Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012 (UPDATED with New PICS!)

Many of you ladies don't know me as I was not a frequest poster here, but I did get many tips and alot of advice from reading the boards for the 6 months that we were engaged.
That's right, we were only engaged 6 months LOL....

Anyway I just wanted to give a little feedback on some of the vendors we used, maybe it will come in handy to a few of you.... Or maybe it will just end up being a really good way for me to waste some time at work! Please excuse the lack of professional pictures!

John and I were engaged in September of 2011 and although our wedding planning was quick, I am pleased to report that EVERY SINGLE THING went off without a hitch. Which was pretty shocking to me as I can be a little too carefree for my own good and being organized is not one of my strongest traits.

First off, I met John online. On Plenty of Fish. I don't know how many gals on here have dated online but, if you have, you may have met a few nut jobs. JUST A FEW?? LOL.... But when I signed up, I was not expecting to meet my dream man, after experience and hearing experiences from other people. But patience always brings good things to those who wait!!

Here is my LOVE STORY on Plenty of Fish :)

My Plenty of Fish review!

Now onto my engagement pictures that were done by my very own brother, CRAIG! We went to the Piers in Long Island City, where John had proposed, and froze our butts off for a couple of hours, but ended up getting some great shots! Totally free (But of course I treated him to dinner and a few margaritas!!)




Next up...My bridal shower in January! My mother threw this surprise party at Pompei in West Hempstead. My fiance told me that we were going to a retirement party for a co-worker. It was cold out. Even snowing a bit. I was not in the mood to go, but I threw on a sweater dress and we were on our way. Walking into the room, I saw my brother's roommate, and I thought to myself 'No way! I can't believe she is at this party'....Yes... I really am that slow!!! LOL

I walked in and was greeted with a bunch of surprises and I cried for the first ten minutes. It was also the first day in YEARS my parents would be crossing each other's paths. The shower was beautiful and I had a great day surrounded by friends and family. The food was also very delicious. One thing negative I have to say about this place though, the BIG CHAIR that the bride sits in to open presents.... I felt like it was about to collapse on me (which you can tell by my face in the picture)...I think it was too old... Or maybe I was just too heavy?? haha.




Now onto the planning:

I believe I spent more money on Etsy.com then I did on the wedding. Here are a few items that I ordered:

My bouquet and John's boutenniere, I wanted them to be artificial so I could save them. Don't ask me why I thought that was a good idea then, as they are both in a bag somewhere in my hall closet collecting dust.

Etsy Seller: SongsFromTheGarden
Absolute pleasure to work with, she was very good with replying to all my questions and requests. She told me 6 weeks I think, and I had them in 3!





Luminaries for the Gift Table, then later moved to the cake table.

Etsy Seller: LittleLots
I decided ONE WEEK before the wedding I needed these. And she came through like a champ! Highly recommend this Seller!



Our Song in a LYRIC TREE with our initials in hanging hearts. Who have I become? Why did I need this?? Well, because it was super cute and sentimental of course!

Etsy Seller: DomesticNotions
Great Seller, Easy Order. Loved the finished product.



A plaque for the gift table with our first and last name, and established date! This was probably my FAVORITE item from Etsy. It makes a great piece for our living room now!

Etsy Seller: EPVinylLettering
Another great Seller, Ordering this was a breeze and shipping was very quick.



A Personalized Hanger to hang my dress on!

Etsy Seller: OriginalBridalHanger
Great Price, Quick shipping!



And a few other items I ordered or made:

Cocktail Napkins
From theknot.com


My seating cards were foldable business cards from VISTA PRINT. My sign in board I got from Michael's with a 50% off coupon for $9.99! My frames were all purchased on sale from Michaels. I made that center frame which was a memorial frame for our grandparents. All you need are photos, some glue, and a bunch of flowers from Michael's scrapbooking department!





This was the design I had on the seating cards:



Oh...and my CARDBOX..... I made this one night after a quick trip to Michael's and one too many glasses of white wine. I didn't realize the letters were not all the same size until later the next morning. But John said it looked fine. Maybe that was part of it's charm, who knows...



Ok, now on to my dress:

Helen's Bridal

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Liz who works here. She was assigned as my consultant, and the 4 trips I made to this place from the day I ordered it till the day I picked it up, she was SUCH a doll to deal with. I was seriously considering hiring her to do my bustle and tie my corset but I didn't want my mother to feel like I had no faith in her. As you can see in the picture below it wasn't that easy getting me in the thing. I had my Maid of Honor's knee in my back, my mom tying the corset and my grandmother at the end torturing me by tickling my feet!!!



