Rock Island Lake Club

A popular wedding venue located in Sparta, New Jersey. Offering a romantically gorgeous backdrop for your wedding, it provides the most perfect picturesque views along the lakeside. Fall time? GORGEOUSSS! Being lakeside/ mountainside theres a fall foliage that is to die for or getting married for ;) But thats not all this wedding venue is best known for and why you might consider this to be your wedding venue of choice ORR at least in your top 3 choices but after reading this, I just might win you over.

Not only to top the amazing lakeside views but the attentive staff that is on site making sure your day goes as smooth as possible without difficulty and stress that a wedding day may bring. Even the food is a huge topic for this wedding venue! Now let me tell you, the food is easily in my top list of wedding venue foods, if not my favorite. There were so many stations, hors d’ oeuvres left and right, dessert heaven, you name it!

Let me explain and give you these 3 reasons why you could consider Rock Island Lake Club to be your wedding venue:

Location, foodie heaven and an attentive staff.

Location and Views

Have you ever dreamed of exchanging vows by a serene lakeside, surrounded by lush greenery and soothing sounds of nature? Rock Island Lake Club offers just that and more! Located in the heart of Sparta, New Jersey, sitting lakeside with those gorgeous views I mentioned earlier where you can exchange vows with your favorite person in front of that one of a kind backdrop. Giving those magical outdoor wedding vibes for both your ceremony and reception. Imagine this, the sun is setting through the trees shining golden hour light, theres a subtle breeze in the air right before you say your “I Do’s” , creating a timeless moment captured with beautiful scenery for your wedding photos.

I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding during the fall but sadly it was towards the end of the foliage. There was still tons of life in the trees showing out before they retreat for the winter. Before the ceremony we had the first look on their lakeside dock, private bridal portraits for the bride and groom and group photos. We took a quick ride down a trail to where theres a cute swing for bride and groom photos, floor covered in leaves but made for a perfect fall setting. Golden hour lighting hitting the top of the trees as the sun sets during the ceremony was the cherry on top for this perfect day. Every angle offering a new, breathtaking perspective that will make your wedding album a true work of art. The type of album you leave on your coffee table for your guests to be in awe every time they come over!

A Foodies Heaven

From breakfast treats, special drinks to an end of the night “late night snack” for your guests to enjoy after celebrating your love. With this couples background being from Spain, Cuba and Egypt, there were no shortage of flavors left out of the day. Down to the dessert wall with ice cream carts and diy sundaes, this venue takes pride in their food. Cocktail hour consisted of a few stations that included, the Cuban Station, Italian Kitchen, Ravioli Bar, Lobster Roll, Ceviche, Drunken Mussels, a big assss charcuterie boat and an ENTIRE Lechon (whole roasted pig, sorry vegans). Sooooo much food I had to take it easy before the dinner which I think I took to go because I made sure to have enough so I can be fully present for everything that is going down to be sure not a moment was missed! For the dinner portion Tiffany & Jordi’s menu consisted of Filet Mignon, Chicken Bonadies, Pan Seared Salmon, Risotto Primavera and Braised Lamb Chop.

Phhhewwww I certainly enjoyed the filet mignon the next day! The dessert bar was too good to pass up, between a diy sundae station, a cake wall and a load of other dessert treats. Picture your guests sooo happy after a solid cocktail hour, everyone is mingling, laughing while they’re munching on all these amazing foods then comes along their dinner choice and to end it off all that dessert you can think of??? Yeah, that sounds like a no brainer! Special shout out to Palermo’s Bakery for their delicious 4 tier vanilla buttercream cake alternated with tiers of chocolate fudge, french cream and a raspberry marmalade. I wonder how you’ll feel after reading that description because wow LOL! We brainstormed ideas on a different way to “cut the cake” and we came up with using champagne cups instead of the traditional knife cut, it was so cute to see them both digging into the cake and feeding eachother. To end off this foodies heaven, the venue does an end of the night take out and Tiffany & Jordi had pizza, which I also took some so I had food on food haha. The fun part was they both got to make some pizza, throw it in the oven and pack it for their guests, personal style!

Supporting Staff

When you plan your wedding, I can bet you dream of a flawless and perfect day with nothing going wrong, right? As you’d hope and guess, the exceptional staff at Rock Island Lake Club are working hard behind the scenes all day making sure the venue is firing on all cylinders to make sure your day is stress free! Down to every detail, they got you covered. From the first meeting to the final goodbyes, their commitment to making your day the best ever.

Their experienced wedding coordinators and day of attendants take the stress out the day by guiding you through every step before and during the day with their personalized care. The team kept the ball rolling and keeping up with the timeline to make sure everything was on point and on time. They truly go above and beyond for their couples, just as any of us wedding vendors, giving all of our couples the best of us! While I dont have any images of the staff I’d like to give a special shout out to Elaine, Jill and Abby for their hard work on the day of! They truly made Tiffany & Jordi’s epic day flawless and smooooooth as butter!

Final Thoughts

In summary, Rock Island Lake Club has got everything you need and more, from all your favorite foods to your favorite coordinators. A stunning location that provides the perfect scenery for those picture perfect moments! The food is to dieeeeee for and they personalize the menu to cater to your every foodie desire. They ONLY take on one wedding per day so they’re able to give you their all on your big day. For the brides and grooms looking for the perfect venue of their dreams, don’t hesitate or overlook Rock Island Lake Club because this could be you!