Our amazing wedding 4/29/2012 - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April****updated to include HM**** Lots of pictures

My wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life. I would tell any bride and groom to stop and look around because it really does go by that fast. I’d also say that it’s absolutely not worth it to sweat the small stuff……trust me, unless the mistakes are so blatant most people will not notice. Everyone that is there, is there because they love and support you and your FH and they really are having a good time. Enjoy every minute of YOUR day!!!!!

LIW – A
I met my DH just after I moved to NY and although I grew up here, I hadn’t lived on Long Island in 25 years; finding LIW was a blessing. I post moderately but I read even more often and made many of my decisions based on the reviews that I read and after seeing them in person at the Bridal Extravaganza and TWOTY. Thank you to each one of you for advice, good and bad and for helping to make our wedding perfect.

The E-ring and Wedding bands – Kay Jewelers – Huntington Mall -A+
My now DH took my two daughters with him to pick out my engagement ring. I wasn’t the traditional first time bride and did not want the traditional diamond ring. My emerald is just beautiful and I know that the sales lady was patient with my daughters and for that I will be eternally grateful. When we went back to purchase our bands, the sales lady remembered my husband and really did work with us to stay within budget and even told us when the rings would go on sale.



Save the Dates – Weddingmagnet.com – A
There really isn’t too much that I can say. There was a huge selection of STD’s and our magnet was exactly what we wanted. If I had one complaint, it would be that I wished they would’ve told me based on the way that the magnets are cut, order less. We have a ton that are left over and maybe I could have saved a few dollars.

Invitation and Wedding Programs– DIY from Michael’s – A+
I’m giving this an A+ not because of my DIY skills but instead to Gartner Studios, the company who’s invitations/programs that we used to DIY. They were probably one of my favorite vendors and I never even “spoke” with them, all of my correspondence was through email. They were quick to respond when I had trouble; they replaced the paper when I made huge mistakes….for free and even offered to help me print if I couldn’t do it. And, admittedly, I did an amazing job on our invites and programs? it was a little frustrating but a true labor of love and a way for us to save a bit of money…..invitations/programs were not something that I was willing to spend too much money on.


Rehearsal Dinner – Library Café, Farmingdale – B+
We originally wanted to have a very simple, maybe something at home type of rehearsal dinner but my parents graciously offered to pay for our rehearsal dinner and we chose the Library Café. We had been there before and loved the food so I knew that they would be a good choice. We used the upstairs private area and I knew going into it that the room would be a little small for the number of people that we had attending, it all worked out fine and I think everyone had a good time. The only complaint was for our cake – the cake was not right and although I gave the order to the café (they use Black Forest Bakery), I do not know where the breakdown in communication occurred – it still tasted good, just not the flavors that I had wanted.

RD Favors – Bride/Groom Cake Pops - Popped by KT – a fellow bride – A+
The cake pops were the hit of the RD….everyone loved them and complimented on how unique, adorable and oh, so tasty they were. Katie was so easy to work with. Picking the flavors turned out to be very difficult for me – the truth is I wanted every one of them!!! We chose the cinnamon with cream cheese frosting for the bride and for the groom, vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

My Dress – Maggie Sotterro – Bridal Suite of Centereach A+
My Maggie dress was not the dress that I went into the salon to purchase instead that one that I had wanted looked horrible on me and the dress that I ended up buying was the pick of the sales lady. My dress was simple elegance – I don’t think there is another way to describe it. I would absolutely recommend getting your dress from the Bridal Suite. The alterations were perfect even through my neurosis of wanting everything to be perfect and driving the alterations lady crazy.

Bridesmaid Dresses – David’s Bridal – A
There really isn’t much to say….the dresses were exactly what I wanted and there were no alterations needed on any of the dresses. David’s Bridal kept true to their word, the dresses were in timely and in great shape.

