The Palace at Somerset Park

Had my wedding at The Palace in October 2015, the place is perfect for weddings and couples who are looking for a grand and «wow» effect. The grounds and ballrooms are beautifully maintained and decorated. The food is superb, people are still talking about how amazing the food was during the cocktail hour, reception dinner, and Viennese hour. We had suckling pig, an entire raw bar, polish station with kielbasa and pierogi, they even did candy and caramel apples per my request during desert because it was Halloween. The presentation and service made my night feel like a royal gala. Our Maitre’D Richard ran the entire night without a hitch, I didnt have a rehearsal dinner and they made everyone feel calm and ready to walk down the aisle. Our bridal attendant, Maya, made sure we had everything and anything we needed, from reattaching a button on my dress to making sure my champagne glass was filled at all times. Best night of my life!!!

Décor, staff, and food were all excellent. Guests were served Champagne on arrival to the East entrance and moved into the Grand Lobby for the ceremony. Cocktail hour had an assortment of appetizers, cheese, and hors’ dorevuers that were all excellent. The main courses were all excellent as well. I didn’t here a complaint or negative comment all night from any guest or family member. The East house was decorated and lit well. Servers were attentive and kept glasses full; there was never a need to leave your seat and go to the bar for a drink. The viennese dessert spread was also a nice closer to the evening. The bridal suite was excellent. The staff here did an amazing job and accomodated every single need of our family and bridal and grooms parties. Despite the bride and bridesmainds being over 2 hours late to the venue the staff managed to squeeze in all of the photos and rehearse with all of those involved and the ceremony went off without a hitch.

First off, let me just recognize Joshua and Letonja for the amazing job they did on our wedding day! Everything moved along so smoothly, at such a great pace, that we’ve had people tell us it was the best wedding they’d ever been too! Our coordinator Cristina was awesome in getting us set up with lighting, food, beverages, and all the other nitty gritty details that I would have completely overlooked. Finally, my groom and I actually were able to EAT THE FOOD! YES! They knew at what points to break for us to actually enjoy the party we’d planned. Perfect location, décor, the FOOD WAS AMAZING. (The chef is a member of the Chaîné des Rôtisseurs!) Would definitely book again for any other massive party we plan to have!

I had attended a few weddings here prior to venue hunting for our own. I still remember my very first impression of The Palace when I attended my bridesmaid’s wedding here — it was «wow».
From the moment we started inquiring about The Palace, everyone we dealt with was super friendly and accommodating. This made the already stressful wedding process so much easier to deal with. We visited a few other venues in the Central Jersey location, but we would always come back to The Palace. When we would compare the venues and what they offered, there was never any question of who we should and wanted to book with. Our event planners, Christie and Alex were awesome. From our meetings to follow-​up questions we had or clarification we needed, they always answered us promptly and were so friendly in the process. Our Maitre D and Bridal Attendant, Richard and Jillian respectively, were amazing. From our first meeting, they were true professionals, efficient, and so nice and fun to deal with. This carried out to our big day. Jillian and Richard were always checking up on us and making sure we and everything was okay. They allowed us to just enjoy our day and be in the moment instead of having to worry about the details of the day!
The venue itself is beautiful and grand. They only allow for 2 events to be booked at the same time and the beauty of their set-​up is that you wouldn’t even know it because the 2 events would be happening at opposite ends of the venue and everything from the valet parking, bridal suites, cocktail hour, reception, balconies, etc is separated.
As soon as your guests arrive, they are greeted with 2 of your chosen signature cocktails. Their cocktail hour is usually divided between their large balcony and inside if weather permits. If it’s cold out, they set up heaters also. Aside from the different stations you choose, they also have staff walking around serving hors d’oeuvres. All of their food is delicious! We remember it first hand from the weddings we attended, but we were soon reminded of it during our food tasting, and our family and friends continue to tell us how good the food was!
When the cocktail hour ends, they pull the curtains back and reveal the adjoining main room. During the introductions, we made our grand entrance down the staircase but had the rest of our bridal party enter through the main floor (since we had a few pregnant bridesmaids). The rest of the night was seamless as Richard and Jillian made sure we were aware of when everything was happening (first dance, speeches, dinner, cake-​cutting, etc) and coordinated with our vendors. At the end of night, Richard and Jillian gave us 2 of our entrees «to-​go» just in case we weren’t able to eat during our reception, the top of our wedding cake all wrapped up and making it ready for us to just pop in our freezer, and all of the items we dropped off prior to our wedding to be set-​up (cake topper, guest book, etc). They even packed our car with these items so we wouldn’t forget!
All of our vendors had already done weddings at The Palace and our florist stated that it was the most organized venue that it ever dealt with. The Palace is truly outstanding from it’s gorgeous venue, superb staff, delectable food, and amazing service. We were always impressed with The Palace but nothing tops having our own wedding there. They truly treated us like royalty.