I ordered my dress in October and had it by the middle of December! Most places told me I would have to give at least 5 months time for the dress to come in. The seamstress here, her name is Tula, she is also awesome. She helped my mom out with her dress (which she had ordered from macy's) They hemmed it and did a few minor alterations and it fit her like a GLOVE.

My dress did not need any alterations. It just got a French Bustle and a good steam before the big day (I left it at Helen's until the day before the wedding because I didn't trust myself with it LOL)



My dress was the Adorae, by Maggie Sottero. I loved this dress, it was so comfortable to wear and very easy to move in. I spent a good hour worth of time dancing in it at the wedding. It has since been shipped to Nebraska! I donated it to a Military Bride who will be wearing it in November.....A lot of people were surprised I donated it, but I am not one to get very attached to material things. And I didn't plan on ever wearing it again so I just felt this would be something nice to do :)

My shoes: I ordered them from Shoebuy.com
They have free returns. So I bought many, and returned many. At one point I was averaging one pair a week. But I did end up with the perfect wedding shoe (Dyeables - Makayla), that I wore for a total of 2 hours before I put on some comfy isotoner slippers lol.

Barron's of Tri County
This is where I got my veil and headpiece. The day I went looking for it I was helped by a very friendly gentleman there. I showed him my dress and he picked out the headpiece and veil within 5 minutes. He also sold me a bracelet. I paid half and went on my way, with instructions to come back in 3 months to pick it up.

Fast Forward 3 months. I made my hair trial appointment (as well as an appointment with my catering hall) on the same day so we could put my whole look together. Well, I get to Tri County, my veil and headpiece are not there, the lady tells me to wait an hour for her deliveries to come in. So I wander around and buy some stuff from the indoor flea market, ate way too much cotton candy, and go back there and the delivery still isn't in. I wait another hour (I don't live nearby otherwise I would have just went home and back to sleep). Finally the delivery shows up, I get my stuff and I'm out the door. but I was already late for my appointment with Stewart Manor, and I ended up late for my hair trial appointment. STORY OF MY LIFE!!!

Anyway, I loved my veil, headpiece and tiara. They should have just told me to pickup in the afternoon knowing that their deliveries come in after 11am. The guy who works there must have sensed my aggrivation because he threw in this fancy free garter which probably cost him $3.00






My earrings were from Macy's in Roosevelt Field.


My HAIR and MAKEUP!
I went to Girasole Salon and had my hair and makeup done by Tiffany! What an absolute DOLL this girl is. She is so sweet and friendly and we chatted the entire time.
This pic is from my trial:


And I had her tone it down a bit for the day of:



Originally I had planned to wear my veil UNDER my updo. But after having weeks to obsess over it, the week before the wedding I changed my mind and decided I wanted a simple high bun and wanted to put the veil OVER my hair. When I told Tiffany this THE DAY OF THE WEDDING, I expected her to freak out, but she said that she thought that would look BETTER and was more then happy to accomodate. I had the best time here the day of the wedding, the owner opened champagne and everyone in there chatted with me, my mom, grandmother and maid of honor. I plan on going back next time I need to look presentable for a big event :)

DAY OF THE WEDDING:

Mother Nature: She didn't let me down! it was almost 75 degrees and the sun was a'shining!!!

Hotel: I stayed in LaQuinta Garden City alone the night before the wedding (with my mom right across the hall) and with my husband AFTER the wedding. What a nice, clean hotel! They serve continental breakfast in the morning (which I took FULL advantage of), the beds are SOOOO comfortable, they have built in sound machines in the TV and it's real close to everything. I believe we paid about $130.00 per night.

My Maid Of Honor's Dress: Estelle's
When I first walked into this store, it was like a PROM NIGHTMARE. I was ready to walk right back out but we took a deep breath and ventured into the aisles of neon taffeta.
I suggested this beauty:

which came complete with some sort of artificial bird feathers in the back, but luckily she found, and chose, this gorgeous dress which fit her great and was also a great price!



Limo: Red Carpet Limo - They arrived on time and they were very friendly.

My Step Mothers last minute outfit: My dad and his wife drove in from upstate NY with her son and my grandfather who was in from California the day of the wedding. My father has a habit of being a bit all over the place (Gee I wonder where I get it from?!) and tends to drive her nuts. She was so busy trying to get him and everyone else together, she left her dress, her shoes, her makeup and her jewelery at their house and didn't realize it until she got to LaQuinta. With 3 hours until the wedding she jetted over to Roosevelt Field where a very nice young lady in Macy's helped her pick out an entire outfit with all the accessories. I dont know who this woman was, but I would like to thank her for preventing my step mother from having a nervous breakdown.

Our Officiant: Judge William Corbett
What a nice man he is. We ended up staying and chatting with him for over an hour when we went to meet him. He showed up for the ceremony early, gave everyone a briefing, and left right after it. We got a letter from him shortly after the wedding congratulating us again and asking us to send pictures when we got them.

