Jamie & Brian | Crystal Plaza | Livingston, NJ

"Endless Possibilities"

Brian and I met when we were in high school. We went to different schools but had mutual friends and sometimes we would see each other at parties. His mother was also my family doctor and we would see each other when he was working in her office. So I couldn’t believe it when I saw him on a dating app, JSwipe, some time after college. I messaged him and we started dating!

Brian proposed in our first apartment together. We were out with my niece and when we came home, I found our apartment filled with 150 sunflowers — my favorite. It was just us two, which was exactly how we wanted it. Later that night, we had dinner with our families and then drinks with friends. It was perfect.

When it came time to choose a venue, we were thrilled with Crystal Plaza. Once we decided we wanted our wedding in New Jersey, we knew that was our venue. Brian’s parents were married there and when we went for a tour we fell in love. They’ve recently renovated and there are endless possibilities.

It has a beautiful, lush garden, a bright atrium filled with sunlight, a grand ballroom that truly fits the term “grand,” and a modern living room lounge that opens up to the garden patio. They have a bridal suite and a groom’s suite, so we both had awesome setups to get ready in the morning. The bridal suite is a glamorous white room with stations for hair and makeup and beautiful photo spots and the groom’s suite has pool tables and plenty of space.

Working with the team at Crystal Plaza was incredible. Everyone there is on top of their game. We worked primarily with Max Janoff, managing partner, and he made us feel like family. He was super responsive to any ideas we had and was willing do to anything to make them happen. Day or night, he was available for us or for our event planners.

Our ceremony in the beautiful atrium was perfect, with sunlight shining down on us and our band playing soft music. Our chuppah looked amazing with flowers draping down from the ceiling. Our vows were my favorite part of our day.

Following the ceremony was cocktail hour, where we had at least 10 different food stations. Mini hot dogs with caviar, a tequila bar, fried chicken and biscuit bites, a raw bar with lobster tails — we had everything! Max pulled out all the stops for us. It was a really fun cocktail hour.

In the ballroom, we mixed rectangle and circular tables for our reception. We had an amazing backdrop behind the band with mirrored walls with flowers and greenery on them, creating an enchanted forest effect, and behind our table, where we sat with our families,  was a bookshelf with different candles. It was so beautiful, mixed with the Crystal Plaza’s white and gold ballroom. The large windows and chandeliers give the room such a regal aura.
 
The ballroom has two large bars and Max also set up bar carts on the floor which was really convenient for our guests. There was never anyone waiting for a drink. Someone was nearby making sure Brian and I had everything we needed. The staff was above and beyond. People were on the dance floor the entire night. The band was incredible, the food was incredible — there is nothing we would do differently!

We consider ourselves big food people and we loved the food at Crystal Plaza. The appetizer was a plate with five compartments, so everyone started with a little sampler of goodies. Our entrée options were NY strip steak, Chilean sea bass, and spaghetti squash. Everything was so amazing!

Dessert was passed out right on the dance floor. We had homemade chipwiches, zeppoles, cake pops, black-tap style milkshakes, and more, and it was all crazy good! We headed back to the cocktail hour room for our after-party, where the staff was waiting at the entrance with espresso martinis for everyone. We had a band we would see playing in New Jersey and Max set up a whole after-party spread. We had Taylor ham, egg, and cheese sliders; bagel bites; a candy bar; and when everyone was leaving, an Italian bakery station with breads and pastries.

We’d like to thank Max Janoff and the entire team at Crystal Plaza for making everything so seamless and for truly taking care of us, our family, and our friends. Thank you to our bands, our florist, and to Claudia and Janet from Gourmet Advisory. Thank you to our parents for making our dreams come true!

Crystal Plaza, Livingston, NJ
973.992.8100, crystalplazagroup.com