My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest! NOW W/ NON-PRO PICS!

Note: A++ was my highest rating.

Rehearsal Dinner: Wantagh Inn in Wantagh A++
The Wantagh Inn was lovely. We had one of the upstairs rooms, and it was arranged in five tables. There was lots of room and lots of food. I was kind of nervous because it was the first time DH’s family and my family were meeting since they live out of town. But everyone got along very well and the food was really good.

Invitations: Papyrus in Roosevelt Field A-
I loved our invitations. We were supposed to get a phone call a few days after we placed the order to go look at the proof, and they never called. I finally called and they called the company to re-fax the proof, and all was well from there. We weren’t too affected, since we ordered early and had plenty of time.

My Dress and the BM dresses: Bridal Garden in Bethpage A++
I think I had a weird dress-buying experience. Or maybe I should say unique, as there was nothing negative about it. I was early into the dress buying process when I went to the Bridal Garden to order the BM dresses. I’d seen them in a magazine and I called the BG, and they had a sample. While we were there, one of my BMs asked if I could try on dresses (I didn’t want to ask because I knew you needed an appointment and I’m not one to be pushy). I tried on a few, really liked one and went back a week later with my mom to show her that dress.

Of course, my mother hated the dress I liked, and upon reflection I realized that while the dress was gorgeous it was really more appropriate for a beach wedding. My mom pulled out a dress she liked for me and I grabbed another one that caught my eye. The dress I took ended up being “The One.” I gave a deposit as soon as I’d changed. After the fact I did have some buyer’s remorse, but ultimately I realized that it was the perfect dress. It came in on time and after it was altered it was perfect. Exactly what I wanted. The alterations were over $250 but the dress itself was under $700, and I’d initially planned to spend up to $1200, so I didn’t care. I lost 15 pounds after I ordered the dress, but I was too happy about that to care about the extra alterations I had to pay for.

Wedding Gown Body Armor: Georgette’s in Hicksville A++
I went here on the recommendation of one of my sisters-in-law, who always goes here. I was very pleased and like many women who have gone here, I found that I have been wearing the wrong size. I wear a DD so I needed something to really support “the girls” and I wanted something that would make the dress look as flattering as possible. I also got a pair of underwear, and an everyday bra. I need a regular strapless bra for a dress I got for my honeymoon, so I will be returning.

Veil and handbag: VeilAccent.com A
For whatever reason, I never got into the whole veil thing. My mother and a couple of the BMs were appalled that I ordered one online. But it came quickly and was exactly as advertised. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something that I was going to wear for only a little while. I did think about buying another one at the last minute because I worried that it looked cheap, but I took photos after my trial and I was happy with how it looked in the photos. Plus, the site had a good return policy. I also ordered a white bag, which was a lot tinier than I’d expected. My fault, since I should have paid more attention to the dimensions. But I thought it was not worth the money. My mom ended up loaning me a lovely white beaded bag anyway.

Shoes: Shoebuy.com A++ The shoes themselves: B-
I have never bought any shoes online at all, so one might call me crazy for starting with my wedding shoes! But I ordered them with lots of time to spare and the site allowed returns. Between a code and free shipping, I only paid about $40 for them, and I loved the look of them, but slingbacks are a pain in the neck. I hardly wore them at all once I got into the reception. They kept slipping. But I’d use the site again, definitely.

Limo: Royalty Limos A++
We decided to get only one limo, on that was supposed to hold up to 14 people. Truthfully I think 14 people would have been tight but since a few of the people in the BP had to take their cars, it was comfortable for us. The car was very clean and stocked with water and soda and beer. Emma was our driver and she showed up on time and was very patient with me and the girls because we were a bit tense about the rain and it took us a while to get ourselves organized and out into the car. Overall, she was an excellent driver and DH and I were thrilled with the service we received.

