The Swan Club, Energy Entertainment, Stefan's Florist, Bare Minerals, Bill Wang Photography and much more!!!!! UPDATED WITH TONS OF PHOTOS and DVD rave!!!

I am so pleased to be back from the honeymoon and writing up this review! When we got home, in the mail sat our marriage certificate already! Wow! Just remember, these are MY experiences and yours, your friend’s or relatives could be dramatically different.

THE BLING:
Helzberg Diamonds, Roosevelt Field.: A+
It seems only right to start with the jewelry since without the engagement ring, nothing else would’ve followed. Before walking into Helzberg, I had been to 3 malls, every jewelry store in those malls and about 10 jewelers on LI not located in a mall. I was very disappointed to not find what I wanted. I am so glad that I didn’t give up and went to mall number 4. We worked with Angela, the store’s general manager and Myra, the office manager. Both were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and remembered us by name and always spoiling our 5 year old with treats, cups and bottles of water and those cute little “I am loved” buttons. My engagement ring is a rather unique ring and I picked it out myself. I announced to Angela when I walked in the first time that she was going to pull out every ring in the store until I found “the one.” She asked a few basic questions and on ring number 3, we stopped. I tried on a 4th because it was a ring that DH had mentioned/shown me before…but Angela looked at me and said, you have to go with the one before this, your face just lit up. So I did!!! She then helped us find the “matching” band to go with it…it isn’t exact, but it looks enough like it is. I have tiny fingers and wear a ¼ size, so my ring had to be special ordered which meant it took even longer. But when the ring still wasn’t in (it was now “late”) and we had our engagement party to attend, they actually loaned us the store’s size 7 sample for the weekend until it arrived. They but a bar in it and I still had to put 2 band-aids over that, but it allowed us to show it off and look the part.
It was only fitting that later we returned to buy DH’s wedding band there as well. Simply stunning rings and wonderful service. I also bought my mom’s wedding gift there and our “sunny day” bands came from the store as well. (We have 2 very plain bands that are for the beach/swimming and such…kind of as a joke as his mother lost her ring all those years ago in the ocean.)
My necklace also came from Helzberg. It’s a trillion cut aquamarine with diamonds, it’s lighter than the picture.




LIW: A++
From articles to chats, this site provided me with plenty of advice, tips and an outlet for exclamations, frustrations and all the FIL-ill-will I had! Truly this is a gem of bridal planning sites and has proven time and time again to be a valuable resource for the LI bride-to-be! I even met some amazing girls with whom I have become quite close with and developed tight friendships within a very short time. I owe that to Ron, Liz and their vision 10 years ago. Thanks!!!!



INVITATIONS: A+
Dina’s By Invitation Only, Syosset, NY-
Dina happens to be a family friend…but to be honest, this actually made me not want to meet with her at all…what if there was an issue and it severed the ties between our families? I didn’t want that…but my MIL insisted on at least meeting with her. She carries Carlson Craft Invitations/Stationery. She was incredibly helpful and the whole time that my MIL was insisting on the embossed flowers with frilly edges and matching pink frilly script, Dina would look at my disapproving face and hand me the next book to search through. Finally I found one that I kind of liked…although, going in, I had these adorable red ones all picked out…but they weren’t in her latest books. So, she let me take the one I sort of liked home (the whole page right out of the book) to show my DH and she called her supplier to have a sample sent to me…she hand-delivered it within a few days…I was in love with my bright red invites…and even more with the deep discount she gave us. I originally bought thank you cards that matched, but they weren’t exactly what I thought they’d be…for one, they’re too dark to really see and they aren’t cards that open up, just small, one sided cards…but since we moved and had used so many prior to the wedding, I simply looked on her website and emailed her my new order…She was incredibly prompt with verifying and ordering them for me. If you are at a loss, definitely check Dina out as she has been doing this for years, will advise you on wording, styles and pretty much everything. She also sells bridal gloves and favors though we didn’t use her for them.




GIFT REGISTRIES:
Hecht’s (Now Macy’s):A
Originally I started a registry at this department store because relatives down south would have access to it, but I never added anything to it. During our engagement, Macy’s bought Hecht’s and at some point, Macy’s in general had issues with their gift registries so they sent me a really cute crystal bowl from Orrefors to make up for it…I have to say that especially since NOTHING was on my registry and they felt compelled to compensate my “difficulties” that maybe I missed out on a great store to register with!


