and ensured that the ceremony and reception tables were set up as we had intended. The cake provided by The Manor was gorgeous although I wish they had let us taste it in advance, we may have gone with a different flavor (you can pick any flavor and design that you want). We loved that everything was included for one per-head price. The grounds are well kept and the holiday decorations that The Manor had up during our wedding (New Years) were gorgeous. They even gave us a coupon to come back and dine at their restaurant for free after the wedding. We also liked that there was a private room for the wedding party to gather in after the ceremony so you get a little celebration with your closest friends and family before making your appearance at your reception. The sparkling wine they served (Verdi) was a huge hit with our guests and we still make sure we always have a bottle on hand. Overall, we highly recommend The Manor!

The Manor is a beautiful place with gardens and a waterfall. The Matre D was superb, he stayed in the shadows but was still a major help. The food was superb!! I have never been to a wedding that the food was actually hot and a good portion. Everyone kept complimenting the food and atmosphere. Def. recommend. They even send you a $100 gift certificate to eat there on your 1 year anniversary.

The Manor did a wonderful job for our wedding reception! The food was AWESOME and people are still talking about the dessert table! I can't wait to go back for our one year anniversary (they were kind enough to give us a gift coin to enjoy dinner for 2!!). Everything went very smoothly and the service was very professional.

I had my wedding there it was beautiful. The service was superb not just for my husband and I but also for the rest of our guests. It poured so much on my wedding day, however, the place its so beautiful in the inside as well that I still got some amazing pictures taken. The Matron D and the banquet manager Mr. Shick were soooo helpful during the whole process.

Staff was great. Everything was as described to us. All changes requested were made without any problems.

The Manor was amazing from the decor to the food

This was the perfect day everyone was great I didnt have one problem the entire staff and the decor and food were amazing....

The Manor of West Orange was more than I could have ever dreamed of. From the start of the wedding planning to the last guest leaving, they made it a wonderful experience. I had my ceremony in the gardens, everything was perfect. The staff was wonderful! The cocktail hour was in the gardens and the cocktail room, which gave our guests the chance to freely go about. And the reception was amazing. The food was delicious, everyone raved about it. And we had a Martie-De that tended to our every needs, he would be on top of the DJ, the wait staff, the bar staff and would make everything run smoothly and it did. We also had a dessert room, set up in our cocktail room. ( which was connected to the reception room by 5 french doors) That was amazing, I thught it was could to jst be a table, but they set up the room just like the cocktail our but with desserts!! And they also set up an international coffee bar and lighting the drinks on fire, a great show for the guests. The manor also provided our wedding cake for us, which everyone enjoyed as well!! Needless to say it was a wedding that no one will ever forget!!

Our wedding was perfect!! Everything went smoothly... Patrick our ceremony coordinator was fantastic... Phillpee our Maitre'd was the best!! He was so attentive and always made sure my dinner plate was empty and my wine glass was always full!! I would recommend the Manor to anyone looking for a formal palce to get married... The outside garden made for an unbelievable ceremony

So many people commented during my reception that mine was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to, which was due in large part to The Manor. The outdoor ceremony area is a beautiful garden complete with fountains, well-maintained lawns and flowers, a beautiful aisle with flowering archways and a picturesque gazebo. I was supplied with a maitre 'd for ceremony and one for the reception who were very professional and took care of telling people what to do, how to do it and where to go.
The food was phenomenal! Guests did not have to decide in advance what they wanted to eat for their main course, and the food was abundant and eclectic. There was food for everyone, no matter what their preferences.
The staff was courteous, responsive and not intrusive. I would recommend this venue to anyone getting married, even if they aren't exactly in the immediate area because all of your guests will be in complete awe of your wedding day and half of your headaches will be taken care of.

Sam at The manor was exceptional in helping us with our initial planning. Our wedding party was small and we had a private dining room for ourselves and seven friends and family.The grounds of the Manor are beautiful, and we have some excellent wedding photographs - luckily the sun was shining on our wedding day!
We selected a set menu of choices of 3-4 options per course. Sam was happy to switch mushroom soup for lobster bisque at no additional charge, and provided a fabulous vanilla sponge wedding cake at no additional charge instead of the desserts.
We all drank plenty of Dom Perignon, and the final bill was no more than $2000 for everything.

