MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

I just want to start by saying I truly appreciate all the help and guidance I got from being on liweddings.com. I have no idea how I would have did all this myself. I was inspired by so many on here and I am grateful that I found this site to help me plan our big day! Thank you! If there is anything that you see in the pics or review that you want more info on, please feel free to let me know and I am happy to share! Congrats to all of you on liweddings.com! I hope my review is helpful!

Bridal Shower at Bensi in Old Bridge, NJ

Everything here was really wonderful. My mother did a fabulous job planning everything and it was such a wonderful day. My family is from PA and DH’s family is from NY so this was absolutely perfect for us because it was the middle point. Everything else for the wedding is in NY so I was very happy that my mother made the shower in NJ. My girlfriends even surprised me with my bachelorette party that night in Atlantic City so it was even more special!



Rings (A+++)

Never even told husband what I wanted and I LOVE what he chose! Hubby got our rings from a store somewhere in the city in the diamond district – can’t remember the name but was recommended here and got a great deal!



Invitations (DIY but all suppliers A+)

I have received a lot of requests on where I purchased the materials for my DIY projects so I am going to list these companies throughout. I really hope it helps another bride out there because I understand how much research goes into doing your own invites.

I ordered my pocketfolds from divineink.com - they are the envelopments brand http://envelopments.com. If you are looking for a bigger pocketfold, this is the brand to go with. I got the 5.25 x 7.25 and the side pocket is bigger than most I have seen. My advice is to def. order samples before you do anything!! I was going to go with cardsandpockets.com but when I received the sample, I am so glad I didn’t order all the materials because they did not have what I was looking for. I thought the side pocket was too small. Cardsandpockets.com was def. cheaper and they were great to work with but it just wasn’t what I wanted. I loved the envelopments brand because the pocket on the side was bigger and exactly what I was looking for. I had to shop around because you can’t order directly from envelopments. You have to order from their retailers and the prices did vary.

I ordered paper from www.paperandmore.com, www.cardsandpockets.com, and Staples. I had no problems here – used a bunch because I shopped around for the best price depending upon the color I wanted.

I ordered the envelopes from www.envelopemall.com - good quality and was very happy with what I got.

I put crystals on a lot of my paper products – I ordered the swarovski crystals from www.artbeads.com.

The swirly graphic on my paper products I got from www.weddingclipart.com. I loved this site and I found that there were so many different graphics that I really wanted to use! It cost a small fee but it was worth it to me.

I found that doing my own invitations was difficult at times because it takes a lot of time and decision making but I spent probably about half of what I would have if I had used an outside vendor. So it was def. worth it! I received a lot of compliments on them and everyone was very surprised that we did these ourselves. My DH, mom, and dad were a big help with this project and it took a lot of hours to complete them but I loved how they turned out. I really could not have done it without their help!




Menu (DIY)

I stole this idea from Francesca! Thank you Francesca!!! When I went to meet with her and showed her all of the other things I created, she showed me menus that she did so I took a pic of what she had and recreated it. I call these my labor of love because it was very difficult to work with the ribbon on the top. For all the JT brides, I can’t believe how hard it was to fit everything on here!!!!


Program (DIY)

This was such a huge project and took so long! But I guess worth it in the end. We had so many people at the church and only had just a few left.


Bubbles (DIY)

My mom did this project for me. I def. take after my mother and she spent so much time to put our names on the bubbles and tie the ribbon around the top. Her friend laughed about it because she said nobody would notice. I have no idea if anyone noticed the subtle touches but it doesn’t matter because they looked beautiful!

Other DIY Items

I did the photo cards, which only like 5 people uploaded photos to. Not sure if it was worth the time. I also did the table numbers. I heard some jokes that my signature was the little rhinestone on every little thing I did. I like doing that stuff! I made the cardbox as well. I put a pic of the cute schedule that I made as well…







Veil A+

I ordered my veil from veilshop.com. It came quickly and it was exactly what I wanted. I like that you can basically customize your veil to what you want. It was so inexpensive and that was perfect for me. I didn’t even want to wear a veil so this simple one was perfect for me! I thought I would have taken it off right after the church but I kept it on until after all the formal dances.
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Dress – Demetrios in Cherry Hill Mall (A+++++++++++)

I think that Demetrios might have been one of my favorite vendors to deal with. From the 1st time I went there, they were so helpful and I found exactly what I was looking for. The manager there, Pat, was so incredibly wonderful with everything. I just felt like she really went above and beyond for me and for my bridesmaids, which I explain below.



