An hour due north up the Hudson River from New York City sits a slice of heaven known as the Hudson Highlands. It is an intimate and dazzling landscape, a drama of hills and woods and upland fields: the river purls under the northern gate at Storm King Mountain, pushes through the deep fjord at West Point, and continues on past the southern gate of Dunderberg Mountain.

On a high ridge next to the river, with prospects that please all the way to the Catskills, can be found the The Garrison, a glory of land and view. The golf course is a jewel; lush, informal gardens punctuate the clubhouse grounds, as do old specimen trees; and the panorama is the stuff that possessed the Hudson River School painters: all told, a marriage of man and nature, and a natural for the more romantic sort of wedding, stunning any season of the year.

Like the landscape, the food served to wedding parties at the The Garrison is toothsome and memorable, with an emphasis on natural, fresh ingredients, local and organic when possible. The club has three wedding options, all with open bar, none of which will do structural damage to your bank account. Those planning a wedding at Garrison can also design their own dinners with the restaurant staff. The wine cellar, judiciously selected for value and quality, is capable of meeting all challenges. Welcoming service is a pride of the club, and as only one wedding is catered at a time, individual attention is assured.

Wedding parties can take advantage of the club's spa facilities massage, fitness, yoga, meditation, body treatments and skincare, hair care, manicures and pedicures as well as command time on the eighteen-hole course, which golfers in the party will give their eyeteeth to play.

There is a wonderful sense of privacy of being in the very landscape at the The Garrison. The banquet room and covered terrace possess this quality as much as the grounds. The setting is literally, figuratively above the fray. The food is an event in itself, and the staff appreciates that every bride deserves a halcyon day.

The Garrison area is home to Boscobel Restoration, the Shakespeare Festival, and Manitoga nature preserve, plus extensive hiking on local paths and the Appalachian Trail. The Storm King Art Center is close-by. The club staff can provide recommendations for hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in the vicinity.