The Manor in West Orange NJ is a perfect location to have both your wedding and reception. The grounds are beautiful, especially with the flowers in bloom. My own wedding was in late November, but the fountains in the Italian Garden were lovely all lit up at night.

My family has been return customers from when my own parents had their reception there in 1969, to friends and my own sister 7 years before me.

The Service is exceptional. You get a lot for you money here. We actually chose to have an extra half hour on our cocktail hour. I highly recommend this, especially if you are having your wedding there and need time to do your photos or like me, our church was an hour south of this reception hall. The options you receive during your cocktail hour is amazing and frankly if anyone goes hungry from The Manor it is there own fault. If you are a fan of shrimp. their shrimp cocktail and oyster ball is to die for. Where most places charge you per guest for how many shrimp. At the time of my wedding and even my sister's, it is never ending supply. At our wedding we had many different foods, but do not think you are limited to their menu. At our request, my father wanted little hot dogs (pigs in the blanket). We got them without any problems.

As the Bride and Groom, the wedding party has access to their own room, which you can hide away, refresh your makeup and adjust any clothing. They provide food and champaign for you and an attendant to help you with anything you need during the night.

The food is wonderful here, though I wouldn't consider anything low fat, but hey after months of starving yourself it's nice to eat something with a little fat in it.

Liqueur, another great expense, was included in our bill. Instead of the standard 1 or maybe 2 bars for your guests, the Manor has rolling bars. Which every so many tables has their own personal bar.

Desserts: what is a wedding without desserts? Our wedding cake was made on site. A tiramisu filling... to die for. The pipping decorations was beautiful. We also had our florist add real flowers that matched the centerpieces, these deep red orange roses which were wonderful. Note to brides to be...do not let your florist over do the real flowers on your cake. it will take away what it is, a cake. I have seen this on other cakes.

Besides the wedding cake we also did a dessert buffet. It included a gelato Ice cream bar, different kinds of cake; chocolate, cheese, strawberry short cake, and so on. There were also mini cream burles, a pie or two and Italian pastries. We also request a Coffee bar. Where guest could get special coffees with Liqueur of choice.

Like I said, if anyone goes hungry from this place, it there own fault.

As an extra bonus, after we were married, my husband and I received a letter of thank you form the Manor, in it was a 100 gift certificate towards our 1st anniversary dinner. It was a wonderful dinner.

The Manor is classy place. Your guests need to be dressed. Men in jacket and ties, women in evening wear. Because some of our guests might of not realized what the dress called for, on our invitation we put "Black Tie optional."

The Manor also has one of the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen. I would suggest as a person of interest that you ask to see the kitchen of the location you are considering. You do not want to see a dirty kitchen in a venue. It should be clean and well kept. If the manager refuses that might be a good indication that something isn't right.

I highly recommend The Manor. though not the cheapest out there. You get a lot for your money ,a plus in today's world and from all the weddings that I been to or heard from that The Manor hosted, I never heard a bad thing.

Everything was wonderful! The cake was delicious and so many styles to choose from. Every course of food tasted incredible. The grounds are so beautiful for pictures. The bridal room has an attendent and she busseled my dress, combed my hair out at the end of the night. I felt like a princess!

Excellent. I could not rave about it any more. Food was delicious. Flowers were beautiful outside to take pictures. We worked with a man named Rolf. He was very clear about everything. No hidden fees. Very generous. He catered to whatever we needed for the entire night. It was great.

From the moment we first visited The Manor we knew we had found the place for our wedding reception. The food was absolutely amazing, the cocktail hour was ridiculous (even though I hardly had the chance to eat any of it). Our guests gave us so many compliments about the venue. The gardens were phenomenal and provided us so many wonderful photographs!

All my guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been too! We were in the Imperial Room and the outdoor area attached to the room was much appreciated! The food AMAZING and ABUNDANT. The location so classy and elegant! A PERFECT location!

The Manor was such a beautiful venue. Everyone was very helpful in putting all the details of our wedding together. I would def. do it all over again!!!

