Grounds For Sculpture Reviews

I recently had the wedding of my dreams at Grounds For Sculpture, a stunning sculpture garden that provided the perfect backdrop for our special day. From the moment we arrived, I knew that we had made the right choice in selecting this venue. I have been coming here since I have been in High School for class trips so this place has a big spot in my heart.
The outdoor setting was absolutely breathtaking, with beautiful sculptures and lush greenery creating a magical atmosphere. The staff at GFS were incredibly helpful and accommodating, working closely with us to ensure that every detail was just right. They truly went above and beyond to make our day special. We worked with Nicole and many others who were very communicative and extremely helpful during this process.
One of the highlights of our wedding was the food at the Rats Restaurant! Our guests are still raving about the unique flavors and beautiful presentation of the dishes. The service was also impeccable, with the staff ensuring that everyone was comfortable and had everything they needed throughout the evening. We worked closely with Lindsey who helped us with creating the menu and set up!

Hosting our wedding at Grounds for Sculpture and Rats was an absolutely unforgettable experience. Lindsey, our event coordinator, was a dream to work with from start to finish. She went above and beyond, connecting us with amazing vendors, sharing creative ideas that had worked well in other weddings, and expertly guiding us through the tasting process. The entire venue is simply magical, transporting you to a serene and beautiful Shangri-La. When you add in all of the people you love, it becomes a truly special place. We cannot recommend this venue enough, and we are so grateful to the entire team for making our vision come to life, and for serving up such delicious meals that our guests are still talking about. Thank you for making our wedding day absolutely perfect!

Like many of the other reviewers, we chose Grounds for Sculpture because it's a special place for us. Although event planning during the pandemic was challenging, with changing regulations and safety precautions, the grounds staff were flexible and helpful. Their recommendations for vendors were worth their weight in gold, their guidance for the rehearsal ceremony and on the day of the event was much appreciated, and the day turned out perfect.

We originally toured Grounds for Sculpture and Rat's Restaurant in February 2020 pre-pandemic and then quickly put our wedding plans on hold. Once we decided to do a micro-wedding many months later, we reached out to Grounds for Sculpture and Rat's Restaurant who worked together to make our tiny wedding memorable and perfect. We worked primarily with Lauren from Grounds for Sculpture for the ceremony and Kathy from Rat's Restaurant for the reception. Lauren and Kathy were both excellent to work with and responded to my MANY questions via email about all of the small details. They really showed their commitment to creating the wedding of your dreams. On the day of, Lauren & Kathy and their teams of staff and volunteers were friendly, helpful, and made everything go smoothly without any issues. The customer services was phenomenal, the food was delicious, and everything looked better than I imagined it.

Wow, where do I even start with this review. I am so thankful I was able to have my wedding at Rats Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture. When you enter Rats you walk into a fairytale-like location. The venue is absolutely beautiful and unlike any wedding venue I have ever seen. The service at Rats is 10/10, every single person working our wedding was wonderful and our guests couldn’t stop telling us how kind all of the workers were. The food and drinks were delicious. Most importantly, the event coordinator, Kathy, will put your wedding planning stress at complete ease. She is so sweet, puts her heart into her work, is easy to contact, and because of this she made our wedding day perfect. Planning a wedding with Rats is guaranteeing a beautiful event for yourself and I couldn’t recommend them more.

It was very important for us to have our wedding at Grounds for Sculpture because this place was very dear to us. It is where we had our first date and where my husband proposed to me. So it was extremely necessary for us to have our wedding where it all began for us. Rat’s Restaurant staff were absolutely perfect for hosting our reception. Everything kept raving about the food and the all around venue for our wedding as a whole. We wish we can do it all over again. Thank you for allowing us to have our special day in our special place ❤️

We were looking for a unique wedding venue in NJ and Grounds for Sculpture definitely hit the mark. We loved that you have plenty of options to choose where to hold your ceremony, cocktail hour and reception depending on the sculptures you like/venue size that you’re looking for. The greenery of the grounds came out beautifully in our photos.

