9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Hello All:

To put it simply -- the wedding was awesome. Lots of fun and as beautiful as I'd hoped it would be... I don't have any regrets and I look back on the day with a lot of pride and incredible happiness. It really was an incredible day...

Anyway, on to the Vendor Review:

RECEPTION: The Vanderbilt Mansion at Dowling College
Supurb!! The greatest food, service, decor... I was blown away and so were my guests. The food comes from Lovin' Oven, the same people who do Land's End, Flowerfields and other top-notch spots -- so it's no surprise that the food is phenomenal. I was treated like a queen & was waited on hand & foot. The mansion itself is just beautiful, and for a smaller wedding like ours (about 110) the size was perfect. The only things I had worried about was the size of the dance floor & the bathrooms -- but it ended up I worried over nothing. Both were plenty big enough. If you like the idea of marrying in a mansion, and your guest list is around 130 -- I would highly-highly recommend this place. (www.vanderbiltmansion.com)

DJ: Just for the Record
Very Professional, these guys did exactly what we wanted. We wanted a non-cheesy, no loud-mouthed 'motivating the crowd' DJ, and that's exactly what we got. Dressed in tuxes, these guys had the crowd dancing all night. We gave them a list of songs and they had no problem adhereing to it. When the announced the Mother of the grom dance & a drunk guest ran over and started dancing with my MIL, they broke into a spexial dedication of 'Hit the Road Jack' defusing a potential nighmare.

FLORIST: Flowers by Burton
Definitely a good buy for the money. I found the bouquets & boutineers to be beautiful/just what I'd hoped for. The chuch decorations were simple and lovely (all I asked for was baby's breath & bows for the pews & two all-white alter bouquets --> Nothing earth-shattering). The reception centerpieces were fine -- but a bit thin/sparce for my taste. We only got about 6 roses in each of our high centerpieces, plus hydrania and greens. Even so, the flowers themselves were incredibly fresh, the colors were perfect and they complimented the room perfectly. For me, I had to cut corners somewhere to make ends meet and flowers was it for me. If I had it to do over again, with an unlimited budget, I'd spend $20,000 and get something amazing -- instead I spent $2K and got something that I was still very happy with.

HAIR & MAKEUP: Maximus Salon in Merrick
First you should know that I believe natural beauty is for wimps! For my wedding I got extensions in my hair (instantly thicker, longer hair that looked absolutely natural). Then I went back for the style -- which required another fake hairpiece to be used. Then I got the dramatic yet elegant makeup I wanted. I was very happy with the results and would definitely recommend Demetria for extensions & Richard for style. I can't remember the name of the woman who did my makeup -- but you should ask for the older brunette.

LIMOS: Classic Trans
Awesome! I once rented a limo for a friends Bachelorette party - and it was a disappointment (broken radio & it was a worn-out looking vehicle). We rented 4 limos, 2 11-passenger Vans, plus a party bus and all of the cars were in excellent shape and the drivers were sweethearts. I think they might be a bit higher-priced, but at least you're paying more for quality.

GOWN: Bridal Reflections
This was the first and last place I went for a gown. Christine, the VP, helped me out & ended up putting two different Ines di'Santo gowns together to create my perfect dress. Then I ended up going down from a size 14 at my first fiting to a size 8 by my wedding day --> which was a nightmare for the seamstress. I was incredibly happy with my gown, thanks to the people at BR. Again, this place is expensive -- but you aere getting quality for your money.

CALLIGRAPHY: Calligraphylady.com
Great work (all hand calligraphy) -- good price (For $1.50 you get inner & outer envelope) & easy to work with.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Congratulations, it sounds like a perfect day. Thanks for the review. It seems like everyone did a great job.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

So happy that everything was perfect!! Best of luck!!

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Congratulations! I'm glad to hear that your day was perfect.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Congratulations!! Sounds like everything went great! All the best.......

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

You lost sooo much weight- that is great for you. I wish I had your will power. You had to buy two gowns to put together? I am glad you liked Burtons- since I also hired them.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Glad to hear you had an amazing day! As I'm looking into Burton's, if you have some pictures of your flowers could you post them, please.

Congratulations.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Nice to hear you had a great time.Good luck to you and your future husband.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Sounds like you had a fabulous wedding, congratulations!!! I was thinking of getting extensions for my big day also. How long did it take to put in and how expensive were they, if you don't mind me asking. I thought I was the only one that wanted to get them.

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Dora,
So glad you had such a wonderful day!!
Congrats, and best wishes!
CarrieAnn

ps...post those pictures!!

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

I love reading these. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Congratulation!!! Its great to hear that you had such a great day!!

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Sounds like the perfect day we all dream of - congrats!

Re: 9-21-02 Wedding: Vendor Review & A Few Pics

Thanks so much! We really had an awesome time. First we had the ceremony - then we had an informal get-together at our house -- and then the reception. It really was a blast!

Re: Extentions

They cost a lot -- $1800 plus 20% tip. Even so, I LOVED them -- I had the 'porn star hair' I've always wanted!! It took about 6 hours to put in --> at the end my hair was 4x as thick and 4 inches longer. I have to post some good 'before & after' shots. If you're seriously interested, you can contact Demetria at Maximus Salon in Merrick -- she can show you before & after shots and go over all the details. Basically they can last until they grow out (once they grow out 3 or 4 inches from your head, your hair will look really odd) if you take good care of them. No one could tekl they were real, even after I told them. People were shocked! It really does look natural.

Re: the gown

Although my dress was made up of two different gowns --> I didn't have to buy two gowns -- Lord knows i could barely afford the one
Basically, when I ordered my dress, the front panel was the same as one style gown and the beading and back of the gown was from a different style gown -- both from Ines di'Santo. Since Ines di' Santo gown don't get made until they are ordered, they just made the gown just the way I wanted.