10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics! (ETA: Bliss DVD Review 3/29/06)

Well it's taken me 3 months, but here's my review. Finally. I apologize in advance for any typos or odd grammar. I forgot to spell check before bringing everything from Word to LIW and I'm not going back to do it now. :)

Before the review, a little story about my morning:
The weather forecast for my wedding day was iffy to say the least. When I went to sleep the night before there was an 80% chance of rain, beginning in the morning. Imagine how I felt when I was woken up by sun streaming into my room, and birds chirping. I have never been so elated to see the sun in my life. I called my husband-to-be and left a message saying that all of our loved ones who had gone before were smiling down on us and that we were going to have a magical day. I was right.

Now, not everything was perfect. It did rain at one point. My flowers weren’t what I expected, and a host of other things managed to go wrong. But it really didn’t matter. I married the love of my life, surrounded by the most important people in my life, and that made it perfect.

So, the day started with me running through the house, and literally out into the street, cheering for the sun. I was calm and relaxed. I had some coffee, ate some food, and waited for the day to begin. Unfortunately it was not a typical October day so it was way too hot to wear the “Soon to Be Mrs.” robe and sweatshirt my mom got me. I wasn’t prepared for the hot, humid conditions, so I really had nothing to wear to get ready. At one point I borrowed a summer dress my mom had, with every intention of changing into something more ‘bridely’ when the hair & makeup people arrived. But things happened pretty quickly after that and I never managed to change. I think it’s hysterical that I am wearing some random Hawaiian dress while I get ready for my October wedding.

Shortly before my hair & makeup gang arrived, my sister’s boyfriend John, showed up with some gifts from my soon-to-be husband. First, he handed me this thin little thing the shape of a large book, and I was instantly confused. I opened it and found a picture of Snoopy howling at the moon (I’m a HUGE, diehard Peanuts fan). After a few seconds of chuckling, I read the note that went along with it, explaining that what I held in my hand was a replica, but that I was actually going to be getting the original print that Charles Schultz created. Needless to say I was shocked.



After I finished oohing and aahing over the print, John handed me another gift, almost as an after thought. This time I opened a CD that appeared to be a mix. I was told I had to listen to it before I put my makeup on. I thought, “Oh so sweet. Probably a mix of our favorite songs.” I went and called FH to thank him for both gifts. The call was short as he urged me to go listen to the CD before I got makeup done, which was going to be in about an hour. So, ok, I put on the CD. I heard the first few chords and realized it was one of my favorite songs, “The Luckiest.” The intro sounded a little different though and within a few seconds I realized it was FH singing. It turns out that he had recorded 5 songs for me, one of which he had written me for our 6 month anniversary. I proceeded to cry my eyes out until I was pile of tears. Hence, the reason FH was so insistent on me listening to it before makeup. Smart boy.




On to the vendor reviews:
All pictures from here on out were taken by Jordan Matter, his assistant or the second photographer, Jeremy Saladyga.

CEREMONY
St. Aloysius Church, Great Neck
This church is very special to me and I feel blessed that we could be married there. It’s the church where my fraternal grandparents got married, where my father and all of his brothers made all of their sacraments, and where there is a pane of glass in one of the windows bearing a family name. The last few times my family gathered in the church were for the funerals of my grandparents. It meant so much to me to be able to bring the family together there for a joyful reason. This fact was not lost on anyone.

I hired four musicians through the church to perform all the music at the ceremony, (an organist, a trumpet, a soprano and a bass) and they were wonderful.




RECEPTION
The Carltun
Overall the Carltun was wonderful. The food was great, the cake was outstanding and the service was good. People are still raving about the place! If you want more detailed info feel free to send me an FM.



FLOWERS & LINENS
Matthew Robbins for Artfool
Overall, my flowers were beautiful. I can honestly say they were not what I had envisioned, even after many meetings and specific notes and requests about everything. But they did look terrific and I got many compliments on them. So despite the many things that weren’t exactly the way I’d want them, I’d recommend Matthew because he’s terrific to work with and his final result is beautiful. If you want more info what went wrong, feel free to FM me.

