Orange Lawn Tennis Club Reviews
Reviews
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4.3 out of 5 rating
4.3 out of 5 rating
11 Reviews
87% recommend it
Awards
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Olivia Sent on 05/18/2011Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange is the perfect place for anyone who wants something different from most New Jersey wedding venues. It’s certainly elegant, but it’s not dripping with chandeliers, damask and mirrors.
THE VENUE
Beautiful inside and out. The clubhouse reminds me of a stately country estate, complete with a cozy living room; the ballroom was a recent addition to the house, but it was done seamlessly, and it looks great from the outside. Cocktail hour was held in several rooms (however, they have a nice flow and openness, so guests couldn’t feel like they were trapped in a room). The fact that OLTC isn't the standard opulent wedding venue allowed us to put personal touches throughout without them competing with the existing decor - we had framed photos of us and our families placed on the various fireplace mantels, and we were able to have paper lanterns in the ballroom.
The grounds are substantial (mostly green, no gardens), and the drive up the hill to the clubhouse is lovely.
We had our ceremony in a church, but on-site ceremonies are held on a grassy area outside the ballroom flanked by a big tree. I’m assuming the ceremony is held in the ballroom if the weather isn’t agreeable.
PRICING
It's on the high end, but it does only hold one event at a time. The price varies, because the cocktail hour is customizable, but the base price starts at around $150 per guest. We only did a couple of add-ons, but for a full-blown cocktail hour spread comparable to traditional New Jersey venues, I think you could easily end up paying $190+ per guest. Also, there is no Viennese table offered – just the dessert that comes after dinner (and the cake, which is also not included in the cost). But quality was more important to us than quantity - and people still managed to get stuffed at our wedding!
NOTE: The rating I've given the club in the "Value for Cost" category takes into account what many people in this area define "value" as - very large amounts of good food. My definition of value is a good amount of excellent food, as well as top-notch service and the quality of the venue. So while personally, I give this venue a 5 out of 5 in this category, for the purposes of this review, I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5.
FOOD
It was amazing – great flavor combinations that elevated the dishes beyond the standard wedding beef and fish, and they were presented beautifully. My husband and I are serious foodies, and we were more than satisfied. I don’t want to dwell too much on the food because Ariane Duarte (of CulinAriane in Montclair and Top Chef’s fifth season) has stopped catering events at the club. She has been replaced by Lance Knowling of Indigo Smoke in Maplewood. I'm sure the food will still be terrific!
SERVICE
Lisa was wonderful. She was friendly and enthusiastic during the planning process, and a great maître d’ at our event … she e-mailed us after the wedding to let us know she froze the top layer of our cake – something that we didn’t think of asking her to do amid the wedding-day chaos!
POSSIBLE CONCERNS
A minor quibble: We were seated at the corner of the ballroom, and the music sounded muddled (and sometimes unrecognizable). I don't know if this had to do with the room's acoustics (the ceilings are very high) or if it was on the DJ's end. When we were dancing, the music sounded fine. I mention this to be helpful to couples planning their weddings here, not as a critique of the club or the DJ.
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Overall, it was a perfect evening for us - and also our guests. One of them said that in her long life, she had been to so many weddings - but she had never been to one that reflected the newlyweds' personalities. This was an amazing compliment - we wouldn't have been able to implement all our personal touches at a generic wedding factory. Hearing comments like that made it clear we made the right choice with Orange Lawn Tennis Club. -
Brooke Sent on 06/16/2018Although my husband and I had a beautiful wedding at Orange Lawn Tennis Club – and received SO many compliments from our guests on the beautiful space and amazing food – there are some glaring negatives to this venue.
The only thing my husband cared about in a venue was the food, which was part of the reason why we chose OLTC in the first place. For our first tasting, I told Mimi my husband had an allergy to shellfish and tree nuts, and she ensured me that there would be no menu items with those ingredients, or they would be taken out. We arrived for our tasting, and the first thing that comes out is an oyster shooter – something he could not have. He was incredibly upset, and although Mimi apologized, this was a less than thrilling first experience. Throughout the planning process, I communicated his allergies to both Mimi and Mary again – both of them promising he would not receive a meal with nuts/shellfish. On our wedding night when we sat down for our first course, my husband’s salad had nuts. Again, he was very upset. After spending quite a bit of money, and communicating our needs clearly multiple times, this was just disappointing.
Communication was AWFUL. I had to email and call both Mimi and Mary multiple times before receiving a single response. Mimi, specifically, seemed to just disappear the months between signing our contract and getting married. There was also several instances of miscommunication between myself and Mimi/Mary. For example, after monitoring the weather the entire two weeks before the wedding, I was happy to see that the rain cleared for our date. While our plan was to have it outside, Mimi made the executive decision to move it inside without even telling me – assuming that I already knew. This is just one example of the several instances of miscommunication!
Overall, we had a truly beautiful wedding and we will forever cherish the memories we made at our wedding, but it could use some improvement on the side of the coordinators. -
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