The Brides' Review - OUR WEDDING - SWAN CLUB, ETC. REVIEW!

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OUR WEDDING - SWAN CLUB, ETC. REVIEW!

Leslie Posted: Oct 29, 2004 02:52 PM+

Leslie MEMBER SINCE: 10/03 TOTAL POSTS : 270 WEDDING DATE: Oct 02, 2004

Posted: Oct 29, 2004 02:52 PM

OUR WEDDING - SWAN CLUB, ETC. REVIEW!

My wonderful husband and I were married on Saturday, October 2 at the Swan Club.

Our entire wedding day was perfect from beginning to end.

Since our ceremony wasn't until 5:30 p.m., I really enjoyed having the entire day to prepare. First of all, I had a great night's sleep which certainly helped! (with a little help from Tylenol PM!) Had hair appt. at 11:00 - makeup at 12 noon - then to Mom's house to get ready, girls arrived, flowers delivered, photographer, etc. Everything went so smoothly and I felt very relaxed - enjoyed a mimosa as I was getting ready!

Limo arrived right on time and off we went to the Swan Club for photos before our ceremony with the bridal party, and our immediate families - many of them met us there - and not one person was late! We had plenty of time for pictures (maybe a little too much time as we had to hang around for a while before it was time for our 'quicky' rehearsal and ceremony.

Enough of the details - here are my reviews!

Weather: cloudy all day (great for pictures though - as any photographer will tell you!) We were watching the weather all week and naturally, it kept changing. Thankfully, it didn't rain during any of our pictures (Mom's yard and Swan Club). It started to rain/'drizzle' when our ceremony started which didn't effect us too much since our ceremony took place in the 'carriage house' by the gardens.

The only 'bummer' about the rain was that during our cocktail hour, which was outside on a covered patio, the Swan Club used those 'plastic walls' which I felt totally took away from the garden view which is breathtaking. I had envisioned our guests strolling around the gardens/waterfalls with their cocktails! Come to think of it, it was getting dark at that time so I'm not sure how much of the gardens they would have seen anyway! I'm sure no one noticed but me....everyone was talking, eating, drinking and having a great time!

Swan Club: Terrific! We were very well taken care of - service, food, etc. Our Maitre'd was Paul Trunz. He was a little hard to find at times but all in all, he was a pleasure to deal with and attentive to our needs. The gardens are magnificent for pictures! The colors are so vivid - even more so against the cloudy day. The food is very good - generous portions too. They did a fantastic job decorating our wedding cake with the flowers provided by our florist. I've received countless compliments on the beauty of our cake. Vienesse hour was fabulous also - a nice touch and included during a Sat. evening reception.

I was very happy to have everything at the Swan Club - from ceremony through the reception. Besides being a beautiful place - it was so convenient for everyone - no need to wait hours between church and reception - or driving from one place to another. It worked out perfectly for us!

Flowers by Burton: I can't say enough about how wonderful they are! The flowers were gorgeous: combinations of creamy roses, calla lillies and hydrangeas - the centerpieces were displayed in silver bowls. Everything down to the flower girl basket and flowers on the cake were PERFECT! Their price (same price for every type of flower) and quality can't be beat!

Photographer: Carl Santoro Photography - Carle Place. I know Carl from the company I work for - he does all of the executive portraits, group events, etc. Loved, loved, loved working with him and his asst. Tony. I felt like a model - traditional as well as creative/photojournalistic style. I did my homework months ahead of time and gave him samples of the type of pics I was looking for. He didn't miss a beat and captured every moment of our day perfectly! Color and b/w shots as well as combination b/w and color....

We didn't hire Carl to make albums...he doesn't do that and we were looking to save $ without sacrificing quality. He took all photos digitally and gave us 4 CDs with hundreds and hundreds of images. He also gave us a musical slideshow CD which highlights our entire day.....I can't tell you how amazing it is and a very special keepsake.

Carl and his asst. have a very relaxed - yet very focused manner - they work extremely well together - true partners. Both have great senses of humor too! Pure pleasure having them around. Guests commented on how unobtrusive they were too....

Dynasty Limousine: we used one white 12-passenger limo just to pick up the bridal party (girls only) from mom's and drop-off at Swan Club. Driver was on time - limo was nice - clean, etc. Only wish the driver had checked the limo before he drove away. My sister - a bridesmaid - left her bouquet in the car because she had too many things in her hands and her two young children to keep tabs on. Luckily, the florist had give us one of those 'throw away' bouquets which I wasn't using anyway (didn't do the bouquet toss and all that) so she used that although it didn't match the other bouquets - but no one noticed!

DJ: L&S Entertainment - Valley Stream. They're the recommended DJ at the Swan Club. Excellent! We were't looking for a lot of 'flash' - just wanted one DJ to play the music we wanted for our reception. Michael did just that! He played the music for our ceremony (traditional, classical pieces), cocktail hour and reception. He was low-key - not loud - and knew how to get people on the dance floor - he catered to the whole crowd - all ages. Many guests commented on the fact that they could actually have a conversation - without straining to hear each other - even guests whose tables weren't too far away from his equipment. Very pleased!

Hair/Make-up: Expressions Salon in Mineola. I loved the way I looked - just fabulous! Nothing else to say!

Gown, veil: David's Bridal/Carle Place: I've heard all kinds of negative stories - but luckily I had no problems. My gown was simple and elegant - pale ivory halter, satin, a-line - sweep train - it was so amazingly perfect for me - I didnt want to take it off. My veil was ivory with pearls and rhinestones - perfect!
My bridesmaids, jr. bridesmaids and flower girl dresses came from David's as well. No problems. (A few of the girls had their alternations done elsewhere - less $ - that's for sure!)

Tiara/headband came from Barron's Bridals at Tri-County Flea Market - gorgeous and the price was right!

Shoes: DSW/Carle Place - gorgeous ivory silk mules - beaded across the top - comfortable too!

Honeymoon: Hawaii: need I say more? 11 days - 3 islands: Maui, Kauai, Oahu - pure perfection! (Long time in the air though!)

Gotta run now.....I hope this helps some future brides. I loved hearing other reviews while I was still in the planning stages.

Just remember that all of your planning will be well worth it..... everything comes together in the end - it really does!!!

Enjoy every minute....

It will be the most memorable day of your life!

All the best to you future brides!