Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

First off, I have to say - the place is beautiful! I had never been there before. The valet was quick and courteous. There was a greeter right at the top of the stairs to direct you where to go. The ceremony was to take place outside on the deck right on the beach so we had to wait in the atrium (?) until everything was ready. They had a small set up in the corner with a woman serving champagne which was nice. They had a very large, beautiful centerpiece on the seating card table which was in the center of the room. It was filled with an assortment of flowers in all different colors - looked very dramatic under the gorgeous chandelier. I went into the bridal suite to give the bride something beforehand - which was very nice.

Well, here's where things get a little sticky. They had hired a DJ who was taking care of the music for the ceremony as well as the reception. He was suppose to be there at 5:30pm (ceremony was set to begin at 7pm). He didn't show up until 7:30pm!!! Unbelievable and not acceptable. So the atrium was completely full and getting a bit hot now so FH & I took a walk up to the bar upstairs. Very nice up there..... very comfortable looking right out on the beach. They held the ceremony outdoors - and it was stinking cold!

We went inside for the CH - wich was a very large room with two long bars along the wall. The waitstaff was very quick. There were plenty of tables so everyone who wanted to sit had a place. That said.... I know they were on a very strict budget - (they got a gread deal on the CBB because they picked up a date with a last minute cancellation) - but the lack of food at the CH was amazing. There was only one display that had cheeses, cold cut kinda meats, bruschetta & fruit. There were quite a few staffmembers passing hors d'oevres - which were - jumbo shrimp (fantastic), scallops wrapped in bacon (yum), stuffed mushrooms ( I didn't have - but one person by me liked & one person didn't like), mini slices of pizza (there were a lot of kids there - heard it was good), chicken sate (good), and at the very end baby lamb chops (didn't try but heard was good).

The timing of everything was off since the ceremony started so late. Might have been the lack of food - but the CH seemed a little long. I had been toying with the idea of having an extended CH and totally decided against it last night. People had been waiting around long enough and wanted to get things started. We were approached by one of the staff members that the reception was beginning.

The room for the reception was beautiful. Nice size for their guest count which I believe was around 130. There were 11 tablees all around the dance floor with a few - maybe four - that were one table removed from the dance floor. The DJ was set up on the stage. The DJ was a two man group - no big lighting or anything - just the basics. Have to admit it looked a little lost up there with only the basic stuff. The centerpieces were - get this - fishbowls with siamese fighting fish in them! A lot of people thought this was a great idea - but I was not fond of it at all. I don't want to know where the fish are today! The table sizes were 10 or 12. We were at a table for 10 and there was plenty of space. The tables for 12 looked just as comfortable as they had a larger top. I liked the chairs - they were simple yet pretty to look at, comfortable and sturdy. The place settings were pretty as well. I think in the 4 hours of the CH we were only asked three times if we would like a drink from the bar - and another two times a woman came around offering red or white wine. When we did have a chance to order drinks they came very quickly though.

It was a buffet for dinner and the food was out of this world! Can't say enough about how much I liked the food. One station was an oriental buffet - had chicken stir fry, fried rice, dumplings and I think another item or two, next station was the meat/potato station - filet mignon, potatoes, caesar salad and I think something else, last station was pasta - pasta primavery, cheese tortellini, grilled chicken and something else.
I tried most of everything and loved every bite.
The servers were swift and very polite. The waitstaff was quick to take our finished plates from the table. The bride and groom didn't have a big cake cutting. Cake was beautiful though - it was multi-tiered (I think 4) with a fondant icing - all white, with a seashell design. Very pretty. The cake was white cake with a vanilla frosting. Each slice was served with a white chocolate shell on it. Also, servers put down a tray in the center of the table with the biggest chocolate covered strawberries I have ever seen, mini cannollis, cookies, etc. I liked having the cake and the choice of something a little extra. They also brought out a huge ice cream sundae station - kids were all over it! Big hit with them. We were only offered coffee once though.

Now I will answer questions posted to my original post...

The dance floor was nicely sized. Plenty of room for everyone. It was a in the center of the room and there was a little lift from the carpet but not big at all and the seem flowed nicely to the carpet. Seemed to be a lot of bounce to the floor which made it easier on the feet.

