The Elan - Catering and Events

Living in North/Central NJ, it's often very difficult to find a wedding venue within a reasonable budget. When we cam across The Elan we though it was too good to be true--but it really is that fantastic! The entire planning process was super easy. Pricing is EXCELLENT. You get an incredible 5 hour reception that includes open bar, tons of food, AND an incredibly delicious cake from Palermo's. The food all came out HOT and DELICIOUS. Our guests couldn't get enough of it! Maria took incredible care of me and my husband all night--my glass was never empty and she made sure any leftovers we had were promptly wrapped up to go home with us (including cake!). The entire staff was courteous, professional, timely, and just all around wonderful. I would definitely book other parties there in the future. Highly recommend!

This venue is the absolute worst. If you want to have the wedding of your dreams, DO NOT expect these people to fulfill your needs. Unfortunately, I was one of the brides that had to postpone my wedding twice due to COVID. It was a very stressful 2.5 years, as you can imagine. And The Elan was not comforting throughout this whole ordeal. The Owner Ari Starkman, is THE WORST. He seemed nice at first, saying everything we wanted to hear. Claiming that he will make our experience easy and stress-free. But once the contract was signed, he became a money-hungry a-hole. He was not accommodating us. We were accommodating him most of the time.My husband & I understood that wedding venues had suffered during this pandemic, so we decided to postpone our wedding for Nov 2020, instead of canceling.. But COVID kept getting worse & the laws in NJ were not lifted. I spoke to Ari & brought up all our concerns (about the law requirements not being able to fulfill our contract) & all Ari said was “I have a good relationship with the town. So you don’t have to worry about us shutting down”. Whatever that’s supposed to mean? But I was not trying to risk it. We were not ok with him bending the law & saying he was “accommodating” us, especially since it was UNLAWFUL!!! So I emailed him every law order I found, stating that everything he is doing was not permitted by NJ law and rules. & ofc, he did not write back to those emails. He clearly did not want anything he said in writing.Instead, he would call me. On the phone calls we discussed my concerns about the NJ law conflicting with our contract, and his reaction was not considerate. At this time, he called me hard-headed, selfish and stubborn. He kept cutting me off, yelling at me, using foul language. He was extremely disrespectful. Like I said before, he was acting money-hungry. Money was all he cared about. So again, we accommodate him and we decided to postpone the wedding once more to November 2021. When we signed the contract in 2019, our event manager was Steven Dekanchuk. Steven was an amazing event manager! He really took off a lot of pressure & did the best he could to accommodate us. Steven was literally the back bone to The Elan. He did everything. Steven is understanding, considerate, head-strong! & he is 1000000% the reason why we decided to stay with the Elan. & 3 weeks before our wedding, is when we hear from the Elan since November 2020. They failed to inform us that Steven had left the Elan and we have a new event manager, Erika.. Who wanted to change everything last minute because we were no longer “allowed” everything we were already promised. And Started to hit us with unnecessary fees all of a sudden. Which was ridiculous. But the day of, Erika was great & such a team player. Harry was our Maitre D.. We did not get to meet him until the day before when we had our rehearsal. He was…ok. I felt like he didn’t really do anything, but piss everyone off. All my vendors said he was very rude and disrespectful & did not let them do their job. He did not work with any of them. The Elan is a venue I would never sign a contract with again. The owner is supposed to be that face of The Elan. Ari Starkman has an ugly personality. He has disrespected me, my husband and my mother-in-law. Ari is disrespectful, he’s very inconsiderate and he is extremely money-hungry. He talks to you like you are stupid, and takes advantage of you! I definitely DO NOT recommend anyone signing anything with this venue.

Amazing! My husband James and I fell in love with The Elan during our first visit. The reason for this was because of Rachel. She was soo honest, sweet, dedicated and professional. She eased my nerves and knew what I wanted and needed right away. She answered all of James’s questions as well. During the whole process she answered my emails very quickly she let me come in whenever I wanted. She is truly the biggest reason why we choose to party here. Our second reason was our Maitre D’. Stephen. He did an amazing job. Everything ran so smooth. Even when we showed up and hour early for pics he got us drinks and mad sure we were ready to go. If anything went wrong I didn’t know it he handled it all. These two truly made us feel like part of the family. They really mad us feel comfortable with everything. The third was the food!!! OMG the food! All I have to say is my guest could not stop Raving about the flavors and how fresh it all was. Chef Chris did his thang! Finally we come to the party rooms! The cocktail hour room was gorgeous and clean with room for all 164 guest. The ballroom was gorgeous with lights and a beautiful dance floor! It was clean and the staff was ver accommodating! We truly love you guys and can say we will have all our events to come at The Elan.

