Finally I'm MRS FeliciaDP! Review of our July 25th Wedding (Extremely LONG!) **NOW UPDATED on 9/1/04 w/link to our Wedding Proofs from DUET**

ETA: LINK TO OUR WEDDING PROOFS !!

CLICK HERE: Our Wedding Proofs!

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Planning a wedding is such a strange time in your life. You worry yourself sick with stress, plan out all the little details until you are exhausted, spend more money than you could ever imagine spending on one day, and TRULY begin thinking your day will NEVER arrive before you shoot yourself, your family, your guests or even your poor FH in the process! So when the big day finally DOES arrive and everything falls into place (good, bad or otherwise), you simply cannot fathom what the heck you were so worried about !?!?!?

Only last December were DH & I engaged, and it was less than 8 short months ago that we undertook the daunting task of planning a Long Island wedding. Here I was, born and raised in Westchester, knowing NOTHING about Long Island other than the man I was marrying had lived there! Was I crazy to try and plan a Long Island wedding in LESS THAN 8 MONTHS with NO knowledge of LI? Heck yeah! But then I discovered LIWs, and I soon realized this really COULD be done! What I didn't know then (but I certainly know now ) is how 'addicted' I would become to LIWs.... who knew I would truly enjoy all the hours I spent exchanging advice and support, commiserating with, and laughing together with my fellow 'brides (and yes, grooms) helping brides.' Simply put, I could NOT have planned this wedding without LIWs - and I am so grateful to Ron and Liz for creating such a valuable, resourceful, interesting and fun website.
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If I had to sum up my wedding in one word, it would be PERFECT. Someone upstairs was definitely looking out for Anthony and I; our day came and went without any 'technical difficulties.' Despite lousy weather all weekend and rainy forecasts predicted up until the very morning of our wedding, miraculously the clouds parted & the sun started shining brightly the minute I arrived at the church for our ceremony. I truly think both DH's late grandma and my late grandma were looking down on us and blessing us their approval (with a little help from the big guy upstairs, of course ) It was a sunny, humidity-free, beautiful summer day.

Here (in no particular order) are detailed reviews of each of my vendors:

Rehearsal Dinner:
Nocello's Restaurant, Northport
A+

My generous in-laws planned the rehearsal dinner, and they couldn't have picked a better place than Nocello's. I left it entirely up to my MIL to pick a venue, and Nocello's was excellent. We had a group of about 25 and they gave us a nice private room to enjoy and relax. What was nice is that they let us pick off the menu rather then give us a 'set' menu, which was even better and everyone enjoyed their dinner so much. The night of the rehearsal was a semi-disaster.. everyone was running SO late due to inclement weather conditions, and nearly 1/2 our bridal party arrived late to our rehearsal at the church. Nocello's was very accommodating about us arriving nearly 1 hour past than our reservation (yikes!) and didn't rush us at all on a busy Friday night. They allowed me to bring in my enormous , very delicate groom's cake for DH (more on that later) and kept it stored for me -- not to mention they were terrific about bringing it in at the right moment, with just the right 'hoopla' and fanfare to surprise my husband Most importantly, the food was SO VERY delicious and the service was excellent! I definitely want to go back there when I can actually ENJOY my dinner Wonderful restaurant.

Groom's Cake:
ELEGANT CHEESECAKES (www.elegantcheesecakes.com)
A+

Originally I wasn't going to have a groom's cake, mainly because my husband isn't a sweets eater -- he just doesn't like many types of cakes in general. And I knew if I did get a groom's cake, it would be served at the rehearsal since our hall wouldn't let us bring in any outside cakes. But eventually, I realized that I REALLY wanted to do something special just for Anthony. I felt like he'd sacrificed and done everything to make ME happy in this entire wedding process, and he never asked for anything in return. Our poor FH/DHs -- they really do get overlooked and slighted while we plan the weddings of our dreams - everything is 'about the bride!' So I felt he deserved a special moment set aside just for HIM. Yet my dilemma was that I wanted to do something VERY DIFFERENT for a cake, and kept hemming and hawing about what bakery to use.. nothing really stood out to me.

So its a week before our rehearsal, and I still had no grooms cake. I was sitting at work, planning an event for my boss when I came across some old paperwork from Elegant Cheesecakes, a company based in San Francisco that I'd used once to create an amazing 'laptop computer cake' for a corporate event last year. A brainstorm begins to brew. If there is ONE dessert my DH does truly love, its cheesecake .. its his absolute favorite dessert. I had recalled the cake we'd ordered for my boss' function was a huge hit , so without giving thought to how ridiculously expensive this was going to be I ventured onto their website. All I can say is Oh My God. The cakes that Susan Morgan creates are truly works of art, and her cheesecake flavor selections puts the Cheesecake Factory to shame...very unique and very different. What really sold me is when I discovered her 'baseball cap' creation, and the fact she could make a cheesecake that looked like an actual NY Metsbaseball cap! Anthony is a DIEHARD METS fan so I just HAD to get this cake for him. I immediately contacted her and asked her if I could order it in less than one week, and would it be possible to ship it to NY from CA. The deal was sealed and I never looked back (though if my husband ever finds out how much I spent on this cake he'd probably kill me!!) I ordered a vanilla cheesecake with a caramel pecan swirl on a praline shortbread crust to feed 30 people (YUM!) and Elegant Cheesecakes had it shipped out to me on dry ice via FedEx for delivery that Friday of the rehearsal dinner. The minute I saw the cake in person, I was ecstatic. It was INCREDIBLE! Everyone at Nocello's couldn't stop talking about it when I brought it to the rehearsal dinner, and my family and DH nearly DIED when they saw it. I mean, the look on Anthony's face was priceless and worth every penny I spent. Not to mention, it was probably the MOST DELICIOUS cheesecake I've EVER tasted in my entire life -- simply To Die For!! So if you are looking to blow your savings in one pop (LOL), I highly recommend this vendor. Wonderful customer service, artistically brilliant, delicious product. These pictures don't come close to doing it justice, but here are a few:



Hotel: HUNTINGTON HILTON, MELVILLE
A+

The Hilton was terrific in every regard and I had no problems with them whatsoever.. it was one the easiest parts of my wedding planning. Laurie Triosi in the sales office is a doll to work with. We blocked off 10 rooms for our guests, as well as a suite for myself to get ready in the night before and to stay with my hubby on our wedding night. Laurie was so easygoing and accommodated all my requests, including some late check-outs and a slightly earlier check in for some of my OTTers. The suite was more than big enough for me to get ready in that AM and have pictures taken with my girls and parents. And the complimentary champagne was a nice touch for our wedding night (as was the late check out the day after ) Nothing super fancy, but clean, organized and just what we were looking for. Our OTT guests even had a great time at the hotel bar, post-wedding ... and oh yeah, we had a great time on our wedding night, too


CONTINUED ....

Re: FINALLY, I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead.. 3 pages!)

Continued..

Dress: NETBRIDE.COM - A+
Alterations: Undisclosed - C

I ordered my Maggie Sottero 'Felicity' gown from Netbride and it was a simple, easy and pleasant experience. I knew that 'Felicity' was my dream dress from the minute I saw it in a magazine until the minute I tried it on at a salon in Westchester. But after pricing it out, I soon realized that Netbride would give me the best deal on my gown (over $300 less than any salon quoted me) and it would take a fraction of the time to receive it (so much for dresses taking 6 months to order and receive! What a scam!) Netbride was amazing to deal with from day one and never gave me the run-around. My dress arrived 2 weeks earlier than their guaranteed delivery date, which was still MONTHS before my wedding. The gown was packaged and shipped in perfect condition. I highly recommend Netbride.

The only issue I encountered as a result of ordering my dress online (which has NOTHING to do with Netbride whatsoever) was the alterations factor. I implore anyone who decides to order online to make sure they have a REPUTABLE seamstress or tailor that specialized in WEDDING GOWN alterations! For me, I learned this a little too late. I might have considered paying more and going to a salon had I known that the woman who was planning on altering my gown was going to RETIRE and move to Florida right before my wedding! I'd already ordered my gown and had no time to cancel , and this left me scrambling to locate a seamstress on short notice during the busy summer months. Luckily for me I hardly needed any alterations on my Maggie (thank god for that corset back .. the dress was way too big in the waist when it arrived,but the corset will adjust to your body beautifully).

The tailor shop I brought my gown was a semi-disaster. This shop is in Westchester and I have used them for alterations in the past, and I really love them as people -- so I'd rather not name them here and otherwise trash their good reputation (they do wonderful alterations otherwise and the owners are super sweet people). While they were extremely reasonable and professional, they are the type of place that can do basic alterations -- nothing too extensive and certainly not wedding gowns. My simple hem (there was no beading on the bottom, thank God) needed 3 attempts before it was even. In the process they made an otherwise spotless gown filthy dirty (thankfully I found a fantastic dry cleaners who spot cleaned and pressed my gown to perfection again ). As for my bustle (if you can even call it that, which I don't). Well it never fell right from the day I picked it up. I was so disappointed in that. I loved the corset back of my gown so much, but now I cringe looking at any picture of the back of my gown at the reception because I hated the way the bustle hung limply and dragged on the floor all night.

Mind you this hardly ruined my day -- I still LOVED and ADORED my gown and still am glad I ordered from Netbride and saved so much $$. The dress otherwise fit like a glove and I felt like a real princess. But I just didn't love the agita I had to deal with re: alterations. So I urge any of you who are considering ordering online to make sure you have a good recommendation for a seamstress for when the dress arrives.

Tuxedos: MEN'S WAREHOUSE
A+

I went with DH to order his tux and pick out the tuxes for the BP. The location DH went to in Yonkers (where we live) was terrific and made this process incredibly pleasant and simple. We had guys who needed tuxes in all different locations (some were in Michigan, some on LI, some in Westchester) and the process was quick, painless and organized. I only wish it were as easy to order BM's dresses as this was! My DH was SO VERY HANDSOME and his tux fit just perfectly -- no problems with any of the GMs, RBs or my FIL 's either. Would definitely recommend Men's Warehouse.

Bridesmaids Dresses: DAVID'S BRIDAL
D-

I wish I hadn't gone to David's for my girls dresses, but given the fact that originally I was going to have 4 girls in my BP who lived all over the country, I figured that it would make life easier if I just had them order from the David's nearest to their homes. Well it turned out I only had 2 girls in my wedding in the end, and had that been the case originally I would have picked out dresses anywhere BUT DAVID'S! As everyone else has said, David's just stinks. My MOH ordered her dress from the Yonkers location and it was a nightmare. She had nothing but problems .. they ordered the wrong gown, the wrong size, came in only 1 week before the wedding, etc. My BM in Long Island had NO issues in Carle Place but yet the gown just never looked right on her (and I don't blame her seamstress.. they did the best they could with an ill-fitting, cheaply made gown). The quality is just not there, and the aggravation you encounter isn't worth it. The only reason they didn't get an 'F' is that I thought my girls looked very pretty. This is one thing if could do over again, I definitely would. Again, it didn't ruin my day at all, but I would NOT RECOMMEND DAVID'S BRIDAL to anyone. For those who do buy from David's, I IMPLORE YOU to GET YOUR DRESS ALTERED ELSEWHERE! My girls didn't get their dresses fixed there, but I've heard many a horror story and would hate to see any other Bride or BM go thru that.

Bridal Shoes: MY GLASS SLIPPER (www.myglassslipper.com)
B-

I needed a LOW heel because I'm only a couple inches shorter than DH, and with my tiara and up-do I didn't want to appear taller than him. However I didn't want to wear a ballerina slipper, either. Finding a stylish shoe with a heel lower than 2 inches is a daunting task, but thanks to many helpful threads on LIWs on this topic, I found my perfect shoe. The shoe is sold in many stores and on other websites, but to make life easy I ordered it from My Glass Slipper (it was also cheaper than any other store or website). Personally I didn't have a problem with this company -- and I really loved my shoes. However, shipment took FOREVER and communication was adequate at best .. customer service was sorely lacking. I would recommend, but with hesitation. I say this because I've heard from many other ladies that they seem to 'sell out' on many items, yet neglect to contact you with this information until well after your order has been processed ... then they try to sell you something else as a 'replacement' (reminds me of the old 'bait and switch' ... SO NOT COOL). If you cannot find your product elsewhere, I would recommend trying www.myglassslipper.com. Otherwise, I'd recommend you buy your shoes/jewelry/accessories elsewhere!

Ceremony:
ST. PARASKEVI'S GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH, GREENLAWN
A+++ (off the charts!)

St. Paraskevi's is a GORGEOUS church -- the type of church you walk into and the beauty of it literally can take your breath away. More important than this, however, is that St. Paraskevi's is DH's parish and DH's family are parishioners there. Father John is a wonderful priest and knows my husband's family well. Since they spoke so highly of him with such admiration and affection that I knew I wanted to be married there. I am Catholic and DH is Greek Orthodox, and I truly had no knowledge of the Greek Orthodox religion whatsoever, nor any knowledge of a what a Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony entails. After some discussion early into our engagement, Anthony and I made the personal decision to be married in his church-- and the minute after I met Father John I knew we had made the correct decision for us. Father John is one of the most amazing men I've ever met of any denomination. He has such incredible faith, and his love and compassion for his calling is so very evident. More than that, he is a truly gracious, truly FUNNY, totally REAL and dare I say 'cool' guy He is so 'normal' in fact that you forget he is a priest! You can talk to him about anything! He made me feel so comfortable. Having never even ATTENDED a Greek wedding ceremony before, you can imagine I had a million concerns and questions. My worries were unfounded -- every step of the pre-wedding, rehearsal and ceremony itself went off without a hitch .. This is in thanks not only to Fr. John, but to the office workers (particularly Lilly) and the wonderful organist (Stephanie) who helped answer all my questions.

For those who've never attended a Greek ceremony, it truly is beautiful and symbolic. The traditions are all so meaningful, and I was so honored to be able to wear my DH's grandparents stephana (''crowns') as Anthony and I were joined as husband and wife. Father John gave the most compelling and emotional homily I've ever heard given at a wedding -- my family and friends STILL tell me how moved they were. He not only blessed us in the sacrament of marriage, he honored DH's family and my own in the process. Its so very hard to describe how impressive Fr. John speaks unless you are there -- but trust me it was an incredible service. I truly feel fortunate that I was married by such an incredible human being. I just adore Fr. John. Sadly we were the last wedding performed by Father John at St. Paraskevi's. He transferred to another parish in his hometown of Boston the week after our wedding -- we will miss him so very much! But Boston is very lucky to have him back!!!!!!! (and it certainly makes up for the fact they have such a lousy baseball team, the BoSox! LOLOLOL )

Continued....

Re: FINALLY, I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead!!!)

Continued..

Reception:
THE 'HISTORICAL' THATCHED COTTAGE - CENTERPORT
A+

First, allow me little background information: how DH and I arrived at booking the Thatched Cottage as our reception hall is one of those moments where you have to believe that phrase 'everything happens for a reason.' Originally I had a short list of halls to visit, halls that were recommended to me by DH's family and that would accommodate a small wedding (100 or less). Thatched Cottage wasn't amongst those we were considering originally. Given our short engagement, we had planned to spend the first weekend of January seeing halls, with the intent of booking something THAT WEEKEND. Yet despite the fact that ALL the halls on my list had told me via telephone they were available on our date and could accommodate us, when we arrived to meet with EACH one of them, not ONE of them could actually accommodate us! !!! Blessing in disguise I suppose, since I truly didn't LOVE any of these halls the way I thought I should .... so really, I was left disgusted, frustrated and worried. I was convinced we would never find a place to have our wedding on LI.

