My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

My Review

Check out pictures: (these were taken by friends & family)

http://liweddings.com/community/album/?ID=3213

DIY- My theme was a Swarovski crystal (because there were a lot of these on my dress) so I incorporated them on our invitations, Menus, and Programs.

Donation Scrolls- instead of giving people a favor, we made a donation to Cancer Care in memory of the groom's mother.
I found a nice poem on the American Cancer Society's website and then added our own explanation as to why we chose this charity, which I printed on little scrolls that were placed at everyone's place setting.
http://www.idofoundation.org/

Programs- This was so much fun to work on. I got trifold program paper at Staples and went to town. FM if you want to use the template I created.

Menus- I used the same trifold program paper but only printed on one fold and then used a paper cutter to make them the size I wanted. We had a girl's night where me, my mom, and some of my BM's glued crystals onto the programs and menus. It was fun and it helped me a lot.

Invitations- I ordered very simple invitations and then glued on the crystal myself. I got the idea from a picture I saw from The White Aisle wedding website. It was a beautiful invitation with a swarovski crystal on it, but was very pricey so I just did it myself.

Placecards- I took the placecards the Bourne Mansion gave to me and then just wrapped up some jordan almonds in tulle and tied them up with some ribbon. I printed out labels with guests names and then stuck the label on. This was so easy and you couldn't even tell it was a label.

Cry Packs- I got little white pouches at Walmart and then purchased little tissues with the first letter of our last name on it and stuck them inside the pouch. Voila. This was so easy and took less than 4 minutes to make 60 of them.

Our card box- I know some couple's walk around their wedding with a white bag to collect envelopes but I firmly believe that this is the tackiest thing on earth, even if it is somewhat traditional. I think bags are to be used for giving out presents, like Santa. I was uncomfortable even taking envelopes from people, even though I know that's what your supposed to do, but I couldn't imagine walking around with a bag. Anyway, I had a card box professionally made because I wanted something a little different. I ordered it on line and it came out beautiful. I actually got it through ebay for less than what it is listed on the manufacturer's website. So many people commented on how they hadn't seen something like this before. It also makes a beautiful shower present. Check out the website :
http://stores.ebay.com/Perfect-Cases

Hair: Ann Marie from the Jackie Shawn Salon in Northport A+
Ann Marie came to the Bourne Mansion and got 6 girls ready in less than 3 hours. She did an amazing job on all the BM’s and she made my hair look unbelievable. I was getting compliments all night!!! I’m a very natural, no fuss, type of girl so I was very hesitant to have the typical “bride hairdo” with lots of stiff curls, hairspray, and a headpiece. Plus, my husband said he hates the look of a tiara because they remind him of his step sister's sweet sixteen, so I bought some beautiful hair clips from a little kiosk in front of the Pottery Barn in the Walt Whitman mall for half the price of a typical bridal headpiece or tiara. They are a great alternative for any bride who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money (these were only $90) and doesn’t feel comfortable wearing a tiara all night. Ann Marie has done my hair for years and I knew she was going to do a great job, but I was still very impressed with how beautifully she incorporated the hair clips in my hair.


Makeup: My MOH A+
I’m very lucky that my best friend has a knack for applying makeup. She took care of everyone in the bridal party and everyone looked beautiful. I am very anti professional makeup artists because any time I have had it done at MAC or anywhere else, they always overdo it, even when I tell them to keep it light. So, the only person I would trust to do my makeup for the big day was my best friend. If I didn’t have her to do it, I would have done it myself. I think it’s a total load of crap when people tell you, “You have to have your makeup professionally done for the pictures because of the lighting.” Gimme a break. I’ve seen plenty of pictures of brides who had their makeup professionally done and they just don’t look like themselves. I only wear makeup at night when I go out and a lot of makeup looks silly on me, both in real life and in pictures. Plus, my husband hates the “cake face” look and we’ve been to so many weddings where the bride’s face is painted on. He kept telling me, “Please don’t wear a lot of makeup- I want to recognize you when you come down the aisle.” The trick is to wear just enough to brighten your face. My MOH did a trial so we would know just how much to apply the day of and it took less than 10 minutes for her to do it on the big day!

