Click on a question below to jump down the list:
How long has Conroy Catering been in business?
What type of events can I host at your locations?
When can I come to see the mansion to discuss the possibility of hosting my event there?
How do I go about reserving the mansion for my event?
Is there a minimum number of guests that you require for events?
Is there a site fee for the rental of the mansion?
What works better, sit down or food stations?
What is the difference in the layout and service-style of a sit-down dinner in comparison to a food station dinner?
Can I customize my menu?
When do the Christmas decorations go up?
Are there any restrictions regarding decorating the mansions?
Are there any restrictions as to who we can use for our vendors (DJs, florists, bands)?
Can I bring in my own liquor?
What is the timing of events on the weekends?
What is the ratio of servers to guests?
What is the best time of year to have a wedding at Glen Foerd or Knowlton?
What choices do I have when selecting my wedding cake?
Where are the ceremony locations at each Mansion?
Is there a specific server assigned to the bride and groom?
When can we decide whether do our ceremony outside or inside?
What is the Corporate Rewards Program?
Q: How long has Conroy Catering been in business?
A. Conroy Catering began with humble beginnings twenty years ago as an off-premise catering company. They began working events at the Glen Foerd Mansion in 1986 and became the exclusive caterers at the mansion in 1994. The Conroys purchased the Knowlton in October of 1997 and started officially having events there in August of 1999. To learn more about Conroy Catering's history, be sure to read our story.
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Q: What type of events can I host at your locations?
A: A client can host any type of event at the Glen Foerd or Knowlton Mansions. While we usually host weddings, we are often host to corporate events like mid-day meetings, after work cocktail parties or holiday gatherings. Glen Foerd and Knowlton are also perfect for all types of social events like birthday or anniversary celebrations, bar or bat mitzvahs, or engagement parties and bridal showers. For more information about these events, please see our menus for both special celebrations and corporate events.
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Q:. When can I come to see the mansion to discuss the possibility of hosting my event there?
A : Our schedule is quite flexible. We offer midweek (daytime and evening) and weekend appointments. The availability varies week to week based upon our event schedule. As a result, weekend appointment times are more limited. If your availability is limited to the weekends only, we recommend that you call a week in advance to schedule your appointment time. During the sales appointment, our Catering Consultant will take you on a mansion tour, explaining how each area of the mansion can be incorporated into your event plans. He/she will also review our menu package with you. The appointment lasts for approximately 20-30 minutes. You will also have the opportunity to view photo albums, giving you an even better indication of the style and elegance of Conroy Catering events. Our Catering Consultant will follow-up with you in a day or two to provide a custom quote and answer any additional questions that you might have.
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Q: How do I go about reserving the mansion for my event?
A: To reserve your event at either the Glen Foerd or Knowlton Mansion we require a signed contract and a non-refundable deposit. Because of our high volume of sales appointments, we can not tentatively hold dates, nor can we offer a first refusal right.
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Q: Is there a minimum number of guests that you require for events?
A: There is not a minimum adult guest capacity at either of our mansions. Instead, we have a ‘Guaranteed Revenue Minimum’ (GRM), which is similar to a food and beverage minimum, common at many hotel ballrooms. However, our GRM includes all of the services that we provide for your event including your ceremony fees, additional hours of rental and service, etc. The GRM does not include any outside services that we may arrange on your behalf, such as special equipment rental. The GRM varies according to the day of the week, time slot, and month of the year. Thus, the GRM for a Saturday Evening in June is higher than a Friday Evening in January. This flexibility makes our locations accessible to events of all sizes. After you visit with a Catering Consultant, he/she will prepare a personalized quote, based on your anticipated guest count and the various dates and time slots that you may be considering.
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Q: Is there a site fee for the rental of the mansion?
A: No, there is not a mansion rental fee. We offer all-inclusive packages at both Knowlton Mansion and Glen Foerd Mansion that are priced per person. They include the rental of the mansion for five hours, all staffing (waitstaff, bartenders, white-glove valet parkers, personal bridal attendant, event manager and a team of culinary professionals), all china, silverware, glassware, ivory table linens and napkins, tables and chairs. The packages also includes your menu: an hour of butlered hors d’oeuvres, your choice of two cocktail displays, choice of a sit-down or food stations menu, top shelf open bar, dessert and wedding cake.
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Q: What works better, sit down or food stations?
A: It is simply a matter of preference. The traditional and formal feel of a sit-down appeals to some clients. Others find the relaxed, mingling atmosphere of food stations more appealing. Additionally, clients are often intrigued by the vast array of food station menu options and like the option of “no assigned seating.”
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Q: What is the difference in the layout and service-style of a sit-down dinner in comparison to a food station dinner?
A: All guests have assigned seats in the dining room area at sit-down dinners and waiters serve the various courses to each table. Conversely, food stations allow guests to sit where they are most comfortable, eat at their own pace, and enjoy more choice in food entrees. Food stations are scattered throughout the mansion and on the outside porches as well, weather permitting. Seating will be provided in different areas throughout the first floor, including the dining room, and outside on the porches.
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Q: Can I customize my menu?
A: Certainly! You will find a comprehensive list of Hors d’ oeuvres, entrees, accompaniments, desserts, food station selections, etc. in your menu package. Other suggestions can also be accommodated. Final menu revisions must be completed 30 days in advance of your event.
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Q: When do the Christmas decorations go up?
A: Holiday decorations are up from the weekend following Thanksgiving weekend until January 15th. Decorations at Knowlton include a Christmas tree in the parlor, candle lights in the windows, some poinsettias throughout the mansion, and lighted artificial trees in the conservatory.
