Paul and I had our wedding reception at the Montauk Club in Brooklyn, which meant we had to join and become members of a social club. We didn't really know what we were getting into. Although the club has a distinguished history and has hosted U.S. presidents, senators, etc., it’s located in Park Slope and is a bit of a fixer upper, so we thought there would be some sense of irony or self awareness. Not too much.
I still “like” the Montauk Club on Facebook, so I see their posts and they just put out a reminder for their upcoming new members dinner. After we joined, attending the new members dinner was when we realized it was a legit social club. Paul and I showed up and immediately noticed that most of the people there were old and white. For real, Paul was the only black person there who wasn't a server. But the best part was the entertainment for the night. They brought in the Princeton Tigertones, an A Capella group, to sing us jaunty showtunes all night long! And when they did the Princeton fight song, several of the old men stood up at their tables and chanted along.
Shortly after becoming a member, I accidentally joined the entertainment committee. I attended one meeting to suggest some improvements I thought would make the club function better as a wedding venue. That didn't go so well. They don’t do food tastings and they don’t have a full set of matching chairs. I mean, come on, if you’re a wedding venue, you sort of have to offer those things, right?
Because of that one meeting, I was forever on the email list. Luckily, they were often amusing. My favorite email was regarding the planning of the Super Bowl party. Seeing as it is a social club, there is a dress code. But one of the members asked if the dress code could be ignored for the Super Bowl. The response from the head of the committee was: “This is the Montauk Club. If you want to wear a jersey and drink Budweiser's, I recommend going to one of the many bars on Flatbush.” Pssh, what a pleb! He should know better than trying to wear some sweats and drink a Bud at the Montauk!
Needless to say, after our wedding, we did not renew our membership. It is a beautiful space and I loved the atmosphere of the building, but we just might not be the social club types.
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| The Tigertones in all their glory. |
Because of that one meeting, I was forever on the email list. Luckily, they were often amusing. My favorite email was regarding the planning of the Super Bowl party. Seeing as it is a social club, there is a dress code. But one of the members asked if the dress code could be ignored for the Super Bowl. The response from the head of the committee was: “This is the Montauk Club. If you want to wear a jersey and drink Budweiser's, I recommend going to one of the many bars on Flatbush.” Pssh, what a pleb! He should know better than trying to wear some sweats and drink a Bud at the Montauk!
Needless to say, after our wedding, we did not renew our membership. It is a beautiful space and I loved the atmosphere of the building, but we just might not be the social club types.
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