My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Without LIW, I would have been lost. Thank you Ron, Liz and Kim. Your website is a great guide and I gained not only knowledge but great friends along the way as well.

I always wanted a fairytale Cinderella wedding. Since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be proposed to on a horse and carriage ride on a cold snowy night in Central Park. Well on Dec, 10 2005, Anthony made my wish come true. Now onto the fairytale planning:

Invitations:
I had to have scroll invites and when I was searching for them I thought I had to go a different route because they were so expensive. Then I came across All Wedding Cards (www.allweddingcards.com). The prices were a fraction of what I was quoted from a few local companies. I was very skeptical doing business with a company from India because I didn’t want any language translation problems. I decided to e-mail them and to my shock their English was better than mine. I conversed with Ajay via e-mail numerous times regarding designs, styles, colors etc. Each time his response was prompt, courteous and extremely helpful. I finally decided on my invites and was sent a proof to approve. Everything was exactly how I wanted it. The delivery was SUPER fast and I loved the end result. So many people complimented us on the unique invites.

Dress: Bridal Suite of Bayshore (Lila Couture, Bernadette) (Bill Levkoff Style #355 European Lilac)
I had falling in love with a Lila Couture (Bernadette) dress in a local salon. However, I did not like the service in this particular salon. I was told that they had an exclusive on this dress and I was so upset. I began my search again and found dresses I liked but nothing compared to the Lila Couture I wanted. I really wanted that other dress but didn’t want to deal with that salon. Then one night I went into Bridal Suite of Bayshore and pretty much had a breakdown. This is when Gina came to my rescue. I explained the whole situation to her and she said to give her a few days. Well the next day she called me back and said she could get the Lila Couture dress for me. I was overwhelmed with joy. I had dealt with this store in the past and never had any complaints. We ordered my dress, BM’s & FG’s dresses all from here. Every time we went to Bridal Suite of Bayshore everyone was helpful, friendly, and outgoing. When my dress came in, I hated the color. Since it was silk (which is an unprocessed fabric and I didn’t know any of this prior) it was a yellowish color. I was so disappointed. I didn’t know what to do. Again, Gina came to the rescue. She took care of it and within a few weeks she had another dress in pure white. She truly went out of her way numerous times for me.
We all had our alterations done here and everything was perfect. My MOH had lost over 100 pounds from when she ordered her dress and they were able to alter it with no problems. She looked as stunning as the rest of the girls. The night of the wedding there was one minor problem, one of the BM’s had yanked on her zipper a bit to hard and the zipper split away from the dress. It was fixed with a few safety pins and everything was fine the rest of the night. I was so happy with my alterations, my bustle was beautiful and the dress was the proper height so I didn’t have people stepping on it all night. My dress really made me feel like a princess.

HEADPIECE: Barron’s at Tri-County Flea Market
I got my veil and tiara from Barron’s. Rachael helped me with both items and was great to work with. I wanted a simple veil because I didn’t want anything to take away from my dress. The tiara was the first one that caught my eye. All the raves that Barron’s gets are true.

REHEARSAL DINNER: Villa D’Avanzo (Montauk Highway, Amityville)
This place was great. The prices were unbelievable. The food was delicious and we had a private room. Service was exceptional. We dealt with one of the owners (Anthony) and he was very accommodating.

TUXEDOS: Gino’s Fashion Tuxedos (Rt. 109 Farmingdale)
Another great choice. Everyone at Gino’s was so accommodating. I wanted DH in tails but not the GM’s. Andrea helped us picked everything out. She offered suggestions and let DH try everything on to see how it would all look. The color of the vests and ties matched the BM perfectly. I thought all the men looked sharp the day of and everything fit nicely. The men were even saying how comfortable the shoes were and how much they loved the purple vest.

