MY 11/06/05 WEDDING REVIEW (SWAN CLUB, DAN WAGNER, FLORISAN, MANY LIW VENDORS!) *UPDATED* with my album layout on pg. 2
First and foremost, Long Island Weddings: A++++
I cannot imagine planning my wedding without this amazing website. I can’t count the amount of help and advice I have received on here. Thank you Ron & Liz for creating this wonderful resource!
Mother Nature: A++++
I was very nervous when I woke up on my wedding day to dense fog. By the time I was getting my makeup done, the sun was out and stayed out all day long! It was 68 degrees and sunny for my November wedding. What a gorgeous day! The Fall leaves were at their peak. I could have not asked for a more beautiful day. Mother nature is my new best friend.
Bridal Gown – Commack Wedding Center: B
I was very happy that I found my dress on my very first outing. And although I have heard mixed reviews about the CWC, I decided to take a chance and go there anyway because of the big selection that they carry and reasonable prices. Carol worked with me for hours. She was very patient, pleasant and showed genuine interest in helping me find “the” dress. The reason why I gave them a “B” is because at the point of sale, Carol went down the list of rules like dress storage (I had 30 days to pick up the dress after it came in since they don’t store anything) and the alteration fees, which I thought were ridiculously overpriced. My alterations would have cost almost as much as my dress. My dress only took 2 months to come in and I was very happy with it. It was the perfect dress for me.
Alterations – Cathy Fiorenti: A+
I am so thankful to have found Cathy. I lost quite a bit of weight between the time I ordered my dress and my 1st fitting. I was so worried that the alterations would ruin the lines of the dress and the beadwork. When Cathy’s work was done, the dress looked exactly how it was supposed to, but in a smaller size. And my bustle! Words cannot express what a fabulous job she did. It was PERFECT.
Wedding Jewelry – Swarovski: A+
It took me a long time to find my wedding day jewelry, but it was well worth the wait! I found my necklace and matching earrings at the Swarovski store in the Smithaven Mall. The moment I walked into the store I zeroed in on the necklace and I knew immediately that is exactly what I have been looking for. I love the jewelry and got so many compliments on it.
Bridesmaids Dresses – David’s Bridal: B+
My BP had a good experience buying their dresses at David’s. The salespeople are not pushy and constantly in your face like at other stores. However, a little more attention would have been appreciated. When the girls needed to try on different dresses or sizes, we had to go get them ourselves while the sales person sat in a chair near the fitting room. That is the only reason I gave them a B+. Other than that, the dresses were beautiful and came in 3 weeks after they were ordered.
Calligraphy – Babygrand Calligraphy: A+
Howard did a phenomenal job on the calligraphy for my invitations and printing my menus. He is extremely professional, reasonable and FAST. He’s also a very nice person! Feel free to FM me for more info.
And thank you Sasha for the hookup with the fonts for my menus!
Invitations – Now And Forever: A+
First and foremost, I would like to thank my fellow Fall obsessed bride, Lori! (103005FallBride). She posted a picture of her invitations several months before my wedding and it was love at first sight! I placed my order through www.now-and-forever.com and they arrived error free 10 days later! I received a lot of compliments on them from my guests.
Veil – Barron’s Tri County: A+
My veil was gorgeous! Silky, soft and exactly what I wanted.
When I initially went to pick it up, it was much darker than the swatch of my dress. That was my fault however since I ordered it before my first fitting. To all future brides, make sure you have a swatch of your dress with you when you order your veil. There are so many different shades of white and ivory!
Barron’s re-made the veil for me and did charge me a little extra for it, but again, I ordered the wrong color. Overall, they did an unbelievable job and even threw in a free garter when I picked up the 2nd and correct veil.
My Wedding band – Shima Jewelry, Tri County: A+
My DH bought my engagement ring from Shima, so that was the first place we went to look for my w-ring. David is very honest and delivers quality! I wanted the stones in my w-ring to match my e-ring diamond’s quality, so it had to be custom made. It took 4 ½ months, but it was worth the wait!!! When we went to pick it up, it took my breath away! David did a phenomenal job and the end result was more than I had hoped for. Shima Jewelry exceeded my expectations!
DH’s Wedding band – Nuha’s Jewelry, Tri County: A+
After months of looking, my DH finally found the ring he wanted at Nuha. The price was more than fair and they did the most amazing engraving job I have ever seen!
Hair – Jennifer Ziegelmeier: A+
I loved how Jennifer did my hair at the trial and booked her on the spot. She did an even better job on the day of the wedding. My updo lasted all day and night. She also did my BM and sister’s hair and they both looked amazing!
