Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography, Camelot, Khouloud's Beauty, GlamMeUp, Piece of Cake, 'her'

Long Island Weddings- A++++++++
When I started planning the wedding from out of town, I literally had no idea where to even start. I was looking up smaller reception halls when I stumbled across LIW. Amazing!!!!!! What a fountain of information! Ron, Kim, and all the ladies on here have been so helpful and so full of ideas. Thank you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reception Hall
Sans Souci of Sea Cliff- A-

We fell in love with the old mansion and the lack of pushiness on the part of the banquet manager, Meryl. By the time our wedding rolled around, everything that was supposed to be redone or replace had been (the dance floor was refinished, the bar had been replaced, the window valences had been replaced). They threw in a few things and it was reasonably priced. We did a cocktail hour, a buffet with an extra carving station, and an ice cream sundae bar.

The day of, the food was fantastic! I can still taste the eggplant rollatini! the garden cocktail hour was beautiful. They made my celiac sister a totally separate plate of gluten free food that they kept separated in the back for her. The bar was always flowing. Also, the bar was large and there was a second bar outside during CH with beer, wine, and mimosas so people didn't have to go inside. We did pay for a second bartender, which helped. The only disappointing moment was when we were kind of rushed out when the evening wedding arrived 2 HOURS EARLY and sat in the garden AT MY WEDDING! They were so rushed, that they packed up the extra food and top layer of the cake, and then never told anyone....so it was left there. Oh well, they are going to supply us with a new cake top for our 1 year next June!

I would still recommend it for a smaller wedding....everyone had nothing but great things to say about the venue and the food. We had 115 guests, and it fit nicely.









Wedding Cake
MaCayla Michaels Desserts- A+

The 3 tier wedding cake was included at Sans Souci, and MaCayla Michaels is the house baker. We met with them to do a tasting and choose the cake style, and just loved his work! The cake was so good! We had a marble cake with dark chocolate mousse...yum yum yum! We chose the ribbon for our cake and mailed it to him.

Day of, the cake looked beautiful! And it was really really good! I had people saying it was the best wedding cake they had ever had at a reception.



Flowers
Flowers by B urton-A+

B urton's does great work for a reasonable price! We met with them and booked them that week. Knowing that I wanted calla lilies, their pricing was excellent. I then met with them a few months before the wedding and chose all of the flowers. We ended up going with a variety of calla lilies, iris, and belles of Ireland. I saw my centerpiece sample the week before the wedding and fell in love with it!

We didn't want super traditional flowers, and these turned out better than I could have ever imagined!









Limos
Camelot-A+

Joe really worked with our budget and the day of, our driver was on time in a nice, clean vehicle. Our little ring bearer was really excited about the RR Phantom! I think our driver was named Mike, and he was awesome! Even at the Church, he was arranging the back of my dress, etc. Clearly, this was not his first rodeo. You can see him in the background of a lot of the pre aisle walking images from the Church....funny and awesome!

Here is our driver behind me...






Shuttle Bus
Classic Coach- A

We knew with the amount of OOT guests we had, we needed to provide transportation. They gave a us a reasonable price for almost 12 hours....to and from the reception and also to and from the after party. Everyone loved the convenience and had a great time. And no one had to drive! The bus was clean and the driver was super nice.

Hotel Block
Fairfield Inn, Syosset- B

The hotel is new and very clean with a good breakfast. The service was horrific. I had blocked 25 rooms and a month before my wedding, they only had 15 for me and my guests were SOL. I turned Bridezilla. They fixed it, but it was a PITA and more stress than I needed for a hotel.

DJ
Variety Music-A-

We got a good deal for a 'one man show'....but then there was an assistant at the wedding, so I don't know who he was but he didn't get a tip! We met with Ray and gave him all of our music selections, but I should have been more specific about when to play certain things......my favorite song was played during lunch. Bummer. But, the dance floor was always going and for an afternoon wedding, that is pretty good. I would use them again.

