Listen to the Podcast About Rock Island Lake Club
Podcast Summary
In this engaging interview with Kathleen Butler-Duplessis, Jillian Leech, the venue manager at the picturesque Rock Island Lake Club located at Sparta, New Jersey, shares her experiences and expertise in the wedding industry.
Her dedication and commitment to ensuring every event at the Rock Island Lake Club is a success are apparent in her accomplishments. Having coordinated over 400 weddings throughout her career and being a double degree holder in Baking, Pastry Arts, and Event Management, Leech’s depth of knowledge and experience in the industry is evident.
A standout story from the interview reveals her quick-thinking and adaptability in a crisis, a critical story that shows how the dedicated professional once dealt wth a DJ’s no-show just half an hour before a wedding ceremony. Turning a potential disaster into a success story is a testament to the level of commitment she and the team at the Rock Island Lake Club showcase to their clients.
The interview also touches on some of the unique requests that come her way, such as a groom wanting to make a grand entrance on a paddle boat – a fun example of how the Rock Island Lake Club goes above and beyond to ensure memorable and customized experiences for its guests.
The interview provides a great insight into why Rock Island Lake Club has become a popular choice for weddings due to its competent and passionate staff like Leech, who continuously strive to create unforgettable memories and experiences for their clients.
Learn more about Rock Island Lake Club
This interview was provided by Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
Podcast Transcript
Felix And Fingers (00:24)
Hello! This is Kathleen from Felix and Fingers and Eventful Edeavors. I’m so excited because I have Jillian Leech here today. She is the venue manager at Rock Island Lake Club in Sparta, New Jersey. How exciting. She has a beautiful bio that I am pulling up because of
Jillian leech (00:43)
You
Felix And Fingers (00:48)
Went away from my screen, but now we have it. I want to make sure I get all of your many accomplishments. here we go. Yes. In her 15 years in the hospitality industry, she graduated from Johnson and Wales University with degrees in Baking and Pastry Arts. I need to know more about that as well as entertainment and an event manager.
Jillian leech (01:10)
Yes.
Felix And Fingers (01:12)
Her career journey has taken her from behind the scenes to the forefront, now she proudly holds the position of venue manager. She’s been a part of the Rock Island Lake Club for just over four years. In addition to her role as the venue manager, she also serves as maitre d’. She has personally coordinated over 400 weddings. my gosh. She’s a proud dog mom and tequila lover. Same, only on the tequila. Unfortunately, I don’t have a dog.
Jillian leech (01:34)
You
That’s okay.
Felix And Fingers (01:40)
Deep appreciation
for all things vintage her passion for interior design greatly benefits her efforts in creating and decorating their food stations for weddings and Being a part of the wedding industry brings her immense joy and she cherishes the opportunity to contribute to couple special moments and help craft lasting memories How cool so you are like a wedding expert?
Jillian leech (02:01)
Yes.
Sort of.
Felix And Fingers (02:03)
I think so.
So yeah, so in your 400 and over weddings, have you ever had a venue not a vendor not show up?
Jillian leech (02:12)
Yes, actually last year I had the DJ not show up and it was not until maybe like a half hour before ceremony we realized that he wasn’t here yet and he wasn’t answering our phone calls or the couple’s phone calls and crisis kind of broke out and panic and everyone and we decided to reach out to all of like the DJs that we’re friends with to see if anyone was available that could come and help us. We ended up finding someone
They came and did reception, but for ceremony we kind of just had to wing it and use a speaker and whatever music was on someone’s phone, but it all worked out.
Felix And Fingers (02:44)
A speaker and a dream, my
gosh. That makes me so nervous. Like every time, because you know, stuff happens. There’s weather, there’s traffic, there’s this, there’s that. But it’s not just, you know, for a lot of people’s jobs. If you have to call in sick, you have to call in sick, no big deal. Like, you know, you’ll catch up on your email the next day. This is someone’s biggest day and you can’t, stuff can’t go wrong. But.
Jillian leech (02:49)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
No.
Felix And Fingers (03:09)
Good for
you guys for figuring it out. And also just to find people last minute is so complicated too. So.
Jillian leech (03:16)
It is, and it was a Saturday, so it’s like, who’s available last minute?
Felix And Fingers (03:18)
Like, yeah, it’s hard to
find people far in advance on a Saturday. my goodness. What’s one of the most bizarre requests you’ve ever got?
Jillian leech (03:24)
Yeah.
Well, okay, so I had a groom request to come in on our paddle boat. So we’re on a lake and we do have a paddle boat that we use to like bring the groomsmen around to like fish and stuff. But he wanted a grand entrance. So we paddled him up onto the beach and he jumped off the boat and like threw a flag in and like walked his way over.
Felix And Fingers (03:49)
my gosh, that’s amazing. That is so amazing. My husband always says he hates how the grooms have to just shuffle out of a broom closet. Like, he’s like, like, he’s down to sort of shuffle out there. And so he wanted to have his own grand entrance too. He didn’t get on a paddle boat. He didn’t have a flag. didn’t, there was no water involved.
