Took a star off since I didn't plan the event with the venue so I can't speak on that part of the experience. The venue is very nicely decorated from the entrance to the actual space for the party. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The food was flavorful. We enjoyed the Caesar salad, the seasoned potatoes, as well as the chicken Francese, salmon, steak, and especially the penne vodka. The dessert was simple but good with cookies, macaroons, and cannolis. They also served coffee which was okay. read more

The Elan Catering and Events - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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The decor, the staff, the food, the packaged pricing all great! Booked one event this past year and hosting another! Thank you each of the team members for making my events truly special for Bright Side and the NJ community! Thank you truly!!! read more

The Elan Catering and Events - Lobby holiday decor - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

Since day one, the staff has been great. My first interaction was with the owner Ari to my surprise. As time went on I met with Erica who was great and very warm. Then I met with Harry and he was there through my entire event making sure everything went well. Ella was always pleasant in the phone. I had 5 vegan dishes, and everyone was saying how good the food was and the presentation for the vegan dishes they were saying how great that was. Thank you to the staff at The Elan. Ari you have a great crew. read more

Went to my niece's sweet 16 here and it was amazing!!! The food and service were top notch. DJ/MC kept us on the floor the whole night, even the waiters were dancing! If you want to have a great time, make sure your next party is at Elan's Catering! read more

I must inform you all about this wonderful catering spot. This hall is nice and large, super airy and bright where you need it. Seriously. The staff is dope. Harry made sure to have all the staff on point. He always came along making sure that all was well. The food was delicious and the space was divine. The dance floor poppoing. read more

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I had my wedding at the Elan this past Halloween and I cannot say enough good things about them. The entire process was stress-free and they were flexible and worked with me on all of my little requests. I love how it's an all-in-one shop. The night-of, the staff did every single little thing that crossed my mind, and so many more, that I didn't even think of - all without my having to ask. I was too busy chatting with guests and would remember something I forgot, only to glance over and see someone had already taken care of it. These guys are pros. I decided to save money and do all the decorations myself, but with no experience in that area, I was concerned that they wouldn't come out very well. The staff helped rearrange things, and set the lighting so that everything looked prefect. If there's something that can make your night more special, the staff will think of it and execute! Every single one of my expectations were exceeded. Everyone I dealt with was amazing, but I want to particularly recognize Erika and Harry, with whom we worked the closest. They were so sweet and professional throughout the entire process. We were originally attracted to this venue because their prices are so reasonable, but the experience we received was priceless. Don't waste your money at a place that will try to take advantage of you, go with the Elan instead. I will certainly be using the Elan for any and all future events I need to host! read more

Working with the Elan was phenomenal. I felt like I knew very early on what my plan was and I was able to stay within my budget. The party was a success and everything was beautiful and as discussed. read more

I recently hosted My daughter's sweet sixteen. From start to finish, everyone was very helpful. The day of the event they were with me the entire time making sure everything went as planned. read more

we had my father's repast and they were so accommodating for the short notice. the food was absolutely delicious. Also, their waiting and host staff was very attentive. read more

I would love to thank Ari the owner of elan Catering for everything. The staff there is incredible. We can't for get abt Harry, Erika and Jordan for dealing with all of my demands and antics leading up to the day. They never seems bothered in which I loved. The food was excellent from the cocktail hour and dinner. My family was impressed with how great it was. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR MAKING HER EVENT THE BEST read more

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This is a great place to host an event. I just had my daughters first birthday here. The staff is attentive and the food is plentiful. No one was hungry. Plenty of options and the venue is happy to work with you. The one stand out for me was David. He made everything ridiculously easy. He helped take care of everything for us and made sure it was an easy process. Loved working with him and this hall overall. read more

I've thrown many events at the Elan and alwsys recommend them to friends. They never disappoint. Thank you Ari and your great staff for another successful event!!! read more

I just had my wedding this past week I suggest anybody that is looking to have there wedding in the New Jersey area PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go here!!! Truly professional, efficient, 100% dedicating to brides and grooms Harry the day of Coordinator is a great man who knows exactly what he's doing he has done so much for us to make sure we was happy through this entire process and extremely generous on our wedding day we truly have a day to remember because of this venue truly worth every dollar spent... a lot of people regret certain things they've done at there wedding.... I can truly say I am not one of those people I will remember this day forever!!!! Raise glad to the Elan wonderful place! read more

