My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Here is my review! Hope this helps anyone who is using these vendors. Sorry it's kind of long :)

Sand Castle – 4.8

Highlights:
- Food was outstanding!

-Amount of food was outrageous ( 5 courses, 7 dinner selections, guests offered an option for seconds, and /or a tasting platter to try each entree )

-The place is huge but does not feel empty with a smaller party (we had 180 – they can fit up to 400). Everyone had a seat during cocktail hour which was important to me. I hate when I am at a cocktail hour and I have to stand and attempt to eat crab legs.

-Martini Bar Presentation and Custom Ice sculpture – just nice additional touches. The martini bar presentation reminded me of the movie cocktail.

-Service was great!!! Each table is assigned at least one waiter if not two. The wait staff knew exactly what our guests were drinking and were able to bring drinks to the tables rather than have guests walk to the bar.

-Ceremony room (décor) – Being we were getting married at the venue this was important to us. The veranda at Sand Castle is very romantic and has an indoor /outdoor feel. This was perfect for our February wedding.

-1 Hour Hospitality Hour – open bar and passed hor devoures offered to guests before the ceremony – just an added bonus.

Lessons Learned:

-I wish we could’ve went offsite for photo’s. I did not love the outdoor space and photo options at Sand Castle.

-The ceremony space was cramped! We were told over 200 can fit seated on the veranda. We had 180 and It was too tight, guests were standing in the back. Also, I was very specific that I wanted my Bridal Party seated in the first two rows (we had a huge BP) and instead they wrapped the chairs up the side of the aisle to create a semi circle – It just looked weird to me.

-The grooms suite was a major selling point for us – but on our wedding day it was not used. We were all put in the bridal suite upstairs which was way too small and unfair to the bridesmaids as they had the men in there while they were trying to touch up before the ceremony. I didn’t even think of it on the day of – but I am not sure why the GM and my FH were not escorted to the grooms suite after pictures.

- Bridal Suite Location – It is right by the women’s room, so unless you keep the door closed you have no privacy (keeping the door closed was more easily said than done when you have 20 people in your bridal party)

-Hospitality Hour - we were wrapping up family pictures while guests were walking in to hospitality hour. I did not like how guests would linger in the lobby and watch us take pictures. I had to ask our Maitre D to please ask them to head to the hospitality suite. I just felt it was untraditional for the guests to see the bride before the ceremony.

-Lost Envelope – our Best Man’s fiancée left her card in the bathroom by accident and when she went back to get it, it was gone. She reported the incident to S.C. but unfortunately the card was not found and it contained cash. The issue is still unresolved…Lesson learned always give a check.


Genesis Events (DJ and Live Music) – 4.7

These guys were a pleasure to work with. I definitely recommend booking them. We booked a DJ, MC, Sax player, and Singer through them. They went out of their way to hire a singer who met our needs and he sounded awesome. It was definitely a nice touch for the slower songs and during time. Our dance floor was packed all night. I only knocked off a few percentage points because I thought they were slightly pricey for their basic package. But overall, they were great choice!

Angel Project Photography / Videography – 4.7

TJ and his team are professional and very easy to work with. I really liked his style and personality and I like most of my proofs – enough to make an album anyway. I knocked off some points because we really did not get of photo’s of the food, hospitality hour, and cocktail hour. Also, I wish we had more portrait type pictures of me and my FH.
Lesson learned: Plan accordingly! Taking pictures the day of was crazy and I got to point where I was just ‘over it.’ I felt like I was missing out on the moment and experience of my actual wedding because I was busy taking so many pictures. Our original plan was to take most pictures at the hotel but my hair stylist showed up 2 hours late so we were running very far behind and ended up having to do Bridal Party Pictures at SC.

A Modern Day Affair – 4.8
Laura was great. She was so helpful during the planning process and managing the day of! I highly recommend booking with them.

We Love Photo Booths – 4.3

The photobooth was a lot of fun – but I knocked off some points because I think they are slightly pricey. Had I known about it before I booked WLPB, I would’ve booked the photo booth and DOC package offered by AMDA – the two packages combined were less expensive than what we paid for WLPB. Also, the printing of the pictures took a long time!!!

Lesson Learned: do your research and also we had the photobooth in the lobby (I wanted it in the ballroom originally) and some people said they didn’t know we had a photobooth! That being said, I mentioned the photo booth on our favor (picture frame) and you would’ve passed in on your way to the bathroom. I think these people may have been too drunk to notice.

Viana Hotel and Spa – 4.5 for rooms / 3.0 for shuttles

The hotel is very nice and new and our suites were spacious and comfortable. They were a pleasure to work with in this respect.
The shuttle service was a different story – We had to argue for a third shuttle (we had 30 rooms book and only two 14 passenger shuttles!) We got the third shuttle but only for the returning trip. Some friends told me they waited over 30 minutes for the shuttle to come and missed out on hospitality hour. I just felt like they could have been more organized and planned the shuttle times better.