CRATE & BARREL: A++
I loooooooooooooooved Crate & Barrel so I was quick to put lots of goodies on our registry…and quite astonished to see that items actually were bought for us! The best part of the whole experience was this: our drinking glasses were discontinued and 2 weeks before the website and stores were notified, I received a post card letting me know that I could either purchase them since they were in limited quantities, leave the registry alone and hope they were bought before they sold out or just delete them and pick something else…I just deleted them…I wasn’t attached to anything on our registry. From all the horrors some have endured with Fortunoff, I was glad I went with C&B and didn’t bother to even complete our Fortunoff at all! The adorable gift boxes certainly set off the whole arrival process as well. And with the move, these items are pre-packed!!! Sure we have TONS of unpurchased items and we very likely will not complete the registry, but our experience with Crate & Barrel was great. Everything arrived in tact and more beautiful than the pictures online!


LINENS N’ THINGS: A
Only one person bought anything from this registry which is fine…we only had about 5 items on it. I have no real complaints or raves about the store. I only picked it over BBB because the store was actually located near my relatives whereas BBB was not.


ALTERATIONS:
Dressmaking & Alterations By Marianna, Syosset, NY: A
We went to another in-town shop, but it was closed and on our way back home, we passed this little house on Jackson Avenue with a sign in the yard…we decided to try it. I was thrilled that she offered to see us late on a Saturday afternoon in May and that she had quite a reasonable price for my heavily beaded bodice to be taken in and the bustle to be done. While communicating with her was a tad annoying due to her thick accent and that when I’d call to ask when I could come in and fully expected her to say something like “Thursday at 3:30” she would say “Whenever…” I need someone to tell me x, y and z or I feel like I’m disrupting their day somehow.

Now that it’s over, my best piece of dress advice (half kidding) is to have the train cut off of your dress when you buy it and don’t even bother with a bustle…that poor bustle came loose so much that I ended up with about 15 safety pins holding it up. Thanks to a special group of ladies (the Bridentologists), I had a crew to fix me each time someone stepped on me! It was then and is now, funny…but to do it over, I would’ve had it chopped off…I actually wanted to all along…but never really considered out loud. I should have…would’ve saved a good hour of my wedding day!




FAVORS/FLOWER GIRL BASKET:
Wrap With Us, Syosset, NY: A+
I found my adorable flower girl basket there and paid so far below the price I’d seen similar, smaller ones that I was ecstatic with my find. The staff is also friendly and kind making it pleasant to be in the store. We also got our swan bubbles there…my only advice on such a purchase is that you open each box in-store before buying to ensure that they are all in there…I did do this and to buy 7 boxes, had to go through 11 to find the 7 that were correct. Between kids opening them and people opening them and not closing them back properly, they fall out and get lost and one box only had 20 (each box is 24)! So definitely take the time to do this. You can visit the website or go in the store…though they are open limited hours, Thursday-Saturday from 10-6. I always found things online and then went in the store with the item numbers…they know people do this and even recommend it. This way you save on shipping and they can verify that you got what you wanted since you can see it/inspect it before you leave.



Postage:
Photostamps.com: A+
We ordered the 63 cent stamps for our invitations through this site. I absolutely loved the way they turned out. It was pricey, but I wanted a sweet, personal touch and at the time I did this, they only had the 39 cent lovebirds anyway. We used the lovebirds for our RSVP cards. This is the picture we had put on a stamp:



USPS: A
We bought our 39 cent lovebirds for the first round of invites…they were really cute. I personally thought they should’ve made something similar for the invite size…but I don’t run the USPS, I just fund it. For the second round, I bought the “sets” of the purple and green stamps. Not my favorite purchase, but they were functional. I guess I just remember how only a few years ago, they made such cute LOVE stamps that these really disappointed me…what can I say, I notice things like stamps!




STAPLES & TARGET-
STAPLES: A+
We made CD favors for all of our guests. I bought all my supplies (except for the tags and ribbons) at Staples. I searched online and in-store…and found that to get the deal I wanted and the exact products I wanted, that online was the way to go…stores don’t all carry everything on the website. I was saved by the fact that if you spend $50 or more, you got free shipping. The items were to arrive in 3-5 business days (to get free shipping, you can’t be picky and try for 1-day)…much to my surprise, it all arrived the next day! I was thrilled and personally feel that the CDs turned out great!
I also bought half of my invitation kits for the fans and menus at Staples. They were the Gartner Studios DIY Invitation Kits.








TARGET: A+
I used Target for very little for this wedding, which kind of shocked me since I live in Target. I did use them for the fans and menus though because I had bought the only boxes of the particular inviataion kits that I had already begun printing for my fans and menus so I was bound. Target sold the same ones under a slightly generic name…but still Gartner Studios DIY Invitations. And oddly, the ones from Target printed better (fewer mishaps and paper jams) than the ones that were technically “better.” They turned out amazing really and very simple to make.


CRAFT STORES”
Michael’s: A-
Michael’s isn’t my favorite store, but they have an amazing selection of ribbon which I bombarded frequently for my CDs. I also purchased the “WE DO” letters and the table number frames ($1/each) from there. My card box came from Michael’s, too.


