Reception Halls - Willoughby to Ashtabula (Mentor, Eastlake: how much, hotel, wedding reception)

[CoachJuice]

I am looking for any information on reception halls in the north east area. I have heard things about Lamalfa, nice place but over priced, and same thing about the Lodge in Geneva. Any personal experiences would be appreciated.

[mommamia b]

Borally's is on the border of Willoughby Hills and Richmond Hts. and has long been a favorite in my family. Most places are pricey and things add up quickly, but they have great food and services. Pine Ridge in Wickliffe is great, too. I've been there many times for many things. Capelli's is in Mentor and is attached to a hotel and martini bar and is also a good choice. Manakiki is in Willoughby Hills. Nice, on a golf course, but expensive. St. Noels is also in Willoughby Hills next to metroparks. The Croation Lodge in Eastlake is huge and good (from what I've heard). LaVera in Willoughby Hills is also good. I guess it depends on how big, what day and what time of year you are looking at that will determine how much it will end up costing. My sister got married at LaMalfa (ceremony and reception) and got a great deal, had about 300 people, but it was January. May thru October expect to pay top dollar for a Saturday night. Hope this helps

[jam40jeff]

Every place mentioned is a good suggestion, so check them all out and see whta fits your tastes. I think you'll find that the prices aren't much different (they'll all be pretty expensive on a Saturday in the summer). Some will offer all-inclusive packages per person that sound more expensive than other places, but the places that seem cheaper often time nickel and dime you to death. When I got married, we looked at the Croation Hall, and it looked like a deal, but then they kept tacking things on and it came out to be about the same as everywhere else we looked (even MUCH nicer places downtown) after they tacked on hall rental, chair cover charge, charge for centerpieces, cake cutting charge, linen charge, etc. (all of which were included in the package we got at the place downtown we ended up having our reception).

I don't know what type of wedding reception you're going for (classy, tradition, hip, modern, etc.) but to me Manakiki is probably the "nicest" (I know that's real subjective, but I like the old-school, classy, traditional feel) of the ones mentioned, but also doesn't hold a lot of people, so the number of people you want to invite may affect where you are even able to have the reception. I have heard LaMalfa is nice but have never been there, although I've also heard it may be a little more expensive than other places. St. Noel's makes you provide your own alcohol, which may save you a little money, but could be a pain in the butt (you don't want to run out, but you don't want $1K of alcohol left over either). The food is good at Borally's, but I don't think the space could be much uglier (it's a 70s octagon shaped room). I have been to a wedding at Capelli's and they did a pretty good job, and being connected to a hotel is nice for guests so they don't endanger everyone else attempting to drive after having downed 20 drinks. Pine Ridge is a nice place but I've never had the food there. One other place to look into that is absolutely beautiful but may not hold enough for you and can run a little pricier than most places is Mooreland Mansion, on the eastern edge of the campus of Lakeland Community College.

[mommamia b]

Mooreland is nice..I forgot about that! My alma mater...

Borally's also makes you provide your own liquor. Pine Ridge is catered by Dino's (or used to be anyway) so if you like their food...

[jam40jeff]

Originally Posted by mommamia b

Pine Ridge is catered by Dino's (or used to be anyway) so if you like their food...

Correct, I should have known that. I love Dino's food.

[CoachJuice]

Any thoughts on Manakiki? I am assuming that our reception will be fairly big, around 350+.

[jam40jeff]

Then you won't weant Manakiki. Or Mooreland. I don't think Casa Di Borally can even hold 350+. I know the Croatian Hall can, but I personally think it's a cheesy place with subpar food. It is hard to find a very large hall that is nice.

[CoachJuice]

What is the max for most of the nicer places? Do you think we could get in with 300?

[jam40jeff]

I had 225 at my wedding and that was near the max at a lot of the nicer places I looked at. There was some variation, but I think 300+ will greatly limit you. Now if you really want or have to have that many people, you'll just have to accept that you'll have to choose from a much smaller set of choices. Many places couldn't accomodate 225, so I already faced that, but I think 300 will really limit your choices. That's not to say it's impossible to find something you like.

[mommamia b]

Casa di Borally holds up to about 400. LaMalfa holds 500+. Manakiki is more like a large mansion and will not hold that many people. Most places max out at around 300-350. I agree the Croation Hall is very cheesy, but huge.