Flowers By Michelle A+ www.flowermichele.com
I had the utmost confidence in John from the second I met him. I can’t tell you how nice it was to work with a vendor like him. He just loves what he does and his excitement over flowers is contagious! He really takes time to listen to your ideas and then takes your ideas and runs with them. Flower Michelle is more than just a florist. They are interior decorators for weddings!!! I had 12 storage bins filled with frames, candlesticks, and vases that I dropped of at their shop a week before the wedding. They brought all of my things with them the day of the wedding and placed all of my pictures and candles exactly where I wanted. They did such a beautiful job. I am a neurotic perfectionist and I had labels on all of the storage bins with strict instructions of where I wanted everything because I wanted to make it easy for them. They really impressed me with how much care they took placing everything around the mansion. One of my most favorite parts of the day was coming downstairs with my mother while everyone else was upstairs in the bridal suite getting ready. We would just walk around the rooms and look at how everything was coming to life. It is something I’ll never forget. Looking at all of the pictures on the mantles made it seem like we really made the mansion our own for the day! My flowers were of the highest quality and I was so happy when I saw them that I started skipping around singing, “I love my flowers, I love my flowers!” Anyone who books Flower Michelle should not worry one bit about their flowers. You will be in great hands!!

Wild Rose Video-A+ www.wildrosevideo.com
No matter how much people tell you to stop during your wedding to take it all in, it will still go by in a flash. My husband and I definitely tried to take time to look around and remember every second but I’m so happy we have the video to look forward to seeing so I can relive every second. There were so many things that I didn’t even get to see, like the bridal party walking down the aisle, the guests first walking into the ballroom, etc. that I can’t wait to get my hands on that video!!! Wild Rose has been great to work with so far. They’re very down to earth and I really enjoyed having them around the day of the wedding. They were totally unobtrusive and I forgot that they were there most of the time. I’ll write more when I get the video back. I can’t wait!!!

DJ & MC: Music By Michael A+ www.musicbymichael.com
Music by Michael is a real class act. My husband and I had visited several of the most popular Long Island DJ’s and we usually left their office either hysterically laughing (after watching some of their cheesy videos), totally horrified (after hearing what they would charge), or totally disappointed (because they also seemed so over the top.) We wanted a DJ that would play good music, but without being obnoxiously loud or in our guests’ faces all night. I found Music by Michael from this site and I’m so happy we booked him! He is so organized and professional that you can’t help but have the utmost confidence in him. I had so much faith in him that I recommended him (before I even saw him in action) to 2 of my friends who are getting married and they booked him too! That actually worked out great because one of those friends got married before me so I got to see Music By Michael work at her wedding, which put me even more at ease because he did a great job! Plus, the best part is that he has a music planner that all of his clients get to use. When you book him, you have access to the music planner and everyone time you hear or think of a song you want played at your wedding, you just add it to the playlist. I was addicted! I actually miss it. As soon as I heard about this I booked him on the spot because that gave us control over the music that was played at our wedding. My biggest fear about having a DJ was that you’re putting the party atmosphere in their hands. You can ask them to play certain songs all you want, but I’ve heard too many times where a DJ never got around to playing any of the couples requests and just played what they thought was good. Music by Michael is great at reading the crowd and he played every song we asked him to at the exact time we asked him to! Plus, all of his music is digital on his laptop so you don’t have some guy lugging cases of cd’s to your wedding. His set up is very “undercover” and sleak. I didn’t even know where the music was coming from during the cocktail hour. It sounded like he had it piped in through the walls!!! Music by Michael is the perfect combination of fun and class, which is perfect when you’re trying to have a blast at an elegant location. He had everyone dancing all night. I highly recommend him and I don’t know how anyone else plans a wedding without their Music by Michael playlist!!! Plus, Michael creates a CD for the bride and groom of a few songs that really capture the atmosphere of the day. It was a very nice touch…………

Officiant: Father Callahan A+ www.reverendcallahan.com
Father Callahan did a wonderful job at making our ceremony reflect who we are by incorporating little things that really personalized it. For example, my husband coaches high school sports and he brought up a parallel between commitment in sports and commitment in marriage. He has a very calming personality and a very soothing voice and I really enjoyed listening to him during the ceremony. My husband and I do not follow any specific religion but we come from families with a strong Catholic background so I felt it was important to have a religious ceremony, even though we wouldn’t be getting married in a church. Father Callahan is a priest so he brought religion into our ceremony, but no so much so that it was the main focus of the ceremony. I would highly recommend him for anyone who is having an interfaith ceremony or for people who are Catholic but not getting married in a church.

Audrey's Bakery A+
This was another vendor that I had all the confidence in the world in. They were so friendly and helpful. I gave the baker a picture of what I wanted and that is exactly what I got. It was perfection........... The cake was delicious! They have so many fillings and toppings to choose from but I went with a basic vanilla sponge cake with chocolate and vanilla pudding filling and butter cream icing. I tried to pick what I thought the majority of our guests would enjoy. It was a crowd pleaser. Plus, Audrey's is right down the street from the Bourne Mansion, which made me feel more at ease because then there is less of a chance of something happening to the cake in route to the wedding!!

