Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

I wanted to share this article with everyone...its one of the first things I saw with USMMA, and how I picked my photographer (I loved the pictures so much I tracked her down-it was not that hard-just read who was credited.) Weird part is I loved the pictures in this magazine especially this article BEFORE I even met my FI! I bought this when my MOH was engaged to get some ideas and kept it, and when I was engaged it was eerie how it was the same place in the article that FI went to school! Anyhooo-hooo...its an awesome wedding at Melville, it just gets me excited about our weddings to read this and see the pics!!

Modern Brides New York Fall '02

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Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

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Posted by Laura1976

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Posted by bluesashbride

the chairs are SOOOOO ugly! BUT does anyone know if the chair cover they 'provide' i.e. you PAY for, are even OK? should i look for cute chair covers elsewhere? they really do make a big difference!!

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i think its $3 a chair, but i'm going to ask for pictures of the ones that they use.

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They used to have pics of them on the website but those pics don't come up any longer. It looked really nice- a hell of a lot better than those chairs!!!!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

The reason I am having it there is:
my dad was in the Navy& my parents have volunteered for the school for many years taking in first year students on the weekends so they fall under employees of the school. Its really pretty but small- it says it can hold 200 people but I don't see it. I plan on having hopefully 125- 150 max- how about my other hall friends? Laura? Bluesash?

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

I went to a wedding there about 5 years ago and it was really pretty! just thought i'd add that to your thread!! sorry to butt in!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

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Posted by ckgmwedding

The reason I am having it there is:
my dad was in the Navy& my parents have volunteered for the school for many years taking in first year students on the weekends so they fall under employees of the school. Its really pretty but small- it says it can hold 200 people but I don't see it. I plan on having hopefully 125- 150 max- how about my other hall friends? Laura? Bluesash?

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I'm inviting about 170-180. I've seen it set for 150, it wasn't bad at all. It could have held at least another 2 tables without a problem.

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

richard said 150 is the perfect amount...not crowded at all. I think we'll hit that in attendance, but i'm inviting about 180-190. A lot of folks from my side are just too far away to proly come.

i definately have to get chair covers...the chairs they have are hideous ck! proly made them that way just so you feel you have to get the covers!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

Hi ladies! Just wanted to share the STD brochures and magnets I made! I feel so Martha-sans prison bars! haha-just kidding...anyhooo, here are some pics. I also orderd an embosser to put our address on the back of the plain linen business envelopes i'll be using (envelopes were so affordable at Staples.) the company i got the embosser from is awesome!! FM me if you want to see the proofs they sent and info on ordering. OK so here are some pics...i know how we all love the pictures in posts! Have a great day-hope ya'll are all doing great- and TGIF!!!!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

blue, i love those save the dates, you have to explain to me how you did the pics on your computer

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

Christian- those are great!!! I am not doing STD's since I would like the wedding to be small but my mother disagrees. So the less who remember the better. We are inviting around 160 but would like 130 max to show up!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

haha ck, i'm laughing at your plot! how true. since so many live out of town on my side i doubt they will all come (knock on wood!) but we are inviting 180 expecting 160 and i think that's a pretty reasonable expectation.

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

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Posted by Laura1976

blue, i love those save the dates, you have to explain to me how you did the pics on your computer

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hi there! no problem helping you out!!

1) i made signs in word with the SAVE THE DATE & 21 MAY 2005. those were what we held up. plain old copy paper and i experimented with fonts and sizes till i got a 'look' i liked.

2) a friend of frank's (FH) took several pics of us holding each sign. i used an example to show him of a photostrip to explain my idea further. i just uploaded these to my computer when i was done.

3) i inserted the pic into a word document, made four columns and repeated the pictures to four strips to a page.

4) bought XEROX brand magnet paper at Staples. it is about $11.50 a sheet, and i need about 60+ so that was about $60 for all the magnet paper. i hear you can get it cheaper from other retailers online though or on ebay, but i am wanting to get them done and sent by next week.

5) just print them in color and then i used a cutting board to cut the paper into strips.

i also bought prefolded HP matte brochure paper and linen business envelopes. the total bill for all the STD material was a little over $90 not including stamps.

i hope that helps! feel free to ask anymore questions!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

USMMA girls...a friend of my FH's is going to a wedding today at the Academy. Any questions you would like to ask him abut the wedding? I asked him to take notes about the chair covers. Unfortunately I don't have my camera to give him-or I should say ARM him with-haha. I also thought about asking him about the cake, if its tasty or not. I'm getting kinda an iffy feeling about getting a Melville cake. I'll definitely ask the standard questions about the bar service, parking , and food. He's a really nice guy and but bearing in mind he's a guy I'm not sure how much detail he'll bring back!

haha! I feel like I'm gathering wedding intel!!!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

OK USMMA brides, friend the FH went to wedding there this past weekend (do we know this LI area bride?-i wish we did!!!) and he says this:

-there were chair covers- and they looked good.
-cocktail hour was indoors in the side room to the reception area. food was really good overall. they only has passed hors d'oeuvres, no stations. about 150 ppl invited - 85 came. tons of the guests couldn't make it because they live far away.
-one bar/bartender for the 85 folks and that was enough.
-wedding was at the chapel at 4:30, over a little after 5 and folks started at the cocktail hour about 5:30-6. it was cool-cold out so there was a quick saber arch and then the guests headed to Melville Hall.
-for those using the chapel, they didn't have any flowers and Todd (the friend who attended) thought it looked better because it kept with the simplicity of the chapel.
-plenty of room -almost looked a little empty in Melville since there were only 85 or so guests.
-Todd didn't have any cake (darnit!) so he doesn't know how it was, but he thinks it was made there.

If you have any questions for me to pass to him for the bride he'll gladly do so!! not sure who her vendors were but i can ask if ya'll want to know.

Overall he said it was a great wedding, very classy, and well done. Food was great and noone went unattended if they needed a drink or something.

Side note. Everyone did stay at a hotel near La Guardia though, including the bride and groom, and that was a little bit a pain he said because it was a 30 minute drive after the wedding, but it was nice to be there near the airport when he woke up the next day- so pros and cons there.

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

great, thanks for the info. I'm going to make an appointment with Richard over the next week or two.

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

is this your first appt? or a follow-up? i feel like i'm starting to have some questions for him, but i'm VERY intimidated by Richard!!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

yes, he is very intimidating!!!
This will be my 3rd (once to look, once to deposit $). We have to go over menu options and prices, cake etc.

Can you ask how they like the cocktail hour inside? Not the food but the general atmosphere. Its so different than a regular cocktail hour room. Thanks.

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

Anyone(Laura or Christian) been to visit our friend Richard lately?? Anything new to know? Like maybe they are going to break down and get us some new carpet?

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

oh man, i thought i was only one 'loving' the peach and green 'antique' rug!

i think laura ia going for her third visit VERY soon! and i need to call and set something up. i want to really decide on whether or not to use them for the cake, and i just can't seem to make up my mind (which isn't like me.) what are you girls doing? (or did i already ask-which is A LOT like me to do!) :)

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

i'm due for an appointment, i was hoping to go with the FH who is at sea right now. He's coming home next week, so hopefully in about a week and a half we'll go. I don't know what we're doing about the cake yet. When Christian asked he said they either do it or they get it brought in, NO HELP!!!

Re: The US Merchant Marine Academy-Melville Hall Thread

hello USMMA brides, just wanted to add a photo of a cake from the bakery Melville Hall uses.

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