The Brides' Review - My Big Fat Greek Autumn Themed Wedding 10/3/08 with Lots of LIW Vendors!

Post new topic

Wedding Forums > The Brides' Review > My Big Fat Greek Autumn Themed Wedding 10/3/08 with Lots of LIW Vendors!

My Big Fat Greek Autumn Themed Wedding 10/3/08 with Lots of LIW Vendors!

autumnbride08 Posted: Mar 12, 2009 01:42 PM+

autumnbride08 MEMBER SINCE: 6/07 TOTAL POSTS : 316 WEDDING DATE: Oct 03, 2008

Posted: Mar 12, 2009 01:42 PM

My Big Fat Greek Autumn Themed Wedding 10/3/08 with Lots of LIW Vendors!

Captain Bill’s A+
DH and I were won over the minute we walked into the Bayview House. It was exactly what we were looking for. One wedding at a time, by the water, gorgeous views.. We booked it on the spot. Our banquet manager was very easy to deal with and when the time came to pick out the menu and the linens, it was quick and easy. Since we have some family members that have food allergies, they understood and made sure that everything was prepared so no one would get sick. Also, about a week before the wedding we decided to add on the ice cream bar, it wasn't an issue and everyone loved it!

The only problem we had with them was that the bridal attendant was nowhere to be found the entire night. She had introduced herself to me and then I never saw her again. Our Maitre’d, Annie, was amazing and she was there whenever my guests or myself needed anything.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k247/lmh91981/kiss5.jpg

Black Forest Bakery A
The cake was included with our package, so we didn’t order anything extra, yet it was beautiful and very tasty.

Thomas Paul Photography A+
One of my favorite vendors! Photography was very important to us, so I started searching immediately for someone who could capture the day with creativity. After finding LIW, I stumbled across some pictures that TP had taken and I fell in love. I immediately called him up to schedule an appointment to meet with him. Tom was very sweet, and my Mom and I fell in love with his work. We booked him without seeing any other photographer, I had complete trust in him that he would give us the photos that we wanted. Our e-shoot was taken at Belmont State Park, and although it had just started to rain, Tom managed to capture amazing shots. After our shoot, I knew that I made the right decision. DH felt very comfortable around him, and that was very important to me because Tom was around us the entire wedding day. On the wedding day, he was on time and got right to work taking pictures. His whole crew was very professional and fun. Tom suggested that we take pictures at a beach near Captain Bill’s and I couldn’t have been happier with that decision. The pictures are AMAZING. Our proofs were in about 5 weeks later and once we picked our Thank You cards, they came in within a week or so. Very quick turnaround. I have, and will continue to recommend TP to any future brides that I know. His work speaks for itself.

Thomas Paul (Videography)
Review to come.

Verbena A+
From the beginning I knew that I wanted a ‘fall theme’ and that I wanted bright fallish colors (reds, yellows, oranges, etc.) and Jennifer completely understood our vision. Our floral budget wasn’t huge, but she worked with us to give us an unbelievable price.

I had given her pictures of what I wanted all of the bouquets to look like, and she nailed it. As for the CP’s, we never had a ‘trial’ with her (because I trusted her work) but I did ask her to make us a similar CP to be used at our RD and we loved it!

On the day of the wedding my flowers were everything I had expected and more. The colors in the flowers were so vibrant and everyone raved at how the CP’s and Bo-ks lasted quite a few days. The flowers in the church looked absolutely breathtaking and I couldn’t have been happier with how she decorated my RH. I should also add in that I had candles and other fall-ish decor that Jen gladly displayed for us- which was a huge help! I loved Jen and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a florist. Her ideas/creativity/visions are amazing.

High Voltage B
Vinny did an OK job, I just felt like it could have been better. I was very specific with how I wanted every single introduction to go, and I even went up to him during CH to go over it again with him, and it wasn’t done the way I wanted it. Minor thing, but it still bothered me. I also told him that I did not want the MC to be overbearing and demand that people get up, when that is exactly what the MC did. Not to mention, the MC was extremely annoying. As for my must-play list, I only heard a few of the songs, and that was after my MOH and BM’s went up and demanded that he play them. We decided to get a percussionist who was awesome and added something extra to our party.

La Rosa Cuban Cigars A
This was a hit with all of our guests and they were very nice. We also ordered personalized cigar wrappers that were very cute.

