9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more

I hope you all have as much fun at your wedding as I did at mine! I wish I could relive it every day of my life. There were definitely some things that did not go the way I thought or hoped they would, but it was so minor in the end none because it was really about being with my husband and our friends and family who love and support us. Everyone had a great time from the beginning to the end so the minor details were easily forgotten!
I hope this review is helpful; this website has definitely been invaluable in the planning process. Almost all of my vendors were fantastic with some above and beyond so even though my ratings are similar for most hopefully my commentary will help. I hope you have a great wedding too!

Rehearsal Dinner- Davenport Press A+
We had a very large rehearsal dinner the night before my wedding because my in-laws were kind enough to include all the out of town guests which was almost half of our wedding. Davenport Press was great, the food and service were exceptional, especially considering we had somewhere around 70 people there. The space is really nice too, highly recommend it!

My Dress- Justin Alexander dress purchased from Bridal World- A+
My dress was just about the only part of the wedding planning process that stressed me out! My fiancé and I were only engaged for 10 months and we took a vacation shortly after the engagement. I had no idea that the ideal dress timeframe is 8 months so by the time I started shopping I was pretty much at that mark! I tried a bunch of dress shops, but none seemed to have what I was looking for (somewhat poufy dress that was simple but elegant). After striking out at a nearby store I called Bridal World and Janine was a lifesaver! She knew exactly what I was searching for and loved the look. It took two trips for me to decide between the options she presented me but she was so sweet, patient and encouraging. If you go there definitely ask for Janine! The dress came in about five months, well ahead of the suggested 8 months, but better to be safe than sorry. I had the dress altered there as well and Dahlia did a fantastic job. And the dress was BEAUTIFUL!

Belt- Mori Lee #11006 purchased from the Wedding Shoppe- A+ for the belt, B+ for the vendor
I love, love, love this belt! My dress definitely needed something to give it an extra pop and this was exactly what I was looking for. I tried a few places where I could actually look at the belt in person, but couldn’t find what I was looking for. I had used a Mori Lee dress as my dress inspiration (but never found anyone who carried it) and noticed that they sold the belt of that dress separately. I was very nervous about ordering something online, especially when the vendor told me it would take 5 months which put it very close to the point of no return, but the belt arrived early and was stunning! I made the mistake of ordering a white belt for my diamond white dress not knowing that meant ivory but it was a nonissue because I had the belt sewn onto the dress by Dahlia. It was perfect!

Veil, and ring bearer tux- Barron’s at Tri-County- A+ for the veil, B for the vendor
Again I was looking to add some interesting accessories to my dress so I decided I wanted a cathedral length veil with a lot of sparkle and detail. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on a veil because I knew I wouldn’t be wearing it too long, but I wanted something that I would love. For anyone who has ever been to Barron’s, it’s a somewhat challenging experience since they aren’t the most attentive or friendly people and after the guy scolded my sister for what he perceived as ripping the plastic the tux was in I was a little discouraged, however the veil was beautiful and the tux was adorable so I placed the order. When I returned I was blown away by how beautiful the veil is and how proud of it the salesman was, so it’s definitely worth the somewhat unpleasant sales experience. I got so many compliments on the veil. My ring bearer looked adorable in his tux which was comfortable and much more affordable than anywhere else.

Tuxes- Men’s Warehouse, A
The rest of the tuxes were rented from the Men’s Warehouse. We had a lot of out of town groomsmen so it made the process a lot easier to use a chain. The tuxes looked great and there were no issues that I know of.

Etsy items- Hair comb from Gildedshadows A+, garter from BellasFleurBridal A+, and Here Comes the Bride Sign mudpiesandmairgolds A
I was looking for affordable accessories and these items were great. I loved my hair comb, it was comfortable and so pretty. I originally planned to wear my blusher during my reception but the comb was so pretty I wanted to showcase it.
I didn’t want to spend much on the garter or Here Comes the Bride sign so these items were perfect. For the price, the garter was really beautiful and comfortable. The sign was a great base for my sister in law to dress up, it looked amazing once she added glitter and ribbon.

Hair and Makeup- Primp and Tease- A
I have been going to Nycki for haircuts forever and she knows how to make my thin hair look fabulous so I was thrilled to have her to do my hair for the wedding. I was thrilled with how my hair came out, so pretty and she didn’t have to use any pieces to make it look full. It stayed great all ngiht. The makeup was great too, I got lashes that looked natural (it was my first time with lashes so I didn’t want to go too crazy) and the rest of my makeup was subtle but beautiful. My bridesmaid had her done there too, it fell out a little after leaving the salon so I took a few points off but that might have been because she flat ironed it to make it easier to work with.

