The Gramercy at Lakeside Manor — Attraction in Hazlet Township

If you are going to read any review, please make it this one. It is going to be very long, but informative and I hope it helps a couple or ten to make the right decision! My husband and I went to ONE place when we were looking for a venue to have our wedding, and that was The Gramercy. If you would have told me that we would walk into one venue and sign a contract that day, I would have told you that you were out of your mind. But that is exactly what happened. From the initial email communication with Dean I had a good feeling about The Gramercy. The pictures looked beautiful, the reviewes were great, but naturally I was still skeptical. All that changed the minute we walked through the doors the day of our meeting with Dean. This venue is stunning. Every inch of the place is meticulously clean, modern and elegant. Within 10 minutes of being there my husband and I gave each other "the look", we knew this was where we would get married. When I started planning our wedding, I had no idea what I was doing. I had all the apps on my phone that was suppose to make it "easy", but that just was not the case. I cannot say enough about how amazing Dean and his staff is at The Gramercy. Dean was there EVERY step of the way! Even if I emailed or called him about something not related to the venue, but related to the wedding in general, he had valueable insite and advice that helped so much in planning our big day. Dean is so down to earth and genuinely a great person, I honestly considered him a friend towards the end of the process. His parents are the sweetest and his brother is THE MAN behind the food at The Gramercy. People are STILL talking about the cocktail hour and the venetian hour of our wedding 6 months later! Our videographer actually captured the moment I saw our venetian hour in all its glory and man, I'll tell ya, it was epic. Truthfully, this venue could charge 3x the amount they do based off the quality of what they create. From working with my florist/event designer who had never worked with The Gramercy before, to the impeccable and delicious food that was served, everything was perfect. The week of the wedding my father was hospitalized and there was a chance he wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding. My stress level was at the highest it had been in all my life and the staff at The Gramercy was able to calm me down and help me see the big picture. Dean rolled with every ebb and flow (although I will admit there were very few. I was a very lackadaisical bride, which either made his life easier or harder. I'm not sure which!) with grace and guidance. And Pauline, the bridal attendant, that woman is a SAINT. There are no words to describe her, she is an angel on earth. She broke out baby powder and band-aids the second my feet started hurting (an hour BEFORE the ceremony), and I fully credit being able to walk down the isle to her quick thinking trick! My guests are still raving about her! We had everything at The Gramercy: ceremony, cocktail hour, reception and after party. Everything was perfect. People kept telling me that I would notice things that weren't perfect throughout the night and to not let it bother me, as nobody knew what it was "suppose" to be. That didn't happen! Everything was flawless. If you've read this far, I really hope you give The Gramercy a look and book it for your big day. You won't be disappointed! I am praying someone else I know gets married there so we can attend and get to experience the magic all over again! Thank you again Dean, family and the staff at The Gramercy! I'm so sorry this review was so late, but I hope all I said...

My wife and I got married at The Gramercy in August 2019 and we cannot begin to stress enough how truly amazing and incredible the staff and venue were for our wedding day! When we were first starting our search for our perfect venue, Dean was more than accommodating with showing us around the complex, answering all of our questions, and offering suggestions that we had not even considered. It was clear that Dean and the entire staff at The Gramercy not only love what they do, but they go above and beyond all expectations to ensure their clients and guests are happy. Over the course of the sixteen months from booking the venue through our wedding day, I emailed Dean countless questions that he responded to almost immediately. His eagerness and willingness to help us throughout the process easily puts him in the upper echelon of vendors across the board. To put it simply, Dean is the most genuine, caring, and professional individual that we have come across while touring different venues, which helped make it the easiest decision to book our wedding day at The Gramercy.

From the moment that we stepped foot into The Gramercy, we immediately felt a sense of excitement and joy. The cocktail room, foyer, ballroom, and outdoor areas are all modernly decorated that will fit the needs of any wedding event. We especially liked that The Gramercy is a “one event per day” venue, meaning that the entire staff is totally dedicated to you and your event, which is not the case for many venues in the tri-state area. It offered us a piece of mind that all hands would be on deck for our reception, and that certainly held true.