Photographer : Always Perfect Studios – won’t rate until pics come back
I wasn’t that impressed with my photographer. He had no artistic vision whatsoever and I felt like I had to keep giving him ideas of where we should shoot. Sometimes, I would be thinking to myself, “This would be a great shot. Where is the photographer?” He was missing in action a couple of times, but the mansion had so many rooms that it was hard to keep track of where he was taking pics of the guests and other family members. I’m curious to see what shots he got. The mansion has such beautiful grounds and I feel like we didn’t get to utilize them as much as I would have liked to. That probably had to do with our time constraints and my husband’s attention span when it comes to pictures too. I’m sure for most men, the pictures are the worst part of the wedding. All they want to do is get a drink and start having a good time, and to be honest, so did I. I wish I gave myself more time for picture taking with just my husband and I. Oh well, I don’t want to have any regrets because there is nothing I can do about it now. I’ll give more of a review when I get my pictures back. Always Perfect is located in David’s Bridal and I went with them because they seemed to give me the most for my money. I had visited almost 5 photographers and I was consistently shocked at what I got for the price. However, if I had to go back, I probably wouldn’t use Always Perfect again because even though they’re less expensive, you never even meet the photographer until the wedding day. You have no idea who you are getting until they show up that day, which I didn’t really care for. He called me a few days before to go over some things but I still felt like we should have met face to face before hand to go over exactly what I was looking for. While other places are more expensive, you have a lot more security while you’re using them because you meet with them before hand, have engagement photo shoots to see what their style is, and you know more what to expect. My photographer was ok but right off the bat he was annoyed that I was running 15 minutes late and he started telling me that there was no reason for him to come so early, which really pissed me off and put a sour taste in my mouth for him. I told him to go downstairs and make himself useful by taking pictures of all of the mantles set up and of the tablesettings instead of standing around waiting for me. I think he was a little taken back by how I came right back at him because he changed his tune immediately and he was very pleasant the rest of the night.


Bridesmaids Dresses - David’s Bridal A
No complaints whatsoever. I had a lovely salesgirl who always made time to help me. The dresses came in way ahead of schedule and because all of the dresses were going to be discontinued, they were on sale for a song!!!! I was so pleased with how affordable the dresses are because I felt really uncomfortable with my BM’s paying a lot of money for a dress they’ll wear once. I just have one recommendation for those of you who use David’s Bridal: go on a weeknight or as soon as they open on Sat or Sun. The place becomes a total zoo if you go in the afternoon on the weekend.

Tuxes- After Hours F
I got the BM dresses at David’s Bridal and they recommend that you use After Hours so that the tuxes match perfectly. What a mistake!!! Every single one of my GM had a problem with their tux. I got the feeling that they were incompetent as soon as I walked in the store but I didn’t want to be “the bi*ch” so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The older gentlemen that works there in the Walt Whitman store seems to have a clue. I watched him write everything down and checked it twice. However, when my husband and I got home that afternoon, we had second thoughts about the choices we made about what the Best Man and groom were wearing. We went back the next weekend and made a change where we switched what the groom and best man were wearing. I watched him write everything down and I checked it against the numbers in the catalog to make sure he was correct. I didn’t trust them at all so I kept checking what they were doing. Even though we had all of the GM measured and paid for, they kept calling us every other night during dinner to tell us that we still had to have our bridal party come in to be measured. What??? I kept telling them that they have the information but they responded with “It must be in the computer then.” I said, “Well, look it up in the computer to make sure.” They said only the supervisor has access to see what’s in the computer. Wouldn’t it make sense that they find out what’s in the computer before they start hassling people at home to come in and be measured when they’ve already come in??????? Anyway, when we picked up the tuxes, everything was wrong. It turns out, they never actually ordered the correct tuxes because they never updated our order with the change we made. Even though I watched them write everything down and checked it twice, they never even used that order. They went off of the first order we placed. Long story short, the day before the wedding everyone had to go back to the place to get their correct color, size, and whatever else. Thank goodness we made everyone try on their tux the day they got it. But of course, one of our GM didn’t take everything out of the tux bag until the morning of the wedding. That is when he realized that they only gave him ONE SHOE!!! So, on the way to the wedding, the limo had to make a detour to the mall to pick up the other shoe. After Hours is filled with incompetent employees and I warn you to stay away from that store. I’ve never heard one good experience from people who have used them. I was neurotic about checking everything they did, but they still screwed it up.


