Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

UPDATED w/ cinematic film!

Enjoy ladies - sorry it's so long, hah!

OVERALL WEDDING: A+++++ to the inifinity!
We still can't to this day believe that we got married and had such an amazing, beautiful wedding! We loved the intimite feeling of it and to this day, our guests are telling us how much of a blast they had. That's all we really wanted, a big celebration of our love and committment to eachother and that's what we got. For all future brides, make sure that you truly enjoy your day - take a step back with your husband and look around to see all the happiness that's surrounding you and your love. It really was the best day of our lives and we still feel so blessed to this day that we were able to have the wedding we did.

LIW – A+++++++
I found LIW in October (we got engaged in May), after searching for Long Island venues. It wasn’t until I found the board section that the real gem of LIW was clear. Here was a place where there were hundreds, if not thousands of brides, that I could share my thoughts with, get advice, and ideas from. And along the way, I’ve made friendships which is such a big bonus. I couldn’t imagine having the majority of my vendors if it wasn’t for LIW. From TWOTY, to G2G’s it’s truly been such a big piece of the planning process, and hope all future brides use it to its fullness!!! I wish I could give a bigger rating to LIW, because it truly deserves it!

PROPOSAL – A+ to the infinity!
It was such a memorable proposal, and I loved every minute of it. It was my birthday weekend, and we decided to take a quick overnight trip to Atlantic City for a celebration. The next day (after my birthday), we already planned for both of our families to meet and celebrate my birthday over dinner. So that morning before we left for AC, I remember waking up and finding the hubby pacing around our room at 7 or 8am in the morning, hah. Next thing I know, we’re getting breakfast, and setting up picnic on the beach (which was empty since it was around 8-9am), gorgeous weather outside (it was May 15th), and he asks to go by the water. I did, and before I knew it, he’s asking me to be his wife while being down on one knee. It was truly memorable, and that night, we celebrated with both of our families.











ENGAGEMENT PICTURES --- Long Island City Piers / Deserted Subway Station - A+++

We had a blast at our engagement pictures - of course thanks to Benchwerk, our photographer! They really captured us in these photos and made us so excited for the day of! The piers in Long Island City are one of our favorite places to be, so we knew we wanted our pictures there. One of the photographers ended up finding a desserted subway station, which was part two of our pictures!














RINGS – A++++ (two different jewelers in Diamond District)
He chose the engagement ring all on his own. All he knew while we were dating is that I wanted a smaller/simpler ring, and for it to have some kind of design and 3 stones. I loved that look, and that’s exactly what he got me. For our wedding rings, we went shopping together and I always imagined myself w/ a diamond band, so we ended up finding one that fit perfectly w/ my engagement ring. He wanted a heavy thick band, and that’s exactly what we found at Delicate Gem in the Diamond District at such an amazing price. The bands were ready within a week or two, and they did a beautiful job along w/ the engraving “LOVE 04.30.11). We couldn’t be more happier w/ them and the vendors that provided them.







ATTIRE

DRESS – Reem Bridal Bergenfield, NJ – B+
We started the planning process in mid-October, so once we decided that we’re getting married on April 30, I knew I only had a few months to get a dress. At this time, we were living in Jersey. I drove by Reem’s store a few days before and decided to go in for an appointment. I had an imagine in my head of the dress I wanted – fitted w/ straps. The first dress I tried on was the dress I went with. It was perfect and I screamed “I’m saying yes to the dress” over and over again in the store. I also decided to get the veil that I tried the dress on with. Reem worked with me on the price so that it was within my budget and also did not charge me the rush fee that was needed, which was really helpful. I got my dress in time, alternations were included, and always done beautifully. I had 2-3 fittings in total before the dress was picked up.

Some of the issues I had were when I picked up my dress. I found out only then that the French bustle I got was not included in the free alterations (which I was not made aware of when I got the dress), and also it was very clear that my veil was part of the package price I negotiated. On the day I went to get my dress and make the final payment, I felt as if I was being made to pay extra for something I didn’t agree with. To avoid any issues, I just agreed to half of what she was requesting and let it go, it wasn’t worth my stress. Overall, the dress was gorgeous and altered as I wanted it to be (I had to add a little extra to the top because I didn’t want cleavage showing and it was done beautifully). Reem was very sweet to work with.