HAIR: Jen the Hair Genie
Jen the hair genie did a great job. I was a BM in April and she did my hair and it came out fantastic. I had a trial with her about 1 month prior to the wedding and I really liked it. On the day of the wedding I wanted it changed a bit and it was like she could read my mind. She did exactly what I wanted. I have long hair and so many people along the way told me the curls would never stay in. Well I guess Jen used super glue because my hair looked awesome all night long and the curls never fell out. She also did my moms hair and 3 BM’s. Everyone’s hair looked amazing. Grant it, she redid 2 of the girls hair because they didn’t like it the first time. But this was their fault because they never looked at pictures for ideas and had no clue what they wanted. She has patience of a saint. Jen went beyond her hair style duty, she even stayed to help me get dressed. If it weren’t for her, I would still be sitting there trying to figure out how to get the dress and slip on without putting it over my head or breaking a leg.

MAKEUP: Jacqueline Nicole
What can I say about Jacqueline that hasn’t already been said? She is amazing. I did a trial with her in February and just felt so comfortable with her. The day of she did airbrush makeup on me, my mom and 4 BM’s. Everyone loved their makeup and looked gorgeous. She is such a sweet, energetic person to have around the day of. She fit right in and went with the flow. Everyone’s makeup stayed perfectly the whole day. I even bought the lipstick she used for me and still wear it everyday now. She truly enjoys her job and it really shows in her attitude.

DJ: DJ Tommy Tunes (MC Frankie Malfato, DJ Michael)
Frankie and Michael had the dance floor packed the entire night. Frankie is such a rip, he danced, he sang, he hugged us…….I think he thought he was a guest. This was exactly what we wanted. We did not want some obnoxious know-it-all screaming into the mic all night. At our final appointment we gave him our must play and do not play list and I have to say they followed it perfectly. We didn’t give him the entire night’s worth of music so he still had to pick a bunch of stuff and he really mixed it up nicely. So many guests said they were the best DJ/MC that they ever heard and I must agree.

PHOTOGRAPHER: ADA Studios (Big John, Assistant Sue, Photojournalist Neo)
I waited to do my review until I received my proofs so I could use some pro pics for it. I could not be any happier with ADA. Big John was just what I needed….he kept me in line. Although he wouldn’t let me chew gum, he is still OK in my book. : ) He was such a fun person to be around the entire day. And thinking back, if I had a grumpy moody photographer I would have been miserable. John was very patient and organized. He had to deal with a few smokers in the BP who seemed to be outside smoking every time he was looking for them. He also had to deal with some uncooperative kids. He never lost his patience. Sue took care of all the MOH duties without all the drama and stress. She fluffed my dress, told me when to reapply more lipstick, positioned my flowers, fixed my wind blown hair etc. Neo the photojournalist was great and didn’t miss a thing. He captured some great shots. He was everything we wanted from a photojournalist and more. When they got to my moms house the morning of the wedding I had a HUGE list of photos for them. Although each and every one wasn’t captured they really did their best to get them all. And to be fair, some of the ones they didn’t get were out of their control (people showing up late, people leaving early, rain etc). Neo and John’s style are different and I love both of their work. They are making it very hard for me to pick my thank yous, albums and enlargements. But that is a good thing!! I ended up with over 1000 proofs. My proofs are printed 4 per 8x10 page and bonded in a really nice book. Yet, the pictures are a bit smaller than standard proofs I would take this over the standard proofs any day. It saves me time and aggravation of putting them all in order and in albums. Like I first said, I couldn’t be any happier with the service, style and end results from ADA.

VIDEO: Mike Russo thru ADA Studios
I had never met Mike prior to the wedding day. I had seen his work and heard reviews of him but never actually met him until the day of. Poor Mike happened to walk in as I was having a Bridezilla moment because of the rain. He just smiled and said hi and walked away. A few minutes later, I saw him peak his head around the wall, as if asking if it were safe to enter. I felt bad and started to laugh because I was embarrassed for being such a witch. Within minutes, I felt like I knew Mike for years. He has a great attitude and wasn’t in my way or in my face at all. We got the finished video about 2 weeks after the wedding and I cried from watching it. He did such a fantastic job. Oddly enough some things he taped he probably didn’t even realize how special they would be to me. He zoomed in on a ton of pictures my mom has around the house (my nieces and nephews as babies, my sisters wedding and then a photo of my deceased dad.) These little touches make the video so special to me. I love the fact that he filmed some of my moms house where I grew up so now when I get home sick, I can watch the video. I had explained to Mike that I did a lot of DIY’s. He was sure to add everything into the video. He was a great part of the ADA team.

