The Brides' Review - My very late May 23, 2003 Wedding Review

Post new topic

Wedding Forums > The Brides' Review > My very late May 23, 2003 Wedding Review

My very late May 23, 2003 Wedding Review

lmm0922 Posted: Oct 27, 2003 06:07 PM+

lmm0922 MEMBER SINCE: 12/02 TOTAL POSTS : 76 WEDDING DATE: May 23, 2003

Posted: Oct 27, 2003 06:07 PM

My very late May 23, 2003 Wedding Review

I figure I’d finally write a review of our May 23rd wedding since there's a new review section! Better late than never!

Dress- Bridal Building in Manhattan A-
If you’re on a budget and aren’t looking for a salon experience this is the place to go. I got my dress from the Lady Roi suite and I loved it. The staff was great to work with. The only problem I had was that the dress they originally ordered didn’t fit properly when it came in. The sample fit perfectly so I wasn’t concerned when they ordered the same size. Long story short, they wanted to alter the original dress and I insisted on ordering the next size. In the end, I got a new dress but with higher alteration charges.

Hair and Makeup- I just went to a neighborhood salon for my hair and I did my make up myself. I did go to the Clinque counter at Macy's for a make over.

Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal in Carle Place F
Long story! I posted the story before.

Flower Girl Dresses Lord & Taylor and David’s Bridal A
Didn’t have a problem with the flower girl dress that I got from David’s. BIG SURPRISE!!! My other niece is older and wanted a more mature looking dress, which I found on sale in Lord & Taylor’s. No alternations needed!

Mother of Bride Dress- Lord & Taylor A
My Mom looked beautiful!

Father of the Bride Tux- Men’s Warehouse in Manhattan A No problems!

Tuxes A
Can’t remember the name of the place. It’s the bridal center near Belmont. All the guys looked handsome and everything fit!

Ceremony Music- A+
We had the church organist and soloist.

Bagpiper Tom McCarthy A
Tom is from my alma mater (Manhattan College). He did a great job even in the rain! If anyone wants his contact info just FM me.

Ceremony and Personal Flowers: Chelsea Wholesale Flower Market A++++++++++
Amy was great!! I gave her a picture of the bouquets I wanted and she went above and beyond to give me what I wanted. I gave her free range on the boutonnieres, altar and pew arrangements and the mothers’ corsages. Everything was beautiful and they work with you budget. Only problem is that they only deliver in Manhattan.

Centerpieces: Perfect Wedding Planner A-
They were simple and elegant. The centerpieces weren’t extremely important to me. I just wanted to make sure they matched our bouquets. The designer I had wasn’t particularly good about returning phone calls.

Photographer: Cassarino Studios A-
I love my pictures!! We had Mickey for color pictures and Roco for black & white. The weather really put a damper on the type of pictures I wanted (no outdoor etc). We didn’t get a picture with both of our families together (which I had on the shot list). To be fair both photographers asked us a few times if they missed anything and we totally forgot about it. We did get some candid and artistic pictures but I wish we had more!!

Limo- Camelot B+
They were early and the drivers were prepared with umbrellas for me! They were great and the limos were clean. 2 small problems: DH signed the contract and did not specify that we wanted 2 white limos. So we had one white and one black (not too major). However, the town car that was supposed to pick us up at the end of the night was almost an hour late!!!!! We had to call the owners and wake them up!!!

DJ Starry Nights Elegant DJs A++++++++++++++++++++++
Carol was excellent. We gave her a song list and she played everything we wanted. She is very low key (no MC, smoke machines, etc) which is what we wanted. The dance floor was packed all night! Also, a friend of ours sang Danny Boy for us and Carol worked with him and what music he needed.

Westbury Manor A++++
All the good things that you read about the Westbury Manor are true. The staff was so helpful and catered to our every need. The food was excellent. We didn’t meet our minimum so they worked in some extras to make up for it, which was great. We had the garden room and library. We had both rooms all night. We didn’t have to share them with another party. The library came in handy with my niece and nephews! We also loved the fact that the bar was in there and not near the dance floor. I was a little upset that it rained so we couldn’t have any outside pictures when it was still light out but the indoor studio was fine. Two small complaints. The week of the wedding I called to change the ice sculpture to a shamrock (since they said we could have anything we wanted) and they didn’t change it. Our cake was delicious but I wasn’t crazy about the flowers they used. Again, this was a last minute negotiation (of course no one noticed it but me!). Their service can’t be beat. When our town car was late, the maitre’d kept calling the limo company until he found out what the problem was and stayed with us until the car showed up. I wouldn’t have my wedding anywhere else.

I think that's about it!

curly2003 Posted: Oct 28, 2003 08:35 AM+

curly2003 MEMBER SINCE: 6/02 TOTAL POSTS : 6619 WEDDING DATE: Sep 26, 2003

Posted: Oct 28, 2003 08:35 AM