Carlyle of Lawrence

My husband and I got married at Temple Israel three weeks ago, and we simply couldn’t be happier with the way everything worked out! From the start, to finish, Andrew was so great to work with! He was always easy to reach, got back to us quickly, and always helped to make things run SO smoothly. His friendly, calm demeanor always made us feel reassured that everything was going work out just perfectly– and it did!
Andrew and his team were organized both leading up to the day, and on the day of our wedding. From the moment my then fiancée and his party and my party and I arrived at the temple, Andrew and his staff did whatever they could to reduce our nervousness and made everyone feel very at ease, by asking what they needed, providing refreshments, food, and other things. Both the bridal and groom suites were clean and neat and were setup so nicely for both our parties. All of the staff at the venue were very friendly, patient and professional to our entire bridal party and family. Our timeline was late, but they remained calm and patient through the entire process! They were so helpful in guiding us through the pre-​wedding steps, making sure we were at the right place at the right time. They also coordinated well with all the vendors! They put together SUCH an amazing party, starting at the moment guests arrived when they were greeted by specialized drinks! (Which Andrew was so flexible with co-​creating with us!)
The venue itself is just breathtaking, and really speaks for itself. The temple is so simple yet elegant, and we love how much history is there. Guests can’t stop talking about how gorgeously set up the cocktail room was. The food overall was AMAZING! ALL our guests raved about both the cocktail hour food, entrees, and desserts. More than one person told us it was the best wedding food they ever ate! The presentation was stunning and very unique. All the employees were so friendly to everyone as well– guests commented on how professional the bar staff, and other employees were through out the night. The ballroom was set up so beautifully and left such a lasting impression on everyone. We loved our sweetheart table, the placement of the bars, and that of the photobooth. Andrew knew exactly where everything would look great.
We specifically want to shout out the bridal attendant, Nancy. From the moment I got out of the car, Nancy was by my side, making me feel at ease and helping me with anything I needed. She was SO incredible and attentive. Guests continue to tell me that they wish they had a bridal attendant as great as she! She knew I had some anxiety, and from start to finish was there by my side with either water, or a fan, or a tissue– whatever it was I needed. She was one part of my wedding I will truly never forget and will be forever grateful to! She even helped dab my husband’s sweat off his face :) She is simply the best. She is efficient, organized, friendly, and just overall SO beyond helpful!!!
Thank you everyone at Carlyle of Lawrence for making our wedding a dream come true!

This review is purely based on 2 things: 1) how gorgeous this place is and 2) how wonderful Andrew and Stephanie are to work with. When our original wedding venue, Water’s Edge in Long Island City, began to go under after the owner’s indictment, we were in the stressful situation of having to find a new venue. They made picking our new place a breeze and we couldn’t be happier. Can’t wait for March 6^th!

We had our wedding at Carlyle of Lawrence on Sep 20^th and could not be happier with not only the beautiful venue but the amazing staff, led by general manager Andrew Affa and the entire professional staff and chefs. First and foremost the venue is absolutely gorgeous with a well-​preserved beautiful sanctuary and modern cocktail hour and reception hall.
We had a 220 person wedding and had a great number of cusomizations to our menu, which the venue and their team executed nearly to perfection (a few minor items i will mention later).
The entire staff at the wedding, directed, organized our guests and bridal party in an efficient manner. Our guests were impressed by the professional and classy bartenders, service staff, valet parkeing, event manager and the bridal attendant (Nancy) was simply phenomenal, helpful, knowledgable, we could not give them more praise.
Now to the food, overall it was a ⁴⁄₅ stars experience on the food. Everything was delicious fresh etc. The only reason it was not perfect was that we ordered kosher meals for approx 10 of our guests and they were served late and very cold. The black caviar that we ordered was a bit too salty, so one would hope they would inspect quality better in the future. Otherwise the main dishes (short rib, french chicken, sea bass) were phenomental and presnted beautifully. Other cocktail hour items inclding sushi was great (and they even ran out towards the end it was so good), Peter Luger steak station is a must and worth the price, the duck station was a hit too. For the Viennesse table, the only wish that portions were bigger not cocktail size.
Overall, we had an unfrogettable wedding and would choose Carlyle of Lawrence time and time again for the stunning venue, amazing stuff and great catering options.

I had an incredible wedding at Carlyle of Lawrence and so I wanted to take the time to write them an awesome review for all of the great work they did for me and my now wife. Here specifically are the Top 3 things about the venue that helped make the event amazing:
1) The space: There aren’t that many places that can comfortably hold 400+ people and this place did it. The cocktail room is very modern and the best of any I’ve seen (loved its fireplaces inside mini waterfalls), the sanctuary where we held our reception is beautiful in a gothic way and the ballroom is perfect and easily held our 420 guests.
2) The food: Foremost/​Ram is now the exclusive caterer for Kosher events there and they are best in class. Everyone was so impressed with the food, their menu is very creative, they have so many options and they executed incredibly well. They are rightfully considered to be the top caterer in their category.
3) The staff/​service: The management is new but they’re very experienced operators and it really showed. Andrew was a pleasure to work with all along the way. The service the day of the wedding was amazing. My uncle works in the hospitality business and he’s always critical of venues since he notices small things that others don’t — he was so impressed with how great the service was. From the bride and groom’s perspective, the bridal attendant and the day-​of coordinators attended to our every need.
We were probably one of the first weddings since Carlyle took over this venue and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how everything turned out.

This place was beautiful. We originally booked with Morrell. Before they filed for ch.11
we lost a lot of money. Suffered heartache and my dreams of a fairy tale wedding vanished. only 2 months before the wedding this amazing caterer stepped in and they exceeded every expectation i ever had. My guests raved about the food days later.
They worked beautifully with my vendors. The manager is great. the chef is awesome the staff doubled in size from Morell.
so happy it all worked out.

Wow! I went to a wedding there recently and I have to say this venue is absolutely gorgeous. Both the cocktail and reception area are clean and modern. The food was great. There wasn’t a great selection at the cocktail hour, but I’m guessing that’s what the bride and groom picked.
The only cons I had were that it is hard for handicapped or elder people to get around (lots of stairs) and at one point I got a glass of wine and it smelled horrific. It was the glass for sure, smelled like a chemical. But I got a new one and no nasty smell after that!