The Grove

My husband and I just had our sons Bar Mitzvah at The Grove. It was a large event, we had about 200 guests and we used the whole facility for a Saturday night celebration. The entire event was simply extraordinary. We have traveled all over the world, eaten in the finest restaurants, and stayed in the most exclusive hotels; so when I say that the entire experience at the Grove is unparalleled, you can trust that it is true! Starting with the Head of the Grove Michael Subsrsky, to the Operations manager Jason Shukovsky, their entire team truly understands what it means to exceed the customers every expectation. Michael is the nicest, most professional gentleman but more importantly he has employed top talent and they are all meticulous and fabulous in every way. Every one of his employees go above and beyond to ensure the facility is impeccable and the customers are truly happy. The team leaders we had for our event, Raul and Maggie, are THE definition of 5-​star service. Every time we turned our head for something, they were there but it wasn’t just for us. After the party, our guests told us they had never experienced service like that before anywhere. The next day my son was recapping the party and he even noticed the team always working quickly, always ensuring to find the next thing to do to ensure the guests had all they could need or want. Francis, the head waiter was unbelievable– always keeping an eye on his team and our guests, making sure the speed of his people was always fast and that not a single guest was in need of a single thing the entire night. As incredible as the staff was from beginning to end, the food was out of this world. I wish I had pictures to post of the spectacular food presentations. The food was sensational. The cocktail hour was so incredible our guests could not believe there was dinner afterwards in the ball room! We had friends calling us after for a week saying they had never seen or tasted anything like it. The dinner was equally amazing and to be perfectly honest, it still bewilders me how Chef Anthony can orchestrate so many AAA+++ meals at the exact time and they all be just the right temperature, taste out of this world and look like ready for a photo shoot for a food magazine. After the Hors d’oeuvres and dinner, we had the Venetian hour. This is an entire room with numerous dessert stations from waffles and ice cream, to banana foster, to cakes and cookies, chocolate fondue with fresh fruit, crepes and more. Its mind blowing to walk in and see and really you can’t truly appreciate its splendor unless you are lucky enough to attend an event at this facility and experience it for yourself.
Listen, the bottom line is I never wrote a review before. I think I am a very tough critic and frankly, usually not at all easy to satisfy. But I couldn’t not tell everyone about this experience. The Grove is the exception to every rule. SENSATIONAL in every way. If you are choosing between The Grove and any other venue, trust me don’t bother looking anywhere else because today very few companies or venues truly understand what it means to go above and beyond in every way and to truly create raving fans. The Grove nails it!

And for my 100^th review, I will review the venue where I married my wife — that’s right — The Grove in Cedar Grove, NJ!
DISCLAIMER: This is from the perspective of a couple using this venue for their wedding ceremony & reception, rather than the perspective of a guest of an event held here.
Alright so shortly after our engagement we started searching for venues and The Grove was the 1^st that we came across, as a recommendation made by my cousin who was a guest at a previous wedding here. Well needless to say, my wife fell in love with the venue. It was large enough for all of our guests and had a separate room for each festivity (ceremony, cocktail hour & reception) and large bridal and groom’s suites. We also spotted two other rooms (one on the 2^nd floor, the other in the basement level) for smaller events.
A couple of cool features about this venue: a balcony from the groom’s suite that overlooks the cocktail room! We felt like glory waving at our guests while they were indulging! There is also a staircase from the bridal suite that leads to the grand ballroom. That is used for the grand entrance, so be aware of your wife’s dress when walking down the staircase. The ceremony room has a collapsible wall to extend the space of the grand ballroom in case you have a ton of guests (my guess is over 200 guests).
So as of the service during the process leading to the big day — Jason was top notch! He gave us some tips, was able to answer our questions and was gracious enough to meet with us a few times as we got really close to the wedding day. We at first booked a date only about 8 months from the time we signed and after my wife felt uneasy about how soon that date would arrive, we met Jason the next week to reschedule and it was not a problem to him and his staff! Also, he and The Grove were really flexible with us in that we wanted a rehearsal the day before the wedding. It seems as though venues do not do this as they are they hold events each day of the week, but Jason and The Grove were able to squeeze us in! In addition to that, we rehearsed again on the wedding day prior to the event. He was also able to accommodate the us for our photoshoot hours before the ceremony! So we were able to get our families and bridal party in early to get all of the photos so that we wouldn’t spend too much time during our big day! Jason and his staff was also very flexible when we picked out our food. We were able to have our seafood paella and we got coquito! In addition to that, we got all sorts of other stuff for the cocktail hour including a tequila luge. One of these days, I will be a guest at a party at The Grove to experience what that is like… Lol
As of the service during the day of the event, it was perfection. Between our maitre’d Raul and the bridal attendant Amanda — they made sure our night came off without any worries. My wife was well taken cared of and the coordination of Raul’s staff comes off without a hitch. I can thank them enough for the night that they gave us — it was so easy to the point where our bridal party really didn’t have to do anything but have a great time! Raul rehearsed us thru the ceremony and we all got it down very easily because of his guidance. He coordinated with our DJ, photographers and videographers really well to make sure the night was fun for everyone! It was magical.
A couple of other notes regarding The Grove: there is a cottage that they own — great for photos and videos. Also, they have a lot of options for food and festivities. In addition, they are connected to Palermos Bakery, so there’s your cake right there! Also, they have recommendations to several hotels in the area.
Anyway, I will wrap this up with giving thanks to Jason, Raul, Amanda and the rest of the staff for helping us have best day of our lives. Their attention to detail and superior service at The Grove is unmatched because they completely understand the significance of this special day and therefore they take care of it as if it were their special day. Thank you all!