Makeup – Jillian from Gorgeous Faces: A+
Jillian is awesome! Not only is she a brilliant makeup artist, she is so sweet. She did a phenomenal job on my makeup! (and my BM's too!) It lasted all day & night…. and the next morning too (lol). I was too tired by the end of the night to wash it off.
Hotel – Huntington Hilton: B
I blocked off several rooms at the Huntington Hilton for our many OOT guests. The hotel is full service and beautiful. Working with Laurie Troisi was a pleasure! She’s a doll. My guests loved staying at the Hilton. They hung out at the bar until all hours, used the swimming pool, ate at the restaurants, and enjoyed the good shopping near by. The reason why I give them a “B” rating is because of the a/c situation. The Hilton shuts off their air conditioning in the whole hotel on November 1st. For several days before my wedding (and the wedding day) it was almost 70 degrees outside. Although that is very unusual weather for November, I feel that the Hilton should have turned the a/c back on. Many of my guests were very uncomfortable with the temperature in their rooms.
Limos – Cruise Control: A+
What a great limo company! They arrived early for both the pickup at home and after the wedding at the hall. The drivers were so nice and the one who picked me up at home even came in the house and held my train while I walked down the stairs. Their prices are reasonable and the limos were immaculate! We used them for the airport drop off & pick up for the HM as well – excellent service all around! I will be using them for car service exclusively from now on.
Photographer – Dan Wagner: A++++
I can’t say it enough. Dan Wagner is a GENIUS, so TALENTED, very CREATIVE and a really nice person to boot! Dan was definitely one of my favorite vendors. When DH and I initially met with him, we knew within 5 minutes that he would be our photographer. Our personalities clicked immediately. And once we saw his work, we were sold. Dan took almost 900 pictures at our wedding and I am THRILLED with them! He had them all uploaded onto a private website 2 days after the wedding!! I looked at many of the proofs from Jamaica on my HM. Some of the pictures were so beautiful that they made me cry. I am really looking forward to making my digital album with Dan. I know it will be beautiful! I would HIGHLY recommend Dan Wagner to anyone! He exceeded our expectations in every way!!
Flowers – FlorisanLLC: A++++
Lynn from Florisan is another one of my favorite vendors. She exceeded my expectations! Lynn is brilliant! My flowers were even more beautiful than what I envisioned for my Fall themed wedding. A theme that became a reality thanks to her. Everyone, and I mean everyone was completely blown away by the flowers. They were just stunning! And the personal attention that I received from Lynn was 1st class! We chatted on the phone many times, sometimes for an hour at a time. She’s a wonderful person. On the day of the wedding she met me at the Swan Club with my stunning bo-k in her hand and then stayed for hours to make sure that everything was just so. She even made 4 extra boutonnieres on the spot for the GM when a few of them got crushed from bear hugs. I absolutely recommend Lynn from FlorisanLLC to anyone! She does phenomenal work.
DJ – Variety Music: A+
We hired Ray from Variety on a recommendation from a friend who used them. Ray is very pleasant and completely professional. He played every single song that was on the play list and my guests were on the dance floor all night.
Officiant – Rabbi Charles Agin: A
Rabbi Agin is very kind, professional and full of charisma. He conducted a beautiful ceremony for us. The one minor complaint that I have is that he arrived at the Swan Club 20 minutes before our ceremony started. My DH and I were starting to get nervous because he said he would be there an hour – 45 minutes prior. Other than that, he is extremely professional and the ceremony went off without a hitch.
Ceremony and Reception – The Swan Club: A++++
WOW! My husband and I are still floored by the Swan Club. They did an amazing job for our wedding. For all you Swannies out there, you have NOTHING to worry about. The service was exceptional, the food was incredible, the grounds were breathtaking and immaculate, the ceremony was flawless. Karin was our Maitre D and did an excellent job! She set up the reception room exactly how I asked her to and it looked amazing! She was never far away if DH or I needed something. She really took good care of us. Our BM was Michael and he was wonderful to work with.
If I had to do it all over again, I would pick the Swan Club in a heartbeat! They really rolled out the red carpet for DH and I. And the fact that we had the place to ourselves on our wedding day was the icing on the cake.
Travel Agent – Hayley from Beach Bum Vacation.com: A+
My DH and I spent a lot of time researching Caribbean resorts and prices. When I managed to find the lowest possible price, Hayley from Beach Bum Vacations priced it at a lot less. We booked our fabulous honeymoon at Couples Negril through Hayley on a recommendation from another LIW bride (thank you Sasha, again!) and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone else.