At Glen Foerd, there is a Christmas tree in the drawing room, artificial evergreens and holiday bows on the dining room chandeliers, poinsettias by the fireplaces on the first floor, artificial evergreens on the grand staircase, a lighted exterior tree in the front circle, and a lighted tree in our new riverside conservatory.
Q: Are there any restrictions regarding decorating the mansions?
A: There are no areas of the mansion that cannot be decorated. However, we ask that you refrain from tacking or taping to any surfaces such as floors, walls, banisters, etc. in the mansions or the conservatory. We also provide the guidelines for your Florists/Decorators in your ‘welcome’ package, as well as some information for your DJ or Band to review.
Q: Are there any restrictions as to who we can use for our vendors (DJs, florists, bands)?
A: While we don’t require that you utilize any particular vendors, we have a list of Preferred Professionals who are very familiar with our facilities. They have been selected for their reputation of client satisfaction.
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Q: Can I bring in my own liquor?
A. No. We are a PLCB-licensed facility. PLCB law requires that all alcohol on the premises must be purchased by us and served by our staff. We are also pleased to announce that both Glen Foerd and Knowlton are RAMP(Responsible Alcohol Management Program)-certified facilities. This certification requires that all staff who serve alcohol be trained on safe and responsible service. Our managers have also received additional upper-level training.
Q: What is the timing of events on the weekends?
A: All weddings are 5 hours, social and corporate events usually last 4 hours. Friday and Sunday you can pick any 4 or 5 hours for your event. Saturdays we have an early event that is finished by 5:00 pm and an evening event that starts at 7:00 pm.
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Q: What is the ratio of servers to guests?
A: The ratio is one staff member for every twelve guests.
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Q. What’s the best time of year to have a wedding at Glen Foerd or Knowlton?
A. This is a hard question to answer! The Autumn season is a very popular time for weddings at the Glen Foerd and Knowlton Mansions. With acres of trees, the fall foliage is truly spectacular. The cooler weather is also appealing. Conroy Catering also decorates both mansions in a Fall Foliage theme with chrysanthemums, multi-colored winter pansies and ornamental flowering cabbage.
In the winter, couples can celebrate the holidays in style. Evergreen boughs, poinsettias, and holiday trees add a festive feel to the mansions.
Tulips, lilies, daffodils, pansies and flowering trees signal the start of the Spring season. Spring brings a sense of newness and rebirth, offering a perfect theme for a brand new life together!
In the summer months, the blooming perennials and multi-colored seasonal flowers accent the lush grounds. The cocktail patios at Knowlton and elegant wrap around porches at Glen Foerd are great for mingling in the warm weather. Sunny summer afternoons give the leaded glass skylight in Glen Foerd’s Art Gallery a dramatic shine. The expansive conservatory skylights and mansion’s richly colored stained glass are also illuminated enhanced by a bright day.
In addition, our brand new Riverside Conservatory at Glen Foerd Mansion is fully climate controlled and is beautiful during all seasons.
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Q: What choices do I have when selecting my wedding cake?
A: Our custom cakes are three or four tiers, with the exact size based upon your final guest count. The menu package lists our custom cake flavors, fillings and designs. At your menu consultation, you will have the opportunity to review various photographs of our standard cake designs to aid you in making your selection. If you would prefer more than one flavor or filling, an additional cost will be incurred. You may choose to bring your own cake. If you have found a photograph from a magazine, book or another bakery that you would like replicated, please provide the photo to your Catering Consultant. He/she will discuss the design with our pastry chef to determine if any additional costs would be incurred for you. You may wish to arrange for your florist to provide fresh flowers to complement your chosen cake style.
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Q: Where are the ceremony locations at each Mansion?
A: Both Mansions have beautiful and carefully crafted ceremony locations. The Knowlton Mansion’s outdoor ceremony site is located on the west lawns of the perfectly landscaped 13 acres of the mansions grounds. Seating is available for up to 250 guests. The bride processes through a pathway nestled amongst English boxwoods and seasonal flowers, until she reaches the pergola. Alternately, an indoor ceremony can be accommodated on the upper level of our Conservatory, under the expansive glass skylights with either a procession leading towards our French Doors or to the elevated level beneath the staircase. An indoor ceremony can accommodate 220 guests.
Glen Foerd Mansion has two unique outdoor ceremony sites for up to 155 guests. The couple has the option to choose either a procession down the pathway facing the river or to process to the antique wrought iron gazebo. Both sites feature splendid views of the Delaware River. Indoors, the ceremony may take place in the Riverside Conservatory or the Drawing Room. The Drawing Room can accommodate up to (100) seated guests, while the Riverside Conservatory will accommodate up to (155) seated guests. Your Catering Consultant will discuss the specifics at your Menu Consultation.
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Q: Is there a specific server assigned to the bride and groom?
A: Yes and they do a wonderful job! A Personal Bridal Attendant will be assigned to attend to the needs of the bride and groom and will be their primary contact during the event. The Bridal Attendant will communicate any bride and groom special requests to the Event Manager.ĘThey will also be responsible for making sure that the Bride and Groom take the time to enjoy the hors d’oeuvres, dinner and wedding cake.
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Q: When can we decide whether to have our ceremony outside or inside – if the weather forecast calls for rain, for instance?
A: Our Catering Consultants always devise a plan A and plan B with you at your details meeting. So you/we will both know exactly how the ceremony (and possibly the dinner floor plan) will differ in the event of inclement weather. The decision is made on the day of the event by the Event Manager at your event.
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Q: What is the Corporate Rewards Program?
A: Since your corporate business is important to us, we are implementing a new rewards system to thank you for your continued business. The 'rewards' are credits that your company earns every time you host an event with Conroy Catering. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions specifically regarding our Corporate Rewards Program.
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