My wedding review
Girls, this has been way overdue, but now that I'm settled and adjusted to Long Island life I'm ready to write my wedding review.
It was the absolute best day of my life!! I hope every is as happy on their wedding day as I was on mine. I'll post pics when I get them on my computer.
Location: Kings Point Merchant Marine academy... A+
Richard Stancati is the Maitre D, and although he comes across as very gruff, he's a big softy inside. My advice to brides getting married at KP is listen to Rich, he knows what he's doing! I didn't give him any grief, and when I walked into the hall after the ceremony I almost broke down in tears at how beautiful it looked. He added so many extras that I wasn't expecting, and my husband later told me it was because Rich said I was one of the easiest brides he's ever worked with.
We paid extra and had an outdoor cocktail hour which was just breathtaking on the water. All the guest RAVED about the food.
There is a baker on-site at KP. I gave him a magazine picture of the cake I wanted, and it turned out EXACTLY like the picture, and it was delicious!
Everything from start to finish went smoothly, and I'd recommend KP to anyone who is thinking about getting married there. (But you have to be a graduate, marry one, or be in the service I think)
Photographer: Marco Studios...B
Marco was unavailable so we had Larry, who was very nice and took all of my requested shots. The reason I gave him a B is because when we got our proofs back I was a tiny bit disappointed. There are a lot of shadows in the indoor shots, and the bridal party shot on the grass was taken so far away that you can barely see our faces. Maybe he can crop and zoom, I don't know. Also, I caught Larry falling asleep while my husband was doing the father-mother dance with his mom. No, I'm not making that up! Larry came with a lighting assistant who was very sweet, and she was very helpful with holding my dress and whatnot.
Videographer: Marco Studios....A
I haven't seen the video yet, but the videographer was all over the place that day. I can't wait to see it! My husband and I decided A WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING to go with the video and I'm so glad we did. We were going to have a family member take the video, and after I saw the amateur DVD I am 100% confident in our decision to go with a pro.
DJ: In the Mix...A+
We had a DJ and an emcee. The emcee was named Jack and he had incredible energy. The dance floor was packed the whole night! He never said anything inappropriate and played ALL of my requests. We upgraded to the package with lighting and it really made for a party atmosphere.
Florist: Town and Country, Manhasset...A+
We worked with Robert, who I believe is the owner. He was incredibly patient with me because I changed my mind on the flowers about three times. When I needed to downsize my floral budget, Robert recommended flowers and made BEAUTIFUL bouquets at a very reasonable price. He also made gorgeous altar flowers of big white bows with lavender daises (The BM dresses were lavender). I made my own centerpieces and needed flowers for the vases. Robert let me drop everything off a week before the wedding and he set everything up beautifully. Even the cake flowers were breathtaking.
Dress: David's Bridal...A+
The dress was breathtaking and the bustle looked great, although it fell down a few times while I was dancing up a storm!
Hair and Makeup: Express Yourself Salon, Bronx...A
Tara, the owner, did my hair and Agnes did my makeup. GORGEOUS. I wish I could have them do me up everyday. Important note: they drove all the way out to my hotel in Melville.
I gave out winestoppers for favors, one per couple or single guest. I ordered them online
and they were delivered in about 2 weeks. Guests said they loved them. http://www.weddingshowplace.com/kawine_stopper.htm
Each stopper came in a clear box wrapped in a whitebow with a tag that says Thank You. I typed a personal message on clear labels and stuck it to the back of each tag.
http://www.weddingshowplace.com/11001NAL.jpg
I had a bride and groom caketopper that I ordered from www.jwcaketops.com. I custom ordered my bride to have strawberry blonde hair, which came out a little orange. If you are considering ordering a custom caketopper, leave yourself plenty of time. I was stressing a week before my wedding when I still hadn't gotten it in the mail!
My husband is a HUGE NASCAR fan, and because he was so amazing with the wedding plans, I wanted to do something special for him. After I posted a question on LIW for girlfriends of NASCAR fans, I got the idea for a garter. I found the perfect one on ebay, with his favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and the look on his face when he saw the garter was PRICELESS!!