Veil:





SHOES – Zappos – A+
As with most of the planning process, the first shoes I got were the ones that made it! I knew I wanted purple shoes but they had to be comfy and cute at the same time. Zappos delivered them within 2 days and I adored them.





DOJ: Bridal Styles – A++++
I absolutely fell in love with Bridal Styles the second I walked in. Elaine and her team are amazing at what they do and truly making someone feel like a princess. I knew I wanted some kind of headband with a pearl/crystal accent to match my dress. I found it in the third piece I tried on and didn’t want to take it off. Once I added on the earrings and veil, I was totally sold for the beauty that is Bridal Styles. Their work is truly exquisite and I couldn’t imagine my bridal look without them. When I went to pick up the pieces a few weeks before the wedding, I was even more mezmorized by the workmanship that goes into the pieces. They were wrapped in a beautiful box – which although seems like a small thing, was so special to me because it brought the whole look together. I absolutely loved my pieces, and to this day wish I can wear them every single day!





Earrings:




BRACELET: From Etsy Seller 'portobello' -- A+


I wanted a simpler bracelet and was under more of a budget, so I decided to go w/ Etsy. Portobello was the seller, and she worked with me to find me the perfect bracelet to go w/ the rest of my DOJ. A+ on service and quality.

TUXEDOS/SUITS: Men’s Warehouse / Groom & BM Shoes: Calvin Klein – A+
Since we only had one groomsman (the best man) and my dad really wanted to buy a suit instead of rent one, as did the hubby, we decided to look for places that were affordable to do so. It so happened that the weekend we went to look Men’s Warehouse had a Buy One, Get One Free sale. We ended up at the Manhattan location on 6th avenue on 20th street I believe. My hubby and the bestman both bought traditional tuxedos, my dad got a Calvin Klein suit, and my father in law had a Kenneth Cole. We bought everything from the shoes to the ties, and socks there. We got an amazing deal, and their tailoring was so fast and so beautifully done. I don’t have one negative thing to say about Men’s Warehouse and all the men looked astonishing!










(for FOB & FOG see below)

DAVID’S BRIDAL: MOB, MOG, and MOH Dresses - A
Because the whole wedding was planned within 5 months, it wasn’t until the month before that we really found the dresses, so we knew we needed a place that would get them to us quickly. The two mom’s ended up finding their dresses right away at David’s Bridal – and they looked so gorgeous in them. The tailoring was done at private stores, as I thought David Bridals’ prices were way too high for simple things such as making the dress shorter. I’m so happy w/ the dresses and as were the mom’s. For my sister, we knew we wanted purple and something to make her feel elegant in. We went with a simple, classic look and I think she looked absolutely beautiful in it along w/ the accessories that she had. Overall David’s experience was good, just wish their alterations didn’t cost as much for some of the simpler things (which is why we used outside tailors).

My parents:


His parents:


MOH:




FLOWER GIRLS: http://www.girlsdressline.com - A+
For my two flower girls (my adorable nieces), I knew I didn’t want to spend too much on their dresses, but I still wanted to make sure they were gorgeous. I found the above site through some Googling and decided to take a change. When the dresses arrived, I was astonished by the quality of them, given the price I paid. They were beyond gorgeous and I’m so excited for how my little princesses looked. For their accessories, we went shopping together at Claire’s The dresses came within a week of ordering them and were sized as expected, and more beautiful than I could have imagined.







RING BEARER: Amazon / Shoes from PayLess – A+
My nephew was about 9 months at the day of the wedding – so I knew spending hundreds on his tuxedo that he would wear for 30 minutes (for ceremony) was not worth it. I found his suit on Amazon for $20, and it was perfect. He looked so handsome and in my opinion, cutest ring bearer in the world . His shoes I found at PayLess for about $7. It completed the full outfit!





