Many couples dream about having the perfect wedding, with a spectacular venue as the backdrop for one of the most important days of their lives. But then reality sets in and—for Jewish couples in particular—finding a place that is unique, within budget and has a kosher caterer is often not the stuff of fairy tales. But Legacy Castle in Pompton Plains is changing that.
Situated on a moat-like, 17-acre lake, Legacy Castle is right out of a storybook. The one-of-a-kind venue offers numerous indoor and outdoor locations for events ranging in size from 50 to 1,200 people. Legacy Castle is the brainchild of entrepreneur Mounir Badaan, who has over 30 years of experience in real estate. Badaan has enlisted the ingenuity and enthusiasm of his children, Amira and Brandon, and a very large staff to provide a family environment for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and parties that are customized for each host and their guests. With three uniquely decorated ballrooms and numerous smorgasbord areas, you could potentially be a guest at this venue for two or three weddings in a single week and they would all be different.
The gorgeous lakeside area and large rooftop terrace overlooking the lake and a magnificent forest are just two potential spaces for an outdoor chuppah. There are four separate, enormous bridal suites and both the bride and groom have attendants assigned to them during the party. Guests will be greeted at the door and directed to the proper party. As a venue that hosts many celebrity events, security is of utmost importance to Badaan and his staff, who are extremely vigilant about making sure that each party is private. But the most important element of every party is the service.
“We strive to provide five-star service for each party, regardless of how many guests attend, and hope that guests will have an incredible experience at each event,” said Badaan.
Rena Kutner, of Lawrence, New York, was thrilled to find a space that could accommodate her daughter’s wedding. “Beyond it being an elegant venue with beautiful spaces for photos, Legacy Castle has one of the largest ballrooms in the tri-state area,” she said. “And you do not need to wait as they turn over the chuppah room to become the ballroom because they have many individual spaces for all the different parts of your simcha.”
Indeed, the event-space options include five different rooms of various sizes, including the Grand Legacy Ballroom, which can accommodate 1,200 guests seated with a very large dance floor. One of the best parts of this extraordinary layout is that the bedekken, chuppah and reception can take place in different areas throughout the venue. There are also four distinct areas that are great spaces for a chosson’s tisch. Kutner says she was also impressed with the “warm and efficient staff.”
Barbara Listhaus of Livingston recently joined the team at Legacy Castle in the role of kosher events coordinator, working on all kosher and glatt kosher events. “In addition to the special discounted weeknight rates that we offer, I’ve been in touch with several vendors for glatt kosher catering, music, photography and flowers, who will have special packages for events at Legacy Castle,” she said. “I am looking forward to helping each bride and groom create the wedding of their dreams, uniquely designed for them. Working with Mounir and his outstanding staff, we hope to create exceptional, creative and memorable weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs.”
BatSheva and Murray Halpern, of Livingston, chose Legacy Castle for their son’s bar mitzvah and were delighted with their decision. “We wanted a unique space that could accommodate a large crowd, and we had a great experience at Legacy Castle,” said Murray. “We enjoyed working with the entire team there and our guests seemed to really enjoy themselves. Baruch Hashem, it was a great day.”
For more information about booking a kosher event at The Legacy Castle, contact Barbara Listhaus at 201-292-4233.
By Rachel Jager
