My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Originally, I had planned to post this sooner, but there have been a lot of changes in our lives since DH and I got married--some good, some not so good. I am glad that we are married now, and DH is by my side through the good and the bad.

First, I have to say that my day was all I had hoped it would be and more. There were no serious problems, and very few problems on the day of the wedding. I was sorry it went by so quickly! DH and I are both older (42 and 38 respectively), and we had waited a long time to meet the right person, so I think that made our day even more special for us.

Also, we planned the entire wedding ourselves in about 6 months, which looked impossible to me starting out, but it is possible! We didn't include some things though, which made the process easier. We used some vendors I don't see up here a lot--most of the really popular ones were booked by the time we started planning, but we were happy with our choices overall.

My only regret--that I spent so much time and energy fretting over little things such as last minute decorations, the seating charts, and the favors. Everything worked out in the end, and I can't say I would have changed a thing except my worrying.

Now, on to the review:

Weather--B+/It was cloudy all day, but our photographer was pleased, said it was perfect weather for photos. And it was a little cooler without the sun, so in the end, it was fine.

LIWeddings-A++++-This was so helpful to me, both for wedding planning tips, and for mental health checks. There were times when I felt like I could not deal with one more day of planning or family issue, so it was oddly comforting to see that many other brides experience the same problems I had. I found LIWeddings after we had booked most of our vendors, but I think the vendor reviews would have been very helpful also.

Photographer/Full View Studios--no proofs yet, will post a rating when they arrive, which should be any day now. Hal was our photographer, and I have to say he took tons of photos, I don't think he missed anything key. And he has a quirky sense of humor, which worked for us. though I don't know if everyone would like it--it helped loosen us up that morning (we took pics before the ceremony--I highly recommend this. We got to spend most of our cocktail hour nibbling and meeting our guests)! Our engagement pics were very nice.

Ceremony & Reception Site/Milleridge Inn--A We were so happy with our choice of the Milleridge. We had our ceremony in the Philodendron room, and the reception in the Garden Room (we had a small wedding), and both were perfect for us. The Garden room was absolutely beautiful at this time of year, we had a patio just off the room, and lots of plants and trees surrounding it, so we really didn't need a lot in the way of decoration.
The food was great and plentiful--we had a full cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres and a carving table, cheese platters, etc. Our guests could choice from four dishes for dinner--chicken francaise, salmon, prime rib, and lamb. Everyone raved about the food and seemed pleased with their service. Our cake was included in the package, and not only did it look lovely, it tasted wonderful! We choose a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and raspberry filling.
Jackie was our Maitr'D, and she was so on the ball. There were so many little things she did for us that made our day easier. When we were taking photos before the ceremony, she came outside with lemon water for us and our family. She brought us to our sweetheart table at the beginning of the cocktail hour, brought us food, and would not let anyone bug us until we had eaten something. I had originally requested that the guest book be left at the front of the room, but she suggested passing it from table to table, so we got some very nice, personal messages.

I only had a few complaints, which prevented me from giving the Milleridge an A+. The bathrooms really need to be updated there--they are very old-fashioned and kind of crowded, but we knew that when we booked. There was only one bartender, which was fine through the afternoon, but they could have used at least two at the start of the cocktail hour. And the last problem which could have been horrible, was that someone mixed up the table numbers. In the end, our guests were seated more or less where we wanted them to be, but extra chairs had to be brought to one table. If we had a larger wedding with more varied seating arrangements, this might have been really bad, but in our case, it wasn't a big deal. Despite these problems, I would highly recommend the Milleridge if you are looking for a place that has an old/historic feel, and a little different from a wedding hall. It was very reasonably priced, and I felt the staff were very responsive and helpful. We also love the idea that we can go back there, or order a smaller, simpler version of our cake for anniversary celebrations.

Music--Jon Weiss Trio--booked by Stan Wiest A+/Another vendor we were very happy using. Stan made the arrangements, and was very organized, easy to deal with. One thing I liked about Stan Wiest was that he didn't try to get us to change our idea of what we wanted for our reception. Another vendor we met with seemed appalled that we were not doing the bouquet toss, told us we had to do it, our guests expected it, and also tried to get us to include other things we did not want, like a DJ for our reception. We wanted primarily background music, since our wedding is in the afternoon, many of our guests were not young, and neither one of us is that into dancing. We both love jazz, so we requested a jazz trio, and they were excellent! Our guests raved about them, both the older guests and the younger guests. They played everything we asked them to play, didn't get too loud (something we didn't want), and didn't play anything we didn't want to hear. Our guests danced, were able to talk, and really enjoyed them, as did we. Highly recommended!

Flowers--Bob at Milleridge Florist--A+++++/Another great vendor! Going to meet with him, I had a good idea of what I wanted--blue hydrangeas with white roses and some ivy on the centerpieces. Bob was really easy to work with, and I enjoyed working with him. He made some suggestions for the centerpieces, and included blue delphiniums in my bouquet and the bridesmaids, and the flowers were absolutely beautiful! They looked fresh at the end of the day, and my bouquet was still fairly fresh when we returned from our honeymoon. At the last minute, we decided we wanted a sweetheart table for ourselves, and he said he would make an arrangement for us at no extra charge. I expected some little thing, but we got a beautiful centerpiece for our table! Our aisle baskets were perfect also. I may have been able to get this slightly cheaper elsewhere, but for the piece of mind, I highly recommend him.