MOH bouquet


Bridal bouquet


Centerpieces




MUSIC
NYC Swing
Well, they sounded amazing, kept people on the dance floor all night long and 3 months later, people are still talking about them. So I for those reasons I’d say they were wonderful. However, things like coming up to my dad 5 minutes before our dance and telling him they hadn’t learned the father/daughter song, is unacceptable. They messed up almost every important song, and played more songs off of my “do not play” list, than my “play list.” A few times I had to leave the room because they were playing songs that I told them I hated and didn’t want to hear at my wedding. I can’t say I wouldn’t recommend them, but I’d proceed with caution. FM me if you’d like to know more.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Jordan Matter/Jeremy Saladyga (of Gruber Photography)
Here’s where we hit a home run! I have adored Jordan since the first day we met with him. He is a fantastic guy! He was a pleasure to work with and was a really was a calming presence on the wedding day. He works with a friend for larger weddings, and they both captured exactly what we wanted… a documentary of the day through photographs. He is less of a traditional wedding photographer in the sense that he doesn’t pose many shots. He just captured the day as it happened. If you are a bride that needs to give the photographer a shot list with 100 different permutations of family portraits, etc… he may not be the photographer for you. We got our portraits, but the bulk of the day was captured through candid moments, which still bring a tear to my eye after viewing them thousands of times. For those who like details, we had 2 photographers and an assistant, got 700 digital proofs and 1200 film proofs, and all of our negatives. There are no books, thanks you’s etc… included. He takes the pics, develops them and then leaves it up to you to do the rest. He did make us an album of his favorite pics though, that told the story of the day beautifully. If I had no other album I’d be happy. I HIGHLY recommend Jordan!



VIDEOGRAPHY
Bliss Productions
I haven’t seen my final product yet, but I can’t imagine it being anything less than spectacular! Jerry and Mike were simply wonderful on the day of the wedding and I am confident that our video will show that. I worked with Jerry in the morning as I got ready, and he was funny, professional and totally unintrusive. He was also the only person in the house who ended up knowing how to put on a boutenniere properly. So he pinned it on my dad. He and Mike also showed up at the rehearsal the night before to kind of scope out the church, which I thought said a lot about them and the kind of work they do. So far I HIGHLY recommend them. I’ll give an update when I have the DVD.


LIMOS
White Star Limousine
They showed up early, the drivers knew where they were going and the limos were clean and beautiful. That’s all I could have asked for. I surely recommend them.

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

BRIDES HAIR & MAKEUP
Bridal Beauty by David and Denise
David Maderich & Denise Melroy
Another home run! I hired David & Denise after a few other trials that just let me kind of cold. They are by far two of the nicest people, whose work speaks for itself. Denise was a calming influence on the wedding day and went above and beyond her job by helping with any and all things that needed doing that day. David made me laugh and made me look better then the best vision of myself. They both stayed with me until after the first dance, which was a HUGE help. I can’t say rave enough about them, and I would HIGHLY recommend them.


BRIDAL GOWN
Bridal Atelier by Mark Ingram
This was such a beautiful place to get my gown. It is small and personalized, and everyone is kind and helpful. My bridal consultant was Lidia and she was a dream to work with. After a brief consultant with her stating exactly what I wanted, she scurried off and came back with 10 dresses. The Anne Barge I ended up buying, was hanging on the rack and I thought “no way.” Lidia suggested I try it on with an open mind. I put it on and cried. She was wonderful at choosing a variety of styles for me to try on, and she never once tried to force me into anything. When I decided on my dress, she suggested waiting to purchase it until a trunk show a month later. I did just that, and not only did I get 10% off the gown, I got to chat with Anne Barge who is the cutest little woman on the face of the earth. I will say that I was not in love with my steamstress Bernice, who tried to give me D cups (I’m an A), and who never really listened to my thoughts. I found it challenging to get her to do what I asked, and she never did get my bustle right (we ended up making up our own on the day of the wedding). Mark Ingram and his assistant Eva, did show up to every one of my fittings though, and made sure I got what I needed. Overall I would easily recommend the salon, just be wary of a steamstress named Bernice.




VEILS
David’s Bridal, Westbury
I had a tough time finding a veil. I really had no idea what I wanted, and I really didn’t like anything I tried on. I had a vision of what I wanted to look like, but I had a hard time articulating it. On a whim, my mom, sis and I poked our heads into David’s to see what they had. To my surprise the selection was amazing! Within minutes I found exactly what I was looking for. I ordered it that day, and a month later, as promised, my veils were in. They looking wonderful and came at a very reasonable price. I’ve heard horror stories about David’s, but I found the service and selection at this particular store to be wonderful.



HAIRPINS
RK Bridal
I tried on about a million tiaras and always ended up feeling as if I looked like the high school prom queen or something out of the Miss America pageant. It just wasn’t ‘me.’ So I started a hunt for hairpins. I found a set online that I loved, from the Edward Berger Millinery in NYC. Of course I waited until 8 weeks before the wedding, during a time when the manufacturer was on vacation. I searched high and low for these things and it seemed no one carried them. I was told it would be at least 12 weeks to order from the manufacturer directly. Enter RK Bridal. Somehow they managed to get the pins in within 4 weeks. Their service was great and the pins looked awesome!