Bridesmaids Dresses – Demetrios in Cherry Hill Mall (A+++++++++++)

Again, nothing but wonderful things to say. The dress we ordered was Bill Levkoff style 966. This dress typically retails for $185 and Demetrios list price was $215. They told me that if I ordered during a trunk show, they can discount it but it was still a lot of money. So I started doing all of the research on ordering the bridesmaids dresses from RK Bridals’ no frill program. Right before I was about to place the order with RK, I decided to call Demetrios to see if there was anything they could do about the price. Sure enough, they matched the RK price of $144!!!! I was sooo excited! All the girls got their alterations done all over the place so I can’t speak to that but I was sooo happy with Demetrios and how they were able to match the price. Always negotiate ladies!!! Or atleast try!!!


Henry’s Florist (A++++)

Henry’s is located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and they exceeded my expectations. I could have not been any happier with the work that they did. I cried when I saw the flowers because I thought they were so gorgeous. Hubby and I decided to go with low centerpieces because that’s what we both prefer and like so we went with 3 pieces on each table. They came out so beautiful! I was so happy with their work. If you need a Brooklyn florist, I highly recommend this florist. Ask for Peter!








Photographer – Roberto Falck (A++++)

Engagement Session - Roberto is AMAZING!!! I think he might be one of my most favorite people to have worked with. We did our engagement shoot on the hottest day of August and I couldn’t wait to finish and despite sweating all over one another in our poses, Roberto got lots of really wonderful shots. I hung up pictures all over my apartment and it was really funny to see him looking at his pics everywhere on the day of the wedding. I knew how fabulous he was before I booked but when I got back the pics from the engagement session, I was blown away. Simply wonderful!





Day of the Wedding – My bridesmaids and I were getting ready at my apartment that is not very big and I was so nervous about how my pictures before church were going to come out and I have to say that Roberto was able to just make it work. It’s funny because there are pics of me in spots that I never even thought would look good but they came out great. When Roberto put up a highlight of our wedding pictures on a flat screen he brought to the wedding, I cried right there because I was so taken back by the beauty of his work and how he captured the most wonderful moments of our day. We did not hire a videographer and I have to say that I can truly relive my day through all the pictures that Roberto got. He is so talented and I would recommend him to everybody and anybody. LOVE him!!!! When my friend who recently got engaged saw his pictures, she knew she had to use him as well. I can’t wait to see him next October for her wedding!
These are just some of my favorite shots that he did….




















Album
I worked with Roberto’s album designer and she did a fabulous job. She presented me with an almost 90 page book and if we weren’t closing on a house, I would have paid for every page. Absolutely wonderful work!

Hilton Garden Inn in Westbury
C – Before Wedding
F – Night of Wedding
A – Fixing the problems and doing right by my and my DH afterwards

I would be hesitant to recommend the Hilton Garden Inn in Westbury because of the problems that I encountered but if you are using them, work with Kay. She is wonderful. I really hope that the Hilton has listened to the problems that we had and tried to resolve some of the issues for future brides that use their hotel. If you want specific details about my experience with them, please fm me and I will let you know all the details. I had it typed all up and decided not to include this long list of what went wrong but if you want to know, just ask and I can fill you in.

The morning after!


Jericho Terrace (A++++++++ from beginning to the end!)

We have heard nothing but positive things about JT and I knew that we made the right decision when we booked them. We worked with Rob (GM) when we booked and he was wonderful in giving us what we wanted for our wedding. We wanted a lot of food and this was something that was very important to us. He met all of our expectations. The price was good, the service was good, and we were very happy. Leading up to the wedding, we didn’t really have any contact with JT but I was in contact with Francesca and if I had any questions, she was able to answer them.

On the day of our wedding, everything was fabulous. As soon as we arrived, Linda and our bridal attendants were there to greet us. They took us right up to the bridal suite and got us settled in. Linda was wonderful – she made sure that if there was anything we wanted or needed, we got it. We took a bunch of pictures during the first half of the cocktail hour so we missed the beginning of it. As soon as we went on, Linda handed DH a plate of the fresh mozzarella because she knew that’s exactly what he wanted. She was on top of it!

The food was delicious and the service was wonderful. We didn’t hear any complaints besides that the baked clams were terrible, which I knew. I had them at a showcase and thought they were terrible and should have told them not to even serve them but forgot. That was the only negative that we heard. We came in under our guarantee by 15 people. They threw in the martini bar, which a lot of people said they missed because it was in the corner. But that’s ok. It was better than nothing. We ended up having 5 no shows so we had to pay for 20 people who were no there. Oh well!

I have to say that they blew me away with what they did with the candy bar. It was AMAZING! I added an ice cream bar and they incorporated that into it. It was beyond what I expected and I was very impressed. Because it was so big and with the chocolate fountain and such, it came out on the dance floor which I did not expect. I never wanted to stop the dancing so I was a little disappointed at first about that but it didn’t matter because the candy bar was such a hit. Again, this is me wanting to be too in control and when we had our menu meeting, they said these things would be on the side so I was just a little surprised that it took up half the dance floor. But it’s ok because everyone stayed on the dance floor to enjoy all the goodies!

Overall, just amazing! I am so happy that we booked JT and I wish I could relive it all over again. I really want to go back for another wedding so I have a chance to enjoy all of the wonderful food!!!






Francesca at Dazzling Affairs (A+++++++++++)

Truly wonderful! Could not have gotten through the day without her! All the little things you don't even think of, she is prepared for.

I first heard about Francesca through JT because she works with them. When I booked JT, they told me that we could use her if we needed help with any ideas or planning. I live for doing creative things and being in control of different projects and my first reaction was not to even go meet her because I thought there wouldn’t be anything that I would need. I felt very in control and on top of things. I decided to just meet with her at JT and see what she had to say and I was sold that night. It was so wonderful to bounce my ideas off of her and get her feedback. She gave us some really good advice. This was very early in our planning and DH didn’t see at that point the need for her as our DOC. He did eventually after he saw that someone had to implement all the hundreds of ideas that I used (many from you lovely ladies on the board!!!)

Every month for about 5 months before I booked with her, I would get an email from her checking in to see how things were going. It was very comforting to hear from her and bounce some ideas of her or even to just share where I was in the planning. I had read many reviews about her and I knew I wanted to hire her. I finally convinced FH to go out and meet with her and it was at this meeting that he was sold. He really liked that she would be there to help us in anything that we needed during our wedding day.

On the day of our wedding, she arrived nice and early and greeted me as soon as I got back from our hair appointment. She calmed me down a little bit because the hair salon was running behind and I wasn’t so happy about it. By the way, she warned me about this beforehand and I laugh because she really is prepared for everything. She took care of all my bridesmaids and made sure that they were comfortable. Their dresses were full of static and who would have thought to have static guard on hand?!?! Francesca! When I was putting on my dress, I decided to bend over for some reason and sure enough busted the hook on the top of the dress. Not such a good idea to be moving around in my dress before it was zipped! My MOH and my mom’s face was priceless. I thought they were going to die but sure enough Francesca was there with her needle and thread, which by the way was stuck in her suit jacket. She ended up just cutting it off because I didn’t need it but I think if it were just my mom, she would have fainted right there. My mother was also a skeptic of hiring a DOC because she didn’t really know what she did and it was so funny because on the way to church she leaned over and said, “Francesca is great and I am so happy you hired her!” Before every picture, she applied my lipstick and made sure that everything looked great. She knew when she needed to push things along because DH and I were tired of taking pictures. It was just so nice to have her there and make sure that everything went smoothly. She had an assistant, Kimberly, who I didn’t see too much because she was at the church when we were getting ready but DH said she was on top of everything and was proactive. During the reception, my DH’s friends decided to pick us both up and she was right there to grab my champagne glass, knowing how upset I would be if I broke my beautiful new champagne glass!

I would highly recommend a DOC to any bride getting married and I would especially recommend everyone to use Francesca. She was such a great asset to have with us on the day of our wedding!

Starlight Express (A++++++++)

I really did not have much interaction with Starlight Express prior to the wedding because I knew that they would do a great job. JT and Francesca both raved about them so I was pretty confident that they would be wonderful. And they sure were! Paul, our MC was fabulous. We didn’t want somebody over the top. We just wanted basic announcements and such and he was really perfect for this. They kept the dance floor packed the entire night and everyone was having a fabulous time. There was a point where I stopped and looked around the dance floor and saw all of my closest friends and family up and dancing. This was such a special moment for me and I am so thankful that Starlight kept the party going so that we could have those moments where we could look around and see everyone we love having such a fabulous time! I received so many wonderful compliments on Starlight from our guests. They were great!



Romantique Limos in Brooklyn (A++++++++)

Everything worked out great with Romantique. We had a packed morning and the limo was taking girls back and forth to the hair salon and it worked out perfectly. The drivers were on point and I have no complaints whatsoever. Great service, clean cars, and an overall good experience!







Concept Elite hair salon in Brooklyn (B)

We all had our hair and make-up done here. They were very flexible in the beginning esp. with trying to schedule 12 of us in a matter of 2 hours. Lorraine, who does make-up is FABULOUS! She has done my make-up before and I was very happy with the work that she did. The only thing that really annoyed me was that one of the stylists was late for whatever reason so everyone fell behind a little bit. This really stressed me out but it worked out in the end and everyone rushed to get done on time. But I did love my hair!


Candy Bar! (A+++)

This was such a huge hit and I am soooo happy that I went with this idea. Jericho Terrace did a fabulous job making the candy bar absolutely beautiful! I bought everything wholesale at BJ’s. I got the best deal here. I can’t remember at all where I bought the Chinese containers and I tried to find the email but I can’t seem to find the info anywhere! I put little labels on each container that thanked everyone for coming. It was really beautiful the way it turned out. I had 180 guests and I bought about 100 pounds of candy. I came home with about 5 pounds. People really went crazy for this! My DH’s grandmother who was sitting the entire evening even got up to get some Hershey Kisses! I wish I saw this and hope someone captured it on camera! My advice would be to stick with 8-10 varieties of candy and buy it in bulk. I had 10 pounds of Hershey kisses, 10 pounds of peanut M&M’s, etc. and it all was taken.









Rehearsal Dinner – Chianti’s in Bay Ridge (A)

Chianti’s gave us a good deal – the food was good and the company was great. We were very happy that we chose Chianti’s for our rehearsal. We had about 30 people there and they did a great job with our party.

Honeymoon – Excellence Playa Mujeres (A+++)

I am sooo happy that we booked EPM for our honeymoon. We got such a great price for the room with the private rooftop terrace and small pool. It was truly fabulous. The restaurants were good – not great – but good. We thought the tapas place was the best and ironically enough the Mexican place was the worst. I would go back to EPM again if I had the opportunity. I typically like to try new places for vacations but I was thinking about doing a different excellence resort for our 1-year anniversary. Overall, we had a wonderful experience. The service was great and the resort was beautiful. I was in awe with the pools – they were FABULOUS! I read online that the beach wasn’t that nice but I found the beach to be fine. There wasn’t a lot of seaweed in the water (it was more washed up on the beach) like some complained about but that might have to do with the time of the year that we went. I definitely recommend EPM and if you are planning on going there for your honeymoon, you won’t be disappointed!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

you looked stunning- ive been waiting for your review!!!!

congrats!!1

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

You looked gorgeous! I'm glad you had a wonderful time at the wedding and on your honeymoon!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

congrats!!!! ive been waiting for this too! thank you so much.

btw, do you have any pics of the ice cream bar? im getting it but have never seen pics.

thanks so much again! you looked stunning

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

great review! definitely notebooked it!

I JUST booked EPM for our minimoon after the wedding (real honeymoon in summer to Alaska!). IT LOOKS AWESOME!! we were having a hard time deciding where to go and these pictures look great! love the pineapple drinks!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Congrats. Great Review!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

I think everything was beautiful. I am really happy for you.

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

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Posted by MrsSoto

congrats!!!! ive been waiting for this too! thank you so much.

btw, do you have any pics of the ice cream bar? im getting it but have never seen pics.

thanks so much again! you looked stunning

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Awww thanks so much ladies!!!


If you look at my candy bar pics, they included the ice cream bar in that -- in the middle and the toppings are in front of it. It is the 2nd to last pic I think under the candy bar section. It wasn't anything over the top but it was a nice touch and people loved it. I am not sure how they do it when its not in a candy bar but I am sure they make it look yummy!!! And if you have the fountain, people can add fruit to their sundae!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

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Posted by KM714

great review! definitely notebooked it!

I JUST booked EPM for our minimoon after the wedding (real honeymoon in summer to Alaska!). IT LOOKS AWESOME!! we were having a hard time deciding where to go and these pictures look great! love the pineapple drinks!

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Thank you!
EPM was beautiful! You'll love it! Its so private and quiet - the perfect getaway!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Beautiful!! All of your DIY stuff came out amazing!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

I seriously LOVE your review!! You sound so much like how I am with the planning- trusting the vendors and concentrating on the DIY and little details that make it yours. Everything came out amazing and it makes me all the more excited to get married there in 3 months!! I was also a little worried that they wouldn't be able to provide enough table space for my DIY candy buffet, but yours is HUGE! I love it!!! Congratulations!!!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

congrats! thanks for your review!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

I just realized that I forgot to include my travel agent for our honeymoon!!! I used travel tom from American Express who many of the 08 brides had used and he was AWESOME. About 3 months after we had booked our honeymoon, we called him to go over something and he was like oh by the way I rebooked your honeymoon and you got $800 back!!! We were so excited! Expedia would have never done that! I would highly recommend him! We will always use a travel agent from now on... At first we were skeptical but travel tom is totally legit and he really got us a great deal.

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

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Posted by jilliibabii

I seriously LOVE your review!! You sound so much like how I am with the planning- trusting the vendors and concentrating on the DIY and little details that make it yours. Everything came out amazing and it makes me all the more excited to get married there in 3 months!! I was also a little worried that they wouldn't be able to provide enough table space for my DIY candy buffet, but yours is HUGE! I love it!!! Congratulations!!!

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THANK YOU!!!!

TRUST ME - JT will blow you away with the candy bar. I didn't tell them anything about how I wanted it to look and I couldn't believe it when they started rolling it out. I was blown away at their creativity with the set-up and it was a HUGE hit!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Everything looked amazing!!! You looked beautiful!!!! Thank you for such a great review and congrats!!!! I can't wedding to have my reception in the Dome Room!!!!! Please FM about the Hilton Garden Inn! Im nervous about that now lol

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Great review. You were a beautiful bride. Love the colors!

We went to EPM for our Honeymoon too! Such an amazing place!!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Beautiful, congrats!

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

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Posted by HnM2010

Everything looked amazing!!! You looked beautiful!!!! Thank you for such a great review and congrats!!!! I can't wedding to have my reception in the Dome Room!!!!! Please FM about the Hilton Garden Inn! Im nervous about that now lol

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You will love JT!!! I wish I could have another wedding there!!! :)

I fm'd you my experience with the Hilton Garden Inn.

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Beautiful pictures, love the photo of you on the couch. congratulations, everything looks so nice.

Re: MY WEDDING REVIEW 10-17-09 JERICHO TERRACE, DAZZLING AFFAIRS, ROMANTIQUE, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, ROBERTO FALCK, AND MORE! :)

Absolutely beautiful and congrats!!