A.C. Moore: A+
I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE this store…I practically lived here for a year. From the candles I bought for $3.99/box on sale to the hurricane vases and pillar candles that happened to be on sale when I went to buy them, I was in candle heaven. I also bought jewelry making supplies here and spent the entire Super Bowl making pearl necklaces for my bridesmaids that turned out phenomenal. I also bought glue dots and large craft sticks (think tongue depressors) for my fans here…very wallet friendly.


GIFTS/WHATNOT:
eBay: A+
I don’t buy a lot on eBay, but when I do, it’s usually a few purchases clustered together…this happened this spring. I bought the junior bridesmaid figurine for my flower girl for a total of $7 (incl. shipping) and the silver six pence for my shoe. I had the products in less time than stated and they arrived in pristine condition. I was very pleased with my experience.



Things Remembered: A+
We bought our bridal party gifts here…for simplicity, it was one-stop shopping and we were done in no time. The girls received monogrammed jewelry boxes which I used to house their necklaces for the wedding in. I loved wrapping them up in this adorable silver paper and heavy ribbon I found in red…but I unfortunately never took a picture of them all wrapped up. For the guys, we bought business card holders with their names and a name plaque for the guys who don’t use/have business cards. We used the location in Roosevelt Field as it was most convenient for us. We had great service (for a group of college kids who, for the most part, could care less about why we wanted these things just as long as they get their 15 min. break soon and get paid on Friday) and everything came out beautiful and perfect the frist time…which was important because I bought the last of the particular box they had for my girls and it was on clearance…shhhh, I’m a bit cheap…actually, they were on sale and it made it easier to buy them.


GARTER:
The Conference Store (www.theconferencestore.com): A
My DH attended law school at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. I just had to get a garter that was from the school with the Demon Deacon on it. I searched long and hard with no luck, so one day I “crashed” the NC Knot.com board and asked the girls there where to look. I was directed to the website for The Conference Store…turns out, it is a store about 5 minutes from my mom’s house…oops! I ordered the only style they had…and later on a trip to NC, I bought a Demon Deacon pin to add. DH loved the garter in reality even though he was a bit hesitant in the end to do the garter toss…it was his idea and after I went to all the trouble of getting this garter, he changed his mind…I told him it was too late!



FLOWERS:
Stefan’s Florist (Cedarhurst): A++
I don’t know that I can say enough about these guys. Josh was absolutely wonderful to work with. From the moment we walked in the showroom, I knew we’d found the right florist. The bouquets were beautiful and prettier than I’d imagined they’d be. The best part is that before I said a word to Josh about how I wanted our bouquets to look, he starts describing his vision…which was IDENTICAL to my own! Josh actually delivered our flowers as well the day of…I was impressed…he was so sweet and kind throughout the entire process as I often faxed and called him with my struggling issues over using Black Magic Roses…ultimately, I went with the forever roses instead because I was worried about the black magic being too dark. Josh never huffed, puffed or rolled his eyes at me…he just kept retyping and mailing out a new contract! He gave us quite a deal and laid out the tables the day of beautifully. I couldn’t have been more impressed!



MUSIC:
Energy Entertainment: A++
I met the owner, Mark Cord, at a bridal show at the Swan Club in January. I searched long and hard and honestly never found anyone who had used them, but I enjoyed his style and the long-winded speeches he gave me both that night and the afternoon we stopped by to view more footage and talk prices. Mark offered us a great deal that was well below the quotes I’d been receiving. When it was time to sign the contract, that blizzard hit…so Mark drove to our house to get them signed so we wouldn’t have to trek out in the mess…WOW. Mark had PROMISED to do my wedding since he’d met me and realized how shy and reserved I was…but the day before the wedding he called me to say that he wasn’t going to be able to make it because his daughter’s christening was changed at the last minute! I was bummed…but he assured me that Keith was the classiest guy out there and that I would not be disappointed. Even though Mark laughed and made wisecracks over the novel—I mean playlist I gave him, he was genuinely great and fun to work with. Day of we had a DJ and MC. They were incredibly discreet and out of the way. My only complaint would be the snafu during the ceremony when they started playing the recessional song in the middle of the ceremony as everyone started clapping because everyone, DJ included, thought it was over! Other than that, which is incredibly laughable, I was THRILLED and pleased with their performance. They played all the songs I insisted on and anytime someone requested a song that they weren’t sure about, they’d ask me FIRST! Some of my guests would come up to me and say “I requested this song and they said no and that it was up to you.” I simply replied, “that’s because they were told to run all requests by me.” Everyone was dancing and enjoying themselves tremendously…I know that they are NEVER recommended on this site, as it seems that only about 2-3 DJs are, but ENERGY ENTERTAINMENT deserves far more recognition than they get on LIW. If you are at all interested in their services, I suggest you see them ASAP and you will see what I did, that they are dedicated to making it fun and memorable for you and your guests.


