EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Engagement (A++)
• On June 16, 2010 DH took me to Jones Beach for a walk on the boardwalk. It was a rainy dreary day and I had a not so great day at work. He took me down to the water and sat on a blanket. He asked if I wanted a drink of water. I thought to myself I have to say yes because I was hoping for an engagement ring. Well he actually pulled out a bottle of water. After I was bummed that it wasn’t an engagement ring he asked if I was ready to go because it started to get really foggy. As he was helping me up he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife!! We were completely engulfed in a fog cloud. It was so romantic especially because we were the only ones on the beach.





Engagement Ring and Wedding Bands - Pesselnick and Cohen (A++)
• My engagement ring and wedding band are both GORGEOUS!! My dad bought my moms engagement ring there in 1979 and has been using them for diamonds and fine jewelry ever since. There was no question when DH and I decided to get engaged where he was going to purchase my engagement ring and our wedding bands. The people who work/own the business are friendly and easy to work with. They have fair prices on their jewelry and they only carry good quality stones and metals. One thing that I love most about Pesselnick and Cohen is that they will custom design any piece of jewelry you want and they are completely honest if things are going to work out or not. On my 18th birthday DH gave me a promise ring (that looked like an engagement ring). Steve, the jeweler my family works with, was able to take that stone and place it in my wedding band, so I could continue to wear the stone from our past in our future.





Engagement Party – Villa Umberto’s (Elmont) (A+)
• DELICOUS food and excellent service. We hired DJ Andy to DJ our party. Everyone was dancing and it was such a fun way to celebrate our engagement



















Save the Dates – Kodak (A+)
• They were gorgeous and the quality of the photograph on the magnet was exceptional



Registry – Bed Bath and Beyond/Macy’s (A+)
• Everyone was excellent and we found everything we needed for everyone’s budget

Day of Mrs. Hoodie – PersonalizedPresents.com (A)
• I really wanted a Mrs. navy blue hoodie so I ordered a ½ button up long sleeve cotton shirt. The size chart is true to size. I would suggest moving the font down on the website when ordering because the writing does get hidden by the hood.



Bridal Shower – Captain Bills (A++)
• My shower was a complete surprise!! My mom and MoH threw me off completely and did such a great job with the planning. It was a Friday night cocktail party. My mom hired DJ Andy (same DJ as my engagement party) and had an open bar. My mom had a display of gifts so I could mingle and dance with my guests all night. It was the perfect party for me. DH came at the end to help load gifts and we went through everything for the rest of the night into the morning.

Cocktail Bridal Shower

Programs, Escort Cards, Table Numbers, Favor Cards, and Shower Invites – Kristina O’Toole Design (A+)
• Kristina is a great person to work with and she really cares about your needs and is willing to make changes and take suggestions. She was wonderful and designed my wedding day paper goods to match my invitations perfectly.









Wedding Invites – The Printing Experience (Massapequa) (A)
• Jim who owns the company did an amazing job with the final invites although I did have trouble with the proofs. I ended up getting charged for extra proofs and never got a hard copy sample. Since everything was through e-mail there was a lot of miscommunication and took a while for things to get completed. Once things were finalized I had the invites within two weeks. They were gorgeous and reasonably priced. I was beyond thrilled with the final product.

DOJ – Givenchy at Macy’s (earrings and bracelet) (A+)
• The jewelry was beautiful and elegant. The Givenchy representative was great to work with and helped me find the perfect jewelry.



Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses – Bridal Reflection Massapequa (A+)
• I had such a wonderful experience with Bridal Reflections from the moment I stepped into the store until I picked up my gown two days before my wedding. Everyone there was so nice and helpful. I really enjoyed going there and was really happy with how everything turned out. The women are amazing and the alterations were perfect. I want to give a specific shout out to Michelle. She really went ABOVE and BEYOND what I needed. She is the one I worked with most. I had two pregnant bridesmaids and a sister who lives in London and she accommodated us so well. She also came to my house the morning of the wedding to help my mom and all the girls get dressed and tie the bow on their dresses. She also helped me get dressed and stayed until all the pictures at my house were done and we left for the church so she could make sure my dress was perfect.