Where do we even start — The Grove truly made our wedding the most memorable & extraordinary experience, more than we could’ve ever imagined. Thank you to Dan, who went above and beyond to make our day PERFECT — it was all we wanted and more, making sure everything we needed and requested was in place. Dan even went as far as helping us with an situation had with our hotel booked, and accommodated our entire bridal party to arrive extra early at the Grove to utilize the BREATHTAKING BRIDAL SUITES to get ready in, which by the way came out absolutely stunning in our pictures. We had never been to a wedding at the Grove, but saw the photos and reviews online and were blown away when we went there to see it for the first time. The ambiance and feeling when you walk through the doors of this venue were one which you can’t describe unless you see it in person, we met with Dan who made us feel right at home, and we left that afternoon booking our wedding date. We never once felt pressured — it was the EASIEST process and we just knew there was no other venue we even wanted to see for our wedding day after seeing The Grove. Raul and his staff were just the most pleasant and hospitable people to work with ensuring the whole night went smooth without a glitch — they were so attentive making sure every detail was perfect and that every single guest had plates filled of food and drinks filled the entire night. We completely felt like it was a dream as the staff worked so cohesively to make sure everything we planned was in place and perfect. The staff knew who both parents of the bride and groom were, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and bridal party — in which the went above and beyond for the entire night. Amanda, our bridal attendant stayed by my side the entire night ensuring we tried every item at our cocktail hour and assisted me with every single thing from morning until the night ended, our drinks were never empty — not even once! She assisted me with my dress, helped reapply make-​up and everything in between — we loved her and don’t know what we would’ve done without her. Thank you Amanda, your the sweetest and most professional girl and I will never forget all you did for me that day and night. The food was spectacular!!! Our guests were raving about everything! The food was out of this world! All of our guests have said it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to and we could not have chosen a better venue to host the most special and important day of our lives. We were able to enjoy every second of our wedding and had the time of life without a worry about anything, literally not a thing. We cannot express how grateful and thankful we are for The Grove for everything they did making your wedding day PERFECT in every way, the most beautiful exquisite place we have ever seen. I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a venue to get married. You will not be disappointed. Sending love to all of those involved in making our special day everything we could’ve dreamed of MARZORATI WEDDING was one for the books & a day we wish we could re-​live over & over again. We are hopeful that we will be able to be guests at a future Grove wedding, it was simply spectacular.

The best in the buisness. Im a wedding planner, and constantly there at least once a month, and they are above the rest with food, custoner service and making you feel like a princess.