Photography
North Island Photography- B+

I loved our engagement photos with Michael, but we used Rene for our wedding. Our guests loved the guest book made with our engagement photos. They were on time and took a ton of photos.

Here are some teasers.



























Day Of Coordinator
Christine from Piece of Cake Events- A+

I thought I did not need a DOC, but boy was I glad that I booked one! Christine was awesome, from our pre wedding meetings, to emails leading up to the big day, to the day itself. I would have been so stressed without her. She just helped the day go smoothly and made it so enjoyable for us.

Dress
Paloma Blanca at B urton's-A+

I had gone to a few places and found that I loved Paloma Blanca dresses. they are quite pricey and I had had issues with the nasty women at Paradise where I found my gown. My friends had used Carol at B urton's, so I called her and she gave me a price hundreds of dollars lower than Paradise. She even threw in my veil! It was gorgeous and looked great with my dress. I also purchased my headband here. My dress arrived in early April (she took the liberty of pushing up my wedding date when she ordered, since I was living out of town).

We also purchased my mom's dress and my sister's MOH dress here. Both were reasonably priced.

My friends did not like their alterations here, so we went elsewhere.







Alterations
Tanya's Fine European Tailoring, Sayville-B+

I went on recommendations for tailoring and brought my wedding dress here, my mom's dress, and my MoH dress. Tanya also made my Mom a bolero...it looked great.

She is a bit disorganized and I always had to remind her of appointments....one time we were a few minutes late and she had to leave to go to a dr. appointment, which she scheduled 30 minutes after my final fitting? But, she did a good job and my dress looked great....I was so nervous about cutting the lace!

Jeweler
Tudor Jewelers, Northport- A++++++

Ray McGuinness is AWESOME! All he wants to do is make you happy. His prices are excellent and his work is beautiful. He will meet you whenever you want (7 PM? Sure, why not. 8 AM Sunday? Yuppers) and may send you home with a few rings to try out and see what you like. Seriously. DH got my engagement ring there, and we got both of our wedding bands there. We love everything.....we will only use Ray for any fine jewelry purchase. Plus, he likes to bust out some vino from the back when there is cause for celebration.



Shoes
Colorful Creations from Craft Shoes, Commack- A

I had a coupon and found my shoes here. You can usually find the coupon in the Long Island Clipper. They were comfy. I brought in one of the green ties and had them dyed to match, and they came out the exact right shade. I was able to wear them all day with no problems, and I will wear them again. Who doesn't need green shoes in their life?

My mom got her shoes here, too and also used a coupon.



Hair
Kacey from Khouloud's Beauty-A+

Kacey talks. A LOT. But dang, does she do good hair. My mom, my MOH, and I all loved our hair and it held up all day and night. We actually forgot to cover a nasty spider bite that I had gotten on my arm, and Kacey came to the rescue....mixing baking powder and makeup to cover it up after she did my hair!

Makeup
Kelly from Glam Me Up- A

I love the natural look that Kelly can achieve with the airbrush. Both my sister and I loved our makeup. My mom didn't love hers at first....first we did airbrush, and she just didn't look natural. I don't think her skin really agreed with the airbrushing. So Kelly took it off and used traditional makeup. She liked it better. Makeup lasted all day and photographed well.

Frames for Table Numbers
Homegoods-A

Since we had a garden party theme, we got similar frames that didn't all match. We took E Pics holding up the table numbers that I had painted in green from AC Moore, then we framed them. We got 4x6 frames that were bejeweled for like $6 a piece, and they really lent themselves to the overall informal, elegant feel of the reception.

Rehearsal Dinner
Nocello's, Northport -A+

We used them because they are close to the Church and have a gluten free menu. We met with them and removed one course of the dinner (the pasta course) and replace it with unlimited house beer and wine. We had salad, entree, dessert, coffee, soda, and beer and wine for $30 p p pre tax.

