****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

My wedding was the most amazing day of my life.There were so many vendors that went above and beyond, while some others were definitely a disappointment. SO this is meant to give you girls a real and honest review of any of the vendors you are or contemplating using. I will try to keep it short but no guarantees!!

LIW A++++
I got so much inspiration and information from this site. My wedding truly would not have been the same without it!

Rehearsal Dinner Villa Russos A+
This was a last minute decision made by FIL. I didn't care to have anything formal but he wanted to throw it so we did it at Villa Russo's in Queens because it is only 1 block from the church. The room was pretty and everything was set up and waiting for us. The staff was never in our way but always around when we needed them and the food was delish! Everything was really nice and I'm really happy we got the opportunity to have it there.

THE DRESS: Cossima by Melissa Sweet A+ BRIDAL SALON: Malindy Elene Bridal Couture , St. Petersburg Florida A+
My family lives in Florida so when I went to see them, I figured I would start looking, but never intended on getting a dress there. Well that went right out the window when I went to Malindy Elene which is a small but beautiful boutique in St. Pete. I tried on a lot of dresses there including Cossima. I think it was the combination of the dress, my mother's presence, and Malindy's southern charm that made the purchase. She truly is a sweetheart and even though I had to go back and forth for fittings, it was all worth it. She worked extremely well with email which was always a plus for me. Plus she gave me an awesome discount and I didn't have to pay tax because I am not a FL resident!!




My Veil Barrons Bridal A
I really was very particular about my veil. I wanted one that was just below my elbow with a thick lace trim ONLY along the bottom. I couldn't find one like that anywhere and the place I did find it, was charging $600!
So I went to Barrons because of the infinite positive reviews and explained what i wanted. She made the process very easy and I was pleased with the price and the fact that I could add the crystals. When I received it, i was a bit dissapointed with the length because it seemed to be a bit shorter than I wanted but other than that I really loved it. It was simple enough but still had the little bling to make it special.



Bridal Shoes: A Ninashoes.com
Got them on sale and added the clips to the front, which I got from Davids bridal for only 6 bucks each! Loved them. Great Price and elegant


Bridal Slippers: A Zappos.com by Nina
Loved them..spent the entire reception in them. Even the first dance!!!


Bridal Jewelry Earrings, bracelets: A Elliot Danori at Macys
Loved my jewelry and loved the price and the fact that I could use macys coupons!!



Headband A+++++++++ Priscilla of Boston Sample Sale
My favorite piece! So sparkly and beautiful! $500 piece for 50 bucks!


Hair Hair Central in Queens A++++++++++
I went to a local salon that was recommended to me by family and friends. I had a trial with Kacey from Kholouds which I paid 50 bucks for. Kacey was very nice but honestly I felt like I came out of there looking like I was going to my sweet sixteen. Not only that, but I wanted her to come to me and I wanted clip in extensions. She told me the fee for traveling would be 200 and the extensions would be another 200! Yea there was no way I could afford to spend 400 bucks on my hair so I had to look elsewhere.
I went to this salon and the girl was so helpful, really cool and nice. When I first went to her, she listened to what i wanted and played around with my hair in different styles right on the spot even though she was busy, and I didnt have an appt. I later went back in to do a full trial where she did everything I asked and even washed my hair for me...lol. I didnt have to pay anything for the trial. She told me she would order the extensions for me and that I had the option of renting them from her which would be a lot cheaper than buying. So I ended up doing that and on the day she did my hair I walked out of there with exactly what I wanted and I only paid 75 bucks TOTAL, That alone made me love her : ) It just goes to show that you should explore all your options and not just to go with the most popular vendor on LIW.
She also did my hair for the rehearsal which I loved as well. She will definitely be my regular hair stylist now.

Makeup Pink Orchid: A
This was another local vendor. She is actually the cousin of one of my BMs. I really liked that she used more color and was more aware of how to work with my skin tone than other trials I had. She ended up doing my mom ans some of the BMs as well. She came to my home and everything was set up really nicely. we got some great pics of me getting ready and I felt more comfortable knowing she wasn't a stranger. I was really happy with her work and it lasted all day.







Bridesmaid Dresses Priscilla of Boston A+ Store: Malindy Elene Couture A++
So I saw the Priscilla dresses online and went into the Roslyn store to check them out. We immediately fell in love with the mulberry color. I decided I would let the girls choose whatever style they wanted as long as it was satin, knee length, and the specific color. The dresses were each around $250 in the store. I decided to check with Malindy in FL, since I knew she carried POB. She ended up giving the girls 20% off and they were all tax free because they had to be shipped. The dresses all came to under 200 bucks which I was thrilled about. And all I had to do was give her the style numbers and the girls info, and she took care of the rest!!! They looked beautiful and the bouquets went perfectly as well!






Bridesmaid Jewelry Earrings Eliot Danori: Macys: A
Necklaces ETSY seller [email protected]: A
I really kept going back and forth on what I wanted for the girls jewelry. I decided I wanted something with pearls that ties with a nice ribbon, since all of the girls dresses were strapless.
When I found Debby online, she was very quick with her response. She really works to customize items to your liking. She went out and bought a bunch of different materials and made samples since I wasn't set on what color ribbons or pearls I wanted. We went back and forth until we settled on something I loved. She made the payment process very easy and allowed me to pay in installments, which was helpful. Also the price of the necklace was very reasonable. She shipped them to me, each in individual necklace boxes so I didn't have to get them on my own. I was very happy with the final product and the girls looked beautiful in them.




Tuxedos Dante Zeller B+
We knew we wanted dark gray tuxes and mens wearhouse didn't have it. So I started to call around to see who had the style I wanted the cheapest and it turned out to be Dante Zeller on queens blvd. at 119 bucks each. We booked with them. Shortly after that location closed down and moved to Jamaica. It was a much longer drive and it was in a very crowded store. We had to wait really long every time we went. However every issue we had was taken care of in an easy manner and the manager was very nice. We switched a lot of stuff last minute but it all worked out well and they looked awesome!





Flowergirl Dresses: A
Got them at JC Penny for 30 bucks each. Had the flowers and sash put on by a seamstress. They looked adorable, even though by the end of the night my god daughter's dress was left with one out of three flowers that we put on. o well.


Ringbearer suit: A
Got the suit at Burlington. Wanted him in grey to match the guys. He looked soooo cute!


The Rings Giorgios at Bayshore mall B+
I absolutely loved my E-Ring. We decided to stick with the same jeweler to get our rings. We dealt with the owner, Erin. I wasn't really in love with him. I felt he was trying to rip FH off but we negotiated a lot on price with him and he came down a lot. We still probably paid more than we would have elsewhere but we LOVE our rings and since we already knew him, we figured we would save ourselves the hassle of shopping around and just go with it. Anyway, he really did a beautiful job with our rings so I suppose that's all that matters now.



Reception Hall: Leonards of Great Neck: C+ in the middle, to A in the end!
When we first started looking at halls, we knew the price point we wanted to be in. I looked at CHCC, Verdis, Chateau Briand, Westbury Manor and Leonards. I had never been to Leonards so I didn't know what to expect. When they gave me the pp price, my jaw almost hit the floor. It was so low compared to everyone else we went to and by the looks of the place and the ppl we met that day, it sounded like a steal.
So we booked, and shortly after that, things started to go down hill. First our BM left, but no one told us. Every time I would call to ask a question it seemed like I was bothering them. I also started to read a lot of negative reviews and really started freakin out!, which some of you saw on here.
I was really worried but towards the end when we met with Ian who finalizes everything, things went well.
When it came to the day of my wedding, WOW, they really blew me away. I was really worried about being ignored and not being able to find anyone when I needed them but seriously, they were by my side the whole time. They were super nice, they didn't even want me to hold my bouquet at times because it was heavy. Everything was set up correctly, (but that is mostly because of my DOC)
THE FOOD WAS AWESOME! There was so much of it and everyone said it was delicious. When the surprise VH opened up, people didn't know what to do because it was so amazing but they were so full already. But believe me, that didn't stop them. The VH was one of the things I was most excited about as well but of course I didn't get to eat anything that night. So I made sure to ask the maitre d to pack some things up for us and they packed two huge cake boxes!
We got a lot of compliments on Leonards, so I guess the lesson learned, don't immediately freak out when you read a bad review. Stay confident in your choice and if there are any concerns, do your best to make sure they are prevented. I purposely left minimal things for Leonards to do in terms of set up and gave most of my items to the DOC because I knew she would pay more attention to them.










Florists Pedestals: F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, this is going to be a long one, so I understand if you don't get through it.
Ok so Flowers were a really BIG deal to me! It was one of the first vendors I started to research. I made an appointment with Pedestals as well as Flower Michelle. We met with Vito at Pedestals and IMMEDIATELY clicked! He was very attentive to what i was saying and acted like he was really excited about my ideas. Even if he was faking at this point, it was a much better approach than what I had previously experienced. SO by the end of the appointment I pretty much had my mind made up. i completely trusted him and didn't even bother seeing Flower Michelle.

Fast Forward to a couple months later, I see something on the boards about Vito being injured in an accident. I called Pedestals, and they confirmed. they told me he was on medical leave and that he would be returning in a couple months. I called back periodically to check on his status and they kept telling me he would be back. Then I see something else on the boards about how he is no longer at Pedestals. So I call and they finally confirmed that he was no longer there. I was pissed because they didn't care to let me know.
I contacted Vito on my own and found out he was going to be working at Westchester Floral Decorators in the Bronx now. At this point I didn't know what to do. I had already booked and paid a deposit to Pedestals, but a big part of that reason was Vito and now he was no longer there. I decided to go in and meet with Virgil. He was very nice and we started to go over my contract but I really wasn't vibing with him so I decided to ask him if we could just do the ceremony with Pedestals. This way I could still have Vito do my Reception pieces and would not lose my deposit with Pedestals because it would be used towards the Ceremony pieces.
This was ONLY A REQUEST. I didnt go in there demanding, it was a simple question. To which Virgil replied SURE, ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM! So he rearranged my contract and it seemed everything was fine.
Until two weeks after I get a call from one of the managers Robert who basically called me up to tell me I couldn't do this and if I wanted to, I should have just taken my business elsewhere.
Yea really nice customer service. he said Virgil didn't know what he was doing, mind you he has been there for years so how could he not know?
Fast Forward the store owner got involved and assured us everything was fine, apologized for their behavior, and we could go ahead with the arrangement. They couldn't really say anything else, because the contract Virgil rearranged for us was clearly binding. I still didn't want to go ahead with them but for the sake of saving money I let it go.
Fast Forward tot he week of the wedding, someone from Pedestals called and asked where wanted our personals to be delivered to which I replied, we are NOT supposed to get personals from you guys. We didn't pay for them. We are only getting the arrangements, swag and pew bows with flowers. Virgil comes on the phone and says sorry, she made a mistake. I say ok, and then asked what time they would be at the church to set up since the ceremony starts at 2pm. He replied 1230, 1 pm. I say ok. So that was CONFIRMED two days before the wedding.

AH now on to the good part, the day of the wedding has arrived. 1230, no one is at the church. 1 pm, no one there. The DOC calls them and they are 'on their way:' 130 no one there...2pm, the ceremony start time, STILL NO ONE THERE!!! Guests have already started to arrive and at 215 they finally show up! SO they arrive with a whole set of bouquets which we did not even pay for, good one guys.
Then they are setting up these huge arrangements on these narrow vases. Everyone I spoke to who was in the congregation said they were counting the seconds until one fell over because they were all wobbling! They came so late that they did not have time to do the swag. As soon as they left, an arrangement at the altar fell! glass and water everywhere!, in front of everyone!
To prevent it from happening to the others, my guests, who rushed to clean it up, took the other arrangements off of the vases and placed them all on the floor.

I had no idea any of this was going on but I did notice when I got up to the altar. I even asked DH at the altar why my flowers are on the floor and he goes, you dont even want to know.

So they really messed up and it was another hassle to get compensated. Their excuse was pretty much that shyt happens and they are sorry. We didn't get everything back but I was just so frustrated by the whole thing that I gave up fighting.

would have been great if it actually stayed like this


Guests scrambling to clean up the mess so the ceremony could start


what it ended up to be...including no aisle swag//flowers and no petals down the aisle


Vito at Westchester Floral Decorators A+++++++++++++
I cannot say enough nice things about Vito. He is super talented and such a sweetheart. I enjoyed every minute of working with him even through this whole fiasco. My regret is that I didn't just cut off pedestals, took the loss, and have him do the church as well. I know everything would have been perfect if it were all in his hands. But everything that was done by him was perfect and beyond my expectations.









Videography I DO Video: A
I left video to the last minute and when Couped Up was booked, someone recommended Nelson at I DO video. The work he showed us was great and I'm sure the video will be also. I do not have it yet but I doubt I will have anything negative to say.

DOC Erganic Events A++++++++++++++
I was blessed by winning a DOC package at the LIW expo and I honestly don't know what I would have done without Sojourner and her team. Sojourner helped me so much throughout my entire wedding process so it wasn't just like they showed up on the day and that was it. She answered me quickly throug emails whenever I had a question and we also met multiple times before the wedding. She really has a 'we can make it happen' attitude and put up with my endless back and forth on various details. I am so grateful I had people I could rely on at the rehearsal and the wedding, so that I or my family would not have to worry. Sojourner was really integral in making my dream a reality. She and her team set the entire RH room up with all my DIY projects. They also helped in bringin things to the church as well as from there to the hall. I can honestly say I was stress-free despite things going wrong that day with other vendors, because of them. I'm sure that there were things they took care of without me even knowing. Bottom line Erganic Events did an amazing job and anyone who hires them receives the priceless gift of piece of mind. I definitely recommend them.

Favors Wedding Channel.com A
Had a hard time choosing but went with the photo coasters. Added the insert with my monogram. Got them for under 1 buck each.

Cake Leonettis Bakery A
Each tier was a different flavor...Baker was a sweetheart...loved it!


DIYs ME A+++++++++++++++++++++++
I've always been creative but I really took it to the next level with the wedding stuff.
I customized my invites, guest book, flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillow, table numbers,favors
And made my
-monogram
-card box
-unity candle
-aisle runner
-petal cones
-programs
-menus
-welcome sign






















I used paperandmore.com as well as cardsandpockets.com and was very pleased with the prices and quality of the products from each of these sites.

Photography J'adore Love A++++++++++++++++++
I found out about J'adore through this site of course. I was immediately drawn to their work because it seemed so fresh and vibrant. Jenn and Ephraim are the two coolest and sweetest photogs ever. Their creativity just spills out all over their work and you can see the passion they have for what they do. They also make you feel so comfortable and like it's a friend taking your pic not a stranger. I 1000 percent recommend them. I hope I am able to use them again for other big events in the future.

Here are some fave pics...


Travel Agent Richard at Lets Go Travel A++++++++++++++++++ [email protected]
I got in touch with Richard through one of those Tahiti travel sites. He was one of the TA's that contacted me with a quote when I was looking into Bora Bora. However after I decided not to go that way, he continued to contact me and it wasn't in an annoying way. lol. He sent me a ton of information on various Caribbean resorts just to get me started. I immediately fell in love with Karisma Resorts, which I had never heard of prior but the pictures and reviews were awesome!
We went forward from there. he was always very quick to respond to my emails, and we practically planned the entire trip through email which was a HUGE plus for me, considering I'm always on my email. He really got us great prices both on the resort and the cruise, always checked prices every month to see if they went down, which they did, and helped to make our trip one we will never forget. AND it was all so EASY! I will definitely use him again in the future!!

Honeymoon A +++++++++++++++++++++++++
OMG our Honeymoon was the best time of our lives. We stayed 4 days 4 nights at El Dorado Casitas Royale in Riviera Maya, Mexico. This is an exclusive adult only gourmet all inclusive resort. The place is HUGE and the grounds are immaculate! It had a four diamond rating and I cannot say enough nice things about the staff there. They are always willing to go above and beyond to satisfy you.
The views were amazing! And I don't even know where to begin with the food. Everything is gourmet and so delicious. Best Japanese food I ever had was from their Japanese restaurant. Amazing!
We only stayed there for a couple of nights because we didn't want to get bored on a resort for 7 days. From there, we flew into Ft. Lauderdale to leave on our 7 night Carribean Cruise on Celebrity Cruises. This is definitely a ship fit for a Honeymoon or Anniversary. It is a beautiful and classy ship. Not too many kids running around. The food was also very excellent. We had an amazing time in St. Thomas and a lot of fun in St. Maarten too, but wow was is hot there.
Overall we had a fabulous time. We so did not want to come back home to reality. But we were really happy we got to experience both the resort and the cruise and have no regrets!




Thanks for reading my review! Hope it was helpful!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Seriously Gorgeous... your pictures were great... and you looked amazing!!!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

OMG!!! LOVE your flowers! LOVE your colors - I wanted that raspberry colors, but I knew my BMs wouldn't go for it.....LOVE LOVE LOVE your cake!!!!!

Honeymoon sounds great....we've been thinking of El Dorado so I love seeing good reviews of it!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Great review.

Sorry about the Altar pieces (I think I remember the pics). but at least your other flowers were beautiful

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

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Posted by AngnShaun

Seriously Gorgeous... your pictures were great... and you looked amazing!!!

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THANK YOU!!!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

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Posted by saralee1978

OMG!!! LOVE your flowers! LOVE your colors - I wanted that raspberry colors, but I knew my BMs wouldn't go for it.....LOVE LOVE LOVE your cake!!!!!

Honeymoon sounds great....we've been thinking of El Dorado so I love seeing good reviews of it!

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it really was so awesome. will def post pics soon!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

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Posted by Im getting Married

Great review.

Sorry about the Altar pieces (I think I remember the pics). but at least your other flowers were beautiful

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o yea i knew i forgot to post something...thanks for reminding me!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

beautiful beautiful wedding!!!!!!! congrats!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

BEAUTIFUL!!! Thanks for sharing

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Amazing review. Your colors were so pretty. I went through the same thing with pedastals except i have changed people 1 more time than you did. I started with someone then i went to vito and now i am with someone else....crazy. I cant switch at this point because i have given then so much money but i think and hope they will do a good job.

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Your review is awesome!!!

Your DIY stuff was amazing!! So crafty.

Here is something funny...

I went to the shoe site you said you got your shoes - you wrote that it was nina.com - and all of a sudden, a pornographic site popped up. LOL

I figured out that it was actually ninashoes.com.

Just thought you would find that hilarious.

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

LOVED everything !! your flowers were gorg, your DIY's were amazing, the bm dresses were sooo nice. everything just looked beautiful !

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Congrats!!! You looked amazing!!!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

GREAT review! Thanks!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

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Posted by RFutureBegins2day

Your review is awesome!!!

Your DIY stuff was amazing!! So crafty.

Here is something funny...

I went to the shoe site you said you got your shoes - you wrote that it was nina.com - and all of a sudden, a pornographic site popped up. LOL

I figured out that it was actually ninashoes.com.

Just thought you would find that hilarious.

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OMG! will def edit that. Thanks for the heads up!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Love everything single thing about your wedding! It's absolutely stunning!! You looked beautiful!! Congrats!!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

I loveee it all !!!! you need to go into wedding planning! you are soo creative

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Great review. You looked beautiful !!!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Gorgeous!!! LOVE your DIY! Congrats!!

Re: ****MY AMAZING June 19th 2010 WEDDING...LEONARDS,PRISCILLA OF BOSTON, J'ADORE LOVE, PARTIES ALIVE, AND MUCH MORE! LOADEDDDD WITH PICS!!!!!

Great review!!! Thanks for sharing!