*Tons of Pics* March 2012 Wedding- Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam; Pastor April;

**Editing my post bc I realized I didnt mention the most important part... We paid for our whole wedding ourselves and we by no means, have a lot of money. SO, it is very possible to have an amazing wedding on a budget. It's your day with your husband, dont forget that while doing your planning and seeing what everyone else is spending/doing. Its easy to get caught up, which is great if someone else is paying but as you can see from pics below, it can be extraordinary even if if your budget isn't!**

Thank you CS for this site. My DH found it and started doing all the research when he was home and I was at work. He found most of our vendors on here. Grateful for all the friends we've made too! Now, heres the review. Pictures are at the bottom bc I'd go crazy pasting them into their proper place. LOL. This is super long and detailed because we mainly did most of our searches for vendors by reading these reviews and they were extremely helpful! Hope this is helpful, enjoy!

Vendors:
Bridal Reflections Massapequa- My Gown; Bridal Elegance- BM dresses/ 1 FG dress; David’s Bridal- FG Dresses; Foresto Tuxedo- guys tuxes; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours- MC Brett & DJ Phil; Cheeky Glam; An Invitation Sensation; Channa Plaque-mysweetmemories.com; Einspanner- Etsy Seller for Hanger; Lilettes Bridal- Hair Clip; Just Jen- Day of sweats; Priscilla of Boston- cathedral veil; Anne De Marco- Makeup; Roseanna Amador- Hair; STD- Overnightprints.com; Printing of DIY items- FedEx Office; Diamond Roof in Tri-County- Wedding Rings; Press 195-Rehearsal Dinner; Dortoni Bakery- Grooms cake & Wedding cake; weddingink.net- envelope addressing; Earrings Adriana Orsini- Saks; Aruba HM

THE PROPOSAL- Awe, my DH is so romantic. We were on vacation on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas cruise. I had a feeling it was coming but I didn’t know when but knew he wanted to surprise me. I hate surprises. I thought he’d do it on the beach on the first island we were going to but instead he did it one night at dinner in the huge dining room, filled with tons of people. He asked the young couple at our table whom we became friends with to take a photo of us, it was dressy night. He handed the guy our camera and we pose and take one. He gets it back, we look at the photo in the camera, I say its nice… Then he hands the camera back to the guy and says, “now can you take a picture of this?” He gets down on one knee and proposes. I was shocked. The guy kept snapping photos. It was wonderful, he was so nervous!

BRIDAL REFLECTIONS MASSAPEQUA- WEDDING GOWN BY JAMES CLIFFORD- 9
Oh the hunt for the perfect dress. I must have tried on 50-60 gowns by the time I reached Bridal Reflections. I saw James Clifford gown online and they looked beautiful. I had a low budget at first and couldn’t find anything I liked which is why I had tried on so many dresses. I really didn’t want a dress like every other bride has. When I went to Bridal Reflections I had a thousand more to spend. The customer service I had there was phenomenal. At that point I knew what I liked, what looked good on me and what didn’t. The consultant brought out a dress that was a “little over my budget”, not exactly what I asked for- it had some of the features I described, and she asked me to be open-minded and if I would just try it on. Well, that was IT! A friend on here who was getting married at Westbury Manor had a coupon for $500* off that she wasn’t using. This brought the dress down to budget. Alterations were pricey but worth it. Zizi had never worked on this dress before bc it was new. She did a great job, it was difficult, and I had 4 rounds of alterations opposed to the normal 3. The only reason I didn’t give a 10 was because the alterations cost a bit more than what they had originally estimated, but it happens.

SAKS ADRIANA ORSINI Earrings- 10
I loved them from the moment I saw them. I have very specific taste and these were perfect for me. A very close friend knew they were out of my price range and gave me a gift card to put towards them, I love her and I love them!

