Option Three: Hyatt Regency Jersey City

Hyatt Regency Jersey City from TheKnot.com

Daytime NYC views from the Manhattan Ballroom terrace from Koru's Gallery

Teeny, tiny photo of the Manhattan Ballroom & its glorious views from Project Wedding

I could kick myself. Who goes to a site tour without a camera? Me. The very same me who reminds Brides & Grooms to take photos on site tours. Sigh. I'd hoped to return to snap some photos but my schedule didn't allow. Please bear with me on this one.

The Hyatt Regency Jersey City, perched on the Hudson River overlooking New York City, was our final site tour in nearby Exchange Place of Jersey City (requirement one). I have worked there before & I love everything about it. The big question was whether my fiance would agree with my assessment. I kept my mind open & I tried to see things through his eyes, like I was seeing everything for the first time. It's pretty safe to say we fell for Hyatt Regency Jersey City hook, line & sinker.

To reach the event space, we took an elevator to a top, private floor of the hotel. As we exited the elevator, we entered the Cocktail Hour, a pre-function space with a grand piano & one wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offering river views. Then we moved along to the Manhattan Ballroom. Try to picture this if you can: three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows with picturesque, 180-degree NYC views (requirement two). You can see from the George Washington Bridge to the Statue of Liberty! The skyline glitters & sparkles in the night, creating the perfect backdrop for a wedding reception. Talk about a WOW factor!!

Deja vu from our past site tours: we could easily imagine hosting our wedding reception at Hyatt Regency Jersey City. We did stop gawking at the NYC skyline long enough to sit down with the nice catering manager & discuss other details of our wedding. Once again, we were pleased with the space, service & food. Having worked there before, I could attest that everything is top notch. My fiance's eyes lit up at the mere mention of a sushi station. I spied mac & cheese as an hors d'oeuvres too! Also, we appreciated a price adjustment (yeah, winter wedding!) to better fit our budget (requirement three). Did I mention the NYC views? The views are phenomenal, it's tough to beat those views.

So where will we host our wedding reception??!! Coming soon: our final decision!!