Invitations--Little Wedding Works, Brooklyn, NY C/This is the only vendor I was disappointed with so far. Our invitations were okay, though not quite what I had envisioned or discussed with her. We didn't have much time, so I wound up using them, but the paper seemed slightly thinner than the sample she gave me. Also, it took me awhile to pick them up. They closed at 6 most nights, so I couldn't get there after work, and I went twice in the morning during their posted business hours, waited half an hour, and no one opened the shop! My third try resulted in success, but when I asked the owner about this, she told me they have a long commute, and you can't expect them to be there on time every day. Five or even ten minutes okay, but half an hour? I found this ridiculous for a business. Would not recommend.

Holiday Inn Plainview--A++++/My parents live in another state, so they stayed here the night before, as did my sister, and my groom myself, and some of our other guests. DH had thought about staying in our apartment, but he liked the idea of being closer to the reception site. When we checked in, I was given a suite (had no idea we would have one) which was lovely. I ordered room service the morning of the wedding while my hair and makeup were being done for my sister, my cousin-in-law, my cousin, mother, and myself, and the food was decent and reasonably priced. We also spent our wedding night here (we decided to splurge on our honeymoon, but figured we'd be too tired to care about a luxury room the night of the wedding). This wasn't a luxury hotel, but the rooms were clean, new, and nice, reasonably priced, which our guests appreciated. It's also right off the LIE and the Northern State, so it was easy for people to find. The staff were very professional, and easy to deal with. Highly recommend.

Hair & Makeup--Done by my cousin-in-law, Roberta. I am so happy I asked her to do this, and that she agreed! Roberta does hair professionally, and I dragged my feet asking initially, because I thought it would be a big imposition on her. She did a beautiful job--I don't think I have ever looked prettier. She also didn't go too wild with my hair or makeup--she knows me well, and knows that I normally have a fairly natural look with my makeup, and heavy makeup just would not suit me. Plus, it was so pleasant. She, my sister, my mother, and my cousin, were all hanging out in the room, laughing, and joking. It was much easier than going to a shop. I know this isn't an option for everyone, but I am so happy she did my hair, and not a stranger. Poor DH--he was alone a good part of the morning, and got very nervous. I think men need to have these bonding rituals also, though I can't see one of his friends or my brother-in-law combing his hair!

Honeymoon--booked with Liberty Travel A+/American Airlines-F/hard to rate. We originally booked a trip to the Maya Riviera, however Hurricane Emily was due to hit the day we planned to arrive. The day before our wedding, DH wakes me up telling me Hurricane Emily had been changed to a category 5 storm. He called our travel agent, and we found out that we could cancel our hotel with no penalities because of the severity of the storm. American was less straightforward however, and in the end, we had to pay penalty fees on our flight, eventhough American cancelled our flight out! This isn't the first time I've had problems with them, so unless this is the only carrier going to my destination, I won't use them again. Anyway, our agent was great, and she changed our entire trip in a few hours. We had tossed around the idea of going to Quebec City originally, so we returned to that idea, and she got us a lovely room at the Chateau Frontenac and flights out. We had to return one day earlier than we had planned, but otherwise everything was the same. While I had really looked forward to a beach vacation, I have to consider us fortunate to get any vacation at all, and Quebec City was beautiful! Plus, we had a swimming pool and an outdoor roof patio to use in lieu of a beach. Needless to say, we were freaking out, but on our way to our drop off at the Milleridge, and then our rehearsal dinner, we received the call from the agent telling us everything was arranged.

Officiant/Pastor Theillmann/A++++ Pastor Theillmann is my in-law's minister, and we really liked him, so we asked him to do our service. He was based on LI, but was transferred to CT in July. This was one piece of news that made me freak--I was so worried we wouldn't have a minister, but he came back down here to do our wedding, and did a wonderful job. He's pretty non-traditional and also funny, he really loosened us up. I recommend him, though I don't think he's that close for most brides now.

I think that's most of it, though I'm sure I'm missing something. I will post pictures when I can--finally I have a few from guests, but our scanner is down.

Hope this is helpful!


Addition:

I forgot to include my dress!

Eden Gown/RK Bridal A
I bought an Eden gown from RK Bridal shop. The sales person I had was helpful, and not too pushy. She also seemed motherly, which I appreciated since I was shopping by myself. I tried on so many dresses, but when I put on my dress, I knew that was it. It was perfect for me, and for the kind of wedding we envisioned. Their price was good (I checked another store in the area, and they were charging $75 more for the same dress. I also got my veil there, which was a bit overpriced, but at that point, I was running out of time, and the convenience was worth it to me.

I used their seamstress also, and he did a good job. But I had to wait a long time for two of my fittings. Overall though, I would recommend RK.

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations! It sounds like a beautiful day that -save for a few misshaps- was peffect. I can't wait to see your pictures...I'm sure you looked radiant! Wishing you and your new husband a blessed happily ever after!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

YEa! Glad everything went well!!!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

YEAH! So glad things worked out well for you. Your day seemed LOVELY! I love the jazz trio idea for the reception! Congratulations on a wonderful day--we'd love to see pictures when you get some! :)

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations Can't wait to see your picture

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations!!!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

congrats

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congrats! Thanks for review!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

We also planned our whole wedding in 6 months. Everything was wonderful, looking back i don't know how we did it all! Lots of excellent vendors must have been the key!
Thanks for the review, would love to see some pictures!
Congratulations!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congrats Date Twin!!!! I am so happy your day was as wonderful as mine!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

glad you had a great day...congrats

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations on finding the right man! It sounds like you had a wonderful wedding and were able to take things in stride!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

congrats and great review

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

congrats! Cant wait to see pics!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations!!!! Glad everything turned out for the best.

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congratulations!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congrats!!! I can't wait to see pics!!

Re: My Wedding Review for Milleridge Inn/July 16th, 2005

Congrats!!!
Thanks for sharing