Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

Well I am finally back!!! So tough to get back to reality after an amazing honeymoon....review on that later!!

Well I got married on the weekend of the hurricane and although the sun never quite came out.....it did not rain so I could not have been happier!!! On to the vendors.......

DRESS- RK Bridal-B+
I had a very good experience with them. I planned this wedding in 5 months so I was on a time crunch when ordering my dress. They got it in early with no screw-ups. The alterations went well although they would not accommodate me when I needed to change a fitting date but I think it was because I was cutting it so close.....and the seamstresses did not speak English very well which made me nervous. All in all thought they were great!
A word of advice.........my final fitting was 2 weeks before my wedding. If you can make your last fitting a little closer I would really recommend. With all the last minute stress I had lost some weight and when I put the dress on day of it was noticeably too big. Luckily I had removable straps that had come with the dress that I was not planning on wearing but did at the reception because the dress would not stay up when I danced. Just something to think of for those that want to lose a little right before the big day.

HAIR - Mya Cosmetic Artistry - A
She was great!! Until about a week and a half before the wedding I had no hair person. It was the one thing I did not want to deal with. I had gone on one trial that I was not too happy with and was really getting nervous. Well, I went to Mya for a trial and she understood exactly what I wanted. She gave me a really low knot very modern looking and not too bun like. She was quick, calming and the do stayed in ALL day. She even made me very nervous and picky mom happy and beautiful!! Definitely check her out!

MAKEUP - Jacqueline Nicole - A+
What can I say......she is an incredible talent and truly an unbelievable person. From the moment I went to the trial she took so much time really getting a feel for what I wanted and was such a professional vendor to deal with. She was one of the only vendors that checked in with me as the wedding got close when I was too busy to make one more phone call. At the last minute she did one more girl that was not expected and when my mom was losing it and running late she waited patiently and made us all gorgeous!!!! She truly is a find and I would recommend her to everyone!!

FLOWERS - LA Blossom - A+
Again thanks to LI Wedding I found such amazing vendors to work with....Laurie was no exception. At times I was nervous because I went in with an idea but no specific pictures and I was wondering if she would be able to deliver what I was explaining rather badly. I had always planned on low centerpieces but after visiting Port Jeff CC two weeks before the wedding I thought they would get lost. At the last minute I asked for a high centerpiece that we could still work into my budget and scheme....with no picture she gave me exactly what I wanted. I wanted hot pinks and more of a wild flower feel for my bouquet and CP and they were perfect. When I walked into my hall I was blown away by how stunning she set everything up ...the CP's were gorgeous and not overbearing, the candles and rose petals everywhere where so romantic and the cake was simple and elegant but so colorful. She is so talented, passionate and a great person to work with!! She will make your day a very special one!!!!

DJ - Music by Michael - A+
One more amazing, professional and truly talented vendor. He is the most anti-DJ I have ever met. No cheese, not overbearing just incredibly knowledgeable and anxious to give you the day that you want!!! Since we live in NYC and the wedding was in Port Jefferson it was often difficult for us to meet with vendors. About a week before the wedding, after making some final decisions at Lombardi’s he let us come over at 9:30 PM so we could make final arrangements with him to save us a trip! About two days before I sent him a long list of last minute request I had and he made sure every last one was taken care of at the wedding. He checked in with us throughout the night to make sure we were happy with the way things were going. He even had my really old and difficult to please Italian family up and dancing!! I highly recommend him for anyone looking for a first class DJ!

PHOTOGRAPHY – Twelfth Night Photo – A
I have to save the + until after I see the photos J! I worked with Anthony for a half day and Michael for a full day. They both were early, with a happy, positive ready to go attitude. I was extremely impressed with Anthony’s ability to setup shots and to make sure that things kept rolling. He made me feel like a beautiful and special bride while we were taking our pre-ceremony pictures and I knew I was in excellent hands with them! They were a great team….Anthony would set up everything for the “posed” shots and you knew Michael was quietly getting the creative angles. I really did not make up much of a list…I wanted them to be able to do there job and be creative so we will see if that worked out OK. My only concern was that during the reception I was looking for Michael occasionally…..but until I get my pictures back I will not complain because as long as he got the important moments that’s all that counts. You get a lot with there packages and they are passionate about their work…..I cannot wait to get pics and then I will post them and give more of a review!! Girls who booked them… do not worry!!!

