The Woodlands at Woodbury

My wedding was the best wedding I have ever been to. Not because it was my wedding, but because of the Woodlands at Woodbury. The service was phenomenal. The food was fantastic. And the mansion and the grounds were absolutely stunning. Every staff member treated us like family. Our whole family keeps telling us (months later) about what a wonderful time they had. They loved the food... they go on and on and on about the delicious food! And, they loved the old world feel of mansion, the patio, the way the main dining room has glass doors to the back patio (a great place to smoke cigars fyi) and the bar (a great place to watch your favorite sports team). From Margaret, to Steve to Patty - the most amazing people to work with who made our very special day run smoothly. I LOVED MY WEDDING AT THE WOODLANDS! I promise you will not make a mistake if you choose this venue for your wedding, or any other special event!

Our wedding at The Woodlands was the most incredible experience I could have imagined. My husband & I are still hearing from our guests about how much they loved our wedding & how amazing the service, food, & mansion was. Before choosing our venue we had been to The Woodlands many times for different occasions but on our wedding day it was like we had never been there before. Seeing the mansion done up for our wedding was unreal!

From the moment we arrived that day every single detail was handled for us. We had a very large bridal party (30 people total) & all of their needs were handled as well. Steve, our manager, set up the entire upstairs of the mansion with drinks & food & let the bridal party have the run of the place. It was so much fun for everyone! My bridal party still talks about how much fun they had hanging out before our ceremony.

Erica was my bridal attendant & I couldn't be more grateful for how easy she made the day for me. I didn't have to think about a single thing because she thought of everything for me. I always had a drink in my hand & every time I turned around she was reapplying my lip gloss or making me laugh. She was such a life saver.

The weeks leading up to our wedding were handled with such professionalism & such detail by Steve & the rest of the staff. They laid out every detail of what we had to do & with a 300 person guest list we had a LOT to take care of. Steve was always available for every phone call or email & made sure we stayed calm.

If anything went wrong that day, we never found out. There are so many people on staff at The Woodlands that you wouldn't know if anything went wrong. Someone is always taking care of everything & making sure the only thing you're worried about is having the best day of your life. From the stunning look of the mansion as you arrive, to the incredible viennese hour to end your wedding, The Woodlands is the most elegant & incredible venue out there. We could not have been happier!

I had my wedding reception at the The Woodlands and it was amazing! I honestly had no compliants. The staff was very friendly and very very helpful. A big thumbs up to the Maitri'D and my bridal attendant Iris. Now the food.. OMG! I booked this place before i had the tasting so i was just going to hearsay about the food but OMG the food in this venue is the best I've ever had at a wedding and all my guests concur. I wish i would've taken some home LOL. Planing the wedding i worked with Debi and then Steve both great. At the end working with Steve i felt confident that our requests were taken seriously, and he's a cool guy! Thanks to the Woodlands team for an awesome, unforgetable wedding.

I had my beautiful wedding at the Woodlands on 9/9/12 and it was beautiful. the Venue itself is goreous, very well maintained and unique. the staff was really friendly and pleasant to work with. Steve and Margaret were always there to assist and help me throughout the whole preparation process. my only complaint was the fact that the sign was taken off on the day of my wedding and a lot of my guests got lost and were late for my ceremony which was pretty upsetting. otherwise i will always go back and have more affairs at the Woodlands. also, my guests couldnt stop talking about how great the food was!

Our wedding day was amazing. Our bridal attendant was so helpful. The entire staff was very helpful in booking and planning our event.

We had the most wonderful wedding at the Woodlands. From the time my fiance and I went to look at it, till we drove away on the night of our wedding, we have only wonderful things to say about The Woodlands!!! Margaret (in sales) is a warm, welcoming person who made sure we were always taken care of. Steve and Iris were outstanding the day of our wedding. We were able to decorate as if it was our home. Our friends and family are still talking about the delicious food and service they received. We took all our pictures outdoors as the grounds are beautifully kept. If you want a spectacular wedding, this is the place to be!!!

I loved them! Great food, great staff. My guests were incredibly happy. Steve and Erica were absolutely awesome! Absolutely recommend. The grounds were beautiful as well.

From the moment we booked with the Woodlands to the very end, everything for our June wedding was perfect. The entire staff was incredible..extremely helpful and professional. The location itself is breathtaking and magical..not your typical catering hall. Our guests raved about the amazing food and how beautiful the Woodlands is. We couldnt ask for anything better.