FORESTO TUXEDO- 10+++
Dominick is the best. They were a little pricier than say a Men’s Warehouse but the service was superb. Our tuxes were there in no time. The place is very close to our RH and our house. They have great hours and their customer service is unbeatable. Our Junior groomsman is 11 but wearing men’s sizes already and Dominick stayed on top of getting different jackets in until we found one that fit perfectly. I really cannot say enough good things. Great place and great service.

BRIDAL ELEGANCE- BM DRESSES- 7, FG DRESS-1
We found the dress at RK Bridal in the city but ordered from Bridal Elegance. Ugh… Phyllis gives a good price and will beat other prices but my one girl got robbed in alterations. Her dress almost ended up costing double. The one Flower girl dress we ordered didn’t come in until two weeks before the wedding and at that point I already ordered a $30 backup from David’s Bridal bc the experience was sickening. I think they didn’t place the order on time and tried to play it off like they did.

DAVIDS BRIDAL ONLINE- Flower girl dresses we actually used 10
The dresses were perfect, they shipped super fast and the quality was great! Good thing I ordered a size larger for one of them though, but I’d say they ran very true to size. My SIL ordered a size bigger for her twins and they were gigantic. They could’ve worn their size.

PASTOR APRIL- 10
She was wonderful. Her style is unlike any other. We got a ton of feedback on it. Our guests were not used to her style of walking around and being very open and lively. She was great with all email communication going back and forth with the edits of our ceremony. DH loved her. He found her on this site and brought her to my attention. When we met with her he was the complete opposite of shy. It was adorable and I knew she was perfect for us.

JERICHO TERRACE- 8.5
I think DH is better off writing this review… There were many things I was not happy with. The day of they did a great job. Harry was our Maitre’ D. He did an amazing job. I’m not very fond of many others there though. We were told things and then they changed. Long story short just get every little tiny miniscule detail in writing, even if you think it’s not important. We booked a Friday in Mid March, which is off-season and also felt like they offered other people less money to book our same date. They had two other weddings going on the day of ours. UGH, I really though for a Friday in March maybe there was a slight chance of one other event but nope… 3 brides. They made sure that we did not see the other brides but one of them had guest that looked like they were going to a party where Kesha was performing (hoe-bags)… But, it could’ve been worse. LOL

AFTER HOURS- 9
We booked Brett after stalking their videos of their work on youtube. He was great. Few slight things leading up that I didn’t love. We didn’t get our paperwork when we were supposed to. Not a huge deal but bc of it, there was miscommunication with the Gobo light design and it was completely finalized before I knew it. Only thing that was missing the day of was that our 4 kids didn’t get to enter together like it said on everyone’s paperwork. I doubt this is solely their fault… One of my nieces got shy bc plans changed and the four of the kids weren’t walking in together. She ended up never walking in, which is unfortunate. Other than that, everything was great. All of our must plays were played, the do not plays were not and everyone was dancing the whole night. Brett is a sweetheart and really has fun with what he does. Phil was our DJ that night mixing all the great songs.

THOMAS PAUL PHOTO- 9
We love our photos. We had Tom & Brian. We would have liked more shots with our guests. We should’ve put that on our must-take. We have random candid shots on the dance floor but for having two photographers we would’ve liked shots with friends during either or CH or reception.
THOMAS PAUL VIDEO- 9 pending video
We haven’t gotten anything back yet but this guy was EVERYWHERE. We believe he did a great job. He doesn’t do cinematic style but we wish he would’ve at least got individual speeches from our bridal party and James and I saying something to each other before hand.

AN INVITATION SENSATION- INVITES 10+
I knew what I wanted and I wanted to design them myself but couldn’t get the print quality that DH and I wanted. I was seriously running out of time. We didn’t want to spend a ton but when it came down to an extra $100 to extremely high quality invites compared to the other sample recreations I was getting, it was well worth it. Cathy gave me a better price than the “recommended vendor” of our RH and that was with their supposed discount. Cathy stayed on top of the vendor to make sure we got proofs back quick and that the order was placed even quicker. She was amazing! What could have turned out to be a stressful disaster was really a perfect experience. The company was Checkerboard and they were superb. It shipped super fast and they were packaged with such perfection and delicacy and I couldn’t have done it better myself. They were layered, with ribbon, and raised print.