Here are some of the professional pictures:
I cannot imagine planning my wedding without this amazing website. I can’t count the amount of help and advice I have received on here. Thank you Ron & Liz for creating this wonderful resource!
Mother Nature: A++++
I was very nervous when I woke up on my wedding day to dense fog. By the time I was getting my makeup done, the sun was out and stayed out all day long! It was 68 degrees and sunny for my November wedding. What a gorgeous day! The Fall leaves were at their peak. I could have not asked for a more beautiful day. Mother nature is my new best friend.
Bridal Gown – Commack Wedding Center: B
I was very happy that I found my dress on my very first outing. And although I have heard mixed reviews about the CWC, I decided to take a chance and go there anyway because of the big selection that they carry and reasonable prices. Carol worked with me for hours. She was very patient, pleasant and showed genuine interest in helping me find “the” dress. The reason why I gave them a “B” is because at the point of sale, Carol went down the list of rules like dress storage (I had 30 days to pick up the dress after it came in since they don’t store anything) and the alteration fees, which I thought were ridiculously overpriced. My alterations would have cost almost as much as my dress. My dress only took 2 months to come in and I was very happy with it. It was the perfect dress for me.
Alterations – Cathy Fiorenti: A+
I am so thankful to have found Cathy. I lost quite a bit of weight between the time I ordered my dress and my 1st fitting. I was so worried that the alterations would ruin the lines of the dress and the beadwork. When Cathy’s work was done, the dress looked exactly how it was supposed to, but in a smaller size. And my bustle! Words cannot express what a fabulous job she did. It was PERFECT.
Wedding Jewelry – Swarovski: A+
It took me a long time to find my wedding day jewelry, but it was well worth the wait! I found my necklace and matching earrings at the Swarovski store in the Smithaven Mall. The moment I walked into the store I zeroed in on the necklace and I knew immediately that is exactly what I have been looking for. I love the jewelry and got so many compliments on it.
Bridesmaids Dresses – David’s Bridal: B+
My BP had a good experience buying their dresses at David’s. The salespeople are not pushy and constantly in your face like at other stores. However, a little more attention would have been appreciated. When the girls needed to try on different dresses or sizes, we had to go get them ourselves while the sales person sat in a chair near the fitting room. That is the only reason I gave them a B+. Other than that, the dresses were beautiful and came in 3 weeks after they were ordered.
Calligraphy – Babygrand Calligraphy: A+
Howard did a phenomenal job on the calligraphy for my invitations and printing my menus. He is extremely professional, reasonable and FAST. He’s also a very nice person! Feel free to FM me for more info.
And thank you Sasha for the hookup with the fonts for my menus!
Invitations – Now And Forever: A+
First and foremost, I would like to thank my fellow Fall obsessed bride, Lori! (103005FallBride). She posted a picture of her invitations several months before my wedding and it was love at first sight! I placed my order through www.now-and-forever.com and they arrived error free 10 days later! I received a lot of compliments on them from my guests.
Veil – Barron’s Tri County: A+
My veil was gorgeous! Silky, soft and exactly what I wanted.
When I initially went to pick it up, it was much darker than the swatch of my dress. That was my fault however since I ordered it before my first fitting. To all future brides, make sure you have a swatch of your dress with you when you order your veil. There are so many different shades of white and ivory!
Barron’s re-made the veil for me and did charge me a little extra for it, but again, I ordered the wrong color. Overall, they did an unbelievable job and even threw in a free garter when I picked up the 2nd and correct veil.
My Wedding band – Shima Jewelry, Tri County: A+
My DH bought my engagement ring from Shima, so that was the first place we went to look for my w-ring. David is very honest and delivers quality! I wanted the stones in my w-ring to match my e-ring diamond’s quality, so it had to be custom made. It took 4 ½ months, but it was worth the wait!!! When we went to pick it up, it took my breath away! David did a phenomenal job and the end result was more than I had hoped for. Shima Jewelry exceeded my expectations!
DH’s Wedding band – Nuha’s Jewelry, Tri County: A+
After months of looking, my DH finally found the ring he wanted at Nuha. The price was more than fair and they did the most amazing engraving job I have ever seen!
Hair – Jennifer Ziegelmeier: A+
I loved how Jennifer did my hair at the trial and booked her on the spot. She did an even better job on the day of the wedding. My updo lasted all day and night. She also did my BM and sister’s hair and they both looked amazing!
