~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Anthony and I are so honored to have been part of this amazing liweddings.com event.
Thank you so much Ron, Kim and Liz for picking us! This was a once in a lifetime experience.


Also a HUGE thanks to my girls Becki, Mor and Colleen, I am so happy that we got to experience this together – and thank you so much for calming me down when I was soooo nervous! I am so happy that we got to know each other better!

I think that everyone should tryout for TWOTY! Being part of the wedding of the year was such an AMAZING experience. Anthony and I had so much fun from making the video tryout tape, taking engagement photos, to getting married all over again. The day that CS announced who the bridal party was my heart was pounding out of my chest – when they announced that we were the bride and groom I wanted to scream, cry and jump up and down! I honestly felt like I won Miss America!

Ceremony and Reception Location – Chateau La Mer
CLM is located right on the water with stunning views of the Great South Bay. It is also within close distance of major highways and hotels.

CLM is nice looking on the outside and beautiful on the inside. The views from inside are breathtaking. The cocktail hour is in a separate room then the reception and there is plenty of room in the cocktail room for all your guests. The room has plenty of tables and views of the water from anywhere in the room. The reception room is equally nice. This room also looks out onto the water. The dance floor is the perfect size and the decor is not overdone. The venue is also very clean and meticulously maintained.

The food at CLM is great. The options at the cocktail hour are endless. There are stations all around the room so you don't have to wait to on long lines to get food. They also had plenty of wait staff walking around passing out hor dourves. The reception dinner was also great. We had a salad course with fresh mozzarella followed by a pasta course. Both were very good. We had the choice of four entrees for dinner. I got the opportunity to try all four and honestly would not know which to choose if I ever go back because they were all very good. The dessert a CLM is awesome. The staff leads you back into the cocktail hour room where they have at least five stations. They had an ice cream sundae bar with too many toppings to choose from. At that the ice cream station they also had bags of zeppoli’s. In the back of the room they a station where you could get any candy imaginable. They also had a station where you could get a wide variety of cheesecakes. The best of the stations is the middle station which has hot apple pie, crepes, and chocolate fountain. When you get back to your table in the reception room your piece of wedding cake will be waiting with a tray of gourmet Italian cookies.

The staff at CLM is great. All the guests are treated like royalty. Nick (the Maitre’d) is wonderful and makes everything go off so easily. The bridal attendant Jessica was AMAZING and so was the wait staff. Everyone was extremely professional and hard working. I never had an empty drink and if I needed anything it was done as quickly as possible.















Band – Paris Live Music
Paris was AWESOME. One of the best wedding bands I have ever heard. Their choice of music was excellent. This band can play and sing any type of music you want to complete perfection!!!! I had to take a double take sometime because I thought the DJ was playing, because the singer sounded like the original artists – they are that GOOD! Everyone was on the dance floor!






DJ – Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound’s DJ crew and MC were EXCELLENT!!! They were able to get everyone on the dance floor with their music. The mixing of the music was seamless and their range of music was perfect. They played music for people of all ages and most importantly kept everyone dancing all night long.









Photographer – Doug from Patken Photographer
When I found out that Patken was the photographer for TWOTY I was super excited!

We first met Doug at our TWOTY “engagement shoot” and we instantly hit it off. To setup the “engagement shoot” Doug and I communicated through email and he always wrote me back within minutes. The time frame of TWOTY coupled with the holidays and lots of snow we didn’t have much time but Doug was very flexible, even though he was traveling around the world teaching photography. We met at Argyle Park on one of the coldest/windiest days of the winter, the day after the blizzard. Doug made the photo shoot so much fun, that we forgot how cold we were! We ended up taking photos at 2 locations and at the Patken studio (which is beautiful). I was surprised when I received an email from Doug that night with a slideshow of some of the most BEAUTIFUL photos of Anthony and I. At that moment we instantly fell in love with Doug’s photojournalistic style.

The day of TWOTY Doug, Lee and Tim showed up as we were getting ready and they went right to work. It’s amazing that Doug could find the smallest corner in the RH and get the most amazing photos! Once again TWOTY was on of the coldest days of the year and we took a bunch of photos outside and Doug totally kept us laughing so we were not thinking about how cold it was outside.