As we drove back to DH's parents, we passed by the Thatched Cottage. DH decided we MUST stop to go and check it out. Me on the other hand........well truthfully I did NOT like the 'look' of the Cottage from out front & was convinced I'd hate it! In fact I even told my DH 'please don't stop the car -- I will NEVER have my wedding reception there! Yet he persisted (good man!) and we walked in on a busy Saturday while another wedding was in progress. My first reaction, in a word - wow. It was truly one of those 'moments.' Thatched Cottage was NOTHING like I expected it to be (in a good way!) I looked around the lobby, peeked into the ballroom, and could truly envision my dream wedding reception taking place. As we were waiting to be helped, DH and I gazed out the windows on the view out back, at the lovely view of the water and the gardens, and even though it was wintertime it was still breathtaking -- I could picture how beautiful it would look for our summer wedding , having the cocktail hour outside. I loved how elegant and classy it was, yet quaint , simple and not overdone -- I turned to my DH and said 'please pray they are available -- I feel as though we are DESTINED to have our reception here! ' Ralph the owner met us on the spot without having an appointment. He spent over an hour explaining everything us, confirmed they were available on our date, and went over the menu in exact detail. He told us they only held ONE wedding at a time (which we liked) and while there might be other types of parties going on simultaneously, there was no sacrifice to the bride and groom's event (at most there could only be 2 other events at TC -- on our wedding we were the only party). Once we heard how reasonable the price was for what we'd be getting, we were sold. What particularly impressed me is that Ralph was not 'schmoozy' or pushy... he never tried BS us. I respected that about him immensely. He actually urged us NOT to get too many 'add - ons' at the CH because it would be overkill and a waste of money for our small reception. He worked with us in detail to create a 'combined' add on station for our cocktail hour incorporating both Italian and Greek delicacies, but only charged us one additional 'add on' price instead of two. He added on a few extra things here and, changed the basic dinner menu around slightly, and never balked at any of our silly questions.

After booking, however, I had some doubts about TC. Sometimes these doubts stemmed from bad reviews on the boards (and there were MANY of them). Other times I got frustrated at the attitude I received whenever I called TC about anything. Warm & fuzzy they are NOT at the TC .. quite the contrary, I often found them to be a little abrupt. For instance, when I brought my parents over to see TC for the first time (after we'd already booked and paid much $$ towards our contract), the treatment I received from the hostess and the staff was INEXCUSABLE and downright nasty. There is no need to be so snobby, especially towards a CLIENT! So yes, I began worrying myself SICK that TC was going to stink, that they were horribly rude people, that our reception would be a disaster, yadda yadda.....

I must thank my lucky stars for the support of my fellow 'TC' brides on these boards (Teach2B, Cocoa, and Lorsin to name a few) who I would commiserate with CONSTANTLY everytime I'd hear some other negative comment about TC. Ladies, you were all so wonderful and helped me to keep things in perspective. It forced me to remember that NOT EVERYONE will LOVE every reception hall out there! It also helped me to realize NOT to let EVERY NEGATIVE POST about one of your vendors put unnecessary doubt in my mind!! We're never going to all agree on which vendor is 'best' This is why we all get married in different venues and have different opinions and tastes -- that is why there are so many halls on LI!

Well I'm happy to report that all my worries about TC were unfounded! Thatched Cottage did a tremendous job, and they exceeded my expectations for our reception. The food was just superb -- I didn't get to enjoy too much of it, but I was told that our cocktail hour was delicious and had a great variety of items. Service was exceptional. DH and I were treated like a king and queen, and so were our guests. Our bridal attendant Lindsay was a DOLL and deserved a medal for her patience and organization. She was on top of everything and did an wonderful job attending to all our needs. The Matre'D, while not quite as visible, kept things running smoothly and there were no outstanding glitches in organization from my perspective. The wait staff was professional and prompt -- I've subsequently heard nothing but RAVES from ALL our guests that their respective waiter/waitress was wonderful, friendly, quick and accommodating. They kept the drinks flowing, and everyone was happy & content.

The only MINOR things I can complain about is: right before dinner, the men's bathroom backed up. We were all lined up with our parents and BP to make our grand entrance, when all of a sudden we smelled this GOD AWFUL stench (the men's room is right outside of the main ballroom). I kept shoving my face in my bo-k to ignore the smell, but it was awful. Lindsay told us the men's bathroom backed up and she would get someone to fix it. To my knowledge, it was never fixed .. but I didn't hear ONE complaint from any of our male guests (they had to use the bathroom downstairs). Sure I wish it didn't happen, but unexpected things DO happen and the TC seemed to deal with it quickly.

My other small complaint: the wedding cake. Visually it was beautiful and exactly what we asked for. Our florist LA Blossom decorated it with fresh flowers which completed the look, and along with our cake topper it looked just gorgeous. However, the cake itself was just 'blah.' Mind you DH and I had a REALLY hard time deciding which flavor we wanted, and in the big scheme of things the cake was probably the least important thing to us. DH doesn't like chocolate (I LOVE IT) and I hate fruit fillings of any variety (he likes them). So the flavor we ultimately decided on (yellow cake with raspberry filling) was just NOT my taste, and off the bat I knew I wouldn't have eaten more than one bite of cake anyhow. Yet even DH and my parents said he thought the cake was a bit dry and bland. Oh well... just a small glitch that noone else complained about. Each table had been given a platter filled with delicious, homemade pasteries to satisfy their sweet tooth, and every guest was offered any type of after-dinner drink, cordial or specialty coffee they desired.. so that more than made up for the cake being adequate at best.

Aside from these MINOR (and I do mean MINOR) issues, I loved my reception at the Thatched Cottage and would have NO hesitation in recommending them to anyone having their wedding and/or reception there. The ambiance, the service, the food .. everything about it was phenomenal! A+ all the way!

Florist: LA BLOSSOM
A+
(Pics courtesy of LA BLOSSOM - www.lablossom.com)

What else can I say about Laurie that hasn't already been said? Laurie of LA BLOSSOM is the best at what she does. Not only that, she is a terrific person and so wonderfully supportive and sweet. I know its been said time and time again, but from the first moment you talk to Laurie, you feel like you made a new friend -- she has such a calming presence, and no matter how many millions of times you change your mind, email or call her, she is always there to listen and help out. I am not a flower person whatsoever, so when I initially met Laurie I had NO idea what I wanted. Yet Laurie spent over 2 hours with me and my MIL, showing us every and all of our options, until she helped me narrow down what I did and did not like. She has so many wonderful ideas and suggestions ... best of all she works totally within your budget to give you the best for the buck. Her prices are great. My girls wore lavender and that was my general color scheme - yet I knew I wanted summery, bright, bold colors for my CPs and the BM's bo-ks. Laurie came up with gorgeous shades of oranges, peaches, and fuchsias with little touches of purple and lavender freesia to compliment it. My church flowers and pews were so lovely. And our reception room looked stunning -- Laurie incorporated the votive candles and rose petals with the low CPs on each guest table; my sweetheart table was gorgeous covered with rose petals and candles, and on the mantle at the TC she put tons of votives and petals for a really romantic feel. It was so gorgeous and breaktaking in that room that I was rendered speechless when I first walked in and saw everything. I was lucky enough to run into Laurie as she was heading off to decorate our cake before my reception, and get to thank her myself in person for her fine work!!

Our Centerpieces:

Our Cake Flowers, by Laurie:

I cannot tell you how many times I changed MY Bo-k. I knew I wanted something different -- an ALL PURPLE bo-k with just white stephanotis as a contrast. I thought it would be dramatic against the lavender color scheme, and different than they typical bridal bo-k. But since there is no such thing as a purple rose really, Laurie came up with the idea of using deep purple flowers such as lisianthus and sweet pea to offset the white stephanotis. I absolutely loved this idea. BUT I cannot tell you the flack I received from my friends. They told me the bo-k wouldn't 'look right' without any roses in it (??) that the purples would photograph 'too dark' (??) and so many other negative comments. Laurie reassured me that the bo-k was going to look GREAT and that it was 'my wedding and that I should do what I wanted!' Up until the week before the wedding I was still tweaking what I wanted -- after seeing Jen_n_Dale's gorgeous Bo-K, I decided I HAD to change my steph with pearls and copy the way Jen had the stephanotis with crystals in her bo-k (thanks Jen!) It was just too beautiful and sparkly, so I couldn't resist Ultimately I'm so very glad I stuck with that decision to have a bold, dark purple bo-k and the stephanotis w/crystals, because the minute I set eyes on my Bo-K I wanted to dance with joy .. it was just SO perfect and exactly what I envisioned!

Pic of my Bo-K:

Pic of my BMs Bo-Ks:


The VERY DAY before my wedding I was still bugging Laurie. Not only did I have to bring her a swatch from my girls dresses the day b/f our wedding to help match their bo-k flowers (long story there!), I also asked Laurie at the last minute if I could order an additional 2 dozen roses to present to my Mom and Mother-In-Law at the reception as a thank you. As usual, Laurie accommodated all my requests without question, and was a tremendous. The roses for our Mom's were exquisite!

It goes without saying, but I'll say it again -- Laurie is the best florist around and the sweetest vendor I worked with throughout my planning. The flowers at my wedding were exquisite and all of my guests still rave about them, even one month later. I heard from those guests who took the CPs home that the flowers lasted forever, and nearly 6 days after my wedding until I left on my HM my Bo-K still looked fresh. I love Laurie and would highly recommend that any future bride or groom contact her about your wedding flowers. I wish there were a rating higher than an A++, because Laurie is off the charts! She totally ROCKS!!

DJ: HIGH VOLTAGE SOUNDS (Vinny)
A+

Vinny was the first DJ that DH and I met with, and we also booked him on the spot. His love for his work is evident, he is very experienced as a DJ, and he definitely knows his stuff. Vinny was very easy to communicate with and always got back to me immediately with any questions or concerns. Best of all, his prices can't be beat!! I knew how highly regarded Vinny was based on the positive feedback on these boards, and once we met with him I was confident to book him. Since his prices are so reasonable, DH and I went 'all out' and got Vinny's most expensive package (compared to any other DJ company's BASIC package, Vinny's 'best' package is an absolute bargain!)

Our package was for a DJ, MC, full light show and giveaways. I know some people don't like the giveaways, light show, dancers, etc, and they just get a DJ .... which is perfectly fine. But in my opinion all those extra little touches MADE the party - everyone had a blast! Having one person as the MC, one person playing the music, the dancers and giveaways ... well the reception totally rocked! Vinny is a consummate professional and his dancers were just AWESOME! They made sure everyone got into it, yet they weren't obnoxious, pushy or 'in your face.' My single girlfriends (and even the married ladies) were IN AWE of the dancers -- these guys really knew how to shake it (not to mention they were so hot - sorry DH - LOL!!) I had requested Vinny played some Italian and Greek music for both our families, but during the Greek dance NONE of DH's family got up!! (???) To save the day, one of Vinny's dancers got on the floor with my husband's Aunt and they did the most INCREDIBLE Greek dance together .... it was like something out of a Broadway show!! It stopped traffic and everyone was just awestruck .. they got a standing ovation!! I cannot wait to see that on video!!