Tuxedos – Men’s Warehouse (A-)
• I just want to preface that these are rentals for a reason. We didn’t have that many problems but DHs tux came in with the shirt smelling like an old man wore it and was not cleaned, that was resolved the day before the wedding *stress*. They also messed up the order and told FIL that he was supposed to be wearing the same tux as the groomsmen, which was not true. Dads were allowed to choose what ever they wanted. Other than that, everyone looked amazing and I was happy with the price and convince of the tuxes since we had multi-state groomsmen.



MOB Gown – Elena Bridal (Merrick) (A+)
• My mom looked amazing!! The women who worked there were very attentive and really cared about their customers. They have a great selection for MOB, MOG, and Grandmothers.



Etsy.com – Unity Candle (SouthernBellWeddings) (A+)
BM bracelets (mmtncrfts) (A+)
Table Number Holders (HomesAndWeddings) (A+)
• All three companies were very quick and easy to work with and all the products came out great





Shoes – Zappos (A+)
• I ordered 15 pairs of shoes before I decided on gorgeous Stewart Wiesman peep toe satin shoes with a bow. They were extremely comfortable and I kept them on the entire day and danced in them all night long.





Hair comb – Barron's (A)
• I bought a comb from the selection they had in their kiosk. I was hesitant to have anything in my hair but I bought a gorgeous comb and received many compliments on it. I bought a smaller comb for my sister (MoH) as well. The only thing I didn’t like about the kiosk is I felt uncomfortable in the space.



Florist – Tim’s Florist (Massapequa Park) (A)
• They did an amazing job! I had tulip BoKs for the BMs, roses for the bouts, corsages, and mom BoKs and I had tulips and daisies in my BoK. I had them wrap a piece of my mom’s veil around my BoK. The center pieces were big, colorful, and beautiful. After the wedding I really got to take a close look at them and I was a little upset about them. I specifically asked for no babies breath which it had and it didn’t really look like the sample I saw a month before. My sample had Gerber daisies and this did not. The flowers were still gorgeous and filled the room nicely (which is the point) but I wanted what I ordered. I worked with Gail the owner and she was amazing to work with, very sweet and kind and she did all the deliveries and set up the day of the wedding. Everyone said the flowers looked amazing and I agree they did look amazing. My BoK lasted a whole week after the wedding. My BoK looked so nice on my dresser.









Bachelorette Party – Essex Restaurant, Libation Club (Lower East Side, NYC) (A)
• I had a lot of fun that night. I went out with my Mom, MIL, my sister (MoH), SIL, and 3 of my BMs (2 cousins and my best friend) for dinner. We ended up ordering off the pre-fix menu that came with unlimited drinks for 2 hours. We had a blast and the food was amazing. Then my best friend, 1 of my cousins, and sister (MoH) went out to a club Libation. We had a VIP section and bottle service. We danced, drank and partied all night long. I had the best time!











Rehearsal Dinner – Il Classico (Massapequa) (A+)
• My mother in law planned the RD and she did an amazing job. She took the time to visit the place and make a seating chart. The food there is delicious and everyone had a great time.









Hair and Make-Up – Clear Skin Salon (A+)
• Jeanette was the woman who did my hair but everyone there is great. I had a trial with her and she got what I wanted right away. Lola is the make-up person and she was fantastic! All my girls and my mom looked like movie stars. Everyone looked beautiful and you can't beat the price (message me for pricing). I was so happy the way I looked and how my girls and mom looked the day of the wedding!

Hair and Make-up Trial

Photography & Videography – Thomas Paul Photography (A+)
• I did not look at any other photographers because I fell in love with Tom's work when I saw it online. When I went to meet him I knew instantly that I wanted to work with him. We booked in September 2010 and had great costumer service from the beginning, calling during the holidays and being there for any questions. On the day of my wedding he showed up on time and ready to work. He did a walk through of my house and rearranged my living room to find the best shots. My dad mentioned to me that he was really happy to see his creative side coming out during the shoot. This is exactly what I wanted, someone to take pictures in my house and not think about anything. He was amazing all day with creative shots and fun to be around. He also did things really quickly like all my family shots with extended family took 30 min I was impressed. Tom and his team was great to be around all day and I felt like they were there capturing everything but also not intrusive.