My husband and I wanted an elegant, romantic, timeless wedding. The venue was absolutely beautiful. We never dreamed we would be able to afford it, but on a Friday, the price changed drastically. When we first toured the grounds and inquired about cost, we were pleasantly surprised at how professional and friendly our guide was. He did not try to "sell" us at all. The grounds really do sell themselves. We chose a Friday evening wedding with the ceremony outside in the Manors gardens. The ceremony was followed by a premium open bar cocktail hour with numerous butler horsdeurves, carving station, pasta stations, seafood station, etc. The room we chose also had a private garden attached to our cocktail room with a large waterfall, and a vintage feel stone stairway on both sides leading up to the top of the waterfall where there is a lovely bridge overlooking the Manor. Our guests jaws dropped upon arrival. After cocktail hour, our guests were led into the reception dining room. It is a very classic dining room with a very large chandelier hovering over the dance floor. It is decorated in a dark wood with beautiful detail. The food at The Manor is exquisite. It is a five star restaurant so everything was cooked to perfection. Our guests chose their meal at the table. The wedding cake was beautiful, and delicious too! There was not a moment throughout the evening that I was not waited on. We had a waiter at our side every minute. There is a large wait staff so each table is without want. I cannot say enough about how incredible the experience at The Manor was. I will recommend this venue to every bride I meet. It really was a magical evening. Our guests still rave about every detail of the event. A very warm thanks to Preston and all of the hard working staff at The Manor.

We absolutely loved The Manor. The food was phenomenal and the service was spectacular. The only downfall was that it poured all night so everyone was inside and there were 2 other weddings booked there that night so the place was very crowded. We tried to find a place to take pictures but there were all these kids running around with no one from The Manor to kind of control it a little. Also, we gave specific direction on how we wanted our place cards to be set up, but it was all done incorrectly. Other than that, The Manor is an absolutely beautiful place to have a reception, especially if you can get outside because the grounds are beautiful!

THe manor is an amazing place and would recommend to all

The manor truly exceeded my expectations for the wedding. The staff was very courteous and the grounds were absolutely breathtaking. The service was great and the guest loved the food.

AMAZING! I had both my ceremony and reception at The Manor. I was lucky enough to have a beautiful day, and got married in the gardens outside. The grounds and landscaping where kept in perfect condition. The staff on hand were dedicated to only my wedding, so I really felt like a princess that day. I was getting ready at the location, so I was there HOURS before the ceremony was going to start. They were very open and accomidating. The bridal suites were decent sized, and they actually gave me 2 since one was not being used.

The food was amazing. The cocktail hour was just filled with delicious foods and the bar was always stocked. The waiters were very polite and well dressed. The Manor bakery also made my cake for me. Gorgeous would not even describe it. The care they put into the detail was amazing and it just tasted like heaven!

I had been to The Manor for my high school prom, and could think of no where else to have my wedding reception. We fell in love with the Virginia room, and the grounds outside. The staff were truly attentive to all of our needs, including making me a pina colada when they normally don't. The food was perfect, and our family still talks about how wonderful our reception was. The venue is a little pricey, but you definitely get your money's worth. I would rather spend money on a sure thing than waste it on unknown places. The grounds also make for lovely bridal pictures. They also have a relationship with the Ramada Inn where they have a shuttle to take your guests back and forth from the venue. There is also a hotel next door, but it is quite expensive.

The Manor was a beautiful, beautiful venue for our wedding. We loved the food, the grounds, the staff everything was wonderful. Our contact manager was Rolf, there are not enough nice things that I can say about him. He was unbelievable from start to finish.

Our only complaint, very small complaint is that you share a bathroom with other weddings. The bathroom is very large and beautiful with vanity mirrors and decorated beautifully. With that said I had two guest baskets that I spent a lot of money on in the bathrooms that were destroyed by another wedding being held in the downstairs room. The other wedding's guests stole everything out of the baskets made a mess of the sign that we had there, even took the frame that held the cute poem. So if you plan on putting a guest basket in your bathrooms, don't go crazy and spend a lot of money on them because chances are strangers will be using the contents of them.

The Manor is a bit older than most of the reception venues in the area but what you get for your money is well worth it. Love, love, loved our wedding in the Imperial Room at The Manor!

We had both our ceremony and reception at The Manor. It's a beautiful location, and we had a great experience dealing with Rolf Shick, our coordinator.