Invitations – Davids Bridal 4.8
I did not want to spend an arm and leg on invites. I ordered them to Davids Bridal – they were simple and elegant and good quality. Overall, I was happy with them.

Flowers – Wicks 4.6

Another area I did not want to splurge. I needed 12 BM bouquets so I really wanted a vendor who offered a variety of different priced bouquets. Wicks made the bouquets I requested in a smaller version that fit my price point. No issues with the BM Bouquets, corsages, or bouts. My bridal bouquet was slightly bruised, although they did warn me before I ordered that gardenias bruise very, very easily.

Lesson Learned: Think about it before you use Gardenias.

Make Up – Oksana – 4.8 – Oksana did a great job on my makeup. It looked very natural and was exactly how I wanted it. She was awesome, highly recommend!!
Lesson Learned: Be wary of getting a spray tan. Oksana really had to pound on the foundation to even out the blotches from my spray tan on the close of pictures you can tell I am wearing A LOT of foundation.

Spray Tan - European Image, Oceanside - 3.0
I've gotten spray tans here in the past and they've been perfect of course this is the one time I come out streaky!!!! AghhhH. Maybe the girl was new... But thankfully, Oksana was able to fix me up lol.

Wedding Dress: Bridal Elegance 4.8 - They were soooo helpful and nice to work with. My alterations were perfect and my dress came in way under budget. They let me try on as many dresses as I wanted (I think I was there for over 2 hours), didn't rush me, and really tried their hardest to find what I wanted. Def recommend

Veil, Headpiece, Jewelry - Francines in Sayville 4.8 - These girls are the sweetest and most helpful vendors in the industry. I was out east one day and wanders into this place 3 hours of their undivided attention later I got all my accessories. I didn't end up using the headband I purchased there ( at the last minute I went with a different piece) and I kind of regret it. I really loved that headband, my plan was to put it on after I took off my Veil and that just didnt happen that night :(

Bridesmaid Dresses: Davids Bridal, Manhattan 4.2 - I can't say too much good or bad about DB, I just wanted a dress that my girls could repurpose and that wasnt overly expensive. I found a simple cocktail dress that I thought they'd be able to rewear and went with that. Everyone said they liked it. The only thing is, some of girls told me they spent over $100 in alternations for the dress. My friends are on the petite side so the size two was too big. I felt bad about that :(

Tux - Mens Warehouse, Patchogue (4.8) & Forest Hills (3.8)- The Patchogue MW was awesome! They were so helpful. The Forest Hills Mens Warehouse was the complete opposite. So I guess it's hit or miss. My Husband actaully bought his Tuxedo. We booked MW because it was easiest for everyone and I had a coupon from David's Bridal for $40 off each rental. Our Tux rental(The Calvin Klein) came to $150 - You can't beat that :)

Limo - Trans Star Executive - 4.8 - Overall they were great, no compliants and they offered a great price point.

Honey Moon – Kauai and Oahu

Marriott Kauai Beach Club – 4.5 – We stayed at a timeshare on Kauai. The resort was fine. We had a one bedroom, two bathroom suite, with a kitchenette very spacious but just slightly dated. We visited the Grand Hyatt for the day and I would probably stay there if we did not have the timeshare.

Southern Star Catarmoran Napali Coast Dinner Cruise – 4.8 – Do this if you go to Kauai! It was seriously awesome!!! It is a 4 hour sunset dinner cruise that includes surf and turf dinner, unlimited cocktails, and beautiful views of Napali.

Trump International Waikiki – 4.8 – So, so, so nice. They really go above and beyond for their guests.

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Re: My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

I can't figure out how to add more picture :( Keeps saying the file sizes are too big.

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My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review!!

love hearing good things about tran star!

my make up artist warned me about spray tanning with airbrush- did you have airbrush? this makes me nervous.... lol

ETA - to post a lot of pix try to open with microsoft office, edit pictures & Try the 'compress' option, choose sizing for web pages.

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Congrats! I'm glad you had a great wedding day! :o)

Re: My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review!!! Congrats!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review! Your wedding sounds like it was wonderful! I'm also getting married at Sand Castle and it's great to see your review. Congratulations!!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Congrats!!! Great review!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Congrats!!!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Congrats!!!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review. Congrats!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review! Yay AMDA and HAWAII HM!!!!! Congratulations!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review. Congrats!

Re: My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Congrats!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

So glad you had a wonderful wedding! Congrats!!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review!! Congrats!!

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review - congratulations!

Re: My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

great review! Use photobucket to add pics.

My Wedding Review...Sand Castle, Angel Project, Genesis, and moreeeeeeeeee.

Great review! Congrats!