Limos: North Country Limos B
No complaints. They arrived on time to pick the guys up and were easy to work with when we booked them. All of their staff is very friendly and they called us the day before to confirm everything. The only reason they’re not getting an A is because they were very late picking us up from the mansion. We actually thought that maybe someone else jumped into our limo by mistake but it turned out that the limo guy was lost and was driving around in circles looking for us. The Bourne Mansion is set back very far from Montauk Highway and it’s not something you see from the street, but still. Shouldn’t limo places be familiar with all of the wedding places on Long Island? Not even that, if they weren’t sure of the location, visit mapquest. It’s not that hard. My husband had to get on the phone and walk him through the directions to pick us up. Then, when he picked us up all he had to do was bring us back to the hotel, which is 7 minutes away because I’ve timed it. He totally brought us out of the way because he had no idea where we were going and we weren’t paying attention until I looked up and noticed we were in Sayville! It took another 15 minutes to get back.

Shuttle: Colonial Transportation A
They were great. They were early to pick guests up from the hotel and they were early to pick guests up from the Bourne Mansion and bring them back to the Holiday Inn. Colonial works with the Holiday Inn all the time and they are very familiar with all of the catering halls in the area so I would recommend them.

Hotel: Holiday Inn Prewedding: A Day of: C
Pat Garcia was very friendly and easy to work with. However, the main reason why they get a C for the day of is because they did not deliver my gift bags to the guest’s hotel rooms, which is what I asked them to do. My MOH and I were up late the night before the wedding tying ribbons to the gift bags and filling them up with goodies. I dropped them off to the hotel Saturday morning at 11:30 so they would have plenty of time to distribute them to the rooms. When I got back to the hotel to check in after the wedding at 1am, I noticed all of the gift bags lined up behind the check in desk. WHAT????? Why weren’t they given to the guests? The manager claimed that the staff was handing them out to people when they checked in and “I guess some of them forgot.” That is a totally unacceptable answer!!! Long story short, for those that didn’t receive a gift bag, I made sure they got one before they left. Sometimes, if you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself..........

Wedding Dress- Bridal Garden Manhattan http://www.bridalgarden.org/
This place was great. It has designer gowns from previous seasons that are drastically discounted. They also have other gowns that have been worn before but were donated. The basic idea of this place is that well known designers and other people donate wedding gowns and the money you spend on the gown goes right to charity. What is better than that? I purchased a beautiful designer gown at more than half of the price!!! I’m embarrassed to tell anyone how little I paid for it. They have dresses by Vera Wang, Michelle / Henry Roth , Badgley Mischka, you name it. The place is a little small and even though you have to make an appointment to be seen, it fills up pretty quickly on a Saturday afternoon. Luckily, I got there when they opened so I had first choice at all of their gowns. However, before I knew it, there were people almost stalking my little dressing room because they wanted to get a chance to try on the gowns I was done with. It’s actually a lot of fun because it’s not a snooty, formal atmosphere like some of the other bridal shops my mother and I had been to. The lady there helps you, but she doesn’t try to push anything on you. The sales people don't work on commission since everything you spend goes right to charity. What you see is what you get there and it’s not like a regular store where you can order the same gown in a different size. It’s all totally off the rack, which I actually preferred. I fell in love with a dress and walked out of the store with it that morning. It definitely needed some alterations and some repair work on the beading, but it was so nice to have my dress right away because then I was able to coordinate accessories for it right away.


MOB Dress: Dorothy Walsh, Northport: A http://www.dorothywalsh.com/
The staff is very helpful there and they have a nice selection to choose from. We ended up taking my mother’s dress somewhere else for alterations because the woman at Dorothy Walsh was a little stubborn and she didn’t take the dress in as much as my mother wanted her to and instead of going back, my mom just took her dress to her own tailor.