BRIDAL JEWELRY (Earrings and bracelet)
Dorothy Walsh
My dress and veil were pretty sparkly, so I didn’t want too much going on in the way of ‘bling.’ I found a beautiful pair of earrings and a bracelet at Dorothy Walsh in Northport, that complimented the embroidery on my dress perfectly. The price was right and they looked perfect on the wedding day. Even Jerry (Bliss) commented on how unique the earrings were.

BRIDAL SHOES
Shoes Are Hot
I found a pair of shoes that I loved and had to have, that were apparently the ‘it’ shoe of the moment, especially for girls who wear a size 6. Similar to the hairpin experience, I searched for these shoes high and low, both online and in brick and mortar stores, with no luck. Finally on the rainiest, nastiest day of the summer I located a store in mid-town Manhattan that had them. But of course they only had one pair left in my size and they would only hold them until the end of the day. So, off I went in the monsoon that was that day, schlepping through Manhattan to locate the shoes. The good news is that when I arrived the shoes were there, they fit, and I got them cheaper than I would have anywhere else (had anywhere else been carrying my size.) Funny side note… When I was on the phone with the salesman he said something that sounded like “These shoes are hot.” To which I responded, “I know, I can’t find them anywhere.” That was met with silence and then the end of the conversation. When I reached the store I realized that what we was trying to tell me was that the name of his store was literally Shoes Are Hot. Ooops.


BRIDAL PARTY DRESSES
Burton’s
The dress the girls ended up in was one of the first I ever liked, and buying it through Burton’s was a breeze. Their price was by far the lowest around, the ordering and alteration process was easy and their customer service was great! No trouble recommending them.



(this is not a professional pic)


MOB DRESS
Dorothy Walsh, Northport
My mom went everywhere looking for a dress! She found the service, selection and pricing at Dorothy Walsh to be wonderful. The alteration process was a breeze too.

(not a pro pic)


TUXEDOS
Dante Zeller, Westbury
Overall, they were easy to work with and we got what we wanted. However, in the 4 weeks we dealt with them the personnel turned over 3 times. Each time we called or went in, the person we were working with was gone, and someone new was helping us. It didn’t seem to matter in the end, but it was kind of irritating having to explain myself and my order to people over and over. The tuxes looked great on the day of, but I swear that I was given white shirts rather than the ivory I ordered. They swear the shirts were ivory, and I can’t prove they weren’t. But they looked mighty different than the ones my boys tried on. It was no big deal though. Everyone looked great.




BRIDE’S WEDDING BAND
Tiffany & Co.
Ah, the hell that was getting a wedding band. We searched high and low for a band to compliment my e-ring, which was not an easy task. We finally found one in August at a store in the diamond district. We placed our order and were told that the band would be in in six weeks… just in time for the wedding. Great. Well, cut to a week before the big day. The ring wasn’t in, nor would it be before the wedding. I was offered a temporary replacement, which I refused, and a small battle began with the jeweler to get our money back. Luckily, we were able to get a refund. However, with less than a week to go until the wedding we were very concerned that I wouldn’t find a ring at all. As luck would have it, as we were walking to the subway on our way to another jeweler, we spotted Tiffany’s, and both figured, “What do we have to lose?” We thought everything would be over our budget, but decided to give it a whirl. Within 10 minutes we found a band we loved at a price we could afford. The best part is, there was no ordering necessary. A half an hour later we had brand new band in hand and the wedding band crisis was averted.

GROOM’S WEDDING BAND
Whitehall Jewelers, Roosevelt Field Mall
DH wanted something simple and traditional. We found it while milling about the mall one day. The price was good, the customer service was excellent and the ring looks great!

OOT HOTEL
Hilton Garden Inn, Westbury
Deal with Kim and you’ll be all set. She is a doll and the hotel is fantastic! No complaints from anyone. And believe me, some picky, vocal people stayed there.

MOB & MOH MAKEUP
Clarin Cohen
My mom and sister had their makeup done by Clarin, and absolutely loved her! She came to our house the morning of the wedding, where I was already in the process of getting beautified. She seamlessly blended into the chaotic atmosphere. She was on time, professional, sweet and friendly. Both my mom and sis loved her and loved the way they looked!

