Atrium of Tenafly — Attraction in Tenafly

We had our engagement party here which turned out absolutely amazing due to my decorating team buslyteevents and my event staff.. But I must say working with the coordinator Jacklyn was a nightmare. She was not willing to accommodate anything and was not very helpful. She made everything 20 times more difficult. Although The venue overall is beautiful. We wish it was bigger without the glass doors separating the 2 halls. The night turned out amazing but our experience with Jacklyn is what makes me rate this so low . Scroll down for more details

We already had a venue in Newark NJ but we're worried about capacity and parking because our guest list seemed to be creeping up past 200 which was more than the 175 we initially estimated. We found the Atrium which looked beautiful. It had 2 adjacent rooms seperate by glass doors which had a capacity of 150-175 each so we rented both spaces at full price just incase we needed more space. We told her that we may have 200 people but we were glad that the space could hold more if need be.

Flash forward to a month before the event. We told her we would just set up for the maximum (300) just incase we had people who didnt rsvp but showed up anyway . She then told us that if we set up for the maximum she was going to charge $1000 extra and keep it from our security deposit. We said we actually don't have 300 on our guest list but we just want to have extra chairs and tables set up just incase. This was also important since we were renting chavari chairs from an outside vendor and needed to have the extra already set up. Since we were only using tables which was included in the contract and the venue does not offer food or charge per head, we couldn't understand why we would need to pay $1000 extra to use the same amount of space we already rented. And why she was telling us this a month to our event. We did not agree since this was not written on the contract anywhere. She then became very combative and decided to hand write it into the already signed contract after the fact. She told us if we didn't re-sign the amended contract we couldn't use the space. We had no choice so close to the event so we felt forced to agree . She also told us we had to pay one of her staff $20 an hour to sit in the hallway and point guests towards the bathroom even though there were signs that directed people to the bathroom.

Fast forward to the day before the event. we weren't allowed to start setting up till 1:30pm for an event that was starting at 5pm. Basically we only a few hours to set up an event for 300 people being hosted in 2 halls. Since we live about an hour and a a half away we asked if we could at least drop the stuff a day before so we would have everything unloaded and be able to start promptly at 1:30pm. She said no that she was not at the space and would not be returning. We then informed her that we would just pack up everything in a uhaul and have it there early. So we didn't have to drive back and forth bringing things from over an hour away. She agreed.

After dropping off the uhaul early the next morning and heading back home she calls to tell us to come back to move the uhaul that it wasn't allowed there. We informed her we would have to drive back an hour to move the uhaul since we already left and I hadn't gotten my hair, makeup or anything else done yet. She didn't care.

Fast forward to the event.. We ended up setting up for only 270 since we wanted to give ample space and she still charged us the extra 1000 and didn't return our security deposit. Although the venue itself was beautiful and has ample parking. The experience with the attendant is what made me give this 2 stars. If I could rate them seperately I would give the venue 4 stars (didn't like the glass doors seperating the rooms) and give the experience with...

On August 9th, 2025, my husband and I celebrated our joint 60th birthday party at The Atrium of Tenafly. While the venue itself was lovely, with plenty of accessible parking and space for our guests, I CANNOT recommend this location, or be a returning customer because of our experience with the Atrium’s representative, Jacklyn.

In all of our experiences in hosting big events and parties over the years, her venue came with restrictions we've never encountered at other places. We've attended events at other Armenian churches in Jersey (ex: Saddlebrook), and always left with positive experiences. Never in our past experiences have we had a venue representative follow the celebrants around so intrusively.

Throughout the event, she intimidated and interrogated my family, vendors, and me. She lingered in the corners with arms crossed and a frown on her face, following us around and watching our every move. Instead of enjoying the event, we felt micromanaged and unwelcome.

The most disappointing issue was the food. Jacklyn REFUSED to allow us to use food warmers—something never mentioned in our prior conversations or in the contract. As a result, my guests were served COLD food, which completely diminished the experience. Food is a central part of any celebration, and this nonsensical rule left a lasting negative impression.

Jacklyn also required excessive documentation. She demanded liability insurance from us and every vendor, repeatedly rejecting submissions until they were resubmitted to her satisfaction. She even insisted that our insurance cover the church premises, despite our event not being held inside the church.

Additionally, we had agreed to rent a large dressing room for $200, which she showed us in advance. On the day of the event, however, she forced us into a much smaller room and locked the larger one, despite our prior agreement and payment.

Overall, Jacklyn customer service was severely lacking. She consistently displayed a lack of hospitality, empathy, and professionalism. Instead, her demeanor came across as mean-spirited and unnecessarily combative.

My biggest regret is not reading the reviews before booking. Please do not be fooled by the venue’s appearance—the management makes the experience deeply unpleasant.

All in all: Venue - 9/10 Jacklyn - 0/10

As long as Jacklyn works there, I would never recommend this...

**UPDATE - Since the coordinator is twisting the facts here. See photos below. The contract is not adequate and I wouldn’t recommend any couple to sign it in its present form. There are typos and contradictions throughout. I’m sure she runs a honest business however a contract needs to be thorough and I’m not willing to just “ take our email exchange” as a suffice back up. Our requests were very simple. I even said she can just write them on the document and send them to me and I would sign. If you’re signing a contract and money is being exchanged it should detail everything, nothing should be open to interpretation or inferred.

A discount was never requested. She quoted me one thing then tried to change that price claiming it was a “typo”. I said mistakes happen but you told me one price so this is what I’m willing to pay given the “typo”.

Again. A beautiful venue.

———————————————————————- We considered booking St. Thomas Armenian Church for our wedding reception and worked with their event coordinator, Jacklyn. While the venue itself is beautiful and offers a lot of potential, our experience with the contract process was disappointing.

We asked for a few reasonable clarifications to be added in writing things that had been verbally agreed upon, such as confirmed parking arrangements, specific furniture counts, and use of certain kitchen equipment. As someone who works in the legal field, I know the importance of having details in writing to protect both parties. Unfortunately, our requests were met with resistance, and the coordinator refused to incorporate these clarifications into the final contract.

Clear, detailed contracts benefit everyone and prevent misunderstandings later. While this venue may work for couples who are comfortable with the standard contract leaving them open with unclear details, our experience left us feeling uneasy about...