Review - Ramsey Golf and Country Club in Ramsey, NJ

Hello! I have no idea how you ended up here. You must've gone pretty deep into the Google results. Good for you! But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2008 and is most likely pretty out of date information! I'm still a photographer though, and you can still check me out at johngallino.com

I am very familiar with the Ramsey Country Club and highly recommend it. No, I'm not being paid to say that (yet). But really, it's a nice place. Built like a small castle, it's a good fit for a medium sized wedding. The exterior of the building is gorgeous, and it has a golf course quite literally in its backyard. You can take wonderful pictures on the course, and the light here is just perfect in the late evening.

One of the best things about the Ramsey Country Club is the outdoor ceremony. Unlike some places that set up some chairs any place they fit, the RCC has a designated area for outdoor ceremonies with stone tiling and tons of shade. Even on the hottest of days, the ceremony area is usually quite cool and comfortable for your guests. Shade, if you didn't know, is also great lighting for pictures--probably the most flattering you can get outdoors. The surrounding area is very lush and green, but walking down the aisle does involve walking down two flights of stone steps.

Review - Castle On The Hudson in Tarrytown, NY

Photo taken from their website

Hello! I have no idea how you ended up here. You must've gone pretty deep into the Google results. Good for you! But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2008 and is most likely pretty out of date information! I'm still a photographer though, and you can still check me out at johngallino.com

Castle on the Hudson is located at the top of a hill in Tarrytown, NY overlooking the Hudson River (duh).

Looks nice, eh? Well I'm sorry to say I thought this place sucked. It's primarily a hotel, not a reception hall, so it didn't seem like weddings were their first priority while I was there.

First of all, please realize that this place is best for under 100 guests. I just did a wedding today with 170 guests in that place, and let me tell you it was just WAY too packed.

The ceremony was outside, and I was really shocked that they set up the chairs and even a platform for the alter on slanted ground. Who the hell does that? If you're going to have a beautiful castle with nice grounds, you should definitely designate an area of flat ground for outdoor ceremonies. And if it's not flat, hire some landscapers and make it flat! It just looks careless otherwise.

The unique thing about this place--and mind you 'unique' does not mean smart--is that the reception takes place in two rooms. The main floor features a nice, but small room which is used for dinner and probably indoor ceremonies. Then there's another room of about the same size downstairs which is used for the cocktail hour and the party after dinner. So your guests go downstairs for the cocktail hour, then come upstairs for a quiet dinner with no music and then go back downstairs to party the rest of the night.

However when I first saw the dining room, I made the I Love Lucy "eughhh!" face.

You see, with 170 guests, the dining room was filled with as many tables as it could take and maneuvering around them was hell for the photographers, videographers, and wait staff alike. But with the stone walls, painted glass windows and theatrical lighting, it's a nice room if you don't pack it like a can of sardines.

The downstairs party room is reminiscent of a dance club, with colored lights and booth style seats. But the dance floor is disappointingly small, and the 8 piece band that was playing was crammed in a corner.

The food here was awful. Cocktail hour was the always-disappointing fruit, cheese and crackers, and I was served fish for dinner which could best be described as "crispy and gross."
It was the little things about this place that annoyed me. Trying to have an elegant day with formally dressed guests interrupted now and then by some regular folks in T-shirts that were staying at the hotel. The way the paint on the window sill was horribly sloppy and got all over the windowpane. The tiny dance floor, poor air conditioning...and who the hell thought it was a good idea to have the guests sitting on a slant during the ceremony? Again and again I got the impression that everything was half-assed at this place, and that they would do so much better if they tore down a wall, built a respectable ballroom, a designated outdoor ceremony area, and left the upstairs room for the cocktail hour. This place is booked every single day for the next 11 or 12 months, but I have to believe they don't deserve the hype. You'd think with all the money they're raking in, they could afford to be a little more accommodating to the average 150-200 guest wedding.

The outside of the building is, of course, beautiful. But inside it's very Victorian, which personally isn't my thing. Expect lots of floral patterns and dark wood furniture, along with some ridiculous medieval-style tapestries adorning the walls.

I know, I understand. It's a castle! Who doesn't want to have a wedding at a castle? But trust me, you'll enjoy your day and everything will go a lot smoother if you have a wedding at a place that was designed to host weddings. And if you really want to get married at a castle, skip this place and splurge on Oheka Castle. That place is fucking gorgeous.

If you found this review helpful, or you have a personal story to tell about this place, please leave a comment!

And check out my work at www.johngallino.com!

Review - The Liberty House in Jersey City, NJ

Hello! I have no idea how you ended up here. You must've gone pretty deep into the Google results. Good for you! But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2008 and is most likely pretty out of date information! I'm still a photographer though, and you can still check me out at johngallino.com

The Liberty House Restaurant is located in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. It's located right on the water and offers a beautiful view of the New York skyline, and even a distant view of the Statue of Liberty. I've done two or three weddings there and I find it to be one of the more pleasant places to shoot. It's a two story building, with a restaurant and full bar occupying the first floor and a medium sized ballroom upstairs. The grounds are well maintained, but nothing out of this world because there are no gardens. However, there are endless photo opportunities if you use the skyline to your advantage. A long path from the restaurant takes you right to the water's edge, where the only thing between you and the Hudson river is a railing and some mossy stones. You can get some wonderful sunset shots along this path if you plan your cocktail hour to be in the late afternoon. If you're the romantic-urban type, the scenery is truly outstanding. However if you prefer a more natural setting with lots of flowers and trees, this isn't the place to go.

While you, your new spouse and your photographer take pictures, your guests can mingle inside the building, on the very nice outside patio, or on the upper terrace that wraps 360 degrees around the second story of the building. There are cushioned couches and lounge chairs outside so your guests can eat and enjoy the view. Food is usually served in the "Liberty Room" which is an addition to the building with glass walls and a tarp roof. It's a good shelter for rain but not the most decorative place. They also host bridal ceremonies in the Liberty Room, in which case they go all out to make it look very nice, but I still couldn't say I was very impressed. Still there's nothing wrong with the place, and it is probably worth it to have a less glamorous ceremony in exchange for the convenience of having your ceremony and reception in the same building.

The only times I've been to the Liberty House, the cocktail hour food was slim pickings--not much more than fruit, cheese, crackers and hors d'oeuvres, which was disappointing, but I'm sure they offer bigger packages with more filling food.

The ballroom is quite nice. It's perfect for 125-150 people, but could handle more without much trouble. With floor-to-ceiling windows on every wall, the lighting is very nice in the daytime and offers a nice view of New York when the sun goes down. The dance floor is large enough for all your guests, and the bridal suite is actually a little room with a balcony overlooking the ballroom (emphasis on 'little').

Last time I was there, dinner was buffet style, which is of course a pain in the ass for everyone but a good way to save some money. The food was actually quite delicious, better than many other places I've been to. The penne vodka and pulled beef was especially memorable, as was the desert afterwards. 

All in all, I have few bad things to say about this place. It's not the most glamorous or fancy place. You might be put off by the plastic gold chairs or bare-bones backyard, but I believe the view it offers and the design of the room itself more than makes up for these shortcomings.

*Also note that there's a very old historic train station very close to this place, and it's a wonderful place to shoot some romantic pictures against the red bricks of the building. Try to get inside and take as many pictures as you can before they kick you out too! I'd say it's one of the best features of this area, and probably its best kept secret!

If you found this review helpful, or you have a personal story to tell about this place, please leave a comment!

And check out my work at www.johngallino.com!