I think the Palace was constructed for weddings and receptions from the ground up. Beautiful exterior with plenty of parking. Entry way features a stunning staircase for brides to descend during their weddings. Great bar area for receptions, huge ballroom for big deal receptions.
Food was excellent, especially their food buffet for receptions. Sit down dinners were also excellent and they also have a dessert buffet too. You can really go over the top here.
This really is as good as it gets.

After visiting The Palace at Somerset in June 2014, my fiancé’s family (at the time) and my family were blown away instantly, as one can see by the pictures this is «THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER every princess dreams of on her big day». We were all so taken back that we were already taking pictures on our phones before we even entered the place! After meeting with Jose (the sales manager) we discussed all the details and pricing, he assured us that this was going to be an unforgettable wedding and he was so right! I am a student doctor and with my intense schedule, Cristina, Jose and David were exceptionally accommodating, we even nicknamed them the «all star team»; just an example: we were allowed to do the food tasting 6 months prior to the wedding (rather than the usual 3 months due to my exam schedule), all meetings with them were in the evening so I would not have to miss any classes and they stayed and thoroughly went through every detail which sometimes even would stretch after their work hours. The food tasting was impeccable, and coming from a very traditional European background, food is everything, and these chefs were immaculate. I still have guests talking about the steak, caviar bar, calamari, fire and ice dessert and the best wedding cake they’ve ever tasted! I personally want to bring the attention to David (Maitre’D) and Jillian (bridal attendant), the two of them truly made this wedding flawless, not a second went by without David and Jillian communicating from opposites ends of the Palace and making sure every event, toast, song, was perfect. Today marks 7 months of our wedding anniversary, and not a day passes without someone complimenting our wedding day and I truly believe its due to the work of these two. My husband and I will forever be eternally grateful for keeping your promise of our PERFECT wedding day.

It feels palatial. Big, ornate but not gaudy space for events. Holds gallons of people.
Breakfast and Lunch is always yummy, set out buffet style each time I’ve been there. They always serve really fresh, buttery and flaky croissants for breakfast. I assume made onsite. It’s certainly tastes that way. Good tea selection.
You know how conferences are, You spend half your time trying to stay awake and the other half talking to people you don’t know; all the while wishing you were home in your pajamas instead. The food is the only saving grace for conferences. The food at the palace is very good.

We got married 09÷19÷15. As a same sex couple, we were worried finding a venue that is open minded for us and our guests. Palace of Somerset, our maitre d Joshua, event planner Alexandra did more than an excellent job helping us put everything together. We were treated just like any other couple getting married there and that was what we really wanted. All our guests absolutely loved and were impressed with food from cocktail to dessert station. Highly recommended!

So I called the palace at somerset yesterday to inquire about having my wedding there. My fathers good friends daughter got married here 2 years ago and raved about the wedding. Well the woman on the phone is the very reason they lost 30+ thousand dollars. I had simply asked if she had any availability to come see the venue the following day. She said no I have an event and 1 appointment that’s it. I then asked okay well what is the availability to come see the venue? She says «I don’t know what you’re trying to say?» I said «huh? You don’t know what you’re availability is as in you’re hours to come see your place?» She then proceeded with raising her voice at me and telling me we have availability everyday… I said okay clearly you’re incompetent at your job of answering the phones and due to your disgusting attitude and condescending tone I have zero interest in ever stepping foot in your venue. Let your boss know you’re the sole reason I won’t even step foot at your establishment and they lost 30k because of you… click and hung up. I was seriously appalled!!! I have never in my life been spoken to like that by a receptionist. As a business owner myself if I had an employee who spoke to potential customers who were looking to possibly spend thousands of dollars with me and not want to come see my venue due to my receptionists disgusting customer service skills… they’d be fired faster then anything.

