The Riverside Church

hall for the reception. The space is exceptionally beautiful and elegant and only a few flowers were needed to create the majestic wedding decor. The music was wonderful. The organist was willing to play our song list as requested. The catering was easy to coordinate and everyone loved the food. A wonderful experience for us and our families. Only challenge was keeping the Assembly hall cool in the middle of July, but that was taken care of too.

options for pictures and the spaces are amazing. Our photographer commented that he has done a lot of weddings in his 15 year career and this church was by far one of the most gorgeous he has been in. The wedding coordinator Angela Gregory is the most organized and efficient coordinator you could ask for. Her attention to detail and ability to effortlessly coordinate all details was a breath of fresh air and relief. I did not have to think about anything on that day. She was on top of everything making my life and the MOH life a lot easier. The reception area and cocktail hour were spectacular. The detailed ceilings, grand piano, beams and candelabras were perfect for our vintage affair. Absolutely stunning.

wedding ceremony, which as per the contract did not include music, candles or rehearsal. What was not specified in the contract was that I would have to deal with a discourteous wedding coordinator. All our interactions were via e-mail and her replies were either one-word answers, or shocking and off-putting. For instance, I asked her how much would be the extra fee to include music in the ceremony, if possible. While she emphasized that informal ceremonies did not include music, the first sentence on her e-mail was “I’m afraid if you want music, then you want a full wedding at full wedding price,” which was unnecessarily condescending. At the ceremony, she did not allow my maid of honor to stand beside me holding my bouquet, nor groomsmen to stand by the groom holding the rings. The ceremony concluded a few minutes ahead of schedule, and as my husband and I were approached by our friends and relatives to congratulate us she appeared out of nowhere tapped me on the shoulder and motioned me to follow her pointing to a table. I understood then that we had to sign the marriage certificate, but she could have done it in a gentle manner. It was disruptive and awkward, she was pushy and we felt rushed. Also her demeanor was not very appropriate in the Chapel. I have photographs in which she appears casually leaning with her foot up against the wall. Even if it is an “informal” ceremony, it deserves the same attention and caring a full ceremony would receive, and the bride, the groom and their guests should be treated with courtesy and respect.

s and very accomodating. And despite my type A personality, she was patient with all my exacting questions. And while at first I was concerned we could only use Pasha as our caterer, my experience with them was wonderful. Drane and Leigh at Pasha were very patient, attentive and professional. Everything turned out fantastic and I couldn't have asked for more. I highly recommende this venue.

s also large enough to accommodate our 200+ guests, 2 buffet stations, 2 bars, a photo booth, AND a large dance floor! At first, I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to fit everything in without having our guests feeling crammed together. But Angela (church wedding coordinator) and Leigh (in-house caterer) were so helpful in alleviating all my concerns and fears about the space! I must have sent a million emails throughout the planning process, and they were both very patient and quick to respond to all my questions. Very professional as they've been doing weddings for a long time! The food from Pasha Events, the in house caterer, was amazing as well! We went with the buffet option and had plenty of options to choose from for our reception. There was more than enough food for all our guests, who absolutely LOVED the chicken & waffles dish! Pasha is also very accommodating if you need vegetarian versions of certain dishes or need kids' meals. The Riverside Church is just such a large, beautiful and iconic space in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was the perfect place for our wedding reception! We didn't have our ceremony there (we wanted to get married Columbia campus where I went to school, more of a personal connection) but the Riverside main chapel is absolutely gorgeous! So many of our guests are still telling us how beautiful the church is!

e looked like. We were both taken aback with its grand beauty. After we got engaged and decided to get married in Manhattan, my husband encouraged me to look at Riverside again. I was a little intimidated by how large it was and afraid it would be too expensive. After considering other churches, we visited Riverside again and I knew this had to be our church. In addition to loving how the church looked, the organ is impressive and its location perfect for a wedding. It’s quiet and peaceful up there and there are great opportunities for taking pictures outdoors right near the church. Working with Angela Gregory made the planning process very easy. Angela can be difficult to reach at times, but once you do reach her, she is a wealth of information. After our thorough rehearsal the day before, everything moved like clockwork on the wedding day. Our guests were so impressed with the church, it really helped make it a memorable wedding for everyone there. The grandness of the structure really fit with the solemnity and importance of the event and it was a truly wonderful experience to be married at Riverside.

xible. I absolutely had the best wedding ever. I have people who still ask me about it. It was wonderful.

r guests were truly awed. Then you have the most loving, attentive staff, who truly seem to care about your special day and the important commitment you are making. The wedding coordinator, Angela Gregory, is a dream to work with, and helps with every step along the way, from booking the rooms to bustling your dress. Then the clergy - we worked with Rev. Linda who just brings such warmth and genuine love to the ceremony. The onsite event company, Pasha Events, made every dream come true for decor and entertainment, while providing incredibly delicious, unique food. So many guests raved about the wedding from start to finish and we kept hearing it was the best wedding they'd ever attended. Lastly, it is so stress free and relaxing to have ceremony and reception in one location! In case of rain, you can even go straight from the parking garage to the church underground, without ever getting wet!! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

oordinator, went above and beyond to make sure we felt like the only couple in the world and was always around checking on us to make sure everything was running smoothly. From start to finish, Angela made every aspect of the planning smooth and efficient and completely easy on us! Angela did ALL of the coordinating with the vendors so that all my guests and I did was walk in and enjoy :) The bang for the buck was past our expectations and our guests had such a great time and couldn't stop talking about how beautiful the church is. I wish I could do it all over again!!!! I'm tearing as I write this thinking about what a great day it was. Thank you Angela and The Riverside Church for the best day of my life.

wedding was scheduled on the day before the hurricane struck - a 3pm ceremony on an afternoon with no rain. Every other vendor came through for us (even the out-of-state ones), and I feel it's important to write this review, because brides/grooms should know that in the unlikely case of an emergency, there is the chance that you will lose your ceremony location. It was horribly stressful and I know other brides had their ceremonies canceled that day as well. Luckily for us, our other vendors were incredibly professional and went above-and-beyond to make our wedding day a success. Our reception was at The Four Seasons Hotel and they held our ceremony in one of their ball rooms. Our officiant from the church also came in for both the rehearsal and to officiate the ceremony - despite her church closing its doors on us. Riverside is beautiful, up to the actual wedding Angela Gregory was kind and helpful, and we had every expectation of magical ceremony in the chapel. Unfortunately, that expectation was not a reality. At least they refunded the deposit, although we did lose over 3k to our limo company as there was nowhere for them to take us...

rything went smoothly. I had nothing to worry about and it was an amazing event.

onalized ceremony conducted by Rev. Thomas, friends and family could not stop raving. Equally spectacular was the quality of the food served during the reception - amazing! Pasha Events was also a pleasure to work with. With ceremony times starting as late as 6pm, guests were thrilled that they could come and not have to worry about shuffling from the church to the ceremony. In fact, the fact that the ceremony and reception where located within the same, majestic venue resulted in most of our guests attending both the ceremony and the reception. I cannot say enough about how The Riverside Church and Pasha Events met every one of my expectations. And, as anyone who knows me can tell you, that is no easy feat!

mend this venue. We had our reception here as well, the halls are beautiful. The catering company fabulous. All my guests raved about the food! Most important right?