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The Riverside Church Reviews

The Riverside Church

The Riverside Church

New York, NY
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Reviews

4.5 out of 5 rating
4.5 out of 5 rating
16 Reviews
91% recommend it
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Awards

16
  • E
    Eric Sent on 03/23/2018
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    Riverside Church made our wedding dreams come true. Look no further if you are looking to have the best wedding imaginable. Angela (wedding coordinator) is amazing!!! Thank you Riverside Church.. I couldnt have imagined a more beautiful venue and service
    • The Riverside Church 1
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    Dana Sent on 01/11/2018
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    These are stunning photos and an amazing venue. My favorite place to buy wedding gifts and decor I always go to www.5thavestore.com. Check them out they are amazing!
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    Christina Sent on 10/21/2017
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    We held our wedding ceremony and reception at The Riverside Church and it was truly a dream come true. Ceremony & Reception Highlights: The church speaks for itself and the Nave Chapel was so stunning that we didn't need to add any additional flowers for our ceremony. Our church-appointed pastor was incredibly warm and led a beautiful ceremony that we'll always remember. We held our formal evening reception in Assembly Hall which comfortably accommodated our cocktail hour and sit-down dinner for 175+ guests and looked stunning with uplighting. Working with the church's on-site coordinators Angela and Patrice was easy and straight forward and all of the staff including the building manager Don were wonderfully helpful on our wedding day. We selected Soleil (now Voila) caterers and our guests are still raving about the cocktail hour and entrees. We were so happy with The Riverside Church and now we'll always be able to think back to our wedding at this beautiful and historic location!
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    Helene Sent on 12/23/2014
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    My wedding here (ceremony and reception) was a dream come true. We had a winter wedding and the 9th floor ballroom had the perfect ambiance for it: the fireplace was lit, and with our buffet dinner, DJ, sweetheart table, 125 guests, dance floor and cake the room was cozy but not crowded. Angela, the church's wedding coordinator, really knows her stuff. On the day of, I did not have to worry about a thing. Not one thing. Do not be put off if Angela is a little short in her emails. She is just very busy, but is kind, professional and really, really good at what she does.

    The ceremony was in the Christ Chapel, which was also cozy and intimate. We were a little nervous because we got matched to our minister blindly, but it turned out to be quite a blessing, because we could not have imagined a better minister than Rev. Carlo. She suited our style and beliefs perfectly and was so helpful in creating a ceremony that was perfect for us (we're not very religious). The organist was great, and the church was accommodating in allowing my friend to use their piano to play a musical selection during the ceremony.

    This venue was also perfect for a winter wedding because our guests parked in the garage in the basement (additional fee), came upstairs and checked their coats before the ceremony, then took the elevator up for the cocktail hour and reception, and got their coats at the end. Very, very convenient.

    We were so, so happy with Riverside, and would recommend them in a heartbeat.
  • User1531493 Sent on 02/10/2014
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    we held our ceremony and reception at The Riverside Church and it was spectacular. the venue is breathtaking. we were married in the Nave, had the cocktail hour in the South Hall Foyer, and held the reception in the Assembly Hall.

    the wedding coordinator, Angela Gregory, is very responsive and on point. she made sure everything was organized and on time. she responded to each of my emails within a day (and most often, within hours or minutes). we needed a sign language interpreter and she helped organize that through the church's deaf ministry.

    the in-house caterer Masterpiece Caterers (recently changed its name from Pasha Events) was superb. the food was delicious and the service was excellent. we worked with Leigh Hall-Wilhelm, who is just amazing. she was always available for questions and is really easygoing and very knowledgeable.

    our officiant was Rev. Eugene Palmore. he is a wonderful person and created a lovely and personal ceremony for us. he spent time getting to know us and that really shone through. we received a number of compliments on his ceremony and his speaking voice! he is a trained singer and has a seriously smooth speaking voice.

    overall we had a perfect day. there were zero glitches. everyone was friendly and professional. i recommend the Riverside Church without hesitation.
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    Andrea Sent on 01/09/2013
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    Fantastic beautiful church and wonderful experience planning our wedding. Thank you Angela and Martha!
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    Marguerite Sent on 12/19/2010
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    This is a long overdue raving review of Riverside, where we were married in October.

    Riverside Church is one of the most beautiful spaces in the city. I never thought I would be as lucky to get married in such a magnificent church. Many of our guests, most of them native New Yorkers, commented at how surprised they were that they hadn't known about this place. The location was perfect for us - whether our guests were on the subway, driving, or cabbing it, no one had an issue.

    We were married in the Nave, which is just breathtaking. The sound of the organ and the beautiful ambience of a cathedral was a dream. I felt like a princess walking down that aisle with my father. Our minister, Reverand Dr. Arnold Thomas, gave a beautiful ceremony and welcomed everyone so warmly.

    After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour on the 10th Floor and then a sit-down reception on the 9th Floor. I can't even count how many of my guests thanked me tremendously that they didn't have to travel between the ceremony and reception. That was another key reason we chose this church.

    The space on the 9th and 10th floors is fantastic. You have beautiful tall ceilings, huge windows looking east and west (over the hudson) and our timing in the fall was perfect to catch a sunset and the changing leaves. The rooms are perfect for a wedding.

    The food and drinks at both the cocktail hour and the dinner were exceptional. People are still raving to us how they have never been to such a wedding with such amazing food. I wrote another review for their in-house caterer, Pasha Events, but to summarize - with my husband in the restaurant business and many industry folks in attendance, we had a lot of people to impress, and everyone was thrilled.

    Angela, the wedding coordinator, was amazing. She is so personable, kind, and intelligent. She treated us like our wedding was the most important one, and in fact, when we stopped by a few times just to see the space, or do our tasting, or meet with Rev. Arnold, we always stopped in to say hello to her. She really knows what she is doing, and while incorporating your ideas makes your dream day so stress-free. I didn't have to worry about anything!

    I cannot thank Riverside Church enough and would recommend to anyone to get married there. This was the best day of our lives. We are already trying to think of excuses to do another event there.
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    Lauren Sent on 06/06/2014
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    The Riverside church was beautiful! Our guests were completely in awe. We loved, loved, loved our Reverend Eugene Palmore--he was so responsive, accommodating, warm, and gave us an amazingly beautiful ceremony. Working with Angela, Patricia, and Donny really made everything go so smoothly. Beforehand, I could tell everything would run like clockwork, but I couldn't tell how accommodating and flexible and comfortable the entire experience from rehearsal dinner to wedding night would be! Working with Leigh at Pasha was amazing! She was incredibly responsive and informative and everything great. Having everything in one place from the ceremony to cocktails and reception was the best decision we made for our wedding. The ceremony was gorgeous and breathtaking, the cocktails with a view of the river was classy and perfect, and the reception with its unique design and feel was everything we wanted it to be and more. Everyone at the venue took care of everything and thought of even more than I could have imagined. Absolutely perfect.
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    Athalie Sent on 01/09/2014
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    Riverside Church was an unbelievable venue and experience. The church is breathtaking. Our guest could not stop talking about the grandness and beauty of the church. There are many options for pictures and the spaces are amazing. Our photographer commented that he has done a lot of weddings in his 15 year career and this church was by far one of the most gorgeous he has been in.

    The wedding coordinator Angela Gregory is the most organized and efficient coordinator you could ask for. Her attention to detail and ability to effortlessly coordinate all details was a breath of fresh air and relief. I did not have to think about anything on that day. She was on top of everything making my life and the MOH life a lot easier.

    The reception area and cocktail hour were spectacular. The detailed ceilings, grand piano, beams and candelabras were perfect for our vintage affair. Absolutely stunning.
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    Charlena Sent on 08/31/2012
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    Ms. Gregory gets straight to the point efficiently. Prior to event and during the rehearsal for the ceremony she is available to answer any and all questions. She is a caring individual who takes care of the brides on the day of the event and keeps the whole ceremony on schedule. The summer months are especially tight for weddings, often there is no wiggle room for late starting weddings due unforeseen circumstances. The entire wedding party, must be on point and on schedule.

