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Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors
cleokizzy Posted: Apr 05, 2011 11:45 PM+
cleokizzy MEMBER SINCE: 6/09 TOTAL POSTS : 2941 WEDDING DATE: Aug 28, 2010
Posted: Apr 05, 2011 11:45 PM bride-minus.png

Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

First of, I’m not much of a writer so please pardon if you see any grammatical/typographical errors! LOL

Most of my vendors are non-LIW vendors but I will still post a review in the hopes that it may help brides planning for their big day.

Note that each vendor was rated on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest.

Bridal Salon: 5
Pronovias Flagship Store
14 east 52nd street with 5th and Madison
New York, NY 10022
(212) 897-6393
www.pronovias.com

Pronovias is by far, THE best bridal store I’ve been to. I was impressed with the lovely décor, the friendly staff, the personalized service and of-course the wide-range of gown collection – they are a 5 in my book! It did not take me long to find THE gown of my dreams: the Calipso from the Elie Saab collection. It had everything I wanted: lace, silk, romantic and unique. (it cost me an arm-and-a-leg but I had a “gown fund” to use.) Note that I did NOT use their alterations service.




Kleinfeld
110 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
(646) 633-4300
www.kleinfeldbridal.com

The sales lady was helpful in finding the right veil. I ended up getting a cathedral veil that has ruffles on its edges. It was a steal because it’s part of their sample sale! If it were not for the sale, I would probably buy it some place else where it’s definitely cheaper.




Bridal Gown Alteration/Tailor: 5
Roula of Queens

A friend who had been using her for quite some time referred me to Roula. She is a sweet lady who used to work at Pronovias but is currently working at Amsale, which is another bridal designer. She is based in Queens and all fittings are done at her house - it’s a residential area with ample street parking. She shortened my dress a few inches, changed the knotted belt into a nice, abstract bow at the back and added a bustle – all for under $300! If you need her contact info, send me an FM.


BM Gowns & GM/RB tuxes: 4
True Love Weddings
13331 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 321-3666
www.truelovewedding.com

The BM gowns & BM/RB tuxes are RENTALS and were part of a bridal package from TrueLove. We paid an extra $50 per gown and $25 per colored vest/tie combo since we picked something outside the collection they have in-store. All gowns are from Mori Lee and for the life of me, I don’t remember who made the guy’s tuxes!

Most of my girls are overseas and they could not obtain a visa in time for my wedding so we had replacements. The tailors at TrueLove were able to alter the gowns and tuxes as close to 3-days before the wedding! The tailoring was on par with dresses altered in a normal timeframe (no dress malfunctions on the day-of). Note that there were absolutely NO alteration fees/rush fees.

I would’ve given a 5 if not for: 1) they do not have a complete sample of gowns (they do have samples to try on but I think these are “popular” styles. I naturally picked an “unpopular” style); 2) they had me pick from an outdated catalogue so the style we originally fell in-love with was discontinued. I did not want to stress more than I already did so I picked a dress from the designer’s website without actually seeing it and left it up to fate. (We got lucky but I do NOT suggest taking this chance!).

I have to mention that as part of the package, I have the option to rent 2 bridal gowns for the day-of. They have beautiful gowns there, and for some extra $, can obtain brand new gowns from the manufacturer but it was my personal choice to opt-out of this and find/buy my OWN gown. They will also provide the accessories (veil, day-of jewelry, hair flowers if needed) for free but again, I opted out of this. This might be a good option for practical brides!




Flowers
Florist Hills: 5
6819 Woodhaven Boulevard
Rego Park, NY 11374
(718) 459-8442
floristhillsinc.webs.com

We dealt with Lucy and Maria all throughout our planning. They have got to be the most patient vendor because we started with a big-budget 2-page contract, changed it twice, and ultimately shrunk our flower order into a half-page contract! For the church, we ordered 5 pairs of pew decorations + tulle, 1 table and 2 altar arrangements all composing only of white/ivory/cream colored flowers; and for the extra bridal party members, we ordered hand corsages and boutonnières in warm red/orange-toned flowers. They also moved the table and altar arrangements to our reception at the Sand Castle. I highly recommend getting in-touch with this vendor because they really do work with your budget.



