New Member - A Few Questions

Hi everyone! My name is Liz and me and my fiance Michael are getting married November 11th, 2007. We have pretty much settled on the place and a wedding coordinator but I would love some feedback before I sign any contracts and such. I grew up in Brooklyn,NY so I really don't know Long Island that well. We are planning on having our reception at the Woodbury Country Club and I've heard quite a few positive things about this place and when we saw it, we fell in love immediately. My only question is that they are having another cocktail party after ours and so they offered for us to do the cocktail hour outside instead under a tent so that we can start at any time we want since originally our cocktail hour was to start at 4:30 and our church ceremony started at the earliest 3 and I felt that wasn't enough time to take pictures and to allow travel time. Has anyone ever had the cocktail hour outside under one of these tents in October or November? I'm just worried that its gonna look weird or ugly. I've never really seen a wedding under a tent before so I'm just a tad bit concerned.

My other question is that we are also planning to use The Wedding Plaza (Ariana Studios) for a variety of wedding services. They offered us a package consisting of photography package for 10 hours, videography & 3 DVD's, bridal, maid of honor, 3 bridesmaid bouquets, 2 mother's coursage, 7 boutonnieres, 24 centerpieces, tuxedo and shoe rental, DJ for 6 hours, 125 invitations w/ response cards and reception cards, 3 limos for 3 hours(2 - 8 passenger & 1 - 4 passenger Rolls Royce), and video screens and montage during cocktail and reception all for $8000. Now, this to me sounds like a great deal, seeing that people have certainly spent more than this for these services. My question is are these people reliable and is their services worth it? I know that sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you need to pay more for better quality but I wanted to know if this is a good deal or not? I looked at the pictures they took and they looked really good and when we watched the video, I also thought it was really good. But I've read some complaints from other posters on here and even though the lastest I could find was 8/2005, it made me a little concerned. So, if anyone has used them and either loved or hated them, please let me know b/c I don't want to sign something, and put down a deposit if they are not all that great and I'd be better off going elsewhere. It seems a little too good to be true but they did come highly recommended by the Douglaston Manor, which I absolutely loved but they were a bit too small for our 250 guest wedding...Thank you so much!

Hey girly,
Welcome and Congrats. I dont know anything about the woodbury country club but I'm sure a tented CH would be fine. For me - I looked at places that only had one wedding at time, but if you don't care about that then go for it. However, your wedding is in Nov so make sure the tent is heated.

As for the 8K quote you got for all of those services. Before you book, make sure to take a look at the photographers work, the videographer's videos, the band and florist and compare their work with some of the vendors the girls on this site are using. The price you got almost sounds too good to be true. Definitely do some research before you book. You've got plenty of time. Good Luck!

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Posted by lizzynyu

Yes, I did my undergrad at NYU. I started in 1999 as a student in Tisch and graduated from the School of Education with a degree in Communications and minor in Sociology in 2004. What school were you in? Thanks for the advice...it does sound a little too good to be true but I think it could be a good deal. I'm gonna take your advice and keep researching though but I'm hoping that someone who has used them before could tell me if they are good or not. I asked the guy for references and he's emailing me their numbers but how do i know these people are legit, you know? But thanks!

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I graduated 4 yrs ago from CAS. Major in Psych and minor in Chemistry ( I was pre-med). Now I'm finishing up med school (april!!!).

I'm sure someone here has used them and will respond. Try some other boards as well. Maybe the '06 Board. Also, google them and you can also try this and check on the boards there. Lastly, check out their standing on the BBB.

Good Luck, girlie!

Congrats on the engagement!!!!!!

I've been a couple of events at the Woodbury Country Club and they have all been wonderful. I've never been to a tent CH there but I have at other places and they have been nice as well. They do it up really nice, it's usually a white tent they use.

About the other vendors- Personally I'm not to keen on the idea of the one stop shop vendors. Thats just me though. Have you looked around at any other vedors...just to compare prices and quailty. Also, check out the Bride Review Boards..they were very helpful when I was planning.

HTH

Hello!! Glad to hear you loved the Douglaston Manor!!! I think they recommend the Wedding Plaza b/c that used to be the vendor that provided all of their services before they renovated (since they used to have an all inclusive package).

My sister used the Wedding Plaza for just about everything at her wedding 2 years ago. I definitely do feel it falls under the 'you get what you pay for' category. The photographer was just ok, he did the traditional poses and nothing fancy. The video- they had quite a few problems- the dvd they received was skipping- they had to return it 4 times before they fixed it. I hope this was an exception and not the rule there, but I agree with another poster that sometimes going with an all in one wedding center is not the best. The only service I would recommend by the Wedding Plaza is their dj- my sister had one of the owners- Andy at her wedding, and he was fantastic!! so funny! I think they are a good option if your on a budget......but if your picky about your pictures (my sister definitely wasn't!) then they may not be right for you.

Please feel free to FM with any questions!!

I would def check out a higher-priced photog & videog before you sign with Ariana.... you may really like one quality better than the other.
Ariana was the first studio I looked at but then on a whim, I walked into another studio w/o an appt (i think it was patken,can't remember) & I realized that I loved more candids than posed. It seems Ariana does more posed.
I am using B rett Matthews for phog & Wild Rose for video. I'm sure more brides can recommend different photog for you.

Congrats! Woodbury is great! I have been to a cocktail hr under the tent and it was fine. They have heaters and it worked well.

I would research some of the other vendors that Woodbury offers. One stop shopping can be good, but for the price you said, it sounds very low. I know it sounds easier just to book it that way, but if you do your research and find what you really love, you won't mind paying for it.

Good luck.

oh and I'm going to New Year Eve at Woodbury. They have a great New Years bash.

those one-stop-shop places make me really nervous, i totally think that you get what you pay for in quality and service ... i would suggest shopping around before signing anything.

there's a lot of brides on here who have gotten really great deals and i'm sure they'd love to offer their suggestions

Welome My advice to you, is 'go slow'. I jumped right into thing once I got onto LIW and felt like I was so behind w/ vendors. Do your research and you'll find some great deals! Good Luck

Congrats and happy planning!

You have time to do research. No need to jump into this right away. Whether you're on a tight budget or not, you can find vendors that you actually love.

Thanks to everyone who has been posting! It means a lot to me. I know I have time...it's still a whole year away. LOL. I'm the type though that likes to get things done early and booked so that I can relax and just work out the fine details instead of worrying who my photographer is or who's doing my flowers and all that fun stuff.

I've read some recommendations from different people on this site and I'm starting to think the one-stop-shop may not be the best thing afterall. Some of the vendors that I keep reading people mention are: Twelfth Night for photography, Wild Rose Video for videography, June Florist for Flowers (in Brooklyn), Double Diamond Limousines (also Brooklyn), and Starlight Express for DJ services. Anyone have any familiarity with these vendors? Any suggestions would be helpful as well! Thanks so much and I'm glad to be a part of this group. Everyone is so nice and so helpful!

Hi

I had my wedding there in just last month. The cocktail hour was outside under 2 tents my guests were defiantely warmer but it wasnt' as pretty as we would have like. It didn't really make a difference since it is so dark outside anyway at wcc at night you can't see a thing. They never told us about the second tent though - they just put it up.