Makeup – Jillian from Gorgeous Faces: A+
Jillian is awesome! Not only is she a brilliant makeup artist, she is so sweet. She did a phenomenal job on my makeup! (and my BM's too!) It lasted all day & night…. and the next morning too (lol). I was too tired by the end of the night to wash it off.
Hotel – Huntington Hilton: B
I blocked off several rooms at the Huntington Hilton for our many OOT guests. The hotel is full service and beautiful. Working with Laurie Troisi was a pleasure! She’s a doll. My guests loved staying at the Hilton. They hung out at the bar until all hours, used the swimming pool, ate at the restaurants, and enjoyed the good shopping near by. The reason why I give them a “B” rating is because of the a/c situation. The Hilton shuts off their air conditioning in the whole hotel on November 1st. For several days before my wedding (and the wedding day) it was almost 70 degrees outside. Although that is very unusual weather for November, I feel that the Hilton should have turned the a/c back on. Many of my guests were very uncomfortable with the temperature in their rooms.
Limos – Cruise Control: A+
What a great limo company! They arrived early for both the pickup at home and after the wedding at the hall. The drivers were so nice and the one who picked me up at home even came in the house and held my train while I walked down the stairs. Their prices are reasonable and the limos were immaculate! We used them for the airport drop off & pick up for the HM as well – excellent service all around! I will be using them for car service exclusively from now on.
Photographer – Dan Wagner: A++++
I can’t say it enough. Dan Wagner is a GENIUS, so TALENTED, very CREATIVE and a really nice person to boot! Dan was definitely one of my favorite vendors. When DH and I initially met with him, we knew within 5 minutes that he would be our photographer. Our personalities clicked immediately. And once we saw his work, we were sold. Dan took almost 900 pictures at our wedding and I am THRILLED with them! He had them all uploaded onto a private website 2 days after the wedding!! I looked at many of the proofs from Jamaica on my HM. Some of the pictures were so beautiful that they made me cry. I am really looking forward to making my digital album with Dan. I know it will be beautiful! I would HIGHLY recommend Dan Wagner to anyone! He exceeded our expectations in every way!!
Flowers – FlorisanLLC: A++++
Lynn from Florisan is another one of my favorite vendors. She exceeded my expectations! Lynn is brilliant! My flowers were even more beautiful than what I envisioned for my Fall themed wedding. A theme that became a reality thanks to her. Everyone, and I mean everyone was completely blown away by the flowers. They were just stunning! And the personal attention that I received from Lynn was 1st class! We chatted on the phone many times, sometimes for an hour at a time. She’s a wonderful person. On the day of the wedding she met me at the Swan Club with my stunning bo-k in her hand and then stayed for hours to make sure that everything was just so. She even made 4 extra boutonnieres on the spot for the GM when a few of them got crushed from bear hugs. I absolutely recommend Lynn from FlorisanLLC to anyone! She does phenomenal work.
DJ – Variety Music: A+
We hired Ray from Variety on a recommendation from a friend who used them. Ray is very pleasant and completely professional. He played every single song that was on the play list and my guests were on the dance floor all night.
Officiant – Rabbi Charles Agin: A
Rabbi Agin is very kind, professional and full of charisma. He conducted a beautiful ceremony for us. The one minor complaint that I have is that he arrived at the Swan Club 20 minutes before our ceremony started. My DH and I were starting to get nervous because he said he would be there an hour – 45 minutes prior. Other than that, he is extremely professional and the ceremony went off without a hitch.
Ceremony and Reception – The Swan Club: A++++
WOW! My husband and I are still floored by the Swan Club. They did an amazing job for our wedding. For all you Swannies out there, you have NOTHING to worry about. The service was exceptional, the food was incredible, the grounds were breathtaking and immaculate, the ceremony was flawless. Karin was our Maitre D and did an excellent job! She set up the reception room exactly how I asked her to and it looked amazing! She was never far away if DH or I needed something. She really took good care of us. Our BM was Michael and he was wonderful to work with.
If I had to do it all over again, I would pick the Swan Club in a heartbeat! They really rolled out the red carpet for DH and I. And the fact that we had the place to ourselves on our wedding day was the icing on the cake.
Travel Agent – Hayley from Beach Bum Vacation.com: A+
My DH and I spent a lot of time researching Caribbean resorts and prices. When I managed to find the lowest possible price, Hayley from Beach Bum Vacations priced it at a lot less. We booked our fabulous honeymoon at Couples Negril through Hayley on a recommendation from another LIW bride (thank you Sasha, again!) and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone else.
Here are some of the professional pictures:
