My 12/13/03 wedding review! (updated review)
Hi ladies! I'm officially married, hooray! Sorry its taken me so long to post my review but here it is!
Dress: Macy’s Bridal, Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. I ordered a Demetrios dress from Macy’s. The sales ladies were really nice and helpful, the dress came in on time, the alterations were done perfectly. They met my expectations and get an “A” from me.
Bridal Shoes: I got my shoes at My Glass Slipper. Since I live in Northern Virginia it was easy for me to go to their shop in Alexandria, Virginia. The shoes I found were really pretty and mostly comfortable. The sales lady I was working with was nice but a little incompetent. I was ready to order and the sales lady assured me the shoes could be ordered in ivory, they didn’t need to be dyed. I said great and she tried to ring up the sale and had difficulties with the transaction. She asked if I could call the store the next day to make sure the sale went through okay (again, she was a little incompetent). I called the next day, they put the transaction through that morning and when confirming my order was told by the owner that those shoes could NOT be ordered in ivory, they would have to be dyed. I was not happy about this and the owner wasn’t being all that helpful. Because it was close to the wedding I had no time to search for shoes again. I didn’t cancel the order and got my shoes a week later. I was very disappointed with the service at My Glass Slipper, they get a “C-” from me.
Tiara: I got my tiara at www.tiaratown.com. They had good prices and really fast delivery. They get an “A”.
BM Dresses: We got the BM dresses at David's Bridal (Potomac Festival) in Virginia. They were great! They were very attentive and helpful and the dresses came in early. The sales ladies were always really nice there. They get an 'A'.
BM jewelry: I got my necklace and the earrings and necklaces for my BMs from Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com). All were cubic zirconia and VERY sparkly. The prices were great and I received everything within a couple of weeks. They get an 'A'.
Favors: Ordered Christmas ornaments from JCPenney after Christmas last year (got them for ½ the price). Got ribbon and organza bags from www.organzaribbons.com.
I had no problems with either store and both items got delivered very quickly (within a week). Both stores get an “A”.
Invitations/Menu Cards/Placecards: I used Rebecca from “Favorite Things Invitations” for my invites, menu cards and placecards. She was AWESOME to work with. Not only did she design beautiful invites (that I am still getting compliments on) but she was such a wonderful person to work with! She truly cares about her customers. She completed everything on time and her prices are very reasonable for the beautiful work she does. Rebecca exceeded my expectations and gets an “A+” from me.
After Hours Tuxedo: We worked with both the After Hours Potomac Festival (in Virginia) and the After Hours in the Smithaven Mall. Both places were good to work with. The only problem we had with them was after arranging all the details in Virginia the store was supposed to transfer all the information to the store in New York, that didn’t happen. My brother-in-law showed up to have his measurements taken in NY and they didn’t even have our wedding information. After one phone call from my DH they corrected the problem and we had no further problems with them. The tuxes were ready on time and only one of the guys had to have his vest adjusted (it was a little big), otherwise all the tuxes and accessories fit fine. After Hours gets a “B+” from us.
Limo: We only needed one limo to pick up the girls at my parent’s house and drop us off at Danfords. My sister’s friend and her husband have a small limo business and we used them. They have one limo and primarily use it to do airport pick-ups/drop-offs. It was perfect for what we needed. It was new, clean, and the driver was nice and professional. They get an “A” from me.
Florist: I used Lake Ronkonkoma Florists. They are recently under new ownership. I stopped in to visit with them and talked to one of their designers and the owner. They were so nice to me and the designer was very knowledgeable, he was able to understand and carry out exactly what I wanted him to do. The owner delivered the flowers personally (and would not accept any gratuity). He even brought one of his designers with him to the reception hall to make sure everything was set up properly. They even decorated the cake table for us when I didn’t order flowers for the cake or the table. My flowers were truly beautiful, I LOVED them! Guests were fighting for the centrepieces at the end of the night. The bouquets and the centrepieces stayed fresh for days too. Lake Ronkonkoma Florists totally exceeded my expectations, they get an “A+” from me.
Cake: We used Rolling Pin Bakery in Setauket. They were great! The cake was delicious and they decorated it exactly like the picture I gave them. They even give you a free cake on your one-year anniversary so you don't have to worry about eating old-frozen cake on your anniversary! They get an 'A' from us.