WEDDINGINK.NET- 10
Cheeky Glam actually recommended us to Nicole. She was quick, affordable and they looked great. There was one mistake but out of all those envelops that’s not bad.

CHEEKY GLAM- 10
My husband and I booked Heather & Jamie of Cheeky Glam after we had the majority of our major vendors booked. He wasn’t exactly sure that we needed Day of Coordinators. I knew we needed them. Almost seven years ago my mom died and the two and half years after my mom died, my step mom died. Having no support from a female definitely makes more challenging. I was blessed with an extremely helpful and proactive fiancé but there are things you just need a female for. We met with them and booked them on the spot. They were both very responsive to emails and calls during the process. They gave suggestions and followed up with where we were at with all the little details and DIY projects that I took on. Heather & Jamie both came to my final fitting at the salon. That was extremely helpful because each time I went for a fitting a different person came with me. The final time was the most important because they were there to help me get into my dress and all the little things that went along with it. They also contacted the reception hall for us and cleared up an issue that we were having with them.

The day of the wedding they were both extremely helpful. There are so many behind the scenes things that may go wrong that you wouldn’t even think about. They smoothed everything out from dealing with missing flowers, family drama, and fixing my hair. They steamed my satin dress to perfection throughout the night. Thank goodness they had that because posing in the photos before the wedding created many creases in my dress. We paid for our whole wedding ourselves and couldn’t afford any “extra” expenses. Cheeky Glam was far from that. We definitely needed them. Some people say that you have a Maitre’ D and Bridal attendants for the day of, but they don’t do what Cheeky does. On such a special day for us we preferred to have people there who knew us ahead of time and knew our situation, who had a worksheet of all our concerns about the wedding, vendors, and anything else. Things that you cant tell complete strangers the day of your wedding and expect them to take care of. Cheeky Glam made the end of the night a breeze, everything was packed up in boxes and they helped bring it to the car. These two ladies are a great partnership and though they are in the beginning stages of their company they are sure to succeed and get even better at what they do. We referred to them as “Wedding Angels from Heaven.”

PRISCILLA OF BOSTON- VEIL- 10
God seriously blessed me on this score. They were only gonna be open three more days when I walked in. I found the most perfect sheer diamond white cathedral veil. And it was $30. I think I was glowing for a week because of how perfect it was and how lucky I was to find it. We really couldn’t afford any more expenses at that point.

LILETTES BRIDAL for hair clip- 9
Not the most attentive customer service when we walked in but we found a gorgeous hair clip. The price was decent and it was perfect. They got it in pretty quick and I was very happy with the quality, etc.

ANNE DEMARCO- 10
She is incredible. Worth every penny. My trial was perfect for my e-pics. Everyone’s wedding day makeup was perfection. Stayed the whole night. This was something I didn’t want to sacrifice on. It was my splurge. I like the way I do my own makeup so I really needed someone who was going to do it exceptionally better than me, if we were gonna pay them what it costs for day of makeup. The single eye-lashes were just gorgeous. She is a sweetheart.

JUST JEN- DAY OF SWEATS- 10
A very special friend got these sweats for me to wear. They were perfectly comfortable and so pretty! It was so nice to start my day in them and end my day in them!

ROSEANNA AMADOR-5
UGHHHH, Awful. I am going to let my pictures speak for themselves. The good things were: Everyone’s hair stayed the whole night. My bridal party’s hair was lovely. BUT, Mine looked absolutely nothing like my trial, was not worth the money, and she was supposed to trim my long bangs so they swept to the side, and she CHOPPED them diagonally across my forehead. I was almost in tears and would’ve completely messed up my makeup. This experience was a complete nightmare. Cheeky Glam had to take gel and hair spray and try to fix it so I didn’t have crooked fringed hair going across my head. UGH… I also emailed her a month after the wedding when I calmed down and NEVER heard back. How’s that for customer service. My trial was amazing but apparently that was just to get me to book.