OFFICIANT:
Reverend Bosch: A++
Reverend Bosch was recommended to me by the Swan Club. He was a very sweet man on the phone and immediately emailed me 3 ceremonies to review and decide upon whether or not to book with him. That’s right, I never met the man! He sent me one religious version, one general religious version and one interfaith/non-religious one. I ended up combining all three and adding things I made up and found online to create quite a lovely and cute ceremony. It was very traditional and very eclectic all at the same time. I loved it, DH loved it (after he got over the fact that “obey” was NOT going to be in there) and I believe the crowd liked it, too! His fee is well-below the often polled average and he was always prompt to call or email me back. He was a joy to work with and have perform our marriage. Even more amazing was that our wedding colors were red and silver and his robe was black with red! I looked at him when I got down the aisle and thought to myself…how cool…he matches!



PARENT GIFTS:
NY Golf: A
Located in the Broadway Mall in Hicksville…I was unsure about what to get my dad. We have had a strained, distant relationship over the years and really the only interests I know he has are golf and college football..well, in July it’s hard to find college football items and you can’t really go ask your dad his favorite team without giving away the ending…so I went with golf. I got him some nice golf balls and a really cute desk organizer with a cute saying on it. All in all, I was pleased with the store…I know little about golf and could care less about the sport…but my dad likes it so it was fitting.


Hallmark (Roosevelt Field): A
While helping my mom get a new dress for the wedding, I stopped in Hallmark to get a couple more cards for some of the parent gifts and I picked up something extra for my mom. I got her the Precious Moments “Now My Baby’s a Bride” figurine of the mom helping her daughter get ready for her wedding. I didn’t see her open it…but I heard she loved it.



Helzberg Diamonds: A+
I got my mom this adorable little necklace/pendant there…it was a tiny pump with leopard print…right up her alley. She loved it.


Ruth’s Chris Steak House: A
We got DH’s parents a gift card so that they can enjoy a night out with no kids, no friends and no cost to themselves. Aside from the deer heads on the wall, I thought the place seemed nice.


HAIR:
ID Salon, Syosset, NY: A+
The week before the wedding I had my hair highlighted and cut for the wedding. They did a great job and I watched 2 bridal parties get their hair and makeup done as well. This was my second trip to ID and I will keep going. Previously, I had used a salon nearby and was horribly dissatisfied…but ID renewed my faith that somewhere on LI, I could get the same wonderful service I’d received in NC.


Hair By Diana: A++
Diana is AMAZING. She made everyone look fantastic. Her prices are reasonable and she is very friendly. My only problem day of was that due to the high humidity and heat, everyone’s hair kind of fell…but we spent a LOT of time outside that day…so I expected it! Still, everyone’s hair looked amazing even after the curls weren’t as tight and springy! I felt beautiful and wonderful…she made the look complete with her fantastic touch…not to mention, she was at my MIL’s house at 3:45am to start working…and not once did she gripe, yawn or complain!!!

Great shot Bill Wang got of my hair and make up!


MAKEUP: A+
Bare Minerals, Bare Escentuals, Roosevelt Field
I had some serious issues with my skin in March of 2006 and was incredibly worried…it had become VERY dry and I had break outs everywhere…something I’d never experienced before. I switched moisturizers but my makeup seemed to be breaking me out still. So after some encouraging threads on LIW, I decided to just go for it and spent 2 hours in the store being made over and picking out blushes, brushes and eye shadow. Gloria had done my initial makeover and when it became apparent that my MIL was INSISTING on having her makeup “done” by someone, I had to put my foot down and insist that we use a Bare Minerals girl because I wouldn’t be able to wear “regular” makeup as this stuff really improved my skin and I refused to wear anything else. So I visited the store, got Gloria’s outside contact info and we were in business. Gloria, unlike Diana, got to sleep in a little and show up around 5am. She made everyone look FANTASTIC. No one’s mascara created raccoon eye and everyone just looked stunning. Yet wonderfully, without being told, you wouldn’t know who had the pro do it and who did themselves (some members of the bridal party are actually good enough to do their own makeup flawlessly) because the BM makeup looks SOOOOO natural on everyone.

Spa Treatments:
Feel Well, Wantagh, NY: A
It was a bit of a drive…but the day was worth it. As wedding gifts to each other, DH and I spent a day getting pampered! The massages were wonderful and I felt so renewed. It definitely kept me from falling apart the last 7 days until the I Dos! DH was less impressed…but he’s a guy and is definitely not into the “metro” thing…but he was a sport and ultimately admitted to enjoying the relaxing massage at least!


