Cescaphe Weddings

positives: the venue was gorgeous and the food spread was delicious and so plentiful. Guests were in awe, as Cescaphe executed on what they do best and are known for - the food and drinks. The added hour that comes in the package is also very helpful and worth it. We also loved the vibe at The Lucy and are so glad we picked it (it is classic yet new and modern, and you also cannot beat the location). The reason for less than five stars is really that for the price Cescaphe charges and the salesy promises they make, they should be held accountable for this offering, and clients should go in eyes wide open and prepared. Cescaphe presents a premium price tag and brand, yet truly delivers mass market service and customer experience to the bride and groom, and for now they can, because they have such a stronghold on the Philadelphia wedding market. They run a very specific playbook, and they don’t deviate from it, and as they have grown, they cut more corners. I would caution clients to save every file and document they provide you before you sign, as you will likely need it a year later when they try to tell you something is different or changed. You really need to stay in top of them and ask your event manager about everything. For us there were some small things that didn’t really matter, but the biggest disappointment was the bar. Cescaphe is known for one fixed price for top shelf liquor, but the night of our wedding, several premium liquors that were listed in the sales package were not there. The iconic bar at The Lucy was so sparse looking. We regret specifically not going over every liquor with them beforehand to ensure what was in the contract would be there, but we didn’t think we would have to. It was so frustrating. They really sell (and put in the contract) “top shelf” open bar, but they ended up removing the top of each category without telling us. Later they said it was due to “availability.” Other tips- the “concierge” is completely laughable. It consists of a bunch of 24 year olds googling and giving you canned information and referrals that you can frankly get yourself, at the same public rates. They don’t deviate or go above and beyond. They were fine but really not needed, completely an oversold service. Also do your homework- your venue event manager will tell you you can only do things a certain way, but that is just the way they prefer it. If you push them or show them internet posts of your venue set up another way, for instance, they will allow it. You really just need to ask and be extremely proactive and detail oriented. Finally, the fact that Beautiful Blooms is the only vendor that can hang things from the ceilings or turn the lights on in the venue for a fee (“up lighting” as they say) is annoying but the sad reality. If you can spare the added logistics, only use them for what you have to and get the florist you want. Cescaphe’s preferred vendors are fine, but they certainly are not the best or the most economical. Finally, they totally overstate the venue capacity. Beware of that and round down. Like I said, my wedding was amazing, all the guests seemed to have a spectacular time, so it might seem like I’m nitpicking. But when you are shelling out so much money, you expect a service level that frankly isn’t there. The guests won’t feel it (which is great), but you as the bride and groom sure will. If they want to continue to play in the premium space, it’s time to act like it. So just be prepared, squeeze out everything you want from them, hire your own coordinator, and then enjoy your wedding day!

Joanna and her team covered every detail from start to finish so that our day was nothing but enjoyment. Planning a wedding is very stressful. My wife is an amazing planner and even she said “My God, they make it so easy for you there.” We have older parents and they took such great care of them the entire night. It’s little things like this that set Cescaphe apart. And the food?? The appetizers alone will blow you away! A seafood station with lobster, a steak station, a Mediterranean station, a sushi station and something like 80 appetizers being walked around on trays. Unlike other weddings I’ve been to, the food was everywhere. Drinks? Same thing. Fantastic bartenders making some amazing cocktails and I don’t think I saw a real line for a drink all night. I cannot recommend the people and the venue from Cescaphe highly enough. If I could rate them higher than 5 stars I would!

ever we had questions, she was so responsive and informative. When we were handed off to Joanna at Vie, Cescaphe did not miss a beat. Joanna immediately stepped in to handle the rest of the planning. She was always attentive, handled all of our requests seamlessly, and if there was ever something we needed and she didn’t have the answer, she went out and searched to get it for us. The day of our wedding was spectacular. It was everything my now husband could have ever imagined. A dream come true! When we walked in for our first look of the reception area, our jaws dropped. Everything was decorated beautifully. Our guests are continuing to tell us how amazing everything was. From the venue, to the food, etc. Joanna’s team went over and beyond to make everyone satisfied. One server we were particularly excited to see as a part of our day was Jay. We met him at Cescaphe University and you could tell he was genuinely invested in giving the best possible experience to anyone he encountered. Our Maitre D, Dominique was incredible. She was there for us every step of the way and made sure we had everything we needed and more. She was a foot in front the entire time. The head servers made our VIPs feel like royalty and the bartenders kept everyone happy with drinks throughout the night. We couldn’t be more thrilled that we booked Cescaphe to host our wedding. It was the best decision we made and we know that we will always be a part of the Cescaphe family. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this day possible and exceeding our expectations by a landslide. - The new Mr. and Mrs. Ryan

