The Garrison

We chose to have our wedding here after seeing numerous places in the tri-state area. Each one of them seemed the same, until we saw The Garrison. First, we were blown away by the beautiful grounds. Then it was on to the beautiful reception area with panoramic glass views of the Hudson River. Then when you think it can't get any better, you go on to the beautiful brand new cocktail room with views of the Hudson that would stop even the most jagged New Yorker in his tracks. The best way to describe The Garrison is the place you always wanted to have your wedding reception, but even in your head could you imagine it to be that beautiful. Everything is so perfect you could get away with little to no decorations. The food was abundant, outstanding, and kept our guests raving well after the event. Todd, the banquet sales manager, took care of every last detail. He is the best! We had no worries with him helping us. He made what seems like an overwhelming planning task a breeze. Almost all our guests told us numerous times throughout the night that it was the best wedding they've ever been to. Some of the most hard to please guests were even overheard using the word "perfect". We couldn't have been happier with everything. It was "perfect". And that's coming from two people who read endless reviews before even setting foot into a new restaurant. We ARE those people....and The Garrison did not disappoint. Thank you Todd & The Garrison for a wonderful weekend.

The Garrison was wonderful! This place is stunning and if you haven't seen pictures of this place you need to even though they don't do the place justice. I found them on line and loved the way it looked and as soon as I saw it is person, I was sold! Everyone at my wedding kept telling me how wonderful and beautiful it was. The food was great and the service excellent. They really know what they are doing there and everything ran perfectly.

I'm sure every bride has a gut feeling about what place would most suit her and her guests needs on her wedding day. I have to say--I knew from the start that this venue would work for our families. Even without the renovations, the location was just right. Beyond that, the alterations they made only enhanced the property. I worked with Annie who is beyond amazing. She is responsive and thoughtful and a true pleasure to work with. Our wedding was on one of the hottest days of the summer and the staff was incredibly accommodating. I also worked with Michael for our rehearsal dinner and he made the process easy and fun. I can't say enough about this venue: the staff, the food, the location. It was a truly wonderful experience. Book it!

On the whole, I was very happy with our experience at the Garrison. Here are my detailed thoughts on the venue, which we used for both our ceremony and reception. Planning Process: The planning process went well and I found them to be very responsive to my e-mails and questions in the year prior to the wedding. We had a bit of drama as we were working with another wedding coordinator (Jennifer O'Toole) who abruptly quit 2 weeks before my wedding!!! She had been great up until that point, but Todd had to take over last minute. He did a good job considering that he hadn't been working with us through the whole process. Todd was somewhat rigid and not nearly as warm as Jennifer, but he absolutely knows what he is doing. Setting: The setting is pretty spectacular and especially if you're considering a daytime wedding, it would be even more spectacular. We did our wedding as the sun set and then the reception occurred once it was dark. All of our guests commented on what a beautiful spot it was. It's slightly annoying that the parking lot fills up with golfers, but it's not a big problem. We did our ceremony in their outdoor garden. It was quite nice, but a little crowded. The rain plan was not ideal and I'm really glad it didn't rain! Our biggest problem was that the tent they have for the cocktail hour didn't have heating and so our guests went ahead into the main reception room during cocktail hour. That might be a problem in the summer if it's really hot since there's no AC out there. Numbers and Size: They say they can host 240 people for a seated dinner reception. Absolutely not. We had exactly 200 people and I thought it was too crowded. The dance floor was definitely too small for our group. I think it would be an ideal venue for a group between 150-180. The other problem is a serious lack of waiting and preparation spaces. The bridal suite upstairs is absurdly small and there was no where to do a ketubah signing. We ended up doing it in a hallway, which was not great. There also wasn't really a good area for guests to gather while they were waiting for things to get started. And it would be tough to have kids at a wedding there since there is no where for them to go. Food: The food was excellent. Hands down delicious food. Our guests were thrilled. My advice however, is to be a strong advocate with them on the food. We went to their hors d'ourvers tasting (a big group thing they do in April and August) and were not at all satisfied with the quality. We pushed them, and they ended up creating new (and delicious!) hors d'ourvers for us. Same thing with the dinner menu. We ended up making substitutions and got much better food than the original menu. I also found it weird that they didn't do an entree tasting. However once we requested one, they eventually agreed to it, but only at substantial cost. Oh, and they include a wedding cake in the package. I didn't want their cake, but was able to get the bakery to send an assortment of desserts instead.

