7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Invitations (A+) - My best friend is a graphic designer and did my invitations for me, so they were completely customized and perfect and we loved them!

Rehearsal Dinner
Our house, catered by Cafe Amici in Selden (A+)
We decided to have this at our house to save money and also because we weren't getting married in a church and wanted to keep it informal. We had it in the backyard and my in-laws catered from Cafe Amici and the food was AMAZING!!! Try the shrimp Parmesan!! So good!!!

Bridal Party Gifts
The Knot, Target, Vistaprint (A)
I got my girls monogram beach bags from The Knot and filled them with beach towels, flip flops, tanning lotion and sun block. For the Kids I got them fun monogram totes from Vistaprint and filled them with crafts like crayons, paper, and stickers. The groomsmen received monogram flasks. Everything came out good and we didn't have any problems with shipping or anything else.

Parent Gifts
Things Remembered, Smithaven mall (A)
Amici's (A)
We got our parents engraved frames. They were ready within a few hours and came out so nice, they love them!! We also gave them gift cards to go out for a nice dinner at Amici's in Mt. Sinai, one of my and my mom's favorite restaurants.

Tuxedos
Tuxedos at Fantasia Bridal (A)
We started at Men's Warehouse and didn't like the customer service there. The lady just wasn't helpful at all and seemed kind of annoyed we were even in there. Now I know that's just her problem and not the problem of Men's Warehouse, but we didn't want to deal with her so we tried this place and had a great experience! They had all of the same choices if not more choices in the colors we were interested in. They were flexible with the kids coming in late to get measured in case they were growing. Everyone's tuxedos came in a couple days before the wedding and they finished any last minute hemming or taking out hems by the Thursday before our Sunday wedding. I highly recommend them.

Wedding Dress, Veil, & Bridesmaid Dresses
Bridal Suite of Bay Shore (C)
At first I loved this store. They had the dress I wanted and so did another store, but I chose this one because I felt like the staff were more knowledgeable and helpful. Well that was almost 2 years ago now. In the past year it has all went down hill very fast. There was nothing wrong with my dress or BM dresses, it was the customer service that has been the biggest turn off. Every single one of my bridesmaids had a bad experience when they went to pick up their dresses. My own Mother walked out because the woman who was supposed to be helping her try on dresses (she even had an appointment) couldn't be bothered with her. 2 of their staff members (I do have their names, if you are interested send me a private message) are down right rude and nasty to the point where I had to complain to the owner about them. Multiple times. The owner is very nice and helpful but it came to the point where whenever I had to call them or my BM's had to call them we had to ask for certain people by name otherwise we would 75% of the time speak with someone being completely rude. And I mean like sighing in annoyance over the phone, snapping at questions we asked, rolling her eyes at us in person, talking with a certain attitude that just isn't friendly or customer oriented. One of my BM's left in tears (and she is NOT an overly sensitive person) and several others were afraid to tell me how bad their experiences were because they didn't want me to worry before my wedding. I hate to say it because I had a good experience at first, but overall I don't recommend going there at all.

MOB & MOG Dresses
Fantasia Bridal (B+)
Our mothers both found their dresses here and they both were really happy with their dresses! The staff were very friendly and helpful and remembered us every time we walked in. They helped find dresses and were spot on with our styles and what we liked and didn't like. The only complaint was that my MIL wanted straps made so she had the choice to put them on her dress. Well they made the straps but they looked so cheap and flimsy and they charged her something like $90 for them. She did specifically ask for them to be thicker and they just didn't do it the way she wanted it. They looked like something I could have made for her. Any other alterations came out great though, so I don't know what that was about.

Shoes
Casa Di Mario, Patchogue (A)
My original wedding shoes I did not get to wear but I LOVE them still. They have a lot of dye-ables in this store and you can dye them to match your dress, or whatever color you want to for the wedding, and that is included in the price of the shoe. After you wedding you have the choice to bring them back to have them dyed black so you can get more use out of them! I plan to do that!

Shoes take 2
Zappos.com (A+)
Well, I ended up severely spraining my ankle a month before the wedding and was not able to wear heels at all. I was actually on crutches up until 2 weeks before the wedding. I had to order flats online with less then 2 weeks to go, so my friend recommended I try Zappos. They have fair prices and if they don't fit you can ship them back for free. I found really fancy ivory sandals that were perfect! They looked like they could be wedding shoes but are still something I could get use out of again. They looked even nicer in person then they did on the website!

Nails
Nailicious nails, Hauppaugue (A+)
The night before the wedding I took all my girls here for manis and pedis. There were 12 of us so it was just us in there. They let my sisters bring in champagne and strawberries to celebrate! One of the staff went out and bought me a bunch of balloons and tied them to my chair. It was so cute!! They were awesome! My sister and I are very germ cautious (that's putting it lightly) and I have to say this nail salon is very clean. We both use them on a regular basis and we are really picky. And everything was amazing that night. The are so friendly and everyone's nails came out great. My manicures last for a month from here!!