To this day, my wife and I are still receiving compliments from our guests about how truly incredible the food was throughout the evening. From the enormous cocktail hour to the dinner to the huge Venetian hour, everything was delicious and fresh. The Gramercy takes pride in what they serve to their guests, and it makes us so happy to hear that the food was a hit throughout the evening. While on the topic of food, we loved the idea of having a “sweetheart table” during cocktail hour that was already filled with a selection of food from the various stations around the room. It was such a great experience to be a part of cocktail hour to see our guests and eat, which is something that many of my friends have mentioned not doing at their own weddings. Pauline, the maître d’, made sure that my wife and I were taken care of the entire night. She bustled my wife’s dress, carried around her essential items for the evening, brought us both food and drinks throughout the reception, and ensured that we were truly enjoying ourselves from the moment we arrived until the party ended. Pauline may very well have been the star of the evening as she made our night truly stress-free, fun, and better than we could have imagined!

While speaking with Dean and Pauline, they both stressed that our wedding reception was going to be an incredible party, and The Gramercy certainly delivered on their promise. If you are newly engaged and are beginning to look at venues, please run to The Gramercy! We assure you that you will not find a better venue and staff than the one at The Gramercy. We loved every minute of our reception and, without a doubt or hesitation, would book The Gramercy again if we had the opportunity. Thank you to the staff at The Gramercy for making our wedding reception better than we could have...

After looking at different types of wedding venues, urban backdrops, country/barn rustic, you name it we saw it. The Gramercy offered us EXACTLY what we were looking for: understated elegance. There is no garish décor, no over-the-top flavor which takes over the room. Their décor is exceptionally clean & simply gorgeous. The Host, Dean, accomplished many things that night, but most importantly, he assigned Pauline to assist me. As a bride, she made my night incredibly effortless. I was immediately impressed with Pauline's efficiency & professionalism. she made such an effort, and was so significant, that I want to acknowledge her, first. Now, back to Dean...he is as professional and considerate of our needs, as he is exacting and meticulous in his part of the planning of the event's success. Dean was an absolute pleasure to work with; he and my husband and I worked closely to determine the best floorplan, menu, and overall timeline for the evening. It was executed flawlessly. The grounds of the property were impeccably maintained and simple, yet elegant holiday décor added a festiveness to the atmosphere. Upon entry, all of our guests commented on how "special" and "private" it all felt....as this venue only serves one party at a time. The entire facility was ours; it made it a little more special. The cocktail hour is, in a word, spectacular. Not enough can be said for the gorgeous and amazing display of the most bountiful and ranging cornucopia of cuisine comes together in such a memorable way. There is an attention to detail and a flair not often found in these areas. We were both as impressed as our guests with such a high level of cuisine at the cocktail hour.....our advice: make it a 90 minute cocktail hour, your guests will thank you more than you can imagine! The cocktail hour servings, as well as the main courses, are the work of Executive Chef Niko. Just like Dean and Pauline, Niko could not do enough to be helpful in making the night spectacular. As an example, my husband wanted to surprise me with my favorite dish from childhood: my nana's stuffed cabbage. Niko was more than happy to oblige....to hear my uncle tell my husband that "it was the best, next to my momma's" made my night...Thanks to an amazing kitchen that cranked out over 200 dinners in perfection that night, without missing a beat. The last item of note was the Viennese hour...from chocolate everything to a Belgian waffle station, the presentation and variety is not to be believed. You could probably plan an event with all night cocktail hour and end it with a Viennese hour, and your guests will never miss the idea of a sit down dinner... ...by the way, we had ChateauBriand, Wild salmon and a Chicken dish that was exquisite; I know....exquisite chicken, honestly? Honestly...it was prepared En Papillote, and fantastic. While I plan to be married for the rest of my life to the perfect man, if I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing....except a 90 minute cocktail hour, and keep the party going all night long. My husband and I were blessed with a winner of a team, hands down. Our night would not have been a success without this group of veteran caterers and event planners. Everything my husband threw at Dean, he handled with grace...when my husband said "Dean, I cannot find a dog sitter...where can I put my 2 dogs?" he said with grace "in my office, not a problem". Was a test,...