The dinner was SO GOOD! We chose four options and everyone loved what they had. They had red and white wine carafes on the table as well as pitchers of beer and water. That way, people didn't have to wait for one of the two servers when there were 35 people sitting! For dessert, we had them make a cake.....we had chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and vanilla frosting. I think. Whatever it was, it was amazing. Like, so so so so good.

We had to talk to the servers once because the wine carafes were going unfilled, but after that we had no problems. We were not rushed out, and they set the room up nicely and the servers were good. I would highly recommend it for a rehearsal dinner.



Church
Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Centerport- B

I feel weird reviewing a Church, but they were a PITA. Since we didn't have a full mass, we met with the Deacon twice. He was great.....well, three days before the wedding he calls to ask if we are using him for the wedding or the Priest. What? Anyways, he did give a really nice service.

We had also scheduled our rehearsal for the Friday night before our wedding, then we were told in March that they couldn't do Friday, so could we do Thursday. It was annoying because everyone in our wedding....from ushers to readers to DH's family were coming in from out of town. So they all had to come up a day early. It was nice, because we did get to enjoy the rehearsal dinner and the boys got to golf on Friday, but it was still annoying.

Also, the coordinator at the Church at the rehearsal had asked where we wanted the limo after the ceremony. We said down the stairs, so we could get pictures with everyone around us. She was the one to suggest this! Nope. We left the ceremony and the limo was right in front of the door and everyone was gathered around, not on the stairs. Why did she even ask?



Bridal Shower
Beacon Bar and Grill, Washington, DC- A

We got a good deal for a brunch shower with bottomless mimosas and the best carrot cake I have ever had! So good! If you are ever in DC, go here for brunch.

Pin Up Pics
Atomic Cheesecake, Baltimore- A+
I know it is kind of far, but I was living in DC and didn't really want to do B-Pics.....enter Stacey at Atomic Cheesecake and her basement of Pin Up gear! She does hair and makeup and supplies the wardrobe for an absurdly low price. She sent me home with a DVD of all the images, and then I chose 9 for her to edit. I got 3 wardrobe changes and 9 awesome pics! LOVE THEM!



Online Orders:

Invitations and place cards
'Her'-A

I knew I didn't want a traditional invite, and she hit the nail on the head! I didn't want sparkles or bling, but I wanted it to be simple, elegant, colorful, and unique. This invite was all of those things! We stayed on budget and I got so many compliments on our garden themed invitations! I love them! We also had her to the addressing, which came out amazing. I paid in advance and got these so early ( before Christmas!)

She also made our place cards to match, and they looked adorable in or garden party themed reception!





Day of Jewelry
Emitations- A

www.emitations.com
I was looking all over for a faux emerald necklace to wear with my gown, and found it here. I ended up purchasing my drop earrings here as well. The price is good and the service is amazing. Who gets a phone call from a website because their necklace is backordered 2 weeks?



Ties and Pocket Squares
The Tie Bar-A

www.thetiebar.com
We did not do tuxedos, so the boys got black suits and we bought ivory shirts for the dads, best man, DH, and the ring bearer. The ushers wore white shirts.

We ordered kelly green herringbone ties and matching pocket square for the ivory shirts, and butter yellow herringbone ties and matching pocket squares for the white shirts. The children's Kelly tie was backordered, and they called me continuously to update me on the status. Everything looked great, the quality was excellent, and the price was reasonable. The ties were $15 and 100% silk, and the pocket squares were $5. FH has already worn his tie to work....very practical and they will be used again.



Wedding Factory Direct
Hair clips, guest book pens-A

www.weddingfactorydirect.com
I found my mom and sister's hair clips here. I also ordered two pens to put out by the guest book as well. The price is way better than you will find anywhere else, and everything looked great.


Vistaprint:

Save the Dates
Vistaprint-A

I found these green STDs with white writing and a white tree and rod them right away. They looked so cute! They were actually the inspiration for our wedding invitations.