Had our wedding here July 4^th. INCREDIBLE! Alex, our wedding planner was fantastic and really walked us through everything. Over the entire year, we kept in close contact and she was always available. When the day arrived, Maya our bridal attendant, and David our maître d made the day nothing short of perfect! David was amazing and handled absolutely everything and really made the day worry free! He was like a friend making sure the day went as we had hoped! Maya always went out of her way to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and always had a cold beer available for me after greeting our guests and making the rounds. The attention Maya paid to my wife and I was unbelievable and she was a god send! Our guests are STILL talking about the food, and the Executive Chef Justin worked with us on allergies, and the food was PERFECT! From the cocktail hour to the cake, the food was ridiculous and really impressed our guests! In short, stop looking elsewhere and just book the Palace!!! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

I don’t know where to start with this review. I will attempt to break down every aspect of the Palace at Somerset experience.
Event Planner (Michelle Malave) — You could not ask for a better event planner that actually comes free. Michelle was incredibly down to earth, personable, offered great recommendations, and even steered us away from things that we necessarily did not need. There were no limitations to the types of questions and even the time of the day that I would contact her and get a swift response. In fact, I even requested to have every entrée as my meal for my wedding. Literally, I had 3 different plates (hell its my wedding and I want to have want everyone is having)…No Problem!
Although more comical than anything, I had 3 plates from my meal, and all were fantastic. Michelle made me feel incredibly comfortable that EVERYTHING was taken care of, and IT WAS! Absolutely no worries and feedback we received made it all the better. To hear your guests (multiple guest) say it’s the best wedding they have ever been to is a credit to us of course ;) and the amazing job of Michelle and Team! It also helped that my wife’s name was Michelle too… BONUS!
Maitre D (David Parada) — My man David. So to most of you that don’t know what a Maitre D is I’ll make it simple, he/​she makes sure everything goes perfect the day of. He/​she is the executor. Given that I am a project manager, he was a breath of fresh air! Dave was like my right hand man the day of. It was little things, like him whispering things to me knowing that my wife may freak out, lol. He was perfect and enjoyed the day. It was great to have someone ‘own’ the event and enjoy it at the same time. He was very militant with time and still was flexible when the moment called for; like when my father decided to give an extended speech… lol. Dave was great!
The Palace — Listen to me clearly… THE PALACE IS THE BEST PLACE TO HAVE YOUR WEDDING… PERIOD! Yes, it’s a bit pricey, yes there is minimal (if any) wiggle room… BUT…if you are looking for a place that will take your mind off of worrying about ANYTHING concerning the reception… The Palace is that place.
Scale 1 – 10
Cocktail Hour — 12 (yes, I said 12)
Food — 10
Lighting — 10
Décor — 10
Venetian Hour (Dessert for all who are wondering) — 11!
Staff — 10
The only issue (my wife) had with the Palace was that her table cards (which were actually picture frames) were laying down on the table as oppose to standing up… literally that was the only complaint! For all of you guys, that’s a blessing if that is the ONLY complaint you get the day of.(at least for the reception… haha).

My husband and I just got married here on Memorial Day weekend and I do not have anything negative to say about this venue.
The palace is definitely not a modern looking venue the décor inside is very romantic and has a classic venetian feel to it. The ceilings are very high in the east ballroom and has 3 beautiful chandeliers hanging down. I loved how the dance floor can be customized and the french blue curtains matched perfectly with the ambiance of the room.
We ran into an issue with the carpet but the Palace had a wonderful customer service team and I was very grateful for that. Service was excellent the day of my wedding and the band we hired, that was recommended by the Palace, was spot on.

What a beautiful venue for a wedding. This location has a mansion like feel and the food is pretty good from the catering staff. The wedding attendants can be pretty nasty but they are paid to run the show I suppose. We had one attendant get pretty nasty with our family members while they were waiting. Definitely not a bright moment on a happy day.

The food was very good. Both the scallop appetizer and the nut crusted fish (sorry, I forget the particulars) were terrific. The scallops were cooked perfectly; the fish was not overcooked. It was restaurant quality, which is something that I had not yet experienced at other weddings. I was also impressed that there was a wine pairing with each course of the meal.
This is the first wedding that I have been to that the meal tasted better than the cocktail food. The cocktail food wasn’t bad, but some of it wasn’t my favorite. A lot of fork dishes like pasta and chicken rather than finger food (though there were shrimp, oysters, and clams).
The bartenders were able to keep up with the number of people, I never had to wait more than 30 seconds for a drink. I was impressed with the variety of whiskeys that they had available.
I was not a big fan of the DJ, but I don’t think that he worked for The Palace.
Alex, the wedding planner, is awesome. She’s the best. In fact, all of the staff that I interacted with were friendly and really seemed to know what they were doing.
This place is a wedding factory, which isn’t entirely my style, but if you are going to have your wedding at one of those places, this is an excellent choice.