The Banquet Manager, Todd Smith, handled the ceremony and reception for my daughters wedding. He and the staff did an awsome job. The food was great, their service and quality was unsurpassed at any wedding either my wife or I have attended. Everyone at our event said that this was the best wedding they had ever attended. The professional and courteous staff was truely responsive to the needs of all our guests. We will recommend them to everyone we know.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Garrison. We worked with Todd and he was such an enormous help in planning the day. He was incredibly responsive and inventive with some of our more trying requests. The day went absolutely perfectly and The Garrison was the beautiful backdrop with delicious food and outstanding service.

From the moment we walked into the Garrison and met Todd we knew we were in the right place. He gave us everything we needed for a wonderfully seamless wedding day, including relaxation! All of the vendors he suggested were absolutely wonderful, and he knew they were b/c he only recommends the best! Todd was there with us every step of the way, thinking of things that we never would have that were the perfect finishing touches. Staying at the Garrison the night before with my bridesmaids and getting our mani/pedi and a lovely massage was the best thing ever, how many venues can offer that?!?! The staff did a wonderful job on all of our hair and makeup, we looked like models! Todd was there bright and early with his staff ready to get everything ready. Although I must say, mostly everything was already done because he had me plan ahead! It was the most stress free day, and it was my wedding day! Throughout the wedding the entire staff was amazing, to the point that I wanted to tip every single person there. All of our guests raved about the food, service and vendors Todd had recommended us. All in all, Todd made it possible for us to have the best day of our lives to be even better than we could have imagined, and now I've got the pictures to prove it. author's note: I am an extremely detail oriented, organized and anal person by nature, and I couldn't say more about Todd and his abilities. It's rare you find someone in a profession that loves they're work, and it shows with Todd!

I had my wedding at The Garrison in June 2010. From the first time I saw the location, I knew that I wanted to have my wedding there. Even though I took some time, and looked at other locations, I always came back to The Garrison. I'm so happy that I did. From the first time I met with our wedding coordinator, Todd Smith, I knew that I made the right decision. Todd was so helpful: from assistance with vendor referrals, to knowing what we needed to do and think about throughout the time leading up to the wedding, and just for being there and helping to calm my nerves, I'm forever grateful. And not just Todd, but all the staff at The Garrison was knowledgable and helpful whenever needed. Overall, my wedding was AMAZING, and I know that the location was a huge reason. A lot of people have told me that this wedding was the best they've ever attended, because of the beautiful location, delicious, fresh food, classy (yet not stuffy) atmosphere, and all the wonderful staff. The Garrison also has a wonderful restaurant that I ate in prior to firmly deciding to have my wedding there. The same detail and effort that they put into their weddings, they put into their restaurant. The food is delicious, the decor is simple yet very elegant, and the service is impecable. The Garrison has four hotel rooms, one of which, if you have your wedding there, is complimentary. The rooms are very clean, comfortable, and all have modern appliances and decorations. I wholy recommend The Garrison! If you're having a wedding, other function, golf weekend with friends, or just a romantic evening, this is the place to go! My husband and I are already planning on going back for a romantic evening for our anniversary (or maybe we won't be able to wait that long, and will go sooner).

Overall, I loved the Garrison, especially our banquet manager Todd, who went out of his way to attend to every detail even when he severed part of his fingers in a lawn mower accident several weeks before our wedding! The view was spectacular and the food was fantastic, including the cake from the Pastry Garden. The few complaints we had were very minor: They don't offer tastings for the entree so you really have to trust them. That's a big leap of faith when you're spending thousands of dollars on the venue. We ate at the Valley Restaurant just in case but the menu is completely different from the catering menu. They did offer one big tasting of the appetizers for all the spring/summer couples a couple of months before the wedding but it was on a Friday night (and we don't live in the area), it was packed and they ran out of some of the items so we didn't get to taste everything. The other minor complaint was the temperature of the room. Since we had our ceremony on-site, they had the doors open for a couple of hours before the reception and it was pretty hot in the beginning. Todd knew to adjust for this with the a/c and the shades though and eventually the temp was more comfortable. The only other complaint was the beauty services. I had my hair and nails done there and they did only an OK job. Esp my hair, the style definitely did not last through the night. Overall, we would highly recommend the Garrison.

