Nice Place! It just so happened that today was a bright sunny day and a great day for a wedding and reception at the Meadow Wood Manor located in Randolph, NJ. What I love about this place is that it's right on Rt. 10 but back a bit in the countryside. The leaves on the trees are green and the flowers are blooming. You're probably asking..."why is this important". Everything about the Meadow Wood Manor screams spacious and open. All the rooms have really big windows and great views of the green lush countryside. I have not been here in the late fall or winter but it's probably not the place of choice when everything is brown and dull but the interior may speak for itself.
Nice country but elegant entrance demands class. and of course the staff is very professional and greeted the guests with utmost respect. Joanna, one of the staff managers, really cares about her staff and ensure the food is prepared well and the guests are happy. Ryan, another manager, was fantastic with us (we were the dj's for the event) making sure we were well taken care of with every course served. They definitely treat the professionals (videographer, photographer, Entertainment,) with top service as they do with the guests.
The Cocktail Hour room was very nice. Here take a look! This picture was before the food came out. There was a very nice spread of food and the music was delightful...lol.... (we were the entertainment for cocktail hour). You will notice the natural light coming in from the western window. Again, the Meadow Wood Manor is very open as you will see in the main room as well.
The Main Room is tall, long, but it is a little narrow. The courtyards flaunted the views of the green hills. It was almost like you could have stepped into a different country while visiting this manor. The dance floor was nicely placed in the middle of the room with the guests sitting to the sides. I can tell that this ballroom is a challenge for DJ's because it is narrow. The sound really has no where to go and it bounces back giving the room a boomy sound if the Dj isn't careful with the volume. When the volume is controlled, it sounds great!
Notice the bright natural light shining through the windows! It is a smaller room but I am pretty sure one of the walls opens up for larger events They had a Viennese with many great desserts in an adjoining room so I would assume the wall could be moved to accommodate a larger event.
Overall, we always have a pleasant experience when visiting the Meadow Wood Manor. The pictures really do not do it justice so if it is a consideration, you may just have to take a ride up there to check it out. The food is pretty good, the staff is professional, the music was awesome (haha.. us), and the elegant/countryside manor feel was a breath of fresh air. Feel free to comment if you want more detailed information about this hall.
I really like this NJ reception hall, The Westin Governor Morris Hotel, located in Morristown, NJ. The Westin is conveniently located off of rt 24 and minutes from rt 287. When you pull up to the hotel, you will notice that it is an older hotel but it still has class. If your looking for a reception hall that looks like a palace when pulling up to it, this is not the place, but it still remains fancy for people with exquisite tastes.
They have a couple of event rooms but the main ballroom in the Westin Governor Morris Hotel is obviously most impressive. The hotel even has it's own event lighting company that makes a great looking room, exceptional. It's quite beautiful when the lighting specialist shine their beams on the crystal chandeliers. Below is a picture of the main ballroom, still pretty bare, but looking sweet! As you can see there is sufficient room for dancing.
Another thing I really like about this room is that the guests sit on either side of the dance floor letting the music pump at a nice dancing level without killing the guests ears. The bars are on the top of the 1st tier and are out of the way of the music as well allowing for ample conversations.
Let's take a step back and talk about cocktail hour. Its held on the second floor of the hotel over looking the gorgeous lobby. It's roomy and bright as the large windows in the lobby of the Westin allow for natural sun light to enter.
The Westin Governor Morris Hotel has a beautiful Kwaii Black Baby Grand Piano. It sounds great! The staff waits as the guests arrive with trays of champagne with white gloves on. The food is also very taste, especially their spinach filled tortellini... so good! When I go there I especally love their tomato and fresh mozzarella platter. It's a very classy place and the staff is on top of making sure the guests are well taken care of.
The staff is very good with the guests. Sue, one of the managers runs a tight ship with her staff, but is respected for her leadership. The bartenders are very polite and don't even think twice about making sure even the DJ's are taken care of. I went up to John, one of the bartenders, and I had asked for water. He filled a glass with ice, poured the water, and them offered me the bottle. I can only count a few times in 10 years that the bartender took that much consideration with the entertainment.
When we were there providing the entertainment, the dance floor was packed all night long. The guests really felt comfortable dancing in this room and the acoustics of the room allow for the sound to be dispersed nicely.
The food was very good, the staff was excellent, and the hotel was classy and clean. Even the bathrooms were really nice with marble and granite. Great overall experience and I look forward to working with sue and her staff again soon! Signed.. the professional entertainment.
I have been to many high end reception halls in NJ but this one I consider the cream of the crop. It lies about a minute off of Rt 46 in West Paterson down a beautiful side road with the classy gray stone pillar entrance on the left. Don't drive too fast or you'll miss the entrance as I had missed it the first 2 times I attended there.
After you turn left and drive up the driveway, you'll see a large car port with beautiful lighting and a polite valet service who greets you as you arrive. The inside is pretty outstanding with marble and granite floors and ballroom has their own light-show lights either on the ceiling and on the walls.
Another nice feature of the WMCC is the view. The country club sits on top of a hill looking down onto the towns below. You won't see long green rolling hills, but view is pretty outstanding especially as the sun sets.
The service is nothing short of outstanding. Their white glove service and friendly smiles are inviting a professional to say the least. They make sure your cocktail plates are full, your drinks are topped off, and make you feel at home.
The food is very good. I've eaten at many NJ reception halls and have experienced good food and food I wouldn't give to my dog. I would rate the food at about a 7.5 which is pretty darn good. One thing I liked was that when I went to eat the Penne and Vodka again, the girl said do you like it, and I just told her to pile it on my plate, then she said she made it. I congratulated her on a dish well prepared. She showed pride in her dish and she showed me that she loves what she does. If the staff is happy, the guests are happy. Happiness is contagious.
The selection of the food at the cocktail hour was outstanding. I know it is the bride and groom's choice what to have served but when a reception hall can make all that food for a cocktail hour, keep the trays full and the quality high, they deserve a great rating.
The courses came out on time, the music was great, the place looked beautiful, and the staff made the event run like clockwork. One quick note on the staff. When I went to the bar, I noticed the bar tenders had name tags with their last names. Mr. Jacobs was my bartender and he was great, not crabby or egotistical like other bartenders I have had the privilege (or not) of meeting.
The upper management seemed a little abrupt, stern, and to the point BUT without them leading the crew with authority this place would not run at the standards that they have achieved.
EXTRA Notes: Notes for DJ's: if using the piano for cocktail hour; The piano they have is a beautiful white Bergmann in their Continental room. It plays a little hard and the pedal is tight. The other Piano they have in the BIG gorgeous ballroom is pretty good. I can't remember the name of it but I think it may play a little out of tune.
It's always a good idea to ask reception halls the condition of the piano before using it. I have played in other Gorgeous Reception hall in NJ with really stinky out of tune pianos. When playing out of tune, poorly maintained pianos, it makes you look like a doofus and the NJ reception hall look inadequate.
Notes For DJ: They have many fastened dancing lights in their rooms. They add a really nice touch, but just keep this in mind when bringing you light show.
Notes For DJ: The rooms are big so the sound will bounce if not controlled properly. Use a subwoofer in all of their rooms to maximize the sound.