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Erika, Melonie, & Harry were always available via email or phone call to answer all of my questions no matter how big or small for the Bridal Shower my friend and I recently hosted. Victoria oversaw the staff day of the event and she was great! I'd most definitely would recommend this venue to any of your party, wedding, or shower needs! read more

We celebrated my granddaughters sweet sixteen at the Elan and it was fabulous!!!! The staff there are very friendly and attentive. Their knowledge about having sweet sixteen affairs was so valuable. I would recommend the Event Hall to anyone who wants have a great time!!! Thanks Guys. read more

I recently attended a wedding here and food: the steak was not good the chicken was bland the fish was good but didn't taste well. The best part of the dish was the carrots honestly. Venue: The decor is not included at all everything is an extra charge with the exception of the linen which could use a good steam and china. I did the event center pieces and sweet heart table. Ceremony room: To find out that the ceremony room only came with chairs. We scrambled last minute to find an arch and runner smh. All they said was you should've hired your own decorator like everyone else does. In the end know that their contracts includes the rental of the hall, chairs, tables and food only! Music: Now the DJ left a lot to desire. He was not personable they rushed the bridal party during the ceremony and during the reception entrance. I think this place is due for an upgrade in service, contracting and food services. I will not recommend nor do another event at this place unless it's revamped. $15k not sure on what?! read more

Three years ago I checked this place out for my wedding venue and loved the idea of the ceremony being in their upstairs room that holds a glass dome, looking out to Rt46. This past weekend, I'm glad I didn't pick this place for my wedding- not because it's an awful place, but it just wasn't what my husband and I needed. The venue is a great space for smaller weddings, sweet 16, baby showers, etc. The main hall is decorated with black flooring and not too high ceilings which made the place look small and well, dark. As mentioned, upstairs had a smaller room that can fit 40 People comfortably, however, if you're hosting anything on a hot summer day, this room may not be an ideal place. My best friend had a small gathering for her 3 month old daughter with just family and a few friends. They rented that small space out upstairs with a buffet set up and four tables of about 8-10 per table. She told me the night before, they requested to have the AC on all night and day, with the same concern that the glass dome would create way too much heat in that confined area- they were right. Having the gathering in the middle of the day didn't help with the sun at its peak. The room got warm really fast with 40 bodies (kids running around included), glass dome of sunlight, a hot buffet line, and a smaller portable AC to help with the heat, which kept powering down once in a while. Think of ants under a magnifying glass, If you will. On to the food- wasn't amazing but it wasn't bad. There were choices of a vegetable dish, pasta, meat, and salads that kept getting refilled once it ran low and guests had about four hours to take as much as they want (judgement free!). The service was ok- they refilled drinks at the table, but really started dwindling down when it got closer to clean up time. We noticed there was a sweet 16 party that was being set up in the main room downstairs, so I'm sure the service started migrating towards the larger crowd. Since the party ended at 6pm... the servers did not hesitate to start cleaning up ASAP once 6pm hit- which is understandable, especially if they planned on having something in that same space for the sweet 16 party. They started cleaning up tables and stacking up chairs while we were all slowly leaving and maneuvered around us who were all saying good bye. As we were walking down, we noticed the AC working VERY well in the main room, so I guess that's why the AC wasn't working for us upstairs. Again, I was never a fan of a venue that would host two parties in the same day because of the chaos that could and will go wrong with rushing the staff to please such large crowds. Though with two events going on, the food came out fine and the service was good. I personally wouldn't host a big wedding here, but would consider this place (as long as it's in the main room) for other events. read more

Professional services rendered. Courteous and friendly staff. Great value. Overall, super experience.

Day of our wedding the Elan went above & beyond! We were very happy with the food, service & ambiance of the venue. I was nervous beforehand because of the amount of party's that were held at the venue the same day, BUT they pulled through and made everything happen flawlessly. I want to thank Harry & Maria for your outstanding efforts, everything was top notch from you & your staff! We had a beautiful wedding & couldn't have asked for more read more

Had my daughter's Sweet 16 at The Elan February 1,st 2020. They made the whole planning experience easy. The food was amazing, the staff was wonderful, and most of all my family and guests had an AMAZING evening! PS. The cake from Palermo's was gorgeous and tasted so good.. read more