Everything was perfect!!! Steve and Raymond were amazing and more than accommodating!!!! So many people called me to tell us how great the food was and we agree! No complaints at all!!!

Overall an amazing event :) The Woodlands was the perfect backdrop and the look that my husband and I were looking for.

I had my wedding at the woodlands yesterday and it was a great success!  The staff organized and timed everything wonderfully and everything ran so smoothly. The grounds are also beautiful and they only host one wedding at a time so the entire mansion is yours!  The food was absolutely delicious and elegantly displayed. Importantly, baking and cooking happens on the premises. Our guests were so impressed by the setting and elegance and so will yours!!

The Woodlands staff was great! Very friendly, patient, and helpful.

We LOVED having our wedding at the Woodlands - my guests LOVED the food and the mansion is beautiful. We got some amazing photos. Everything went off without a hitch!

There aren't enough positive words available to review The Woodlands. From our first visit with them when we realized we found our venue to our Wedding Day was such a wonderful experience; all the staff are so professional and helpful.

Our Wedding was spectacular and our guests are still raving about our day!

We wish we were invited to someone else's Wedding at The Woodlands so we could enjoy another magical occassion.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about The Woodlands and their staff. To start, it is an amazing place to have a wedding. It is not the typical catering hall that is around. Instead I really felt like my husband and I had our own mansion for the day. Every single thing was taken care of the way I wanted - from the family pictures to the candles to our lounge area. Everything was perfection. The staff was amazing at taking care of my every need and want but yet they were not intrusive. And the food was AMAZING. I still have people telling me it was the best food they have had at a wedding hands down and that it was like being at a restaurant. Thank you so much to the whole team at The Woodlands. You made our day amazing!