DJ: We used Spin Around Sound. They are a very professional group. They were on time, organized and easy to get in touch with. Tom and James did a good job. The music for the ceremony was perfect. At the reception, they kept the MC-ing to a minimum and didn’t berate anyone to “get out on the dance floor”. The guests really liked that! The only things that didn’t follow the script were the garter/bouquet toss. We opted to remove the garter and then present the garter and bouquet to the next couple getting married (my MOH and her FH), they were supposed to dance to a song and everyone was to join in. Instead, the MOH and her FH were invited to dance by themselves, no explanation given. I had my hubby run over and have them invite everyone else to dance but I don’t think everyone understood what was happening. There were also a couple of songs that we requested that didn’t get played. Other than those two things, we were happy with SAS. Overall they met most of our expectations and get an “A-” from us.
Hair/Make-up: I used Jennifer from Fairytale Makeovers for both my hair and make-up. First let me say that Jennifer is an artist who is extremely talented. Second, she was awesome to work with. What a nice and caring lady she is! She did a spectacular job on my hair and make-up, I felt like a princess when she was done with me. Her assistant did hair for my MOH and one of my BMs, they both looked awesome! It was a pleasure working with Jennifer. My hair and make-up looked even better on my wedding day than it did for my trial… I didn’t think that was possible![]()
Jennifer exceeded my expectations and gets an “A+” from me.
Officiant: Father Michael Callahan was our officiant. Father Michael was easy to work with, he was very easy to get in touch with and provided us with great guidance on planning our ceremony. Not only is Father Michael a very nice man, he did an outstanding job on the ceremony! We got compliments all night from our guests about how the ceremony had so much meaning and how beautiful it was. And these compliments were coming from the die-hard Catholics in my family! We were very happy with the ceremony (even though there were a lot of wet faces, including mine, thank goodness DH had tissues for me in his pocket!). Father Michael gets an 'A'!
Photography: We used Patken Photography. Vinny was our photographer and he was awesome all day long. He was professional, on time and very respectful to everyone he interacted with. Vinny has a great personality and was a pleasure to work with. I am really looking forward to seeing our pictures. Since I can’t grade on product yet, I’ll give a grade for the photographer. Vinny is an “A+” guy. (Heck, he even won over my Dad.)
Videography: We used Platinum Video. Peter from Platinum has been a very good vendor to work with. When DH and I visited him in his studio, saw his work, and spoke with him, we were totally sold. Peter was professional, personable, and on time. We are really looking forward to seeing our DVD/video. He was totally unobtrusive too. We don’t have a product yet but Peter gets an “A” in our book, he was truly wonderful to work with.
Reception: We had the reception at Danfords. Danfords exceeded our expectations. Our sales contact Nicole was wonderful, the Maitre d’ Mike was fantastic, our bridal attendant Melissa was terrific and the bartenders and servers were great! In addition to the people being wonderful to work with, the food was incredible! We had guests asking for extra plates of the entrées because they were so good. The chateau briand was “out of this world” is all we heard after dinner was served. Cocktail hour was spectacular too. We had the SCPD bagpipers play during cocktail hour and they were fabulous! Then, before we were going to be seated for dinner, our Maitre d’ surprised us by having a quartet (dressed in Dickens-era clothing) from Theatre Three in Port Jefferson serenade us. They sang two songs, a holiday song and “Embraceable You”, which they dedicated to us. It was such a cool surprise, we loved it! Danfords really had the rooms decorated beautifully too. Lots of holiday wreaths and greenery. The hurricane lamps and candles they had really added to the atmosphere too. Danfords did a great job, they get an “A+” from us.
Rehearsal Dinner: We had our rehearsal dinner at Cafe Figaro (owned by Mama's restaurant) in Centereach. The prices were good, the food was great, and the service was great. The amount of food they give you is unreal! The only problem we had with them was with the cake, they had my DH's name wrong, doh! His name is Dan and they had BEN! It turned out to be really funny and of course my dad was calling him Ben for the next two days![]()
They get an 'A-' from us, if it wasn't for the name they would've had an A.
A special thanks to all the LIW ladies that have helped me out over the past year, I couldn't have had such a wonderful day without your help! The reviews and recommendations from past brides were a huge help to me! Thank you!