Prior to the wedding the GFS event coordinator Lauren was in touch with us whenever we had questions and ironed out many details. On the day of the wedding there were tons of staff and volunteers around to direct our guests to the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception (thanks Marcie and Jenna!). They also had golf carts for anyone who wanted a ride. They were flexible with providing us a bridal suite and room for the groomsmen adjacent to the reception area.

So many of our guests complimented both the cocktail hour and reception food and the beautiful cake that we had made on site. Also, awesome food tasting in Rats kitchen! Constellation provides great catering services and Kathy the director of catering helped as our point of contact for planning the wedding and coordinating with GFS. Mike the restaurant manager helped us to custom order some special drink requests we had and Mario the catering coordinator helped pull together loose ends in the week or two leading up to the wedding! Don’t be discouraged if catering is slow with returning emails - the team will pull it all together in the end!

This past September we celebrated my daughter's wedding reception at the exquisite Rat's Restaurant located in the midst of the dreamy, artistic Grounds for Sculpture. Under the expert and personalized guidance of our event coordinator, Kathleen Newman, who is so upbeat and fun to work with, our evening was filled with exceptionally and beautifully prepared cuisine, a well- organized timeline during the evening and engaging and excellent service from the entire staff. We were so appreciative of Kathleen for her assistance and consistent follow up with all of our questions during the planning process. It was a joy to work with her and we would like to thank all of the staff, including the bartenders, servers, chefs and kitchen staff, for facilitating and executing a fabulous wedding reception dream come true!

We are so fortunate to have connected with Chris Carrell the event coordinator for Grounds For Sculpture. He went out of his way to ensure we had thought through all the wedding planning details that would allow for a spectacular event! Our guest could not have been happier with the food selection, which Chris helped us with. The 9 muses, where the ceremony took place was private and with the right amount of reverence for an outdoor ceremony. We had a golf cart available for our guests, but nearly everyone took in the beauty of walking back to the Pavilion for the reception. We are so grateful to the entire team at Rats for their attention to every detail. Without hesitation, we highly recommend this venue for your special occasion.

We had my daughter's Bridal Shower at Rat's Restaurant in April 2016 and things could not have been better!
We got so many complements during and after the event on how wonderful the service and food and setting all were. The service was so exceptional- Nate and his crew were all eager to do whatever was needed and everything ran smoothly. They even helped us bring gifts to our cars and brought cushions to our two older guests (age 88 & 93)! My daughter is still on a high from the wonderful day and so many people said they want to come back and what a wonderful place we selected. There really are not enough words to say how happy we all were with the experience, it exceeded all our hopes: great food and amazing warm and professional service. Nate did an exceptional job in making sure everything was superb. My mother-in-law has memory issues and she surprised us on Monday by remembering how beautiful the day was and how much she enjoyed it! And of course I am so appreciative of Chris the Director of Catering for his consistent patience, good advice and unending help with the planning to make it a day we will all remember with so much happiness.

It was a pleasure working with Chris to plan our small wedding ceremony at the Nine Muses and lunch reception at Rat's Restaurant. Chris was so easy to work with and very organized. Every detail went as planned on our wedding day. The Nine Muses provided a wonderfully scenic venue to hold our ceremony and Rat's provided great food and ambiance for our reception. Most of our guests had never been to the grounds for sculpture before and could not believe such a place even existed. We could not be happier with how our day turned out and owe many thanks to Chris and his team!

My fiancee and I worked with the team from Grounds for Sculpture and Rat's Restaurant for over a year to get our big day just right. Lauren and Chris were very friendly, supportive and knowledgeable. They gave us fantastic feedback and were very patient as they helped us organize our ceremony and reception. On our wedding day, the whole staff was well coordinated, helping our events run seamlessly and making our guests feel comfortable. We highly recommend Grounds for Sculpture as a romantic and elegant venue for a wedding.