Tuxes – Men’s Wearhouse – A
I’ve read very mixed reviews on Men’s Wearhouse and I truly believe that it depends on the store location that you go to. First we went to the store in Melville and the customer service was not great but when we decided to change the color/style of the tuxes, we knew that we couldn’t go back there, instead we went to the Plainview location……they were wonderful. We changed to a brown tux, which is not normally chosen but absolutely went with the look/theme of our wedding. I would recommend the location in Plainview.


Veil and Headpiece – Francine Bridal – B
I have very mixed feelings about this vendor. The first day that I went in there to purchase my headpiece and veil, I fell in love. I had brought my two nieces with me and the women in there were so helpful with different hair ideas, different veil ideas….everything. I placed my order with out going anywhere else. Fast forward and my items arrive at their store. First, I never received a phone call to let me know that the items were in – not a big deal in the scheme of it; I just called to check. When I called, they informed me the remaining balance needed to be paid in cash and that it stated it on my receipt – no where on my receipt does it say that. Ok, again not that big of a deal. Then at TWOTY, I won a gift certificate to this location and I wanted to put it towards the balance owed – No where on the certificate did it say that it could not be used towards previous purchases. It was the little things that added up and why I couldn’t give them a higher score. In the long run, Francine did make everything right and I would recommend them for their personalized attention.

EST. stickers for my shoes – Etsy vendor Morbidmaterials A
Absolutely adorable and I love that they were more unique than the “I DO” stickers. It did stink that I had to order them two times because my DH throw them away thinking they were trash?!?!?! Ugh!!

Here Comes the Bride Banner – Etsy vendor Cycling4acure - A
So freaking cute and of course, we received many, many compliments on the banner but I really think the compliments were because of our adorable ring bearer and flower girl. I love the fact that it was reversible.


Channa Plaque – My Sweet Memories – A
This was something that I had never heard of before joining LIW. Channa was a pleasure to work with and sent back proofs very quickly. I think it will make a perfect addition to our home.

Officiant - Pastor April – A+++++++++++++
I don’t know what I can say about her that has not already been said. She is amazing!!! From the first time we met her, I felt like she understood my DH and I and knew how to express what we wanted to say in such a clear, emotional, and eloquent way. She married us for our civil ceremony in November 2011, at that time she had won over our parents (the only people to witness). For our wedding ceremony, she was just as amazing. She has a way of connecting with people that I don’t think you see too often. For our ceremony we wanted to include my two daughters; my DH made a vow while presenting them with a necklace as a token of the four of us becoming a family…it was emotional and very heartfelt. I received many compliments about the ceremony and April. Do not wait to book April.


Limos – Quality Limos - C
Because we were having an early afternoon wedding with our ceremony at the RH, I opted to just use the car as transportation – I did not need drinks, aisle runner, balloons, etc. and you really do get what you pay for. We had one limo to transport just the women of the bridal party; the limo arrived on time and stayed with us at the Vanderbilt Mansion while we did our reveal and BP/family pictures; the limo, however, was not clean and was very dusty inside. Ultimately, it did get us where we needed to be but there certainly was nothing special about it. We used the same car service at the end of the evening and again, nothing special.

Photo – Marco Photography A++++
I’m a pretty nervous picture taker and like many women, do not like myself in photos, however, Marco did an unbelievable job and that not only me but every person in each of the pictures look stunning. My DH and I met Marco at one of the bridal shows and immediately we liked his style and clicked with Marco. He captured all of our emotions through laughter and tears and every moment of our wedding in each of the pictures that he had taken.

Favors – Children – Beau-Coup A
Anything that I purchased from this site came in timely and was in perfect condition. For the children, I ordered small gum ball machines that we filled with candy, these were a huge hit.
Adults – weddingairfresheners.com – A
Carl was great to work with. We received so many compliments about the air fresheners when the guests returned back to their cars at the end of the party to see them in their cars. Everyone loved the added touch.

