Weddings Summer 2010 > Planner

RESTAURANTS AND PARTY SPACES

Alger House

Off Sixth Ave., nr. Bleecker St.; 212-627-8838; algerhouse.com

With its Garden Room and sweeping 2,500-square-foot Great Room, this carriage house retains its old-fashioned charm. The house accommodates up to 110 guests and serves an eclectic menu of French, Mediterranean, and fusion specialties ($85 to $125 per guest). There is an additional venue charge.

Ariana's Grand

106 New Dorp Plaza, Staten Island; 718-980-5005; arianascatering.com

Ariana’s catering spaces consist of three rooms: the Ariana (50 to 100 guests), the Alexandra Room (70 to 160 guests), and the Loft (60 to 110 guests). The new Woodbridge, New Jersey, banquet hall, which can accommodate up to 350 people and features a rooftop cocktail area. For a six-hour wedding, prices start at $10,000.

Astra

979 Third Ave., nr. 58th St., fourteenth fl.; 212-644-9394; charliepalmer.com

By day, Astra is a bustling café; by night, an intimate venue featuring chef Charlie Palmer’s famed cuisine. Windows run along the north and east walls with views of Manhattan’s lights and the Queensboro Bridge. Astra can accommodate 140 guests without dancing (120 with), and 300 for cocktails. Events are $75 to $200 per guest.

Bathhouse Studios

540 E. 11th Street, nr. Ave. B; 212-388-1111; bathhousestudios.com

Built in the early 1900s, this building served as a public bathhouse until the mid-sixties. Now it’s a sleek industrial studio with exposed brick and soaring twenty-foot ceilings. A $6,500 price tag gets you Studio A (4,000 square feet, with a state-of-the-art sound system) and Studio B (1,800 square feet, with makeup and wardrobe rooms) for twelve hours.

Branch

226 E. 54th St., nr. Second Ave.; 212-505-7400; Branchny.com

This event space and nightclub has a Brazilian cherry-wood dance floor, a copper-covered maple bar, and multicolored slate floors. Seating options are flexible, comfortably accommodating a party of 125 to 150 guests, with plenty of space for dancing. For a typical evening wedding, prices begin at $125 per person.

Bridgewaters

11 Fulton St., nr. Front St.; 212-608-7400; theglaziergroup.com

Each of the two dramatic, lofty rooms of this popular event space at South Street Seaport seats 75 to 400 people, and can hold up to 2,500 for cocktail parties. Guests will enjoy gorgeous views of the Brooklyn Bridge and New York Harbor from the wraparound terraces. Buffet and seated wedding menus, including alcohol, start at $175 per person. No outside catering except kosher.

Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture

53 Prospect Park W., Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-768-2972; bsec.org

This century-old Brooklyn landmark across from Prospect Park has four event spaces, including a wood-paneled library and the Garden Room, which leads to an outdoor space. The Grand Parlor with Tiffany bay windows can seat up to 100, or you can opt for 85 with a dance floor. $750 an hour, catering not included.

Bryant Park Grill

25 W. 40th St., at Fifth Ave.; 212-840-6500; arkrestaurants.com

Located inside Bryant Park, this restaurant has three outdoor spaces—a second-story roof deck, an adjacent arden, and a seasonal café—that can be used for the ceremony and cocktails. It can hold up to 220 guests indoors for a seated dinner with dancing. From $125 per person.

The Campbell Apartment

Grand Central Terminal, 15 Vanderbilt Ave., nr. 43rd St.; 212-980-9476; hospitalityholdings.com

Couples who book this space, the former office and salon of a twenties business tycoon, will enjoy plush couches, clubby paneling, and a massive stone fireplace, plus gourmet cuisine courtesy of caterer Abigail Kirsch. The swank space comfortably accommodates up to 75 seated guests and 125 for cocktails. From $150 to $500 per person.

Capitale

130 Bowery, at Grand St.; 212-334-5500; capitaleny.com

Designed by Stanford White in 1893, the original Bowery Savings Bank embodies all the grandeur of Romanesque revival with 65-foot ceilings, Corinthian columns, and marble mosaic floors. Capitale can hold 650 guests for dinner or 1,000 for cocktails in the 10,000-square-foot ballroom. Prices upon request.

Cipriani Wall Street

55 Wall St., at William St.; 212-699-4099; cipriani.com

With Ionic columns on the outside and Corinthian ones within, this Greek Revival building is perfect for couples looking to hold a ceremony and reception in a large space (it’s 13,500 square feet). The Grand Ballroom has marble walls and a huge dome. Cipriani takes care of all catering, and couples should reserve well in advance. Prices upon request.

City Hall Restaurant

131 Duane St., nr. Church St.; 212-227-7777; cityhallnewyork.com

Between the Rose and Granite Rooms, City Hall Restaurant can accommodate anywhere from 32 to 220 guests. The Granite Room’s dark-walnut-and-brick bar and granite (of course) ceilings create a vibe of stately elegance (from $3,500); the Rose Room’s warmly colored walls offer a romantic and intimate atmosphere (from $2,000).

From the Summer 2010 New York Wedding Guide