Bridesmaid dresses- Bill Levkoff 773 in wine purchased from Ariana Studios- A+ for the dress, B for the vendor
These dresses and this color looked amazing on all my girls!! At first I was looking for more of a fall dark red, but this was the only option for the dress style I wanted and I have to say I am glad it was! The dress selection process was pretty easy, we tried on quite a few that the girls loved and then just as we were about to use two different styles we asked to see a dress in the wine color and fell in love with this one. The salesgirl we initially worked with at Ariana was really sweet, but the rest of the employees were not as great. My dresses arrived behind schedule and they were kind of rude about my calling to check in on them. Nobody had even realized that they didn’t arrive on time so I am glad I called. The alterations department here also was below average. They did an ok job, but were not very friendly when you asked for a necessary change. Also I think we probably could have gotten a better price on the dress elsewhere, but the location was convenient and the selection was good.

Mother of the Bride Dress- Bridal Elegance- A+
My mother’s dress was almost as stressful as finding my dress was. After some rough experiences (she fell in love with a dress only to be told they discontinued it, something they should check before putting it on the sales floor) we ended up at Bridal Elegance with only 20 minutes before we had to be somewhere. The saleswoman couldn’t have been nicer and found us some great options (which isn’t easy as we were trying to stay away from the bedazzled look). When I saw the shape this dress gave my mom I knew we were done shopping. She look stunning in it!

Brooches- Joan’s Jewelry (I think that’s the name) at Tri-County- A+ for both
These brooches were such a great touch both to my bridesmaids and my mom’s dress. The booth is right across from Barron’s and the saleswoman was friendly and gave me a great discount.

Bridesmaid Jewelry- Macys-Eliot Danori- A+
These earrings looked great on everyone. And the matching necklace was so pretty and sparkly.

Wedding Rings- Diamond Roof at Tri-County- A+
Sam was great to work with. The prices were reasonable and they didn’t pressure as at all. We wanted simple rings and the selection was great. And they cleaned my engagement ring for me which it really needed and it looked better than I remember it looking when I first got it.

Venue- The Royalton- A++++
My husband and I fell in love with the Royalton as soon as we walked in. It’s so different from most of the wedding venues on Long Island. I had to change my mind about being set on having a Saturday wedding to make it work, but I am so glad I did because I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. And it actually worked out better to have the Friday wedding because I ended up planning a whole weekend for my guests (rehearsal dinner Thursday, wedding Friday, and beer garden Saturday) which they loved and I loved having more time to get wedding feedback.
I have to admit there were some things that didn’t go exactly how I was told they would go, but they were really minor and overall the venue and service was fantastic! The grounds looked so beautiful and we were able to use the outdoors for most of cocktail hour despite a brief unexpected passing shower. The food was a HUGE hit both at cocktail hour. If you are planning a wedding there definitely get the outdoor grill for cocktail hour. The lamb chops were amazing as were the grilled veggies, chicken, salmon and sausage. There were so many passed hors devours and stations that we got to create ourselves. I was told the dinner was the best wedding food my guests have ever eaten, especially the filet mignon. We also got the farewell table instead of favors which went over very well. They had hot pretzels, cookies, champagne, candy, chocolate covered strawberries, etc and to go bags so it was a great selection for guests to enjoy later. And the service was incredible; the staff is so sweet and always refilling everyone’s drinks. It was exactly what I wanted for my wedding, a truly unique and memorable experience!

Band- Next Faze- A++++++++
AMAZING!! They totally made the wedding. I think every single one of my guests commented that they were the best bad they ever heard! The range was incredible, they nailed every single song and they were so much fun. They even played Jump Around for me since it’s my cousin’s favorite and it was incredible. Find a way to make it work in your budget and hire them because they were worth every penny and more! My dance floor was packed all night from before the salad course ended until encore requests at the end with my youngest to my oldest guest. They barely took a break and when they did they had a guy singing and playing the keyboard and he was amazing! I hope to hire them for something else. They were so great to work with!

Royalty Limo- A+
Royalty was great. The drivers arrived early when I was in a bit of a panic and they just hung out waiting. They were so helpful with my veil and the aisle runner and even though we were close to the overtime charges they didn’t rush us or say anything.

Bus- United Coach Line- C-
Ah so sad to say this bus company disappointed me. I am sad to say it because Linda was fabulous to work with. She had her driver come to my office when I said I wanted to see the bus in person and was always so friendly and helpful in answering all my questions. The bus itself was really beautiful inside and clean. Unfortunately the driver was terrible! Such a disappointment! He was rude, he sat in front of the church for 20 minutes more than necessary which threw off the schedule and made everyone late for cocktail hour, he got lost, he dropped everyone off really far from the hotel until the Viana staff insisted he was not going to make the women walk that far in heels. My guests were great about it and said they all bonded together through the experience and it made them happier once they arrived at the Royalton to be off the bus. I will say that the company told me the driver was suspended and they would look into making sure this never happens again.

