Review - Avenue in Long Branch, 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 But please keep in mind this was written and published in 2008 and is most likely pretty out of date information!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

Avenue in Long Branch, NJ is a great place to have a wedding if you're looking for something less than traditional. As you may tell from the site, there's Le Club, Avenue, and Avenue Nuit. I just spent a whole day at the place, but don't ask me what the hell the difference is between the three. Avenue's main floor is a restaurant by day, while it's upper floor is a "private beach club" featuring locker rooms, showers, a deck with a small outdoor pool and day beds for sunbathing. By night, this same upper floor becomes a night club with a large bar and great lighting typical of classy clubs. Apparently this place doesn't do too many weddings, and when they do, they are usually constrained to this upper floor. However, at the wedding I just attended, the couple rented out the entire building for the evening, including both their ceremony and reception.

Unfortunately, it's November, so the place was not outfitted for an indoor/outdoor party, and the lovely deck outside and boardwalk overlooking the ocean were not covered with cocktailing guests, as I imagine they would be if this were a summer affair. This particular affair had 200 guests, which was a good amount for the reception downstairs--where the restaurant-by-day was transformed into a banquet hall--but a bit too much for the ceremony on the top floor. The people at Avenue really know how to do the best with what they have, and no one seemed to mind that the couple was wed in the corner of the room, with rows of seats at 90 degree angles. It seems awkward, but it really wasn't too bad, though they ran out of seats and several people had to stand. Fortunately it was brief, and the whole party moved downstairs to the restaurant to the enjoy the rest of the evening.


I loved the decor of the place. It's modern, classy, club-like, and yet metallic and industrial. 200 people was a bit much, but manageable in this room. I'd say 175 or 150 would be premium for this locale.

There's nothing I didn't like. The food was delicious (a rare thing, believe me), the service was exceptional, the hostesses were hot, the decor was lovely, the lighting created a great night-life environment, and the location of the place itself can't be beat. With the Jersey Shore as a backyard, and an almost movie-set row of stores and boutiques in the front, there's plenty of scenery for your photographer to take advantage of. Music this evening was provided by Daddy Pop which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. But keep in mind that this wedding went off the beaten path on a number of occasions. There was no bridal party, no toasts, no speeches, no special dances with parents, no bouquet throwing. This couple really just wanted a brief ceremony and a great room to dance and hang out in with friend and family, without all the traditions and formalities that bore guests and sometimes bog down the whole day. If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional reception, you may want to give this place a look. And if you don't like it, at least enjoy Long Branch. It's a day trip in and of itself.

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 johngallino.com!