Jillian leech (03:52)
Yep.
I know they don’t get their moment and he got his.
Yeah, he did.
Felix And Fingers (04:13)
But he did make an entrance. That’s amazing. Honestly, congratulations to that group. Let’s see, are there any wedding trends you wish would just go away?
Jillian leech (04:19)
Yeah.
So obviously a lot of people I probably feel the same way about this but the garter and the bouquet toss just not really it for me anymore. I did it at my own wedding but I feel like it’s just kind of faded out now. I do really love a good bouquet dedication though. I feel like that is just so special and it seems to be like replacing the bouquet toss. So I like that now.
Felix And Fingers (04:26)
Yeah. Sure.
Yeah.
What’s a Bukim dedication? I’ve never seen one of those.
Jillian leech (04:45)
the bride will like do a speech usually like right after dinner or like after cake cutting where she dedicates her bouquet usually to her mom because the moms usually don’t get like a cute little shout out. You know, it’s usually about the dads and the bride and the groom. So they’ll dedicate their bouquet to their mom, which is so sweet.
Felix And Fingers (05:01)
That is the sweetest thing I ever heard. my goodness. Amazing. Wow, you learn something new every day when you talk to someone who’s done 400 weddings. What’s a trend that you’re loving right now?
Jillian leech (05:04)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
So personally, there’s this new trend that we have and I don’t know if it’s at every venue but at Rock Island it seems to be a new thing. People are bringing tattoo artists in and they’re getting tattooed during their wedding receptions.
Felix And Fingers (05:27)
my god.
Jillian leech (05:28)
And I think it’s the funniest and coolest thing. It’s very unique and some of the flash like things that they do I mean obviously like you can get the Brian grooms last name if you feel that way or their wedding date But they also have like some cute little ones on there, too, and I actually got one I have a little clover that I got
Felix And Fingers (05:44)
That’s amazing!
Jillian leech (05:46)
Yeah, so I’ll forever always remember that.
Felix And Fingers (05:48)
Wow, like I’ve seen, you know, the live paintings are really cool. I’ve seen, you know, I love it when people have photographers there that take like portraits of their guests so that they can use that for the Christmas card or whatever. Like I’ve seen that, of course all the photo booths with the props. Like I’ve seen that, a tattooist is new for me. I’ve never seen that. That’s I’ve only seen it on like real housewives parties, never at a wedding.
Jillian leech (05:55)
Yeah.
Yes, those are cute too. Yeah.
Yeah.
There it is.
Yeah
Felix And Fingers (06:18)
That is amazing. That is…
Jillian leech (06:20)
Yeah, we have another one coming up this year, so I think it’s like our third one.
Felix And Fingers (06:24)
Okay, like one is crazy, but three is really
Jillian leech (06:29)
Yeah, it’s definitely becoming a new trend.
Felix And Fingers (06:31)
That is
so insane. I love it. I love it. Like, why not? Especially when you’re a tattoo artist. All right. Totally. Amazing. So let’s see. Rock Island Lake Club. So obviously, you’re on a lake because it is a lake club. And you have that beautiful dock. Has anyone ever come close to falling in that water?
Jillian leech (06:36)
Yeah, me too. I know, right? Yeah, it’s just something completely different.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Felix And Fingers (06:58)
Okay.
Jillian leech (07:00)
No,
but it does run through my mind a lot. It is a small dock and we do a lot of bridal party photos on there, which sometimes can be 25 people on that dock and it gets a little nerve-racking, yeah.
Felix And Fingers (07:12)
my goodness.
And I assume also they’re there for the ceremony and not necessarily there after we’ve had some cocktails. It’s a little before.
Jillian leech (07:20)
you
Usually before, but people wander out there all night because we have a big bonfire right on like right by the lake So, you know, we have a lot of people out there making sure no one goes for little night swim
Felix And Fingers (07:31)
my goodness!
Well, that’s good. Safety first, safety first. Beautiful. And you also offer a program called Vow and Vision. Can you tell me a little bit about what that is?
Jillian leech (07:38)
Yep.
Yeah, so that’s actually our planning hub on our website for all of our couples to go in. They get a password and they can enter in there. And with it, we have like our booking guide, our welcome guide. It has our in-house decor, floor plans. It’s just like a big hub where they can go and get more information in there. And it leads them to the forms to fill out for our wedding details.
Felix And Fingers (08:07)
Great. mean, yeah, because brides and grooms, can use as much, there’s so many details to keep track of. Yeah, there’s so much to keep track of. So that’s amazing that Rockland has that offering. That’s amazing. So you have a background as pastry chef, which is so cool. That’s amazing. It a lot of patience, a lot of skill. Is there, and you, and.
Jillian leech (08:14)
all the information they can get.
Yeah.
I do.
Yes.
Felix And Fingers (08:33)
Rock Island offers in-house catering, correct?