Toward the final weeks before our wedding I emailed Vinny our specific spotlight and other specific dance songs, as well as detailed MUST PLAY and DO NOT PLAY lists -- Vinny stuck to them exactly and didn't miss a thing. Everything went off without a hitch and we had THE BEST TIME at our reception-- I wish it could have lasted longer! DH and I hardly the type to dance as guests somewhere else, but we NEVER DANCED so much in our lives than at our own wedding!

I would HIGHLY recommend High Voltage to anyone planning a wedding, engagement or any other type of party. He is a terrific DJ and a super-nice person.

Makeup : JILLIAN EISENBERG/Gorgeous Faces - A+
Hair: SARAH ROCK - A+

Based on some of the amazing and wedding pics I'd seen of Jillian's work by former brides on these boards, Jillian was the first person I contacted to have a trial with back in January -- I was so happy I did. The day of my trial my skin was terribly broken out and she make me look flawless...so how could I not book her on the spot? My DH had driven me to my trial and when he saw me, he was speechless at how pretty I looked (that was the vote of approval I needed!) Again, for someone as indecisive as me Jillian is a great person to deal with. The girl knows her stuff and did magic with my makeup. She listened when I said I wanted heavy 'drama' with my eye makeup and oh how I loved those false lashes .. they made my eyes just POP! Jillian kept playing around with my lipstick until it was exactly what I wanted as well. Jillian and Sarah arrived 9am on my wedding day to make up my Mom and myself before the photog/videog arrived at 10:30. Their terrific personalities helped calm both me and my Mom's nerves. My Mom loved her makeup so much, and I must say I never thought she looked prettier! And yes, even after many crying fits throughout the day, my makeup never budged and looked just as perfect at 11pm that night as it did 9am that morning! I hardly had to re-touch my lipstick even!

Sarah came recommended by Jillian for my hair, and she was totally amazing as well. I was so concerned that my bangs were going to look stupid with my updo, but I really didn't want all my hair pulled off my face either. Sometimes my bangs are so flat and lifeless, and to be honest even after my trial wasn't sure how it would ultimately look on my wedding day. Sarah assured me that it would look great and would keep re-doing it until I was left with exactly what I wanted. On my wedding day, Sarah outdid herself -- she kept tweaking my hair and was so precise with it until I was completely satisfied, and my hair (even my bangs) looked just lovely. It never BUDGED the entire day it worked so well with my veil and tiara. I was so happy with my hair, and trust me I'm NEVER happy with my hair!! It was just what I was after, simplicity and elegance. Jillian and Sarah -- two of the sweetest, most TALENTED hair/makeup girls around!

Limos: M&V LIMOUSINES
B+

This was the ONLY vendor I was worried about. Ok, I know what you are all thinking -- after all your research Felicia, what the HE!! made you take the chance to book with M&V, after all the negative reviews and complaints against them? Well in my defense , all I can say is I DUNNO! Let me preface this review by saying that limos were the LEAST IMPORTANT vendor when it came to our wedding plans, and we truly did not want to spend a lot of money on this particular vendor... we were simply looking for two basic 10 passenger limos (no specialty cars) , wanted it booked cheaply and then forgotten about. Given our small bridal party and short amount of time we'd be spending in the limo at all (church, picture location and reception were minutes apart from one another) we booked M&V after being satisfied with our meeting, and they had seemed quite professional. The cars looked modern and clean, and the salesman there was laid back and helpful. Having said this, it was well after we booked M&V that I discovered all the negativity surrounding them... this fact caused me unnecessary, additional stress. I worried if they would even SHOW UP, let alone do a good job! We were very close to canceling with them, yet DH talked me out of it and repeatedly called them to confirm the arrangements to ensure everything would go (hopefully) according to plan.

Well wouldn't ya know -- it turned out that ALL my worries about M&V were for naught. The cars arrived at the Hilton EARLY to pick me, my parents and my girls up. The drivers were professional, friendly and quite helpful. The driver in my bridal party's car was SO great -- he even helped me with my train when we got to the church and kept cracking jokes to calm my nerves... truly a sweetheart of a man. The cars were spotless, clean, fully stocked, and very cool (great AC .. LOL) I was very pleased with them. The only reason I gave them B+ is that when my Dad and I first got into our limo at the hotel, the driver in MY car asked us if we had DIRECTIONS to the Church!!??? I looked at him incredulously and said 'you have GOT to be kidding me!! This is something YOU should have prepared!!' My Dad started getting upset, at which point our driver went over to the other limo and got directions from the other (better) driver... seems he had a navigation system in his car, and our limo just followed theirs over to St. Paraskevi's. While I'm not sure if this was the limo company's fault or the drivers fault, either way it simply shouldn't have happened. That said, I cannot complain about M&V in any other regard..... Thankfully, they did a very good job for us.

Wedding Pics (in between ceremony/reception):
VANDERBILT MUSEUM, CENTERPORT (www.vanderbiltmuseum.org)
A+

I was trying to save some money and wasn't 'sold' on the idea of booking a location to take pictures in between our ceremony and reception (even though we had quite a large gap). Yet only 2 weeks before the wedding, I changed my mind and decided to call the Vanderbilt and see if we could arrange to take pictures there in between our ceremony and reception. The Vanderbilt is 5 minutes away from the Thatched Cottage, so it really made perfect sense .. not to mention the grounds and the Mansion are simply exquisite and make for some breaktaking picture locations. I dealt with Carol at the Vanderbilt , who was just a sweetheart. Even given the short timeframe of my request (normally the Vanderbilt need much more time to book this sort of site location request), she agreed to see DH and I immediately and draw up a contract to allow us access to take pics there. For $300 we were able to take pictures at three different locations at the Vanderbilt, and Carol was so sweet she even allowed us a few extra pictures at a 4th site as long as we didn't spent TOO much time there The Vanderbilt was such a perfect setting to take wedding pictures .. even the amateur shots I've seen thus far are simply beautiful. My bridal party, DH and I really enjoyed the time we had there.. it was a nice way to spend the time before the ceremony, drinking and laughing. Even our photographers (Duet) were AMAZED at how pretty it was there and were so excited and enthusiastic while taking all sorts of unique and different pictures of us (they had never been to the Vanderbilt before, so they were highly impressed at how beautiful it was). Of course, Mother Nature was really on our side and we had the most beautiful day to take pictures.. but even if we didn't, we would have been allowed access inside the Mansion for picture taking as well, which is equally lovely.

Photography/Videography:
DUET
Wedding proofs & Video - A++++
Casual Pics - A+

Duet was the very first vendor I booked after our hall. I was convinced they would not be available on my date so I rushed to call them after hearing all the rave reviews and seeing the incredible proofs from past brides. I totally lucked out ! When I heard they had their second team available on our wedding date, DH and I rushed out to LI to meet with Eric and Nicole. Like so many of our other vendors, we booked them that very same night. After viewing their video (which made me cry it was so beautiful) and seeing examples of their photography, we were satisfied with our decision. They have been a pleasure to deal with in every aspect, and they are another vendor who's prices are incredible and cannot be beat! For our wedding day, we had Alberto and Sung for our photographers and Hong for our video -- 3 incredibly talented, funny, and PATIENT gentlemen. Our guests and family said how wonderful they thought DUET was and how they hardly noticed them anywhere (but trust me, they were everywhere getting pics of everything!!) Sung told me as they were wrapping up that we are going to have TONS of proofs because they took so many pics! I cannot wait!!!!!!

We expect our proofs back any day now and that will be the final judge of what my rating is ; but I am fully confident in Duet's work product. I'm so confident in how the proofs will turn out for one simple reason -- our casual pics were amazing. DH I both hate having our picture taken and we both HATE the way we look in photos. But once DH and I had our casual day shoot, we were so impressed at how our pictures came -- they were beautifully photographed. Best of all Alberto and Eric put us at such ease, it made for some very romantic, very natural and lovely photos. I treasure my casual day proofs and I know I will love my video and my wedding proofs. I promise to update my review and post the proofs when we get them!!

Here is a link to our casual day pictures from DUET:

Casual Day Pictures

Until we get our proofs, here is a link to some amateur pics from our wedding:

Amateur Wedding Pics

ETA: I have gotten my proofs from DUET! OMG they are AMAZING and I have AT LEAST 800 if not more!

I only scanned a few thus far but will scan some more soon .. there are so many I do not know how I will decide my album! I truly could not be happier with the end product, they took fabulous pictures and I promise to share more when I get around to looking them over again

Link to some of my DUET proofs: Wedding Proofs by DUET

**************************
Well if you made it down this far to the end of my review, I'm impressed! I'm honored to be able to share our wedding day (and all the planning that led up to it) with everyone on LIWs. Reflecting on and reliving our wedding day is truly a great source of enjoyment and happiness for me, especially seeing as though I'm an old married lady now

Just a quick sidenote: one of the nicest 'fringe benefits' of discovering LIWs was the fact that I met some truly outstanding people here, people whom I now consider real friends. There are SO many of you I have to thank that I'll surely forget to name everyone, but I would be remiss if I didn't single out Soon2BMsZ (Maxine). Maxine and I joined LIWs around the same time, and we bonded in those early days chatting on LIWs (especially all those late night hours when we both had insomnia and were freaking out with the wedding planning). Maxine is the one of the most helpful girls here, and is always full of solid advice and tremendous support. She always made me smile when I was losing it, and made me feel better merely by taking the time to FM me with a few .. and I'll never forget that. I was so honored to have Maxine and her FH Joe attend our wedding, which meant the world to DH and I! You are the best, Maxine, and I thank you for being my friend!

Lest I forget all the friends I've made on the NWR board, those of you who kept me sane and distracted when I just didn't WANT to talk about wedding planning on a wedding board! LOL There is this wonderfully diverse gang of 'NWR regulars' (both women and men, married, about-to-be or even single) whom I must give a 'shout out' to! I will forget someone's name so I won't name you all (but you KNOW who you are, you crazy bunch!) Seriously, you guys just ROCK and have brought so many smiles to my face! Thank you for humor and for all the laughs -- I consider you my dysfunction extended family. And even if SOME of you don't realize that the Yankees are the best baseball team in NY, I still like ya!

Ok, enough of my rambling 'acceptance speech' ... LOL! Let me stop now rather than start crying like a baby!!