My DJ, Photographer and Videographer: We got a package through Stewart manor with Ariana Studios. It was a really great value! My friend had a bad experience with them a few years ago so I was a bit hesitant but after meeting with the DJ (Graham) and the photographer (Nick), I wasn't really worried anymore. These guys were super professional yet laid back at the same time. I gave Graham an overly extensive list of songs I needed played at specific times and he pretty much did his best to accomodate it. The only problem I had was I had given the hall two boxes of favors (Hats, beads and other St. Patrick Day themed items) for the DJ to give to the guests, and that was never done. I didn't realize it until the end of the wedding and by then I was too tired to ask what had happened.
Nick the photographer showed up early to the hotel and stayed the entire time at the wedding. Some of my proofs are blurry. I don't know why. But there isn't anything I can do about it now so I'm not going to dwell on it. There are other pics that came out great and I can't wait to have them framed. The video guy, I didn't even speak to him once. I know his name is Bill and I know he showed up on time and he also stayed the entire length of the wedding. I will post an update when we get the wedding video.

Ceremony and Reception - STEWART MANOR COUNTRY CLUB
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Let me first start by saying that James (The Maitre D) is absolutely amazing. It was because of the way he swung open the doors to the main room that won me over with this place when we first went to see it. That guy KNOWS his stuff and he is good at what he does. As soon as I took in the wood floors and the wood beams and the huge fireplace, I just KNEW this was where we were meant to get married. It was totally our style! They also have a cute little gazebo in the front for pictures.

Dealing with them before the wedding was great and everything was SO simple! The day of the wedding James never left my side. He told people where to stand, what to do, who to find, when to do it....But not in a nasty way! And that is what's most important. We always had cold drinks in our hands thanks to the great waitress who was waiting on us.



Another great thing that they did for us: We ended up having more the 30 pipers and drummers from the NYPD Emerald Society at our wedding (John's dad is a retired detective who plays in the band and my father is also a retired NYPD cop). Stewart Manor had quoted John's Dad $15.00 per band member to have open bar. They ended up feeding them all the leftover appetizers, let them drink, and never charged him a cent for them.

Our cake (which was chocolate cake with cannoli filling) was also included in our package and got rave reviews from our guests!



Honeymoon: Waves Resort in Barbados
Good Food, beautiful resort and they upgraded us to oceanfront room for free! They day we arrived they sent up champagne and flowers. The only downside to this resort is they can be a little snooty with their dress code. This was our second time in barbados, and hopefully not our last.


I mean look this sunset!


Now on to some random wedding pics in no particular order! Hope you all enjoyed my review!














Just a few shots from the photographer (Got the pics back in a month)...





Probably shouldn't of eaten that huge bowl of pasta last night LOL :)





My bouquet, garter, shoes, invite and some champagne to calm my nerves!





3 Generations :)



My hubby waiting on me (as usual) LMAO!





Dancing so much I started worrying my girls were gonna fly out of my dress hahaha!



Nerves, Excitement....all at once!!



One of my favorites






<3 My Dad!!





Danced all night!!




Ahhhh <3 Just My New Hubby and I




Ok I'm sure you have had enough now :)

Also, I did my Social Security name change in Queens County via mail. I sent everything (everything being the Social Security Name Change form, a certified copy of my Marriage Certificate and my original passport) to the office and in less than 2 weeks I got everything mailed back, and the day after that I got a brand new Social Security card with my new name! If only the DMV was that simple! I didn't think I'd be saying this, but I was VERY pleased with how easy that was!

Thanks again for all your kind words ladies!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great review! You look beautiful I tried on the same dress. You had great ideas

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great Review...congratulations! You looked beautiful

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

That was great ! You are beautiful inside and out. I wish you so much happiness!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great review! Loved your dress!! Congrats

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Congrats!!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

u looked beautiful

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great review! You look beautiful...

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

I love that you were so laid back about everything! I also have a very short engagement so this gives me the inspiration I need to let all my worries go! Congratulations!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great review! Congrats!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great review! Thank you so much for sharing. I am also a big Etsy fan!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Thanks ladies!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Everything was beautiful! Congrats!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Congrats!!! you were a stunning bride!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Congratulations, you looked beautiful!!!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

you look beautiful!!! I love the lyric tree - i think i need one now! :) Congratulations!!!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

It really is the cutest thing! I just ordered one for my cousin and his fiance as well. Makes a GREAT gift!

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Congrats, you looked beautiful. thanks for the review.

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Re: Review of my St. Patrick's Day Wedding at Stewart Manor Country Club 3-17-2012

Great review, beautiful wedding!!