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This venue is the absolute worst. If you want to have the wedding of your dreams, DO NOT expect these people to fulfill your needs. Unfortunately, I was one of the brides that had to postpone my wedding twice due to COVID. It was a very stressful 2.5 years, as you can imagine. And The Elan was not comforting throughout this whole ordeal. The Owner Ari Starkman, is THE WORST. He seemed nice at first, saying everything we wanted to hear. Claiming that he will make our experience easy and stress-free. But once the contract was signed, he became a money-hungry a-hole. He was not accommodating us. We were accommodating him most of the time. My husband & I understood that wedding venues had suffered during this pandemic, so we decided to postpone our wedding for Nov 2020, instead of canceling.. But COVID kept getting worse & the laws in NJ were not lifted. I spoke to Ari & brought up all our concerns (about the law requirements not being able to fulfill our contract)... & all Ari said was "I have a good relationship with the town. So you don't have to worry about us shutting down". Whatever that's supposed to mean? But I was not trying to risk it. We were not ok with him bending the law & saying he was "accommodating" us, especially since it was UNLAWFUL!!!!!!! So I emailed him every law order I found, stating that everything he is doing was not permitted by NJ law and rules. & ofc, he did not not write back to those emails. He clearly did not want anything he said in writing. Instead, he would call me. On the phone calls we discussed my concerns about the NJ law conflicting with our contract, and his reaction was not considerate. At this time, he called me hard-headed, selfish and stubborn. He kept cutting me off, yelling at me, using foul language. He was extremely disrespectful. Like I said before, he was acting money-hungry. Money was all he cared about. - so again, we accommodate him and we decided to postpone the wedding once more to November 2021. When we signed the contract in 2019, our event manager was Steven Dekanchuk. Steven was an amazing event manager! He really took off a lot of pressure & did the best he could to accommodate us. Steven was literally the backbone to The Elan. He did everything. Steven understands, considerate, headstrong! & he is 1000000% the reason why we decided to stay with the Elan. & 3 weeks before our wedding, is when we hear from the Elan since November 2020. They failed to inform us that Steven had left the Elan and we have a new event manager, Erika.. Who wanted to change everything last minute because we were no longer "allowed" everything we were already promised. And Started to hit us with unnecessary fees all of a sudden. Which was ridiculous. But the day of, Erika was great & such a team player. Harry was our Maitre D.. We did not get to meet him until the day before when we had our rehearsal. He was......ok. I felt like he didn't really do anything, but piss everyone off. All my vendors said he was very rude and disrespectful & did not let them do their job. He did not work with any of them. He is also very sarcastic and came off too strong. Also very handsy. The Elan is a venue I would never sign a contract with again. The owner is supposed to be that face of The Elan. Ari Starkman has an ugly personality. He has disrespected me, my husband and my mother-in-law. Ari is disrespectful, he's very inconsiderate and he is extremely money-hungry. He talks to you like you are stupid, and takes advantage of you! The services The Elan has to provide are not worth your special day! I definitely DO NOT recommend anyone signing anything with this venue. read more

This is my full blown honest opinion on this venue. The pros of this place is that the food is AMAZING, it's affordable, and the drinks are amazing (shout out to the bartender). Honestly, between the food, and the cost, is what gave this spot 2 stars in my opinion. If I had an option the food and drinks are five stars on their stand alone rating. The location of the place is super convenient. It is off a major route, which makes the commute easy. The place isn't modern - but that's okay with me, as I enjoyed the more intimate older look of the place - they could change the rugs. The bridal / groom suites are pretty standard. The ceremony room is super small - and I was immediately displeased with how the venue attempted to set up the chairs. Some of the chairs were extremely close to the stairs - tacky! Other chairs were literally BEHIND a pole - tacky as hell. WHO does that that? Thank god, my decorator listened to my advice and changed it. Cons: it's unfortunate that I even had to make this list - but granted, I am offering my honest opinion. I had an "Elite Wedding Package" - with champagne upon guest arrival (written in my contract). When I mentioned it to the male coordinator- Harry - he said no I do not, I am aware of what I paid for and yes, I did, in fact have it within my package. (Clearly, they are cheap & don't honor their end of the agreement). I had my entertainment scheduled for 930pm- my reception started at 730pm - by 920, the food still has not come out, so their time management is extremely off - he attempted to get me and my vendor to "change our minds" to 10pm - extremely unprofessional for someone who just stated my contract did not have champagne upon guest arrival - like how dare you even request someone to change their time to accommodate your lack of. . My vendor won't lose money on his next event to accommodate your unprofessionalism and I did not ask him to, so therefore, my vendor and I stood our ground and continued on with the 930pm entertainment, as scheduled, despite the venues lack of time management and our entertainment having to be during the time my guests were eating. Prior to this, when I scheduled, I was given a 230 time frame from Erika to start getting ready, when I did the final meet, they attempted to say 4pm / an hour and a half makes a HUGE impact on hair and makeup. We opted for 330pm - I got to the venue at 3pm. Before that I had to send an email to see when I was able to drop off the decor - according to Harry, I was able to drop it off the week of - when I emailed Erika - she said the day of at 4pm via email (who drops off decor 2hrs before their event), this place is WEIRD. I let my event decorator handle it cause at this point, their lack of communication, empathy, AND understanding was lacking and I was loosing my patience. My decor team did not put out my favors.. why? Cause this venue decided to push back my stuff far into the storage room and the team missed it - again, lack of attention( because when I stacked my decor, I put all my items together to ensure my team doesn't miss it). When confronted, the girl in the front said my decorators needed to take it out. Oh no, really!!!!! I mean if they kept all my decor together (like I had it) - the decorators would have found it. Lastly, before we were leaving for the night, Harry comes to us and says something about the decor, and I tell him my team is on the way to break it down and I'll get it the following day. The look of stupidity on his face was as though I needed to haul out all the decor myself that night - my wedding night. In order to not even go back to this place I paid my coordinator 150 to bring my stuff home (I live 5 minutes down the road) / in addition, stuff was moved and misplaced in the venues part and now I have to go "get it". Incompetent and messy. If you plan to book here, just be mindful and get your own coordinator - do NOT depend on their management team. They will literally drive you crazy. Honestly, I should have listened to my husband and rented another location. My guests enjoyed themselves because of MY DJ - not that DJ that is "provided" by the venue, which I suggest- you don't do. So with that being said. Food 100% - ( the chef ) Drinks 100% ( the bartender) Management / Onsite Coordination 0% read more