Bourne Mansion: A++++++
The Bourne Mansion surpassed all of my hopes and expectations. The staff was unbelievable and I really couldn’t have asked for anything more. I always knew I wanted to get married in an old mansion with character. I actually had a very hard time when I was looking at places because every place that I fell in love with that really had the atmosphere I wanted was ridiculously high priced. It seemed as if there was no way we could afford the old style mansion wedding we wanted. That is, until I met with Ben at The Bourne Mansion. It was down pouring when we went to see it and even without being able to see the grounds because of all the rain, we fell in love with it the second we walked inside. It was everything we were looking for and the price is so reasonable!!!
The day of the wedding was a total dream. I got ready at the mansion and it was so nice to be there while everything was being set up. I got to see a real behind the scenes version of my own wedding day, which I loved. I saw every vendor when they first got there and I watched the mansion become decorated with all my picture frames and candles. It was so amazing to look at all of my hardwork and planning come to life right before my eyes. While everyone was getting ready in the bridal suite and worrying about their hair and makeup, my mom and I kept tiptoeing downstairs to catch a peek at what was going on. We just loved walking through all of the rooms while it was quite and thinking about how in just a few hours, they would be filled with music and guests. Danielle, my bridal attendant, took care of my every whim and Steve, our maitre d, did a terrific job too. He runs such a tight ship and it’s great that he is so assertive and really gets things done because then the bride and groom can be at ease and take a back seat since he had everything under control. At one point, one of my groomsmen, who was pretty tipsy, gave me a hug and then decided to lift me up. Within seconds, Steve was on his little headset and there were 2 staff members behind me just in case I fell. I didn’t even notice until my mom told me because she was so impressed with what a great job Steve did. I felt like Steve and Danielle were part of our group of friends by the end of the night. We even have a picture of some of the waitresses dancing with our guests!! I just love how cool the staff was. Even though the Bourne Mansion is a very elegant and fancy place, the staff doesn't play into that and act all snooty. They were all so down to earth and I enjoyed working with all of them. They all really know how to throw a party because we had so much fun at our wedding and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Plus, the guests were in such awe of the mansion and they all said the food was unbelievable. The chocolate fountain was to die for and the staff set it up beautifully. If your catering hall offers a chocolate fountain, you should definitely pick that for your dessert hour. People love it and It is so worth the extra money!!! FM if you want more details!!!


GM gifts Sunglass Hut A
These were a great idea because they are something that I still see all of the guys using.

BM gifts Jewelry By Michelle A+
I bought all the girls necklaces with their first name initial in diamonds. It was a little pricey but Michelle gave me a great deal because I buy so much jewelry from her and because there were a total of 10 necklaces that I bought.

Rings Jewelry By Michelle A+
Once again, Michelle was great. I had my wedding band custom made to be an insert for my engagement ring. It turned out great and I’m in love with it.

Biorte- A
We skipped having a rehearsal dinner because we got married at the mansion and there was really nothing to rehearse. Instead, my mom hosted a little get together at Biorte salon in Huntington for all by BM’s and whoever else that was a close part of my wedding. We all got manicures and pedicures to get ready for the big day and it was a nice way for everyone who didn’t know each other to meet. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the Biorte staff was great.

Honeymoon: Sandals Royal Bahamas A+++++
To all of the brides out there: When it seems like you just can't take anymore wedding stress, just think about how great your honemoon will be!!!
I never even got excited for the honeymoon because I couldn't see past the wedding. Having the honeymoon was the biggest treat ever after spending the last 11 months focused on the wedding. Sandals really knows how to treat their guests and from the moment you step foot on their property, you feel so taken care of. It's a little wierd at first because they cater to your every whim, but believe me, it's very easy to get used to!! It's also a little strange to eat at one of the Sandals restaurants and then you just get up and leave when you're done. There is no check or tip or anything!!! We loved the all inclusive package because you just get so spoiled while your there. I'm normally not a buffet fan but I couldn't get enough of the breakfast buffets!!! You never want for anything while you are at SAndals because they take care of your every need. The spa was great. I got 2 massages with my husband. Plus, the Bahamas are a wonderful place because there is so much to do. We got to swim with the dolphins, gamble at Atlantis at night, snorkel and lay on the beach all day. It was the best and I was so sad to leave

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Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Great review!! It sounds like you had a wonderful wedding! Congrats! Show us pics!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

congrats, wonderful review, looking forward to checking out your pics

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

great review! congrats!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Congrats fellow Bourne Bride!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Congratulations! You look beautiful!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

I am so happy and relieved to read your review of The Bourne Mansion. My fiance and I are having our reception there in September 2007. We felt the same way you did when we first visited. I had always wanted a wedding in an old mansion with a grand entrance, large grassy property, a water view, sparkly chandeliers (but not tacky ones), an airy and open ballroom. The Bourne is exactly these things! Glittery and beautiful and scenic! Not overdone or overpriced! We were in Newport, RI in June and that is what really got me determined to find a place comparable to the mansions there. I read a few negative reviews about Ben on this website that made me nervous. Do you have any comments about him?
Again, thanks so much for writing such a detailed review! Us wedding newbies appreciate it!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Great review! Congrats!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Your wedding looked amazing. I am so excited to get married there!!!!!! Congratulations

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Great review and beautiful pictures!!! THank you so much for sharing!!!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Thanks for sharing ...you looked beautiful... I am going to a wedding there in September, Can't wait

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Very beautiful! Congrats!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael

Congratulations! You look beautiful!

Re: My Bourne Mansion Review, Flower Michelle, WIld Rose, Music by Michael