ting our event on a Friday in January was incredibly affordable and we couldn’t believe how much we got for our money. Planning a wedding out of state is a task I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy but working with our event manager Lilly was absolutely seamless. She was so helpful in answering all of our questions, working with us on every little detail, and being flexible with appointments since we were out of state. The staff on our wedding day was unmatched, led by Marci and Carleen. Our parents felt so taken care of and like true VIPs. Our guests could not stop raving about the food!! If you are on the fence, we can not recommend Cescaphe enough!

tled on The Lucy, we started working with Victoria. She was so responsive, and answered all of my lengthy questions even though my wedding wasn't for another almost 2 years at that point! It put me at so much ease during the wedding planning process. Also, their connections and team dedicated to helping you plan other aspects (room blocks/hotels, seating chart, enhancements, photo booth, band) you name it, Cescaphe has the answer! It was truly so reassuring to have so much support throughout the planning process. When it came to our actual wedding day, we were assigned Chelsea has our main Event Manager. What an absolute joy to work with - she is truly remarkable! She truly helped make our wedding dreams come to life. Not one detail went unnoticed and Chelsea and team did an unbelievable job. She put up with every question and request I had and was so flexible and made it happen no matter what! I knew from our meeting and walkthrough at the venue, we were in great hands, but she and the team truly exceeded all of my expectations. Thank you CHELSESA!! She also gave us the best of the best in Franco, who took care of us on our wedding all night long! Anything I needed - he was right there with us. We can't say enough wonderful things about Cescaphe and The Lucy! From start to finish, they do it RIGHT! All the wonderful things you hear about them are so true - especially the hospitality and of course the FOOD. It is truly unlike anything or any wedding you will ever go to. Our wedding will be something our guests will continue to talk about for a long time, and we have Cescaphe to thank for a lot of that! Thank you, Cescaphe - we are so lucky to have had our wedding with you guys!

f my brothers receptions were at Cescaphe venues and once you experience it there is no going back. From the service to the food to the beauty of their spaces… there is no competition. Chelsea was our coordinator and when I tell you she was the BEST I mean it. She is on top of anything and everything you throw at her! Everyone needs a Chelsea. Franco was our maître d' and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of that entire night. If I could go back I would do it all over again exactly the same way. We can’t thank Cescaphe enough for making our wedding so amazing!

understanding, patient and kind. I honestly never once had a second thought or concern. Our guests could not stop raving about the food, literally every person that came up to us said it was the best food they've ever had at a wedding. Also the most beautiful wedding space they'd ever been to. Having everything under one roof (food, table settings, Beautiful Blooms, ceremony and reception space, wedding coordinator, wedding cake, etc) was a LIFESAVER. You will absolutely not regret a single thing about having your wedding or event here! Book it!! We worked with Lexi as our coordinator, and Franco as our maitre D' and they both completely exceeded expectations!!

Friends and family are still talking about the beauty of the venue, the beyond amazing catering spread, and how smoothly and pleasantly the staff helped the day go, even months later! Many have said it was the best wedding they have EVER attended (and I may be biased, but I have to agree!) Cara was especially kind and helpful with last minute adjustments to our big day and always helped us out with patience and a smile. There is no doubt that Cescaphe is the best of the best for Philadelphia weddings. I'm so glad we chose Water Works and will recommend to all in the future. Laura Fredrick and Lucas Ozarowski, 4/2/22

t throughout the process that our day would go smoothly. Everyone that we worked with was very professional, helpful, and responsive. The reception was absolutely beautiful, and you can't beat the views from the Down Town Club. Our guests have been raving about how good the food was! We have had a number of people tell us it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. Vincent, the maitre d', as well as the staff taking care of our parents, were so great and attentive during the reception and helped the night go smoothly. Everything that is included in their package (cake, ice sculpture, etc.) is also amazing and a great value! We are so glad we chose Cescaphe and highly recommend them!