Erika was such a delight and well knowledgeable about all aspects of this venue. She patiently gave my Family & I a tour of all 4 rooms. The Ball Room is breathtaking and the decor is elegant. Each room has personalized lighting. If I need a place in the future, I will use their services. read more

I planned to have my wedding there in February but was hospitalized for almost a month. The Elan did not care and did not allow us to change our date and even kept all of our money. Would not recommend. We even have medical records to prove it. So disheartening and lack of empathy. read more

Absolutely phenomenal. Had my bridal shower here and I'm so happy! The staff here is amazing from DAY ONE! Instant responses. Answered all my questions and worked so well with me. The food tasted amazing as well. Cheers to mimosas . Wonderful experience and if I could host events here in the future again, I totally will! Highly recommend l! read more

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We had an event at this venue. Everything was good except once the food came out for the guests the employees were busy taking food before the guests and in front of the hostess children and some guests. That was unacceptable. Had they take out some food before bringing it out at least we would not have seen them helping themselves. I didn't pay the venue for feeding their staff at least it was not in the contract and was not discussed. Worst of all as they take the food the employees told my kids there were enough food for them to take. That is unacceptable to help yourselves to the guests food once it came out. Arent the host and guests supposed to be the first to the food? That I find to be unsanitary. Also, my children and my guests were refused drinks at the bar. We paid for the services from 12:30 to 4:30 but the bar refused to serve drinks at 12:30 and they were very rude. read more

Don't trust their valet. You'd think your car would be safe. They don't even lock the car on a high busy highway anything can happen. Our stuff was stolen right under there supervision. I get "they're not responsible" but not when you leave the car unlocked for just anyone to enter. read more

I assume if you're working with a low-budget this would be a good place. It's nice looking. Linen is clean and so are the bathrooms. There is valet and a couple of ball rooms to choose from inside the venue. The servers were very nice and they did a good job at accommodating all of our requests. The pasta, salad, and rolls were tasty, BUT, The main dish wasn't all that. I actually didn't like it at all. That's the main reason they lost a star... read more

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My husband's 60th birthday party was a great success. Big thanks to the Elan staff, from Erika, to Ari to Harry. I must say Liza was awesome as well!! Thank you all so much!! The food was good and the attentiveness was excellent. read more

We had our wedding reception held here on November 16, 2018, and that it was one of the best decisions we have made. Everything went smoothly, from the day we booked the venue until the day of our wedding. Simone was very friendly, caring and accommodating. She always greeted us with a smile, which made us more and more excited for our big day. Steven was very detail oriented from the food, floor plan, seating, and overall design of our reception. He kept in contact with us and our wedding planner all throughout and followed-up things with us when needed. Maria, our maitre'd and attendant took care of us on the day of our wedding. She immediately remembered each of our preferred or favorite drink, which surprised my husband and I. Chef Chris, you provided us and our guests with such great food. We would also like to thank you for the empanadas and sauce, which we immediately fell in love with. To the entire team of The Elan, thank you so much for everything. You have made our day more special than we could have ever imagined. You have provided us with the perfect team, ambiance, space, food, and more. - Yours truly, Mr&Mrs Francisco read more

