My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

It's funny. I never officially joined LIWeddings until after I had gotten married. I typically visited this site for advice. And just by hearing what future and past brides had to say, it greatly influenced certain decisions I made for my wedding. Sure enough, it ended up being the best day of my life. Not only did I marry my best friend, but I celebrated with all my loved ones and it was the time of my life. So thank you LIWeddings for creating such a great portal of advice and help for future brides! Here is my review of my amazing day:


Save the Date, Website, Invite and Menu: done by Yours Truly!
One of the pros of being a graphic designer is having the capability to create your own materials for your wedding. In the beginning when I made the save the date, I wasn’t 100% sure of what my look and feel was to be. So I went with a fail-safe option of creating a simple postcard with the date on the front and information on the back. Then once it came time to create an invitation and website, I had my brand pretty much narrowed down to a simple yet classic feel. While my save the date, invitation and menu were quite simple, I did use a lot more creativity when making my website. Take a looksie!








Hotel: 1708 House (A+)
Yes, I could have easily stayed at my parents' home in Southampton to sleep and get ready but there's something about the 1708 House that had me totally enamored. It was established in 1708 and the suite I stayed in has original wood beamed ceilings and is just crawling with beautiful history. The B&B even has a cellar dating from 1648. It was literally like living in a museum. It proved to be not only a comfortable, quaint place to stay, but also was an ideal back-drop to all my 'getting ready' pictures, as well as group pictures.






Makeup: Danielle Minnella (A++)
Danielle Minnella is hands-down the best makeup artist ever. She’s so pleasant, professional and talented that she made me and my bridesmaids look absolutely flawless. Not only was our makeup incredibly beautiful and natural-looking, but it lasted and lasted and lasted throughout hours of me dancing and sweating up a storm! I wouldn’t go with anyone else but Danielle. She’s the greatest!






Bridemaid Dress: J.Crew (A+)
I’ve always been an avid lover of all things J.Crew. So when it came to deciding which brand I wanted for my BM dresses, J.Crew was a no-brainer. Their beautiful color schemes, simplicity and design made selecting a dress a pleasure. I was struggling with what color to make them so I decided to go with a neutral color that could go with any color scheme. Therefore, I decided to go with the silk chiffon Juliet dress in graphite. It flattered every figure and looked beautiful with their gorgeous bouquets.






Wedding Gown: J.Crew (A+)
To go along with the J.Crew theme of my bridesmaids dresses—and even the flower girls!—I got myself a beautiful J.Crew wedding gown that is a timeless classic. It was lightweight, figure-flattering and super comfortable. I was able to dance the night away! I also bought a sash and chiffon flower detail to go along with the dress to help add a little something extra special to it.








Veil: Twigs & Honey (A+)
My blusher veil from Twigs & Honey complimented my classic gown beautifully. The intricate lace trim detail added a gorgeous accent to my entire look. I couldn’t have been happier with it!








Shoes: J.Crew (A+)
I got my pale gold, strappy kitten heeled sandals from J.Crew. Does that surprise you much? Since classic comfort was the general theme to my entire look, I wanted a shoe that was low to the ground and that would enable me to dance the night away without having to resort to flip flops. These sandals were ideal for just that!




Rings: Tiffany & Co. (A++)
Years before our engagement, I was clicking through Tiffany & Co.’s website and I nonchalantly told my DH, “Hey, if you ever come to your senses and decide to marry me, get this ring.” And sure enough, he did just that. I always loved the Tiffany Novo setting so he got me that exact engagement ring. Then he topped it off with the Novo band for our wedding day. Diamonds are most definitely a girl’s best friend!




Flowers: Topiare (A+)
I tried my best to go as local I could with certain vendors and when it came to the flowers, Erin of Topiare was my #1 choice. For as long I could remember, I always admired Erin’s arrangements and I knew I couldn’t go wrong with her! For my bouquet, I wanted something simple and elegant so she made me a gorgeous bouquet full of lily of the valley and white sweet peas. Since my color scheme was hot pink, chartreuse and orange, I wanted the BMs bouquets to have shocking pink peonies with a touch of chartreuse. They went along beautifully with their gray dresses. Then for the centerpieces, she made a gorgeous arrangement of hot pink peonies, orange roses and chartreuse hydrangeas and other great flowers mixed in. Absolutely stunning!










Ceremony: Our Lady of Poland R.C. Church (A+)
I was baptized, had my first holy communion and my confirmation at Our Lady of Poland. So since I was getting married in my hometown, getting married at Our Lady of Poland Church was a no-brainer. Father Stanley Kondeja was my priest for nearly all my holy sacraments—except for my baptism—so it was wonderful having him be the officiant of my wedding. They had just recently renovated the church as well so the place was in top-notch condition. Beautiful place for a beautiful ceremony!








Reception: 230 Elm (A++)
If you ever want to have a wedding at a place that A) has an incredible staff, B) works within your budget, C) is a perfect blank-slate backdrop for whatever decorations you can envision, and D) makes your every dream come true, then look no further and 230 Elm. Sue Collins, Tim Burke and Jackie, the venue directors, were such a pleasure to work with. They helped organize my timeline, work with seating arrangements and everything else you could practically imagine. They helped ease any stresses I may have had and made my entire day go without a hitch. The venue itself used to be the old Polish hall so their original hard-wood floors, large open layout and white walls enabled me to use my color schemes beautifully. And Randy the chef, made the most delicious food for our buffet. It was Italian/Polish/Mexican cuisine at its finest! Our food went along with our heritage—I’m Polish/Italian, my DH is Mexican. My DH’s family made all the Mexican food. Home cooking at its finest—Qué chingón!