    We were married in the chapel, by the minister of my choice, (Rev. J. A. Forbes, jr.) and it was a beautiful ceremony. The pictures were lovely as was the ambiance.
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    Shirley Sent on 05/16/2013
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    We had an amazing wedding reception at the Riverside Church! The Assembly Hall space was gorgeous (even when empty!) with its tall, arched ceilings and stained glass windows. It was also large enough to accommodate our 200+ guests, 2 buffet stations, 2 bars, a photo booth, AND a large dance floor! At first, I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to fit everything in without having our guests feeling crammed together. But Angela (church wedding coordinator) and Leigh (in-house caterer) were so helpful in alleviating all my concerns and fears about the space! I must have sent a million emails throughout the planning process, and they were both very patient and quick to respond to all my questions. Very professional as they've been doing weddings for a long time!

    The food from Pasha Events, the in house caterer, was amazing as well! We went with the buffet option and had plenty of options to choose from for our reception. There was more than enough food for all our guests, who absolutely LOVED the chicken & waffles dish! Pasha is also very accommodating if you need vegetarian versions of certain dishes or need kids' meals.

    The Riverside Church is just such a large, beautiful and iconic space in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was the perfect place for our wedding reception! We didn't have our ceremony there (we wanted to get married Columbia campus where I went to school, more of a personal connection) but the Riverside main chapel is absolutely gorgeous! So many of our guests are still telling us how beautiful the church is!
  • User5788635 Sent on 11/17/2014
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    I had my wedding at Riverside Church this fall and it was amazing. The staff is so responsive and want to make sure you have the best day ever.
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    Vanessa Sent on 10/10/2007
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    Wonderful venue, and the coordinator is on top of everything and helpful.
  • User1388078 Sent on 10/19/2013
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    Riverside Church is a beautiful venue. One of the few gems in NYC that really blow you away. Angela was also a pleasure to work with. Really responsive and really knows her stuff. Our officiant was lovely to work with too. My only complaint is that she blew the cue to step up onto the alter before we read our vows so no one heard us exchange them.
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    Lauren Sent on 08/26/2016
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    We used the Assembly Hall as our reception venue (we had our ceremony elsewhere). Our guests loved the space; it is extremely beautiful and one of the least expensive options we found for a venue. Angela Gregory is very responsive to emails but pretty hands-off; if you were hoping for lots of day-of help and coordination that is not really the kind of thing they do. Expect that you will need to enlist the help of some friends for any extra decor/floral decorations that you want. For our evening reception they did not begin setting up the room until 3, so a few of my friends had to arrange flowers and much of the table decor. The in-house caterer Soleil handles the rest. They were very slow to respond to emails and got a few big details wrong on the day of. All in all I feel that we got what we paid for; if you use this vendor and work with Soleil, be sure to be extremely specific and go over details multiple times.
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    Priscilla Sent on 10/14/2008
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    The Riverside Church is a gorgeous venue and I've dreamed of being married here most of my life. My experience however was lack-lustre. It started out well but ended up not so great. Although we are not members of the church were welcomed to have our ceremony here, especially since we opted to take on the hefty charge for using the Nave. The coordinator was at times extremely nice but at others unprofessional and difficult. There was a problem with the post office geting our final payment to them and receiving an email consisting solely of the words "did you send it yet???????" was in my opinion inappropriate. Our officiant was assigned to us which was no problem, but when a date to meet was agreed on by all parties and then canceled without notification (it was later found out my email address which is my name was mispelled and thus an email was sent which I never recieved) I viewed this as unprofessional. At the end of our ceremony the coordinator was soo adamant about and quick to make sure all guests exit asap that our poor grandmother was confused and left without taking pictures with us. I think this was a shame. Lastly when we booked we were told that a discounted rate would be offered if we wanted to reserve parking spaces in the parking deck below the church. When it came down to it the coordinator forgot about this option completely and when I asked about it turns out there was no discount. The discount was only if you also booked a reception room with them. I think that if I had to do it all over again, I would have opted for another venue and would not recommend hosting an event here if service is of a top priority to you.
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