Attended a wedding here last night. Beautiful place. Well stocked bar, nice staff, very good food.
The cocktail hour was very nice. Not as many choices as I’ve seen in other venues, but some really fun options (chicken and waffles, mini tomato soups, ceviche… etc) and of course the old standbys like shrimp, raw bar, dim sum…
The Venetian hour for dessert was fabulous. I want to get married again and throw my reception here… lol

Just had my wedding on Friday and I have to say, the grove exceeded my expectations by far! I couldn’t of asked for a more beautiful venue with the best service and most delicious food I’ve ever had. It was the best wedding for all of my guests! Nicole was my bridal attendant and when I tell you, there is no one that can compare. This lovely girl was hairs praying my hair, making sure my dress wasn’t dragging, even cupped her hands under my mouth when I was drinking red wine so I didn’t get a drop on my dress. She did what ever I needed to keep me looking and feeling good. Raul, the matre d, biggest sweetheart ever was right along side of Nicole helping with everything and also making sure all of my guests were tended to. Worth every penny! The food was out of this world. I can just go on and on.
BOOK WITH JASON, HE WILL TAKE GREAT CARE OF YOU!!!

On February 19, 2016 I went to my nieces wedding. The Sicca/​Marzorati wedding. First of all, the place is just amazingly stunning. The set up was incredible and clean is an understatement. From beginning to end, it was the best Wedding I’ve ever been to. The staff was amazing and the «one wedding at a time» is the way to go. There truly isn’t any place like it. I’ve been to many weddings and this one tops them all. The bridal suites are huge, rooms everywhere. The food, wow is all I can say. The cocktail hour was never ending with food. The bartenders, wait staff, just incredible. The personal maitre d just for my niece, she was great. She waited on her hand and foot all day. Bathrooms everywhere, the bridal suite bathroom was just beautiful. Not only does The Grove accommodate the bridal party but the immediate family as well. And we have a huge immediate family. Lol. The room where they actually got married was gorgeous as well. In conclusion, anyone looking elsewhere to have an event, look no further! This is the place.

We recently had our wedding at The Grove. To say the experience, not just of the day, but the planning with Andrew and his team and the day, was EXCEPTONAL is in understatement. Our guests raved about the abundance and variety of food, the aesthetic of the venue, and above all else, the service. Andrew was very accommodating and made certain we had all that we needed throughout the planning process as well as the day of the wedding. As a result of other reviews, I specifically requested Amanda as my bridal attendant. I was not only blessed to have Amanda, but also Rafaela. They were both WONDERFUL! They were right there every step of the way tending to what I needed but also tended to matters I did not realize I needed. We had an amazing day and are so happy/​satisfied with our experience with The Grove team.

This venue is beautiful. You are driving along this road with nothing interesting then all of a sudden this majestic, massive building arises. There is a lot to offer here-​staff is great, décor is elegant, food is pretty good. I would’ve expected a little more-​but maybe it depends on what you order. I was there for a charity gala and it’s very pretty. I could see how they have great parties here.

Congrats to the happy couple AND finding such an awesome venue to host your big day!
The Grove satiated my every high maintenance needs. The food at the reception was the best food in terms of quality and presentation, matches up to 5 star hotels like a wedding I attended at the prestigious Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel.
The staff were all polite and capable, not a bad looking group either!
My favorite part of the whole reception was when the «gates of heaven» (giant screen doors) opened up to another HUGE room FILLED with all the sweets you can possibly want, imagine, and didn’t even know you wanted”. There were stations after stations of waffles, crepes, chocolate (of every type) AND caramel fountains, even Chinese egg tarts!
Bottom line — if you are thinking of hosting your wedding here, I wouldn’t hesitate another second. Everything was perfect and delicious. We really had a great time.

Recently came here for a friend’s wedding. Venue is extravagant and beautiful. My favorite part of the night was when the wall opened up to showcase the dessert bars. It was just over the top. Food was delicious and bar tenders were great. All the staff was extremely friendly.

