I'm a Mrs. and I'm back from ARUBA!

Hi everyone! I don't have time to give a write up about all my vendors right now, but I will definitely get online tonight and tell you all about it. We had a perfect day on 9/8 and I couldn't have asked for better weather!

I'll also give a separate write up about Aruba. I have great restaurant and activity recommendations (thanks should be given to the other girls on this site who recommended them to me!).

Vendors-
Wedding and reception site- Lands End
Officiant- Rev. Joe DiVincenzo
DJ- Eddie from Parameters
Photographer- Steve from Patken
Limos- Aquarius
Videographer- Candlelite
Tuxes- After Hours

Everyone was excellent! I'll write more tonight!

Welcome back !!!
Cant wait to hear the details !!!!

Congratulations!!

Can't wait for your review!

Please share! I am off to Aruba on Sunday!!!!!

Congrats newlywed!! Can't wait to see the pics!!

I'll give you GREAT details about Aruba tonight! You are going to ABSOLUTELY love it! Where are you staying? We went for 12 days and stayed at La Cabana and also Aruba Beach Club.
The restaurants are so romantic, the water is amazing, and the weather is a dream!

My proofs are done, but I haven't seen them yet. I just have a few pics from friends.

Hi 02 Bride, glad your day went well. I would love to hear about Candlelight Video and your honeymoon. My FI and I are leaning towards Aruba for our honeymoon.

Would appreciate the feedback

Congradulations! I cant wait to hear your reviews!!

Beautiful pics. The B&W pic is great, your hubby looks so in love!

Congratulations!!! Looking forward to seeing you on the 'newlywed' side, and to hearing all about your day .. so far it sounds wonderful! And the B&W really is cute!

As promised, here is my wedding review! I can’t believe it’s over. I’m already in planning withdrawal!

REHEARSAL DINNER- Café La Strata (exit 56)
Excellent Italian food. It was unbelievable. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but it was great inside and, again, AWESOME food! We had our own room.

Sunday, September 8th

WEDDING AND RECEPTION SITE- LANDS END
For all Lands End brides, get ready! It was absolutely beautiful! The grounds are gorgeous, the location is perfect, and the food is excellent! Although I hardly ate that night (we were so excited, we weren’t even hungry and just wanted to talk to everyone!), all of our guests raved about the food! They said they didn’t even eat the next day because they were so full. I worked with Gina and she was wonderful. The night of our wedding, Marrietta was EXCELLENT. She was the reason we booked Lands End. She is always on top of everything, always making sure the bride gets exactly what she wants.

We brought two boxes of pictures to be displayed of our friends and family, and Lands End set up everything beautifully! I have absolutely no complaints.

Advice to Lands End brides- be sure to tell your guests before and after the wedding to utilize all rooms for the cocktail hour. Some of my guests were cold on the patio and I told them they should go inside and get food there and they didn’t even know about the rooms inside! Be sure to tell them about the cigar room and patio in the back. Don’t let anything go unused!

When we left that night, they gave Bret and I a couple bags of food (what we didn’t eat and some appetizers) to take with us. Remember to pack some silverware for your honeymoon night! We were starving and after we were all settled in our hotel room with our cold food, Bret had to get dressed and go to the concierge to get a fork and knife!

A great plus--the bride and groom get two choices each from the main course!!!!!!!!!

I also received many compliments about how good the cake was. You don’t hear that a lot at weddings!


PHOTOGRAPHY- PATKEN (STEVE)
Steve and his assistant Steve (crazy, huh?) arrived right on time and began setting up in my living room. We took a lot of posed shots with a blue backdrop that I wasn’t expecting and didn’t originally care for too much, but I think they’ll be some cute photos and some nice pictures of me and my girls. I was a little nervous that he didn’t understand that I wanted a “different” style of photography, but then we went outside and he took some great shots in front of my house, in the Rolls with my Dad, and then excellent shots at the beach. I’ll have to post again when I see my proofs, but as far as the poses go, he took some nice ones. When we got back from our honeymoon, we had a message from him telling us that our proofs are ready! He was great to work with, non-obtrusive, and he did whatever I asked (table pictures, a picture with my aunt and uncle, etc.). I did make a list for him, but it might be best to give him the list, but when you think of a shot you want, just tell him and he’ll be more than happy to do it. If you've booked him, you made the right choice.