Review of The Woodlands, Woodbury, New York
Wedding, Sunday, November 6, 2011

It’s hard to believe that our wedding at The Woodlands in Woodbury, Long Island was five months ago. As a busy new bride, I finally have a moment to write a review and share our wonderful experience with all future brides and grooms considering this venue. After our engagement on New Year’s eve 2009 (officially the first few minutes of January 1, 2010), we soon began a six month search for the perfect venue. A great deal of time was spent searching possibilities online, reading bridal magazines and visiting the places that looked interesting. We were looking for a venue that didn’t feel like a catering hall, had only one event at a time, was unique and elegant, a place that could create an intimate setting and above all have some historical background…. a place with a story on which we could begin our own story. Finally in early September 2010, we found The Woodlands and it won our hearts. When we toured The Woodlands we encountered a beautiful Gold Coast Estate on magnificent grounds with an Italian villa style. The house was designed by the famous architects, Delano and Aldrich, who were known for many of Long Island’s Gold Coast mansions from country estates to large ones such as Oheka Castle. The house was commissioned in 1918 by a prominent lawyer of the time named, Victor Morawetz, who gave it the beautiful name “The Three Ponds” (named after the three actual ponds that surrounded three sides of the house in the gardens). Later on, in 1928, the house was sold to the famous industrialist, Andrew Mellon, who bought it as a wedding present for his daughter, Alyssa. The house itself, beautifully preserved as it was from the early 1900’s and the background history had us hooked. My Mom, our official wedding planner and consultant, did a lot of research on the beautiful home and made an album of pictures of its history (if you select the Woodlands be sure to see a copy of this research we gave to Ms. Brower). The estate is now owned by the town of Oyster Bay and is currently a wedding venue run by the Singh Hospitality Group. All the charm and the elegance of the original house remain intact and one might feel transported back in time upon entering the property. The house fascade, surrounding garden walls, entry and staircase halls are all as they were in the 1920’s. In later years, Alyssa Mellon Bruce, changed the name of the estate to The Woodlands and made some interior enhancements such as the beautiful and intimate wood paneled drawing room. My fiancé and I had hoped to have a relatively small wedding of around 100 guests and longed for an intimate setting that would be charming and unique. We fell in love with this room as the place where we hoped to have our ceremony. We felt this was the historical heart of the house and would be perfect for our fall later afternoon ceremony. There are of course, many other lovely options for ceremonies inside the reception room for larger weddings or even outside in the gardens overlooking the beautiful woodland gardens and rolling green lawns. The house itself was extended in recent years with an elegant reception ballroom toward the back of the house. The décor and design is a perfect compliment to the rest of the house. In addition there is a fabulous bridal suite and the groom and his groomsmen can enjoy the gentlemen’s bar which also has beautiful wood paneling. Since your event is the only one at the time, the bride and groom and their family get to be the hosts of this enchanting estate for several magical hours with the assistance of your venue team who help you bring your vision to a reality. While our wedding had only 105 guests, the cocktail hour room and reception room were arranged in such a manner as to maintain the intimacy but still give us all the space the home had to offer.
The setting of the wedding as we’ve described so far was extremely important and The Woodlands was perfect in every way in that regard. Of course, while the venue setting is critical, all of it would be worthless without the proper staff and other basic elements that make a wedding successful as a perfect event. We carefully evaluated these elements as well upon selecting The Woodlands and we were convinced from the beginning that we had made the right choice. The staff we worked with were extremely helpful and willing to go to any length to help us make our wedding vision and all its details a reality. The key person in working with us from the moment we arrived, was our banquet manager, Margaret Brower. She worked with us from the beginning of the journey until the end in every area of our Woodlands wedding. Ms. Brower assisted us in fine tuning the ceremony details, menu, vision, as well as seeing that everything ran smoothly on the day of the wedding. We also were introduced to the general manager, Steve Dumeng, as the wedding date got closer. He supervised the orchestration of the entire event to make sure that every detail was taken care of and that the staff would be fully advised and in place. Shortly before the wedding we also met our Maitre’d, Raymond, who was wonderful and managed the affair to perfection so that we were “worry free” (actually “no worries” was the phrase Raymond would always tell us and it was true). As an added and invaluable person for the bride, the Woodlands provided me with a bridal assistant, Iris, who was with me the entire event, seeing to my every need and keeping me calm so that I could enjoy our day (which I did completely). All the waiters, waitresses and additional staff were also superb. In addition, I would highly recommend any of the house vendors of the Woodlands we used. For our band (9 piece) we decided on After Hours with owner, Phil Vollaro. They were incredible and had our guests dancing and smiling non- stop (they also do DJs etc.). For our photography we used Michael at Gray Studios. He really captured the wedding beautifully and we are continuing to work with him and his staff on crafting our albums and DVD. For flowers, Pedestals was wonderful and went above and beyond to create incredible flowers under the guidance of Virgil Alessi on staff there. With all the house vendors (and there are others listed), it is always best to take the time to interview them (house or not) and see which are a good match for you.
The next big element that was important in venue selection is the food. Here the Woodlands did not disappoint. In truth, we did decide to go to a tasting before booking the venue, but it was worth it to get a clear idea of the caliber of the food. The staff takes the time to assist you in selecting your menu and you have the option to upgrade or add items if you wish. We stayed with the basic menu items offered (all fantastic) as well as the cocktail hour stations and passed hor’doevres. We did add a Caviar station with a magnificent ice sculpture which our guests loved but in truth really didn’t need it since there was plenty to select from. Since we had our ceremony at the Woodlands, our guests were greeted with champagne and some crudités a half hour before as they gathered in the beautiful entry halls. We had a pianist playing some classic love songs which made the pre ceremony really romantic. As an added plus, the bridal suite also has a mini buffet of foods and champagne for the bride and bridesmaids as well as family. We also had additional appetizers set up for the groomsmen in the gentlemen’s bar.
The main dinner selection items we picked were all superb. Our first course was the roasted pear salad followed by a choice of Chilean Sea Bass, Filet Mignon and Duck. One was better than the next. The trio of desserts were also a big hit (you can pick what you like). We had cheesecake, chocolate cake and mini pumpkin pie tarts. Our wedding cake was a vision to behold (provided by the Woodlands) – four tiers (as we requested) with a beautiful design that we had provided a picture of. Our florist added the final touch with a cascade of our signature roses (leonitis) as well as on the top of the cake. Our interior layers were yellow cake and chocolate pudding alternating with layers of chocolate cake and cannoli filling. This is the only item regarding the food that could have been better, the interior of the cake. Somehow the cannoli filling ended up as a buttercream filling with no chips. In the end, the truth is most guests never eat the wedding cake after the trio of desserts but for those brides and grooms that are fanatical about the interior of the cake, you might want to consider an upgrade here. All the other Woodlands desserts we sampled at food tastings were incredible but the wedding cake was hard to evaluate since at the tastings you get very small squares of the various cakes and an array or fillings that you have to mix and match to come up with a decision. Without actually eating a slice of cake with the icing on top, it isn’t easy to know how it will be. Perhaps schedule an appointment with the Woodlands baker or as mentioned, upgrade on your own. For us, although the cake interior was a bit disappointing, the look of the cake was perfect and that was very important to us.
In the end, for anyone considering the Woodlands as a venue for a wedding or other special event, we give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Our wedding could never have achieved the vision we had and given our guests the experience we dreamed of in any other place. The setting of the estate with the surrounding beautiful property (especially spectacular in fall), the elegant and historical interior, first class service and food, attentive and caring staff all contribute to a one of a kind event. Add to this recipe your own creativity and vision (such as staging the entry halls and mantles with all your own touches in seasonal florals, personal items, photos etc.), truly knowing what you want and communicating that to the staff ….. you will surely achieve an incredible wedding. Our wedding was more magnificent than we could have imagined. Even now, five months later, our guests still have not stopped talking about it. We wish we could live it all over again. With a great venue and staff like the Woodlands (and lucky for us a tireless and talented creative wedding planner like my Mom), we had a day that was unique and unforgettable. To any of you who are planning an upcoming event there, you have selected a great place– best of luck and much happiness. We hope this review has helped you in your wedding journey.
Sincerely,
Jennifer & Dmitriy
April 1, 2011