We fell in love with GFS when we originally scouted it. How can you not? Having our ceremony at the Nine Muses provided a wonderful experience for us and our guests. From start to finish, working with Chris was an absolute breeze. We can't wait to visit again. This venue is like none other.

We had our reception at Rat's Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture and it was absolutely perfect. They truly took care of us that day, and left us with no worries throughout the process. Any changes we needed to make along the way they were happy to take care of. There were specific linens I requested and they went above and beyond to get them. The room was stunning, the food couldn't have been better, and the service was exceptional. Every single guest was smiling and enjoying themselves the entire night. We had quite a few dietary restraints and they easily accommodated all of them. If you want a very classy, unique, stress-free night, this venue is the perfect option. We felt like royalty!

I worked with Christopher and he was just wonderful! He made sure our event went off without a hitch and put a wonderful person in charge of food for the night so everything could be perfect. He was super responsive with emails and I found that being polite and grateful went a long way because he really went the extra mile for us on the big day. Rat's was the perfect place for our 40 person wedding and we wouldn't have changed a thing! Thanks to all of the staff there for making in an amazing evening.

As a gay couple who waited 17 years to get married we needed to find a venue that was not only beautiful, had wonderful food and service but most of all made us feel comfortable on such a special day! The management and staff did all that and more!
Not only working with them during the planning of the event but then the event itself and the follow up were all stellar! We decided on a 3 hour cocktail reception rather than a formal sit down so that we along with our guests could mingle and chat more easily!
The Cocktail Hour is usually everyone's favorite part of the event so having it go on for 3 hours with different stages of food being presented was exciting and just the thing for our food savvy guests! All of that in that beautiful setting made for a day we and our guests will ever forget! The guests loved the fact that they also were able to visit the Sculpture Garden afterward which is a benefit of having your wedding there! FIVE STARS all the way around!!!!!

The room was perfect!!!!! Different, Unique, SPACIOUS, AMAZING!!!! I am still getting phone calls from people asking about information to book an event there...

Chris at Rats will work with you from start to finish to make sure your event is one of a kind, unique experience for you and all of your guests. Very unique french restaurant with incredible food and the ambiance of the grounds and room are lovely and beautiful. Your guests will be delighted they were invited to your event!
It may be pricey but it is well worth every penny!!

We held our wedding reception at Grounds for Sculpture and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!! Roxanne and Lauren were extremely helpful in guiding us through the whole planning process. They also helped us choose the most wonderful vendors (caterer, florist, DJ, etc.) that made the night a huge success! STUNNING and UNIQUE venue, great service - we wouldn't have changed a thing!!

Wonderful setting for an outdoor wedding(9 muses). The indoor reception wan equally wonderful. Roxanne was terrific to work with.

The Grounds for Sculpture is such a beautiful site to visit, let alone have your wedding. I am so grateful to have been able to have mine there, and Lauren McCalley and Roxanne Klett were so helpful in making it the most incredible day of my life. Our guests were blown away--it was surreal. The Nine Muses is such a breathtaking space for the ceremony. The Grounds are available to the guests all day and many of ours took advantage. They were so in awe of the beauty of the art--both botanical and man-made. Lauren and Roxanne were on point the day of the wedding, working with all of the vendors to make sure all details were accounted for. I am so appreciative to Lauren especially for fielding all of my questions leading up to the day. She never left me waiting for a response and was very patient and informative. Roxanne was so great, too, especially the day of. She made sure we had everything we needed. I absolutely recommend the Grounds for Sculpture as a venue for your wedding, and as somewhere you simply must see in your lifetime. It is such a special place.

We had our wedding at the Grounds for Sculpture on June 29, 2013. It was perfect! The weather was also perfect which allowed for our ceremony to take place at the Nine Muses and it was magical! The reception was inside the Johnson center and was amazing!