P.B. flowers: 10

I know my scale is from 1-5, but I’m going over that and give it a 10 because the bo-k, bouts and corsages are stunningly beautiful! The florist is the lead florist for one of NYCs top event designer with an initial of P.B.– can’t divulge the name because I don’t want him to get in trouble. I could not find any florist willing to make a bridal bo-k with Gardenias because of it being delicate but this florist has access to all kinds of flowers (be it in-season or not!) at his disposal. I told him I wanted an all-white bridal bo-k composed of Gardenias and Roses and left it up to him what colors/flowers to use for the rest of the party. Boy… did he deliver… all our bo-ks were HUGE and filled with flowers (honestly, my girl’s bo-ks could pass for a colored bridal bo-k!).




Transportation
True Love Weddings Limo Service: 5

A 12-seater stretch limo is included in the package from TrueLove. The limo was used by DH to get from the hotel to the church and afterwards, it was used by our parents to get from the church to the reception hall. We did not get a single complaint from our parents (nor did DH) so I’m giving it a 5.

Royalty Limousine: 5
315 Franklin Avenue,
Franklin Square, NY
(516) 326-9100
www.royaltylimo.com

We booked this about a month before the wedding and were still able to get the cars needed for our day. We had booked an Escalade for the bridal party and a limo-van to transport our guests from the church to the reception and vice-versa (after the party). Both cars arrived on time, were clean and the drivers are courteous and friendly to my guests and me.




Videography

True Love Weddings Video: 5

TrueLove’s main business is photo+video and you get more bang for your buck if you get the whole package (photo, video, outfits, m/u, limo). Their videos are more traditional and have all the basics you need: getting ready, ceremony, reception. They are not the cinematographic style that is becoming popular. It’s not the greatest but also not the worst. If you don’t need a fancy video and need basic video just to record the day, this would be it. Super-fast turn around time AND you could request for a copy of the raw DVD.

Mayad Studios: 4.5 for now (still have not received the complete video)
www.mayadstudios.com

I was happy with using the video from TrueLove until I saw Mayad’s wedding highlights video… and I fell absolutely in-love. They are based overseas but when I got in-touch with them, I was told they would be in CA doing a wedding prior to my date so I only had to pay for the plane tix from CA to NY on top of their actual fee. It was a bit of a hassle booking them because I would also have to provide transportation AND accommodations. However, I was dead set on using them because of the quality and work that they do (they have been continual award-earners from the Wedding and Event Videographers Association International, considered the Oscars of wedding videos). Even with all the extras that I had to pay, they are by far cheaper than the videographers based here and offer much more – no extra $ for the highlights, no extra $ for wedding preparations, etc. The one thing that they currently do NOT offer are same-day-edit videos.

We had a half-day pre-nup shoot which is incorporated into the highlights and wedding video. On the day-of, they were with us from morning til dawn. There was no time limit; they were there until they shot everything for the video.

Delivery-wise, it took about 3months to get the highlight video and I am still waiting for the complete video. I was forewarned about this so it’s not something to complain about. I LOVE our highlights video and I know the complete video will be amazing. I completely trust this vendor and their skills!

Check out our wedding highlights here!


Photography
True Love Weddings Photo: 4.5 (still have to do the albums! ugh)

As part of the package we are getting: 2 sets of parents album, pre-nup and wedding album, sign-in banner, 2 portraits and raw shots of all photos.

We had 2 pre-nup shoots with 2 different photographers to see which style and attitude blends with ours. We opted for an outdoor shoot to highlight the season (one was done in autumn, the other in spring). We picked the 1st photog (Garcia) over the 2nd (Chao, who is also the owner) because we felt more 'connected' with him. Had we picked the owner, Chao, we had to pay an extra $1k for his services.

We are still in the process of picking photos for the album but I’ve known friends who used them and I’ve seen their albums and it has very good quality.





Nelwin Uy: 5
www.nelwinuy.com

Based overseas, he is one of the sought-after wedding photographers in the Philippines. His style is photojournalism, with a lot of candid shots.We had him as an extra photog to take shots. No album, etc. Just basic photo service. We just received the disc of all our photos and WHOA – it had more than 2k! We had 200+ edited photos and although some shots are duplicates, they are still a LOT. His prices are reasonable. Don’t be afraid to get quotes and tell him your budget because he is willing to work with you.





