Baku Palace Event Hall

We had our wedding (cocktail hour, ceremony and reception) at Baku Palace in May 2013. The cocktail hour was on the upstairs balcony portion, the ceremony downstairs, and the reception in the grand hall upstairs - we could not have been happier! First, the food. We went with the top banquet option and our guests were beyond thankful we did. The lamb chops brought out on plates of fire while the saxophonist played in the background during the main course was magical. Everyone raved about the sea bass kebabs, the tuna, the sushi, and oh the foie gras. Needless to say, no one beats Baku on food quality and quantity, even among the stiff competition in Brooklyn. I would go on and on about their food, but honestly, it speaks for itself. Baku also provides its house band/entertainment. There is the option (included) to have a show, but we opted not to since we had our own surprises. However, the band itself (male and female singers, saxophonist, dancers) was amazing. The female singer especially sang Rihanna better than Rihanna herself. Moreover, they took all of our music requests/suggestions, learned them, and performed them (i.e. Bonny M - who even knows those songs other than my parents?). The band does not come with an MC, however, so we hired Ella (she works with Baku) and were also very happy we did. Since she knows the band and works with them, we only had to deal with her, and she communicated and worked everything out with the band. The result was a very well organized and seamless entertainment package! On that note, I can't speak highly enough of how engaged and energetic Ella was. She reached out to me, gave suggestions, worked really hard on my requests, and was REALLY organized - all of which really helps when you have 5000 moving pieces and parts that night! The reception hall is magnificent. In my opinion, less is more in this beautiful backdrop. It's so grand and yet classic that you really don't need to do much to it other than a few flowers here and there on the railings. Eldar, the manager, must have been a successful therapist in his past life because he was just what the bride/stressed out party planner ordered. No matter what time of day or night, he would always pick up the phone and accommodate my request. If it wasn't possible to do so, he would always offer an alternative. Moreover, the man has such a calming voice and demeanor that you simply can't stress around him. Therapeutic aura aside though, he really was very accommodating and realistic with us. The only cons I have to mention were unique to my timing. First, the elevator wasn't working due to Sandy, but I assume that will be fixed and a moot point for future weddings. Secondly, if having the cocktail hour on the balcony, it gets a it crowded if people don't use the outside. Thus, if you have over 120 guests and it's cold/raining outside, it might get a bit crowded. Tips/Recommendations: go top notch for the food (it's worth it!); pay for 2/3rds or so of the guests for the cocktail hour because you'll have a lot of leftover food otherwise; if doing the ceremony downstairs don't be afraid have it on the side of the water vs. stage (it worked out just fine for us with the beautiful iron tree in the background). Overall, we could not have been happier with our choice!!!