Jillian leech (08:35)
We do in-house catering. don’t make our own wedding cakes. Those you get from two bakeries that we work.
Felix And Fingers (08:37)
Okay.
Amazing.
Is there a favorite thing? Do you have a favorite thing on your catering menu?
Jillian leech (08:42)
Yeah.
So we do, during Cocktower we offer three live stations, which are just like really big stations dressed in paired to a theme. And I would definitely have to say, Don’t Go Big In My Heart and Hibachi are like my two favorite stations that we offer.
Felix And Fingers (08:58)
You have a hibachi,
Jillian leech (08:59)
Yep.
Felix And Fingers (08:59)
That’s amazing.
my goodness.
Jillian leech (09:01)
Yeah, it’s really cool. And they put like a show on so it’s not just like someone serving it like they’re actually they’re making it in front of you.
Felix And Fingers (09:04)
Yeah.
Well, yeah, not just a boring cheese tray over there. We’re doing a show. And a grill. Although now we’ve got a lake, we’ve got a live grill, we’ve got a bonfire. A lot of safety. A lot of safety to keep track of. You guys seem to have done a really good job. Awesome. So I am newer to New Jersey. I’ve only lived here for two years. And I’m wondering, are there any like,
Jillian leech (09:22)
Yes. Yep.
Yeah.
Felix And Fingers (09:36)
wedding trends that are specific to Jersey or anything
Jillian leech (09:39)
think I don’t think so no we do a lot of I can say we’re like non-traditional so we do a lot of weddings right on our property at the beach we don’t really have too many off-site ceremonies but I don’t really think there’s specifically a New Jersey tradition not that I’m aware of at least
Felix And Fingers (09:44)
Yeah.
Tattoos every…
Jillian leech (09:59)
Yes, just tattoos.
Felix And Fingers (10:00)
I’m sure so doing that anywhere all of nice So yeah, so beautiful. I’m trying to think if there’s any other questions I have about Your beautiful property there Do you do a mix of indoor and outdoor? for the weddings For different events that sort of thing. Do you do ceremony outside and then reception inside? Do you ever do them all outside?
Jillian leech (10:23)
So it’s kind of inside outside, so Starmily is always outside on the beach. And then they come in and we have a cocktail hour that has like big garage doors, they open if the weather permits, obviously. So you get that indoor outdoor feel. But of course there’s tables and chairs along the lake that you can hang out with and then the servers will go out and serve food. And then come reception time, we go upstairs, the reception level. And up there we also have…
big open doors so can go out onto the deck. So everything kind of still is that indoor outdoor feel even though you are inside for a portion of it.
Felix And Fingers (10:55)
amazing.
And you have the beautiful views of the lake and must be so beautiful.
Jillian leech (10:57)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Yep,
you can see the lake at all times when you’re upstairs. It’s really pretty.
Felix And Fingers (11:05)
So
peaceful. Yeah, I never, feel like America has gotten, this is technically a lake. So I guess it’s not technically the Jersey shore, but, upon moving here, you know, we, we all have had a bad representation of the Jersey shore from a certain TV program. And upon moving here, I didn’t realize one that it’s not just like one little party area. It’s a whole vast.
Jillian leech (11:14)
No.
Mm-hmm.
Felix And Fingers (11:29)
There’s so much water in New Jersey. There’s so many beautiful places to have water side, this beautiful news.
Jillian leech (11:30)
Yes.
Yeah,
there’s so many hidden areas of New Jersey that you wouldn’t really even know about. Same thing when I first moved here, I had no idea that this even, like this venue was even here. I had no idea.
Felix And Fingers (11:41)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
There’s so
many little hidden gems like that where you all of sudden are in your, you know, an hour or two from the city from a giant metropolis, but you also compete on this beautiful, peaceful lake with a bonfire and all your best friends and family. And you’re became a mom and… Amazing. Let’s see. and when someone books a wedding at Rock Island, like do they work with someone like…
Jillian leech (11:50)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Yep. It’s like a little hidden gem.
Felix And Fingers (12:14)
You day of do they how is what happens with a
Jillian leech (12:15)
Mm-hmm.
So it works in a few different ways. When you come to Rock Island Lake Club for a tour, you’ll work with one of the sales girls or the coordinators. We have three of them. They’ll meet with you. They’ll do their tour. And usually the girl that you meet with, if you decide to book, that’s who you’re going to work with. And then I’m there the night of, along with my assistant and the whole floor staff. Yeah.
Felix And Fingers (12:35)
Great.
Great, so you have plenty of people to stop
any paddleboard emergencies. Make sure the DJ is there. You’re gonna put the headphones on if you want to. Good to know. Awesome, well was so wonderful talking to you. And hopefully we will be at a wedding at Rock Island very soon. I won’t be getting a tattoo, unfortunately. But it sounds good.
Jillian leech (12:43)
Mm-hmm. Yes. Yep.
Yeah.
You too.
Yes, I hope to see you.
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