Make-Up
Jolene L, a family friend (A+)
She works at a salon in Bellmore but came out to us the morning of the wedding because she is a family friend that I've known my whole life. She did amazing work and everyone loved my makeup, my sisters and mother used her too and we all got so many compliments! I have sensitive eyes that always tear up when using heavy make up and they are being touched a lot, but she was really patient and knew exactly what to do and you can't even tell in pictures that I have any eye issues!

Hair
Sivanna Salon, St. James (A+)
I have been going to this salon for years and so has some of my friends and family members. I always recommend them to everyone who asks about a place to go for a hair cut, blow out, up-do, etc. We booked 2 stylists to come to my house the morning of to do our hair. They arrived on time and finished early. Everyone's hair came out amazing and stayed all night long! I didn't even price out anywhere else because I knew I wanted them, but I hear their prices are on point with similar salons. I usually see Johnny and my sister likes Stacey.

DOJ
WeddingFactoryDirect.com (A)
If you see something you like in one of the bridal salons go to this website and buy it at wholesale price! I saved a lot of money by doing this! The shipping was also super fast. The only down side to this was a few pieces I liked I didn't see in person before I ordered them, and with jewelry I like to see it in person first. Everyone ended up being perfect though!

Ceremony and Reception
The Estate at East Wind (A+++++++++)
The staff at the East Wind really went above and beyond on the day of my wedding. We arrived early to take pictures on site since there were no other weddings going on that day (just a birthday party in the main building) we were able to use the grounds and any of the buildings we wanted to so we took full advantage! and It was an up to the minute decision if we could have our ceremony outside or not, it looked like it was about to rain any second so they had both indoors and outdoors set up and ready to go for us! Luckily we ended up being able to have it outside.
Our Matre D was Scott and he was amazing! We didn't have a formal rehearsal so my sisters were nervous about what to do during the ceremony and the kids knowing where to walk and what to do.. Scott was right there explaining everything to everyone in detail and told everyone where to go and what to do. It looked like everyone were all pros! With his instructions we really did not even need the rehearsal. He was great.
Just little touches were wonderful like how staff had put ice ready under my table so I could ice my sprained ankle in between dancing. Our bridal attendant was right there whenever I needed her. I kept losing my drink but I'd always have another one waiting for me. Any random things we asked or wanted we had with no problems or questions asked. Something get mixed up with some of the seating cards and they just took care of it and we didn't have to worry about anything.
The food was AMAZING. Everyone is still talking about it. Everyone raved about all different things too. They also surprised us with a chocolate fountain so personally I was really excited about that!! We had such a good experience with East Wind. It really was a perfect day, all because of them! I am so pleased with them and so many people are talking and bragging about how amazing the wedding was!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the East Wind!!!

Officiant
Keith from NY Marriages (A+)
When we met with Keith we knew we wanted to book him. He was outgoing and funny, but not over the top. We did not want a traditional or religious ceremony and he was perfect. He did have choices on wording for the ceremony, I liked that we were able to choose it. He incorporated little things about each of us into it and everyone enjoyed those little touches and are still talking about it. The length of the ceremony was perfect too. We didn't want it too long but it wasn't so short that it seemed like no one cares about the ceremony lol.. it was perfect. I highly recommend NY Marriages!!!

DJ
Tommy's Tunes (A+)
Several of my friends used this DJ company and I knew I liked them. We met with Dan to go over prices and packages and ended up booking him as our MC because we just liked his personality. I hear the Selden office has better staff then the other one, I don't know if it's true but we did meet Dan in their Selden office. He showed us clips of their MC's to help us choose someone. He gave us a good price and was really helpful. At the wedding the DJ was spot on with all of the music selections. They knew when to play slow songs and when to pick up the pace. It was perfect. Several people commented afterwards how good they were and how awesome Dan was at working the crowd but not over-doing it.

Transportation
Red Carpet Limousine (A)
We were recommended to this limo company by a friend who used them. They had a 32 passenger limo/bus that was huge and clean and we used the same exact one for our big wedding party. The staff at the office were helpful when I called asking tons of questions and the driver was friendly too. We have no complaints at all, I would recommend them for any of your transportation needs.

Flowers
Sugar Magnolias (A++++++++++)
I am not a flowers person and was having a very difficult time deciding on flowers. I knew sort of what colors I wanted and I knew what I didn't want, but I didn't really know what I did want lol. Working with Kristen from Sugar Magnolias was the best thing I did!!! They were my favorite vendor, and I thought I didn't even care about the flowers! She saw my vision and came up with the perfect bouquets and centerpieces. She has a good understanding of her clients and a good eye. I am so grateful that I got to work with her on my flowers! She was amazing, they were beautiful!!!! I can't say enough good things about this vendor, words can not do them justice!!!!