The Elan Catering and Events - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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Just attended an event here at The Elan on April 30th for a baby shower for my cousin. The room was very nicely decorated. However the valet parking was ridiculous. Took way to much time ! They need a way better parking situation. The valet guys are also very rude. The manager of the party closely worked with my cousin who was having the shower and he did an excellent job ! I didnt see much staff during the party other then him and the bartender Mike. The bar was nicely set up, and Mike translated for my mother who had trouble ordering drinks in English. He also made several drink recommendations. Steven and Mike did a great job serving us and they really made the shower go smooth and not rushed. Because of this I am definitely recommending this place. However the parking still sucks ! read more

I never leave reviews but I had to for this one . Me & my family even friends had been here on multiple occasions but this past weekend my sister had an event there and the owner is absolute PIG and money hungry . He chased my sister with the DJ and demanded a tip for the DJ! ( which the DJ was the absolute worst ) first of all if I book a DJ I booked with him and paid in full if I want to leave a tip I will . There was another party there that evening which ended after 2 hours because I over heard the mother in the hallway by the office crying and screaming that they are going home because the owner promised much more and was all a lie and demanded more money ! Avoid booked any events with this place !!!!!!!!! I just feel bad for the employees who work so hard that me and my sister tipped them good and handed it to them because who knows if the owner even gives their gratuity. This place deserves 0 stars and needs to find better new owners read more

My spouse and I held our baby shower at The Elan in the Alessandra room. We couldn't have been happier with the venue, brunch food, event assistance and planning. The staff was very communicative, responsive and respectful throughout the whole planning process. The venue was clean, updated and had way more than enough space for our 70 guests. They have so many styles of rooms to choose from according to your event needs. I highly recommend this venue! read more

recommend! delicious food, kid friendly and great music for everybody! extremely nice aswell!

My Wedding this past Sunday at the Elan was the most beautiful day a girl could have ever asked for the Maitre'd staff were wonderful. Steven and Marie really outdid themselves they made that my husband & I & my son & bridal party we well taken care of let alone my guest they have been raving about the two of the & how beautiful the place was. The Elan is the most perfect place to have you're celebrations at, also I will not forget that Rachel & Simone were also very kind & helpful putting together my most beautiful day. Thank you soooo much love The new Mrs Goss read more

Recently had an event at Elan, and I had an amazing experience. A lot of the guests complimented about how great the food was. From a couple's (who held the event) perspective, I really think the whole staff did a wonderful job coordinating everything for the day; things went very smooth. From the moment we walked in for our initial appointment, Meghan was very helpful with providing all the information needed (different event packages offered), showing around different ballrooms inside, and answering all my questions. She was also very fast about responding to my emails. Steven was also very friendly and helpful with going through the menu selections, things to remember for the event, giving advices/tips, when I can come in to drop my decorations, and everything I need to know, etc. I didn't feel stressed at all while preparing for this event because the staffs did a fantastic job coordinating everything. On the day of the event, I can't thank Steven and Maria enough for making the whole day more than perfect. Food was fantastic and all the tables were very nicely set up. Will definitely hold future events here! read more

Owner and staff always have a attitude, they offer you all the bells and whistles just so you can book there "venue" and at the end they dont live up to it. Fake promises on what they are able to do. I will never, EVER consider this establishment again. To whom wants to rent out this place i advise you to record the terms and contract before booking here. read more

I had my wedding at The Elan one week ago and all I can say is WOW! I had the best wedding EVER!! I am beyond grateful for the amazing treatment I received from Meghan throughout the whole wedding planning process. Steve and Maria were so on top of their game that the whole wedding party were amazed at how smoothly everything went and how organized the wedding was! Thank you all so much for making my husband and I wedding day such a memorable experience!! You will be highly recommended to everyone I know ! read more

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Attended a family Christmas party here this past Saturday and had a nice time. Space was big and clean and service was attentive. Food was pretty good, there was a big selection. read more

The Elan exceeded my expectations. Rachel and Steven were helpful in the planning. They were always quick to respond to me emails. I hosted a bridal brunch and the food was delicious. You can't beat the price of food and unlimited bar for $35pp before taxes. I would highly recommend booking them for your next event. read more