My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

My 12/10/2011 Black White & Red Damask Winter Wedding Review!!

I will be using the traditional A+-F grading scale, with A+ being absolutely amazing to F being absolutely horrifying. I have been working on this for a while and it is long so pull up a chair and get some coffee ladies….here it goes.

1) Long Island Weddings: A+++++++++++++++
What can I say that has not been said before, I love this site and it kept me sane. Thank you to Ron, Kim and Liz and the rest of the CS team for letting us vent and post our insanity everyday!! We love you guys and really appreciate the site. I used to tell people I was on LIWeddings and I totally expected them to be like WHOA!! Be nice to this girl LOL...I am a dork I know and yes I did a happy dance when I got my T-shirt and I still have my air freshener in my car!!

2) My Venue: Lombardi’s on the Sound: B+

Well I must say that leading up to the wedding I was unsure that I had chosen the right hall for our wedding. If you are a bride that wants a lot of communication and 'hand holding' through the planning process than this is NOT your place. At time I felt neglected and like I was being a nuisance by trying to reach out to them. The worst part is that the receptionist, Barbara, who answers is the phone is rude, curt and down-right nasty. I complained several times about her and her behavior and was told by staff that they had complained as well and nothing was done. She is still there and if you are booking with this hall beware of the dragon lady gatekeeper as my DH and I call her. When we met with our BM I felt a little better because she seemed on top of things but much to my dismay she was not there the day of our wedding and I have not heard from her since for any follow up. Disappointed but not very surprised since they seem to handle the pre-wedding planning much the same way. One big thing for me was the cake; I had chosen a cake from a picture that I absolutely loved. I brought them the pic early on and they told me it would be an up charge for it, which I expected. They deal solely with 'The Rolling Pin' bakery and you can NOT bring in an outside cake. When I went for our final appointment, I was told that the up charge would be $1600!!!! I almost fell over. I know it is a pretty cake but it definitely was not that much and we even called rolling pin and the said that it was Lombardi's mark up and 'Yes that does seem high.' So I went with a 'simpler' cake and still paid $500 for an up charge to get the cake I sort of wanted. Fast forward to the day of the wedding the cake was decorated in the wrong colors anyway, but what can you do. It was delicious anyway and no-one knew but me I guess. They also forgot to give us our cake top to bring home so we had to call the next day and go back and get it which was a little annoying since it is a little out of the way from our house. The day of the wedding, we had a few hiccups in the beginning, winter brides beware, and they don't really know where to put you for pics, because I guess most of their brides go outside, so pick where you want carefully and take photos there. They tried to put us down stairs in some locker room area where the catering offices were and it was NOT attractive for photos. I wanted them done in the lobby which was all done for Christmas, but they then tried to move us into the half done ballroom where staff was still putting linens on the table to make 'room for other parties arriving' in the lobby. I said no way because it was a beige wall with a radiator and they moved us back to the lobby, unhappily, but they moved us. The rest of the wedding went like a dream, AMAZING food, our Maitre D John was good, a little rough around the edges but very good at what he does and Shawn, the Catering Manager was great and very helpful every time we needed something. My guests are still raving about the food which is the main reason I dealt with all the other stuff leading up to the day because I knew that we would not be disappointed with the food. It was a beautiful room and the decor is gorgeous, as is the view (even at night in winter.) I just wish that as happy as I felt the day of our wedding with everything, was as happy as I felt with the planning process. Lombardi's on the Sound should really re-vamp the event planning department to equal their day of catering staff.

3) Limos: Gold star Limousine: A
Gold Star was awesome! Sandy in the office is great! They were on time, efficient and all the drivers were sweet, polite and just all around wonderful! We had the Escalade limo, the Rolls Royce and 2 town cars for our parents. They were great with price and the cars were all beautiful. The only thing I would warn about is that because the Rolls Royce is an older car you smelled exhaust fumes inside the car and I got a little bit of a headache from them. It was still gorgeous and fun to ride in especially with the bridal horn!

4) Hair: Jenn The Hair Genie: A+
Jenn is AMAZING!! I can't say enough good things about this girl. She does a fantastic job with all hair types! We all looked gorgeous and my MOH hair was still perfect the next morning! She was fun, spunky and made everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. The only thing I would recommend is that you let Jenn do your flower girl's hair because her assistant (whose name I can't remember maybe Danielle?) was definitely not as patient as Jenn was with my wiggly 4 year old flower girl. This girl rocks and you should definitely hire her for your wedding!!

5) Make-up: Jacqueline Nicole A++++++++++
Jackie is soooooo sweet! She does the most gorgeous make-up and we all looked stunning! She is so patient and just a really cool person! I think she probably my favorite vendor just because she was so calming and made me look stunning (sorry but I did LOL). She had some tough cookies that day but everyone loved her. I can't say enough good things about her and you should use her for your wedding hands down!!

6) Hotel Block: The Crowne Plaza Holtsville: F------
This hotel can ruin your wedding night!! This was by far the WORST experience of any hotel I have ever stayed in!! I don't even know where to begin! When I booked my block here the woman, Dana Mc Elroy, who was handling my event planning, told me that the she would send me out the contract and the insert cards for my invites. I never got them, I called and left 2 messages and when I called again she played dumb and told me that she would send out a new set because she couldn't imagine what happened to them. I never got those either. I called again and left 2 more messages with no response. My Mom then called and spoke to the manager Cassandra who apologized and restored a little faith by promising to have them ready at the desk for me to go pick them up after work. Of course when I got there after driving 45 minutes they weren't there. The night manager at that time Victor Pope told me I needed to 'Relax myself' and just come back tomorrow. I told him no and to get Cassandra on the phone. She again apologized profusely and had them fed exed to me. That being done, I called in September just make sure everything was good only to find out the block was full! Thanks for the phone call to see if we needed to add more rooms. I then find out that Dana has been promoted and Victor is now the event co-coordinator. Ok fine, my Mother and I went to meet him in person and all went well. He seemed to really care about our event and want to make us happy. Let's fast forward to the day before my wedding, 12/9/2011. Myself, my future husband, maid of honor, best man, my parents, the groom’s parents and my brother all check in. My parent’s room key didn't work and they had to walk to the front desk 5 times before it finally worked. Meanwhile my maid of honor and I go to the suite that is going to be the bridal suite. We unpack everything and then upon using the restroom we realize there is no cold water. Only boiling hot water. We call down to the desk and now we have to move!! So we pack everything up and move next door. We asked for them to send someone to help but they said that they were too busy. We get into the next room and unpack again!! We go out and come back later and when I go to get into bed there was a roach, YES A ROACH under my pillow! Great sleep for the night before my wedding! It was 1:30am and my Maid of honor hates bugs so I just flicked if off and tried to go to sleep otherwise we would have had to move again. I get up after a restless night with the creepy crawlies and go to take a shower and again there is NO COLD WATER! I take a burning hot shower using a washcloth because my hair girl is coming in an hour at this point. I then call to the desk and they send someone from maintenance to 'bleed the pipes was all' as I was told. The grooms mother told me the next day that she asked what room we were in so she could come down to get her hair done and they told her they couldn't give her the room # and then connected the phone to the wrong room #! Victor knew those were the grooms parents and they could have easily seen the names were the same. I went down to the desk around 11am to get a key for a friends room we had booked and I saw Victor and told him about the roach and the hot water and everything else and he swore to me up and down that he would have housekeeping come and clean everything and the room would be spotless when my new husband and I get back! Needless to say when we arrived back to our suite after our wedding it was never touched. I had the whole bridal party, photographers, video, hair, make-up, flower delivery and everyone else was in that room that morning eating, drinking, and getting dressed! It was a mess, a big mess and the bed still had roach sheets on it!!!! I was furious! This was my wedding night for goodness sake. I called down and of course Victor was long gone with all of the housekeeping staff and they sent the poor security guard to change our sheets, pathetic. We didn't even have clean glasses to have a drink when we got back. Upset and aggravated, I went into the bathroom figuring I would take a Jacuzzi bath and when I turn the water on it starts pouring out brown rusty water!! I could not believe it!! I was just done. I went to bed and when I woke up the next morning I spoke to Dana and she oh so kindly comped our room. Then we find out my disabled in-laws were having a hard time getting out before 2 so they charged them an extra night. We paid for it because we felt bad we had chosen such a dump! When we were leaving I saw that the room service dishes from my parent’s dinner on Friday night were still there on Sunday at 2pm. No wonder they have roaches!! STAY AWAY!! This place will ruin your wedding night!! Guests have now been telling me that they were charged twice and never received the guest bags I made up. It's the HOTEL OF HORRORS!!!

7) Flowers: With all my Heart Florist: A
When I began to think about flowers I knew that I didn't want tons of them because it was Christmas time and who can compete with big beautiful trees all lit up and sparkling. So I went for a more dramatic look, since my color scheme was black and white with pops of red, I did gorgeous 4 arm candelabras with crystal dripping from every arm. I had table runners in a B&W damask patter on every table and bright red rose petals everywhere!! My bouquet was stunning, bright red roses packed together with crystals in them. I got so many compliments! The only issue I had was that by the time I got to the church 5 of my roses had snapped off at the point of where the bouquet handle wrap started, so I don't know if it was too tight or if it was just too heavy. Same thing happened to my MOH's bouquet. They were still beautiful we just had to keep them turned to hide the holes the missing flowers left. All my guest loved all the red accents and oohed and ahhed over my flowers. If you use them, speak with Ashley, she is doll and so great to work with!

8) Photography: ADA Studio Inc- A+
I love this vendor!! We booked with them awhile before our wedding and I knew that I wanted a great Photographer since pictures are so important. The first person we met was 'Big John' and he sold us our package. He definitely talked the talk but when he did our engagement shoot the pictures were not only bad they were AWFUL. We were out there for 10 minutes at some swampy duck pond and he took 20 pictures while texting on BB at the same time. When I got the photos back I was heartbroken, I called and got Helen the office manager on the phone and she ended up being my little guardian picture angel!! She understood why I was so upset and quickly re-scheduled us with Tony Lante or (Tony Queens) as they call him. Well I cannot go on enough about Tony, he is a doll and our pictures were STUNNING!! I loved them all and I was so excited to find out 4 days before our wedding that he had opened up and become available to shoot our wedding!! I also called Helen last minute and booked the photo journalistic photographer and I am SOOOOOOOOO glad I did! She sent Ida to us and here photos are just breathtaking and both she and Tony made our wedding day fun, relaxed and they were so helpful!! We love you guys and can't thank Helen, Tony, and Ida enough for everything! They had our proofs to us in like 2 1/2 weeks and I loved every picture more that the one before it. I can't wait to see our album.

9) DJ & Video: I can't review this right now because a situation. I will update ASAP.

10) My Dress: David’s Bridal: A+
David’s was fantastic but they again I was easy. I am a plus size girl and was dreading wedding dress shopping. I tried on 3 dresses and loved the first one. I bought it, ordered it and got it really fast and with no issues. My mother who is also plus size went to Queen of Hearts in Merrick and it was a disaster!!! The owner of that store is a rude, greedy mean, woman who tried to charge us $2000 for a gown for my mom after making us sit outside for an hour because she was late to our appointment and never even apologized. She takes advantage of plus size women and should be ashamed. We left immediately and went to David’s and they were awesome! Mom got a gown; my FMIL got her gown there and my MOH too. They were all perfect!! No issues!!

11) Tuxedos: Town & Country Tuxedos: C
We went with this tux place because the guy who owns it Bob was really nice and seemed to really care about how my DH was going to look on our wedding day. When we picked up the tuxes many of our groomsmen had issues with the shirts and the shoes. I asked him when we first went there if he could handle bigger guys because my Dad, Brother, FIL and DH are all big dudes. He said no problem. The shirts for the guys ran small so we had to have people pick up larger sizes and run around dropping of shirts off to each other. My Dad, Brother and FIL all ended up wearing their own shoes because they couldn’t fit in the shoes the rented. The other guys all said the shoes were very uncomfortable. One GM had cracked buttons on his shirt and another went to use the pants tightening loops and they were so worn that he could barely clip them. The vests for the bigger guys only came in the backless kind and all looked baggy and sloppy in pictures. My Dad’s shirt was covering half his hands for most of the night but when he had tried it on at the place Bob said it was fine. Another GM went to pick up his stuff and there were no buttons on his coat so they had to sew them on right there. I think the tuxes in this place really need seem updating. Bob is a sweet guy but it didn’t help with the issues with the tuxes.

12) Engagement Rings & Wedding Bands (Both): Littman Jewelers Bayshore: Cindy Weeks: A++++
DH and I have been together for 12 years and we knew we wanted the right ring because we had waited to so long. We went “looking” in Feb of 2010, we said we would never go to the mall because we thought we would get completely ripped off but we just went to look right!! We met Cindy and she was just the nicest person!! She was patient, understanding of our budget and worked with us. I found a few rings that I liked and then she took the ONE out of the case. It was gorgeous and I couldn’t believe when she told us how much it was!!! DH and I left the store, and had a long talk as we had done many times before and I figured well that was it I would never see that ring again. He proposed one month later and completely surprised me at Rockefeller Center. I was one of the happiest days of my life and I know Cindy was happy for me too. We went right back to her for our Wedding Bands which are both stunning and loaded with diamonds and we got amazing prices. She is awesome and I can’t wait to go back to pick out a push present when we get pregnant LOL!!!

13) Invitations: DIY: Michaels Kit: B+
You must have patience to do your own invites. Half way through I almost said forget it and scrapped the whole thing but I hung in there and got many compliments on my invites. I changed them up a little bit and you should feel free to do so if you want to. Just be patient and start them early!

14) STD: DIY and Disk Graphics: C
The Cards were a breeze to make but the magnets I ordered from my brother’s girlfriend’s job Disk Graphics, it took two redo’s because the magnets came all scratched and bubbled. They fixed it and I sent them. I am happy with the result.

15) Grooms Cake: A cake in Time: Sherry: C-
I got this cake place off of LIW and some of the other girls had used her. I explained to her that I wanted the Wall Street bull on a pile of money. I paid a good amt of $ for this cake and had high expectations. The cake came and the money looked amazing and it was delicious but the bull was AWFUL!! Everyone at our rehearsal dinner was teasing me telling me that bull looked like it was taking a poop on the cake because of the way she sculpted it. It was brown not bronze and kind of looked like a piece of you know what. It was so lumpy and you could see all the seams where she had stuck the legs on and I could still see her finger prints in the chocolate. I was upset but I didn’t tell my DH because I didn’t want to pick on his cake.
16) Rehearsal Dinner: Ciao Baby Commack: A++++
We love this place and knew we could trust them to do the right thing! Our server was excellent and the manager Gio was awesome! Everyone loved the food of course and it was perfect! We had an amazing time and could not have asked for anything more!!!

17) Ceremony: Trinity Lutheran Church Islip: A++++++++++++++++
This is our home church and we love it! Pastor Wackenhuth is such a wonderful man and it felt like we were being married by a close friend. We loved our Pre-Marriage Counseling sessions and he is so funny and personable. Louise in the office is a sweetheart and they kept us on schedule and Pastor even called a few days before to check in and see how we were doing. I love this church and will be a member here for as long as we live in this area. My DH even got baptized there a few months before the wedding. I can’t wait to bring our children there!

I8) Card Cage: DIY A+
I actually bought the cage from another bride on here and decorated it myself

19) Unity Candle & Luminaries: A+
I used Wreath Artist on Etsy and I love her work. She was so prompt, fast and communicative!! I love my candle!

20) Favors: Christmas Ornaments: Howe House: A++++
Rick from Howe House was so easy to work with. Some of the ornament I received had spots and scratches so he replaced them with no problem. They shipped super fast and I love them. My guest loved them too!

21) Cry packs, Bubbles, Flip Flop Baskets, Bathroom Baskets: DIY A++
I got most of my stuff at Michaels and Dollar tree. Best way to go! The flip flops I got off of a website for 79cents a pair. Can’t beat that!

22) Bridal party Gifts: Things Remembered B+
We spent like a gazillion dollars at Things Remembered but it was worth it. Everyone loved their gifts. Watch your engraving though it is PRICEY!!

23) My tiara, MOH hair piece, jewelry brooch, pashminas, FG jewelry, tiara, Moms hair piece: A+++
One word EBAY!! Check it out…the deals are amazing!

24) Shoes: Shoebuy A++
Shoebuy.com awesome site, free shipping and superfast! The shoes fit well and their return policy is Awesome.

25) FG Dress: Flower girl Dresses for less: A+++++
I loved my FG dress. She looked gorgeous and the dress was soooo inexpensive!!
26) Napkins, Stirrers: Michaels and Ebay: A+

27) Matches: Favormart: F
Don’t use them they are terrible and their stuff comes damaged. They won’t refund or replace it either.

28) OOT bags: DIY A

29) Printed wedding Materials: Door hangers, direction and timeline cards, photo sharing cards, BP T-shirts and much more: VistaPrint: A++++
I would have been lost without them. They are fantastic, easy to use and they ship sooooo fast!! I use them for all my printing stuff.

30) Wedding Website: The Knot: B
Really good layout but the name of your site is so long that people have a hard time getting in sometimes.

31) Bridal Shower: Rangmahal Hicksville: A+++++
My Mom and MOH out did themselves with my Bollywood themed shower. The restaurant was gorgeous and the food AMAZING! There was a belly dancer, henna artist and the cake!! People are still talking about the cake from Benkerts! It was so cool! People didn’t think it was real!!

32) Honeymoon: Sandal St. Lucia La Toc: A+++++
My DH husband surprised with this Honeymoon on the day of our wedding! I could not have dreamed anything better! It was so romantic, stunningly gorgeous and just sooo relaxing! Their spa is amazing. The concierge was spectacular. The upgraded our room and we had a private pool! The views are crazy!! We even left the resort and went to a restaurant outside and ate the best Indian food ever! It was clean, safe and just amazing!! I am so happy he did this because I now know that the wedding is for the guest but the honeymoon is really for the couple! It was magical!


I think that’s it for now, I hope this helps some of you! Good Luck to all the brides out there and hang in there because yea it does go fast! Enjoy your planning though because you will miss it when it’s done!!

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Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

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Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

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Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

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Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

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Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Great pics! Congrats!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

congreats love your pics

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Congrats....beautiful pics!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Great pics and wonderful review. BTW I just bought that dress an I love it!!!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

great review!!!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Congrats!!!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Great review!

I am so glad I canceled my hotel block at the Crowne. The fact that you had to deal with all of that on your wedding day is disgusting! I'm so sorry.

Dana getting promoted is a joke. She screwed up twice even before my wedding was 9 months away. Again, I'm sorry, but at least you're getting the word out.

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Great review and lovely pictures!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Very nice review everything looked beautiful. Congrats!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Great review. I LOVE your dress!

Congrats ona job well done and on being a Mrs!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Congratulations!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Congrats....everything looked perfect!!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Great pics! Congrats

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

great pictures !!!

Re: My 12/10/11 Lombardi's On The Sound Black, White & Red Christmas Wedding! (Super Long w/ pics)

Love the pics. Everything looked wonderful!!!!!!!