Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

We got married on June 29, 2008 at Oheka Castle in Huntington, NY. In general, we loved most (not all) of our vendors and would recommend without hesitation (see below for details and a heads up on scams some vendors tried on us). The wedding was beautiful with great weather and great food. Guests had a wonderful time and my husband and I made sure that we let nothing spoil our day.

For future brides out there, I’m sure you’ve all heard that something will go wrong on your wedding day and you just have to let it go. It’s true – it will go wrong and you will just not let it get to you. If you’re like me, you also have tons of drama before the wedding as well – ever hear of a BRIDESMAIDZILLA? I hadn’t, and then I had one who just went out of her way to try to destroy the wedding. Anyway, weddings really do bring out the best and the worst of people. I learned that bridesmaidzilla is not only not a good friend but also not a good person. On the other hand you will be blown away by how absolutely wonderful some other people will be to you.


Location

Oheka Castle B- / B


Oheka is unbelievably beautiful and is expensive, but you really do set the stage for a fairytale type wedding. Many of the guests even said there was such a fairytale element to the whole day that they have never seen at any other wedding before.

I have spoken to several others who have had events at Oheka and I am not alone in my issues with them. They promise the world and absolutely under-deliver. I’m not the only one who had some (ie MANY) problems both in the weeks leading up to the wedding and the day of the wedding. My parents and I had several problems with the lack of organization and professionalism with the people we dealt with, and had terrible problems with the hotel. They would tell our guests that the room block price was $100 higher than our contract price and turn guests away saying that there were no rooms left at any price for the night of our wedding (we didn’t even fill our room block of 10 rooms and the rest of the hotel was empty!).

As for the day of the wedding, most aspects flowed well, with a few notable exceptions. Frankly, I was surprised that there were a number of issues on the day of the wedding given Oheka’s reputation and that they guaranteed me that the day of the wedding would go perfectly….(only a few of the issues are below)

We had specifically told them that there was a very small and limited guest list allowed upstairs into the bridal suite for the ketubah and marriage license signing. We were told that this would be followed very strictly and that they would have someone checking off names to ensure this would not be a problem. This simple task never happened and the staff by the door let in at least 20 uninvited people. It is all the more upsetting because those individuals who we were trying to exclude did exactly what we feared – they made a scene and spoil our day. I even had one of the uninvited guests insult me (yes, insult me on my wedding day!) I cannot understand what went wrong on Oheka’s side, but my husband and I were horrified that this occurred.

Several of the waiters were rude to guests and it became a counting game as to how many trays with dishes and glasses would be accidentally dropped and smashed on the floor during the dinner.

To make matters worse, towards the end of the reception I sent my husband’s Best Man over to the bartender to get me a diet coke. The bartender refused to give it to him and said that refreshments for the bride and groom are in the bridal suite, and that I would have to wait until I went upstairs. Naturally, there were no beverages whatsoever in the bridal suite, which meant I ended up drinking tap water from the bathroom. A very poor job by Oheka.


All in all, it’s a beautiful place, unbelievably expensive and not that well managed.



Cake

Daniel Andreotti (Oheka Executive Baker) A+++++++++++++++

This was the best part of Oheka. Our cake was sensational. I collect Wedgwood Jasperware and Daniel custom designed this for us. The Wedgwood cake was such a huge hit at the wedding – people couldn’t stop talking about it!!




Florist:

Flower Michele A+/A+


We dealt directly with John. He was just fantastic and of all the vendors, he was the easiest to deal with and made the whole process go smoothly. I very highly recommend him without reservation. As soon as we sat down to talk to him he understood exactly what we wanted and didn’t try to push anything on us. We explained exactly what we wanted and gave us a price quote $2000 less than a competitor for the exact same thing (and considering we were spending a good deal less than $5000 on flowers, that’s a big difference!). When we went for the mock-up of the centerpieces, we didn’t even have any changes to make – he did exactly what we asked for and did it perfectly. At the reception, I had so many people tell me the flowers were amazing. The bridal bouquet was beautiful and he included crystals in the flowers free of charge. He was so accommodating throughout the whole process, we felt like we were talking to a friend, not a vendor. I recommend him wholeheartedly.

