Nice Location, Food And Service Could Be Better

Just went to a friend`s wedding in late September 2009 and I must say, the place is beautiful but the food and service are terrible. Below lists my personal experience at this particular wedding.
It would be unfair to completely judge a catering hall based on one experience. Take it for what it`s worth.

PROS:
- Beautiful ocean view garden and reception hall
- Chocolate chip & chocolate ice cream was great.
- The fried finger food during cocktail hour was good. (e.g. Potato pancakes etc)
- The potatos (that come w/ your entree) was really good.
- The chocolate fountain with your choice of dippings was very yummy.
- Parking was plentiful w/o the hassle of a valet.

CONS:
- The cocktail hour food overall was mediocre. The cocktail shrimp was ok, wasn`t stale but wasn`t fresh and crisp either. Standard fare of pasta dishes was ok.
- The fish and meat during dinner was terrible. Seabass tasted very fishy. Meat was not steak. It was more like it came from the carving station left overs during the cocktail hour.
- Mozzarella / Tomato starter was ok. Mozzarella did not taste fresh. Tomato wasn`t too bad.
- Salad that came after was ok also, however the tangerines that came w/ this fruit salad tasted like it came from a can.
- No one collected the dishes, empty cups etc during reception and cocktail hour. We had to flag a waitress down to clean things up.
- Ironically when they did clean up, one waitress came over while another couple at our table was dancing, she took away their starter (which wasn`t touched yet) by putting one plate on top of the next. When we explained the couple didn`t have a chance to eat it yet, she put it back like nothing happened. Another person and I had to object and say, "get them a new one since you just stacked them on top of each other w/ the bottom of a dirty plate." Yikes! What were they thinking?
- Red velvet cake was NOT velvet cake. It was yellow cake with red dye coloring and it tasted like it came from a mix.

TIPS:
-Don`t hold the ceremony too late in the day in late September. I attended one at 6:30pm and it was outdoors (thus by the ocean). Needless to say everyone, especially the girls were freezing.
-Also by the time cocktail and reception started, it was so dark outside that the ocean view was non-existant. It was all black outside. Since you are paying a premium for this view, you should hold it earlier to take advantage of it.
-During cocktail hour you should insist that they have plates and forks at every station. The fact that they only had it at one station made the lines so long it was like everyone was at a food pantry.
-Do not host more than 100 people tops. The place is beautiful, but small. Our friend had over 150 guess and we were packed in like sardines, always bumping into neighbors at other tables and waiters/waitresses etc.
-Likewise there were not enough seats in the cocktail sitting area and thus it was like playing an intense game of musical chairs each time someone got up. I suspect this would not be an issue during the summer months since the outdoor seatings are open and plentiful. However it was freezing, dark, and cold when I attended.
-Again don`t start too late. We didnt` get our entrees until after 10pm at night. There were some guests who left before their dinner came and many left before dessert came (after 11pm).