TUXEDOS: A++
Men’s Wearhouse, Plainview, NY
We used the Plainview store because it was most convenient to us the day we went to reserve tuxes. Service was excellent and the tuxes looked great the day of. We had 3 guys from out of town and they were easily able to get measured and then pick up their tuxes here. We used Men’s Wearhouse primarily because last August, we used them for a friend’s wedding and they were a joy to work with then. Our only complaint is that once we saw it on, we didn’t particularly like DH’s vest compared to the groomsmen’s…but we had wanted to keep the same pattern (there was another silver vest/tie but the pattern was quite different from the other). I’m sure no one else cared/noticed but DH and I didn’t particularly love it…but it in no way took away from anything else. We also received his tux for free and all accessories (shoes, vest, tie, cufflinks, etc…) were included in our rental price as well. We went with a Kenneth Cole for I think around $120.



MOTHER OF THE BRIDE’S DRESS:
Ann Taylor, Roosevelt Field: A+
Well, my mother had a stroke in April and had a dress that would hide her bruising (from the blood thinners) BUT my MIL bought a rather extravagant gown to wear to my Sunday MORNING wedding, so I did the right thing and we got my mom a new dress. My first thought was try David’s because “ChiBaby” had managed to go there and buy a dress and have it altered in one day…and I had just received and filled out my rather honest review of David’s via the questionnaire I’d received in the mail…so I figure I will give them one last chance and even show them the questionnaire and tell them it would go in the trash if they pulled this dress off…but in good ol’ David’s Bridal fashion (haha) they left me on hold when I called to attempt to be squeezed in…so the angry review stays. Anyway…
So I take my mom to Roosevelt Field (which she was in awe over…we have a HUGE mall where I grew up, but Roosevelt Field obviously dwarfs that) and I figure worst comes to worst, I end up in Bloomingdales, but my mom will look great. I first take her to Ann Taylor and we found a simple yet classy dress. It was a strapless navy dress…cocktail length and it tied around the neck. She looked stunning in it and she felt wonderful…the attention she was getting made her day. To make it even better, the dress only cost $70 because it was on the sale rack! No alterations or waiting! I never would’ve thought to send her there on her own…but it ended up being the perfect place and the perfect dress!



THE CAKE:
A Taste of Home Bakery: A- (the minus is because they made us buy/pay more cake than needed)
I got their name from LIW as they are a vendor on this site. We met with the “cake designers” and created a beautiful cake. I don’t like (as it is not a traditionally southern thing to do to a cake) “filling” in cake so to compromise, we used chocolate frosting in-between the layers to kind of give the best of both…it was just frosting so those who didn’t like filling (and I learned that MANY people at our wedding do not like “filling”) could enjoy it and those who did, thought it was chocolate mousse…they really did!!!

My only problem with our beautiful, wonderful cake was that I paid a lot of $$$ for this cake only to find that at the end of the wedding, the entire bottom layer was untouched. The Swan Club cut HUGE slices for our guest and still that whole bottom layer was untouched…that kind of annoyed me. BUT DH’s grandfather and his siblings sat around for a few days and ate it while we were on our HM…so at least it wasn’t wasted!



PHOTOGRAPHY:
Bella Pictures: *GRADE PENDING*
I booked with Bella Pictures because the deal we worked out was amazing. I have yet to see my proofs, but I am anxious. It was a little difficult to communicate in the middle of the planning as my original contact was fired or quit and I was given to a girl in California (weird…I know) but she was higher up in the ranks and I was given to her because I had booked already and they wanted someone more experienced to take over our account in the even there were issues and what not. Overall, I was pleased…Tara was great to work with even with the time difference, her return calls were prompt. Bella freelances photographers to keep prices down. At this time, I can’t fully recommend them as I have yet to see the finished prints or even start my album process. Once I do, I will render a further verdict.

DVD arrived on 10.13.06. Absolutely amazing. If they do a DVD this well, I can only imagine what our album will look like!!!!!

This surpasses ALL expectations. There are 2 songs...the first is Keith Urban's Making Memories of Us mainly b/c it is fitting and I love Keith. hee. The second song I wasn't sure they'd get...but it's When the Stars Go Blue by Ryan Adams [the guy who wrote it] NOT the U2/Coors version...which is good, but DH LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES the Ryan Adams version. He's going to be so psyched and touched he'll forgive me for putting Keith Urban on. [DH hates Keith mainly b/c I loooove him ]

I'm going to have to add this to my review soon. The DVD is just amazing. It's not ALL of our pictures and I'm not sure how many it is...I did note that at one point in the Keith Urban song he says 'i'm going to greet you with a warm wet kiss...and it lands just as we kiss at the end of the ceremony...that song ends on a kiss and the last pic of the whole thing is another kiss! so cute. the sound is a bit LOUD and i do have the TV turned way down....but it's still BEAUTIFUL. In total it's about 8 minutes. I am just in shock that it's so awesome. I am thrilled that behind DH's back, I upgraded to the package with DVDs. This is freaking awesome and so worth it.



