My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG - With Pics!!

Hi everyone!! I’m finally back. Missing paradise already!! Hawaii was fabulous and my wedding day was the BEST DAY of my life. I can’t believe how incredible it was. Everything went off without a hitch and everyone had a terrific time.

Here are my vendor reviews. I’m an extremely critical, demanding person and I notice every detail of everything, so these are all my forthright and honest reviews. If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to post or FM me.

Our whole theme was “elegant Halloween”, so a lot was tailored to that. I’m also a very internet-oriented person, so I got lots on line.

Invitations – FESTIVALE – (A+) – www.festivale.net I loved my invitations. I wanted something classy and unique to set the tone and I hadn’t seen anything like these before. They were handmade ivory paper with torn edging and orange raffia with Black Chancery Font to tie in the elegance and the Halloween theme I was going for. People were very impressed and festivale was great – all on-line proofing and they did the addressing for us too. They were just beautiful!! No problems at all!!

Cake Topper – RIGHT BRAIN CREATIONS – (A+) – www.rightbraincreations.com - I loved my cake topper too. I had it custom made from this website and she was professional and creative and quick. Everyone got a kick out of it.

Ring Bearer Pillow – PARTY POOFERS – (A) – www.partypoofers.com - I wanted a unique pillow since we had a unique theme and found one from here with a little pumpkin on it. Melanie worked with me on colors and ideas and were a great value. Very quick and professional.

Umbrellas – GOLF UMBRELLAS – (A) – www.golfumbrella.com - since I am so anal I decided that I wanted umbrellas for the wedding party to have in case it rained and I found a place online that would personalize them for free. The cost is pretty low, and gets lower the more you order. They were very very quick and were really nice umbrellas. So nice, in fact, that guests were asking if they could have one. Luckily we didn’t need them, but I felt better having them there and they were a nice touch.

Program Paper, Place Cards, Invitation Inserts, Place Card Holders – PAPER DIRECT – (B+) – www.paperdirect.com - can’t say enough about this site. They have so much at such reasonable prices that I got a lot from them. There were a couple of minor problems with shipments (they sent me the same wrong thing 3 times) but they corrected it quickly for me.

Out of Town Bags, Ring Bearer Gifts – ORIENTAL TRADING (A) – www.orientaltrading.com - cheap, quick, great. Were able to put a ton of stuff in the OOT bags for under $6 a piece, including the bag itself, pretzels, candy, games, pens and paper. Got a cauldron full of toys for my nephew that he loved.

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage

Favor Labels and Petal Cone Stickers – MY OWN LABELS – (A) – www.myownlabels.com - a little pricey, but they had my color scheme and they were quick. We used personalized tags on the favors and on the inside of the petal cones.

Favor Boxes – BEAU COUP – (A) – www.beau-coup.com - beautiful ivory boxes, again, a little pricey, but lovely. Great for theme weddings.

Bridesmaid Gifts & Jewelry – (A) – I got the bags from www.exclusivelyweddings.com and got their jewelry from www.amysbridalaccessories.com. I was happy with both of these vendors and the girls really liked their gifts.

Parent Gifts – SEND A FRAME – (A+) - www.sendaframe.com - we bought each of our parents a silver double-sided frame with an old picture of us on one side and the other side blank to put a picture from the wedding in. I thought they were very reasonably priced and they were beautiful and very professional.

Photography – VERDI – (A+++++++) – www.fotoverdi.com - They were amazing on the day of the wedding – funny and calming and unobtrusive. I was so happy with them. But I was afraid that the pictures I was picturing in my head wouldn’t come out as good in real life so I was telling myself not to get my hopes up. Then 3 days after the wedding (3 DAYS!!) I went online and there they were. The most amazing pictures ever. I do not photograph well, ladies and they made me look incredible. I’m soooooo happy with them. I’ve emailed the link to everyone I know. I can’t even begin to figure out how I will narrow them down for an album. If you want to see them all (over 550), you can go to www.fotoverdi.com/recwed.html and pull down the Thatched Cottage (Lauren and Scott Leighton). They were expensive but worth every penny. The photographer was the most important vendor for me, so if you feel the same way, I encourage you to check them out.

Wedding Dress – DEMETRIOS – BRIDAL SALON BY MACY’S – (Dress A+), (Service C-) – I used the one in Wayne, NJ since I live near there, so many of you may not experience them, but I had problems with Macy’s. During the decision making process they were sweet as pie, helpful, attentive, yessing me to death. But as soon as they had my deposit it was impossible to deal with them. No swatch until a month before the wedding, making it hard to get a veil and shoes. Mix ups on who was my seamstress and when, issues with scheduling. I was so frustrated with them at one appointment I was in tears at their counter. But in the end the dress was gorgeous and tailored perfectly, so it worked out. I could have lived without their drama.

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage

Veil & Headpiece – HEADPIECE.COM – www.headpiece.com - (A+) - This is another NJ vendor, but they are online as well. I loved my veil and headpiece, they were simple and elegant and affordable. The two together only cost me about $300 – much less than I saw anywhere else and they were custom made. And they were able to rush everything due to my dress swatch problems. I highly recommend them.

Limos – T&R LIMOS (formerly 110 limos) – (A+++) – the limos were clean and on time and knew where they were going. We had a gray and silver Bentley and the bridal party had a white stretch Escalade. They showed up exactly on time and were very professional. We had wanted a bus or something to pick up guests from the Hilton to bring them to and from the Thatched Cottage, and they suggested using the Escalade. It only cost us another $145 dollars to send the Escalade back to the Hilton and pick up people and it made them feel like they were part of the wedding. It delivered them on time and came back to the Thatched Cottage on time to drive them back to the Hilton at the end of the night. With all the nightmares I have heard on this site about limos, I was really nervous about this, but they were awesome.

Tuxedos – AFTER HOURS, Walt Whitman Mall – (C-) – two of they guys got the wrong pants and instead of having them sent to Walt Whitman for them, they made the guys drive to the Sunrise mall on the day of the wedding. They were a little unprofessional, but the tuxes looked great.

DJ – VJ ENTERTAINMENT – (A+++) – www.vjentertainmentdj.com - Our favorite cover band is Peat Moss and the Fertilizers, but they were already booked. The bass player is a friend of mine, so I asked him for recommendations. He gave me the name of On Beat Entertainment, who merged with another company and changed the name to VJ Entertainment. The day of the wedding they were there early and set up for cocktail hour even though it wasn’t in my contract. They came because it was rainy and they thought since the cocktail hour was inside instead of outside they would throw it in. I was very specific with what songs I did and didn’t want played and they stuck to it. They found my wedding song, even though it was kind of an obscure version. They kept the crowd dancing with minimal talking and kept the evening flowing very smoothly. Every time I had a request, it was met. I have people raving about them still. Book them if you get the chance. Jay was my DJ and Vinny was my MC.

Make-up, Hair and Wedding Coordination – LAUREN MCCABE – (A+++++) Lauren is my DH’s cousin and I know she’s extremely organized. Since I was planning from NJ, I asked her to help out. She’s a make-up artist and hair dresser as well, so I asked her to do both of those too. Well, with the coordination, she was a godsend. She was on top of everything, confirmed every vendor, caught things I missed, helped get deposits places, helped make decisions and tie the theme together. On the day of she handled everything from the groomsmen to the ring bearer to the limo drivers, made sure everything was in place AND did my make-up and hair and my BM’s & mom’s make-up and hair. She did a fabulous job on all of them, and the great thing is as the coordinator, she’s with you all day and can touch up hair and make-up throughout. I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten everything done without her. She’s licensed in make-up and hair and getting licensed in wedding planning and if my wedding is any indication, she will be in high demand soon!! If you are looking for an extra pair of hands, please FM me and I’ll give you her contact information. She was awesome.

Flowers – HENGSTENBERG’S – (A+) I loved my flowers, they were beautiful, exactly as we discussed and very reasonably priced. The centerpieces lasted for 3 weeks after the wedding. They were amazing and made everything look beautiful.