When we first decided on the Garrison, we did so because we thought the venue was stunning, the food amazing, and the price quite reasonable. However, the staff at the time we signed the contract was not very impressive. 6 months later the Garrison completely replaced the events staff, and the new staff is AMAZING! Todd was assigned to our wedding and we couldn't have been happier. He is really superb and is the reason our day went so flawlessly. He was committed to making sure everything ran smoothly and it did. The Garrison grows much of their own produce, and the food quality is very high (their on site restaurant is highly rated on Zagat). As a result, the dinner was delicious, the cake (from the Pastry Garden) was amazing (well worth the extra $100) and the servers were all very professional. The only complaint I could have is that as it was super, unseasonably hot (95+ degrees on June 7th), the ACs just weren't up to the task. That said, Todd made all sorts of last minute changes to ensure that our guests were as comfortable as possible (such as allowing them into the reception room while they waited for the outdoor ceremony to start). we used the hotel rooms and bridal suite - the rooms were so pretty and the bridal suite was great for getting ready in. Todd helped arrange a lunch for the wedding party to be set up in the entrance way to the rooms, which was very conveniet. We had brunch there the next day as well, and they were of course accomodating - allowing us to use the very pretty restaurant room for that. I would highly recomment the Garrison for anyone who wants a beautiful venue, great food and a very professional staff. (our wedding was June 2008)

We held our daughter's wedding at The Garrison on a glorious Sunday afternoon. It was spectacular. We have received glowing compliments from all our guests. The food was wonderful, the staff professional and attentive, the wine flowing and the location beyond breathtaking. We wouldn't change a moment. I worked with Jennifer. For months she and I discussed every tiny detail of this day. Jennifer was there for us every minute of the day, even before the day....as we checked into the inn the day before. She made us feel that she genuinely cared about us, that our day was as special to her as it was to us. She promised to help make the day perfect, and she delivered completely. Our daughter is a vegan and had many dietery concerns. We met with the chef, Brandon who took the time to create an entree and cocktail hour food that our daughter, as well as our guests would enjoy. They even had a special pitcher of soy milk for her coffee! The food at The Garrison is a cut well above standard catering hall food. It is prepared by the same talented team that prepares the food for the Valley restaurant. Their committment to fresh, local ingredients is apparent in everything they do. The food was praised from table to table. Our immediate family stayed at the Inn the evening before the wedding. The rooms are tranquil and lovely. Even the bride slept well on the night before her wedding! We enjoyed a beautifully presented breakfast (which is included) on the terrace on the morning of the wedding. We began a hectic day in peace, overlooking the magnicient mountains surrounded by beautiful grounds. I have read the previous posts regarding events at this venue. I can not speak to other situations at prior events. If there were problems here before, trust me.....they have been completely and totally eliminated. I will tell you that anyone who is reluctant to have their wedding at The Garrison based on those reviews, is cheating themselves out of a very special experience. We will be forever grateful to everyone at The Garrison for the memories they created for us. It was perfect!!! Very happy mother of the bride.... ---------------------

The Garrison is an absolutely gorgeous venue with delicious food that truly exceeded the typical wedding fare. We were overall pleased with the service--Amanda was flexible, responsive, and well-organized. The only disappointment was a poorly served vegetarian meal to one of my closest friends...Overall, I highly recommend The Garrison.

The Garrison is located in a beautiful setting. We found our initial meetings with the staff went very well; they were friendly and offered good suggestions. We found that once we signed the paperwork, though, we were assigned to an event coordinator who didn't seem all that bright and who couldn't remember any of our details. When things went wrong on the day of the event, the first response we received was "that wasn't explicit in the contract." Well, we had discussed these things literally the day before the ceremony and no one said that it was a possibility that it wouldn't occur because it wasn't spelled out in the contract. When we wrote a letter detailing the mishaps after our wedding, the General Manager of the Garrison was very gracious and apologetic. So I would encourage another bride to book there with the proviso that she get EVERYTHING in writing ahead of time.

The staff at the Garrison were great!