DAY OF SHIRTS FOR FLOWER GIRLS, HUBBY, AND RING BEARER - (Vendor TBD - It was a website) - A+



Minus the ketchup stains






DAY OF HOODIE – ETSY/Seller: michaelangela – F for Service / A for final product
I didn’t have any patience for vendors that were not responsive during the process. One of the most stressful (and thankfully it was only over a hoodie) parts of the process was my hoodie and pant set purchase from Etsy. I loved michaelangela’s hoodies and knew I wanted one for day of. After purchasing it, it took I’m pretty sure over 2 months to actually get it (although it was suppose to arrive within 3 weeks). Within a few weeks of ordering, she went on vacation and when she returned said she was working on it. It wasn’t until I threatened to just take my money back did I get any real response. And she then told me she was sending it, when she didn’t until a few days after. The actual hoodie and pant set I love, but don’t think it was worth the stress at all.





PAPER, DIY, & MORE

INVITES – Through Watermill / Samantha - A
The invites were my husband’s job – when we met w/ Samantha from the Watermill after booking the reception venue, he found an invite he loved and because I influenced a lot of the other decisions, the invites were all totally up to him. We ordered the first invites, but when they came in, were not what we expected at all. Samantha worked with us immediately to get them fixed and order new ones at no charge. That was very sweet and greatly appreciated. Our invites came and we loved how they looked, however we did over pay for them as we did not need as many as we ordered (but had to because they were sold in bulks of 25). In the end, I probably would have used someone else for invites, but these did their purpose!



DIY: Myself! - A+ (DUH! Hah)

I wanted to do a bunch of DIY things for the wedding – I loved doing them and adding them as personal touches to the day. Using Photoshop and Michael’s, the following are the items I put together:

Menus: Paper from paperandmore.com – A+ loved the samples they offer and paper came so quickly in great quality.



Table #s: Frames from Michael’s






Guest Book/Cage:





Cardbox:


Place cards


Menus


Candy buffet signs:





CANVAS: Canvas on Demand – A+
As part of the Groupon deal that almost all the 2011 LIW brides got, I also decided to get two. Once we got our engagement pictures, I had two of them framed. I got an e-mail shortly after ordering from Canvas on Demand that to get my photo to look right, they needed to upgrade to the bigger size – they did this without any charge to make sure I got the best looking canvas. I absolutely adore them and they’re now hanging up in our bedroom. A+ also to Canvas on Demand for quick shipping!





CANDY BUFFET: Economy Candy – A
The candy buffet was something we wanted to add as extra for the day of and use in lieu of favors. We love how it came out, but in the end, because of the small size of our guest list, we had a bunch of candy left over (had to buy a lot to fill up the jars!). We went to Economy Candy on the lower east side and got to choose all the candy we wanted, at a great price.



CANDY BUFFET: Bags – Papermart.com – A+ (see pic above)
I found the bags I wanted to use from Papermart.com – they were absolutely adorable in my opinion, and came quickly at a great price!


NAPKINS – TheKnot – A
As part of the candy buffet, I decided to order napkins from the knot. They came quickly, were just as I expected, and one of those little details that I added along the way.

HANGER: Suzie from LIW! A+
This was such a great touch to the day of and I love how it looks in photos. Suzie was so quick to provide a sample of the hanger and she did such a beautiful job! Our photo and video teams loved having this as an extra detail to shoot on the day of. Thanks, Suzie!




DAY OF & MAIN VENDORS

DAY & NIGHT OF HOTEL: Marriot Islandia - A+++
I fell in love w/ the Marriot the second I saw pictures of it online. After getting in touch with them, we got a great deal on our hotel block and an even more amazing deal on my bridal suite and our suite for the night of. The suite was beyond my expectation – it was on the corner, provided amazing sunlight, and so much space. Our vendors (photo, video, make-up and hair) absolutely loved all the natural sunlight coming in the room and made comments that it was one of the nicest suites they’ve been to for a wedding day. Our guests loved their rooms as well. The night of our wedding, when we got back to our room, we found it to be cleaned up and also with strawberries covered in chocolate + champagne waiting for us. Couldn’t have asked for a better hotel to get ready in and to be there for our first night as a married couple!

