This Vanderbilt-era estate sets itself apart as a premier Long Island wedding venue
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
One of the first choices you’ll make as a bride-to-be is determining your venue. It’s an incredibly important decision, as your settings will play a major role in the overall vibe of your big day. While you’ll want a location that provides a gorgeous backdrop for your ceremony, your reception, and of course your pictures, you’ll also want to know that your wedding is a priority and a passion for those you’ve entrusted to run the show.
Pine Hollow Club, a BOLI Preferred Vendor, checks all of those crucial boxes. Featuring meticulously-landscaped grounds, seasonal farm-to-table menus, and a staff that’s as heartfelt as they are professional, this historic estate is truly a one-of-a-kind setting for your ideal wedding day.
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
“We get to share this with more people.” – Pine Hollow Club
Pine Hollow Club began its life as the home of an iconic American family. “It was the Vanderbilt’s North Shore estate,” recalled Joe Scalice, Pine Hollow Club’s Director of Operations. “It’s a beautiful historic mansion with elegantly appointed rooms and a staircase that is absolutely stunning.”
Heidi Stanya, Pine Hollow Club’s Director of Member Experience, shared more of the estate’s history. “It transitioned into a golf club, and for a while we only did member events. Two years ago the club was sold privately and now it’s open to events for the public, which is nice because we get to share this with more people.”
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
“We all have a passion for what we do.” – Pine Hollow Club
There’s no denying that Long Island has a veritable plethora of wedding venues. What sets Pine Hollow Club apart from the others? “First of all, the grounds are beautiful so it’s great for pictures,” said Heidi. “Whether you want golf course pictures, shots taken by the pool or racquet courts, pictures in the wooded areas – there are a lot of different places. And of course, the building itself is so beautiful.”
“But I think our staff is what really sets us apart,” she continued. “Everyone takes such time and really wants our brides and their families to have the best day of their lives. I think many brides and grooms feel like they get that extra special service by coming here.”
Joe seconded the sentiment. “We all have a passion for what we do, and even after all of us have been in the business for so long, we just really care about executing a wedding that will be memorable. We want our brides and grooms and their families to know that we’re here as part of their experience, but it’s all about them and what they want. I have to say, there’s a lot of heart and soul here, and I’m happy to be a part of the team for that reason.”
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
“Everything here is top-notch.” – Pine Hollow Club
Delicious food is certainly a vital component to a great wedding, and Pine Hollow Club brides and grooms are treated to nothing but the best. “Our chef is seasonal in his planning of the menu, so it’s very customizable,” Heidi explained.
“He’s very much ‘farm-to-table,’ so he actually grows his own garden,” Joe detailed further. “He also uses local farms, and tries to source as much as possible from the local area and from our garden. Everything here is top-notch, I am very proud of what we do at Pine Hollow Club.”
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
“The spring green market salad with shaved carrots, radish, sorrel, citrus, and a champagne vinaigrette is an all-time favorite,” Joe continued. “When you first recommend this dish guests seem a bit underwhelmed, but then they taste it and get blown away. Sourcing most or all of the ingredients from local farms makes all the difference.”
Other often-requested favorites include Chef Rezart’s butternut squash soup, local striped bass, amazing short rib, and yes, even duck. “Every now and then we’ll get a bride and groom that say ‘We don’t want chicken, we want duck,’” said Joe. “And the duck here is amazing. The skin is crisp, all the fat is rendered, the meat is done rare to medium rare with quince and rainbow Swiss chard.”
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
“We believe in doing all the work upfront.” – Pine Hollow Club
When asked about a memorable wedding experience, Joe highlighted a recent large affair. “It’s hard to pick and choose because they’re each special in their own way. But I’m Italian, and we had a big Italian wedding that was almost 200 people.”
“The father wanted everything to be perfect,” he remembered. “He was so meticulous. And I think we inspired so much confidence with him that he and his wife, along with the bride and groom, just sat back and let us do what we do best. We believe in doing all the work upfront. We have a very detailed timeline and packet that we give to every couple far in advance, and everything they could think of or need to coordinate is all in one little booklet.”
“I saw this father sit back and enjoy the hell out of his daughter’s wedding,” Joe continued. “And that just made me feel so excited about what we do. If you have the talent, if you do the work, you inspire trust and confidence. Then everyone can just enjoy and be in the moment on a day they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
“There’s a lot of opportunity to make this your own.” – Pine Hollow Club
Joe suggests coming into your venue meetings with a vision. “Get a sense of what it is that you want,” he said. “When you first come in, let’s talk in broad strokes of how you want the day to feel and how you want it to lay out. Getting hung up in tiny details in the early planning stages totally skews the decision-making process. Instead, do we have the grounds you want? The menu you want? The vibe you want? Do we inspire confidence and do we genuinely care about our wedding couples?”
He went on to describe Pine Hollow Club’s incredible versatility. “What’s great about our venue is, although many of the rooms have such beautiful ‘Old World’ qualities, much of the ballroom and cocktail spaces can be very creatively redesigned incorporating elegant contemporary elements . I have seen our Ballroom, which is so classically beautiful, transformed into something otherworldly to match the wedding couple’s vision.”
“We just did a wedding where the bride had a vision of ivy coming down from our chandeliers,” he recalled. “She was able to articulate to the florist what she wanted, and it turned out to be so gorgeous and so different, it was really incredible. So there’s a lot of opportunity to make this your own, or enjoy the spaces the way that they are. Having the right venue, team, talent, level of care and passion allows the magic to happen!”
Image courtesy of Pine Hollow Club