When we finalized our menu, we found that they added things for us - we were given an extra chafing dish for a hot item at the cocktail hour, and instead of one seasonal fish choice besides the standard salmon, we had FIVE. And they were willing to play with the preparation too, so instead of something basic, our fish choice was macadamia-encrusted red snapper. When I wanted a last minute change, they were fine with making it pistachio-encrusted red snapper instead.

The on-site pastry chef provides the cake as part of the package, and they've got a book of designs from which to choose. I didn't like any of those, and they all required toppers, which I don't want to do. So instead the pastry chef did a cake to my specs, based on photos I brought in. It was to be hazelnut with fresh raspberries folded into the chocolate mousse filling, and covered in plain white buttercream. Again, at the 11th hour I asked for a change - to make the middle tier chocolate cake rather than hazelnut. And again they worked with me and made the change.

The food at both the cocktail hour and dinner were wonderful, as were the desserts. I'd just gush if I started talking about it.

The only negatives: I didn't try the oysters, but Eric said the ones at our cocktail hour were NOT the same ones as the oysters we had at dinner during the "trial." They were still good, don't get me wrong, but not quite *as* good.

The cake was gorgeous, exactly what I wanted and absolutely beautiful. But while the trio of desserts we got were phenomenal, the cake was not quite up to the same standard. It was kind of what you'd expect when you go to a wedding; a little dry, and kind of "eh."

I knew that with a 3/28 wedding in NJ, an outdoor ceremony was really iffy. That's why we picked the Manor; because they've got a very pretty ceremony room indoors too. On the morning of the wedding, I was at home with my hairdresser, getting my hair done, when I got a call from my florist, who was at the venue setting up. I'd told the coordinator that if it was 60-65+ degrees and sunny, we could try for an outdoor ceremony. Well, on this day it was maybe 55, cloudy, and windy. Apparently, they didn't have the ceremony room set up for a ceremony and were pushing the florist to set up outside anyway, so she called me. With some pushing, they let her move everything indoors.

I only had 3 bridesmaids and my mom in the wedding with me. The bridal room they gave me could barely hold us; it was tight with all our stuff. I was very glad I did hair & makeup at home, there'd have been no room.

The Manor does not have a room for the groom and groomsmen. Unfortunately, Eric's groomsmen were taking mass transit out from NYC, and were loathe to come already in their tuxes. To the Manor's credit, they gave them an extra bridal room in which to change (ours was the only day wedding that day). However, the bridal attendant, Isabelle or Isabella, I forget which, was rather INattentive, plus during the wedding went and took all of the groomsmen's personal items, together with Eric's, and unceremoniously dumped it all IN my bridal room on top of all our stuff. Then after the wedding, when everyone wanted to change, she was right outside but started letting the guys walk in on us half-dressed. We chased them out, and had to change in shifts, fishing through the guys' stuff to get to ours.

Note that at the cocktail hour, there are no servers for the chafing dishes. I didn't mind that, but it didn't go unnoticed by guests (and my mother). Also, they tried to stop the butlered hors d'oeuvres 35 minutes into the hour. My mother told me what was going on, and our maitre d', to his credit, did correct that quickly, and send them out with more trays. However, I've heard that many people only got one or two of the passed items, and didn't otherwise see any.

During dinner, our waitress stood by our sweetheart table and was MORE than on top of everything, refilling before we could even breathe. It was great. However, I've heard that the guests' waitstaff were not as attentive, failing to refill drinks and more or less disappearing for periods of time. In addition, the "rolling drink service" promised by the venue did not roll, forcing the guests to get up for their drinks either at the bar in the room or the "rolling bar" that just stayed outside of the main room in the cocktail hour room, very accessible but annoying.

Overall, we had a great time and believe our guests did as well, but there were disappointments in the service in some areas. For people having weddings there in the future, I'd suggest assigning someone to keep an eye out for problems and deal with them as they arise.

THe manor was gorgeous! So happy we picked it. QUALITY OF FOOD IS AMAZING! we didnt have a trial for food- just the buffet - so i wasn't really sure what it'll be like the day of...DAY OF IT WAS SOOOOOOOO GOOD. 10000x. People everywhere kept telling my parents how high class it was!