BILL WANG: A++
Bill Wang was our photographer. He was everything and more that you want in a photographer…he called me constantly and quite promptly prior to the wedding and has an amazing portfolio and even more amazing website. He is freelanced through Bella and I got him through sheer luck of the draw! Everyone kept saying all day “wow, I love your photographer.” You can visit his website and book him directly if you wish. If I had it to do all over again, I would’ve paid his higher prices to get him for sure (as with Bella, you are assigned someone and you can’t really (that I know of) request anyone)!!! He was friendly and didn’t make me feel at all uncomfortable getting dressed. He was always “in my face” but not at all a nuisance. Even DH loved him and he loathes picture time!!! I can’t wait to see our pics!!! Unless you saw the lengths he was going to for shots, you wouldn’t have believed it at all. I mean, I thought I would get compliments all night on my dress, the music and the food…but instead, the photographer ranked EXTREMEMLY high!


THE DRESS: D+ (the + only because I looked great…and frankly, a D is generous for the store)
My only truly negative review:
David’s Bridal, Westbury/The Source Mall
I’ll start with the PROs and just list them. I’ll do the same with the CONs just so this isn’t insanely long.

PROs:
-I got the dress of my dreams
-the price was fantastic
-the stores are everywhere so my entire bridal party (which was all OOT) was able to get measured and try on the dress before ordering.
-I LOVED my dress.
-in the end, the girls looked great…and I looked like a princess!
-no one believed it came from David’s!

CONs:
-they have NO customer service skills whatsoever
-that deserves repeating with anger: THEY HAVE NO CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS WHATSOEVER
-they ordered the wrong BM dresses
-told me I was lying over the phone about ordering the wrong dresses
-one girl had the audacity to call me a b*tch when I REFUSED to pay twice for shipping (she wanted me to pay again for shipping of the correct dresses when they ordered and shipped the wrong dresses the first time). It’s weird that I refused.
-the manager was NO WHERE to be found when I needed her the day her staff proved to be the worst in history. They didn’t even know where she was!
-they never once called me when any dress arrived because even though each time I was in the store, I gave them my phone number, they either didn’t have it at all or had the wrong number!
-the alterations dept. is in dire needs of customer service overhaul as well…though I had no intentions of using them, I made an appt. as a backup…I was “bullied” into a certain timeframe with which to have my alterations begun and finished. I was NOT pleased even though I knew I wouldn’t be using them at all!
-during the first round of wrong BM dresses, they actually managed to LOSE one of them and were unable to locate it.
-last ditch effort to get my mom a dress, they left me on hold for 10 minutes.



TRAVEL:
Bachelorette Party:
JET BLUE: A+
I took a JET BLUE flight from JFK to Jacksonville, it was a new flight and super cheap. I am hooked on Jet Blue now. Every Jet Blue staff member I came in contact with was super friendly and helpful and they have several flight attendants on board so that you aren’t competing for the attention of 2 people. The TV was great too…I got to watch Nick Lachey’s Behind the Music…if you haven’t seen that, you should…it’s moving…lame to say, but it is…you’ll be in love with Nick by the end of it.


GUEST ACCOMODATIONS:
Fairfield Inn, Syosset, NY: A
We blocked rooms here and at the Best Western Woodbury Inn. I do not know if anyone booked the BW hotel or not. I know my family stayed at the Fairfield...and so did we. It was clean and friendly and everything you expect from a 'business' hotel. Most of their customers are business travelers or weddings. There is no pool...which bummed a few people...but we didn't have time to swim anyway!



HONEYMOON:
Expedia.com: A+
We booked our HM on our own through Expedia after being told by a TA that our budget and desires were “impossible.” We wanted to go to the Caribbean, all-inlcusive for under $4k. I was not taking no for an answer. I found our flight and the Sandals for far less than our limit and we booked it ourselves online. My own personal advice: if you are doing the Caribbean, and especially all-inclusive, it’s a rip off to use a TA because you can so easily research the resorts and you’ll easily find someone who’s visited your destination to research what’s hot and what’s not.

Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort: OVERALL A++
Our main requirement in booking our resort was “swim up bars.” A little lame, but we wanted to experience that…it looks so cool on TV. And it was! We enjoyed every moment of our trip! The room was GREAT, the AC worked the whole time almost too well! The food….OMG!!!

SPICES:
BREAKFAST-delicious. They do a buffet, but have omelette and waffle/pancake stations as well. You could have a mimosa every morning and even pineapple juice! The food was just awesome.

LUNCH-omg…still buffet…but still WONDERFUL. One day they had fajitas! YUMMMMMMMM!

DINNER-we were generally shocked that the night we ventured over for dinner it was sit-down with a menu. And it was wonderful!

COCKTAILS-they practically beg you to keep drinking if you order alcohol to start with. The drinks were all amazing. DH and I love “tropical/fruity girl drinks” so this was just the place to be!