When the bride and groom announced their intention to marry, we called only two places. The priest and the Grounds for Sculpture. Sometimes a person's dreams become reality and that is precisely what happened for us. Christopher, the event manager of Rat's Restaurant on the Grounds for Sculpture, is the most precious person. His organization, attention to detail and kind professionalism created the foundation for the best wedding reception we could have imagined. The venue is breathtaking and truly enchanting. The food, everything from appetizers to dinner to dessert, is worthy of a dignitary. The beverages and service rate the highest possible stars. We continue to hear from our guests that they have never experienced such a feast for all the senses. The bride and groom say it was nearly an out of body experience and one they will never forget. What more can be said about perfection. Very highly recommended in every way.

After visiting the Grounds for Sculpture and Rat's Restaurant, we were beyond impressed with the 40 acre sculpture garden. And after meeting Christopher Carrell, the private events manager at GFS and Rat's Restaurant, we were absolutely convinced that this is the perfect place to have our wedding. From the ceremony venue to the reception venue to the catering, GFS was able to take care of everything for us. They had even given us a list of recommended vendors that they had previously worked with that helped in our search. The quality of service was impeccable and we could not have asked for more or couldn't be happier about the way the day turned out. It was perfect.

We also learned the day after from our guests that the entire staff was on top of everything and so accommodating - it was great to know that it wasn't just the bride and groom that were being given top notch service.

Grounds for Sculpture is one of the most amazing locations for a wedding and reception. We had our ceremony at the Nine Muses and it was absolutely stunning. Our reception was at the Seward Johnson Center of the Arts. The great thing about the reception space is that it is a blank canvas. If you want a modern wedding or an vintage wedding feel, it can be done.

I also want to note how helpful the team at GFS was. Roxanne and Lauren helped us throughout the process to make sure everything was setup for our day. Roxanne and Michelle were there the day of and helped things go very smoothly. There were multiple occasions where the team personally found me and asked me if I needed anything (for example, they got me a drink instead of having to wait in the short line!).

I would definitely recommend this venue to any couples looking for a unique space that you can truly make your own.

This place is a diamond in the rough! My husband, then fiancé and I had been reccomended Grounds for Sculpture and Rat's Restaurant by a friend. At first, I visited the website to look at the menu and so forth. My interest wasn't peaked and one day, while coming back from Philly, we decided to stop and check it out, well, the place was just magical. I've been to Europe and visited their parks, restaurants etc and I totally felt like I was back there once again. Within 15 minutes of being there, I said to my fiancé that this place would be amazing to be married at. Later after visiting the park, we ate at Rat's and from then on, we were sold and completly bowled over. The beauty of the park, quality of the food and staff, especially the event coordinator Chris, were amazing. Four months later, my family is still talking about how it was the best wedding they had ever been to. Now, my husband and I go there once a month for dinner and are always amazed at the quality of the place's services.

I cannot imagine a more beautiful ceremony or reception than the one we had at Grounds for Sculpture. It is so unique and simply breathtaking. Roxanne made the planning process pain free and simple, and was there to accommodate everything we wanted and needed. Lauren, her assistant,was also amazing at making sure that every single detail of our wedding was perfect. I'm so happy we chose this venue, and will gladly recommend it to anyone!

Grounds for Sculpture is an amazing venue. Beautiful ceremony location and great room for reception. Roxanne was such a big help! Highly recommend.

I cannot be happier that I decided to have my wedding at Grounds For Sculpture. It is like no other wedding venue. Many of our guests had never been to GFS and were in awe that a place like this even existed. It is absolutely beautiful...the ceremony space, the sculptures and landscape, our pictures...you really can't find a place like this anywhere else. Roxanne is amazing to work with- she is responsive, flexible, and perfect at organizing and easing your worries (i.e. of rain). It was really the perfect nontraditional space for us.

Fantastic! This place is incredible! It is the most beautiful and unique place to get married. I don’t now what else to say. My pictures are off the hook. Roxanne is a dream to work with. People haven’t stopped talking about it since my wedding.
It is just perfect in everyway!

The Grounds for Sculpture is such a beautiful and unique venue, and more importantly, Lauren McCalley, their event coordinator is an absolute joy to work with. We spent two years planning our wedding there down to the detail, and she always made herself available for meetings, often on very short notice, and ensured there was a team in place to make sure the event ran smoothly. We loved working with her, and having our wedding there so much, I absolutely recommend this venue to future brides on the lookout!