In sum: not only was I blessed with great weather and wonderful vendors, most importantly I am TRULY blessed with the BEST, most PATIENT, and unconditionaly LOVING HUSBAND a girl could ever ask for! I love my DH with all my heart & soul and it is HE who truly made this wedding the best day of my life! to Anthony

So now as I begin my life as a married woman, the only words of 'advice' I can offer is simple: what truly matters as you plan your wedding isn't the wedding 'hoopla' - it is your MARRIAGE. So at that moment when you and your DH are standing before your officiant and you are committing your lives to one another in marriage, try to LOSE yourself in the moment and cherish it always. For THIS is what your wedding day is REALLY all about!

Thank you for letting me share this happy time in my life with you all. Good luck & happiness to you all!!


Love,
Mrs. FeliciaDP

Re: FINALLY I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead! 3 PAGES!!)

Thanks...sounds like you had a perfect day. Congratulations and thanks for the long review. It is appreciated.

Re: FINALLY I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead! 3 PAGES!!)

Awesome review. I am so glad that things worked out great at the TC. I also, was worried with some of the negative reviews, but hoped that if I stayed positive, everything would be okay -- I know it is the right place for us. It seems like it was the right place for you, also. Best wishes! And again, thanks for the detailed and honest review.

Re: FINALLY I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead! 3 PAGES!!)

wow! what a great review. thank you. we are using several of the same vendors, so your review of duet, lablossoms, and high voltage sounds just made my day! You both looked gorgeous and happy, and it seems you really have a grasp on what this whole 'wedding' thing is really about. Congratulations, and enjoy married life!

Re: FINALLY I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead! 3 PAGES!!)

Felicia I made it to the end and read every word!!! What do I win?!?! J/K!
That was SUCH A GREAT REVIEW!!! ( Can I hire you to write mine when that day comes?!)

I have said it before but if my wedding was 1/4 perfect the way yours was I will be a happy woman. I am sooo happy for you!!!

Thanks for taking the time to write me such a sweet 'Shout out' we loved being there as much as you loved having us!!

Congratulations you gorgeous married lady!

PS. you didnt write a review on the HM

Re: FINALLY I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead! 3 PAGES!!)

---

Posted by Soon2bMsZ

Felicia I made it to the end and read every word!!! What do I win?!?! J/K!
That was SUCH A GREAT REVIEW!!! ( Can I hire you to write mine when that day comes?!)

I have said it before but if my wedding was 1/4 perfect the way yours was I will be a happy woman. I am sooo happy for you!!!

Thanks for taking the time to write me such a sweet 'Shout out' we loved being there as much as you loved having us!!

Congratulations you gorgeous married lady!

PS. you didnt write a review on the HM

---

Love ya , Maxine! Sure I'll write your review when the time comes, I cannot wait for your big day ..

Now you know why this took so long.. LOL. I had to make mine good after how great you reviewed my wedding I got a little carried away though, DH was laughing when he read it

I TOTALLY forgot to review our HM .. duh . It was GREAT, 10 day Royal Caribbean cruise .. but I'll do that separately next week...but for now I'm too exhausted from this

Re: FINALLY I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25, 2004 Wedding (Warning: EXTREMELY LONG review ahead! 3 PAGES!!)

Beautiful! - the dress, the flowers, the pics at the Vanderbilt museum, and especially YOU!!! Congratulations!

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Thank you for your review. I too am using M& V and heard stories but I too went with my gut and its nice to hear some good things. Congrats on your wedding you look beautiful and Im glad you day was perfect!

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Wow! You are awesome Felcicia! That review was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it. I am so glad you had such a beautiful day. You are a beautiful person inside and out!

Kim

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Great Review Felicia!!!
I am using a lot of the same vendors (LA Blossom, Duet, Jillina & Sara) and I am glad to see they all did such a great job

Congrats

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Everything looks beautiful, love your flowers! Congratulations!

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Thank you so much for your very useful and detailed description of TC. You look absolutely amazing and most of all sooo happy. Thanks again especially for us fellow TC brides. Congrats and best of luck.

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Wow, felicia!!! that review made me a little teary eyed...you had a wonderful day and i wish you a lifetime like the day you had!!! congratulations and man, now i got pressure to write my TC review...

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Great review! Congratulations to you and hubby.

After reading yours and Nessa79's reviews, I better get started!

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

What a great detailed review. You looked beautiful! I love the picture of your flowergirl.

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25 Wedding (Warning-EXTREMELY LONG review ahead..3 PAGES!!)

Bravo on a great and detailed review. You looked amazing in the pictures and the Bo K is insanely beautiful against your gorgeous dress so different. Congrats and lots of love to you both

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25th Wedding (Warning, Extremely LONG review ...3 pages!)

Congratulations! What a fantastic review and beautiful pictures!

Re: Finally I'm MRS FELICIADP! My review of our WONDERFUL July 25th Wedding (Warning, Extremely LONG review ...3 pages!)

One of the best reviews ever!! I even read the reviews of vendors I'm not using....LOL

Thanks for the shout out - I'm sure I will be sending you some frenzied FMs around mid-October!! You've kept me every bit as sane during this process!!

Seriously, you were a stunning bride and I'm thrilled that you had such a great day. You are obviously loved on these boards and it's easy to see why.

I know your marriage will be as perfect as your wedding!!

Congratulations!!