Glen Cove Mansion: Wedding Bookings Affected by Economy

Long Island is in the thick of wedding season, but also in an economy that has been experiencing fits and starts for several years now and may be sputtering once again.

While 30 percent of business at the is the result of social events, the Mansion’s staff say they are finding some significant shifts in how people book weddings, according to Adam Portnoff, director of catering. 

“The booking window has gotten a lot shorter,” Portnoff said. “Four to five months out, versus one to two years. In this economy, it appears that couples feel if they wait, they can get a better deal. While, from our perspective, there is nothing worse than a dark ballroom on a Saturday night, couples who wait until just a few months out risk not getting the date they would like and sometimes not even anything close to it.”

One of the Mansion’s major competitive advantages, versus other wedding venues, is its size, the extensive grounds and the full range of its facilities, according to staff. 

“We are virtually a destination,” Portnoff said. “We have the hotel rooms, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, and so on. In effect, we are a full-scale resort.”

Nonetheless, even accounting for the benefits of size and scope of the property, the other significant difference resulting from the shaky economy is the size of weddings couples are booking. While the Mansion’s extensive facilities can accommodate weddings of up to 250 people indoors and a “limitless number” outdoors, according to Portnoff, the shaky economy is shrinking the number of guests at the average wedding. 

“More and more couples are limiting the guest list to family and the closest of friends versus business colleagues and other contacts,” he said. 

When booking a wedding at the mansion, couples are offered a full range of options: uniformed parking attendants, white glove service, personal bridal attendant and maitre d’ throughout, personalized menus, champagne displays, gourmet culinary stations, four-course food service, custom-designed wedding cake, and an overnight luxury suite.  

Expenses are based on the extent of services selected and also the day of week and season, according to Portnoff, and ranges from $125 to $150 per person.

The 30 percent versus 70 percent social/business event differential is also a function of the fact that social events largely are limited to weekends.

“Weddings are almost always on a Saturday or Sunday, with the occasional Friday,” Portnoff said.