FINALLY, My 6/19 Wedding Review! NOW WITH B&W PROOFS!!! ETA: Link to color proofs too!
Makeup: Oksana - A
Arrived on time, did a fabulous job, had a great attitude, even with my mother who tried to tell her how to put makeup on and what colors to use, she was very nice and accommodating and everyone looked beautiful. And she also kept me calm, even after I was running late (an hour!) and my dad was calling my room every 10 minutes to see if I was ready, my Bms were amazed that I wasn't freaking out.
Hair: Mya - A
Once again, wonderful to work with, made everyone look beautiful, works FAST, and my hair stayed all day, despite the heat, humidity and my non-stop dancing. My Bms showed her pictures from a magazine and she was able to copy each different hairstyle perfectly.
Wedding gown alterations: Madame Paulette: A+
These people know how to treat a bride. Actually, no, they know how to treat a wedding gown! I bought my gown at a sample sale and Madame Paulette's was recommended for the cleaning and alterations. I had 5 fittings and they really paid attention to my requests and to my gown. When the top wasn't sitting right just a week before the wedding, they had 3 seamstresses/tailors come over to discuss what was wrong and how to fix it. They treated me as if my wedding was the most important event in their lives, which is exactly how you want to be treated!
BM gowns and mom's gown: Valentina's: B
I love the people who work at this store - I've purchased 2 BM gowns from them in the past. Ordering was easy, even switching the color of my BM gowns after placing the initial order was no problem. The problem is that the alterations were not the best. They ordered one of my Bms a size 14 when the size 12 sample was a little big and since she lost a few pounds before the wedding, the top was enormous and did not look right at all. My MOH would tell them what needed to be done and they didn't listen to her until the very end. They ignored my mother's request to make her gown a little shorter and she was catching her foot on her gown the day of the wedding. Like I said, they're very nice people and will do what they can to accommodate you during the ordering process, but I'd go elsewhere for alterations.
Imagine - A/B-
Lia, Paola and Nelson were wonderful to work with. I was an hour late arriving to Westbury Manor so we couldn't finish all of the pictures before the ceremony, but they did their best to get us to our cocktail hour. They were so unobtrusive I completely forgot they were there at some points...which makes me a little nervous for the video because I know I probably cursed a few times and I hope I didn't make fun of anyone on tape, lol. As it is I cracked DH in the head with my elbow on the dance floor - and Nelson was RIGHT there to see it all![]()
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Now that I've seen my proofs, I am able to complete the grade. I gave them a B- not because they were bad pictures - they're not, most of them are great shots. However they did NOT take pictures of my family!!! Now I realize why I didn't see them taking pictures during the cocktail hour - they were only taking pictures of my inlaws and when I was talking to my family, they just weren't there! I had to request my family shot be taken during the reception, because it wasn't done before hand, even though I have at least 10 family shots of DH's family. I haven't spoken to them about this issue yet, but I fully intend to. Honestly, I'm devastated. My family traveled from all over the country - all over the world even - to come to my wedding, and judging by my proofs, you can't even tell they were there. I have only 2 pictures of my dad's girlfriend, yet I specifically asked for pictures to be taken with her...I said we DIDN'T want pictures of DH's extended family, meanwhile I have them. I feel like I've been penalized for being an only child, and if I see another picture of my SIL I'll scream. My advice: stress the importance of equal coverage to your photographer.
