9/20/03 BOURNE MANSION Wedding Review - Links to Pics!

Here ya' go girls!

Photos:
Proofs
Digital Shots
Photos from family & friends


BRIDAL GOWN: Stephen Yearick from Bridal Reflections, Carle Place
A-
Thank god for my seamstress, Lee!!!! She kept me sane! Unfortunately, I was measured incorrectly (hence the A minus) and needed to have my dress hemmed 2 inches…not an easy feat since my whole gown was lace & bead work. But Lee did it!!!!! And then some! She also added straps (hand beaded them to match my gown), as well as added a double bustle with reinforced buttons for the weight of my gown. I must say, we (my sister and friends) had a blast with Lee & the young girls who help out with the fittings.

TIARA: Nelson D’Leon from Iman Bridal Salon, Old Brookville
B-
They weren’t on top of things like I would have hoped. They never called to tell me when my tiara arrived, so I called them. I went in to pick it up only to find it wasn’t the correct tiara. They apologized and told me they would have it for me by the end of the week and they did. The sales associate I had been working with was kind and apologetic, while the bridal salon’s owner had a major attitude…not one which is beneficial in a customer service oriented business.

BRIDESMAIDS GOWNS: Netbride.com
A+
I initially went to a bridal salon and they wanted $100 more than Netbride!! (I also decided to go with an online retailer because most of my girls live out of state and I didn’t want to hassle them with having to come down to the Island for fittings, etc.) Even though they’re an online business, they’re very much customer service oriented! They kept me updated with emails and the gowns arrived earlier than the expected delivery date.

As for the gowns, they were Watters & Watters. My girls and guests loved them! So did the groomsmen! The guys were kind enough to tell me that I had a hot bridal party and that I picked “flattering” dresses. LOL!

GROOM’S TUXEDO: Canali from Marsh’s, Huntington
A+
Top notch service!!!!! My husband has used them before and we knew that was the place to go. He purchased everything there: tuxedo, shoes, tie and vest.

GROOMSMEN TUXEDOS: Jones of New York, The Men’s Wearhouse
A+
We chose them because all of our groomsmen were from out of state. They were very organized and efficient. They kept us up to date on who had done what and were even kind enough to give one of our groomsmen the free rental because my husband didn’t need a tuxedo rental. No one seemed to have any problems with their attire or with pick-ups/returns.

REHEARSAL DINNER: 105 Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor
A+
OMG!!!! I drool when I think about their food! Everybody was raving! And the view of the harbor doesn’t hurt either!!! Definitely check it out whether it’s for a RD location or just for dinner & drinks!!!!!

RECEPTION: The Bourne Mansion (Lessing’s)
A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One word, “WOW!” That’s what everybody kept saying in regards to the mansion, food and service. They went above and beyond our expectations. My parents have even been receiving thank-you notes from guests and family & friends keep telling us that was the best wedding they’ve ever been to! Sounds like a cheesy movie review, but people are still raving about it. (I could go on and on, but I’ve probably bored most of you already.)

FLORIST: Flower Michele, Halesite/Huntington
A+++++++++++
John and his team really out did themselves! I can’t wait to get some pics of the centerpieces and mantles so you guys can see the outstanding job they did! My husband and I showed up at the mansion a bit early and got to see first hand how hard John and his team work.

DJ: Parties Alive, Hauppauge
A
I had some concerns about them towards the end. A phone conversation with the owner, also the MC that I had booked, left me a bit worried and angered. In the end, it all worked out. They played the songs I requested and did a wonderful job judging the music. The dance floor was packed with people having one hell of a good time. In fact, I was shocked at how many people were dancing!!! (My biggest fear was an empty dance floor.) They earned their tip!!!

CAKE: Audrey’s, West Sayville
A+
Yumma!!!! And it looked just as good as it tasted!!!! Tom had the cake colors match my gown. It was simple and elegant. Better than I expected!!! Everything everyone says about Audrey’s is TRUE!!!!

PIANIST: James Tartaglia of Music…JHT!
A+
The mansion has a beautiful piano and we thought it would be a waste to have it “just sit there” for the cocktail hour, well cocktail hour & a half. It was a last minute request and Jim got in touch with me immediately. He’s very professional and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear much of his performance because I was running around, but the little pieces I did catch were wonderful. He definitely contributed to the ambiance of the mansion.

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

WoW! What a great review! Congrats!!!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congratulations and welcome back! It sounds like it was the perfect day!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congrats on a perfect day!!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congrats...Glad to hear you had such a wonderful day!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

BAG PIPER: I have to get his name from my mom, since she hired him.
A+
His performance literally brought tears to my eyes. People were coming out to see & hear. A class act! (And really good looking to boot!)

INVITATIONS, PLACECARDS & MENUS: Lion In The Sun, Huntington
A+
Excellent service and the invites/menus/placecards were all there within a week. We’ll definitely be using them in the future!

PHOTOGRAPHY: Christine Austin, NYC
Well, I haven’t seen the proofs yet, but Christine was fun to work with. My DH and I had made it clear we did not want many formal shots and that we preferred photojournalistic. I’ll elaborate on her review after I receive the proofs.

LIMOS: US Limos, New Hyde Park
A+
Our driver was on top of things! He was prepping me for the church, fixing my gown, etc.! The guy knew his stuff! We also had a coach bus for the bridal party and guests that were staying at the hotel. The only problem that we ran into was the delay in the coach bus…it can’t go on the parkways which throws a bit of time on to the trip. As a result, most guests at the hotel decided to drive to the reception instead of waiting for the bus. Now…we do not blame the limo company at all. That was clearly our fault. We screwed up the logistics!
We have been using US Limos for several years (both business and personal) with no complaints and will continue use them! I highly recommend them. They’re a top notch operation!

HAIR: Christine & Tracy at Glamour Inn, Oyster Bay (Christine is my regular stylist.)
A+
Christine worked on my hair and my MOH/sister’s hair. During trials, she was hesitant to use the hair piece I had purchased (she likes the more natural look.) After some persuasion, she humored me and worked the hair piece into my own hair. Turned out everybody liked the trial with the hair piece best, so that’s what we went with on the big day!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Sounds like you had an amazing day!! Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs.!!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

These are the few photos that I have so far:
Click Here for Jen & Kevin's wedding

I need to drop off the table cameras today!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

I guess I should explain the funny face in this shot:

My father was being a 'funny guy' by telling me 'Hey, I got good news! I got a great rate on my car insurance' as we started to walk down the aisle.

As you can see by my face, I'm saying 'What the!?!'

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

beautiful pictures!
i love the car insurance shot!!!

i think my dad will be too busy crying to tell me jokes!!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congratulations!!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Jenny,
Please let me know who your bagpiper was!! I'm looking for someone and it sounds like your bagpiper was great!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congratulations!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Jennifer, congratulations on a great day. Sounds beautiful. Any more pics?

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

congrats!!!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congratulations -- sounds like everything was perfect! Can't wait to see more pics!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Jenny,

Congrats! Your pictures are beautiful! I am glad you had a beautiful day!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Congrats on your perfect wedding!! (I love the Bourne Mansion!) You were a beautiful bride!

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

congrats@

Re: 9/20/03 Wedding Review

Thanks guys!

I just got my proofs & negatives today, but we're going to buy a film scanner, so once we get that, I'll post some of them.

In the meantime, you can view some of Christine Austin's digital photos by clicking on the pic: