The Vineyards at Aquebogue — Attraction in Town of Riverhead

It’s been one week since our wedding and I wanted to actually sit down to take the time out and write this. I don’t even know where to begin. Around spring ‘23 my husband and I looked at a few venues on Long Island and did a ton of research around the NY/NJ area as well. We narrowed it down to our top three. When we visited the Vineyards and after speaking with Kate, we knew we found our venue. We weren’t looking for your typical cookie cutter venue, but the Vineyards had the beauty of the outdoors and indoors setting. Making room for plenty, creating the type of wedding fitting any individuals needs. Working in this industry in the past, I know how people can treat others, the importance of going according to plan, as well as the fast pace high stress environments that comes along with it. Therefore, it was extremely important for us to build good/welcoming rapports with our venue/vendors. With that, the Vineyards most definitely SERVED! Kate is such a warm, welcoming and genuine person. Kate’s warmth and professionalism made this the easiest decision of wedding planning. We trusted Kate which also meant putting our trust in the vendors they partnered with. Anyone who is getting married here should definitely invest in one of the packages. We did the premium package and had some of Long Island’s best wedding vendors. From floral (HUGE shout out to Verbena Designs) to cake to transportation, they had everything covered. It almost felt like a steal! Everyone and everything was just so beautiful. Even times when things didn’t go according to plan, Kate saved the day by offering us last minute wine favors with our picture. It was something I always wanted to do and she made it come true. Our guests could not stop RAVING about how beautiful our venue was. How good the staff were to them. With so many formalities, traditions old and new, we tend to forget what we’re really here for at the end of the day. Our wedding felt exactly how it should feel, a celebration.

Overall: Cocktail Hour and dinner should have its own dedicated review. 20/10. Don’t even double guess it, the vineyards at aquebogue offered everything and more. Bridal /groomsmen suite are large with a scenic view. The food is probably one of the best wedding caters I’ve ever experienced. A week later and I’m still thinking about the seafood stuffed flounder with shrimp and lobster...

Having our wedding at The Vineyards at Aquebogue was beyond a dream come true. Kate and Russ create pure magic for you - not just on the day of your wedding, but during the entire process. They made it so easy for us when we had to move our wedding, due to the pandemic. They would get on the phone with us, send us photos, and set up in-person meetings whenever I had crazy amounts of questions. We always got an honest opinion on what to splurge on, and what wasn’t really ‘our style’ from Kate – she never steered us wrong. The day of our wedding Kate told my wedding coordinator that there were flowers leftover from the previous night’s wedding, with our exact same color palate, and asked if we wanted to use them as well. That was so thoughtful, and the extra unwanted flowers got to be admired again.

We had our wedding outside, in November, and the landscape was stunning. Getting married under an arbor with a view of the waterfall, gazebo, and vineyards was spectacular. The food was unbeatable – during cocktail hour we had pasta cooked in wheels of cheese, oysters shucked to order, baby lambchops… and our guest were so stuffed but they still managed to eat their dinners – the Chateau-Briand steak (with the peppercorn gravy, as per Kate’s suggestion) and lasagna (yes, the vegetarian option), were the absolute standouts. The reception area is gorgeous, the highlight being these beautiful Edison lights over the dance floor (definitely upgrade for those), and the grand double staircase. Once the cocktail room was cleaned, they opened it up too, so you had so much space and so many options to hang out – if you wanted intimate conversation or being on the dancefloor all night, you had options. We also used the recommended band Crossing Midnight (with 9 pieces, including saxophone and bongos) and I’m still having people tell me it was the best music at a wedding that they’ve ever been to. The Maître D’, Michelle, was on top of everything, the bartenders were quick and we never had a line, and the staff was professional and courteous.

The Vineyards at Aquebogue is different because they’re not ‘just a catering hall’. There’s only one wedding at a time, it’s so uniquely rustic and elegant, and you’re not treated like just ‘another bride’. You are important, you become family, and you will be...

My Husband and I got married at the Vineyards on 11.11.2018. Needless to say we are still on the “wedding high” 9 months later. I know this review is a little tardy, but its worth the wait.

Where to begin. When we first visited The Vineyards, we were blown away by the ambiance, decor and breathtaking scenery. We saw a few places, and this venue was the one that we felt so connected too, we HAD to have our special day here.

Kate, Sales Manager/woman of many talents was our guide from the start. We asked 1 million questions, visited the venue ALOT (wish we could just live there) and felt so great about our choice because she and Russ made the process so seamless. We are VERY particular without being jerks and they accommodated EVERY request we had. The words “we can’t” were not in their vocabulary.

Cut to the day of… We felt like It was a dream. We felt so calm as they had everything handled every second of the day. The food was excellent, all of our guests could not and STILL will not stop talking about how amazing it was. Everything cooked to perfection, everyone WELL fed, and accommodations made for those with special needs. In hindsight, the viennese hour was less than we had hoped but still great.

The staff was there to keep us calm and truly enjoy our wedding day. We felt so well taken care of, as did our guests. I would recommend this venue to anyone and I wish we could relive this day over and over. The Lessings team, especially Kate made for such a seamless and FUN experience. EVERY staff member felt like family and they ALL wanted us to have the best day.

As a gay couple, our wedding planning initially felt really hard because not every vendor is up with the times on being inclusive. From the start, the Vineyards provided such a welcoming, loving and inclusive experience. Every human and vendor should model how this team operates. We can’t thank them enough.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our wedding day more than we ever dreamed of. Kate, you are a true professional and wonderful hard working queen!

Much love,

Jamie and...