My reception at the Woodlands was everything I dreamed it could be. With the invaluable help of Margaret, Steve, Ray and the entire Woodlands staff, my husband and I truly had one of the most amazing nights of our lives, surrounded by family and friends. For a November wedding, my husband and I wanted an elegant venue that still looked warm and welcoming, especially with the chilly air. The Woodlands was perfect - beautifully decorated, working fireplaces, warm tones throughout - it was exactly what we pictured. Margaret, our banquet manager, was simply a joy to work with - one of the warmest people I've ever met and offered great advice every step of the way in planning the reception. Steve did an incredible job of organizing the event, making sure all the pieces were in place and making me, my husband and my mother feel like everything would go perfectly (and it did). Ray was the perfect host that evening - I had so many comments from our guests about how friendly he was, even going so far as to check in on my guests with food allergies to make sure everything was alright with their meals. My bridal attendant did nothing short of a fantastic job - kept me on time and where I needed to be, always there when I needed something. Bottom line, for a classy, elegant event at a beautiful venue with easy, wonderful people to work with - look no further. The Woodlands is the perfect place!

You will not find a more accommodating and professional staff, or a more beautiful setting for your wedding or reception. The team of Steven and Margaret are reason enough to stop your search immediately. It is rare that one of the things your guests mention to you is the quality of the food in your reception, but all of our guests raved about everything from the cocktail hour to the passed desserts. We have to mention that Steven and Margaret went out of their way to work with two people in the military. They were incredibly flexible and worked with us to ensure that our reception was perfect. You WILL NOT find a more professional or flexible location dedicated to exceeding your expectations and making your event unforgettable for you and your guests.

The Woodlands was beautiful!! My husband and I and our parents fell in love with it as soon as we saw it (and we saw A LOT of venues)! Working with different people throughout the process was a little annoying, we booked through one person, planned the day with the manager, then had a different guy running the reception but overall everything was wonderful! We had hoped for an outdoor ceremony but unfortunately it started to rain a little while we were doing pictures beforehand, the staff allowed me to make the decision to move the ceremony inside at the last minute and everything looked perfect! My only little complaint is not serious - when I met with the manager before the wedding to plan the details of the day I changed the schedule of how they usually do things (when the mother/groom and father/daughter dances took place, when the horah would be and what time dessert would be served) and instead of going with my requested schedule (as we agreed to do) they basically tossed it out and stuck to their usual schedule of events. It was not a big deal and nobody knew that things did not go as I had planned them so I really don't think it was a big deal, but I just wanted to let other brides know in case they cared. Also, my bridal attendant kept calling me by the wrong name but I just laughed it off. Overall, the Woodlands was amazing and everything was great!!

From beginning to end, we were delighted with our experience at the Woodlands. Everything was handled in a very classy way. We were handled with the utmost of professionalism and responsiveness. Whatever we requested was responded to. They went out of their way to quarentee that we would be happy with our selections on our menu, even adding things that they thought you might be happy with. The food was excellent. The staff in general couldn't have been nicer.To this day, almost a year later, people still talk about what a lovely wedding.