Our wedding ceremony and reception at Grounds for Sculpture was truly phenomenal. Our guests are still talking about how amazing it was. Between the beautiful ceremony site, cool reception area, great food, amazing staff, and all our other amazing vendors, we truly had a perfect wedding. I got a lot of comments from guests like "best wedding ever" "best food ever" et cetera. The Nine Muses was truly a magical spot to exchange vows and we got so many amazing pictures. The reception at the Seward Johnson Center was so unique and fun, I wish I could do it all over again!

We had to plan our wedding from the opposite end of the country. To find a location, we called up a family photographer and asked where he thought the most beautiful place would be. Well, he called all of his wedding photographer buddies, and got an overwhelming vote for Grounds for Sculpture. We flew out a few months in advance to check the place out, and immediately fell in love. The Nine Muses sculpture (where the outdoor ceremonies are usually held) is gorgeous. It has a sort of elegance that adds to the wedding, without being over the top and taking center stage. Plus, the plentiful peacocks wandering around really added to the wow-factor for our guests- we've been sent as many pictures of them as of the wedding itself!

The grounds staff was very friendly and always willing to answer our questions. They worked within our budget, although we did end up having to opt out of the alcohol package. They were very flexible with times/dates, and allowed us a lengthy rehearsal on-site, since we reserved everything early. Once the day finally came, we were highly impressed with their helpfulness in securing private changing rooms, checking in on the other venders, and making sure everyone was at ease. After our ceremony was over, they even called over a trolley and were willing to drive us to some nice photo-shoot locations on the grounds!

When my fiance and I began searching for a wedding venue, we knew right away that we wanted something unusual. When I found Grounds for Sculpture, I knew it was absolutely perfect for us. We held the ceremony at "The Nine Muses", one of the most well-known sculptures in the park, and our reception was held in the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts, which has 2 large event rooms. When we booked, the second room was still being built. However, by the time our wedding date came around, the second room was open & they had begun construction along one end of the room we originally booked. Rather than saying "Oh well" and leaving us in the smaller room, they upgraded us to the larger (MUCH nicer) room for free! It was a great surprise. For what we paid, we got: ceremony area, the larger room for reception, the smaller room for cocktail hour, & a side room to get ready in. If guests want to explore the park beforehand, their admission is comped. No charge for parking. Large room comes with lighting. Golf cart to transport elderly guests. A great venue for pictures!

Roxanne, the facility's event rental manager, was extremely friendly and easy to work with. At times, she was not the best at responding to email, but I found that her assistant, Lauren, was much more reliable, and at the end, I began communicating almost solely with her. However, Roxanne was a valuable source of advice for what's worked for brides in the past.

A word of caution: If you're on a strict budget, Grounds for Sculpture may not be the place for you. The rental fee for the ceremony area & reception room is well into the thousands of dollars. Also, they give you a list of pre-approved caterers to choose from, so your options to cut costs in that area is limited.

GFS was a beautiful setting for a fantastic day, and we're so glad we picked it as our venue.

Grounds for Sculpture is an absolutely amazing location for a wedding. I am so happy to we were married here. To future brides & grooms, just be aware of how quickly the costs add up here. Roxanne and Lauren, the events staff at Grounds, are both very sweet and easy to work with.

We held our reception at Rat's Restaurant at the Grounds for Sculpture and were very happy with the menu/food quality. We were invited to attend a free tasting in the Spring and the restaurant itself was very nice as well. The price was a bit high for a small reception, but the food was worth it. My only concern was with the staff turnover- In the span of a few months I had to coordinate with 3 different staff due to changes/turnover- but it ended up working out well. Would recommend Rat's- even just for a nice meal!