VIDEOGRAPHY- CANDLELITE VIDEO
Our videographer was waiting for us when we arrived at Lands End. Unfortunately, I can’t remember his name, but he was super nice, very accommodating and I don’t even remember seeing him during the reception. Very non-obtrusive.
When Bret and I were at the cocktail hour, all of a sudden a bright light came on and I freaked out. As soon as it went off, I told him that I wanted him to not use the light if it was going to be that bright. He turned it off and then politely asked a little later if he could turn it on, but not have it really bright. I said sure and it was perfect. I really didn’t know he was there. The camera was the tiniest thing ever! I didn’t want a videographer with a bright light on my dance floor and I was so happy with Candlelite video. They did exactly what I wanted. No room lights, etc. I’ll have to post again when I see the video, but they’ve been very professional and I highly recommend them. Brides- just be sure that whoever you get, if you don’t like something during your day, tell them and they’ll work with you. It pays to speak up!

DJ- PARAMETERS- Eddie
Bret and I went to Eddie’s house a week before the wedding. We went through all the songs, the order of events, and then he helped us pick out our entrance song. He was very thorough. We wanted a DJ who did little mcing, who played exactly what we wanted, and someone who could get our guests dancing. He did exactly that. If any of you decide to meet with him, ask me for my e-mail address and we’ll talk more. Although I had a perfect night, I did have a couple concerns during the planning process.

LIMO- AQUARIUS
We used Aquarius to get a limo, a Rolls, and a van for some guests at the hotel. They were excellent! The people in the office and the drivers were extremely friendly and exactly on time. You can tell they run a very organized service. I was impressed with them and highly recommend them. They’re listed on this site.

FLOWERS- WEST SAYVILLE FLORIST
We chose this florist because it’s right around the corner from Lands End and Lands End recommended them. They did EXACTLY what I wanted. I gave them a picture—I highly recommend doing this with any florist--- and my flowers looked exactly like the picture. They were on time and very friendly. My bouquet lasted forever! My friend said the centerpiece lasted for close to two weeks! They know flowers really well and can help you create something beautiful! If you’re going with high centerpieces (which I didn’t), be sure to suggest they don’t use a lot of filler. When going to a florist, be prepared with your budget. You can pay $1000 or $10,000-- make up your mind beforehand. I recommend this florist.

TUXEDOS- AFTER HOURS
All of the tuxes were ready, exactly what we ordered, and the right size. We picked them up from Smithhaven Mall in Lake Grove. With any rental place though, some of the tuxes may have a little bit of fraying on the edges because they’ve been worn so much. I didn’t even notice, but as I am writing this, my husband told me to tell you guys that! He said his had a little fraying on the edge of his jacket.



I think that’s it! If I think of anything else, I’ll let you guys know. I’m really going to miss planning with all of you. You helped me immensely and I couldn’t have planned from VA without you.

Last minute advice for you-
1. The day goes SO quickly. I’m sure you’ll hear it 1000 times before you get married, but it’s true. Be sure to look around, glance back during the ceremony to see your friends and family, and remember the high you’ll be feeling. It’s the greatest.
2. Although right now you may be nervous about everything coming together, just know that it will and NOTHING can take you down from the feeling you’ll have that day.
3. Make sure someone is in charge of tips! All the vendors will come to you to say goodbye and at that point you’ll need to direct them to someone for a tip or their payment!
4. HAVE FUN!

I loved the gazebo...it brings me back to our day...

I'm jealous that you got food...we barely ate...and I forgot to ask to bring how the food...I was just glad we enjoyed it at the tasting!!

I don't think our cocktail rooms got used either...but we had 80 degree weather...


Congratulations...I can't wait to see more pictures!!!