Ryan Ortega: 3 (still waiting to see the rest of the photos)
www.mryanortega.com

Also based overseas, he’s an up-and-coming destination-wedding photographer in the Philippines. He does photojournalism and occassionally We did not hear of him until Fiel from Mayad (our videog) asked if he could take photos of our wedding for free since he was looking to expand his portfolio. Free photog: SURE! We have not received our photos yet, and have only seen a few but I love those shots. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hope the rest of the photos are just as stunning. I asked for his rates and it is in the reasonable/affordable price-range (1-2k).






Hair & Make-up

[Coco from True Love Weddings for pre-nup#1 and BM/MOH/MOB/MOG: 5

Again, part of the package. She is good with make-up & hair PLUS speaks English but I liked Maggie more. She did my girls and mother’s hair & makeup. They all loved her!

Maggie from True Love Weddings for pre-nup#2 and day-of 5

Again, it’s part of the package (seriously, if your in a budget, they are the go-to place!). LOVE what she did to my hair and make-up on both days. I went for the romantic/natural look and she delivered. Only problem: communication. She’s Chinese and does NOT speak English! (we did have an interpreter but still…) They do NOT go to you for the day-of hair/make-up. You HAVE to go to their salon/office located in Flushing and depending on the number of weddings scheduled for the day, you might see other brides getting ready alongside you.



Oksana for b-pics: 5
www.makeupartistryoksana.com

I left my face to Oksana’s expertise since it's her forte. I just told her it’s for b-pic and after about 30 mins (maybe more)… TADAAA: I looked like a sexy vixen (or at least I thought I am. LOL). Love her work. Not too sure about the thickened eyebrows but really love what she did to my eyes.




Jen from Jenerations: 5
www.jenerations.com

Never heard of b-pics until LIW. She’s nice to work with and very accommodating, she will work with your schedule and your budget. I dealt with her mainly via e-mail (she responds fast) and txt msg. She sent the album out to me via regular mail at no charge.


Reception Hall
Sand Castle: 10
505 Franklin Avenue
Franklin Square, New York 11010
(516) 354-7263
www.sandcastlecaterers.com



This is one of only 2 LIW listed vendors that I used. Charlie of Lulu’s Bakery referred us to here (believe it or not, we went checking for bakers FIRST without a date/hall. *ahem* it’s obvious that sweets is our priority). This was the 1st hall we scoped out and we immediately booked it then-and-there! Moe was our rep and he was with us from the time we booked until the day-of and day-after our wedding. We took advantage of the installment plan since we booked a year in advance of our wedding date. We were really lucky that we booked BEFORE they did renovations (there was no revolving executive table, no veranda, and no extra bridal suite behind the executive table) because I heard that their prices went considerably up after that.

On the day-of, we had 3 MD (including Moe), 1 bridal and 1 groom’s attendant. We were all pleased with our attendants and our guests praised their wait staff.

During our grand entrance, all attention was first focused on the side door at the far-end nearest the stage where the bridal party entered. Soon after, it was our turn to be introduced. The lights were dimmed (we could see this from the monitor at the bridal suite at the back of the executive table), spotlights were moving around, fog/smoke machine was turned on and to the surprise of our guests, the executive table slowly revolved to reveal us surrounded by a display of lights from the hundreds of LED on the wall! UNIQUE AND REALLLYYYYY COOOOLLLLL!!!





Now let’s talk about the food of which SandCastle is famous for. There’s 1 thing that guests always remember whenever they are asked about a previously attended wedding, and that is: FOOD – either how good/bad it is. Always.

I heard that they do not offer food tasting but, again, we were lucky to have one because of the showcase they did for all booked SC couples. This was supposed to show all the renovations that were made but it also gave a glimpse of the food festival that will happen on the day of the wedding!

Our guests were blown-away with the smorgasbord of food during the CH, so much so that they thought it was the MAIN dinner! They LOVE the boat!









By the time they got to the main hall, they were stuffed! The meals at the main hall were excellent and our guests were extremely pleased (and surprised) when their waiters offered seconds. Most of them had to-go boxes of their main course. Me & DH had our meals to-go as well because it is true what they say – the bride & groom will be too busy and excited with all the festivities that it’s hard to just sit-down and eat!





Just when our guests thought nothing could top the meals they already had, in comes this train full of sweet delights! I’ve seen Viennese served and placed in each table… ours was served in several carts and almost filled the entire SC dance floor! This Viennese TRAIN is like an icing to the cake. It sealed the deal with our guests that our wedding was the talk of the town in our circle for months (even until now). Note that we had the chocolate fountain for free, if you had to pay extra for this, I suggest NOT taking it because there is soooo much that is already offered with the Viennese train.





Our amazingly delicious and elegant cake was made by Jeanie's bakery. Moe said they work with 3 bakers and Jeanie will be the one working with us. I specifically asked for a cake tasting so we had ours at her bakery in East Rockaway. We had red velvet cake with fondant. We provided the topper & rhinestone trims.


Here's Moe personally presenting the surprise Groom's Cake from Lulu's bakery during the reception


A few included incidentals that need to be mentioned: they provided the place cards (we ended up NOT using it though), direction cards for the invitation, table numbers and menu cards. We also used the branch centerpieces that everyone complemented (and tried to take home but failed); we were able to significantly cut down our flower budget by doing so.




I also have to mention that the day after our wedding (Sunday), I asked around who took home our wedding cake (we got the top part, but I wanted to know who got the rest of the cake)… and no one seemed to know! I called Moe and told him how I’d hate for it to go to waste but he did not know what happened… Well, my FIL had to go back to SC that same day since he forgot something, and when he got back… lo-and-behold he came back with this new cake from SC!!! Moe sent us a new cake to feast on (this is on top of the food we already took home)! WHOA!

Grooms Cake
Lulu's Bakery: 5
18526 Union Tpke
Fresh Meadows, NY 11366
(718) 454-4300

If not for Charlie, the owner and head baker, we would NEVER have found out about Sand Castle! He was the one who told us to check SC because they serve good food and their kitchen is clean (guess bakers/chefs rate places by the cleanliness/orderliness of the kitchen!).

Hubby is a HUGE Yankees fan so as a surprise gift on our wedding day, I had ordered a NY Yankee inspired grooms cake. I went by Charlie's suggestion of having it made with chocolate cake with caramel filling and OMG it is SOOOO GOOODDDDD! I love the colors and details of the cake and everyone admired it! It was a pleasure working with Charlie and I highly recommend his bakery for all your cake needs!






Chapter 2 Band: 5
www.chapter2band.com

The energy these guys exuded is like the cherry on top of the cake. This is one of the best decisions we made. They have wide range of music selection and they have very impressive vocal scores. At one point, hubby signaled the leader to change the music and the band transitioned to a nice mellow song asap. They are very willing to work with your budget.






Cake toppers
Ginger Babies: 5
GingerBabies on Etsy

Accidentally found this seller at Etsy. Ginger is very friendly, easy to work with and responds to all my emails promptly. I ordered a NY Yankee-inspired cake topper for the grooms cake and a cake topper replicating me & hubby’s attire for the day-of. Both came out pretty good! If you our hubby is in the service, you can get a discounted rate.


Cardbox
[Door County Woodworks: 5
Door County Woodworks on Etsy

Everyone LOVED our birdcage house/cardbox! It’s unique and symbolic for us because we plan to save whatever we got as wedding gifts to purchase a house. John was easy to work with but you have to have patience dealing with him because it takes a few days before he responds to emails. You can customize it with your fave/wedding colors and add your names/whatever you want for the door sign. You get 2 roofs – one with the slot for the cards and the other without the slot. I love that there is some form of “wooden lock” that is not obvious so that it keeps all those cards safe throughout the event! Note that you have to place an order in advance because he makes this from scratch, he does offer rush orders but that would cost extra.

Cardbox & Topper in photo



Honeymoon

Aegean Palace Hotel: 10
Kontomari, Platanias,
Crete 73014, Greece
www.aegean-palace.gr



We took advantage of the free stay that Sand Castle offered and went last September 2010. It was when school starts so it wasn’t quite as busy as we expected.

With other SC couples that we met!