By the elevators:


Bridal Suite corner:


Big comfy bed in suite:


Bathrooms:


Standard room:


Outside view:



DAY OF PHOTO LOCATION: Northport Harbor - A+++
It was very hard for us to find a photo location since we’re not from Long Island, and we didn’t want a regular park or garden to take pictures in. After spending hours in Long Island over 3 weekends, we went to Northport Harbor. I loved it the second we got there. So gorgeous, and just so many picture opportunities. On the day of, we had gorgeous sunny weather, and our photo/video crew loved all the shots they could take there.










HAIR: Mersina – A+++
I asked my sister to find me a hair person, and she knew of Mersina from using her before and knowing others that have. She booked her for the day of prior to my trial. I knew Mersina did beautiful work, but once I had a trial with her, I couldn’t believe she captured what I was looking for so quickly. Because of the type of dress I had, I knew I wanted an elegant updo. I showed her 2 inspiration pics, and she went to work. On the day of, what she created looked like a masterpiece to me. I loved all the details on it. She also did my sister’s, moms, mother in laws, and the two flower girls’ hair. She was such a pleasure to have there – she’s very detailed and so very talented. We were all beyond happy with how the hair turned out! She also did the make-up for my sister.











MAKE-UP: Our close friend – A++++
As a wedding gift, our close friend did my make-up, as well as for the two mom’s. I absolutely love how it turned out and it fit perfectly w/ my look. I’m so happy she was there to share the day with me, and to help me turn into a bride!










BAND/DJ: DJ Fati – A
Since we’re both Albanian, we knew we wanted an Albanian DJ so that we can get a lot of the traditional music throughout our wedding. DJ Fati is known to be one of the best DJ’s out there, so quickly had him confirmed for our day. He had the dance floor constantly moving (including us being there the whole time), and loved it all. The only thing we would say is I wish he played a few more of our must play songs. Other than that, he was awesome and also provided dance lighting throughout the night.





CEREMONY MUSIC: MAS Music/Marie Stack – A+++
The moment we met Marie, I knew she had to be part of our day. She is such an amazingly sweet person, and it’s obvious that she cares about her couples. We provided her w/ the songs we wanted to play with (she also gave us suggestions along the way, as to what would sound best with a single violin). On the day of, I remember hearing Heaven by Dj Sammy being played beautifully by her, and knowing it was my time to walk down the aisle w/ my parents. She is such a pleasure to be around, and we’re really happy she was part of our day. We didn’t think we’d be able to squeeze into our already tight budget a violinist but Marie made it a reality!



LIMO: Camelot – A
I booked Limo probably 6-8 weeks before the day of. I quickly found out that limo’s were much more than what we expected they would be, but we did want it to be part of our day, and Joe really worked within our budget. On the day of, we had the limo we were expecting, driver was early, and brought us to the reception right on time.

FLORIST: B U R T O N S – A
Flowers were important to us, but we also were working within a constrained budget. B u r t o n s worked within our budget to provide us with beautiful flowers. I knew I wanted low centerpieces so that it wouldn’t take away from the room, and also for them to be ivory. I provided them with pictures of exactly what I wanted in the bouquets as well as centerpieces and on day of they truly delivered.

The flowers were beautiful. There were a few minor things that I would have liked otherwise, but overall it was a great experience w/ B u r t o n s and I would definitely recommend them. Some of our centerpieces, some of the flowers were not fully blooming which took away from the overall image I had, but I only noticed this after in pictures. I also was expecting a different look for the throw away bouquet, but it ended up literally being something I would throw away in seconds – I thought it would be a mini bouquet of mine. A few days before the wedding, we ended up reducing one of our tables. I asked John and his team to create us a centerpiece for our sweetheart table, and it came out amazing, absolutely loved it!























OFFICIANT: Pastor April – A++++
Pastor April was one of our favorite vendors on the day of. Even though we never met her until about 30 minutes before the ceremony, I felt as if she’s known us for years. Her words during the entire ceremony were so heartfelt and brought us to tears during many parts. I mainly worked with her through e-mail in putting together our ceremony.

She was always so responsive, positive, and genuine in her e-mails. She put together a beautiful book for us of the ceremony that we got on the day of that I still cherish to this day. We wrote our own vows, and they were incorporated so beautifully into the whole ceremony. She speaks directly from her heart, and to this day, I still remember her caring smile and loving words that we heard throughout the ceremony. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Pastor April. We still to this day can’t believe how beautiful it all was.