NOTE: Alert! – Not at our florist, but another one that we had spoken with before deciding. We went to Pedestals florist when we were looking around. Thankfully, Oheka had actually warned us about certain florists (they did not name any specifically, but we were only looking at ones on their approved list) that will pad the bill with certain items that they know Oheka includes for free, such as votive candles. Needless to say, when Pedestals gave us a quote (which was about $2000 more than Flower Michele), I asked them if there was any way to bring that price down. They told us, no, there was nothing they could cut out. We then asked for a full breakdown of costs, which they were quite hesitant, but then reluctantly did for us, and as it turns out they were going to charge us $150 for votive candles to be put on 12 reception tables…for an afternoon wedding -- in the summer -- when they deal with Oheka often and know exactly what’s included. Clearly they’ve pulled this scam on others since Oheka knew to warn us about this exact thing. Buyer beware!!


Photographer

Bill Fredericks Studio A+/A+

Dealing with Bill was just wonderful. He is a first class professional and has an amazing talent. We had actually gone to his studio to look at one of the photographers who works for him, and once we saw Bill’s work we were simply swept away. Yes, he is expensive, but he is well worth it, and we couldn’t have been happier. His work is phenomenal and he is an incredibly artistic and creative photographer, so our wedding photos weren’t just standard posed body shots, but rather told a story and set a mood.


Band:

Nafshenu Orchestra A/A

We dealt with both Aaron and Jonathan. I was a little nervous in the months leading up to the wedding since they seemed a bit disorganized (Aaron would say one thing and Jonathan would say another). We interviewed a number of bands in the area and Nafshenu was simply better than any other band (in our price range) that we could find (we simply weren’t going to spend $20k on music!). We had a 7 piece band with 2 singers for the dinner and a string quartet. The strings were fantastic and the full band was perfect. These were true professionals and the singer’s voices (both male and female) were incredible. A number of people approached me during the dinner and afterwards to tell me they loved the band. We specifically asked for a lot of Sinatra and swing music, a mix of 70’s and 80’s and some modern dance music, in addition to some traditional Jewish music. They were great at all types of music. I was really surprised at how many people were out on the dance floor all night. They had the right mix of slow and fast dance songs, and really did a great job on our special requests. They learned a few songs for us as well that we had requested. We were very happy with them and would definitely recommend them.


Videographer

Shereck Video, David Shereck

I wont be getting the DVD for at least another month or so, so I cant really give a review yet.



Hair

Marlene Catalano, Hair Flair by Marlene C+

Marlene did a great job at my hair trial. On the day of the wedding she decided to do my hair a little different and I honestly thought it looked much better at the trial. The problem was that it did not hold and I have several photos where the back of my hair began to fall down and it progressed throughout the day. It looked decent until it began to fall apart which was around right before the ceremony. I had people following me around for the rest of the day trying to get my hair to stay up. Very disappointing work.

NOTE: Scam alert! – I went to her house in NY for the trial and as I’m hurrying up to leave and she suggested before I go I should just sign the contract. We had previously agreed upon $150 to do bridal hair on the day of the wedding. She then said, “oh, I must have given you the wrong amount, that’s only if I’m staying in Suffolk County, and Oheka is in Nassau County, so the fee is $200”. (To clarify, Oheka is 15 minutes from her house). I wasn’t sure if Oheka was actually over the county line, but I figured she works there often enough to know. I signed the contract believing she was correct. I happen to be speaking to our salesperson at Oheka and mentioned in passing that I was told Oheka was in Nassau county to which he replied that I was completely lied to and should let her know she made a mistake. I called Marlene back and told her that she must have made a mistake and that Oheka is in Suffolk, so the price should actually be the original $150 we agreed upon. Her response was, “well, you signed the contract, so that’s the price I’m keeping”. Hmmm, did I mention that my husband is a contracts lawyer and that’s not how the law works?” Well, needless to say this was nothing short of a scam and anyone chooses to use her, it’s BUYER BEWARE. Not a trustworthy person to work with.


Makeup

Donna Griffin, The Makeup Studio NY A+/A+

Donna does absolutely great work. To be honest, I didn’t like some of the sample photos she has on the website, but I’m willing to say that those are just poor quality photos after seeing her abilities. It was literally like a transformation -- seeing the before makeup and after makeup photos was shocking. My makeup lasted all day in the hot and humid weather and my face looked flawless. She did a great job and was reasonably priced.