I'll try posting a couple of pics too.
[edited to add review of David's Bridal, HSN, and Cafe Figaro]
Dress: Macy’s Bridal, Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. I ordered a Demetrios dress from Macy’s. The sales ladies were really nice and helpful, the dress came in on time, the alterations were done perfectly. They met my expectations and get an “A” from me.
Bridal Shoes: I got my shoes at My Glass Slipper. Since I live in Northern Virginia it was easy for me to go to their shop in Alexandria, Virginia. The shoes I found were really pretty and mostly comfortable. The sales lady I was working with was nice but a little incompetent. I was ready to order and the sales lady assured me the shoes could be ordered in ivory, they didn’t need to be dyed. I said great and she tried to ring up the sale and had difficulties with the transaction. She asked if I could call the store the next day to make sure the sale went through okay (again, she was a little incompetent). I called the next day, they put the transaction through that morning and when confirming my order was told by the owner that those shoes could NOT be ordered in ivory, they would have to be dyed. I was not happy about this and the owner wasn’t being all that helpful. Because it was close to the wedding I had no time to search for shoes again. I didn’t cancel the order and got my shoes a week later. I was very disappointed with the service at My Glass Slipper, they get a “C-” from me.
Tiara: I got my tiara at www.tiaratown.com. They had good prices and really fast delivery. They get an “A”.
BM Dresses: We got the BM dresses at David's Bridal (Potomac Festival) in Virginia. They were great! They were very attentive and helpful and the dresses came in early. The sales ladies were always really nice there. They get an 'A'.
BM jewelry: I got my necklace and the earrings and necklaces for my BMs from Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com). All were cubic zirconia and VERY sparkly. The prices were great and I received everything within a couple of weeks. They get an 'A'.
Favors: Ordered Christmas ornaments from JCPenney after Christmas last year (got them for ½ the price). Got ribbon and organza bags from www.organzaribbons.com.
I had no problems with either store and both items got delivered very quickly (within a week). Both stores get an “A”.
Invitations/Menu Cards/Placecards: I used Rebecca from “Favorite Things Invitations” for my invites, menu cards and placecards. She was AWESOME to work with. Not only did she design beautiful invites (that I am still getting compliments on) but she was such a wonderful person to work with! She truly cares about her customers. She completed everything on time and her prices are very reasonable for the beautiful work she does. Rebecca exceeded my expectations and gets an “A+” from me.
After Hours Tuxedo: We worked with both the After Hours Potomac Festival (in Virginia) and the After Hours in the Smithaven Mall. Both places were good to work with. The only problem we had with them was after arranging all the details in Virginia the store was supposed to transfer all the information to the store in New York, that didn’t happen. My brother-in-law showed up to have his measurements taken in NY and they didn’t even have our wedding information. After one phone call from my DH they corrected the problem and we had no further problems with them. The tuxes were ready on time and only one of the guys had to have his vest adjusted (it was a little big), otherwise all the tuxes and accessories fit fine. After Hours gets a “B+” from us.
Limo: We only needed one limo to pick up the girls at my parent’s house and drop us off at Danfords. My sister’s friend and her husband have a small limo business and we used them. They have one limo and primarily use it to do airport pick-ups/drop-offs. It was perfect for what we needed. It was new, clean, and the driver was nice and professional. They get an “A” from me.
Florist: I used Lake Ronkonkoma Florists. They are recently under new ownership. I stopped in to visit with them and talked to one of their designers and the owner. They were so nice to me and the designer was very knowledgeable, he was able to understand and carry out exactly what I wanted him to do. The owner delivered the flowers personally (and would not accept any gratuity). He even brought one of his designers with him to the reception hall to make sure everything was set up properly. They even decorated the cake table for us when I didn’t order flowers for the cake or the table. My flowers were truly beautiful, I LOVED them! Guests were fighting for the centrepieces at the end of the night. The bouquets and the centrepieces stayed fresh for days too. Lake Ronkonkoma Florists totally exceeded my expectations, they get an “A+” from me.
Cake: We used Rolling Pin Bakery in Setauket. They were great! The cake was delicious and they decorated it exactly like the picture I gave them. They even give you a free cake on your one-year anniversary so you don't have to worry about eating old-frozen cake on your anniversary! They get an 'A' from us.