Reception – THE THATCHED COTTAGE – (A+++++++++) – I cannot say enough about the Thatched Cottage on my wedding day. Though they are hard to get a hold of during the process, and you have to prompt them a lot, they were flawless on the day of the wedding. People are still raving about the service and the food. They prepare everything in the middle of the floor, so there’s no covered dishes and tray tables banging around. The dinner was really good, each guest had 7 choices and everyone is offered 2nds. There’s no bar, they have an attendant at every table to get drinks. The cocktail hour was amazing, with a mashed potato bar, a martini bar and soooo many appetizers. Lindsay was my attendant and made sure I had everything I needed all night. Christopher was the maitre D’, and although he has very little personality, he was on top of everything. My cake was beautiful – a pale orange with flowers and so yummy – we had marble cake with cannoli filling. Then they roll out after dinner drinks and trays of pastries. They were perfect in every way. When the end of the night came, they had everything boxed and ready for me to take home. It was just what I wanted and planned. Everything looked stunning. I highly recommend them.

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage

Now for my random bits of advice:

1. Make or buy a CD for yourself of upbeat music for when you are getting ready. There’s a lot of nervousness and energy and if you have great music playing you will dance around and get silly and not think about the weather or the limos or your upper arms. I filled mine with things like Going to the Chapel, Copacabana and Jungle Boogie and we laughed and sang and had a great time all morning.

2. I know a lot of you have strong feelings on this, but I say go to your cocktail hour. We did and I was so pleased that we made that decision. We got to see and talk to more people there and then we were able to get on the dance floor the whole time after dinner. And the food is great. Enjoy it.

3. Before you take your first step down the aisle, pause. Have whomever is walking you down make sure you do this. Stop, take everything in. Look to your left and right, see all the smiling faces looking at you and all the people who love you. See your FH seeing you at the end of the aisle. Take a deep breath and then walk slowly down the aisle. From this point on everything goes really quickly. Take that second to take everything in and you will set a tone for the day to remember it all.

4. Eat & dance. Don’t look back at your own wedding and figure out that you didn’t get to taste your prime rib or shake your booty. I was on the dance floor all night and people kept commenting on what a fun bride I was. It’s nice to show people you are enjoying your own party.

Well, I think that’s it. If I missed any vendors or you want to know more, please let me know. Thanks again to everyone who helped me during the planning.

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

Here are some of the pics from Verdi. If you want to see them all, they are at www.fotoverdi.com/recwed.html and then pull down The Thatched Cottage. We are the only couple there.

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Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

Lauren you are back ! Congrats, Mrs!

I have been thinking of you so much, and I was going to FM you to see how everything went

I could not be happier to hear that your wedding day was so perfect. Your review was excellent and it seems like your vendors did a great job for you . Of course I'm THRILLED that your TC experience was as wonderful as ours was!!!! We had Lindsay also as our BA .. isn't she the best? Just hearing that all my fellow 'TC' brides from these boards had such great wedding days makes me so very happy!

And your pics - OMG they are amazing! I think they might be the best I've seen in some time, and you were a beautiful ALl of the little details of your wedding just came together to fit your theme, and it truly looked spectacular

Again, CONGRATS and so glad to hear that you had a beautiful wedding day. Good Luck and best wishes always throughout your marriage!!!

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

I LOVE your pictures! LOve that you took them downtown too (we also live in Northport). They are beautiful! I love the one outside Skippers!! GReat pics! I hope ours come out as nice, we'll be downtown for pics this Saturday for our wedding. Thank you for sharing!

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

You looked beautiful and I love all the Halloween undertones. The touches were there without being too in-your-face.

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

What an amazing review and beautiful pictures! Congrats!

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

wow the pictures are great, you look beautiful! congratulations!

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

awesome, beautiful pictures, congratulations!!

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

Congratulations! What great pictures!

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

Great Reviews

Congratulations

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

Congratulations. Everything looked beautiful. We had verdi too, and had the hardiest time narrowing down the choices for the album, so we upgraded to the hugiest album.

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

your photos are amazing!! everything looked so nice...congrats

Re: My 10/30 Wedding Review - Thatched Cottage - LONG!!

you looked beautiful.. the pictures are great.