“If there’s one thing you should know about South Asian weddings, it’s that they’re not small. We estimated a guest list of about 300-400 people, and with us being Muslim, an additional factor that really came into play was ensuring that our catering was able to be made Halal, which you can think of as meal preparation similar in rigidity to Kosher preparation, but according to Islamic guidelines.
I made a call to Brackett’s Crossing, and was greeted by Elizabeth (Liz) Revak and Kendra Simonis. They had informed me that Brackett’s can accommodate 300-400 guests for an event and that they accommodate a Halal menu, provided that it is still through Brackett’s Menu and their kitchen.
Historically places that I’ve toured that did that, and weddings I attended where South Asian food is not on the normal menu usually does not hit expectations. Kendra and Liz had told me that if I was available, that they had an open house in the winter and that their full menu would be on display, alongside some of their preferred vendors- and that attending would give us a fuller picture of what the food would look and taste like. My family and I went, and were WOW’ed by their presentation, hospitality, organization, and of course, how delicious their food was!
Speaking to Liz and Kendra and having tried the menu and knowing that it could be made Halal, we were super intrigued but not yet settled on having them do our event. What followed was me barraging the two of them with phone calls and emails, and them meeting every one of my questions with thoughtful, kind, respectful answers that showed a serious dedication to their craft, and conveyed the passion with which they do their jobs- and frankly, go above and beyond.
They started by giving me several pamphlets worth of information on anything I’d ever want to know about hosting an event there, and when I started asking about requests like modifying the space/event to accommodate our cultural and religious values they were so beyond helpful, insofar as knowing the direction of Islamic prayer relative to their venue, knowing key customs in Muslim and South Asian tradition, being able to turn over spaces in the building for prayer time, accommodating our diets, and even being able to accommodate in case we needed a horse!
The space itself is lovely, the ballroom is incredibly grand and very well lit from their wall to wall windows, and the outdoor gardens and photo areas are phenomenal. As a bonus, the patio space outside was perfect for cocktail hour and for guests to hang out at night.
The organization of the event went really smooth, as they work very closely with all of your vendors and have spreadsheets/meetings to help you (should you choose to utilize them) and will make sure to provide you the exact appropriate amount of organization you want so as to not over or underwhelm you.
When it came time for the day of, Kendra and Liz went above and beyond, and were personally on site to oversee the success of the event. The staff, both in the kitchen and the servers tending to the guests were all pros, and kept the event running efficiently- turning over the photobooth, dessert tables and dinner and making sure that my wife and I were not bothered at the sweetheart table (and had a plate of food!)
GO WITH BRACKETT'S. You won't regret it.”