DJ: We used Spin Around Sound. They are a very professional group. They were on time, organized and easy to get in touch with. Tom and James did a good job. The music for the ceremony was perfect. At the reception, they kept the MC-ing to a minimum and didn’t berate anyone to “get out on the dance floor”. The guests really liked that! The only things that didn’t follow the script were the garter/bouquet toss. We opted to remove the garter and then present the garter and bouquet to the next couple getting married (my MOH and her FH), they were supposed to dance to a song and everyone was to join in. Instead, the MOH and her FH were invited to dance by themselves, no explanation given. I had my hubby run over and have them invite everyone else to dance but I don’t think everyone understood what was happening. There were also a couple of songs that we requested that didn’t get played. Other than those two things, we were happy with SAS. Overall they met most of our expectations and get an “A-” from us.
Hair/Make-up: I used Jennifer from Fairytale Makeovers for both my hair and make-up. First let me say that Jennifer is an artist who is extremely talented. Second, she was awesome to work with. What a nice and caring lady she is! She did a spectacular job on my hair and make-up, I felt like a princess when she was done with me. Her assistant did hair for my MOH and one of my BMs, they both looked awesome! It was a pleasure working with Jennifer. My hair and make-up looked even better on my wedding day than it did for my trial… I didn’t think that was possible
Officiant: Father Michael Callahan was our officiant. Father Michael was easy to work with, he was very easy to get in touch with and provided us with great guidance on planning our ceremony. Not only is Father Michael a very nice man, he did an outstanding job on the ceremony! We got compliments all night from our guests about how the ceremony had so much meaning and how beautiful it was. And these compliments were coming from the die-hard Catholics in my family! We were very happy with the ceremony (even though there were a lot of wet faces, including mine, thank goodness DH had tissues for me in his pocket!). Father Michael gets an 'A'!
Photography: We used Patken Photography. Vinny was our photographer and he was awesome all day long. He was professional, on time and very respectful to everyone he interacted with. Vinny has a great personality and was a pleasure to work with. I am really looking forward to seeing our pictures. Since I can’t grade on product yet, I’ll give a grade for the photographer. Vinny is an “A+” guy. (Heck, he even won over my Dad.)
Videography: We used Platinum Video. Peter from Platinum has been a very good vendor to work with. When DH and I visited him in his studio, saw his work, and spoke with him, we were totally sold. Peter was professional, personable, and on time. We are really looking forward to seeing our DVD/video. He was totally unobtrusive too. We don’t have a product yet but Peter gets an “A” in our book, he was truly wonderful to work with.
Reception: We had the reception at Danfords. Danfords exceeded our expectations. Our sales contact Nicole was wonderful, the Maitre d’ Mike was fantastic, our bridal attendant Melissa was terrific and the bartenders and servers were great! In addition to the people being wonderful to work with, the food was incredible! We had guests asking for extra plates of the entrées because they were so good. The chateau briand was “out of this world” is all we heard after dinner was served. Cocktail hour was spectacular too. We had the SCPD bagpipers play during cocktail hour and they were fabulous! Then, before we were going to be seated for dinner, our Maitre d’ surprised us by having a quartet (dressed in Dickens-era clothing) from Theatre Three in Port Jefferson serenade us. They sang two songs, a holiday song and “Embraceable You”, which they dedicated to us. It was such a cool surprise, we loved it! Danfords really had the rooms decorated beautifully too. Lots of holiday wreaths and greenery. The hurricane lamps and candles they had really added to the atmosphere too. Danfords did a great job, they get an “A+” from us.
Rehearsal Dinner: We had our rehearsal dinner at Cafe Figaro (owned by Mama's restaurant) in Centereach. The prices were good, the food was great, and the service was great. The amount of food they give you is unreal! The only problem we had with them was with the cake, they had my DH's name wrong, doh! His name is Dan and they had BEN! It turned out to be really funny and of course my dad was calling him Ben for the next two days
A special thanks to all the LIW ladies that have helped me out over the past year, I couldn't have had such a wonderful day without your help! The reviews and recommendations from past brides were a huge help to me! Thank you!
I'll try posting a couple of pics too.
[edited to add review of David's Bridal, HSN, and Cafe Figaro]