The Manor did a great job......there were just a few things that I would tell you to double check. Even though I filled out a 100 papers with my name on it they spelled my name wrong on the door to my recieption hall....do make sure they have it right. Also if you get the bridal suite (which we never use) try and use it. The woman who was in charge of the sweat was up my mothers butt the entier day asking when we were coming down.

The place was great

Great!

The staff at the Manor went out of their way to make sure my wedding day was perfect. From the food to the ambiance, everything was perfect.

During the planning process, I had some trouble getting in contact with the dining manager. I would write an e-mail, but not get any response. However, as the wedding date got closer (two months to go), his responsiveness improved a lot.
There was also some confusion in the communication. I had been told by at least two different managers that the Manor did not have a white projector screen on the premises. So for the wedding, I bought a tripod projector screen to use for the photo slideshow...but lo and behold, there was a white screen already in our dining room on the wedding day.

On the day of the event, the food was absolutely amazing (cocktail hour, dinner, dessert). I did not visit the cocktail hour for very long, but many guests told us the food was great. My husband and I got to sample all three dinner entrees, and all were delicious. The only mediocre part was taste of the wedding cake itself. The appearance of the cake was as expected, as I had chosen of of their models out of the cake photo binder.

The ceremony garden site was so lovely and magical, with its greenery-entwined arches. I must give kudos to the staff for allowing us to keep the ceremony outdoors, although it had rained hard the night before and was forecast for more rain throughout the day. They wiped the chairs and positioned them in the least soggy parts of the lawn.

I had both my ceremony and reception at The Manor. They have a beautiful outdoor ceremony area with manicured grounds and a cobblestone aisle. When you get married at The Manor, the staff really take care of you. For the majority of the time I was engaged, we had a specific banquet manager who fielded all our questions and took all our information (Preston). For the ceremony, we had a separate person (Patrick was fantastic) who oversaw every detail to make sure everyone was kept on point. Patrick also coordinated my Rehearsal, and everyone just lined up like ducks for him. Then for the reception, we had an incredibly attentive Maitre'D who made sure we ate, and did things on schedule.

One thing about working with The Manor is that I never felt like they were salesmen. When we were shopping for other venues, some of the places really were nickel-and-dimeing us.. cake cutting fees, linen and silverware fees, an extra $500 to have your wedding during night rather than day, etc. The Manor is very simple.. they have their little system all set up. So somethings you could not really negotiate on (for instance, if you wanted to get married outside, there is only one place to do it), but if you wanted an indoors wedding - no problem. If you want rose petals, candles, sparklers, no problem. They don't charge you for cleanup fees.

Although they are a kind of "wedding factory" where they have weddings every day, several times a day, they still are professional enough to make YOU feel like YOU'RE the only one getting married. I arrived several hours before the ceremony was to start and they set me up in a cute bridal suite with my own bridal attendant who kept us watered and fed. Patrick checked on us several times as well.. and every time I saw Preston in the hallway he gave me a big smile and he looked genuinely happy for me.

The food - this is what sold my parents on this place. It's famous for its food. You know how most weddings have really mediocre food, served room temperature? If you went to any wedding held at The Manor and you went away hungry, that was YOUR fault, not theirs. Too bad I missed it, but apparently the cocktail hour was unbelievable. I feel so sad thinking that I missed out on the paella! Our guests cleaned them out of the cocktail hour food.. which filled everyone up so they barely touched their entrees! They also baked our cake, which was beautiful.. but sorta cardboard tasting. But who cares.. because the other dessert was delicious!

The downsides:
The price. I know that the rates aren't that crazy high compared to Pleasantdale Chateau but still.. it really added up. The ceremony cost $12 per chair.

The food tasting. They don't offer food tastings - they just give you a gift coin to use to their restaurant. They don't give you a sampling of what is on your specific wedding menu, but they say if you go to their restaurant then you can get "an idea" of what the food will be like. We brought my sister and my mother and even with the gift coin it ended up costing over $250.

The "vegetarian" offering. I have a Kosher Jewish friend who could not get the chicken, fish or beef option. Apparently it was HORRIBLE.