Photography
Photos of the Heart (B+)
Our pictures came out so beautiful! on the day of I was getting a little frustrated that we were moving at a slow pace, I am a very fast paced person and I know I don't have a lot of patience to begin with so it might be me, but it was like snail speed compared to other weddings I've been to. I factored in 3 hours for photos and we still didn't have enough time to get all of the shots I wanted of the wedding party. We did get in all of the shots of just us that I wanted though.
The photographer Ives was good and he got all the right photos, he knew what shots to get and where to get them, I just wish he moved at a faster speed to keep up with my high-strung, super fast personality lol. The assistant Debbie was really good she knew how to help everyone get into position and be just right for the photos to come out nice. She was very thoughtful about it and we liked that. I always feel awkward trying to pose for pictures so she helped a lot!
We hired a second photographer through them because we had a big wedding party and wanted to get some extra pictures in at the reception. I'm glad we did that because he was the one I saw on the dance floor getting all of the action shots of us dancing.
Even though i complained about the speed i do have to say they did a really good job overall. there are so many great shots its going to take us forever to make our album! If you have a lot of patience then I definitely do recommend this photographer.

Videography
Tommy's Tunes (pending, for now an B+)
We almost didn't book a videographer but my in-laws decided to book one for us as a gift. My MIL knows someone from Tommy Tunes so she decided to go through them. Their packages were very fairly priced. On the day of everything seemed to go very smoothly. He arrived on time and did a good job. He came up to us at the beginning and asked a few questions about what we want and don't want and then just did his thing. Every time something happened (including my sister randomly doing the worm on the dance floor LOL) he seemed to be right there videoing. I would like to see the final product before giving my final rating though.

Favors
WrapWithUs.com (A)
We ordered sets of 2 black and white/clear 'love' coasters for each guest. The price was very reasonable and we were able to use a coupon that I received at a showcase. Nothing was damaged and we received them in a very timely manner. I really like them and am using the extras as our everyday coasters in our living room!

Table Numbers
WineUDesign (A)
I saw this vendor at a showcase and were instantly drawn to them! We got engaged at a vineyard so we were looking to incorporate a wine/vineyard theme but didn't want it to look like a whole elaborate theme. We ordered wine from WineUDesign, it is a place were you can go and make your own wine! It's really fun and the wine is really good! We had custom labels made for each bottle and used them as the table numbers. We had the DJ play a game to give the bottle away to one person at each table.

Card box, Ringer bearer box, bouquet charm, guest book, garter, etc
Various Etsy vendors (A)
Etsy is a great place to look for all the little things and random things for anything related to the wedding! I love Etsy!

Honeymoon
Personal Travel, Stony Brook (A+++++++++)
Aruba (A++++++++++++++++++)
Bucuti & Tara Resorts (A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++)
Andrea from person travel is amazing!! I am not just biased because it is my friend's mother LOL but she really goes above and beyond. Everyone I have ever referred to her absolutely love her. She is extremely knowledgeable and gives very honest and appropriate recommendations. Our Honeymoon was amazing and I am so grateful to Andrea she helped us choose a hotel and make advance reservations. With out her I was going in circles trying to decide! She also keeps up to date with any sales and lower prices and we got our price lowered when she found a sale online that was a better deal then we originally had.
Aruba of course was amazing. Our resort was amazing. We decided not to do all inclusive because we are foodies and Aruba is known for all of the good restaurants. We didn't want to feel like we were stuck eating at the hotel every night. We also wanted somewhere with a more romantic atmosphere, and Bucuti & Tara was exactly that! I am going to write them raving reviews on TripAdvisor because they deserve it! Exceptional staff at an exceptional resort! We did not want to come back!!!!! it was perfect!!!!!!!

Within in the next week or so I will try to update this with some photos and some of the pending ratings! Feel free to message me if you have any questions :)

edited for typos

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Great review! Sounds like you had a beautiful wedding! I'm so glad everyone loved the food at East Wind, that was one of our main concerns for booking the RH. I can't wait

Congratulations!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Thanks for the review and congrats on being a Mrs!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Congratulations!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Great review! Congrats!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Yay!! I loved your review SO glad East Wind was amazing!! It seems like they really deliver on the day of! Can't wait :)

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc.

Congrats!!!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congrats! We really like East Wind but a lot of our guests are traveling from NJ & it would just be too far. Can't wait to see pics!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congrats! Great review! Can't wait for the pictures.

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congrats!! Great review

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congratulations! Great review!! Looking forward to seeing pictures.

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congratulations!!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Sounds like it went perfectly - congrats!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congratulations & great review!!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

I'm glad the wedding went well and you were able to have it outside. Congrats!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Great review! You got me really excited that we have Dan from Tommy's Tunes as our MC as well!

7/28/13 review of East Wind, Photos of the Heart, Sugar Magnolias, Tommy's Tunes, Red Carpet Limousine, Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, etc. - Long Island Weddings

Congratulations!!!
Thanks for the review.