DJ: Music by Michael A++
DH and I had a lot of fun with Michael’s online planner. I was so caught up in everything that I missed hearing some of the songs I really wanted to hear! But the music was great and everyone danced all night. Michael is a great emcee too, lively but not in-your-face. A few of the older people (well, my parents) commented that they enjoyed the fact that the music was audible, but not so loud that you had to shout to have a conversation. We recently went to a wedding where that was a problem. We also splurged for the slideshow, which was totally worth it. People kept talking about it afterwards. And we have it on DVD too.

Photos: Twelfth Night Photo A++
We haven’t seen proofs yet but I know they will be great. Dominic and Geraldine was great to work with. They took a ton of pictures and I know it was tough because of the rain. They even went outside to take some shots of us through the window. I am dying to see how they came out! At the reception we barely noticed Geraldine, but I know she must have gotten some cool candid shots.

Reception: George Washington Manor A++
I was SO happy with everything about the GW Manor. From the beginning, Janine (the banquet manager) was really nice and accommodating. Because of the rain, we had to nix our plans to take photos at Gerry Park and on the GWM grounds. It was still pretty early when we got to the hall- the cocktail hour was not until 8. I’d figured that we’d take photos inside, but Janine unlocked the chapel for us, which had a really nice stairway. It was an excellent spot for indoor photos and we had the whole place to ourselves. George, our maitre d’, came over with the wait staff. We were able to order drinks and they also came with several trays of appetizers a good hour before the cocktail hour was due to start. The food was really good.

When we finally got over to the cocktail hour, I noticed that the lanterns we’d brought to hang in the fireplace were on the tables instead. I mentioned it to George, and it turned out that my wonderful husband had already mentioned it to him, and they were in the process of moving them. They looked really pretty hanging, and if I had thought of it I would have brought extras for the tables.

The room was really pretty. We had a small group and there was plenty of space for dancing and mingling. I loved how it looked so warm and cozy. I didn’t get to really eat at the cocktail hour but a lot of people said that the food was excellent. Since the weather was so bad I really wanted everyone to eat lots of food and have fun.

We got to try a little bit of each entree at dinner. Everything was excellent and the nice thing about a smaller wedding was that I did have time to sit down with my husband and eat. But I was too keyed up to finish everything. And I noticed that the bread looked like the same kind they have at the Milleridge (they use their bakery) but I didn’t get to have any, which is too bad because I love that bread! But the food I did have was excellent. For dessert we all had chocolate mousse in chocolate shells with raspberry sauce. There were also cookie trays on all the tables.

When the cake table was wheeled out I realized then that I hadn’t seen the cake all night. I’d expected it to be displayed, and I totally forgot about it. I was sort of disappointed that it was in the back all night (but for all I know it was out somewhere and I didn’t see it). because no one got to really see my cake topper. But I am sure that had I realized sooner and mentioned it, the cake would have been brought out because the staff was very accommodating. The cake itself was delicious- we had chocolate with cannoli cream. It was excellent. Overall, I was thrilled and we picked the perfect place for our wedding.



Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse A
DH’s tux came in early, so he went over on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. It was a good thing too, because his tux was too short in the sleeves AND in the pant legs. But everything was fixed in time, and he looked so handsome in his tux. My dad was thrilled with the service at the Plainview store; he said they were very nice. We let him choose his own attire and the people at the store were very helpful. He ended up with a slightly different style that coordinated nicely with what the others were wearing. My SIL made a comment about the less-than-great service that my brother got at the Plainview store, but she didn’t go into details.

Flowers: Milleridge Florist A++
I LOVED my flowers. One of my BMs said they were the prettiest she’d ever had as a bridesmaid. My bouquet had red roses and black calla lilies, and the girls had red roses and mango calla lilies. They were beautiful.

Hair and Make-Up: Dee, Suzanne and the girls at Technicolors in Rockville Center A++
In this area, I was a total slacker. I waited till only a couple weeks before to find a place and do a trial. I didn’t want someone to come to my parents’ house because I knew it would be chaos because their house is not that big. I did a trial here and was really happy- my hair was (I cut it ASAP after the wedding) past my shoulders and very thin, but Dee did a great job with it. Suzanne did my make-up and I was really happy with that too- I wanted a natural look but I also wanted to look like I had make-up on.