I’ll start off by saying this place is hands down amazing and the best decision we made for our wedding. Pre-Wedding We first met with Rachel, 13 months before our wedding and who first gave us a tour of The Elan and went through all the wedding packages that they offer. It’s a very beautiful location, especially the Alexandria room and the Skylight room where we did our ceremony. We were really impressed by the amount of food that they offer for each package, as well as an included Palermo’s Bakery Cake, a wedding day coordinator/ maitre d and a bridal assistant. The road to the wedding Rachel and Steven are by far excellent at answering any emails and returning calls. We had so many questions that we thought we annoyed them but they were very patient, knowledgeable, helpful and kind throughout the whole process. We met with Steven, the BEST Maitre D EVER, a few months before to do a food tasting and to go over the new menu that the chef will launch during the wedding season. The food was by far excellent. The chef definitely organized a great fresh, trendy menu that would attract the 20-30s adults, while also pleasing the older crowd and kids. The Elan’s menu ranges from your classic traditional Italian, Latin, Asian, and new American. Steven also made sure we had a signature cocktail of our choice, which was one of the best Mojitos in the North East! Rachel and Steven worked with all of our vendors to make sure everything was going to run smoothly for our big day and it did! Wedding Day What more could we have asked from The Elan? They exceeded our expectations and made our day magical and stress free. Also, a special thank you to Maria whom is an exceptional bridal attendant. Maria anticipated any and everything we needed without even having to ask. Everyone at The Elan goes above and beyond. If I or any one I know needs an event venue, I will definitely not hesitate to recommend The Elan! Thank you to The Elan Crew!!! -Ruby&Luis

Truly amazing wedding day because of the Elan and their staff The Elan made my wedding a true fairytale. The staff's attention to detail was unbelievable. Rachel is extremely responsive, professional and efficient. Steven and Maria were so attentive to me and my groom on our wedding day and the wait staff and bar tender were top notch. My husband and I were extremely pleased with the level of service we received throughout our wedding planning and post wedding. I highly recommend the Elan for your wedding or event.

I could not have asked for a better staff to work with for my wedding! Everyone was super helpful and accommodating for all requests my husband and I had. The chef was absolutely amazing to work with and his food was awesome! I got compliments throughout the whole night saying how good the food was! Steven and Maria help to make sure you are not stressed on your day and literally run around the entire time to ensure a successful event. Many of my guests commented about how amazing/ helpful the staff was. I could never thank them enough for helping to make my day so special and successful! I would definitely recommend The Elan for any large event!

My Wedding this past Sunday at the Elan was the most beautiful day a girl could have ever asked for the Maitre’d staff were wonderful. Steven and Marie really outdid themselves they made that my husband & I & my son & bridal party we well taken care of let alone my guest they have been raving about the two of the & how beautiful the place was. The Elan is the most perfect place to have you’re celebrations at, also I will not forget that Rachel & Simone were also very kind & helpful putting together my most beautiful day. Thank you soooo much love The new Mrs Goss

I absolutely loved the Elan. They made my wedding day effortless and absolutely flawless. It was so easy to show up and everything was taken care of! Everyone was so helpful and wonderful! I recommend them to everyone. The food was absolutely incredible and everyone was so professional. Would absolutely choose them all over again!

My now husband and I just had our wedding at The Elan. From start to finish, we had a great experience. From my first meeting with Steve, I knew we were in good hands and chose the perfect venue for us ! The day of, Maria and Steve made sure everything ran smoothly and that me and my husband had everything we needed or wanted to have a great time ! All our guests raved about the amazing food from cocktail hour to main entree. All day I got compliments on what a beautiful wedding it was. I could not be happier with the way our day went and I have Steve and Maria to thank for it !!!

WOW! The Elan made our wedding the most magical and stress-free day of our lives! Steve, Maria, and Meghan went above and beyond as well as the maitre-d's and the chef did amazingly. The food from the appetizers to the entrees was delicious and my family still can't stop talking about it! I can't wait to have another party because I will definitely be doing it at the Elan!

We had our wedding this Sunday and all I can say is WOW. Starting with the service Megan, Steve, Maria and the staff were amazing! They helped us with every little details, these guys are hard working professionals that really know what they are doing. We are extremely thankful for the way they made everything flow so easy. The day of our wedding they treated us like royalty, always making sure that us and our guests were totally satisfied and all our guests agreed that the venue and the food were excellent. The chef even went to our bridal suite and then to our bride and groom table during reception to make sure everything was set up nicely and that we were happy with the food. I'll recommend this venue to anyone looking to have the best experience.