With some of the staff. Dmitri, the most accommodating manager who will welcome you, is at the far right. We like to chat with people and found that most of their wait staff are students from Bulgaria, Lithuania and Russia and they all stay at the resort.


The two busiest towns on the island of Crete (Creta) are Chania and Heraklion which is about two hours apart by car. Its a longer trip by bus but it's also cheaper. There's an airport at both ends of the island of Crete so you have an option to land on either end.

Aegean Palace is located at the Chania prefecture, which is in the northern part of Greece’s biggest island, Crete. To get there from NY, we had to take an international flight from JFK to ATH (used Alitalia which was the 'cheapest' we found on Orbitz.com) and then a domestic flight from ATH to CHQ (Chania airport. There are 2 airports in Crete – Iraklion and Chania, you HAVE to make sure you go to Chania because the other airport is roughly 3hours away!) There are 2 domestic carriers that goes between ATH-CHQ: Aegean Air and Olympic Air. Both seem to offer the same price range but have varying flight times. We used both carriers and do not see any difference in service. On both carriers, they serve drinks and snacks even though it is a 50min flight! (It’s funny because by the time they finished serving all the rows, they had to go back and get the trash! Before they reach the last row, we were already landing. HAHA)

We highly recommend Alitalia! We love the service, the food and... free wine to start off our HM!


If you’ve never been to Europe, keep in mind that international carriers allow only 1 checked baggage with a max of 23kg! We went shopping in Athens and ended up needing to check an extra luggage and pay extra! Also, their “carry-on” luggage is very different from US standard size (the one that comes 20in in size, easily fit on overhead bins here in US). It’s about HALF that size! The locals kept staring at our carry-ons, at one point; one had the guts to tell us how “huge” our luggage are. This may pose a problem with propeller-type planes because it will NOT fit on the overhead bins and you have to check it in (a.k.a. pay extra baggage to do this!) – this happened to us on our flight back from Santorini to Athens.

Chania airport is SMALL but clean and obviously, easy to navigate. To get to Aegean Palace, you can either take a taxi / a bus or rent a car. The Mercedes Benz taxi stand (I just have to mention that. DH & I were surprised how the “luxury” brand in the US can be a regular TAXI car in Greece!) is right up-front and it’ll cost about $35-40. Until now, we still can’t figure out how they do pricing. We noticed that aside from the per-mile/km rate, there’s also a fee for having luggage and a night fee (ridic I know, but we’re foreigners and want to arrive safely at our hotel so we are at the mercy of the driver). Another option is to take the bus that transports passengers from the airport to the towns west of the island. The fare ranges from 2.80 to 4.80 € (euros) depending on the destination and the time of travel (there's usually a higher charge at night). The bus ride is a bit tricky because you have to transfer once at the bus depot - you won’t know which bus to transfer to until about 10mins before it leaves! Also, based on our experience, not too many people speak/understand English so you have to be alert.





We arrived late at night at Aegean Palace and were welcomed by the manager Dmitri who stayed late just to welcome us (how warming!). We were ushered to our VIP Suite where there was a welcome tray, house wine and a light meal (sandwich, tomatoes, cucumber & olives) because they figured we haven’t had dinner. The kitchen was closed by then so we had to do with the sandwich. I have to mention their tomatoes, cucumber and olives are grown in their own farm and I loooovvvvveeeeeddddd how fresh they are! I’ve never eaten so many tomatoes in so little time! These seem to be staple food because I always see them during meals.



The room space is sufficient, it had a European king-sized bed (European beds are smaller than the US ones), a tube TV with sucky cable service (who needs it anyway?), a mini-fridge (that turns off when you turn off the lights which shouldn’t be the case but that’s how it is), a tub with running hot water annddddd our own private pool!





When we went, we came prepared to spend for food because the contract only mentioned hotel stay. We were relieved to find that they have gone all-inclusive and provide food and drinks! Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at their only restaurant beside the pool. Most of their meals are Americanized and you’ll notice that it’s mostly meats and sausages (far from the Mediterranean meals that we know of). There are some Greek specialties served but for the most part, it’s mostly non-Greek food. They all taste good though, but we were hoping to eat local dishes.