TRUMPETERS: Royal Brass
I knew we wanted trumpet players at the church and we didn’t know who to use. Then I came upon LIW and read many great reviews about Royal Brass. We booked the 1 ½ package which was 15 min prior, during the mass, and 15 minutes after. They coordinated everything with my organist at the church and all the songs were perfect. My only complaint is that apparently my receiving line took a little more time then we thought and when we went outside to have our pictures taken with them they were gone. This was one of the photos on my list that I really wanted and didn’t get. Rodger did go over to my mom to make sure she was happy with the service but I am still disappointed that he didn’t come to me. I was the bride and I wanted the picture. As far as music, they were perfect and a wonderful addition to the church.

LIMOS: Sir Olivier Limos
Back in January I had booked with Royalty. We booked the 14 passenger limo and antique Caddy. Well in August the owner called me to tell me he will not be sending the Caddy because Villa Lombardi’s was too far. Now I knew Villa hadn’t got up and moved and this was the same location I gave them back in January so I was confused why it took them 7 months to call me. To sum it up, he said the cars had become unreliable and told me I could pick a different car and he would work out the price. That was unacceptable to me. Yes he did offer me another car but in my opinion you don’t do something like this to a bride 1 ½ months prior to her wedding and still want to charge the difference if applicable.
Thankfully, I went to Sir Oliver and was treated like Royalty. : ) Rich and Jennifer were a pleasure to deal with. Everything was perfect the day of. We had the antique caddy and two stretch limos. The cars were immaculate, on time and the drivers (Tim, Bobby, and Bill) were friendly and really helpful. All three drivers were professional and coordinated everything perfectly from the aisle runner, to helping me in and out of the car to keeping us within the time frame without going into OT. So when they say things happen for a reason, it is true. The service could not have been better anywhere else.

FLOWERS: Flowers by Burton
I had ordered my Cinderella Carriage Centerpieces online and had Burtons decorate them. I wanted silk flowers so if anyone took them home they could keep them. The carriages were real basic and simple undecorated. I met with Mike at Burtons and he was easy to explain what I wanted. He made my sample centerpiece almost exactly how I described. He gave me suggestions for flowers and showed me some samples. The centerpieces the day of were perfect. The real flowers the day of all were beautiful and fresh. Nothing was wilted or dead. I loved the BM’s flowers and the all guy boutonnieres. I must say I was upset with the color of my flowers. I asked for all white calla lily’s, hydrangea, stephanotis, and roses with a hint of purple freesia. I got the exact flowers I asked for, however I wish Burtons would have told me that white flowers really aren’t white. They are more of a yellowish color. Why did the delivery person have to explain this to me when it was too late? And I can’t say I loved the wristlets I got for the moms. The colors were off from what I expected. But I did really like the BP flowers and they accented the dresses nicely. Flowers weren’t a huge important thing for me anyhow. I was happy not ecstatic with the florist.

TANNING: All about me spa – Hoffman Avenue Lindenhurst
My sister had recommended this place to me a few months back. It is a little salon in Lindenhurst that does facials, mani’s, pedi’s, airbrush tan, massages etc. I met with the owner Annette to see what this whole air brush tan thing was about. She explained everything to me and I (plus 3 BM’s) did a trial 1 week prior to the wedding. It looked awesome. I went 2 days prior to the wedding and so did 3 of my BM’s. We all loved it. Annette sprays you and you are not in a booth so you don’t have to worry about streaking. I am very pale and I thought my coloring looked natural and bronzy. I only did from my waist up since my legs were hidden and the charge was $30. I definitely recommend this for anyone wanted a tan without all the nasty side effects of a tanning salon.

DIY’s: Me
I wanted to add some special touches to my wedding by doing things myself. I decided to make my own programs, petal cones, cry packs, memorial candle for my dad, slipper baskets and mint books. Yes, some were tedious but when people complimented me on them or asked where I got it from, it was all worth the aggravation of doing them myself.

EBAY: Misc items
I order my castle card box, Cinderella & Prince Charming cut server set, my fairytale wine stopper favors (Seller: efavormart), cake topper, Matchboxes
(Seller: athenalittleone) all from e-bay. All the sellers I used were great to do business with.

RECEPTION HALL: Villa Lombardi’s
Anthony and I had gone to a wedding at Villa Lombardi’s about 2 years ago. We both knew that was the place for us. Everything about Villa Lombardi’s was stupendous. We loved the grounds, the service, the food and everything about the place. When we got engaged we decided to still look at other halls to make sure we were making the right decision. Villa Lombard’s was still our #1 choice. Our first appointment was with Charles one of the banquet managers. He answered every question we had and then some. He was professional, funny and best of all not pushy. Thru the months we had many more questions for Villa and there was always someone willing to help us out if Charles wasn’t available. When it came time for our final, we met with Yvonne. Within 5 minutes of dealing with her, I knew we were in good hands. She was so sweet and organized. She made the final appointments enjoyable and her times were flexible. She doubled checked everything not once but twice to ensure accuracy. I had mentioned to Yvonne that I really wanted pumpkins lined up along the steps outside. When we pulled up on the 20th, there were huge pumpkins all lined up. I was so happy. The minute we pulled up we were greeted by our maitre D with a huge smile.
Kathy was our maitre D and she was phenomenal. She was so easy to get along with. She was always at my side and had a fresh drink for me and DH in her hands at all the right times. Elizabeth was my bridal attendant and she was equally as amazing as Kathy. I do not think that there could be a better team than Kathy and Elizabeth.
Everything at Villa Lombardi’s was beyond my expectations. The décor, the service, the wait staff, the valet, the coat check, the bathroom attendants etc... all were extraordinary. The cocktail hour was out of this world. So many guests thought that it was a buffet dinner. They had no idea there was a whole other room with lots more food. I am still hearing from people how amazing and delicious everything was. Villa Lombardi’s is definitely top notch.

More pictures in my albums!

Message edited 2/22/2007 10:03:12 PM.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

gorgeous!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

You looked beautiful. Congratulations.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

You looked absolutely gorgeous! And thank you for your review! I am using almost all the vendors you used!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

You are very welcome. I remember you from your make-up trial and I was getting my hair trial done, right?

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Great Review! Thanks for sharing.... you looked beautiful!!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Great Review Deb! I love all your pictures! You truly did have a fairytale wedding!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Great review! I loved seeing your pictures! Congratulations!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Congrats Deb! You looked AMAZING, girl!! And didn't I tell you Villa's would be out of this world! I hope you got to eat!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

great review. Even 9 months later I love reading about Villa! Dreams come true and yours did. Congrats again!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Congrats on having such a beautiful wedding day!!! I am so excited to hear that Villa's along with some of the other vendors we share were so amazing.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

beautiful! great review, thanks

Congrats!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

right

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

great review!!!!

congrats!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Congratulations Debbie!!!!!!

You looked Beautiful!!

I Love Villas, I'm so happy that you had the wedding of your dreams!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Beautiful review and pics!!!!

Congratutalions!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Congrats Deb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad that all your dreams came true!! Love, love, love the theme!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Hey Cinderella great review and I must say that your wedding was absolutey georgeous and I was so honored and happy to be a part of this special time in both of your lives.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

love the review

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Awww Rose, you got me all choked up and you know that is hard to do.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

COngrats...thanks for the great review. I love hearning things about Villa Lombardi's. I booked Tommy's Tunes and Frankie is my MC I am gald he had the floor packed all night that why we boked them ..,never once heardna negative thing about them.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Congrats!!! You looked lovely.

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Great review Deb!!! You had a beautiful wedding - every detail was amazing!!! I was so happy to be a part of your day!!!

Re: My 10-20-06 Fairytale Wedding Review - Villa Lombardis, ADA, Tommy's Tunes, Flowers by Burton, Sir Olivier, Bridal Suite of Bayshore and Many More. With Pro Pictures and some Non-pro Pictures

Congrats... Beautiful review. Great pics.