Our incredible 9/2 wedding!! (very long!!!!)

We're just back from our honeymoon and wanted to share an update of the most incredible day of our lives. Before I start, please let me say how truly sorry I am for anyone here who has been touched by the awful tragedy that has devestated so many lives. It brings me so much hope when I see how supportive everyone has been. Our prayers are with you all. I will post a brief outline of each vendor, and if anyone has more specific questions, I will be happy to answer them. Ceremony & Reception - Port Jefferson Country Club - Words cannot describe how perfect our day was. The weather was picture perfect adding to the natural beauty of this fabulous place. Steve and Nicole were so helpful throughout the planning, and on our wedding day, Darcy & Danny were the most helpful, thoughtful and sweet people we have ever had the pleasure to meet. They went above and beyond at every step of the way. Although I (regretfully) didn't eat a bite at the cocktail hour, everyone raved about each selection. The dinners were delicious as well - I had the salmon & Mike had the prime rib - YUMMY! From start to finish, every aspect of our experience was perfection! Hotel - Danford's - My MOH & I had the waterfront suite and we used it as wedding central on the morning of. The staff was so helpful and even arranged for an early morning coffee & muffin delivery before the kitchen even opened! The room was beautiful and we shot excellent pictures there. Hair & Makeup - Dina & Heather - Perfection is all I can say. They arrived bright & early (6:00 AM) at our hotel and were full of energy. They worked so well together and did a fabulous job. Every woman deserves to feel like a princess on their wedding day, and I can thank Dina for helping me to look like one! Photographers - Lynn & Tony of Mark Kauffman Studios - We had the most fun with this incredible team. To say they are talented would be the understatement of the century! They put us perfectly at ease and let us just go crazy! We did a shoot on the beach in Port Jeff that was one of the highlights of the wedding. Everyone loved them and they have been 'adopted' by my mom. Bakery - Rolling Pin - We could not stop eating this cake! Darcy laughed - when we did the cake feeding, we couldn't put the plate down! She said she never saw a couple actually eat the whole piece and go back for more. Guests were leaving with cake 'doggie bags'. DJ - Sounds Unlimited - The dance floor was moving all day long. Al was exactly what we were looking for. Not too over the top and kept everything moving right along. The music selections were perfect for the crowd and after watching our video, I can see how much fun everyone had. Flowers - James Cress - I cried when the flowers were delivered. When Mr. Cress first met with us, we had no idea what to expect. When I finally saw our bouquets, I couldn't even speak. Delicate and beautiful with the most vibrant colors I have ever seen. Guests were claiming the centerpieces as soon as the entered the room. Limos - Genesis - On time, reasonably priced and nice cars! We also used them to take us to the airport for our honeymoon. Jack (the owner) is very sweet and had incredible follow-up with all the details. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. My best advice to any bride-to-be is: enjoy everything, worry about nothing. My MOH stepped in a few times to fix minor problems I wasn't even aware of. don't forget to eat and greet each and every guest personally. Most of all just smile! Thanks to everyone who has given me guidance and advice over the past year. Good luck to everyone who is still planning. Be kind to each other and find beauty in the little things. Michele The new Mrs. J!!!!

Congratulations! Everything sounds beautiful!! *NM*

Congratulations on your perfect day! *NM*

Congratulations!!!

I'm glad to hear everything was great. I'm not sure if you remember, but I'll be getting married at the Port Jefferson Country Club next August, so if you can give any other tips or info about the place and about the ceremony (if you got married out at the gazebo) that would be great. Also, I'm probably going to use James Cress as well. Do you mind me asking around how much you spent, and what kind of flowers you used? I'm trying to get an average price from them. Thanks so much, and good luck to your new family!

CONGRATS!!!! Sounds great....God Bless your marriage! *NM*

Best Wishes! *NM*

Congratulations!!!

Thanks so much for the warm wishes! You will be so happy at the PJCC. We got married out on the deck and then had our receiving line down by the gazebo on the grass. While we were down there with our guests, they were setting up the cocktail hour up on the deck. Everything went so smoothly. Darcy was our maitre d' and she was incredible. Danny was our bridal attendant and she was an absolute sweetheart. I can assure you, you will not be disappointed! James Cress cost us about $2300. That was for my bouquet, MOH, 2 BM, corsages for MOB, MOG, and grandma, 9 boutonnieres, 10 centerpieces, gazebo decorations, 2 columns for the ceremony (which were later moved indoors for the reception), aisle runner, wooden posts, tulle bows for the deck and my tossing bouquet. I think that covers everything. We used a lot of white & purple flowers (iris, freesia, roses, lilies, etc.) I had a presentation bouquet and loved it. My MOH was a smaller version of mine & the BM's were a little smaller still. I don't know a whole bunch about flowers, but they were gorgeous! I wish you a ton of happiness. If there is anything I can help with, please let me know. Michele a.k.a. 'The brand-new Mrs. J'

Best wishes and lots of love forever! *NM*

Best of luck for a bright future filled with love *NM*

Congratulations and best wishes!!!!!! *NM*

Congratulations!!! *NM*

re: Our incredible wedding

Congratulations and best of luck to you and your new hubby!!! I have a question about mark Kauffmann studios: can you give me some detail about the photo package you had and the cost? I recently went to Duval studio in Wantagh and they want $2500-3000. I thought that was an awful lot of money. I appreciate your help! Oh, and I didn`t even start looking at flowers yet...can you share some details about them too? Thank you so much! -Joy

Joy - re: Mark Kauffman

Thanks for the happy wishes! Mark & his team are so fabulous. We purchased the intermediate package which included two high-level photographers (one color - one B&W); one 11x14 and two 8x10's. That came to about 2,000. We then upgraded to unlimited photos for an additional 1,100. They usually shoot about 500 photos, but with the unlimited package we got over 1,800. I had a chance to see he proofs briefly on monday and they are incredible! My parents freaked a little about the price, but once they saw how beautiful the pictures were they could not have been happier. Mark has a ton of packages for albums, etc and they vary in price. I don't have my contracts with me, but would be happy to get back to you with a general idea. Good luck in your planning!!! Michele

Joy - re: Mark Kauffman

Thanks for the advise Shelby! I think I am going to give them a call...it seems everyone has positive feedback about them. Be very happy in your new marriage! -Joy