Dance

Kim Bosch van Drakenstein, First Dance Impressions A

Kim is a great dance instructor and we wowed our guests during our first dance. There really is no substitute to having a very well rehearsed first dance routine. She made the lessons fun and worked us to our abilities, not beyond, not below. She also gave us great wedding day tips that I hadn’t seen elsewhere online. We were so glad we took lessons and looked so good on the dance floor. Going to someone who specializes in wedding dance rather than a general place like Arthur Murray made the difference to us.



Dress:

Cooper’s Dress Shop A+

I wore a Jasmine Couture dress that looked like a million bucks (but cost significantly less than that). Cooper’s Dress Shop is in New Haven which is a bit of schlep (considering I live in northern Virginia) but well worth it. You cant beat the prices or the service or the alterations. A true pleasure.


Clergy
A+++++


Rabbi Allen Block
Rabbi Charles Agin
Rabbi Stephen Dresner
Cantor Susan Agin
Monsignor Jim Lisanti
Father Al Barozzi
Reverend Sal Umana

Quite the list, I know – especially since this was not a mixed marriage! This was a traditional Jewish wedding, and I will admit I am a bit biased at how great the lead rabbi conducted the service (Rabbi Block) considering he is my father. This was quite the spectacle to have all the clergy participate, as the other clergy member are all very good friends of my father. We had a very mixed crowd of guests from all religions and walks of life, and everyone appreciated and enjoyed the diversity offered in the service and the overall message of coming together as couple but also as people. Truly a wonderful service and each of the clergy members were just fantastic.



Bridesmaid dresses

RK Bridal A+

My bridesmaids wore a Bill Levkoff dress in Victorian Lilac. They looked stunning. I originally priced them at a few shops and then ultimately went to RK Bridal in Manhattan. (NOTE: you do not need to go to the store if you know what you want, you can call or go online). RK is significantly cheaper than just about every other place, and comparing RK to Macys was almost a $100 difference per dress. Easy to work with and less expensive – definitely recommend.


Tuxedos

Tuxedo Park C-

Tuxedo Park was a nightmare to deal with. They try to impress you with a very fancy and expensive looking store, but the fact is they are poorly trained and their customer service ranks a zero on a zero to ten scale. They tried to cheat us several times and thankfully I caught them (3 separate times) with the pricing and what they charged our credit card. They are also much much much more expensive than other places we found (they charged us $200 and another place wanted only $140 for the identical tux). Being from out of town (we live in Virginia) we had limited time to visit other stores and the other place that we knew had it cheaper had closed by the time we made it there. In retrospect, we should have gone to the other place first, since it would be hard to believe another store could be more rude or condescending, or lie directly to your face, or try to cheat you out of money, repeatedly. This was the worst service and the tuxes didn’t look that great on the day of the wedding. They all had strings hanging off them and looked very cheap. The tailoring was terrible. The only positive about this place is that they pick up the tuxes for you the next day. All in all, I would never recommend going there to rent a tuxedo.

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Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Sorry, still trying to figure out how to attach more pictures. I will add a few more.

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Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

still more pics

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Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

still more

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Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

and more pics.

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Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Wow your pics are amazingggggggggg! You look stunning! Congrats ! ! !

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Wow that cake is so amazing. I love the pic of your husband and the gm playing pool. You looked beautiful!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

congrats! u look beautiful!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

sorry to hear about the scams but thank you for the heads up. future brides will appreciate that.
you looked very beautiful...awesome cake

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Wow.. your cake is amazing! Congrats!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

What an incredible review! You looked beautiful and everything looked amazing! Congratulations!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

crazy to hear about all of those scams! future brides will thank you

everything looks stunning!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

you looked great

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

congrats!!!!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Beautiful wedding! Your photos are stunning!!! And your cake looked amazing!! Congrats!!

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Everything looked beautiful! Sorry about Oheka, they should really be more professional

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Thankd for sharing...love the GM pool pic. Also thanks for the heads up on the scam

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

you looked great...thanks for the review

Re: Review of Oheka Castle, Flower Michele, Bill Fredericks Studio, Nafshenu Orchestra, Hair Flair, Makeup Studio NY, Tuxedo Park and more!

Follow up on review for Shereck Video:

Sorry for the long delay - I hadnt received my video by the time I posted my reviews. He did a great job on the final product. He was a creative with some of the scenes and edited everything exceptionally well. He was also reasonably priced. Really glad we went with him.
Shereck Video, David Shereck