THE CRYSTAL ROOM:
Reservation only.
Dinner here was superb. It was a formal dinner…the most formal of all our meals. I wish we’d made the reservations earlier in our stay because we only ate their once. Our waiter was great and for someone’s birthday, he carried a piece of cake out on his head with a candle!!!! WOW. He offered us wine and we couldn’t decide…so he brought us a house chardonnay that was wonderful…and I generally “hate” white wine. He gave us a bottle for our room and we drank a few nights later.

RISTORANTE CASSANOVA:
Dinner: As you can guess, it’s Italian. It was good…not our favorite to be honest. We had a great time…but a little put off that the appetizer/salad portion was buffet.

ROYAL CAFÉ:
LUNCH: A great place to grab snacks and lunch…as the bartender put it, it’s “junk food.” Burgers, quesadillas and fries…yum. It was great for a quick lunch or to keep from starving when dinner was going to be later.

SWIM UP BARS:
Our only complaint was that they close at 6 or so. We kind of felt and expected that they would be open later. You could get anything you could think of…frozen, on the rocks, red, blue, pink, yellow….they have this one drink called a “Low pressure” that is rum, strawberry daiquiri mix, pina colada mix and blue curacao…when you stir it together, it looks gross and ominous…thus the name. But it is soooooooooooooooooo good. Also, anyone who doesn’t drink, the pina colada and strawberry daiquiri is in a “mixer” all day constantly churning and being kept cold with NO alcohol…so you could order one and look the part! They also ALWAYS garnished the drinks with fruit…yum!

Cricketer's Pub: We got 'take out' from here a couple nights...we were starving late (from early dinners) and they are open late a few nights each week. It's supposed to be English food...but I had buffalo wings! YUM!!!

Café Goombay (on the “other island”)…the food is mainly seafood which prevented DH and I from really experiencing the menu since we don’t care much for seafood…but it was a nice experience. I do suggest you wear pants as I was attacked by these bugs and DH (who wore pants) was not…I had on a dress.

POOL service:
I think this is a weekend (FRI-SUN) thing b/c on the regular weekdays, it didn’t happen…but waiters went around getting drink orders and one day when I stayed out for a long time by the pool, they were handing out fruit kebabs…yummmmy!


ACTIVITIES:
Snorkeling…lots of fun. You get taken out to the reef and free to swim around looking at all the fish…very cool.

Jet Skis…not Sandals at all…but we did it at our own risk anyway. Loads of fun…I’d never done that before so it was even more fun for me.

Pool…I am awful, but we had fun playing.

Ping Pong…again, I am awful…but I had tons of fun pretending I was good!

Beach…very fun. Plenty of chairs on the sand, we got to watch several weddings and the water was warm and amazing. I did get stung by a jelly fish, but the water sports staff was quick to give me vinegar to pour over it…and mostly kidding, the guy even offered to pee on my leg! HAHAHA. That was truly the only bad thing to happen to us…and it was hardly an inconvenience at all.

Red Lane Spa…my DH insisted that I get a spa treatment while there…so I got the heart rock massage. Believe it or not, this cost more than a LI massage…but was a great experience…I’ve had heated stones used on me in massages before…but in this massage, they actually massage you with the stones not just placing them on you!

Various bars: Each bartender is well-trained and “knows their stuff.” You could order anything and get it handed to you..with a smile.

The resort itself:

The staff is SUPER friendly and helpful. I also found myself enraptured over the cute accent that the Bahamians have. At the airport, we were promptly picked up and taken to the resort…where we were given paperwork to fill out and champagne to drink. To give the valet (?) proper time to sort out bags and deliver them to rooms, we were escorted to lunch. It was just the best time I’ve ever had in my life on a vacation! The grounds were kept up and someone was constantly doing something somewhere…they are so fully staffed that it’s amazing…you can find someone everywhere you turn. They even had photographers running around taking your picture! The morning we left, we had our bags picked up and delivered to the bus area and we were on our way. We were sad to leave because it was such carefree living all that time…but it’s nice to be home, too!

We also did the Dolphin Encounter…not included and a bit pricey…but oh so fun. You take a bus to a ferry and the ferry to another island and it’s soo neat to do. We even hung out with Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks…I am in his home video swimming with his wife(or girlfriend) and kids. I am never star struck, but it was cool to hang out with a celebrity and watch all the kids run up for autographs.






And now, last but not least, my ceremony and reception hall!!!

THE SWAN CLUB, The Camelot Room, A+++
We booked the Swan Club based on little more than the friendly Michael who helped us and loving the way the grounds looked on the awful, rainy day in May that we viewed it…as opposed to Westbury Manor which looked drab in comparison on a sunny day! The Swan Club is underrated…it is a much less expensive hall, but they do not skimp at all.