DAY OF COORDINATOR: Simplyy Couture – A+
Because of some of the issues I was facing w/ our reception hall (see below), we decided to consider getting a day of coordinator. It was an added expense, but Danielle worked with us to fit it within our budget. She was very responsive, passionate about weddings, and overall great to work with. A few days before the wedding, we met to go over all the details. Because I didn’t have everything completed in time, I made a long list of everything for the day of, which I felt was really executed. She did a really awesome job and helped to keep both of our stresses down when it came to dealing w/ the reception hall. Would totally recommend Danielle to all brides!

CAKE: Dortonis (as part of Watermill package) – A for mini desserts / C- for cake
And this is where I have to give negative reviews. Dortonis is the bakery that works with the Watermill as part of the cake’s that are in their package. When we met w/ the Watermill to choose out our cake, we weren’t too happy w/ the choices nad were told we can work directly w/ Dortonis to customize our cake. When we went there, we fell in love with one cake and just asked that it be done in butter cream but still keep the same look.

We were told that this could be done…I won’t make additional comments on this as I feel that pictures say enough. The first is the cake we chose (we just asked it to be 4 instead of 5 layers)…the second is the one we received. We never asked for purple flowers. We also ordered mini desserts for all the tables from Dortonis. These came as expected (didn’t get to taste them but heard they were delicious). To this day, I cringe when I think about our wedding cake and what it could have been vs. what it was. I'm giving them a C instead of an F because I'm not 100% sure as to who's at fault. However, I did hear a lot of people say that it tasted really good - I only tasted it when it was in my face

Cake requested:



Cake received:










RECEPTION/CEREMONY: The Watermill – C
There were a few things that were a must for our reception/ceremony hall --- (1) we wanted it to be on a Saturday night, (2) it needed to accommodate our minimum of 65-70, (3) we did not want any carpets at all. There were very few, if almost no halls when I called that would accommodate such a small wedding on a Saturday night –our only options were to do Friday or Sundays, which was not an option for us that we wanted to consider. When we went to visit the Watermill, we fell in love with their new Carnegie room. It was exactly what we wanted, and we decided to book right away as they were able to work w/ our minimum and it looked as we had imagined. It wasn’t until after that things started unfolding. During our first meeting, we were told we had multiple entrée options…later we found out that it was only 4 options for day of (not made clear during meeting).

We were also then told there’s no food tastings --- I had to call multiple times and talk to different mangers to have them finally agree to a tasting. When we did go to a tasting, we were put into a BM’s office, and given 2 appetizers, and 2 dishes I believe – clearly not enough to make a decision from. We were also told we can choose our flowers for the ceremony --- as we got closer to the day, we found out that the flowers were ordered that week for all the weddings to use and we had no say in the matter.

Because we were on a tight budget, we decided to just stick to whatever “surprise” they gave to us on the day of. I also felt throughout the processs, because we were the “small” wedding of the night, not as much attention was given to our party, and they wouldn’t budget with anything. Each time we went there, we also met w/ a different BM which became beyond annoying. The day we went to drop off our things, we literally dropped them off, and that was that. If I didn’t have a DOC, I don’t even want to imagine how they would have known how to set everything up. It was also this day that I found out two other weddings were happening during the same time frame – which again, I was not aware of until a few days before. At the most I thought there would be another wedding, but not two. We also were under a minimum by a few due to some emergencies that came up with our guests. The Watermill didn’t budge at all – didn’t even throw in any extras for the extra seats we were just paying.

Fast forward to day of…I honestly barely noticed anything wrong that day --- we were too happy to be there on our wedding day celebrating, and in our mind everything went off without a hitch for the most part. It's not until after the fact that I thought of things that bugged me, but again we had an amazing time and our team for the day of at the Watermill made sure we did, so that was greatly appreciated. I get there and we start taking pictures in the outdoor area, to only be told we need to leave immediately as the other bride was getting angry since her cocktail hour was starting shortly. This is AFTER we were told multiple times during our pre-day appointments that we can use the outdoor area. As we’re taking our pictures, the Maitre’D stood around making sure we were wrapping up. I was beyond annoyed but let it slide because it wasn’t going to affect me on that day. The food tasted fine, I honestly don’t recall it being anything special and to this day, I’m not sure if it’s because perhaps we were the smaller party, so we were treated differently. We also had two different cake flavors which were on our menu and our BM knew about from our final meetings – I found out later that the guests weren’t given an option and were just served whatever they got served.