Wow, what can I say. The most beautiful and elegant mansion on the island. When my husband and I got engaged we wanted a place that had a feeling of a home for us. Not just another catering hall. This was our second wedding but the feel we wanted to create was that of a place where our children, family and friends would feel "cozy, at home, relaxed...yet there must be a touch of royalty there too". We came upon The Woodlands and at that very moment we knew.. this had to be the place. After booking our wedding, every moment moving forward we were in fact treated like Royalty. The entire staff was so accommodating, right down to recreating The Drawing room into a place for our ceremony... because that's what I wanted. It was exquisite. I had the opportunity to meet the owner, Mr. Singh..what a wonderful, caring and generous man. Margaret who is the Manager of craziness made sure our every need was met and made me feel that there was not a thing to worry about. And she succeeded. I even met personally with the head chef.. an amazing experience.

I cannot boast or brag enough about a group of people that I now consider my "extended family". My daughter's Sweet 16 is in December 2012 and guess where we are having it????

From the incredible food, to the beautiful atmosphere, to the long and winding road to the front door, to the unbelievable staff, I cannot say enough.

Begin your lives at The Woodlands...it will be the beginning of the most unbelievable fairy tail.

My husband and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Woodlands.
There was not one point during the planning process up to the day of the wedding that we needed to worry. We knew we were in good hands wih Melanie during the planning and the staff the day of could not have been better. The food, service and entire evening was perfect and we could not have asked for more.

Our wedding was beautiful but they don't listen. The fact that the event was kosher-style, meaning no dairy served until dessert, was discussed TO DEATH and printed in capital letters repeatedly on all final order forms. Nonetheless, there was a giant cheese spfread at the cocktail hour out of the blue. Also, they return emails after a week of repeated baggering. Otherwise, everything was beautiful and worth the off-season price.

This was the wedding venue of my dreams. The staff of The Woodlands were phenomenal...from my bridal assistant to the waiters to the chef. Everything was perfect. I can not think of one bad thing to say about this venue.

We could not have had a more magnificent wedding!
We received more compliments on our food than you can imagine.
Every detail was in place, every request fulfilled.
Maureen, our planner was fantastic! SHe really put us at ease through the whole process.

My husband and I were both looking for a unique reception site. When we saw The Woodlands we were immediately sold. From the beginning Maureen and her staff worked tirelessly with us to create the most spectacular day. We were nervous when booking them seeing as it is one of the less well known places (at teh time) and relatively new in terms of wedding locations, but we had absolutely nothing to fear. The people there were friendly, easy to work with and very understanding. When we came up a little short of people, Maureen gave us some wonderful additions to our menus that really added to the day. Our biggest sigh of relief was that my Mother in Law was really worried about the 45 minutes of “down time” that people would have in between the ceremony and the reception. Maureen worked with us to provide a fruit and cheese platter, cold drinks and champagne to be placed out for early guests. It really put my husband’s mom at ease and I am incredibly grateful for this wonderful idea. Additionally, all of our favors, guest books, menus, etc. were handled with extreme care. My bridal attendant Nicole was so amazing. She took care of us so well making sure that we ate and took time for ourselves. She was so pleasant and sweet that by the end of the night I felt like she was more of a friend. The food was delicious and as one of our guests put it, “the steak melted in your mouth.” Wow. Finally, we wanted a sparkler send off and the Woodlands put together a table outside with one of the matrie-d’s lighting them and handing them out. I did not even think of this but it was a perfect touch to end a perfect day. My good friend exclaimed, “ I wish I could live here.” I couldn’t agree more!! I would recommend them to everyone

Beauty, elegance, and an ambiance that is exquisite. The Woodlands at Woodbury is one of the finest wedding venues on Long Island. The staff is professional and committed to excellence. We are honored to be recommended by this wonderful venue.

I am so thankful to have chosen The Woodlands as the place for my husband and I to join our families. Elegance, class, wonderful food, atmosphere, and the most incredible staff... what more can I say. We used The Drawing Room for the ceremony. The dark wood, dimmed lighting and fireplace made the most romantic setting. Since getting married almost 1 year ago this month, I am so happy to know that I will be coming back here again in January. The Woodlands will be hosting our daughter's Sweet 16 and we are doing a Masquerade Ball as the theme... so fitting for a beautiful mansion. And to make things even better.. I have made such wonderful friends and I am also so thrilled to have become a vendor here at The Woodlands as their Makeup Artist. What a wonderful journey this has been. I hope you too add this beautiful place and "family" to your lives!