My wife and I had our wedding ceremony at Grounds for Sculpture followed by the reception at Rat’s Restaurant this past March. Although there were some good points (mainly the wedding ceremony & our wedding party speeches), we were left feeling incredibly dismayed and disappointed with the way our wedding day was prepared and handled by the management staff at Constellation Culinary Group and Rat’s Restaurant.

As we were planning our wedding during the pandemic, many changes were implemented to ensure the safety of our guests and the staff. Although it proved to be challenging in navigating through this ever-evolving scenario for all of us, it was poorly executed by the management staff of CCG and Rat’s Restaurant. Before I dive into the events that unfolded, I wanted to preface the reader that the reception is handled by two separate entities: Constellation Culinary Group & Rat’s Restaurant, which leaves a lot of room for error & miscommunication. I also want to point out that they keep the restaurant open for patrons, so we did not have a fully private event.

9 days prior to our wedding day, the Sales Manager whom we've been working with since we booked the venue in December 2020, informed us that there’s a no dance mandate. We called her right away since it was the first time we were hearing this. She claimed that she did mention this via email in February (only a month before our wedding). We checked our emails and didn’t find a single trace of this being mentioned.

In the original email when we had first inquired, we were told that there was availability for the ceremony, reception, AND dance floor. The no dance mandate was never mentioned prior to us finding out. To say we were upset and blindsided to learn about the no dance mandate 9 days prior to our wedding day is an understatement. She didn’t even offer an apology. Presumably, the call did not end well and we were told to take the time to think of what we wanted to do moving forward. The sales manager not only failed to communicate this crucial detail with us but also offered no solution to the mess she created.

We called our DJ right away to find out that he was informed the same day and that she mentioned that we already knew, which was not true. We were beyond upset and livid with how this all unfolded.

The fact of the matter is not about us not wanting to abide by CDC guidelines and restrictions that were in place in NJ, but the lack of communication on behalf of Constellation. We would have planned our wedding so differently had we had known from the start. We would have treated this as a post-wedding dinner vs reception. We wouldn’t have needed to book more than one space and would have reduced our guest count. Our vendor bookings would have been so different. We wouldn’t have booked a DJ nor would we have needed the 4-5 hour reception time. We would have saved thousands. Ultimately, we spent money on a DJ that would be playing music in an empty room where guests couldn’t even gather in. This disaster left a very sour taste in our mouth.

Kathy, the Director of Catering, stepped in and & did her best to alleviate our stress. She even apologized on behalf of the Sales Manager’s mistakes. The Sales Manager didn’t even offer us an apology & she blatantly avoided us on our wedding day, making no eye contact. She did defend the Sales Manager & said that the no dance mandate wasn’t broached in writing by the state as a restriction during the time of our booking. I did my own research & found out that this “no dance mandate” was in place since Summer 2020, which was in writing.

On the day of the wedding, it was so disorganized. There were so many issues, but to name a few, the staff was rude to some of our guests (some were told to quiet down for restaurant patrons when we were the ones celebrating a wedding), the Event Manager for the ceremony complained loud enough about having to light our candles for the ceremony aisle that our guests heard, we felt that they skimped us on the hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour especially since they were served French-style, the schedule was non-existent that my wife had to flag someone at 9PM to ask to cut the cake as we were nearing the end time of our “reception.”

Overall, we fully were aware that gathering in groups was a concern for us and that we took the COVID-19 guidelines very seriously. Ultimately, we wanted all of our guests, as well as the staff, to feel safe and comfortable in an environment that followed state restrictions but it was just poorly executed. You would think they would follow up with a call or email after our wedding, especially knowing how much stress & anxiety they’ve caused us leading up to it, but we’ve received nothing.

I advise anyone planning their wedding to double or triple check with state guidelines on your own and don’t rely on any establishment to get that information for you.

I was indecisive as to whether to post this review, mainly because the wedding ceremony held at Grounds for Sculpture was beautiful and we do not want to expend such negative energy toward our wedding memories. That said, it’s been a little over a month after our wedding, and when we reflect on that day, we are still left feeling disappointed that we chose CCG and Rat’s Restaurant.