My bridal attendant (can’t remember the name) was absolutely amazing and I loved my suite, she really took care of us and was aside from all the other things I had to deal with, the one person that gave some dignity back to the Watermill. Samantha as well who I mentioned above is another gem at the Watermill and I’m thankful to these two ladies for making the experience wonderful on the day of. I wasn’t a bridezilla during the whole process, so on the day of, even though I wish we were in another venue, I didn’t let it get to me at all – it wasn’t worth it, but thinking back now, I definitely would not recommend the Watermill for smaller weddings. I’m sure brides with big wedding parties have nothing to worry about.













PHOTOGRAPHER – Benchwerk – A++++++++++++
I don’t know what I can say that would show how much I loved the Benchwerk team! Chris and Ray are the amazing duo that shot our engagement and wedding day. So beyond talented, so easy to be around, and we really felt that they cared about our wedding day and who we were as a couple. The first time we met them, we clicked immediately and throughout the whole process, they continued to be our favorites! On the day of our engagement shoot, we felt so at ease, and by the time we received our photos we were amazed by the work they produced. On the day of, I remember seeing Chris in the bridal suite and feeling at that moment that the day was ready to get started now that he was there!

They are both so easy going, and really just added to the magic of the day. Our guests quickly fell in love w/ them also, constantly commenting about how you can’t even see them but next thing you knew they’re snapping pictures. Their personalities along w/ their artistic skills are unmatched. It was as if we had our close friends there capturing our most memorable moments. Their passion for photography is so easily seen – they constantly pushed us for more edgier shots and I’m glad they did because we LOVE the outcome of our photos. We received so many photos, and can’t wait to put together our album. We’re obsessed w/ their work, and again, I can’t imagine our day without them. I’m so proud to be able to be Benchwerk bride! So proud, that in a few weeks we’re going to be doing a Trash the Dress shoot. I also told them to be ready to shoot our first baby pictures too hah!

























VIDEOGRAPHER – Myther Ganibe – A+++ (to be updated once video is received)
Video was one of the pieces of the wedding that we weren’t sure if we were going to have because of our budget. We decided to give Myther a shot and meet w/ him and see if he can work without our budget. Just like w/ Benchwerk, the second we met him, we knew he had to be part of our day – such a genuine person, and also truly talented. Myther worked with our budget and allowed us to have video as part of our day. I know now that I would have regretted not having video, and can’t wait to see the final piece.

http://vimeo.com/27718534

Like Benchwerk, I was so happy to see Myther and his crew there the day of. I remember walking to the first reveal w/ my husband, and it was just me and him in the hallway by the elevator. He told me to take a deep breath and that it was here and I looked beautiful. I felt so at ease w/ him, as did my husband and our whole party. Constantly, he was doing different motions to be able to capture the moment. Myther and Benchwerk worked like a perfect melody on the day of – constantly providing amazing shots for each other, and working as a true team should --- to the point where we didn’t know that he was there, but I know he captured it all. I will update this again once I get my video from Myther.

HONEYMOON/TA: St. Lucia & San Juan – A+++++++++++
The honeymoon was such an important piece to us, because it was the one trip that we would remember for the rest of our lives. I found out about St. Lucia through our travel agent (Trish from One World Travel). I never even thought of St. Lucia before Trish. Through her recommendation, we quickly decided on Sandals Grande Resort in St. Lucia. Trish was so easy to work with, was so responsive, and really provided recommendations that I quickly trusted. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a TA. Even after the honeymoon was done, she kept in touch to make sure everything worked out well – that was a very much appreciated gesture.

We decided on 10 days in St. Lucia, and because we didn’t want to end our honeymoon, Trish suggested San Juan Puerto Rico for a few days as well.