Let me tell you, going to attend a wedding at the Grove while you’re in the midst of planning your own wedding is a terrible, terrible idea. This is because the Grove is INCREDIBLY beautiful, the service is impeccable, and the overall atmosphere of the wedding could not have been more perfect. Seriously, this place is the bee’s knees.
I attended a wedding here over Columbus Day weekend and was impressed from the moment I walked through the doors. The exterior is actually not all that impressive as you drive past, but when you pull up in front to get your car valeted (fancy from the first moment!) and as soon as you step inside, you’re in a different world.
Incredible artistic chandeliers hang from the ceiling, there are two enormous ballrooms (that can be partitioned off), a grand staircase, and even the bathrooms are incredible! The service was all white gloves and smiles as we were greeted with a glass of champagne before the ceremony, and the ceremony itself was gorgeous.
The ballrooms have specialty lighting BUILT IN to the columns and ceiling, so everything was impeccably lit and displayed. The spotlights, uplighting, and party lighting in the ceiling was seriously one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a special events venue.
The only minor qualms that I had with the space as a guest was that they started setting up for a second wedding before our wedding had concluded (the wedding I attended was from 11 — 4), which was a little confusing as some guests thought that the guest card placards they were setting out for wedding #2 were favors for our wedding. They were also short 8 desserts, which meant that our table got shafted on the sweets, and the server who informed us was quick to harshly blame the caterer which felt a little tacky. Also, the valet took a really long time with our car in particular, bringing out other guests’ cars first, even though they arrived at the valet after us.
I can’t speak as to the cost of this place (preliminary searches seem to indicate that their food & bev minimum is quite high), but given the proximity to NYC it’s probably relatively fairly priced, and if you’re looking for an elegant, upscale, gorgeous venue, you should absolutely give The Grove a gander.

To say The Grove is amazing is an understatement! My husband and I got married on September 5, 2015 and thanks to everyone at The Grove, we had our fairy tale wedding. We worked with Jason Shukovsky, who was absolutely incredible! I am a Russian-​Jew with a large Russian family and my husband is a typical American white boy from Pennsylvania so you can only imagine the cultural clash there! Jason went out of his way to make sure to incorporate traditions from both of our backgrounds and to make sure our wedding was perfect. We met with Jason multiple times and he did everything he could to make sure our wedding was exactly what we wanted. Jason, I will take this moment to let the whole world know that I love you and appreciate you! (LOL)
I am a huge control freak so it was hard at first to let my guard down and trust someone else to run my wedding, but Jason and his team were simply the greatest. We did not have a wedding planner or an assistant or anyone other than my mom and I planning the wedding. Jason and Raul Ruiz, our Matiere D’, were essentially our wedding planners and they ran the show like serious professionals. The day of the wedding my mom and I did nothing other than look pretty. They organized EVERYTHING and left us nothing to worry about. Our DJ’s, officiants, photographers and videographers all listened and followed Raul’s instructions. They literally did not miss a beat and all the guests noticed how great the timing on everything was!
Because we had an interfaith ceremony, our ceremony was also located at The Grove. We had our ceremony outside and believe it or not, we were able to fit about 240 people out there! Raul ran the ceremony like a true boss and if it wasn’t for him no one would have known what to do. He lined us up, told us when to go, told us where to stop and go for pictures, he literally ran the entire show! I love you Raul!!!
The service is also literally to die for!!! My bridal attendant, Amanda, who was with me from 10:00AM until 1:00AM was AMAZING!!! She literally did EVERYTHING for me. From helping put my dress on to coming outside for pictures to hold my flowers, or my train, or fix my dress, she was literally my best friend that day! And Henry, the attendant for my husband and his groomsmen, was not only taking care of the groomsmen but he was taking care of me too!
During the reception, all of our guests were ranting and raving how great the service was and how their drinks were never empty. Now onto the food. .. everyone was literally stunned by how delicious all the food was! Cocktail hour was literally to die for and the selection of food was amazing! Cocktail hour was a huge hit as was the Viennese Dessert Hour. The food was literally amazing and no one left hungry!
Thank you to everyone at The Grove for making our wedding such an amazing experience!