it by! If your someone who isn’t’t great at planning or is not up with the newest wedding trends, I would 1000000% have a Cescaphe wedding! I could not have asked for a better experience working with Maia. She helped me out throughout the whole wedding process. The night of the Wedding I was assigned Vincent as my Maître d’ and OMG!!!!!! He made my wedding go so smoothly and was next to me every second with what I needed!!!! There was zero stress from the day I chose Cescaphe to the next day! The Down Town Club was beautiful!!!!!!! I only have amazing words for this company!

xecution ran smoothly. Cara and Kathleen both helped us find vendors and plan our perfect day. The day of the event, both of them helped keep everything on track and took so much off our plate. We moved out of state shortly after booking the venue, and they made planning remotely as painless as possible. Also, if you go to WaterWorks, Franco (the head maître d) is one of the caring and experienced professionals we’ve ever dealt with. He anticipated our every need, sometimes even before we knew what we needed. Besides the incredible service and views, the food left all of our guests in awe in both its quantity and quality. If we were to do it all again, we would choose Cescaphe 10/10 times.

I can assure you this is totally what we experienced. Maia and team gave us a once in a lifetime experience. Every detail at the event was taken care of. We had a special "timeout" room, Maia took care of my speech and just managed every detail with confidence and a smile. Stunning views, great food, great venue, on an on....

er individualized while also making the decision and planning process super easy and non-stressful. Our guests still talk about the food and atmosphere of the whole evening and that it was the best wedding they have been too!

make our day special. Planning a wedding is stressful, but Joanna and Cescaphe definitely took a lot of that stress away for us. The wedding day itself was perfect, they set everything up so beautifully and made our vision a reality. Our guests have raved about how amazing the food was. Daniel, our maitre d, was so professional and accommodating. We loved our wedding at Vie and would definitely recommend Vie or any Cescaphe venue to others.

The food was beyond amazing and SOO much of it. The staff went above and beyond for everyone especially myself and my husband. There was not one thing that was not handled perfectly! Franko even got me fried Oreos before i walked down the aisle because I was so excited for them! Truly the best day of our lives and I could not recommend this company and venue more!

ely AMAZING from the start. She personally met me for my tours (which included every venue because I am a self proclaimed bridezilla). She was so patient with me through my dozens of emails and calls frantic about when and which venue I should choose. She walked me through the process and held my hand the entire time. I even got to see her again when I went to the Cescaphe U. I cannot wait for my big day to come. I just know I am in the best hands and could not be happier with how wonderful this team was to me.

ard as well as the beautiful grounds and waterfront. Unfortunately, this was not our experience. It started okay with a few emails inquiring then planning a time to talk on the phone/schedule a tour. I never received a call when they said they would and no one contacted me for three weeks via email, voicemail,etc until I had to reach back out saying I never received contact. It took a total of five weeks to get a tour. I had to state twice in the same email thread what venue I was interested in before I got a tour. I wasn't told who would give me the tour or who to ask for etc. I was unaware it wasn't going to be with who I was emailing with. The lack of communication already made me nervous but with the city opening back up I just assumed everyone was booked and overworked so I didn't want to make any judgements giving the benefit of the doubt. We had planned to do all of our tours in one weekend, this was our second tour. We arrived, no one introduced themselves, started the tour, asked if we wanted to see outside, how many people we had and then began. The tour in total from start to finish even sitting down going over all that was included was less than 15 minutes. It felt very rushed, they had no knowledge of whom I had been in contact with. I asked questions about handicap accessibility (extremely important) and the response was "oh we would handle that" without any further explanation. The tour guide seemed way more interested in describing how delicious the food was and how beautiful the venue was. When asked questions on pricing they did not know the ceremony fee or any other fees. The tour guides demeanor, lack of attention or understanding of my vision or questions really made me feel very uncomfortable. We had been on three other tours that weekend and it was a COMPLETELY different experience. I left this tour completely shocked at how unprofessional it all was. We heard that Cescaphe throws beautiful weddings however looks over the needs of the individual and runs it solely as a business and we also have heard the opposite. I truly believe this could be based on the individuals doing the tours or initial contacts via email or phone. It bummed us out that our first exposure was so negative we wouldn't feel comfortable moving forward. I did send an email to the company in which Betsy herself personally called me ( I have not engaged with her prior) and she was very apologetic and explained this is not how they conduct tours and unsure why any of it occurred. She did explain that the tour guides don't have access to pricing. However, I inquired multiple times about pricing prior to the tour via email that I didn't receive which I was under the impression I would receive at the tour. Betsy handled everything so well and offered another tour to myself personally. I am giving two stars because of her professional nature but unfortunately from start to finish every individual I had contact with was not anything that we expected.