Photography and Videography- Fade to Black- A
I hired Gil after reading all the great reviews on this site and loved working with him. I had a minor issue that is keeping me from giving an A+, but it’s not entirely their fault. I did not do engagement photos because I find them kind of awkward so when Gil assigned Joe as my photographer, my husband and I met with him to get a sense of his personality and make sure we would enjoy spending the day with him. Joe was really nice and friendly and we were happy with him. About two days before the wedding, Gil emailed me that Jodi would be available that day and asked if I wanted to switch. I had read so many great reviews of Jodi and Joe had admitted he doesn’t do wedding photography as frequently as I would have liked so I hesitantly made the switch. That was definitely a bad mood on my part because as I have read from this site it’s really important to get to know your photographer before the wedding! Jodi left me a voicemail the night before the wedding but I was at the rehearsal dinner and tired by the time I got it so we never connected. The morning of my wedding was a bit chaotic. Jodi and Fil arrived, with Gil who also told me at the last minute that he would not be doing my wedding but would stop in at the beginning. They seemed to take forever taking the pictures of my dress and some of my bridal party and checking out their equipment so much so that by 2:45 I still wasn’t able to get my dress on so I was panicking as I wanted to leave for the church at 3:10. Then my dress had to be steamed with me in it so all my morning pictures were of me smiling through the heat going down my legs. And we missed the opportunity to take pictures with my flower girls and ring bearers who were not attending the reception.
But in the end Jodi was great to work with. I think we were both stressed in the morning and it didn’t work well but by the evening we had a much better experience. She really went out of her way to get the pictures I had asked for and everyone at my reception commented about how hard she was working climbing up things to get pictures. I felt bad about my attitude in the morning. Fil was great too, really sweet and pleased to share his work with us when he especially liked it.
I just got a sample of the photos and they look amazing! I can’t wait to see the rest!

Flowers at the venue- Spitz & Peck- A+
I had so much fun working with Wade. I was really nervous at first after reading some of the reviews about the two florists I was chose from by my venue, but in the end I was so pleased with the work. Wade was a lot of fun at each of our visits and really seemed excited to be doing the wedding after hearing my husband is a veteran. He would remember all these little details I mentioned in our conversation and give me advice. I highly recommend working with him. I will say, he didn’t seem thrilled about the idea of preparing a sample. I think he works more off of his reputation and word than anything else but he obliged my request and made the changes I asked for. Well the centerpieces I got were ten times better, the colors were amazing! He also did the amber uplighting for the room which gave it a nice feel. I couldn’t stop looking at my flowers for the next week and the guests who took them home were equally happy with them.

Bouquets- Jay W. Beckers- A+
We had a friend at Beckers and since I wasn’t having my ceremony at the Royalton I did my bouquets through Beckers. They were also fun to work with and the colors were fantastic! I loved all the diamond touches they added to my bouquet and the bridemaid’s bouquets were exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something more fun than the burgundy and cream that some people suggested and I love orange circus roses but wasn’t sure if they would work with wine. Beckers assured me they would and it looked amazing.

Viana Hotel- A+
Loved working with Kim and all the staff at the Viana. They really cater to weddings and make the process so much simpler than hotels that aren’t used to weddings. Everyone was so friendly at the hotel, when we came to drop off the gift bags for the guests the doorman immediately ran out and grabbed everything from us. They were very detail oriented to know what gift bag was ours, what time our bus came, etc. which was really appreciated in case anything went wrong. The hotel was beautiful, the rooms were really nice and everyone had a great stay! We did the afterparty at the bar until 4am which my husband and I attended until closing. It was great to get extra time with our guests. At first I thought the area would be too small but it was the perfect size and we used the boardroom behind it and the game room at times which were comfortable. We also had brunch the next morning which was perfect for our hungover guests and a reasonable price. I hope to go back again for our anniversary, we loved the Jacuzzi suite and were so relaxed after our 4am jacuzzi, I threw on the bathrobe and passed out happily.

Hope my review as helpful to you as this site has been for me. Good luck and enjoy every minute of your day! I wish I could do it again and again!

9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more - Long Island Weddings

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/MeandJames.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Me.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Royaltongardens.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/stairs.jpg.html][/URL]
[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Church.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Boys.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/BridalParty.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Gardens2.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Bridesmaids.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Gardens.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Lap.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Firstkiss.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s528.photobucket.com/user/jamesalmon/media/Dip.jpg.html][/URL]

9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more - Long Island Weddings

great review! & you looked great!!

you have to do a photobucket account and plug in all the IMG codes....

9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more - Long Island Weddings

Thanks and thanks!

9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more - Long Island Weddings

Beautiful pics :)

9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more - Long Island Weddings

great review - you looked gorgeous!

9/13 Review- Royalton, Next Faze, Spitz & Peck, Jay W. Beckers, Royalty Limo and more - Long Island Weddings

Great review. Fantastic pictures. They look straight out of a movie. You look awesome in them. Congrats to you and God Bless You.