Burtons - A-
My bo-ks and my BM bo-ks were beautiful, just what I had asked for. My centerpieces were GORGEOUS if I do say so myself, and they even looked better the next day...not that I got to take one home or anything (I'm not important, I was just the bride :eyeroll:) but I saw my mother's CP the next day at the hotel and it was beautiful! I did not, however, like the way my cake was decorated AT ALL. In the final meeting I suggested doing a cascade of flowers, and the woman I dealt with talked me out of it and suggested I do a “scatter” instead. I can't really fault them for how it looked, because I should have spoken up when I saw the picture they showed me and said “I don't like that!” but I didn't. Instead I said “it won't look exactly like that, right?” which in retrospect does not send the message that I think their scatter design is ugly. No offense to anyone else who might have had that design, and if you're reading this Starr, yes I mean you, lol. Near the end, the details were really wearing me down and I just didn't care anymore. Well I cared on my wedding day, so if it really matters to you, make a stink because it might irk the daylights out of you after the fact. (This is, of course, a minor detail in the grand scheme of things and I'm fully aware of that but I can't help that it irks me)
Westbury Manor - B
Overall, it was a good experience. The food was good, my guests all say the service was great. Leading up to my wedding, the people at WM were always available and happy to answer whatever questions I had. My bridal attendant Tamara was AWESOME!! She was just wonderful, she was by my side all day, got me anything I asked for no matter what. I think I could have asked her to help me run away to Vegas and she would have, lol!! There were a few negatives that stand out in my mind though. For starters, I wasn't 100% thrilled with my Maitre'd. For the ceremony, he INSISTED that the BP stand on the wrong side and had my guests sit on the wrong side of the aisle. My BP switched themselves, but when it came time for our mom's to come up for the unity candle lighting, they were on the wrong side, so my MIL handed me the candle instead of my mom. When we (me, the MOH and BL) tried to tell him that we were standing on the wrong side, he had an attitude about it so I let it go. When my mother was being seated, she tried to tell him as well and again, he insisted he was right. He was wrong. Another thing that upset me was with regard to a special cake that I ordered for DH, since he is allergic to eggs. When it came time to cut the cake the Maitre'd knew nothing about it, and then told me they didn't have. We were kept waiting for 10-15 minutes in the middle of the dance floor with all of our guests and the photographers an videographer standing around staring at us. And finally, this last instance was more of a judgment call on my part, but I think it will help any future brides. My wedding was in the Garden Room and when we booked, WM told us that the room holds up to 150 people. They don't tell you that with 135 people, it is a tight squeeze. If I were to do it again, I'd DEFINITELY have my wedding in the Manor Room, even though the minimum for a day wedding was 150 people, I think the added space would have been worth the extra money. I wouldn't have a party in the Garden room with any more than 120-125 people max.
Classie Sounds Entertainment - A++
I've saved the best for last. I LOVED MY DJ!!! No complaints at all and I'm completely ignoring the fact that my dad said it was too loud because my dad says I'm loud and I don't pay him any mind when he says that either!![]()
Keith was the MC and he had the party jumping the whole afternoon! The dance floor was packed - as I wanted it to be - from beginning to end. He came to me with every special request to get my approval before fulfilling any guest's request. He was fun but maintained a professional demeanor at all times. One of my guests even hired him on the spot for an event she's throwing. I really can't say enough about him, really. He was fabulous.
When I look back at my wedding as a whole, it was a great day and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The minor set backs were exactly that - minor. I noticed them because I'm like that, but most of my guests had no idea that anything was out of order. I was prepared that *something* would go wrong because something always does (everyone kept telling me this) but the things that did go wrong didn't take away from the day at all. I married the man of my dreams, all of my friends and family were there to witness it, and I danced until my feet ached...and then I danced some more. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
B&W Proofs
Color Proofs
Arrived on time, did a fabulous job, had a great attitude, even with my mother who tried to tell her how to put makeup on and what colors to use, she was very nice and accommodating and everyone looked beautiful. And she also kept me calm, even after I was running late (an hour!) and my dad was calling my room every 10 minutes to see if I was ready, my Bms were amazed that I wasn't freaking out.
Hair: Mya - A
Once again, wonderful to work with, made everyone look beautiful, works FAST, and my hair stayed all day, despite the heat, humidity and my non-stop dancing. My Bms showed her pictures from a magazine and she was able to copy each different hairstyle perfectly.
Wedding gown alterations: Madame Paulette: A+
These people know how to treat a bride. Actually, no, they know how to treat a wedding gown! I bought my gown at a sample sale and Madame Paulette's was recommended for the cleaning and alterations. I had 5 fittings and they really paid attention to my requests and to my gown. When the top wasn't sitting right just a week before the wedding, they had 3 seamstresses/tailors come over to discuss what was wrong and how to fix it. They treated me as if my wedding was the most important event in their lives, which is exactly how you want to be treated!
BM gowns and mom's gown: Valentina's: B
I love the people who work at this store - I've purchased 2 BM gowns from them in the past. Ordering was easy, even switching the color of my BM gowns after placing the initial order was no problem. The problem is that the alterations were not the best. They ordered one of my Bms a size 14 when the size 12 sample was a little big and since she lost a few pounds before the wedding, the top was enormous and did not look right at all. My MOH would tell them what needed to be done and they didn't listen to her until the very end. They ignored my mother's request to make her gown a little shorter and she was catching her foot on her gown the day of the wedding. Like I said, they're very nice people and will do what they can to accommodate you during the ordering process, but I'd go elsewhere for alterations.