We are in love, love, LOVE with the TWOTY photos. Doug is truly an artist, we can’t say enough good things about him! We have so many favorite pictures. Doug also took the time to put a couple of our engagement photos on canvas for display at TWOTY. The quality of the canvas pictures were incredible, PLUS he is making us a album of the TWOTY photos. Thank you Doug!!!!!!


































































Videographer – Patken
Tim was the videographer for TWOTY. Tim was super nice and professional. His quality of work is some of the best we have seen. We found it amazing that Tim could record so much footage without us realizing he was there. You won’t be disappointed if you choose Tim to film your wedding. You’ll be blown away by his work like we were.

click here to view video from patken



DOC – LA Productions
Laura from LA Productions was fabulous!!!! She was on top of every situation and handled all the details of the wedding like a complete professional. If you’re worried about a DOC being too intrusive there is no need to worry with Laura. She is only there to help you and not intrude on your day in any way. It was amazing every time we needed her she was there and when we didn’t she was invisible. She also handled many other little details very well.

If you’re considering hiring a DOC please make the right choice and hire Laura. She will make your day stress free. I really thought we didn’t need a DOC and I was wrong. I was wrong because I didn’t expect the person to be as helpful and professional as Laura.

Not only was she super helpful but she added a bunch a personal touches to our table, she made beautiful Mr. and Mrs. Signs for our seats, along with monogrammed wraps for our napkins, beautiful peacock votives and monogrammed drink sticks and decorated the table with crystals. She also gave the bridal party a little sewing kit and recipe cards!








Bridal Gown and Bridal Party Dresses – Bridal Reflections
We went BM dress shopping at the Massapequa location, they have a HUGE selection of wedding and BM dresses and the staff was so helpful and friendly! We honestly found the dresses for the BP in record time and they all looked stunning! Becki’s (my MOH) dress was a Lazaro, Colleen’s Dress was a Simone Carvalli and Mor’s dress Jasmine Belsoie.

When looking for the Wedding dresses we went to the Carle Place location. This store is beautiful!! We worked with Bobbie, she picked out a bunch of BEAUTIFUL dresses. Each dress was prettier then the next, she was super helpful! The ceremony dress that we picked was a STUNNING Jim Hjelm gown! The reception dress that we picked was a Ines Di Santo dress and we paired it with a Marissa sash, I can’t believe that I got to wear Ines Di Santo!!!!! This dress was super cute, I wish I didn’t have to give it back!











Headpiece/Hairpins/Custom Jewelry for the Bride and Bridal Party – Thomas Knoell Designs
I went with Kim to Thomas Knoell’s studio one day and my jaw nearly hit the floor when I walked in. Everything was so beautiful!!! We met with Thomas Knoell; by the way he has to be one of the nicest people that I have ever met. He let me try on all kinds of jewelry and headpieces, and we picked out some jewelry for the bridesmaids! You can see the love he has for his work in all of his handmade pieces. Not only does he hand make everything but he is an AMAZING stylist. He picked out the all the jewelry to go with the 2 bridal looks and the bridesmaid dresses.






Shoes for Bride and Bridal Party – Sandy’s Shoes
Sandy’s Shoes donated the most fabulous shoes for us to wear, they even dyed the bridesmaid shoes to match their dresses. Sandy’s has a huge selection of dress shoes and I plan on going to Sandy’s next time a need some dress shoes. The shoes were so comfy and beautiful. I’m so happy that we get to keep them – thank you Sandy’s Shoes!!!! ?

Limo for Bride and Groom – Lancelot Limousine Services, Inc.
The limousine was great. It was very clean and beautiful inside and out. The driver was extremely friendly. I would definitely recommend this limo company.

Lighting – Long Island Sound
The lighting inside CLM was awesome. I often feel that the lighting inside reception rooms is over done, but this not the case for long island sound. Their lighting made for the perfect ambiance during the reception.

Ceremony Florist – Florisan LLC
The ceremony room décor was great. The peacock arrangements were really pretty and went so well with the theme of the wedding. The room was draped teal and matching aisle bows on the chairs.



Florist – Hidden Essence, Stylish Events, Designs by Rose, The Flower Barn
The CPs at TWOTY were some of the BEST centerpieces that I have ever seen. TWOTY gives vendors the opportunity to show off their best work and boy did they ever pull through. One table was more stunning then the next! When I walked into the reception room for the first time I was totally blown away.













Bouquets – LA Blossom
So it is a week after TWOTY and my bo-k still looks as good as when it was handed to me a week ago!
When LA Blossoms brought the bouquets to the bridesmaids and I, we were floored! The color combinations were absolutely AMAZING!!!! The stems on all the Bo-ks were so uniquely wrapped. These are some of the most beautiful bo-ks ever!!!





Cake – La Bonne Boulangerie
I was completely WOWED by the cake at TWOTY. Not only was this cake beautiful but it was delicious!!! It truly looked like a piece of art.