I hope this helps some of you. Good luck with your wedding plans! LIW was a lifesaver for me!!!![]()
It was the absolute best day of my life!! I hope every is as happy on their wedding day as I was on mine. I'll post pics when I get them on my computer.
Location: Kings Point Merchant Marine academy... A+
Richard Stancati is the Maitre D, and although he comes across as very gruff, he's a big softy inside. My advice to brides getting married at KP is listen to Rich, he knows what he's doing! I didn't give him any grief, and when I walked into the hall after the ceremony I almost broke down in tears at how beautiful it looked. He added so many extras that I wasn't expecting, and my husband later told me it was because Rich said I was one of the easiest brides he's ever worked with.
We paid extra and had an outdoor cocktail hour which was just breathtaking on the water. All the guest RAVED about the food.
There is a baker on-site at KP. I gave him a magazine picture of the cake I wanted, and it turned out EXACTLY like the picture, and it was delicious!
Everything from start to finish went smoothly, and I'd recommend KP to anyone who is thinking about getting married there. (But you have to be a graduate, marry one, or be in the service I think)
Photographer: Marco Studios...B
Marco was unavailable so we had Larry, who was very nice and took all of my requested shots. The reason I gave him a B is because when we got our proofs back I was a tiny bit disappointed. There are a lot of shadows in the indoor shots, and the bridal party shot on the grass was taken so far away that you can barely see our faces. Maybe he can crop and zoom, I don't know. Also, I caught Larry falling asleep while my husband was doing the father-mother dance with his mom. No, I'm not making that up! Larry came with a lighting assistant who was very sweet, and she was very helpful with holding my dress and whatnot.
Videographer: Marco Studios....A
I haven't seen the video yet, but the videographer was all over the place that day. I can't wait to see it! My husband and I decided A WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING to go with the video and I'm so glad we did. We were going to have a family member take the video, and after I saw the amateur DVD I am 100% confident in our decision to go with a pro.
DJ: In the Mix...A+
We had a DJ and an emcee. The emcee was named Jack and he had incredible energy. The dance floor was packed the whole night! He never said anything inappropriate and played ALL of my requests. We upgraded to the package with lighting and it really made for a party atmosphere.
Florist: Town and Country, Manhasset...A+
We worked with Robert, who I believe is the owner. He was incredibly patient with me because I changed my mind on the flowers about three times. When I needed to downsize my floral budget, Robert recommended flowers and made BEAUTIFUL bouquets at a very reasonable price. He also made gorgeous altar flowers of big white bows with lavender daises (The BM dresses were lavender). I made my own centerpieces and needed flowers for the vases. Robert let me drop everything off a week before the wedding and he set everything up beautifully. Even the cake flowers were breathtaking.
Dress: David's Bridal...A+
The dress was breathtaking and the bustle looked great, although it fell down a few times while I was dancing up a storm!
Hair and Makeup: Express Yourself Salon, Bronx...A
Tara, the owner, did my hair and Agnes did my makeup. GORGEOUS. I wish I could have them do me up everyday. Important note: they drove all the way out to my hotel in Melville.
I gave out winestoppers for favors, one per couple or single guest. I ordered them online
and they were delivered in about 2 weeks. Guests said they loved them. http://www.weddingshowplace.com/kawine_stopper.htm
Each stopper came in a clear box wrapped in a whitebow with a tag that says Thank You. I typed a personal message on clear labels and stuck it to the back of each tag.
http://www.weddingshowplace.com/11001NAL.jpg
I had a bride and groom caketopper that I ordered from www.jwcaketops.com. I custom ordered my bride to have strawberry blonde hair, which came out a little orange. If you are considering ordering a custom caketopper, leave yourself plenty of time. I was stressing a week before my wedding when I still hadn't gotten it in the mail!
My husband is a HUGE NASCAR fan, and because he was so amazing with the wedding plans, I wanted to do something special for him. After I posted a question on LIW for girlfriends of NASCAR fans, I got the idea for a garter. I found the perfect one on ebay, with his favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and the look on his face when he saw the garter was PRICELESS!!
I hope this helps some of you. Good luck with your wedding plans! LIW was a lifesaver for me!!!