VIDEO – DUET – A
Again I want to save the + until I see the video. This is a tough review to give because honestly I did not even know Hong was there….which is why he gets an A….because he made me forget he was there! He was early…..stayed late and was constantly shooting. The only words we spoke were when I asked him if he needed anything, he smiled and shook his head no…..that was the last I heard from him all day. I was so nervous about having a camera following me around all day so his unobtrusiveness was really great. I have complete confidence that he did not miss a thing!!! Duet had incredible video packages as well as photo/video and I would highly recommend them. I will give more of a review when I get back the video!

LIMO – Allstar – A
Debbie was a pleasure to deal with. The showroom was excellent and it was an extremely professional environment. They really worked with us so we could get the most out of their package without having to add additional time. They were early, the car was clean and fully stocked. We had two limos but I really only dealt with one driver but he was very friendly and helpful. We had also hired a Sedan to pick us up from the reception hall after the party and he was prompt and nice. Overall we had a very good experience with them and would recommend them to everyone.

CHURCH – Saint John the Baptist RC Church in Wading Rover – A++
We live in NYC and our parish is here so when we decided to go out to LI we were very worried about finding a church that would have us. Even though we are both Catholics many churches would have nothing to do with us. I found this parish through an LIW recommendation and it was amazing. Deacon Fred Finter was unbelievably warm and welcoming. They allowed us to personalize our ceremony and even though we showed up late for our rehearsal and as the bride I was 20 minutes late for the church they always smiled. Dan Grable the music director went out of his way to make it special and even found us a violinist to play with him and the vocalist. They even have a wedding coordinator who walked us through everything and made us feel at ease. Really an amazing group of people!!!!

INVITATIONS, PROGRAMS, FAVORS – Myself – A++
I have never posted a pic so I will try to soon. I did everything myself with my DH’s help and I am so glad we did. We received so many compliments on our invitations (everyone thought we had them done) and on how personal everything was. There were some very long night of putting invitations and programs together, making bows, putting together favor bags and tags…..but my DH and I cherish that time we had together and I think people really felt our hearts were in the details.

RECEPTION – Villa Lombardi’s on the Sound at the Port Jefferson Country Club – C & A++
The C goes to the service we received before the actual reception. I felt that Villa Lombardi’s was difficult to deal with, would not return phone calls promptly, were very vague about the renovations at Port Jeff CC and in general not very interested in making a nervous bride feel comfortable. Now, I understand that they have an amazing reputation but that is not enough and I still think they need to be a little more concerned in making their clients feel good. Honestly, I think we just fell into a bad time because the staff was obviously over-extended because they were opening a new place..but that is not an excuse. NOW they get an A++ for the day because we were completely taken care of and everything was amazing!!! The food was plentiful and unbelievable!!! The staff was so attentive!! Raymond and Kristen took care of us all day like we were royalty. The shuttle bus from our hotel which was bringing guests over never showed up and they extended the cocktail hour since they came late. They kept the curtains open like I requested, removed the white arc behind our table which I did not like and basically did anything they could to make the night what we wanted. They wrapped up every candle, picture or item I had used at the hall, put every gift in a bag, and wrapped up extra meals. The hall itself was so beautiful…and even though there was no sun people were still out on the deck enjoying the view. Everyone was blown away by the food and the elegance of the place. It was worth going through some of the pre-hassle for the amazing day we had!!!
If anyone has specific questions please feel free to FM me.

HOTEL – HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS IN CENTEREACH - D
This is a tough review too. I had an excellent experience with them up until the last moment. I had booked rooms in advance with no problem, got a good rate. They offered a free shuttle service to Port Jeff which I took advantage of. We worked with Tracey and Dineen who were great. I had booked a 33 passenger shuttle bus with Tacey to bring my guest to and from the reception and had booked a room for after the ceremony for my guests to hang out in. I had double checked that week and everything was set. We arrived, and the rooms were great…I had the mini bridal suite, which was not mini at all and really beautiful. Needless to say many of my guests including my parents returned to the hotel after the ceremony planning to take the shuttle service. Well, it never showed up and they had NO RECORD of it being ordered and basically refused to help my guest. I was at the reception at this point and furious. Of course the people who coordinate the weddings at the hotel do not work weekends so we could not speak to them. It upset me for about 10 minutes but everyone eventually took cars and got over to the halls. We left on Monday and by then Tracey was in and basically said “oops”. She admitted that she never booked it. They comped our rooms and my parents room but in hindsight I should have had them comp my bridal party too because it was a huge mistake and people were really put out that day. Too bad because it really was a nice hotel otherwise.