Favors
The favors were ALL amazing !!! Who doesn’t like an edible favor! They are so fun and it’s the perfect snack for your car ride home!



Afresh Approach
Afresh Approach gave a cute box with 2 AMAZING chocolate truffles, the truffle box had a cute favor tag along with a nice ribbon bow. The chocolate truffles from Afresh Approach are the BEST chocolate truffles that I have ever had!! I would recommend them for favors for any occasion. YUMMMMM!!!!

Pippy’s Sweets
Pippy’s sweets gave a small chocolate bar (about half the size of a full size Hershey’s bar) that was wrapped in a custom wrapper with rhinestone accents and a design that matched the peacock theme. The chocolate was very tasty.

The Sugar Chic
The Sugar Chic gave out these AMAZING iced sugar cookies that were decorated with peacock feathers, these cookies were beautiful and they tasted sooooooo good!

PolkaDot Pound Cake
Polka dot pound cake gave out mini-pound cakes. The first time I have seen anything like it. It was super cute and was super Yummy!! We got the Cinnamon Pound cake! Yumm!!! This would make a great favor for a bridal or baby shower too.

Hair – MG Hair and Makeup
MG Hair and Makeup did my 2 hairstyles and Colleen’s hair. They were very creative and professional with their work. Both my hairstyles were great and they complimented both my dresses very well.






Hair – Bella Sposina
Bella Sposina did Becki and Mor’s hair, they both looked AMAZING!!! They said that she was super nice, friendly and she did a great job and they loved their hair and it stayed all night.




Makeup – Glam Me Up
I was psyched when I found out Kelly was going to be a makeup artist for TWOTY!!! I used Kelly from “Glam Me Up” for my wedding and she was one of my favorite vendors to work with. Kelly is such a sweet person and is so professional! She keeps everyone on schedule. My makeup was flawless!!! She made me look and feel beautiful!! I wish Kelly could do my makeup everyday!









Makeup – Jessica Lauren Makeup Artistry
Jessica was the makeup artist for Becki and Mor and they both RAVED about her!!! The looks she gave each of the totally suited their personalities. They looked flawless and the makeup stayed all night!



Music for the Ceremony – Capriccio Ensemble
The week before TWOTY Natalie from the Capriccio Ensemble emailed me with some song suggestions and she let us pick the music for the ceremony! The day of the music was perfection!!! After the ceremony Natalie came up to me and we had a chance to talk, she was so nice!!!



Invitations – MagnetStreet Weddings
Can I say WOW!!!! When Kim told me that the theme for TWOTY was peacock feathers I was super excited! And then I received the invitation for TWOTY I was floored!!! To me the invitation sets the tone of the wedding and when I opened this invitation all I could think about was what a fun time we were going to have at TWOTY! MagnetStreet did an AMAZING job with the invitations!! I loved the vellum overlay, bellyband and the way they incorporated the purple and teal! Just beautiful and the quality of the paper was great too!




Officiant – A New York City Wedding by Rev. Will
Before TWOTY I had spoke to Rev. Will on the phone to tell him a little about Anthony and I. He was so professional! I would highly recommend Rev. Will for any wedding. He was VERY sincere in his delivering of the marriage rite. His words were well spoken and well written.


Photobooth – Wedding Flashes
The photobooth at TWOTY was one that I had never seen before. You could pick your style and it gave you poses to do for each shot! LIW provided AWESOME masquerade masks which were fun props for the photobooth. It was so much fun!


Menus/ Programs – Eleven 18 Design Studio
The menus were AMAZING – I saw 2 different designs both were accented with peacock feathers, one style had beautiful layered ribbon with a wax seal and the other design had a rhinestone buckle. Both designs were breathtaking! The programs were just as beautiful!!!




Aisle Runner – Above & Beyond Events LI
I LOVED the peacock feather monogram aisle runner from Above & Beyond Events!!!




Tuxedos for Bridal Party and Ron – Bonaventure Tuxedo
Anthony said the service he received at Bonaventure Tuxedo was more than exceptional. The sales clerk was extremely knowledgeable and the tuxedo fit perfectly on the day of the wedding. Anthony said that he will recommend this tuxedo shop to anyone planning a wedding or attending a black tie affair. Anthony, the groomsmen and Ron all looked VERY handsome the day of.




Cocktail Hour Music – Classical and Flamenco Guitarist Vito Genna
The music by guitarist Vito Genna was wonderful. It was the perfect kind of music for a cocktail hour. The music was just the right volume and gave the room a great ambiance. I would definetly recommend Vito Genna for your cocktail hour.


