We had our wedding at the New York Botanical Gardens in May 2017 and John Garone was our coordinator. It was a perfect day--we had photos in the Rose Garden, our ceremony in an outdoor courtyard next to the Conservatory and our reception in the... Garden Terrace Room. I am one of those annoying micromanaging brides who had painstakingly planned our wedding for a year, staying organized with a dozen different spreadsheets and ordering so much stuff on Etsy that our dining room was full of boxes. I emailed John at least three times a week with probably ten questions in each email. He was so calm and professional and every time we communicated that I immediately felt calmer too, like everything was under his control. I had a vision for my wedding and how all the Etsy stuff would fit together and it was hard passing it on to someone else to do the execution, but I knew I had to let go and John and the staff absolutely blew me away. Their execution was better than anything I could have imagined. And in addition to the little details that I asked John to handle for me, John handled the big stuff, like coordinating vendors, making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time, ordering my bridesmaids during our procession, guiding my dad. And the rest of the team is amazing too. Lauren O'Kelly was tremendously helpful throughout the entire process and both her and John felt as excited about my wedding as I was. Alex Metz, the head of catering, helped us select our food and beverage package for the wedding and both we and all of our guests were amazed at how delicious the food was. Guests were greeted with champagne and lemon water when they entered the gardens, cocktail hour was overflowing with food, and the servers were so attentive to our guests needs, like remembering what drink they had ordered from the bar and fetching them another one before they finished, and remembering dietary restrictions. The captain and co-captain were so communicative with our MC, letting him know exactly when the courses were coming out and tables were being cleared so that he could time everyone's speeches accordingly. My bridal attendant helped me all day--providing me water during pictures, appetizers after the ceremony, carrying my bouquet, bustling my dress, and driving us in a little buggey. The only bad part about my wedding was that it's over now and I don't get to email John all the time. I miss him. I cannot recommend NYBG enough and I don't understand why everyone in New York doesn't get married there. You get amazing service, delicious food, and a breathtakingly beautiful location, and the price is very reasonable considering the service, quality and staff.
we also had our rehearsal dinner at Hudson Garden Grill the night before the wedding and it was like a preview of how amazing the staff was, how delicious the food was, and how organized John was. We had our rehearsal in the ceremony space and John was so helpful with showing our bridesmaids and groomsmen when and how to walk and where to stand. Then we had hor d'hourves and cocktails on the patio, followed by dinner in the restaurant. If you are getting married at NYBG then I strongly recommend that you do your rehearsal dinner there, your guests will have an amazing time!