"I think it’s very important to hit as many food groups as possible: chicken, beef, veal, seafood, vegetarian."
Cold displays of imported and domestic cheeses, crudités, sliced fresh fruits, smoked fish, or charcuterie can be beautifully presented. "What’s very hot right now is the Tuscan display, where you have a lot of interesting items, from roasted asparagus to lemon roasted artichokes."
Carving stations are very important. "Almost everybody loves rack of lamb."
Pleasantdale also creates a caviar station. "Accompanying the caviar station, we do an ice sculpture carved into the shape of a slide that an attendant pours vodka down and catches with a shot glass. It’s a signature presentation for us."
A favorite appetizer is a miniature poached pear over a bed of mache. A lamb lettuce which looks almost like a cluster of four-leaf clovers is served in a barquette of gorgonzola cheese, smoked bresaola and caramelized onions with roasted pistachio nuts and aged balsamic syrup.
"We can do a nice intermezzo/granite where we decorate the plate with an orchid. This is followed by an entree of grilled filet mignon and either Chilean sea bass or mahi mahi accompanied by whipped potatoes with truffles and pancetta or crawfish risotto, respectively."
Among the colorful vegetable dishes Andrew suggests are patty pan squash, braised sugar snap peas, batonnets of carrots, or haricots verts. "These are more sophisticated vegetable presentations."
Dessert Selections
"I implemented a concept a while back known as the ‘alternating dessert concept.’ You select two and we’ll bring five of each kind to a table of 10. This way couples can sample each other’s desserts.
"One could be a valrhona chocolate pate with walnut nougatine. We do macerated berries, which are lightly soaked in liqueur. Perhaps a vanilla and chocolate genoise ring, filled with butter pecan mousse." They also can custom create your wedding cake.
Location Photos
"Usually the most important thing after you book your facility," says Andrew, "is your band. But in this facility, that’s not always the case. Here the photographer is as important as the band, and let me explain why.
"This facility is so beautiful, there are so many interesting spots to use as a backdrop, that a good photographer who has never been here might not get what you want.
"For a photographer to run around looking for the best possible backdrop instead of taking that time to photograph, is a waste of time.
"You can’t even enjoy the night because you’re constantly being pulled in every direction to get this picture, that picture.
"Among the photographers we have worked with who know the space, those I recommend are Sarah Merians and Allan Reider.
"Another piece of advice with regard to photography is that a lot of brides and grooms decide they are not going to see each other until after the ceremony. Well, if this is so, then they'll usually miss their cocktail hour because that's when they will be taking photos together.
"I say, ‘Toss chivalry out the window.’ See each other before the ceremony and take the photos you want so you can enjoy the rest of the night. If it’s a religious restriction," Andrew notes, "of course that’s obviously a different story."
More Wedding Banquet Experts
Dance the Night Away
"Your band should be familiar within the market. Choose somebody who has a good reputation, who’s known for providing the musicians they say they’re going to assemble."
Photo: Sarah Merians Photography & Company
Ask them if they have played at your facility. Find out how the band sounds in that room.
"Then we break it down and talk about your plans for when your guests arrive, the music for the ceremony, the cocktail hour, and the dinner dance."
Andrew will make suggestions, asking, for example, ‘Have you considered using a violin with that? How many pieces were you thinking of for this part?’
"If the bride says four pieces for the reception I’ll say, ‘Well if you’re having 225 people in that size room, I would encourage you to get more pieces.’ It’s about the room. In our ballroom, a minimum of eight pieces is the way to go.
"Since I’m familiar with the venue, I can give you the pros and cons of all your thoughts and philosophies. You do what you want with them. It should be that way wherever you go."
Decorating the Room
"Décor is dependent on your budget and on what the venue looks like," Andrew explains.
"Here you are fortunate that between the Thanksgiving and New Years holidays, you can take advantage of the winter decorations the facility provides. Other venues may do the same."
Every facility has its own unique architectural features. Pleasantdale Château’s ballroom has a 45-foot sky-lit dome ceiling, "which really calls for arrangements high off the dinner table. If you have low arrangements on the tables, when you walk in sometimes they appear ‘flat’ in the room, so the height of a room is important to consider when you are planning your dinner table decorations."
When it comes to budgets, Andrew acknowledges that when the bride’s, or both the bride's and the groom’s parents, are financially responsible for the wedding, you as the bridal couple may not feel as free to express your personal feelings about what you originally were anticipating."
In many of those cases, it is hard to tell how much the families are willing to step back and let the bride and groom work on relaying their own style. Like all experienced venues, the executives at Pleasantdale take care to work through the emotions to help the bride and groom have the wedding they had envisioned.
Fun Stuff
Andrew has helped create many memorable events. "One bar mitzvah had a jungle theme and the parents asked me to come up with something really fantastic for bringing the bar mitzvah boy into the room after the cocktail hour to start the dinner dance.
"I said, ‘Why don’t we have him come in on a baby elephant? But only under one condition: that we have a bucket hanging behind the elephant.’ That was fun. I think I got it by calling Ringling Brothers and they put me in touch with some people who got me a baby elephant."
But even if you are not planning on riding into your reception on an elephant, there are other alternatives.
"One thing I suggest is that the bridal couple not be introduced as ‘Mr. and Mrs. John Smith’ or ‘Karen and John Smith.’ I think the nicest way to do it is to have the director of catering or the maitre d’ signal the band that we’re ready to bring the bride and groom into the room.
"He’ll subtly work it so that he’ll come out of the song and have the guests elegantly depart the dance floor. We open up the main doors of the ballroom and the bride and groom come in hand-in-hand, get right onto the dance floor and start their first dance. No introduction, no ‘Ladies and gentlemen.’ Just quiet.
"It’s magic. All of a sudden all the guests notice the bride and groom are in the room and they start clapping."
Traditions ... To Forget
"I recommend not to do the garter ritual because, I think it turns into a rugby match. I don’t think the garter should be taken off publicly or thrown around.
"Remember, garter removal and bouquet tossing take away precious dancing time.
"I think what’s much nicer than throwing the bouquet is presenting your bouquet to the oldest married couple in the room, which usually works out to be the bride’s or groom’s grandparents.
"It’s a celebration of a lasting marriage, and isn’t that why we are there"
Dreams Come True
Andrew started at the age of 14 as a busboy for a kosher catering facility on Long Island. "Event planning is pretty much the only thing I’ve ever done. I was at the Hilton at Short Hills for nine years and became catering director at the age of 25. I’ve been here for over five years.
"I’m excited meeting new people who are just engaged. I love creating this day with them. I’m also passionate about food. It’s so great when the bridal couple is very receptive to what I’m presenting."
Offering a final word, Andrew says, "Follow the dreams you had since you were a little girl. Follow what you always had going through your mind for your wedding day." Make your dreams come true.