EINSPANNER ETSY- HANGER- 10
LOVED it. Great customer service. Shipped quickly. I know a bunch of the girls contacted him as a group and he gave a bulk discount but it was after I already had ordered mine.

CHANNA PLAQUE mysweetmemories.com- 10
I think that’s her site. Everyone uses her. When I contacted her she was fast, helpful, it shipped wonderfully and we loved it. Colors were right on and the price was good.

DIAMOND ROOF, WEDDING RINGS- 10
Oh Sam, what a great man. I was a pain! He is incredibly patient. Gave us the best deal. Phenomenal quality and I ordered it to be special made. As long as you realize that Tri-County is not open 7 days a week and that’s okay with you, I strongly suggest getting your wedding bands from Sam at Diamond Roof. He was so sweet, he knew us LIW girls were talking about him!

BRIDESMAID/FLOWERGIRL JEWELRY- 8
The bracelets were from a stand in Tri-County that is across from Barons. The more you buy the more she’ll bargain with you. Good enough quality. The earrings and necklaces for my MOH’s were from Macys. It was a pearl set. I used a coupon and got a great deal. The little girls earrings were from Claire’s. They are little bows with diamonds. The bows matched the bow on the back of my dress.

PRESS 195, REHEARSAL DINNER- 10
YUM, we didn’t have a ton of ppl so they let us set up in the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon and we didn’t do a package. We ordered off the menu. The service was amazing as usual and the food, all the food, for so many people was complete and absolute food bliss!

DORTONI’S BAKERY- GROOMS CAKE & WEDDING CAKE- 10
This bakery holds such a special place in my heart. The grooms’ cake was FABULOUS!!! We did a NY Giants helmet. It tasted incredible and looked ridiculous! Our wedding cake was delicious. So fresh and perfect and the flavors were like a present on your tongue. We did the vanilla cake and one layer had cannoli cream and the other had banana cream with fresh bananas. They did a great job designing it.

HIDDEN ESSENCE- 8.5-9
We were booked with Michelle from Hidden Essence, day of she dropped off the boK's but left one in the van bc it didn’t fit in the box and she forgot it. Luckily she was setting up another wedding not too far away and Cheeky Glam got her on the phone to come back. Well, here’s the second part of what happened. Our original contract had 10 tables and that’s what we paid for. When she called to confirm final payment a few wks prior she asked how many tables. I told her 11, she said okay and I mailed her the check. Somehow that didn't get transferred over. I've emailed Michelle a 100 times to make minor changes, go over details, etc, safe to say I may have even driven her crazy... But we were short one tables CP. Cheeky told us, I didn’t panic. I immediately went into damage control mode and suggested to take the large ceremony piece and set that up as the CP (it was the table with my dads friends anyway)... That worked out fine. But, Michelle came back to JT and was very upset and felt horrible. I didn’t see her and honestly after the other things went wrong this wasn't as bad of a disaster. So both Jamie and Heather of Cheeky went to go talk to her in the lobby of our hall. They were both gone for what felt like a while but honestly it could've been 20 mins. They came back in and explained with happened and how upset Michelle was. Michelle gave them back the money for the table, she returned our very nice tip and said there was no way she could accept it. Part of this is my fault bc usually when Michelle and I would make any changes I'd always ask to be sent an updated contract and I guess this time I didn’t. She knew there was supposed to be 11 and said that to Cheeky even though it wasn’t in the paperwork she or I had printed... Anyway, the BoK's were perfect and the CP's were perfect, etc. If I had to give Michelle a rating it would be 8.5-9 and that’s missing a CP. Her service was amazing and her ceremony piece was so large and gorgeous that luckily it doubled as a CP and her cousin was still there when we noticed so she set it up very nicely on the table and added any extra flowers bc she had a ton for decorating the cake. I'm writing this trusting that you all understand this post.