They were inexpensive and arrived quickly. No complaints.



Bridal Shower Invitations
Vistaprint-B+

My sister ordered my shower invitations from here, and the envelopes arrived separately from the invitations, which freaked her out. But, they were cute and looked nice and professionally printed.

Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
Vistaprint-A

I found really pretty green and blue invitations on Vistaprint, and ordered them for our rehearsal dinner. I put directions from the Church to the restaurant on the back and the information on the front, and they looked effing adorable.



Thank You Banner
Vistaprint-A
While I love the parasol, I just didn't want to spend the money! I decided to order the vinyl banner from Vistaprint to make a cute Thank You card cover...I think with delivery I spent like $8? I did it in green to go with the theme of the wedding, and it came out just fine. And it looks super adorable in out Thank You picture!



General Vistaprint note-
Order in dance to get the cheap shipping!
Also, I love that they have coordinated envelopes. It made everything look so complete and elegant.
Order the thicker paper. I went with the linen on the STDs and the thicker Matte paper for the other invites, and the thick paper just feels so nice.
Get a coupon code or when they are having a sale, and order away.
I love that you can keep a portfolio of things and then pick the one you like best.


Etsy:

Unity and Memorial Candle
Vendor- WreathArtist-A+

She did an amazing job! We opted for a tree design, and she nailed it. She emailed me proofs, and we changed a few things. It arrived quickly and in perfect condition. I loved them.



Cake Topper- Maryland Terrapin and Notre Dame Leprechaun
Vendor- BlueButterflyDesign-A+

DH and I met playing against each other in an alumni softball league, so we had wanted a cake topper made out of our undergrad mascots. Enter Rhoda from BlueButterflyDesign. She made the perfect cake topper and everyone loved it! She sent me images as it progressed, so we could make changes, etc. It turned out perfect! I think it was the most photographed thing at our wedding.



Usher gifts- Sand etched beer steins
Vendor- jacklynelizabeth - A

We were at a loss at what to give our ushers. I found jacklynelizabeth, and she sand etched their initials on 20 oz. glass beer steins. They turned out great, the guys loved them, they re of good quality, and arrived quickly.



Ring Bearer Gift- Wood dinosaur bank
Vendor- leewoodworking -A+

We were looking for a unique gift to give our ring bearer and I came across Lee on Etsy. He is a grandfather who enjoys woodworking. I chose a dinosaur design from his shop, and he found a good green to paint it and go with our green wedding color. The dinosaur bank was huge! Like 16' long! Our ring bearer loved it, and at least I know he will keep it for a long time and remember that it was from the wedding as opposed to a toy.

Ring Bearer Pillow
Vendor- RomancingJuliet- A

I bought a stock pillow and it was well made and reasonably priced.

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Beautiful and elegant! Thanks for the detailed review. LOVVVVVVVVVVE your dress! You looked so beautiful! Lace is so timeless and you definitely achieved that look with your dress and hair and jewlery.

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

very classy! love the lace :)

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Love everything! Congrats!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Omg. Everything is absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

I love your green theme, and your ring is georgious.

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Beautiful!@

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Everything is gorgeous!!! I just love your white, green and yellow theme!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Awesome review! I love your pictures!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Awesome pictures!! You looked amazing! I sent u FM, I have some questions, and I think you can help me

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

I was looking forward to your review and you didnt disappoint!!! Everything was gorgeous!!! Congrats!!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Congrats!!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Beautiful!!!!!!! It was great!!!! Congrats again!!!!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Edited to add my hotel block and shuttle...I totally forgot about them!!!!!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Lovely, lovely, lovely!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

beautifulll!!!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!
congrats aagin!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Ali i love your review and all your pics!!! simply stunning!!!

Re: Our June 25, 2011 Wedding! Sans Souci of Sea Cliff, B urton's, Variety, North Island Photography

Beautifullll!!!!!!!!!!