My 11/8/03 Review!

Here is my 11/8/03 review. If anyone has specific questions about any of the vendors, you can FM me:

East Wind - A+++
Everything was so beautiful, our guests kept telling us how stunning & elegant it was & the food was delicious. Our cake was gorgeous. All I told them was to use fall colored flowers & they did a wonderful job. The cocktail hr & reception rms were so spacious so everyone was comfortable. Our bridal attendant & Maitre'd were constantly by our side. We hung out at the pub afterwards & then moved the party upstairs. We had the Ambassador Suite & 14 other rms for out of towners. The suite was incredible! I highly suggest to other EW brides that you book this rm for your wedding night ASAP. One of my friends decorated it with candles & rose petals - so romantic! It also had a jacuzzi tub that we got to enjoy after we kicked everyone out!

Flowers By Burton - A+++
My flowers were gorgeous! People are still raving over our centerpieces. They did such a fantastic job & were a pleasure to work with.

Distinctly Yours Invitations - A+++
Patricia was so great to work with, so patient with all of our last minute spelling/address changes & she got everything back to us so quickly. Her etiquette expertise is exactly why I tell people to go with a human being instead of ordering online.

High Energy Entertainment (DJ) - A+++
Ralph was awesome! He played everything we wanted. Everybody (young and old) said how great he was.

ADA Photography - B+
We liked our photog (Anthony) a lot. He was very nice, personable & made everyone feel comfortable. Our proofs are very nice. He got some great shots but they are basically your standard wedding shots. Not too creative, nothing out of the ordinary to make you say 'wow' but all in all, we were both pleased with the quality. We only got about 235 proofs though, when I know other places give as much as 800. Not many candids either & only about 12 B&W's. The reason I am only giving them a B+ is that I 'like' my pictures, I don't 'love' them. I definitely have enough great shots to fill an album but all the negative feedback I heard about them all the way up until the wedding caused me way too much stress. They were the only vendor I was worried about.

Videographer - No rating b/c he was a family member who did it for free as a gift & he no longer does it professionally.

Eileen from Matthew James Salon (hair) -A++
Eileen is my regular hairdresser & did a beautiful job. She did exactly what I wanted. My hair looked perfect for most of the day. She was at my house by 6:00am, right on time & did mine & my sister's hair which looked awesome too!

Patty Burgess (make-up) - A+++
Patty was fantastic! She was at my house early & did mine, my mom's & my sister's make-up beautifully. She made us all look so natural. I had people telling me at 11:00pm that my make-up looked exactly the same as it did at 11:00am that morning! The only thing I had to do was freshen my lipstick.

Adrienne's Bridal Salon - C
Mixed Review: I bought my gown, headpiece, veil & BM dresses there. I had no problems with the salespeople, everyone was nice & helpful. However, when my fittings started, I had nothing but problems with the seamstress. The last 2 wks before the wedding, I was running there constantly b/c everytime I went, the dress was exactly the same as it was the time before. It was obvious the seamstress wasn't doing the alterations! I had to pay for a special 'hollow to hem' charge which means the dress is tailored to your height so you don't have to hem it when it comes in but I had to go back at least 3 times b/c the hem was too long. I found out they eventually fired that seamstress & then had another one take over & she did a great job but only after wasting my time & causing me so much stress & inconvenience. Also, 2 of my BM dresses came in with stains on them.

Rodgers Tuxedo's: A+
Everyone went to the Centereach location except for 1 GM who went to Smithtown &
nobody had any problems whatsoever.

Eagle Limousine: A+
The limo's were great - clean, fully stocked. My driver was so nice, funny, helpful & he even arrived early so everything went off without a hitch. He also got us out to EW early after the church so we got to start our pics early. We also used them to go to the airport for the HM.

Honeymoon - A+++/A
We went to Aruba 1st (for 5 nights at the Hyatt) & absolutely loved, loved, loved it!
It was beautiful, service was great, food was great, awesome beach. They gave us complimentary champagne & took pictures of us & gave us a cute frame as an HM gift. The only negative thing is the balconies are very small. Other than that, we can't wait to go back!
We went on an RC cruise for the 2nd week & I have mixed feelings about RC. The ship was beautiful, our cabin was great (had a nice big balcony) but I was always told how much better RC was than Carnival & I just did not see it. The food was ok, the service in the dining room was 'eh' & really, for the extra $$ you spend on RC, I just felt like I wasn't getting my money's worth. I felt like RC was nickel & diming us on little things that I remember being included on Carnival. Also, This particular ship was part of a fleet that have more cabins but less open public space. And the famous rock wall was also only open for 1 day. We did have a great itinerary though, making stops at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia & Barbados. All in all, I do love cruises so I did enjoy myself but we were disappointed in RC. I think I would do Carnival again before I would do RC or at least try an RC ship from a different fleet.

That's it! Sorry it was long but I hope it helps other brides!

Re: My 11/8/03 Review!

thanks for your review and congrats! I was wondering if you could FM info on your make-up person please.

Re: My 11/8/03 Review!

Congratulations to you and your Hubby!
Patty Burgess is amazing-I have known her for years. A little scared of Adrienne's, luckily I didn't get my gown from there but my BM's did. Oh well, time will tell.
enjoy being a Newlywed!!

Re: My 11/8/03 Review!

Yes, Please FM me info for your make-up artist, too! How much did she charge?

What kind of dress did you ahve? I had a hollow to hem measurement too...the salon insisted it would be the best thing to do...I'm a little concerned that you'rs was still too long...

My brother got married at East Wind in Sept and used ADA also...I agree with you 100%

Can't wait to see pics!

Re: My 11/8/03 Review!

Could you FM me the hair person info?


Your wedding sounded wonderful!!!! Thanks for the detailed review!

Re: My 11/8/03 Review!

Congratulations Sounds like you had a wonderful day.