The property is HUGE with a lot of rooms/units. They have a pool beside the one restaurant, a tennis court, a mini-golf spot, an outdoor theater (where a traditional band plays at certain nights) and it’s a few minutes walk towards the beach. WiFi internet is free but you have to go to the lounge area to get within the range – NO internet in the rooms!



We had a chat with the owner (who was staying there)and I mentioned how their website needs to be updated because it’s too old and does not reflect the beauty of the actual resort. According to him, they are currently in contract with a Polish travel agency called Itaka so they cannot advertise it online just yet. They do however have plans to overhaul the website soon as the contract expires. This explains a lot because all we see are Polish guests (and they are a lot)! Every morning, you’ll hear songs blasting in the PA and club hosts showing exercises and speaking Polish – it was a bit annoying because they were pretty loud but it was only for a few minutes. Just close the windows and the blinds so you can go back to sleep (like we did).



The beach is less than 5mins leisurely walk from the property. If you plan on swimming at this beach, arm yourself with sun block and water shoes because it is really pebbly! It is NOT a sandy beach. Apparently, Aegean Palace is located on the west part (pebbly beaches) and the powdery beaches are on the eastern part. Make sure to book a day-trip to Elafonisi (eastern part, about an hour or so drive), which is supposed to be the most beautiful beach in Crete!

There is a bus stop right in front of the entrance where buses pass by at regular intervals. You can take a trip for about 1.50 euro per person to Platanias where all the shops, restaurants and “night” life seem to be. When you do check out the shops, do not be surprised when you see lots of knock-off designer stuff that are being sold (seriously. It’s like a trip to Main st). There are many souvenir shops but most are overpriced and, I can’t seem to find a nice souvenir to bring home because they all seem the same as any other beach destinations – i.e. seashells, pearl necklaces, more seashells, straw hats, etc. The only “souvenir” we did buy is key chains and olive oil.

We also took the bus to the 'city' in Chania (forgot the name but you can just tell them to the 'old Chania Venetian Port') where it offers much more than Platanias. I think it was about a 20-30mins bus ride since it's way past Platanias. It has more shops and more restaurants. I love walking down the old port at night when all the lights are lit and it reflects on the water! This is a must visit for sight seeing and for a nice romantic dinner.



You can book day trips and/or vehicles and pay at the front desk. For tours, the bus will pick you up at certain times (mostly early in the AM around 6am) and for vehicle rentals, they bring it to you at the hotel. You can request for a lunch box to bring on your trip and they will have it ready for pick-up early next day. It’s just a ham/turkey sandwich and a whole tomato, half a cucumber and olives – not really that filling but enough as a snack.



The following are the trips that we took and recommend. Remember that 10 days goes by fast even without doing these trips/sight-seeing! The other SC couples we met just relaxed and stayed in the resort so it’s up to you how you want to spend those days.

Train tours – we did the 2 most popular trips. The first is to an old church with a plaza that has a statue of Eleftherios Venizelos where on the way, you would see olive trees and rock formations. I DO NOT recommend this tour because it’s a waste of time. The ONLY good thing about this is the restaurant beside the plaza that serves this really good, really tender lamb dish. If you’re a foodie, it’s worth the trip. If not, save your money. The 2nd trip was to a church that is built inside the cave located. This is an uphill trip and the cave is located at a much higher ground, which offers you a nice view of that part of the island. There is a priest there and they require you to cover-up exposed skin before you can enter (one tourist was wearing a bikini top+shorts, by the looks on the priest’s face he might’ve had a heart attack!). We also visited the oldest known olive tree in the world. At the end of this tour, you will visit a small liquor shop where they make the local distilled spirit Raki is made. There you can see how it is made and get to try samples.



The only good thing in the 1st trip: this restaurant and the lamb dish




The 2nd trip:







Trekking at Samaria Gorge – I ONLY did this because hubby loves trekking AND the Samaria Gorge is said to be the longest scenic trail ever in all of Europe. Had it not for our agreement that he will drive me to Iraklion to see the Palace of Knossos as long as I do Samaria, I will NEVER do this! The bus will drop you off at the very top of the mountain where you will trek the whole 13km to get to a beautiful beach where you have to ride a ferry to bring you back to the other island where your bus awaits. I’ve never trekked before, and looking back at photos, it does offer a lot of beautiful views (specially the gorge) BUT I was busy maneuvering between the rocks and worried that we won’t make it in time to catch the ferry and be left to stay at the island! Suffice it to say – I was SORE for more than 3 days!!! Good thing we have the private pool.