Where do I even begin! Meghan, Steve, Maria, and all the staff at The Elan were amazing, and went above and beyond to make sure our wedding day was special and prefect! From the moment we booked and set the date Meghan was super helpful, and great about answering all our questions quickly. During our rehearsal Steve was super helpful in helping us figure our timing for folks coming down the aisle, and how long the ceremony would run. Day of Steve and Maria were amazing!!!!! Right before the ceremony started Maria brought up champagne, wine, water, and some of the food we picked for the cocktail hour for the bridal party to snack on. Maria was so attentive, and when my lipstick started to fade SHE LENT ME HERS since it was a prefect match!!!! She cleaned it off, and made sure she had it available for me if I needed a touch up. During the reception Maria also made sure that we were fed, and always had a drink if we needed it. There was always water at our table, wine for me and cream soda for husband. Oh yeah, they went out and got Virgil's Cream Soda for my husband because he can't drink alcohol. That was the most amazing accommodation. And the food!! Oh my goodness the food!!! We would definitely recommend the empanada bar, and the chicken and waffles for cocktail hour. They were sooo good. For dinner we had a choice of salmon and the short rib. OH MY GOODNESS!!! The short rib was sooooo tender you didn't even need a knife. The mashed potatoes were super smooth, and everything was well seasoned. They even made a special dish for my mother in law who has some health problems, and even that was freakin amazing! The wonderful chef came to check in on us after dinner, and since I hadn't tasted the chicken and waffles he brought me some to taste!!! So amazing! All in all we had an amazing time, and we cannot thank the staff of The Elan for making our day so so special! Everything was prefect, and we couldn't have asked for more. We will definitely recommend The Elan for any function!! - Marilus and Rafael Taveras :-)

Meghan and Steven made my dreams come true! Wedding planning can be stressful, but The Elan made everything so easy from planning to paying to setup and all through the event. Chef Chris amazed my guests with delicious food during every course and the ambiance set the mood for a beautiful night. Thank you for taking care of everything!

We booked the main ballroom, week before the wedding the manager told me it was booked by another party, i got the "crappy" room... talk about ruined experience. They turned AC off on the middle of reception in 85 degree weather. The manager was nowhere to be found all night. the band we had playing was the regular band that is employed by the venue. The band took money from our guests for song requests. the only reason why this place gets 2 stars instead of one - the food is great. this was an Eastern European wedding, with ethnic food. i'm not sure if they do the same thing with American and/or English speaking community. Very disappointing experience. if you are considering, then get everything in writing way prior to booking. that was my biggest mistake.

I celebrated my daughters Sweet Sixteen back in March of this year not only did the staff make my daughters birthday all that she wished for but everyone who attended the event commented on the food choices especially there steak in chimichurri sauce the oohhhss and aaaahhhhs were fenomenal you guys rock

The staff were awesome. They made my day unforgettable. The hall was beautiful, and the food was amazing.

Wish I could give this facility less than 1 star. I considered this place for my wedding reception. The remodeled facilities were good looking and the food was good but the service is absolutely horrible. Even with an appointment, be prepared to wait over an hour to discuss event planning. Ask specific questions about everything; if you don't ask they won't tell and you will end up paying for things you had no idea you were being charged for. Whenreached out to the owner about our horrible experience, he had an employee of a few months reach out to make apologies for their whole staff. Sneaky, inconsiderate, and just a nightmare to deal with

Ari, Lisa and the entire staff at The Elan made our wedding day simply perfect – we couldn’t have asked for a better venue! Our initial attraction to The Elan was the beautiful décor and the fact that they offered a “one event at a time” wedding package. However, we only became more and more impressed throughout the planning process. Every email and every call were quickly returned. Every request was quickly completed. One of the most amazing parts of The Elan (and the part our guests cannot stop talking about) is the food. The quality of the food is like no other venue we’ve ever been to – delicious! The wedding packages they offer at The Elan are a great value; allowing you to simplify the wedding planning process without sacrificing quality. But it is the extraordinarily high level of service you receive from the staff that will make your event here a memorable one!

Elan is a new catering and event in lodi nj the place is beautiful inside I had my bridal shower there and also my dinner rehearsal the food was delicious and the price was right!! very nice staff service!!