o was PHENOMENAL! She always answered every question I had and made sure that everything was just as I had envisioned. Day of the wedding was an absolute dream, they took care of every little detail and made sure that we were taken care of all the way through. Our Maitre d was outstanding and would always make sure that we had a drink in our hand and would check in on us constantly throughout the night. The food was amazing and the venue was stunning. I cannot recommend enough!

10/10 recommend!!!

ed we wanted to get married at Vie, Cescaphe sent us a list of vendors which made our lives so much easier. All of the vendors communicate with Cescaphe so that was one less thing we had to worry about. We began working with Joanna O'Donnell a few months prior to our wedding and she made sure that every single detail was taken care of. There were many guests, including myself, who have celiac disease and Joanna met personally with the chef to ensure that everything was labeled accordingly and they even made our wedding cake gluten free so that I could enjoy it as well. When we first walked into the ballroom, we were blown away by how amazing it looked. Everything was PERFECT! We have been married for almost 1 week and our guests are still raving about the food and the venue. From cocktail hour, to dinner, to dessert, everything was beautifully presented and tasted even better than it looked. I seriously cannot recommend Cescaphe enough. The staff goes above and beyond to make sure the bride and groom are happy all night long. It was truly the best day of our lives, thanks to Cescaphe, and especially, thanks to Joanna.

onderful night! As a covid bride, the planning process was.. not fun. We had to postpone our original date, and then we ended up holding our wedding at the peak of the highest surge of Covid cases seen over two years into the pandemic. We are so grateful to Cescaphe for being flexible with us as we navigated this tough situation and being so easy to plan with. We had to redo our seating chart every single day for the two weeks leading up to the wedding and Bella was so on top of all these changes and made sure all the table settings were perfect, rearranging the tables making sure the room never felt too big and there were no empty chairs. She and Andrew were also so dedicated to making sure we had a perfect day. They were one step ahead of us all day and made sure my husband and I had a fresh drink and plate of food at every stage throughout the night. They were so on top of the timeline making sure everything was perfect. Our parents also loved all the VIP attention. Our (very large) bridal party had the best experience and loved the pre-cocktail spread Andrew and Bella and the staff put out for us. Every single guest has given us so many compliments on the service, food, and beautiful venue. Cescaphe is the best! We are filled with so much joy and laughter looking back at our wedding- thank you Cescaphe, Bella, and Andrew!

scaphe weddings since 2018 and unfortunately the food and the service are not the same. They quality of the food has gone down, the service has been absolutely terrible at some of the weddings and the couples I know that have dealt with them recently expressed that they have been very hard to work with. I was the maid of honor at my sister’s wedding and they were impossible to work with when trying to re-plan a wedding because of COVID.

ree, and enjoyable. A HUGE shoutout to our amazing coordinator, Jimmy DiGuglielmo. He was so organized and calm throughout the entire planning process and at the reception. Our guests were blown away by the service, the food, the venue...you name it, they were raving about it! He made our reception everything we could have dreamed of and more! I know I can speak on behalf of my parents when we say how amazing you and the Cescaphe group were to work with! We would absolutley recommend them to our friends and family who are planning their wedding in Philadelphia.

ng - our band sounded incredible. There is a stage which made it the best. The location is perfectly nested within all of the center city hotels for your out of town guests as well as bars and fun sites. IT's attached to the Cambria so it's even easier to stay over as the wedding couple. The Food is the best. Everyone says it but it's true. Our guests complimented how great the cocktail hour was - that it's out of this world, an hour and half and has something for everyone. The drinks were top shelf. The reception meal was incredible too - hot and delicious. The planning staff is remarkable. We had Jimmy at the Lucy and he was a joy to work with. IT is 100% worth the investment - HIGHLY recommend!