A Review of Central Park West: A Wedding Reception to Remember

When my fiancé and I walked into Central Park West in Toledo, Ohio, for our first appointment, the venue was set up for a wedding. The tables were set with China and decorated with candles, the staff was bustling about arranging the crudite tables, and favors were painstakingly placed at each setting. The mood was decidedly romantic.

Once we met with the event coordinator and toured the facility, we talked price. Unlike the other venues we had toured, Central Park West had packages that included everything we wanted up front, with no additional costs. The packages were clearly explained in detail and in writing. Friday and Sunday packages tend to be less expensive than the Saturday package, which is a 5 hour reception for a minimum of 200 guests.

We chose a Sunday package. The Sunday package is a four-hour wedding reception for a minimum of 150 guests. The wedding reception included full china service, table linens, crudite station, champagne toast for the head table, a bridal tasting dinner for four, a hostess greeting guests at the door, and the use of a bridal suite. In addition to other details, the wedding package also includes a bar with select liquor, beers, soft drinks, juices, and bartenders. Since we chose the Sunday package, we also received a complimentary wedding cake from Wixey Bakery in Toledo, Ohio, which we were able to choose to meet our tastes.

While the wedding packages include the items mentioned above, Central Park West also offers some special add-ons for wedding receptions. The additional items, like a chocolate fountain, chair covers and sashes, floor-length linen table cloths and overlays, charger plates, or champagne toasts for the entire reception, tend to be fairly expensive. The chocolate fountain, for example, is $5.75 per guest, and the fountain is only set up for the last 2 hours of the reception. We opted for the champagne toasts at $20 per bottle per table but skipped the other additional items.

We also chose another option offered by Central Park West. Since we were having a late spring wedding, we wanted to use an outdoor venue. The Toledo Botanical Gardens is just a few miles away from Central Park West, and it offers two different garden locations for a ceremony. If you choose the Toledo Botanical Gardens as your ceremony location like we did, Central Park West will cover the rental fee. The rental fee includes chair set up and removal. However, before choosing the Toledo Botanical Gardens, make sure to be familiar with their special rules and regulations for wedding ceremonies. They have some restrictions about what items can be brought into their venue, such as what types of sound systems are permissible. If the weather is inclement, Central Park West will gladly host your wedding ceremony before the reception begins, which was the case with our ceremony.

Central Park West offers both a sit down dinner menu or a buffet menu. The bridal tasting dinner helped us decide on the buffet menu. We were impressed by how user-friendly the buffet was and how smoothly it was operated by the facility. One thing that disappointed us was that the beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce, which was beautifully prepared and delicious, was priced at an extra $4.00 per guest. Instead, we chose the chicken Dijon and the chef carved glazed ham. In addition to two entrees, the wedding buffet menu also includes a choice of served salads, a starch, a vegetable, fresh baked rolls, and a coffee bar featuring flavored syrups, cinnamon sticks, chocolate shavings, and whipped cream.

One of my favorite things about Central Park West in Toledo was the private bridal suite. When the bride arrives for the day, she is given a key to a comfortably appointed bridal suite for dressing and storing any necessities she might need throughout the day. In my case, my three bridesmaids, five flower girls, mother, and I all used the room to get dressed and ready for the ceremony. I was able to lock the room so that the ladies could store their valuables in it for the night without worrying about security.

I was also impressed by how the hostess took special care of us and our needs in the days leading up to the wedding ceremony and reception and on the special day itself. She even took our photo and had it placed in a frame and wrapped as a gift for us to take home the night of our wedding reception. We never had to worry about a guest complaint or a single detail on the day of the reception - the hostess took care of everything for us.

Our wedding reception at Central Park West was easy to put together because Central Park West thought of everything for us. All we had to do was choose our package, make our selections from the menu, and pick a date. Overall, I was thrilled with our experience.