Church – St. Rose of Lima RCC (Massapequa) (A)
• I grew up in this church and it is beautiful and grand. I have made all of my sacraments in this church and being married there is a dream come true. DH's uncle and my uncle are both priests and married us. It was a beautiful ceremony, absolutely perfect. The musicians were great and the whole ceremony was perfect. The rehearsal was not that great I don't know if it was because I was so stressed the night before our wedding or if it was because the wedding coordinator didn't come out to help us since we were using our own priests. I thought they should have helped us anyway especially since I asked for them to help me a couple days prior.























































Photo location – USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts (A+)
• DH and I met at this camp in 2001 and I knew this would be a great place to take pictures. The campus is beautiful and it has a lot of meaning to us. The director of USDAN was great to us and made sure there was someone there to open the gate and help us with anything we needed. It was also an amazing time because it was a time for the two of us to be alone together for the first hour we were married!



Reception – North Ritz Club (A++)
• One word to describe my experience is AMAZING!! Everything from booking to he day of the wedding I had an amazing experience. I fell in love when I first walked into North Ritz. We had looked at a lot of halls but this one was US. A year before our wedding we had our tasting which was incredible. Our parents came and it was the first time they saw the place they were excited and blown away by the food and atmosphere. Anytime I had a question everyone was very nice and at my final meeting I had a couple extra things thrown in. The day of the wedding everything was perfect. George the Maître D was great and helpful. My bridal attendant Isabella was absolutely amazing. I don't know if the day would have gone as smooth without her. She was there by my side the entire night. Very attentive and helpful with anything I needed. At one point she took my BoK and I didn't even know it was gone until Thomas Paul said now let's take a picture with your BoK and I didn't have it (lol). My sister kept saying she would swoop in from the side to fix my veil or train and I didn't even notice. I LOVED HER! The cocktail hour was fun to see everyone and they opened it up 30 min early for us because we has so many guests there already for family pictures. During the cocktail hour DH and I sat in the middle of the room with a plate of food and I was a great way for guests to come up to us and say hello or take pictures. I love cocktail hour and mingling so I was happy that we got a chance to enjoy it. The food was amazing and everyone was raving about it. When the pasta came out all you could smell was garlic and my uncle said I was being a good Italian for having that happen. DH and I ate everything and it was delicious. All the wait staff and bartenders were amazing, courteous, and attentive to all guests needs. We have received so many wonderful compliments about the food and ambience. They also added lighting to the room after we booked and we had it on blue all night it was awesome.





























Band – Skyline Orchestra’s Skyline (A)
• I really didn't have any contact with them between booking and 3 months before the wedding. I heard about them from other LIWedding girls and went to a showcase and loved them. They really rocked our wedding and everyone was dancing all night long! I don't have any problems with the band but some things that got me irritated was when I submitted my song sheet they told me they wouldn't be able to play some of the songs like my entrance song and father daughter dance. I said that I have to have those songs. I felt like learning new songs should not be an issue considering how much a live band costs. Also at the final meeting I specifically said I do not want guests making requests for songs and I did not want the musicians coming out onto the dance floor with the guests to sing or dance. It's a personal thing. The guy I dealt with said no he can't ask his musicians to do that. I was mad and explained how I felt. Well the night of the wedding I found out they were taking requests and they had musicians on the dance floor. Ok, not a big deal, and I know other people like that stuff, I'll get over it. I was really looking forward to them and they did play great songs and had a great sound. Everyone was dancing all night and kept asking where I found this band because they were so good.

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Fantastic review! You looked beautiful!!

Congrats again!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Beautiful! You looked amazing!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Thanks for the review!! You looked beautiful. Love your dress!!!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

You looked gorgeous!!!! Awesome review, congratulations again!!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Yay finally a new review! You looked beautiful and everything looked great! Congratulation!!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

love it! you looked gorgeous! congrats!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

congrats....you looked beautiful

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Thanks for the review. Everything looked perfect and you were a beautiful bride.

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Congrats RH twin! I loved your review! You looked stunning in your dress! So happy you had a fabulous day

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Great review! Everything looks beautiful!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Wonderful review! And so happy to hear you had a great experience with Thomas Paul! I'm Dying to book him!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Beautiful pictures!! You got married on the day I got engaged lol

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

You looked stunning! Congrats

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing...love your dress!!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Wonderful review! You look beautiful and so happy. Congratulations!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

wonderful review

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Great review. You looked stunning

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

Great Review, you looked beautiful!

Re: EmilyandPeter's Review MARCH 31, 2012

looks like you had a amazin day & you looked great & it shows how happy you are!! congrats wish you the best