And one of the greatest things about having my reception at 230 Elm was that it was only a block away from the church! After the ceremony we all walked from the church straight to the venue. It was a beautiful short walk to a beautiful reception!










Music: After Hours Entertainment (A+)
Phil Vollaro of After Hours Entertainment was super helpful and a great person to help organize my wedding music list. Customer service is most definitely his strong suit. We had DJ James for the reception and he was absolutely fantastic! He stuck to the song list I had provided and got everyone dancing non-stop—myself especially! I never stopped! They worked well within our budget and I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to use their services. One of the best parts of the night was the conga line that stretched through the entire venue! Classic!








Photobooth: NY Digital Memories (A++)
The photobooth at my reception was a complete hit. Kids, adults, grannies, the whole nine-yards went ballistic over getting their mug-shots taken. And to top it all off, Rob—the owner—was an absolute pleasure with working the booth. His professionalism and amazing personality made the photobooth a welcoming place to be. I had a great package that included 4-hours of non-stop usage, with black & white or color choices and then a CD of all the images taken for myself. It’s amazing to look at them and see what people do in the booths!




Photographer: Miha Matei Photography (A+++)
I had known Miha from my job in Manhattan. And for years I always admired her work. I would think to myself, “My God…If the time ever comes for me to marry, she has to be my photographer!” So when she had moved to L.A. with her family, my hopes had somewhat diminished because I wasn’t sure if she’d be available. (But have no fear, for Miha still works mostly in New York and would be more than happy to be a part of your special day as well!) So sure enough, I was honored to have her be a part of my special day! When she was in NY this past winter, we had our engagement session at the MET. Once I saw those pictures, I was over-the-moon in love with Miha and her astounding talent. Then once the time came for the wedding, I was even more ecstatic with the results. Miha can make the most mundane object into a work of art. So with my wedding, she brought out the beauty with every nook and cranny imaginable. I think her images speak for themselves. And thanks to Miha’s incredible talent, professionalism, creativity and amazing personality, she helped create photographs that’ll last a lifetime.














Videographer: Moho Creative (A+++)
Along with my photographs, I wanted my wedding video to be another integral part of the entire experience. From the very first email with Moho, it was love at first sight/email/etc. Owned by a young married couple Mike and Meredith, Moho Creative goes above and beyond the normal wedding video. They created a special 11-minute video of all the highlights of the day. And let me tell you, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life. Moho’s professionalism, creativity, amazing customer service and flat-out crazy talent helped give me a video I’ll treasure forever. See for yourself. I guarantee you’ll be amazed.




Up-Lighting: Matt Murphy Event Lighting (A+)
This was yet again another instance of me using a local vendor that was 1,000% in my favor. Since the venue was such a blank-slate, I knew that up-lighting was a definite must. And to go along with my color scheme, I had decided to go with a magenta colored up-lighting in the dancing/bar section of the venue and then an amber color within the dining area. Both colors were a beautiful mix and very flattering. When the reception first started there was a lot of natural light and the up-lighting helped create a very soft, elegant feeling within the space. Then as the day turned into night, the space began to transform into a very soft, elegant ambiance. Matt did an amazing job with coordinating the lights with surrounding props—plants, pedestals, etc.—and gave the venue an ethereal feel. It made a world of difference!






Cake: Tate’s Bake Shop (A-)
Do you know those delicious thin chocolate chip cookies packed in those clear bags with the big green Tate’s label? Well that bakery originated in Southampton and something told me that their cakes would be a great choice for my wedding—and they’re local! I personally wanted to do a cupcake tier so it was just a matter of picking what I wanted. So I figured vanilla was a fail-safe option and they turned out absolutely delicious—unlike any cupcake I’ve ever had in my life! I gave them an A- only because they didn’t get the height right (a bit too tall to all fit within the tier). But that doesn’t get in the way of the fact that they were an absolute hit and super tasty! And the cupcake cutting ceremony was hilarious because I told the venue to give me the biggest knife they had to cut a single cupcake and they practically ended up giving me a machete!






Dedication
And last, but certainly not least, I dedicated my wedding to my beloved Italian grandfather who unfortunately passed away a month before my big day. I remember that when I first got engaged, I envisioned what my wedding day would be like and I always, always, always envisioned me dancing with my grandfather. He was the life of every party—amazing sense of humor, lively, energetic, hilarious. And while I was completely devastated and heartbroken with his passing, I made sure he was still with me that day. I placed a picture of him in his vibrant youth from the 1940’s next to the area where I knew he’d be hitting up the most—the bar. Ti voglio un mondo di bene nonno. Non vedo l’ora di vederti di nuovo un giorno! xxoo

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

everything looked beautiful! congrats

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

What a beautiful wedding! LOVE the flowers and the setting.

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

gorgeous!!! great review!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Best review! Absolutely beautiful lizzie!!!!!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Awesome review! What a wonderful wedding!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

everything looked beautiful..congrats and thanks for sharing

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Cute pics in the photobooth!!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Beauty and good review!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

What a beautiful, classy wedding. I especially love the bridal party bouquets. They really pop!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

beautiful! congrats.

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Amazing!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

This is one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen! I love your vision from the spring colors to all the personal touches, to the walk from the the church to reception , as well as your 'unusual' registry requests. Hahaha!!!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Awesome!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Thanks! I definitely wanted the entire theme of my wedding to be super personal so I'm happy to see that's reflected in what I've posted! And those 'random' registry items were a hit! Ha!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Congrats

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

Thanks!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

you looked gorgeous, and i have to say, your dedication to your nonno was heartwarming!

Re: My Beautiful 5/7/11 Southampton Wedding

The wedding looks beautiful..Love the photography. Your dedication to your nonno has me crying.