Digital Calligraphy - Nicole - Weddingink.net
As I mentioned before, invitations were not something that I really wanted to spend money on and DIY'd them but no matter how hard I tried I could not get the envelopes to print - there was always something wrong so that began my search for digital calligraphy. I came across weddingink.net and was so happy. Nicole was prompt, professional and soooo reasonable. She has so many fonts and was able to match my invitation color.

Hair – Maria from Master’s Salon – A+
Maria is my normal hairdresser and I just love her. She’s not the typical hair vendor that you find on a site like this but I think comfort level with the person you work with goes a long way. She not only did my hair, she did my mother’s hair and my BP’s hair. Everyone looked beautiful and Maria made me feel beautiful.

Makeup - Lola Loves Makeup – A+
Andrea did an amazing job with my makeup and the makeup of the bridal party. She was on time (6am) and timeliness is huge for me. I like wearing makeup, I like trying new colors and she was able to make me not only look beautiful but feel beautiful. I would absolutely recommend getting your makeup airbrushed, it did make my skin look flawless.

DJ/MC – LI Sound – A
Because we were having a day time wedding at a location with so many beautiful windows we opted for having a piano player for the hospitality prior to and during our ceremony as well as just a one man MC for our reception. Scott was our MC and I feel like he knew when I met him that I might be a neurotic bride….I was extremely worried about the flow of our wedding – see my review of the Thatched Cottage for explanation. Scott did exactly everything that I wanted and played all of our song requests. Because we had such an amazing weather day, many of our guests were outside and missed some of the action. I just could not anticipate everything but I had I thought of it, I would’ve asked for a speaker outside so that he could’ve called our guests in to see things like the cake cutting and for the guests to take part in the anniversary dance. Overall, I think Scott did a great job.


Florist – Hidden Essence – A
If you’ve not yet found a florist, I highly recommend Michelle at Hidden Essence. I knew what I wanted when we went for our first meeting with her; the look I wanted was simple elegance and she executed my vision to a tee. She was flexible and friendly and she worked with us when I had some changes along the way. All of the flowers were on time and in beautiful condition, today, even as I type this, my bok, my girl’s boks and my centerpiece still look amazing.

OOT Hotel - Huntington Hilton – B
We chose the Huntington Hilton for two reasons; it’s near our house and there really isn’t anything appropriate near the Thatched Cottage. Prior to our wedding weekend, communication with the Hilton was great; Annette kept us informed of our hotel block, made and cancelled reservations as needed, the only thing prior to our weekend that I didn’t like was that you had to bring your OOT gift boxes to the hotel 72 hours prior to the first person checking in, that kinda put a damper on my plans as I wanted to make something homemade for the guests to eat – oh, well!!! Because I live near the Hilton, I drive by it everyday; I knew they were under renovations but the condition of the suite when we checked in was not acceptable. It smelled moldy, the wall paper was falling off, the furniture is old – the front desk manager did have housekeeping make the room better and it was better when we came back after our rehearsal dinner. My bridal party and I got dressed and ready in my suite, the makeup artist, hairdresser, photographer, everyone was in my room the morning of our wedding and we did leave the room a mess, however, we my DH and I returned after the wedding we walked into the room never being cleaned!!!!!! DH along with the front desk manager spent the next 45 minutes trying to clean the room – then it became a revolving door, housekeeping, manager on duty, room service, everyone apologizing and trying to make it right and while the did the right thing and give our room to us for free I would’ve rather have paid for the room and not have to worry about anything.

Reveal and BP/Family photos – Vanderbilt Mansion – A
If you need a location for pictures – do not hesitate in booking the Vanderbilt. I chose the Vanderbilt for it’s proximity to the Thatched Cottage and because of inclement weather we did have the option of taking photos inside. I am so glad that the day was PERFECT and we did not have to use the inside. Only complaint is the cobblestone ground…it made walking in heels very difficult for everyone but the cobblestones add to the ambiance of the grounds; we were there for two hours and just made the best of it. The staff at the Vanderbilt were very accommodating to my huge 40 person family and the children had a great time taking pictures on the golf cart used to bring everyone down to the courtyard from the parking lot.