We are all human and mistakes happen. Things are gonna go wrong on your wedding day, some may be a big deal, some you may not even notice or know about until after the fact but its gonna fly by fast so just enjoy every waking minute.

BACHELLOR/BACHELLORETTE PARTY- AC
This was a good enough time. We did a joint thing. We separated in the day. He did some gambling with the guys and the ladies went to the spa. Then we met up for dinner. After dinner there was more gambling and then the ladies went to the club and most of guys went back up to gamble. The night was great, we loved sleeping in the same room without, it was like a mini-vacation for all the couples who went.

HONEYMOON- Aruba, Marriot Ocean Club- 10++++
OMG, the most amazing time possible. My uncle gifted us his timeshare and the place was perfect. We only did a week and I strongly recommend 10 days for a honeymoon. The week was too short. You and your new husband will be in complete euphoric bliss and the time flies. Our hotel was immaculate, almost no kids, the Marriott next door had the best casino. We did a snorkeling tour, DH gave us his own private Quad tour (he’s been there before) We ate at some of the most amazing restaurants. Madame Jeanette’s is a must. Texas de Brazil is delicious but massive amount of food! Passions on the Beach is gorgeous for sunset dining on the beach, the food is cooked to perfection.

Proposal






Bachelor/Bachelorette Party




Rehearsal Dinner/Grooms Cake





Gorgeous hair TRIAL vs. Wedding nightmare
Notice full side-swept bangs and beautiful curls


The gorgeous back of my trial- notice the detail and curls


HOW SHE CHOPPED MY BANGS ON MY WEDDING DAY... don't mind my face I'm on verge of tears..


The back which nothing like my trial and when I asked she said it had the same 'work-up' as my trial and didn't have a mirror to show me. Notice the lovely bump she put in the back so she didn't have to do as much work as what she did at my trial with all the curls...



E-Pics by Thomas Paul. Makeup by Anne DeMarco







DIY Items
lace wrapped candles for between the cp.'s


















PRO Pics by THOMAS PAUL























ARUBA Honeymoon Marriott Ocean Club

Re: Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Attempt to add photos...

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Congrats again, Linda! What a wonderful, honest, super detailed review. You were an absolutely gorgeous bride.

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Thanks Gabi! So happy I got the pics to work. lol

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

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Posted by gmcamp

Congrats again, Linda! What a wonderful, honest, super detailed review. You were an absolutely gorgeous bride.

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I agree Can't wait for my brother/sister in law's wedding at JT...

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

BEAUTIFUL !!!!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

congrats! love the photos.. && happy to hear about pastor april & sorry to hear about the 'hoe-bags'

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Congratulations again, Linda!!! Your wedding was so beautiful!!!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Congrats Linda, you made such a beautiful bride. Thanks for the great review.

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

your pictures are beautiful! congrats!!!!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

congrats!!!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Thanks ladies! It was so amazing.

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

WOW you looked so beautiful! Everything from your hair to your gown! All your choices were very elegant. Congratulations!!!!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Congrats!! Everything looked amazing! I love your dress!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Great review! Everything looked beautiful!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Great review!!! Everything looked great and you know I love how you looked in your dress! Congrats again!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

great review Linda!! Congrats again!! <3

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Great review Linda!!!You looked gorgeous!! Sorry you had so many issues but everything came out wonderful!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Great Review....You looked beautiful. Congrats!

Re: *Pics Added* Our AMAZING 3/16/12 Wedding- Bridal Reflections Massapequa; Bridal Elegance; David’s Bridal; Pastor April; Jericho Terrace; Hidden Essence; Thomas Paul; After Hours; Cheeky Glam

Great review and congrats on your wedding! I'm so sorry that you had such an issue with the woman doing your hair. That is horrible.... but I have to admit, although she didn't do your hair as she did in the trial, you still looked gorgeous! You look like a Disney Princess!
I hope you had a wonderful day despite!