Well I think that is it!

I have posted some pics on the community board because I do not know how to do it here. The album is under, agv - - Our Wedding. They are just some amateur shots and I will post the good ones later.

Hope the review is not too long but I got so much information from everyone I wanted to give some back. I will do a honeymoon review of Puerto Rico and Aruba next because right now my hand is hurting.Thanks for reading!!!

It has taken forever to post but I am very happy with what we have gotten from 12th night here are a few from the day.
HERE IS THE PIC LINK SORRY YOU HAVE TO COPY IT IN:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/view?i=EeANmbNq2auGzpI&open=1&x=1&sm=1&sl=0

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Congrats on your wedding and thanks for the great review

It sounds like you had a beautiful day ... best of luck and happiness always!

Cannot wait to see more pics!
ETA: Just saw your pics in the Albums section.. you were such a gorgeous bride!!! Wow, everything looked amazing! Congrats again

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Congratulations! Love your gerber daisy bo-k!

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Great review!!!

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Thanks for the detailed review. I just looked at your album and you looked beautiful! Congrats!

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Congratulations! What a great review! You look beautiful in your pictures! Looking forward to seeing your proofs.

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Thank You for your review!! I have been waiting for it!! I have some questions on some things so I will be sending you FM as soon as I have a chance to type them out.

I'm glad you had a great day! CONGRATULATIONS on your wedding!! You look beautiful in your pictures!

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Best wishes to you and your new DH! Loved your pics. Your dress was beautiful!

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Congrats!

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

We are having our wedding at PJCC next June and I am having second thoughts.
Can I ask you some questions;
1. How many people did you have in the room.
2. Did you have problems with the people at Lombardi's where you booked. I can't seem to get them to call me back and they are not very good about putting things in writing. They keep telling me that shouldn't be a problem, but to me that doesn't mean that I will get what was promised the day of my wedding.
3. Did people complain about the bathroom being downstairs
4. Were the attendants any good. I hear mixed things about the people that help you that day.
If you can answer any of these questions I would appreciate it because I have one month to back out without loosing my deposit.
5. Did they rush you out at the end.
6. Did they have a hotel that would work with you so guests could be shutte,led back and forth(that's what Villa L told me but the hotel said they did not do that and did not have a contract with PJCC)
Much thanks

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

Great review... Where did you go in Aruba? I am also going on my honeymoon to Aruba and Puerto Rico. How did you like it?

Re: My August 15th Review of Port Jeff CC and Others!

congrats, sounds like everything was wonderful!!

Re: Updated-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

bump

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

I was waiting to see these, I love them!! You looked gorgeous and your pics amazing, congratulations!

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

Link to Pictures

Absolutely beautiful!! I love your bo-k! You look like you were having a great time!!!

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous!!! You look like you had such a great time.

Also very happy to see your good review of PJCC.
I am also going to nix the white arch thing behind the table. You also mentioned keeping the curtains opened? I haven't been there in a long time to see it since June, maybe(??) What do the curtains look like and what made you decide to keep them open?

Thanks again for your reviews. You were a stunning bride!!!!

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

We are having our wedding at PJCC next June and I am having second thoughts.
Can I ask you some questions;
1. How many people did you have in the room.
2. Did you have problems with the people at Lombardi's where you booked. I can't seem to get them to call me back and they are not very good about putting things in writing. They keep telling me that shouldn't be a problem, but to me that doesn't mean that I will get what was promised the day of my wedding.
3. Did people complain about the bathroom being downstairs
4. Were the attendants any good. I hear mixed things about the people that help you that day.
If you can answer any of these questions I would appreciate it because I have one month to back out without loosing my deposit.
5. Did they rush you out at the end.
6. Did they have a hotel that would work with you so guests could be shutte,led back and forth(that's what Villa L told me but the hotel said they did not do that and did not have a contract with PJCC)
Much thanks

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

Your pictures are beautiful. Everything looked perfect.
Where did you get your bridesmaid dresses? They look very similar to the one's I had..

Re: Updated-12 night proofs-pic link bottom of rev. 8/15/04 Review Port Jeff CC and others.

Your pics are beautiful! Congratulations!