Princess Bridals
My bridal gown: A (because I love my gown) but C for service
Finding my gown was pretty simple. I had fallen in love with 2 other dresses at other stores before going here. I was ready to leave the store when my sister pulled my dress off the rack. It was a little over my budget, but it was exactly what I wanted. As for their service, they stink. Every time I had called the women were extremely rude and very unaccommodating. The alterations were easy although my bustle didn’t even make it to the reception.
BM’s gowns: B+
I knew exactly what I wanted, in the colors I wanted. They gave the girls a discount and the dresses came in on time. My girls complained about the alterations, saying that they left off the hook at the top of the dresses, but in the end all of the dresses stayed on and they looked beautiful.

Marie Katz (Make Up) A+
Loved her work! Marie is very talented and she made all of us look like super stars! Although I loved my make up from my trial, on the day of I had decided that I wanted something a little different. I trusted her with the change and the outcome was amazing! Normally I do not wear a lot of make up, and she made sure that I still had a very natural look. All my BM’s got their make up done and everyone looked beautiful. Her work lasted all day, and I was very happy to have her around in the morning because she calmed my nerves. Marie is a total sweetheart!

Roseanna Amador (CosmoNY) C
For the price that I was charged, I was not impressed with her work. My hair looked good for the first hour but after that it looked like a mess. It fell completely flat (and I have naturally curly hair) and in all my pictures I notice that there is hair that is out of place across my forehead. I had purchased her line of extensions, but they didn’t hold the curl either. The BM’s also got their hair done and they all looked beautiful, and their hair stayed, it was only mine, so I am not sure if it was the extensions or not. I should also note that my Mom got her short hair styled, and she hated it so much that she re-did it herself. Roseanna was on time and quick, but she hardly spoke the whole morning and she seemed to have a little bit of an attitude. This was a completely different Roseanna then the one I had met at the trial, and it left me feeling a little disappointed.

Mens Warehouse A
DH knew exactly what he wanted, so this was quick and easy. All the GM's got measured and everything came in on time and in the correct sizes.

Barrons A
Simple. Easy. Beautiful. I went to them with a photo of my dress and a picture of how I’d be wearing my hair and they helped me select a beautiful veil and hair pins. I wound up asking them to add more crystals to the veil, and it was ready a few days later. Excellent service.

Portara C+
www.portara.com
This caused me the most stress out of the entire wedding planning process. DH and myself went there in March (7 months prior to the wedding) to select our stefana and lambades for the wedding. She told me to call in the beginning of September (1 month prior) to tell her when I wound be in to pick everything up, which I did, and told her that I’d be in the weekend before the wedding. I then called her a few days before I was going to pick them up to confirm that they would be ready, to which she said they would. When we arrived to pick them up, she had completely forgotten about them and did not have them ready. Because the wedding was in 5 days, she dropped them off the following day to my Mom’s house in Nassau County. They wound up being beautiful and exactly what we wanted, I was just frustrated with trying to pick them up and became worried that they wouldn't be done on time.

Invitations and Beyond A
Invites were very easy because I wasn’t picky and I wanted to stay within my budget. I went there and they showed me what was within my price range. We picked out the one we liked, ordered it, and had a draft a few days later. Everything was quick and very easy. Highly recommended.

Lorilis A+
www.lorilis.com
I looooooved my aisle runner. The girls at Lorilis are such sweethearts, and they are willing to customize anything. A few rough drafts later, and my aisle runner was ready to be hand painted! They shipped it to us with plenty of time and it was the perfect touch to our church decor.

Avanti Limousines A
The drivers were nice, on-time and the limos were clean. Very easy to deal with.

Maine Maid Inn (Rehearsal Dinner) Big Fat F
I bugged DH about having our RD here because my family has always had parties/dinners here and I knew that I wanted the RD here. We had no problems with them at all, until the night of the RD. We had about 25 guests and there was only 1 waitress. Food came out cold and there was never enough drinks because this poor waitress was running her tail off. We asked why there was not enough help, and they had no response. Plus, the food was horrible. I don’t know why because in the past it was always very good, but it was not edible. Stay away!

Cafe Baldo (Bridal Shower) A
Small pizzeria/italian restaurant that our family has been going to for years, so I wasn’t shocked that my shower was here. They are a small family owned and operated business, so they closed for us. The food was delicious and overall it was a great time.

More photos to come..