PLANNING:
Planning was great. Michael and Paul were always quick and prompt to answer my questions and give me feedback, advice and recommendations when needed. I had the best BM and MD in that whole place. Paul is just the nicest guy. If I had it to do all over again, I would’ve still insisted on Paul as my MD (I got handed Edgar in the spring when he came on board and Paul wished to change rooms…but I never clicked with Edgar nor did I really get a good vibe from him).

DAY OF:
MD: Paul was all over the place coordinating this and that and keeping my day smooth and flawless. He was FANTASTIC…I simply cannot say enough about him. He fulfilled EVERY request I had, no matter how ridiculous or crazy. He personally set up our table (mine and DH’s) so that it was perfect. You simply can’t ask for more or better than Paul. If you are marrying at the Swan Club or considering it, you simply must meet Paul and see how great he is. He is incredibly friendly as well…when our FG froze and couldn’t walk in, he VERY quickly asked me what to do…I said, let’s let her walk in with me…but she still froze…so I just “yelled”: “Paul, grab her and run.” That’s exactly what he did. So I had no flower girl or rose petals to walk on, oh well! Paul still made the day the happiest one ever.

BRIDAL ASSISTANT: Blanca deserves some sort of medal. She was at my “beck and call” so to speak the entire day…she never let me carry anything or open a single door. She was on top of her game that day. I never expected as much from anyone…and at one point when someone was using our bridal suite to change out of a tux to leave early for a flight, I freaked and realized I needed to “go” so she took me to another room and embarrassing as this is, held my dress and gave me toilet paper! I truly, truly, truly think she was phenomenal!

BANQUET MANAGER: Michael is a great guy. He spoiled my daughter throughout the whole planning process. Moments before I was to walk down the aisle, he said to me, “You ok?” and I was like, “NO. I can’t do this, I’m too nervous.” (great, I’d managed to not be nervous or freak out for the last 2 weeks and here I was losing it…it didn’t help that I had NO voice whatsoever the morning of my wedding either!) So he says “you need a drink?” I said “yeah, maybe a shot.” He summoned a bartender and he returned with a shot of Hennesey! (YIKES) It did help to calm me down. He then hunted down some mints so DH wouldn’t smell my now awful breath! Haha.

REMAINING STAFF: Great to work with. I’ve heard of no complaints. When 2 glasses were broken on the dance floor, they rushed in to clean it up and let the party continue! The day turned out better than I’d imagined…which is cool because I had all sorts of ideas of how it would be!

FOOD:
OMG….all I’ve heard is wonderful, raving reviews and the few bites I managed to partake of were excellent as well. Unfortunately, I found out that many vegans weren’t informed of the vegan entrée option…this kind of annoys me as I found out they were forced to eat their veggies and mooch off some friends. But I never once heard the actual vegans complain! So that’s good. It still upsets me a tad because I specifically asked that the waiters mention it at each table since we had several vegans attending. I guess that’s partly my fault for not thinking of it when I made menus either!

Overall:
The food, the day and the staff were beyond all expectations. Everything was splendid and the day flew by. I could not have asked for more. The Swan Club is truly a great place to have your wedding and reception. Anyone thinking of booking or who has booked, have no fear, your wedding will be seamless and gorgeous just like mine….only it will be unique and all yours!


[











That's pretty much it, now I'm done!!







(And they lived happily ever after. The End. )




some pro shots!!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Congrats!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review! I just could not see the photos.

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Wow! great review. It looked beautiful day!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

everything looked so great!!! congratulations!! and thanks for the review of the swan club!!! sounds like they did a phenomenal job!!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

awesome review!!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

great review, congratulations!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Wow!!! Great review.. Everything looked beautiful!!!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

awesome review oh great leader!

<-------supposed to be me bowing

it was a great day you looked gorgeous and the swan club was awesome!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review... Me and luis had a great time. He loved the cake by the way and was one of those people that thought it was Chocolate Mousse

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

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Posted by kam0813

awesome review oh great leader!

<-------supposed to be me bowing

it was a great day you looked gorgeous and the swan club was awesome!

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Yesssssssssssssss GREAT REVIEW!!!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great Review!! You look Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review! You made a beautiful bride

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review. Love the pics!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review

You looks gorgeous

Best of luck to you and your DH

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

wow, i enjoyed every line of your review. Thank you so much!!!!!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

You are QUICK! I've been married a month and haven't even gotten to the 'vendor' portion of my review yet.

Great pics too. You looked gorgeous, you know that, what can I say?

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

WOW. That's a lot! Your wedding was spectacular! I wondered why all those girls were messing with your dress! You looked gorgeous and so happy. Welcome home girl! Now you get to help me plan the rest of my wedding!

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review can't wait to see photos

Re: The Swan Club, July 9, 2006. It's been fun, but now it's done! I'M MARRIED!!!

Great review! Everything looked gorgeous! Congratulations!