When we got engaged on Thanksgiving Day 2022, we had a very specific vision for our wedding
from the beginning. Originally, we wanted to do a destination wedding on Martha’s Vineya...rd or in Nantucket, however, we had to choose a venue within 2 hours of NYC since our Rabbi, Angelai Buchdahl, is so busy and based in Manhattan.. We began looking at venues, typed in “French Mansion” and almost immediately, The Mansion at Oyster Bay came up. From the moment we turned onto the grounds, we were blown away by the beauty and elegance of the lush surroundings and seeing a peak of the mansion in the distance made a dramatic impression on us. We toured the mansion and saw endless possibilities as to how we could utilize the space for our wedding. We gave the date of June 1st to the mansion and started the process. Our coordinator, Emily Virgil, was amazing from the beginning, taking copious notes, following up on questions we asked her and giving us suggestions while not inserting her opinion so we always felt the decision was ours. As a gay, Jewish couple, we felt extremely comfortable working with the mansion as they treated our wedding just like any other wedding they would be overseeing. Since having a kosher wedding was important to us, we felt very comfortable discussing the menu to ensure it followed the kosher standards but was still delicious and memorable for our guests.
Emily gave us an extensive list of partners that the mansion worked with. We ended up utilizing Dalsimer Spitz & Peck for our flowers, Rob Martin Photography, Around Town Entertainment, M&V Limo for our transportation & Batter Up Bakery. All of our guests stayed at the Four Points Sheraton in Melville so it was a short ride to get them back and forth for our wedding. We attended a tasting and tried the Mansion’s amazing White Balsamic Vinaigrette and made sure that it was at our wedding as well as switching from the Filet to Short Ribs (both of which were so good – and our guests raved about it). Also, we met our maître d’, Mike, who couldn’t be nicer and gave us so much time. On the day of our wedding, we arrived at 1pm so we could start getting ready along with our bridal party. Our makeup artist, Makeup by Sam Ruh did an amazing job on all the girls and made us look tan and feel amazing and Audrey did a phenomenal job on everyone’s hair. From the moment we arrived, there was food and champagne which kept everyone feeling good. Our groom’s attendant Shannon was so attentive to our needs, always by our side with a drink and asking us if there was anything that we needed. We brought pictures of our families and set them up by the couch and on the tables by the stairs, which added a personal touch. Upon entering the mansion, guests were able to grab a glass of champagne and have passed hors d'oeuvres so they weren’t starving while they waited for the ceremony to start. We took our pictures before everyone came all over the property. After our ceremony, Shannon and Mike brought us into the bridal suite and we tried all of the food from the cocktail hour (which we decided not to attend and just focused on each other). The rest of the night was so seamless, Mike and Shannon constantly checked in on us making sure that we had everything that we needed and were so attentive as they guided us through everything. We honestly had the best day of our lives and were so glad that we chose The Mansion at Oyster Bay to make our dreams come true.