Rent a car and drive to Iraklion – we met another SC couple and decided that we take a road trip to Iraklion which is on the other end of Crete. It is about 3 hours drive along a scenic route but unless you or hubby are really defensive drivers, I wouldn’t suggest what we did. The drivers don’t signal, they drive really close to you and there are narrow roads. We rented a GPS and it took us to the mountains going to Iraklion! Grr. Going back, we just followed the map and stick to the main roads (there were ample signs). Also, keep in mind that the street signs are in Greek and the popular tourist places have English counterparts. However, if you happen to go a wrong turn and go to a non-popular area, all the street signs are going to be in Greek! And you may find some difficulty speaking to locals like we did – most that we approached couldn’t speak/understand English. Iraklion is the capital of that island where most businesses are. It’s definitely busier. We went there to visit the Palace of Knossos which is famous in Greek mythology for housing the famed Labyrinth and the dolphin frescoes. If you love history and mythology, it’s a nice place to go! Later that day, we had an early dinner at a popular seafood restaurant located at the old Venetian port where it offers a spectacular view of the sunset. Definitely a must visit if you do get there.











If you made it this far with my review… thanks and hope you leave a kind note!
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little j Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:18 AM+
little j MEMBER SINCE: 1/09 TOTAL POSTS : 12449 WEDDING DATE: Apr 24, 2010
Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:18 AM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

thank you soooo much! we are going to crete in july, so i may have more questions that I will FM you. cant wait to share with DH

you looked gorgeous and i LOVE your highlight video. amazing. congrats!
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KristyANDMatt224 Posted: Apr 06, 2011 12:20 PM+
KristyANDMatt224 MEMBER SINCE: 12/10 TOTAL POSTS : 2573 WEDDING DATE: Feb 24, 2013
Posted: Apr 06, 2011 12:20 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

This review is amazing! Thank you so much! I was excited before, but now I feel like I won't be able to wait til my wedding date!!!
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jomacah Posted: Apr 06, 2011 08:11 PM+
jomacah MEMBER SINCE: 8/10 TOTAL POSTS : 127 WEDDING DATE: Sep 17, 2011
Posted: Apr 06, 2011 08:11 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

Great review! Congratulations!
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Im getting Married Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:43 PM+
Im getting Married MEMBER SINCE: 2/09 TOTAL POSTS : 11624 WEDDING DATE: Apr 30, 2011
Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:43 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

Great review
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Special K Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:43 PM+
Special K MEMBER SINCE: 12/08 TOTAL POSTS : 716 WEDDING DATE: Jun 19, 2010
Posted: Apr 06, 2011 10:43 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

So beautiful! CONGRATS :)
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madamsireeda213 Posted: Apr 08, 2011 12:07 AM+
madamsireeda213 MEMBER SINCE: 12/09 TOTAL POSTS : 1480 WEDDING DATE: Sep 05, 2011
Posted: Apr 08, 2011 12:07 AM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

thats was an amazing review!!!! the wedding and everything looked awesome!!!i love that grooms cake!!!does lulu bakery have a website? maybe ill look them and get a grooms cake for the RD congrats!!!!
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jennybee Posted: Apr 08, 2011 12:27 PM+
jennybee MEMBER SINCE: 7/09 TOTAL POSTS : 2112 WEDDING DATE: Jun 12, 2010
Posted: Apr 08, 2011 12:27 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing. You did an incredible job! More importantly, CONGRATS! You are stunning!!!! Yeah you!
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cleokizzy Posted: Apr 08, 2011 01:40 PM+
cleokizzy MEMBER SINCE: 6/09 TOTAL POSTS : 2941 WEDDING DATE: Aug 28, 2010
Posted: Apr 08, 2011 01:40 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review


Posted by madamsireeda213

thats was an amazing review!!!! the wedding and everything looked awesome!!!i love that grooms cake!!!does lulu bakery have a website? maybe ill look them and get a grooms cake for the RD congrats!!!!



