The Sanctuary Roosevelt Island — Attraction in New York

Save yourself the money and the heartbreak, and book someone else for your wedding.

The entire experience felt scammy, as they offered us a discount and a bunch of extras when we booked to take a less than ideal date, and then tried to get out of providing good customer service after the final payment. Their communication became poor the closer we got to the wedding - at one point, our DJ had to reach out to the venue on our behalf, as they had stopped answering completely. Clearly the communication between the two owners, Frank and Alfonso, was not great either, as Alfonso took over and the promises Frank made to get us to book were no longer a given, especially when it came to money. We had to remind him and fight with him over things we were told would be part of our wedding when we booked, and some of them were not delivered (or ever able to be delivered, and should never have been promised to us by Frank).

The pier advertised for an outdoor ceremony is not their property, but NYS, and therefore wasn’t available to us for our wedding because it was under construction. They never told us that - I had to reach out and ask when I began seeing a different ceremony spot on their instagram. Be aware: it doesn’t seem like the new ceremony spot is their property either. The arch had to be set up inside the venue, then the staff would move it to the new pier shortly before the wedding. They didn’t secure it when they moved it, and our arch broke prior to our ceremony.

Frank and Alfonso promised one of them would be the included day of coordinator. Neither of them showed up for the wedding, nor did they have the decency to tell us they couldn’t make it. After I sent two emails following our wedding, we were told we did have a day of coordinator. It was the chef, who let us in the morning, and gave us our cake at the end of the night, and whom we never saw or spoke to otherwise. This was particularly frustrating, as I had asked at one point via an email [that they ignored] about speaking to the day of coordinator ahead of the wedding, and an included day of coordinator was a main reason we booked them.

They also: left other wedding decor out during our wedding, packed up our decor for the lounge before the cocktail hour even started, didn’t make our signature cocktail [one of the upsells they included during our tour], and used someone’s fourieth birthday napkins during cocktail hour despite us bringing custom cocktail napkin. The firepit was another main reason we booked, as we wanted an outdoor wedding, and they told us it would be included free of charge, both during our tour by Frank and again reconfirmed by Alfonso during during our final walk through in October. Not only was it not included, THERE WAS NO FIREPIT ON PREMISE. The outdoor heaters weren’t lit by the staff, and when my dad tried to light them, they had no propane, so they weren’t even prepared for guests to utilize their advertised outdoor space.

The food was horrendous, overcooked and cold, a total 180 from our incredible tasting back after we booked. The other cocktails were prebatched and gross. And the real kicker for the amount of money they charge: water was not included or served during dinner like it was during the tasting. You had to get up and serve yourself water out of a plastic jug and tiny little cup a la an office.

The entire experience felt like a bait and switch, where they promised us the world to get us to book and then provided us as little as they could get away day of. I highly recommend you avoid this venue if you want to save yourself the stress and the tears for cheap plastic decor and poor service, and just spend the...

We just had our wedding at The Sanctuary and are still glowing about it. I am struggling to think of any constructive criticism, so I will just list the things we loved about the experience.

Planning/Coordination: Wedding planning is no one's favorite activity, but Kat and Arthur and the rest of the staff made it as painless as it could be. They were quick to respond to any questions we had, flexible when we had custom requests and last-minute changes, and were very transparent about costs and what is/isn't included. No last-second surprise charges either. We had a few on-site visits to talk through details, and each time we were offered prosecco. :) The venue itself: NYC locals and out-of-towners alike loved the location and ambiance. We had a late September wedding, and the combination of indoor/outdoor locations with Manhattan as the backdrop made for a stunning setting. The pier location for the ceremony was great (with cooperating weather, of course) and could seat 150 guests (although it was a bit tight). Guests could lounge on the patio if they needed a break from the action and get a view of the city, and the indoor former church grounds area made for a cool dance area. The lighting and aesthetic were already so pretty on their own that they needed little additional decoration. The only things we needed to provide were signage, table decorations, and miscellaneous things like guest books/card boxes/etc., which we handled. The getting-ready area was very nice and spacious, and was available for use 6 hours before the ceremony, with the staff ready to serve you a drink. The food/drinks: Guests commented on how the venue-provided food was not only great but incredibly plentiful. We got treated to a tasting months before the wedding; although we couldn't taste-test every item on the menu, it gave us a good idea, and the quality was consistently high (even with the items we chose that weren't available for testing). The staff handled a plethora of dietary restrictions with ease. Guests were treated to a four-course meal (not to mention the pizza oven they got going after dinner for late-night snacks). The open bar package was great, even at the basic level (which we got). Staff: Every member of the staff was professional, nice, and made us feel at home. Community integration: The Sanctuary are responsible citizens of Roosevelt Island—adhering to all noise ordinances (limit outside noise after 10 p.m., which didn't put a damper on the party at all)—and they also hold an annual event for the residents of the island. Pricing: Weddings aren't cheap and this wasn't either, but it was very reasonable compared to the other NYC venues we toured.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at The Sanctuary and we can only hope that we come back as guests for...

We held our wedding in October 2024 and had a wonderful experience with the Sanctuary. We loved the physical venue. It has great views of Manhattan and the space is trendy, cute, classy, and unique with multiple distinct spaces to enjoy. We worked mainly with Alfonso leading up to the wedding. He was a pleasure to work with. He provided us with clear guidance regarding the information that he needed and was responsive throughout the process and was willing to speak with us several times to go over our expectations and logistics for the event. We read several reviews recommending that we hire a separate DOC. We did not personally hire a separate DOC and do not believe that we needed one. We provided Alfonso and our DJ with a clear itinerary for our event and discussed the specifics with them before the event and our wedding flowed seamlesly. For reference, our wedding had about 120 guests, we did not have a formal wedding party or ushers, and our only other vendors were our DJ and photographer. We handled centerpieces, decorations, etc. ourselves. We are not really sure what benefit a separate DOC could have assisted us with personally. However, others may have different expectations. Besides adding some personal touches to the banquet tables, the venue was incredibly cute and party ready. As for the wedding itself, the staff was kind and supportive. Our ceremony on the pier was gorgeous. As we recessed back into the Sanctuary after the ceremony, the waitstaff was lining the sidewalk and greeted us and our guests with glasses of our signature cocktail and wine (a full bar and food was also ready). Alfonso and Kat took care of us and made sure that we were provided with a plate of our hors d'oeuvres and drinks after the ceremony and throughout the reception. The private house attached to the venue was also great. We had three rooms and a bathroom available, as well as a separate living room. Our mothers were able to use the space to get ready and we were able to meet with family behind the scenes there before the ceremony began. We had no idea what to expect going into it, but they really did have a very professional and polished process. Just be clear about the costs, expectations, and responsibilities when reviewing the contract and everything should be fine. Our guests were enchanted by the venue and provided tons of positive feedback about the food and drink quality. Our main regret was not heeding Alfonso's advice to buy only a small cake for a ceremonial cake cutting. The dessert station that they setup was very large and comprehensive and our three tier cake became more of a showpiece than a consumed dessert. In closing, we loved our wedding at the Sanctuary. We felt like everything went perfect and surpassed our expectations. We highly...