BRIDESMAIDS JEWELRY
Redot Designs
I searched high and low for jewelry that would compliment my girls and their dresses, but not be overpowering. I found Redot designs through a Google search and am glad I did. The products all arrived in adorable little boxes, in the time promised, and the quality was outstanding. The price was reasonable for what I got. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Redot.

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

DANCE LESSONS
Heather Wahl
We found Heather through our coordinator. She is a professional performer who recently started her own company, Youtopia, as a one-stop shop for brides. She has many packages to choose from that include makeup and personal training as well as a bevy of other services, but we only needed her for dance lessons. DH and I are trained dancers, but we wanted someone to choreograph our first dance for us. Despite the fact that we changed our song twice, Heather was happy to create a personal first dance for us. As the wedding drew near DH and I freaked a little and decided to can the dance altogether, but thanks to Heather we had an arsenal of steps to choose from that gave our first dance a little pizzazz, even though it wasn’t a fully choreographed number.



REHEARSAL DINNER
Bruzell’s of Great Neck
I wanted a laid back rehearsal dinner that was close to the church. That’s what I got. The food was great, the service was good and the atmosphere was perfect for a casual dinner.

VEGAN CAKE
Happy, Happy, Happy Bakery
The Carltun couldn’t make me a vegan cake, so I needed to find myself one. Not a lot of bakers do this kind of thing, and those that do charge an arm and a leg. Not Joe at Happy, Happy, Happy. I found him because his shop is right next door to my florist. I went in to simply get a vegan cookie, and found out he does wedding cakes. I gave him some pictures of what I wanted and he made it happen. Granted, it was a little less professional looking than I had envisioned, and it began to lean midway through the reception (I called it my Leaning Tower of Vegan). But it tasted great and served its purpose.




PRINTED MATERIALS (Invitations, Ceremony Programs, Placecards, Table Names, Menu/Donation folders, OOT boxes) – Me
I don’t think giving myself a review is going to help anyone, so I’ll just show some pictures of what I made and say that it took tons more time than I thought, but was worth every minute!




Well, that’s it. Feel free to FM with any questions. Thanks to everyone on this site for a year a half of much needed help and laughter!!!

More pics can be found in my Post Wedding Website Photo Album

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

You looked SO beautiful. Everything looked gorgeous and amazing--especially the two of you!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

You look beautiful and so happy!
All the pictures look great!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

You were such a gorgeous bride! Thanks for posting all of the pictures - you looked amazing in every one!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Beautiful!!! You're wedding looked like a blast and you could definitely see how genuinely happy the two of you were. Congrats! Love the pictures!!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

WOW..you looked amazing! Congrats to you and your DH!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

I absolutely loved reading your review! Everything looked amazing and you were such a stunning bride! Congrats on a fabulous day!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Awesome review!
You made such a gorgeous bride!
Best of luck to the both of you

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Oh i wanted to ask you... where did you get your flower girl dresses from?

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

you look sooooooo beautiful, the pictures came out so lovely. My wedding date is also on Oct 7th. I am so psyched.

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

---

Posted by aliwnec10



Oh i wanted to ask you... where did you get your flower girl dresses from?

---

Those were from Burton's too. Forgot to mention that! They had the most adorable little roses on the back that I don't seem to have a picture of.

Thanks for all the sweet compliments everyone!!!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Your photographer was EXCELLENT. I loved your wine themed - everything!
You looked beautiful and your photographer captured all of your 'surprised' 'shocked' 'totally elated' expressions. If I had these kind of prints - I'd forgo the album and totally make my own one day.Your pics are better than those in some magazines. Now I have to write my review... lol......

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Your review is wonderful. Love all the DIY projects.

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

WOW, Everything looked beautiful, CONGRATS!!! Great review

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Wow! I hope I look half as good as you did on your wedding day. The pictures are amazing! I am a photography nut! I have 2 portfolios, and since the day I got engaged, I have been doing a massive Photographer hunt to make sure I have the perfect album of my special day. Thanks to you, I can add another one onto the list of prospects! Thank you & CONGRATULATIONS! You 2 look extremely happy.

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

everything looks AMAZING!!! Congratulations!! You looked incredible and soo soo very happy!!!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Oh, and the CD of him singing??? YOU HAVE ONE SPECIAL GUY! I LOVE HEARING ABOUT THAT KIND OF STUFF. I ALMOST CRIED MYSELF JUST LOOKING AT YOUR PICS!

Re: 10/7/05 - The Carltun, NYC Swing, Bliss... LONG with lots of pics!

Great review, beautiful pics!