I answered stuff about service above. I didn't really notice a color scheme as they didn't have floral centerpieces. The maid of honor wore brown and the brm's (the bride's daughters) wore light blue and brown dresses.

There were a few questions about people congregating around the bar outside the room. First off - the bar was very nice and the staff there were prompt. That said - I never saw more than a few people standing out there at a time. To be honest - I would have thought more people would have but there wasn't.

As I wrote earlier - the DJ was a bit of a disppointment to the bride. He did an ok job, especially with all the kids. The music was at a good level - nobody was going deaf. The room handled the music easily which might have been one of the reasons not a lot of people hung out at the bar outside.

And yes, there is a tv in the bar upstairs.

Well, hope I answered everyone's questions. Crescent Beach Club is beautiful, the food was absolutely terrific and the waitstaff was ok. I would have liked to be offered more to drink - whether it was a cocktail or coffee - this seemed to be the only thing lacking on their part.

The few things I didn't like was the DJ being so late (which threw off the flow of the event) and the lack of food at the CH (I think due to budge constraints). I wouldn't hesitate at all about having my wedding there - I might mention to the bridal manager or maitre d' or whoever that I want the table wait staff to really be all over my guests.

The couple was staying at the Glen Cove Mansion last night - so I have to hit them up for a review as that's where my wedding will be and where I will be staying the night before and night of our wedding!

I think I've been pretty thorough but if anyone has any more questions please feel free to ask!

Parting words - CBB brides - you have a lot to look forward to!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

Thank you for that post - it was great and so detailed! I wonder who that dj was.... That's not right. I'm surprised that they were allowed to have a buffett, we had asked about that and they said they didn't offer those. Anyway, I'm glad that you had a good time and thanks for the review again!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

OMG! who was the dj?? that was very unprofessional of them ..

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

The DJ was a a co-worker's husband. It was nobody that I had heard of before and have never seen on this site.

But jeez!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

Fellow Crescent Brides...

didn't the food she described for the buffet sound like what should have been in thc cocktail hour? Maybe they JUST had cocktail hour food spread out over the whole party?

Also, that really worries me about the DJ. That's my mom's concern about the DJ getting lost on the stage. What is everyone else doing to take up space on the stage (aside from having a band instead?)

Thank you SO much for this wonderful, detailed review! You're the best!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

Thanks so much! for the review...this was very helpful to get a guests insight, which is so rare these days! guess we CBC brides have a lot to look fwd too!!!

thanks again!!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

Thanks for the help!!! only 507 more days!!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

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Posted by sarahradio5

Fellow Crescent Brides...

didn't the food she described for the buffet sound like what should have been in thc cocktail hour? Maybe they JUST had cocktail hour food spread out over the whole party?
QUOTE]

It does sound like the cocktail hour over the entire reception..... That's weird??

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

I just did my menu on friday night and the food at that reception is definitely the stations that are offered at the cocktail hour. Very strange...I guess they were offered that as an option since they were filling in the date for a cancellation. ???

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

I think thats common when you have a buffet dinner to limit cocktail hour choices. otherwise its just cocktail hour all over again at dinner.

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

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Posted by JandJ1224

I think thats common when you have a buffet dinner to limit cocktail hour choices. otherwise its just cocktail hour all over again at dinner.

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Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

Hey, if that's the ONLY problem we have to worry about, we're in good hands!

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

The food issue had to be due to budget constraints b/c we had a ton of food at our cocktail hour. We had a bunch of passed food and 4 stations. I wonder if they could choose a buffet b/c it was a small wedding compared to what the room can hold. Either way, the food is fantastic and Crescent brides have nothing to worry about.

Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

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Posted by BHW

The food issue had to be due to budget constraints b/c we had a ton of food at our cocktail hour. We had a bunch of passed food and 4 stations. I wonder if they could choose a buffet b/c it was a small wedding compared to what the room can hold. Either way, the food is fantastic and Crescent brides have nothing to worry about.

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Re: Attended a wedding at Crescent Beach Club last night...

This is too funny and coincidental, but I actually went to see CBC in January and asked them about this particular date 'cus it was the only one they had available that they would be able to offer with in my budget. Either this or the Sunday afternoon one. I'm glad that it worked out for the couple getting married there.