The Riverside Church

This is a long overdue raving review of Riverside, where we were married in October.

Riverside Church is one of the most beautiful spaces in the city. I never thought I would be as lucky to get married in such a magnificent church. Many of our guests, most of them native New Yorkers, commented at how surprised they were that they hadn't known about this place. The location was perfect for us - whether our guests were on the subway, driving, or cabbing it, no one had an issue.

We were married in the Nave, which is just breathtaking. The sound of the organ and the beautiful ambience of a cathedral was a dream. I felt like a princess walking down that aisle with my father. Our minister, Reverand Dr. Arnold Thomas, gave a beautiful ceremony and welcomed everyone so warmly.

After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour on the 10th Floor and then a sit-down reception on the 9th Floor. I can't even count how many of my guests thanked me tremendously that they didn't have to travel between the ceremony and reception. That was another key reason we chose this church.

The space on the 9th and 10th floors is fantastic. You have beautiful tall ceilings, huge windows looking east and west (over the hudson) and our timing in the fall was perfect to catch a sunset and the changing leaves. The rooms are perfect for a wedding.

The food and drinks at both the cocktail hour and the dinner were exceptional. People are still raving to us how they have never been to such a wedding with such amazing food. I wrote another review for their in-house caterer, Pasha Events, but to summarize - with my husband in the restaurant business and many industry folks in attendance, we had a lot of people to impress, and everyone was thrilled.

Angela, the wedding coordinator, was amazing. She is so personable, kind, and intelligent. She treated us like our wedding was the most important one, and in fact, when we stopped by a few times just to see the space, or do our tasting, or meet with Rev. Arnold, we always stopped in to say hello to her. She really knows what she is doing, and while incorporating your ideas makes your dream day so stress-free. I didn't have to worry about anything!

I cannot thank Riverside Church enough and would recommend to anyone to get married there. This was the best day of our lives. We are already trying to think of excuses to do another event there.

The Riverside Church is a gorgeous venue and I've dreamed of being married here most of my life. My experience however was lack-lustre. It started out well but ended up not so great. Although we are not members of the church were welcomed to have our ceremony here, especially since we opted to take on the hefty charge for using the Nave. The coordinator was at times extremely nice but at others unprofessional and difficult. There was a problem with the post office geting our final payment to them and receiving an email consisting solely of the words "did you send it yet???????" was in my opinion inappropriate. Our officiant was assigned to us which was no problem, but when a date to meet was agreed on by all parties and then canceled without notification (it was later found out my email address which is my name was mispelled and thus an email was sent which I never recieved) I viewed this as unprofessional. At the end of our ceremony the coordinator was soo adamant about and quick to make sure all guests exit asap that our poor grandmother was confused and left without taking pictures with us. I think this was a shame. Lastly when we booked we were told that a discounted rate would be offered if we wanted to reserve parking spaces in the parking deck below the church. When it came down to it the coordinator forgot about this option completely and when I asked about it turns out there was no discount. The discount was only if you also booked a reception room with them. I think that if I had to do it all over again, I would have opted for another venue and would not recommend hosting an event here if service is of a top priority to you.

Wonderful venue, and the coordinator is on top of everything and helpful.

The people associated with this church truly care about those who enter their doors. To get married at Riverside we had to meet with the minister for a pre-marriage counseling session. It wasn’t preachy or judgmental. It was an honest session about marriage and we felt better when we left than we did when we went it.

As a preferred vendor I've the Riverside Church, I've photographed many weddings there and I'm always amazed at how wonderful each and every wedding is. My brides and grooms continually rave about their experience and I know first hand that they never have to worry about anything - Angela Gregory and her amazing staff run the tightest ship in NY! I once photographed a wedding there where 150 guests who had never RSVPed arrived ready to sit and eat - somehow within half an hour, there were tables, chairs and food for them all to enjoy! Riverside Church is the place to get married if you're looking for a beautiful setting and a stress free experience.