Wow, what an amazing venue! I’ve been to countless weddings in the past years and this place has wow’d me. I’ve been to really upscale places such as 583 Park Avenue and Chelsea Piers — Pier 60. The Grove, while in NJ, and not nearly as upscale, beats both of these places in my books.
The people that work here are phenomenal. From the valet guys, to the coat check/​bathroom attendants to the bar tenders/​servers.
I’ve never been to a wedding where you the servers will make their every effort to go around to everyone to make sure they get a piece of the hor d’oeuvres. The room where they had cocktail hour was huge and very spacious. I was so impressed because I saw the servers go to each table to make sure everyone got a piece to nibble on. While the cocktail hour food wasn’t amazing, it still impressed me.
The ceremony itself could have been a little fancier and nicer so that’s my only negative for the set up. It was simple for what it was.
The reception itself was held in a huge room. There was a huge dance floor. The main course was also really good! This wedding has been one of the best weddings I’ve been to. It is definitely something to consider if you are looking to have a wedding here!

My mother had her wedding here July 26^th 2015. This place is exquisite ! It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before! The service was phenomenal! She had a wedding only one could dream of! I strongly advice anyone that’s looking for a wedding venue to choose this place you won’t be disappointed, not one bit! Everything from start to finish was excellent!

My husband and I had our wedding at The Grove in May, 2015. It was the most magical and perfect day because of every element The Grove provides. It was very important to us to find a place that not only had great photo opportunities outside, and inside. It was also very important to us not only have excellent food (that’s really what guests remember), but to also have the absolute best service and hospitality. Looking at their website will give you a good idea of what the place looks like, but it does not compare to actually going to visit the venue. I got chills when I first went there. Everything is absolutely breathtaking, most beautiful, elegant, modern, and classy place we’ve ever seen. The staff treated us like they were family who genuinely cared about every detail and went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and our day was perfect. Not only did they make sure things were done and done correctly, they also added their own little touch to make it even more special. I asked to have our unity candle displayed on the piano for our guests to see. Not only was this done, but they added a mirror on the bottom to enhance the flame, brilliant! Every time we stepped off the dance floor we were handed a cool, wet cloth for the back of our necks or for my husband’s face, never would have thought to have something like that but it was so nice to have to help cool down. I had a couple issues with my gown and no matter what I needed our Bridal Attendant had it in her pocket. Our Bridal Attendant was Amanda and she was like an angel with all the answers! She was by my side the whole time, held my bouquet and fixed my dress during all the photos, sewed one of the bridesmaids dresses, and simply went out of her way to make sure everything was taken care of, I was happy, and everything was perfect. I felt like she was a sister and could rely on her to do anything for us. Plus, she was an absolute sweetheart! Raul was our Maitre D, he became our best friend for the night. His attention to detail was more than anyone could have ever expected. He knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and made everything seamless. I started to stop telling him how I wanted things because he either already had it done or had it done even better than I wanted it. It was very clear that both of them knew exactly what they were doing and have been handling weddings a long time. Jason was our Wedding Coordinator and pretty much took care of everything behind the scenes and inside the reception. We had an issue with our shuttles and he was the one on the phone with the hotel to fix the problem. ANYTHING that we needed taken care of or addressed, Jason handled and took care of as if it was his own wedding. Also, he was always around, we never had to look for him or try to get his attention, he was always right there and assuring us everything was perfect. All of them made us feel very comfortable, calm, relaxed, and could enjoy our wedding rather than constantly making sure everything was being taken care of. It is very difficult to hand over the day you have been planning for so long, to someone else to take the lead and run the show, but I had all of the trust in the world with The Grove and their staff.
Now the food… our guests are still full! The dinner is exceptional, creative, perfectly cooked, and HOT! It’s the worst when you go to a wedding and your fish is cold or steak is overcooked. Every single guest we have spoken to have said their dinner was perfect and could cut the steak with a butter knife. Along with our cake we had the sample dessert given to every guest. This was awesome! Four mini desserts for each guest, we never saw anything like this at any other wedding venue. The Grove also offered a Viennese pass, all types of desserts from brownie sundays, root beer floats, warm cookies, milk shakes, etc. being passed throughout the entire room. It was amazing! I’ve saved the cocktail hour for last because it is completely on an entire different level. Raw bar with shrimp like you’ve never seen before, sushi of all kinds, mexican station with homemade guacamole, comfort food with sliders, mac n cheese, and mini pot pies, and more and more. Every guest says the same thing, «the food was phenomenal and that cocktail hour was out of this world!!». The service was exceptional, if your drink was low they re-​filled it, you never had to go to the bar. Each table had their own waiter who made sure you were taken care of. Overall, it made us so happy to hear how happy our guests were and how gracious and friendly they were treated. We couldn’t have asked for anything more, received more than what we asked for, and The Grove made our entire wedding stunning, elegant, and classy, with flawless perfection!
Sharon & Danny

