My June 30 Wedding at the Carlyle!!!

Wow, I can not believe that it is my turn to post about my wedding! To be honest, I still can't believe its already happened, it feels like a dream somewhere in my memory! (And yes, it was everything I dreamed of!)

I've seen these posts written in a number of ways, ranging from a heartfelt replay of the day to an objective vendor review. I think I'm going to go the more objective route on this one, since I think that will be more helpful to all of you. I just wanted to preface by saying that -- so that the fact I am being critical does not make you believe that I wasn't truly ecstatic about my day! I just want to share some info that may be helpful, and that means sharing the minor nuisances...

I'll go in order of the day to start...

Calligraphy for Invites and Place Cards -- Inkspun (http://www.inkspun.com) did a great job fast for very little money. I would definately recommend them if you don't have your heart set on hand-done calligraphy.

Rehearsal Dinner -- Ecco on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City. Fantastic! They were on the pricey side, but well worth it. This is a fancy northern italian restaurant with a private room. I believe the minimum was 40 people (we had about 45 I believe) and the maximum is about 60. (I wouldn't go much over 50 though for the space). Excellent food, great atmosphere, and impeccable service.

Make Up -- Laurie Ann made me feel absolutely amazing. I don't normally wear a lot of makeup, so I was nervous. The makeup looked very natural, stayed on well, and looks fabulous in the pictures I've seen so far.

Hair -- Melissa is an absolute artist. I think I was on the more conservative side of her usual clients, the photos in her portfolio included amazing braids and really original styles if you are a bit more trendy then me! I wanted something timeless and a bit more traditional. I brought a few pictures to my trial, and then we played a bit on our own. I loved how it came out!!

Dress -- Priscilla of Boston. I am so sad I can't wear this dress again. Maybe we should have a LIWeddings party where all the newlyweds get to wear their dresses! I loved my dress, and Priscilla's treated me well -- will one major OOPs -- they left the pins in and didn't sew one layer of the underskirt. I didn't notice this until the morning of.

Photographer -- Creative Compositions. We used Steve as the primary formal photographer and Ruth for black and white candids. I haven't seen my proofs yet, so I'll be able to say more later! I can tell you that they were very professional, and efficient about putting together all of the groups of people. They had us laughing the entire time we took pictures, it was great fun!

Limo -- Ultimate Class. Timely, polite, and the car was in great shape. I would definately recommend them.

Flowers -- In Full Bloom. Marie did an excellent job. I will post pictures taken by my guests below. The chuppah, bouquets, and centerpieces were beautiful and I received many compliments.

Location -- Carlyle on the Green. I know the other Carlyle brides will have many questions, so I should really start another post on this. The summary, everything was amazing. Barbara who was my bridal assistant was an absolute angel, I don't know how I would have made it through the day without her. We have received compliments galore about the Carlyle. My only gripe -- the maitre d kept calling my by my maid of honor's name during the rehearsal. Oops.

Videographer -- Skylight Productions. This is another one that I'll have to wait to give a full review.

Band -- Central Park from Steven Scott Orchestras. They were very, very good when singing. I have just two complaints to make, they stopped playing for a short bit while people were eating when there was supposed to be no stops. Second, they called my brother instead of my husband for the parent dance. (Thats a big oops!)

Honeymoon -- Hawaii. Absolutely amazing. This could also be its own thread without question! We stayed at the Halekulani on Oahu, the Hyatt on Kauai, and the Four Seasons on Maui.

Well thats a good start... Pictures will follow...