St. Lucia – Sandals Grande
St. Lucia was by far heaven on earth. We loved it all, and loved being at Sandals. Even though it rained for the first two days, it didn’t stop us from having fun, enjoying the beyond delicious food, and sitting in the hot Jacuzzi with non-stop drinks and food. Once the sun cleared up, we spent our mornings at the beach, and afternoons at the pool. All of the food was delicious. We had a bit of a mix-up with rooms when we first got there – the management team worked quickly to remedy it, ended up giving us an upgraded room, and also free dinner at Gordon’s (which is normally an extra fee). They made sure that we were happy for the rest of the trip.

We also took a day trip for zip lining which I would completely recommend. I made a post previously w/ tips for brides going there, so there’s more details in there. It’s a MUST to go to the Italian restaurant (Toscanini's) for breakfast and get French toast – you need reservations for dinner, but that’s another must to just try the steak. To die for! We regularly had lunch at Barefoot, which was also really delicious. The pub was our late night snack of fries on a regular basis! Oh yes, and make sure to try every single fruity drink on their pool menu – so freakin’ good.The only thing to note for future brides is that there’s not much of a nightlife at Grande, which was okay for us since we’re not big on it, but wanted to give a heads up. Other than that, we absolutely loved our time there and hope in the future to go back!



































San Juan – Intercontinental Hotel
We loved Old San Juan – it was so romantic and just beautiful, I could see myself living there that’s how much we loved it. Again, mother nature decided to make it a rainy trip for us, but we still enjoyed seeing this as part of our honeymoon. We also went to the see the rainforest which was overrated in our opinion. We wish we got the chance to be more on the beach but because of the rain this wasn’t possible. We also loved our room at the Intercontinental, and again were greeted w/ champagne and strawberry covered chocolates once they found out we were on our honeymoon. It was a nice side trip that made us realize we were completely fulfilled from our honeymoon and now ready to live as Mr. and Mrs. For those going to Old San Juan, make sure to visit the castles and eat at Café Puerto Rico – DELICIOUS!

View from our room:




















THANK YOU CARDS --- Shutterfly - A+++
I designed the cards on my own, uploaded them to Shutterfly and within 3 days, they arrived and I'm absolutely in love with them!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

SO amazing and beautiful!!!!!

I'm really curious about benchwerk, would you please fm me any info you have on their packages/prices? Thanks!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Great review ! The pictures are amazing - I am so glad I am also a Benchwerk bride.
Congratulations!!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Loved reading your review! Your wedding looked beautiful and your honeymoon looked amazing! Congrats on a beautiful day! Can't wait to meet with Benchwerk!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Amazing review! You looked great and your photos are stunning!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

great review

thanks for sharing

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Great Review!!!!!!!!!!! You look beautiful!!!!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

An absolutely amazing review!!!! Congrats! Your pics GORGEOUS!!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Beautiful pictures!! Congrats!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Great review - sorry about Watermill - but so glad you had a great time otherwise!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Love your review..I love more that your TY cards have my cake song and plaque quote 'I wanna grown old with you'

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Love your review!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

ok seriously-- GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! absolutely beautiful adelz!!!!!! i have to say my favorite picture is the two flower girls being announced!!!!!! HOW CUTE!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

love love love your review!!!!!!!!

congrats again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Everything was beautiful!
I utterly enjoyed reading your review.
I'm sorry for the things that didn't turn out perfect= (the cake)
but it served it's purpose and was in once piece!

You're day looked AMAZING!

I've stayed at the intercontinental PR twice and both times I had a fabulous time!

Cheers!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

amazing detailed review and gorgeous wedding!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Everything looked gorgeous! Congratulations!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

What a beautiful wedding! Also a very informative review!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Gorgeous!!!!!!! congrats and thank you for your review!!!!

Re: Our Intimate & Amazing April 30, 2011 Wedding!!! Tons of Pics + Vendors: Benchwerk, Myther Ganibe, B u r t o n s, Camelot, St. Lucia Honeymoon, Watermill, etc.!

Great Review!!!!! Everything looks Beautiful!! I love all of your photos!!!!!