thanks! i'm not sure they have a website, but they DO have an FB page - Lulu's Bakery. They post new cakes almost every month, mine was under August 2010!
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Moonmist09 Posted: Apr 08, 2011 02:37 PM+
Moonmist09 MEMBER SINCE: 1/10 TOTAL POSTS : 10598 WEDDING DATE: Jun 12, 2011
Posted: Apr 08, 2011 02:37 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

thank you so much for your review! i never sae any pictures of the hotel and accomodations that the sand castle offers. it was nice to see - and it actually looks nice!
i wish you put up more pictures of your dress, it looks absolutely stunning!
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merelynn10 Posted: Apr 09, 2011 09:36 PM+
merelynn10 MEMBER SINCE: 3/10 TOTAL POSTS : 5545 WEDDING DATE: Jul 09, 2011
Posted: Apr 09, 2011 09:36 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

Beautiful Wedding Congrats!
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SoonToBeBride812 Posted: Apr 11, 2011 12:13 PM+
SoonToBeBride812 MEMBER SINCE: 3/11 TOTAL POSTS : 37 WEDDING DATE: Aug 17, 2012
Posted: Apr 11, 2011 12:13 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

I cant than you enough for posting this review of the greek honeymoon. i checked out their website and was turned off by it, and said no way, not for us. but your review has given me hope :))

thanks!!!
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anszusterman Posted: Apr 11, 2011 04:17 PM+
anszusterman MEMBER SINCE: 8/08 TOTAL POSTS : 2000 WEDDING DATE: Oct 16, 2011
Posted: Apr 11, 2011 04:17 PM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

Congrats!!!! Your dress is amazing!!! I was also interested in getting some info on the woman that altered your dress. Can you FM me?

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CroatianBride Posted: Apr 12, 2011 11:04 AM+
CroatianBride MEMBER SINCE: 9/10 TOTAL POSTS : 1543 WEDDING DATE: Nov 26, 2011
Posted: Apr 12, 2011 11:04 AM bride-minus.png

Re: my review

AMAZING review!!!!!

You looked gorgeous and I am happy to hear the Sand Castle went above and beyond!!! Your pictures of the resort are the first I've seen and honestly it exceeded my expectations!



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nicoleah1017 Posted: Apr 20, 2011 09:45 PM+
nicoleah1017 MEMBER SINCE: 6/10 TOTAL POSTS : 18 WEDDING DATE: May 29, 2011
Posted: Apr 20, 2011 09:45 PM bride-minus.png

Re: Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

Congratulations!!!! Thanks for the great review! Everything looked beautiful.
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gmcamp Posted: Apr 23, 2011 02:27 PM+
gmcamp MEMBER SINCE: 4/11 TOTAL POSTS : 1854 WEDDING DATE: Aug 01, 2012
Posted: Apr 23, 2011 02:27 PM bride-minus.png

Re: Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

Congrats!! Everything looks gorgeous!
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NicoleandMichael Posted: Apr 24, 2011 08:15 AM+
NicoleandMichael MEMBER SINCE: 12/09 TOTAL POSTS : 1010 WEDDING DATE: Dec 09, 2011
Posted: Apr 24, 2011 08:15 AM bride-minus.png

Re: Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

Great review!! Congratulations!!
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Future Mrs Snuggle Bunny Posted: Apr 24, 2011 08:37 AM+
Future Mrs Snuggle Bunny MEMBER SINCE: 4/11 TOTAL POSTS : 159 WEDDING DATE: May 27, 2012
Posted: Apr 24, 2011 08:37 AM bride-minus.png

Re: Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

Great Review!!!
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Marchbride9 Posted: Apr 24, 2011 10:08 PM+
Marchbride9 MEMBER SINCE: 4/11 TOTAL POSTS : 46 WEDDING DATE: Mar 09, 2013
Posted: Apr 24, 2011 10:08 PM bride-minus.png

Re: Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

Great Review...congrats!!!
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rosatemp Posted: Apr 29, 2011 10:05 AM+
rosatemp MEMBER SINCE: 12/10 TOTAL POSTS : 11359 WEDDING DATE: Sep 24, 2011
Posted: Apr 29, 2011 10:05 AM bride-minus.png

Re: Sand Castle / Greece trip / Great Vendors

love it congrats
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