I had the pleasure of attending my friend and fellow coworker’s wedding at The Grove. It was my first visit there and I can honestly say that it was one of my top wedding venues that I have been to. The establishment is fairly new, opening only but a couple of years, so everything still has that fresh feel to it. The architecture, the design, and the space utilization is clearly well thought out. One can tell that the owners spared no expense in ensuring that hosts and revelers alike would have one hell of a time for their events here.
Both the ceremony and reception were held at this venue. The room where the ceremony took place had such an intimate and close feel that made the vows even more special. Close family, friends, and coworkers watched as the groom took the beautiful bride’s hand in matrimony. After such a tear-​jerking episode the party moved on to the cocktail hour in the next room. With open bar and the usual cacophony of food for the guests everyone was having such a great time. Finally the dinner portion was held at the grand ballroom where the decorations were so inspiring and the dance floor was so huge that one could have held a Backstreet Boys reunion concert right in the middle of it all and still have space for guests to dance around them! Anyways I’m slightly exaggerating but only slightly. As for the food during the dinner portion I loved every bite. Having already stuffed myself silly during cocktail hour I thought I didn’t have any more room for dinner but nope I still did. The steak was superb and each course came out seamlessly ending with the amazing wedding cake and desserts to round out the night. It was truly an amazing wedding, amazing venue, and amazing couple who I wish the best to. They both have great taste, as evidenced by their choice of wedding venue, and I know they’ll keep making more of those tasteful decisions for years to come!

Hands down one of the best weddings locations I have ever been to. From the moment we stepped in the venue, to the second we left, it was a great experience and will be a night I will always remember when two of my dear friends finally got married. I hope more friends get married here and this will definitely be on my list to check out for when I get married.

The Grove is a beautiful venue for any upscale event; a wedding, bar mitzvah, retirement party. From the minute I walked into the marble lobby entrance, and saw the waiter service at the cocktail hour I knew I was in for a good experience.
I was at a retirement party for a colleague on a Friday night with a few hundred other guests. We were treated to a cocktail hour with a buffet table of fresh fruits, cheeses and also waiters serving up apps. There were a couple of stations to get drinks, wine or cocktails and the service was attentive throughout the event.
At the sit down dinner, our wait staff were quick and pleasant. The food was excellent, including a delicious house champagne vinaigrette dressing on our salad and phenomenal dessert plate of cake, ice cream in a wafer-​like cookie shell and even edible flowers on the plate.
There is a dance floor in the center of the reception hall and lots of space for guests to mingle near the tables.
The valet parking is well run and even though many guests left our party at about the same time we were able to get our cars quickly.
All in all, a class place!

I had my wedding here on 03÷29÷13. It has been a year since then but after going to other peoples weddings, I can truly appreciate this venue!
Pros:
The employees and managers!
High ceilings
Lots of chandeliers
Up lighting included
The food is AMAZING
The drink they hand to guests as they walk in (I thought it was so cute)
Marble floors in lobby
Cons:
L shaped reception hall
Price!
1 small stage included
As you guys can see there are not too many cons and those cons are just my opinions. I needed 2 stages, one for me and one for the band. I had 400 guests so the L shaped hall made it complicated for seating, and the price was negotiated, just the beginning price had me so shocked especially after visiting a few places around the area.
Guests left our wedding complimenting the venue, from the waiters that were kind and attentive to the food that was so above par and the beautiful halls.
If the price discourages you at first, see if you can sacrifice a few things to make it a little lower. Although I needed to take a few things out of the package, my wedding was so perfect!
Thank you to the Grove! I hope everyone will at least go to tour it, you will fall in love