The day of was fun. Four of my five girls got their hair done there and my one sister-in-law’s hair was stunning.. Though all the girls looked great and I was thrilled. We all got lots of compliments. I also bought hair pins from there, little clusters of pearls and rhinestones that Dee spread throughout my hair. I didn’t want a tiara. Finally, the prices were super-reasonable- I think I paid about $125 (not including tips) for hair and makeup, and that includes the lipstick I bought so I could touch-up.

Wedding Night Hotel: The Roslyn Claremont A++
I wish we could have stayed longer. It was after 1 am when we got here, and we left by noon the next day. But the room was really nice, and I would stay there again.

Mini-Moon Hotel: Le Parker Meridien, Manhattan C+
Since we weren’t going on a honeymoon right away, we decided to stay over in Manhattan. DH’s cousin and his wife came in from Wisconsin, and they had never been to NYC. We booked two rooms, one for us and one for them. DH’s cousin and wife got a ride to the city and checked in first. When we got there, we checked in and went to our room, to find that we were given the key to DH’s cousin’s room. We went back to explain the glitch, which no one seemed to understand. About 20 minutes later, we had it settled and went to our correct room. Meanwhile, when DH’s cousins got back, their room key didn’t work, so they had to go to the desk! I just feel like I’ve checked into the likes of the EconoLodge many times, without a problem. And the hotel was nice, but not worth the money we paid.

Honeymoon Travel Agent: thetropicaltravelers.com C-
Early on, I recommended this site to people on this site. I hope they didn’t use them. I found this site (recommended by others on that “other” wedding website) and got a quote. We called and decided to book, and were told that we had to give a 20% deposit. A few weeks later, when DH got his credit card statement, we’d been charged 50%! We called, and the agent told us that she had to do that in order to lock in the flights because the prices were going up. And that was ok, but how about calling to say, “Look, I need 50% and is that OK?” We should not have found out that way. We paid the final balance in mid-November and were told that the travel documents would be on the way. Early last week, we still had no documents. I called and was told that they were being mailed the next day. We finally got them yesterday, and it seems that even though we were told that it was a direct flight, we now have to stop in Antigua to catch a connecting flight. Which is mostly upsetting to me because I truly hate to fly and was already tense about this flight. Now I am thinking that we are probably going to have to take one of those little propeller planes from Antigua to St. Lucia. But if she’d been upfront about the flight, I would have booked the Sandals in Antigua so we would not have had to take that connecting flight. Silly, I know, but I’m just annoyed.

HOWEVER, the most important thing:
My DH A++++++++++
He is just an amazing man and I am so lucky. We did have a great wedding weekend and it was sort of tough having to get back to real life. Plus I started a new job in September, so the time leading up to the wedding, and the time after it, has been super-busy and very stressful. But he’s been great and supportive and I can’t wait to go on our honeymoon and have our only decisions be “beach or pool” and “frozen or on the rocks”.

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest!

Congrats!! Thanks for the review, it sounds like you had a great day!

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest!

congratulations. thanks for the review. you have any pics?

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest!

Great review! Any pics yet?

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest!

Congratulations, any pictures?

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest!

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest! NOW W/ NON-PRO PICS!

HI TRACY

GREAT REVIEW!!!!! AND I LOVE THE PICS!
DID YOU GET YOUR PROOFS BACK FROM 12TH NIGHT YET? IM JUST WONDERING HOW LONG IT TAKES.

KELLY

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest! NOW W/ NON-PRO PICS!

I want more pics!!

Great review!

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest! NOW W/ NON-PRO PICS!

congrats...

Re: My v. late, v. long 10-15 Review! GWM, 12th Night, Music By Michael, and the rest! NOW W/ NON-PRO PICS!

Congrats