The whole "wedding factory" thing. During our ceremony, the couple who got married earlier that day had gotten rained out of their outside wedding, so the entire time they were taking photos like 30 yards away. You also will have several brides and grooms running into each other in the hallway.. which doesn't exactly make you feel super special.
The "top shelf liquor". Unfortunately when we booked, we didn't realize that the top shelf meant you had Ketel One Vodka, not Grey Goose; Johnny Walker Red instead of Black; no Chivas, etc. You COULD upgrade your bar package to the extremely high shelf to include those options but it was very pricey. My dad's drink of choice is Johnny Black. We could not bring in our own bottles, so we had to buy bottles from them at double the price for about $90 per .75 liter.

The top tier of the wedding cake - I thought it was a pretty well known American tradition that the bride and groom keeps the top tier of the cake to eat on their first anniversary. But instead they sliced it and served it to our guests.

The rigidness of the staff. When my mother and my sister stopped by to drop off the first payment, they had to wait for a manager. So my mom thought it would be nice to show my sister which room we picked - but one staff saw them going in and yelled at them. My mom and sister weren't going to touch anything and there was no event going on at the time, so they thought it would be okay to take a two minute peek at the room. We received similar treatment several other times during future visits. I suppose it's to make sure there's no vandalism and that there is always an escort, but still, we all felt like that was extremely rude.

Bridal suite was sort of tiny with a single stand to hold up all the dresses. Since the two mothers, all my bridesmaids and myself were in that room, the wedding dress got folded and the whole stand was weighed down with all the dresses. There was no full length mirror, just a half mirror on the wall that cut you off at the waist. Also there was not really a lot of room on the tables to hold the flowers, champagne flutes, purses, etc.. we had to use the floor.

They were great! Its a beautiful venue for a wedding!

We worked with The Manor for almost a year in preparation for our big day. The first thing I asked of them when we were evaluating venues is whether they could accomodate table service for drinks. They said that they could but strangely enough the entire day of my wedding my glass was empty.

They are a good venue and everyone raved to us about the food and seemed to have a great time but I am very disappointed in their lack of attention to detail. I am not sure why we met so many times and discussed things over and over again throughout the year only to have them forgotten. I feel like I wasted a lot of time thinking through those details that were so important to me.

I did not meet the maitre d until the morning of the wedding. We had a communication problem from the first moment. I found him difficult to track down and didn't get the feeling he had everything under control. One of our table numbers burned from one of our candles and an entire table of people didn't know where to sit. He didn't tell me about this or handle it effectively.

He was supposed to set up two side tables to honor our dead relatives and this was not done according to the pictures I sent but very half assed.

We wanted a special cake and fought with the baker to have him do this- we kept asking him what kind of cake he could do that wasn't the traditional white and he could not answer. The cake itself was lopsided and looked like he didn't put any care into it. He also didn't follow our directions.

The list of things goes on and on. It wasn't a bad experience for our guests at all and it's a great venue if you want a run of the mill generic wedding but if you want any level of detail they can't handle it. If we had to do it over again we would pick a different venue.

Fabulous wedding venue! Extremely nice staff, beautiful location, and excellent food. They have a gorgeous outdoor area for ceremonies. We really enjoy photographing weddings there.

The Manor consistently does amazing weddings.

Great place to have your special event. Super ambiance, great food and staff is friendly.

The Manor is a beautiful Venue. Owned by the Knowells Family who also owns The Highlawn Pavilion, The Pleasantdale Chateau and The Rams Head Inn. Its long list of fabulous wines, wonderful menu and beautiful gardens with water features that are just breath taking. The Residence Inn which also sits on the property is great for out of town guest or even the Wedding Party. I recommend The Manor to all Brides that want to create that fairytale Wedding.

We work at The Manor very often. We actually have a wedding there in 2 days! Such a friendly staff! The grounds are gorgeous and the food is simply amazing! We look forward to every wedding we perform at The Manor!

Beautiful grounds, beautiful venue! A photographers dream location!

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your network. We look forward to building a relationship with you in the near future! Please let us know if we can assist you in any way! Christine Kosakowski www.OliveBranchPapery.com

It's always a pleasure to play harp at the Manor. It's an absolutely beautiful setting, the staff is courteous and professional and everything is top notch.
Margaret Sneddon, Harpist
www.MargaretSneddon.com