Just this past weekend I went to my friends wedding here and it was a really great time. The Palace is beautiful inside and out.
The staff is very friendly and helpful.
The cocktail hour might have been one of my favorite parts. They served a very wide range of foods from oysters, shrimp and mussels to a carving station. They had meat and cheeses and also mini Philly cheese steak sliders.
There was also an open bar, but the only drink I had was Glen neat.
The hall for the reception was also very beautiful and spacious. I had the sirloin for my dinner which they served medium rare. Perfect. And my friend who got married purposely sat our table by the bar… so that was good too.
Overall I had a great experience here.

I attended a corporate event at THE PALACE… from the outside I wasn’t crazy about it, but I can only imagine what it’d look like in the Spring or Summer, in February not very impressive, it’s huge that’s for sure and does look like a palace. The inside is beautiful, the service was excellent and the food was very good! But for the love of Pete! Build more ladies’ bathrooms! 2 stalls here, 3 stalls there, for 340 guests of which more than half were women! LOL… not an easy task when everyone goes on break at the same time!

I’ve been here for two wedding receptions at this point, and must say that both times it has been superb.
The valet service may not have been great for other people, but whenever I arrived, it was easy to drop the car off and walk on in the building. When you walk in, there are two waiters/​waitresses on either side with trays of champagne or martinis. The cocktail hour is AMAZING. There is a huge variety of food, depending on what the couple choose, but I have always seen sushi, grilled vegetables, calamari, and some sort of ethnic food. This past wedding I went to also had a carving station and slider station. Then throughout the cocktail hour, there are waiters and waitresses bringing around other options, such as duck potstickers. The bars usually have a specialty drink menu of two drinks available. The last wedding I went to had mango bellinis and sour apple martinis, both of which were phenomenal. I usually have to limit myself with the food because I know there is the full meal portion of the night that will come once you go into the ballroom.
The dinner portion of the night is also delicious, with some sort of appetizer and the main course. The two appetizers I’ve had are a shrimp eggroll-​type thing, and a crabcake. Both were cooked perfectly. The main course I always get is the steak (chateaubriand), which is cooked wonderfully medium rare. My friends have gotten the fish before too, which is almond crusted and has a light flavor too.
The ballroom itself was beautiful with a staircase coming down one corner and a small balcony on the other side.
This is a beautiful place and is paired with amazing food. I would recommend it to anyone who is considering a place for a wedding!

Here for a wedding.
Good: Great food when compared to other banquet halls in NJ — esp cocktail hour. Beautiful appearance. Nice reception area including a line of waiters with drinks greeting you upon arrival.
Average: Drinks were either too strong or too watered down. Acoustics were very echoey. Bathrooms by ground level ballroom were small. Unlike other venues, The Palace does not allow you to take your main course home and would rather let the food go to waste.
Bad: Valet organization was terrible. Long wait to drop off car, inconsistent wait to get car (we had others to got their cars way before us but lined up after us). Cake was blah, definitely not as good as the food.

Was here for a Christmas party. Nice large rooms to hold parties and also had a nice dance floor and bar. The food was pretty good. Gourmet buffet style. Complimentary valet parking.
Here is where things get interesting. If your going to be holding a function here. You should really ask if there will also be a function either above or below your room. If there is, I would strongly advise that you don’t book it here or on that date. Here is why. The rooms are not sound proof. If there is a function like a wedding reception or anything above or below that will have music being played, you will hear everything. It’s a real shame.
While I was outside… I overheard a two valet guys talking. One said to the other… «Is it hard to drive stick?»… The other valet guy says… «Nah… you’ll get use to it. You will be alright with this one. You’ll get use to it». Needless to say, that is not a conversation a guest wants to overhear. Glad I parked my own car even though valet was on the house. I wouldn’t let this stop you from coming here. Just don’t valet your car if you own a nice one.

Came here for a work reception — while not terrible, it was not impressive.
Set in the middle of a row of office buildings, the property looks impressive from a distance. As you get closer however, the lack of detail of the landscaping and the cheaper construction of the building starts to show through. Not awful just needs a little mcmansion’ish.
The reception featured a buffet breakfast, which was pretty standard, i.e. not so great. Worst part was the coffee. ewww sour.
The inside was generally nice but could have used an updating… they still had those old-​style uncomfortable chairs as well.
Meh. I’m sure they do a better job for a wedding, but I wasn’t impressed with this place from what I saw.