Imagine - A/B-
Lia, Paola and Nelson were wonderful to work with. I was an hour late arriving to Westbury Manor so we couldn't finish all of the pictures before the ceremony, but they did their best to get us to our cocktail hour. They were so unobtrusive I completely forgot they were there at some points...which makes me a little nervous for the video because I know I probably cursed a few times and I hope I didn't make fun of anyone on tape, lol. As it is I cracked DH in the head with my elbow on the dance floor - and Nelson was RIGHT there to see it all
Now that I've seen my proofs, I am able to complete the grade. I gave them a B- not because they were bad pictures - they're not, most of them are great shots. However they did NOT take pictures of my family!!! Now I realize why I didn't see them taking pictures during the cocktail hour - they were only taking pictures of my inlaws and when I was talking to my family, they just weren't there! I had to request my family shot be taken during the reception, because it wasn't done before hand, even though I have at least 10 family shots of DH's family. I haven't spoken to them about this issue yet, but I fully intend to. Honestly, I'm devastated. My family traveled from all over the country - all over the world even - to come to my wedding, and judging by my proofs, you can't even tell they were there. I have only 2 pictures of my dad's girlfriend, yet I specifically asked for pictures to be taken with her...I said we DIDN'T want pictures of DH's extended family, meanwhile I have them. I feel like I've been penalized for being an only child, and if I see another picture of my SIL I'll scream. My advice: stress the importance of equal coverage to your photographer.
Burtons - A-
My bo-ks and my BM bo-ks were beautiful, just what I had asked for. My centerpieces were GORGEOUS if I do say so myself, and they even looked better the next day...not that I got to take one home or anything (I'm not important, I was just the bride :eyeroll:) but I saw my mother's CP the next day at the hotel and it was beautiful! I did not, however, like the way my cake was decorated AT ALL. In the final meeting I suggested doing a cascade of flowers, and the woman I dealt with talked me out of it and suggested I do a “scatter” instead. I can't really fault them for how it looked, because I should have spoken up when I saw the picture they showed me and said “I don't like that!” but I didn't. Instead I said “it won't look exactly like that, right?” which in retrospect does not send the message that I think their scatter design is ugly. No offense to anyone else who might have had that design, and if you're reading this Starr, yes I mean you, lol. Near the end, the details were really wearing me down and I just didn't care anymore. Well I cared on my wedding day, so if it really matters to you, make a stink because it might irk the daylights out of you after the fact. (This is, of course, a minor detail in the grand scheme of things and I'm fully aware of that but I can't help that it irks me)
Westbury Manor - B
Overall, it was a good experience. The food was good, my guests all say the service was great. Leading up to my wedding, the people at WM were always available and happy to answer whatever questions I had. My bridal attendant Tamara was AWESOME!! She was just wonderful, she was by my side all day, got me anything I asked for no matter what. I think I could have asked her to help me run away to Vegas and she would have, lol!! There were a few negatives that stand out in my mind though. For starters, I wasn't 100% thrilled with my Maitre'd. For the ceremony, he INSISTED that the BP stand on the wrong side and had my guests sit on the wrong side of the aisle. My BP switched themselves, but when it came time for our mom's to come up for the unity candle lighting, they were on the wrong side, so my MIL handed me the candle instead of my mom. When we (me, the MOH and BL) tried to tell him that we were standing on the wrong side, he had an attitude about it so I let it go. When my mother was being seated, she tried to tell him as well and again, he insisted he was right. He was wrong. Another thing that upset me was with regard to a special cake that I ordered for DH, since he is allergic to eggs. When it came time to cut the cake the Maitre'd knew nothing about it, and then told me they didn't have. We were kept waiting for 10-15 minutes in the middle of the dance floor with all of our guests and the photographers an videographer standing around staring at us. And finally, this last instance was more of a judgment call on my part, but I think it will help any future brides. My wedding was in the Garden Room and when we booked, WM told us that the room holds up to 150 people. They don't tell you that with 135 people, it is a tight squeeze. If I were to do it again, I'd DEFINITELY have my wedding in the Manor Room, even though the minimum for a day wedding was 150 people, I think the added space would have been worth the extra money. I wouldn't have a party in the Garden room with any more than 120-125 people max.
Classie Sounds Entertainment - A++
I've saved the best for last. I LOVED MY DJ!!! No complaints at all and I'm completely ignoring the fact that my dad said it was too loud because my dad says I'm loud and I don't pay him any mind when he says that either!
When I look back at my wedding as a whole, it was a great day and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The minor set backs were exactly that - minor. I noticed them because I'm like that, but most of my guests had no idea that anything was out of order. I was prepared that *something* would go wrong because something always does (everyone kept telling me this) but the things that did go wrong didn't take away from the day at all. I married the man of my dreams, all of my friends and family were there to witness it, and I danced until my feet ached...and then I danced some more. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
B&W Proofs
Color Proofs