RH – The Historic Thatched Cottage – A+++++++++++++ to infinity and beyond
From the moment my DH and I walked into the Thatched Cottage, we knew that this was where we had to have our wedding. During the planning process, I would tell people that it was a hidden gem along the north shore. Andree, who we originally met with us, was flexible and worked with the idea that we had had of having a heavy cocktail and dessert reception; when many locations would not accommodate our request. Every staff member/manager listened, worked with, and suggested ideas to make our wedding perfect. We received so many compliments on the food and the staff. I was always worried that there wouldn’t be enough food….boy, was I wrong!!! There were so many food and dessert choices. Terence and Derrick were our banquet managers and Nancy was my bridal attendant…..I couldn’t have asked for three better people to “work” our wedding. I was worried that having a cocktail and dessert reception would feel like a disorganized mess, instead they accommodated my idea and let me have exactly what I wanted which was having passed hors d’ouevres first before opening up the food stations so that there were natural breaks to have some of the traditional things at a wedding – BP introduction, cake cutting, anniversary dance. The grounds were perfect and looked absolutely beautiful. There are not enough amazing things that I could say about the Thatched Cottage






Honeymoon - Excellence Riviera Maya - A+++++
When we were first planning on going on our HM, we knew that it would have to be a few weeks after our wedding because I have my two daughters and we wanted things to settle down after the wedding. Excellence RC was a resort that we went to last year for our dat-iversary and we knew that we loved it and wanted to go back - we wanted Punta Cana but with the short notice of our HM, the airfare made it cost prohibitive so we decided to go back to ERC. We had very high expectations - we didn't think that anything could top our last visit here....boy, were we wrong!!! We upgraded to the Excellence Club level and the room was perfect!!! With the upgraded room and a long enough length of stay, they include the Honeymoon package for no additional cost. The minute that you're picked up at the airport (we opted for private car service) to the time they drop you back at the airport,they really do make you feel like you've come home. The honeymoon package included private dinner one night in one of the restaurants, breakfast in bed one morning, dinner on the beach another night, couples massage, romantic bath in the jacuzzi - everything was perfect. If anyone is going to one of the Excellence resorts, I highly recommend the hydro therapy that is included with the massage. Going from hot to freezing cold is so extreme that you wonder why you're being tortured like that but in the end it is soooo worth it!!! Relaxation like you've never experienced, then you still have your massage - you are like jelly getting off the table. This time we also left the resort and went on an excursion to swim with the dolphins....so much fun, although, I don't think there's a real need to ever leave the resort.

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congrats Pam, you were a Beautiful bride. The day looked perfect. Thanks for the review.

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Great review Pam. Your pics cameout great and love your dress! Congrats again

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

you looked amazing!! i love the vanderbuilt, love your dress and the stickers on your shoes!!! GREAT review!!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

You looked gorgeous and seeing your review for Thatched Cottage makes me even more excited to have my wedding there next May!!!!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Your pictures are beautiful! I love your gown and the stuff you got from Etsy! Congrats and thanks for the great review!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congratulations!!!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

congrats beautiful pics

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

These was a great review and your photos are so beautiful!!!!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Everything looked great! Congrats!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congrats! Everything looked perfect!! And I have to say I love the shoe decals. I think I'm going to invest in those

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congrats again! Great review, everything looked beautiful! Glad you had a wonderful day and I still cant' stop thinking about your dress...LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

The pictures are gorgeous

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

CONGRATS PAM!!!
SOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congrats!! You look so HAPPY!!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

nice review!! congrats

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congrats Pam!! You looked beautiful !!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congratulations! You look beautiful

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congrats! Everything looked beautiful!

Re: Our amazing wedding - Thatched Cottage, Hidden Essence, LI Sound, Pastor April

Congratulations!

Where did you get the shoes? There was another bride looking for those the other day. I think they are what she was looking for.