Engagement season is in full swing! Do you ever wish that you could interview one of our past couples to get the inside scoop on being a Frungillo Hospitality couple? Well, fiancé(e)s! We’ve got you covered! 

First up, Weronika and Nick who got married with us this past June at Skylands Manor. Read their proposal story and details on their Best Day Ever below.

How did you get engaged? Tell us your story!

As New Yorkers, we love any opportunities we have to be in any sort of nature, and one of our favorite parks in the city is Prospect Park. My then boyfriend, now husband, Nick, decided it would be the perfect place to propose. He scoped out a gorgeous location - the bridge overlooking the boat house - hired a photography team, and planned a dinner at our favorite Brooklyn steakhouse (Destefano’s) that evening. Well, not everything went as perfectly as he had hoped - he got us lost on the way to the bridge, and I found myself trekking through dirt and trees to get to our proposal spot. It was perfect because it was exactly us! We spent the afternoon at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens in post-engagement bliss and celebrated over champagne and beef carpaccio that evening.

How did you find Frungillo Hospitality Group?

We found Frungillo through The Knot! The photos were breathtaking and we knew we needed to see the venue for ourselves.

How did you know the venue was your venue?

We knew we wanted our venue to reflect what was important to us  - great food, excellent cocktails, and an incredible experience overall - and as such, we were very particular with making our selection. We must have reached out to 70 different venues and were incredibly impressed by the Frungillo offerings. The package Frungillo puts together is unlike any other we saw - they truly are all inclusive and incredibly flexible when it comes to working with their couples to make their dream day come true. 

The drive up to the venue - a winding, tree-lined road through the NJ Botanical Gardens, was so impressive, and the reveal of the manor was an absolute WOW moment. Our decision was solidified the moment we walked through those doors. The grandeur of the exterior is matched by the beauty of the interior - the intricately carved wood, the gorgeous fireplaces - everything, and we mean everything - about the venue is jaw-dropingly gorgeous. 

We would be remiss if we did not mention the grounds - when we saw Magnolia Lane, despite visiting in the middle of November, we absolutely knew that we wanted to have our ceremony there because of how gorgeous it was, even in the winter. 

What are your top 3 favorite moments from your special day?

I wish I could bottle up the feeling of pulling up to the manor the morning of our wedding and getting to frolic throughout it with my bridesmaids and the most important women in my family. Being able to get ready together in a gorgeous room as we sipped on champagne - and having the ability to do so right from the morning - was amazing. We were able to really relax and take our time with getting ready, and Linda, our Maitre’d, was so incredibly attentive the whole time, it made us feel so absolutely special and helped to ease any wedding day jitters we had. 

It’s so hard to narrow down our wedding to just our top three moments, but we absolutely have to talk about our cocktail hour because - wow. For starters, having cocktail hour split across all of the gorgeous rooms that Skylands offers guests an opportunity to flow through so seamlessly and get to really enjoy the venue. There are a ton of seating options available throughout, and the amount of food that is served is impressive. We knew the food was going to taste phenomenal, but we were not prepared for just how large each station was and how many offerings it had and how often the passed hors d’oeuvres came around! The mashed potato station was a MASSIVE hit and the mozzarella station was such a fun addition! Beyond the food being incredibly delicious, the presentation of it all was absolutely gorgeous - beyond anything we could have imagined! We also opted to add the cocktail hour and wine bar station which was expertly placed by Linda on the opposite side of the venue from the bar so that there was no crowding around the bars. Frungillos allowed us to send our own recipe in for our signature cocktail and wow did they deliver! Finally, the venue itself is so absolutely gorgeous that there was very little in terms of decor that we needed to make the cocktail hour spaces feel complete. The decor we did bring was expertly set up, and I still remember gasping when I walked into the great hall to see what Linda had come up with. 

Our after party was also the best way to wrap up our night! We opted for the hot dog cart and booked the afterparty onsite and it was absolutely AWESOME! We had spent the whole night on the dancefloor so the after party was an excellent way for us to be able to wind down and chat with our guests. The hot dogs were also really delicious and the hot dog cart addition was a perfect way to pay homage to our NYC home! We also opted to have our wedding party and our closest family stay the night at the venue in the overnight suites and it was the best decision! We were able to go upstairs after the remaining guests departed and spend some more time together in the rec room until it was time to retire. The rooms were gorgeous and we were refreshed and relaxed (and very excited for the complementary breakfast!) the next morning.

What do your guests still talk about from your wedding day?

Our guests are still gushing about all of the details of our wedding and it’s entirely thanks to Frungillo’s! The first thing they mention is the overall experience, from the red carpet entrance, to the gorgeous grounds, the attentive staff, and the incredible grandeur of the venue! The next thing they mention is always the food. The biggest compliment we got for the day of our wedding is that our guests had never had food that good at a reception. We chose the Skylands Salad as our starter and it was not only absolutely beautiful but incredibly delicious, and our mains were to die for - truly have never had a reception steak as tasty as the one we were served! Finally, everyone was incredibly impressed by the overall flow of the evening - from their arrival and being greeted with welcome drinks, to the gorgeous set up for our ceremony, through cocktail hour, reception, and our after party, the night flowed so well and guests loved being able to explore and take photos throughout.

If a couple was considering getting married with Frungillo Hospitality Group, what would you tell them?

We would tell them to absolutely 100% do it! There is no venue quite like Skylands Manor - from the location, to the quality of food and the absolutely impeccable, high touch hospitality of the staff, it truly is a one in a million experience for you and your guests. Working with Nancy throughout the booking process was such a breeze, and Linda was the most incredible Maitre’d we could have possibly asked for - to this day, our family gushes over how incredible the team at the venue was and how accommodating they were to all of our needs. Leading up to our wedding, I was curious to see if there would be anything I would regret about our wedding day, and I can confidently say that thanks to Linda, Nancy, and the rest of the Frungillo team, we had the absolute PERFECT day - no regrets, nothing we wish had happened differently, and it is truly, truly a testament to the quality of service the Frungillo team provides.  If you want a completely unique, bespoke wedding that will be unlike anything any of your friends and family have ever attended, book with Frungillo Hospitality and you will be absolutely blown away.

Photography by Jonathan Hicks Jr. https://jonathanhicksjr.com/