Suite for TWOTY Bride and Groom – Viana Hotel and Spa
The Viana Hotel was wonderful. All the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The hotel has a restaurant, bar and spa all on the premises. We stayed in a penthouse room, which was super clean and GORGEOUS!!!!!!!! Everything in the room looked like it was brand new. The suite had a cozy living room with flat screen TV, couch, and desk. The bathroom was tremendous. It had a huge shower and Jacuzzi tub with two sinks. The bedroom was very nice. It had tempur pedic type mattress (the MOST comfortable bed and pillows I have ever slept on) and flat screen TV in the room. When we arrived there were Rose petals sprinkled all over the rooms, and within a few minutes they delivered us fresh fruit with chocolate and a bottle of champagne!!! I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a wonderful experience. I want to go back!

Facial for Bride – A Touch of Heaven
Being the bride for TWOTY has lots of perks and one was a facial from Danielle from “A Touch of Heaven” and it was a touch of heaven!!!!!! When I got to A Touch of heaven I was surprised to se that it was a house. Danielle met me at the door and took me to another entrance and I walked into a BEAUTIFUL spa, which had a waiting room, the facial room and a changing room. Danielle was SUPER sweet and gave an AMAZING facial along with the facial she did an organic paraffin treatment on my hands. It was SO relaxing!!! Danielle has great pricing and I plan on going back for another facial and I will totally recommend her to everyone! Nothing like getting pampered a few days before your wedding, mock-wedding or any other day!!!

Boudoir Pictures – Jenerations Photography
I was PSYCHED when Kim asked me if I was willing to take Boudoir pictures for TWOTY! When I found out it was with Jen from Jennerations I was more then thrilled, she has so many rave reviews on LIW and all the Boudoir photos posted by other LIW brides are AMAZING!!! Jen contacted me about setting up the photo shoot and she was super flexible, plus she explained to me that she was setting up hair and makeup for me too!!! The day that we were supposed to have the photo shoot we had a major snowstorm and we were able to reschedule the next day. When I got to Jen’s studio I was super nervous. Once I met with Jen and Diana was working on my makeup I calmed down a bit. Jen’s makeup artist Diana was AMAZING!!!! And Tara the hair stylist was AWESOME!!!!! They were both super friendly and made me look and feel sooooo beautiful!! Jen helped me pick-out my outfits and by the time she took the first picture I felt totally comfortable. She gave AMAZING direction and even demonstrated the poses for me! The photos came out amazing, I am SOOOOOOO happy with them, and so is my DH! I totally recommend Jenerations!!!!





Invision It on Canvas
We were so surprised to see this BEAUTIFUL canvas print made by 'Invision It on Canvas' of one of our wedding photos. The quality of the photograph and canvas is second to none. I would highly recommend having your pictures made into a canvas that you can easily hang on the wall. It looks beautiful in our living room.

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Awesome review Marie - So glad I was able to be a part of it

This the fastest TWOTY review ever!!!!!!

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Great review.

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everything looked amazing!!!

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Great review. Everything was amazing. FH and I had an amazing time.
Marie, you along the bridal party looked gorgeous.

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Great job on the review Marie!!! You, Becki, Mor, and Colleen look absolutely amazing!!!

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What a great review, Marie!!!

Is there a place that we can look at all the pics from the event?

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Aww you ladies and your DH's all looked amazing!!! Marie- nobody deserved to be the TWOTY bride more than you! Congrats!!!

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awesome review!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Wow AWESOME REVIEW! =-)
We had Fun!!!!!!

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

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Posted by jilliibabii

Aww you ladies and your DH's all looked amazing!!! Marie- nobody deserved to be the TWOTY bride more than you! Congrats!!!

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Aw Jill! That is so sweet! Thank you!
I had so much fun!!!

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

can't believe you're done already! kudos to you

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

You are on top of your game Marie! SO FAST!

Thanks for the great review and for being such a beautiful TWOTY bride!!!!

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I loved you review Marie!!! TWOTY was sooo much fun and you we're a gorgeous bride (again!)

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beautiful bride (again)

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Great review, Marie! You girls all looked amazing!!

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Great review! And thanks for posting the pic of me and FH.

I am IN LOVE with that cake... i need it!! lol and you wore the belt that I'm getting for my dress! So cool to see it on someone else!

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Great review Marie!! I am so glad i was there to enjoy it will all of you!!!

Re: ~*~*~*TWOTY 2011 Review *~*~*~

Great Review