Our Wedding (Really, Really Long)

Well, as everyone says, in the beginning of the planning, it seems your day can`t come quick enough, but as the months turn into weeks and weeks into days, the time just goes really, really fast ... almost to the point you wish you had just a little more time for the smallest of the small details. Our rehearsal went really well. It was probably the most thorough we had ever been to, and all seemed to go well .. my niece (age 4 1/2) and my nephew (age 1 1/2) made the walk down the aisle hand-in-hand on the second attempt! :) That had to be the highlight moment! The rehearsal dinner was at IRISH COFFEE PUB. I was initially given a hard time by a woman (Newla) in trying to book a room, but was handled much more professionally by Fred when I called a second time. And I`m glad I called back. One small glich ... when we walked into what was supposed to be our room, the woman tending to the seating (I don`t know her name), came and told me we had the wrong room. I told her the Dublin Court was what we booked. She came back and said I was right. Minor annoyance that shouldn`t have happened. After that, everything was perfect. The food was amazing and the service was great. I wish I remembered the waitress`s name. She was really sweet, and delayed dinner flawlessly at our request while we handed out gifts. As for our wedding day... I woke up at my parent`s house to a gray sky despite the forecasts for clear skies til Tuesday. Well, I checked the weather channels, and the weather was going in the wrong direction, bringing rain in from the south-east. Sure enough, the rain started and barely let up all day. Just once I think the sky brightened for just a few minutes, and that was well before we left for church. On to the vendors... KRISTEN (of Enchante Salon and Day Spa in Smithtown) came just after 9 a.m. Mom went first, and my niece was so excited, she insisted on being next. Everyone`s hair and makeup turned out great, and Kristen was so efficient on getting us all done so quickly without compromising our looks that we had time to just sit and relax before getting dressed. FLOWERS BY BRIAN sent their delivery early, which is always appreciated, and the driver even said, if he had to, he would wait outside the church til later in the afternoon if it was locked when he got there. The flowers were absolutely stunning. The only time I (sort of) paniced all day was when I thought we were one boutineer short, but when I called them, they quickly set me straight .. turned out I just had the color schemes wrong on who got what! (Duh!) But they knew without pausing in the conversation. The only thing that was wrong, was the berries were missing from the flowergirl basket .. no big deal. I have to say, even men have been commenting since the wedding on how stunning the flowers were. And they have held up so well since. MICHAEL O`NEILL and assistant Mark were next to arrive. They were lots of fun to work with the whole day through, and were very patient in dealing with all the craziness in my parent`s cramped house as we all prepared in the final hours before the wedding. Since the outdoor pictures were washed-out, Michael suggested heading back up to their studio for our portraits. They were ready when we arrived and moved fluidly through the shots to get us in and out quickly. While we haven`t seen our proofs yet, we can say we loved working with them. The limos arrived next. I had always heard great things about ROYALTY, and knew they had a reputation of arriving early, which is exactly what happened with our cars. The Jaguar was sitting outside my parent`s house by something like 2:30, when it was supposed to pick up the girls at 3:15. The Rolls Royce, expected at 3:30, arrived about 3:00. My only knock against them was having to tell the drivers how to get to their destinations. To me, it wasn`t a big deal, but they really shouldn`t have been asking how to get everywhere. The woman driving the Jag was a tremendous help at the church, and Gus, who drove the Rolls, was lots of fun. We also had a car come back at the end of the night, and here too we were giving directions. Again, to me, not a big deal. The Church was great. My niece and nephew did go down the aisle hand-in-hand, though he didn`t carry the ringbearer pillow despite my sister-in-law`s (matron of honor) futile efforts. I shrugged and told her let him go without it. Some things you just can`t stress over. I was also glad I did the programs and included the readings. I also had the ushers ask people if they needed John Anthony`s map cards while handing out the programs. The videographer, part of Michael O`Neill Photography, was not abtrusive at all. I barely noticed him throughout the whole event, including the reception. I think the only time I cringed was when the limo drivers and I had to hike my dress up as we made our way from the limo to the church, and I saw the red light flashing on his camera .. I was hoping he wouldn`t tape that, but it was part of the day! (And I did ask the lady limo driver to make sure I wasn`t flashing anyone). :) Basically the only time I got upset was at the end of the night. The videographer asked if Mike and I wanted to say anything to each other, then I remembered how he was supposed to have asked us questions like how/when/where we met, how/when/where we got engaged, etc. and he hadn`t. At first he made it seem like it couldn`t be done anymore, but we worked it out. It ended up being done in our bridal suite under pressure during the final half-hour of our reception, but did get done. However, I don`t really know if we were happy with the way our stories were told by us. Guess we`ll see how it turns out on the video. As for our DJ, Eddie Terryn of PARAMETERS, overall I`d say we were very happy with him. He checked in with us numerous times throughout the night to make sure everything was okay, and I thought that was absolutely great. Every little request I had when he came to us, was met promptly. As for our MUST PLAY list, I can`t say for sure that everything was played since we got sidetracked on more than one occaison. The only knock, is that Mike`s dedication to me was played opening the dinner set when everyone had been seated to eat. We hesitated for a moment, then got up and danced to the song while our guests ate. Unfortunately, this moment, his dedication to me, will be missing from the video because of the timing. The moment of the night for me, was when Eddie did the 10-year-anniversary dedication to my brother and sister-in-law. I gave him their wedding song, and he played it for them opening the set after dinner. It was great seeing them recapture the moment from their wedding, and their little girl joined them shortly into the song. Unfortunately my nephew had fallen asleep in the minutes prior to the song. A friend of ours assisted in the intros to the reception. He is an amazing bugler, and did a fanstastic job. Later in the night, he did a fabulous 'America the Beautiful.'

Our Wedding continued (Really, Really Long)

As for JOHN ANTHONY`S, as many people already know, the food and service go without saying .. it was all wonderful, and we felt we got a tremendous deal for the price. Because of the rain, our bridal party went straight down to JA`s after the ceremony, getting there about an hour before they were expected, although I did have my mom call and confirm an early arrival prior to us leaving for the church. They took the party right down to the suite and had food right away for them! Also, our early arriving guests were also treated well, not being forced to wait, from what I`ve heard. Minor knocks .. we didn`t get to see the room prior to the start of the reception, as I requested upon our arrival. Also, there were several points during the reception were we felt there was a lack of coordination, such as during our entrance and during our cake cutting. Plus, the ice cream bar just seemed to appear without notice next to the bar. When we did realize it was out, Eddie swiftly made the announcement followed by playing Van Halen`s 'Ice Cream Man.' Other minor knocks, my throw-away bouquet was not placed on our table. When I went to get it as the give-away for the longest married couple half-way through the anniversary game dance, I had to have someone run down to search the bridal suite. Luckily that`s were it was, and it was brought up just in time as the game had just ended. Also, we had requested one of our 25 cameras be placed on our table, so we could get our own shots from our perspective. Well, there was no camera placed on our table. Also, we never got back any left-over favors from the place-card table. I would have liked to forward them to the guests who didn`t arrive. One final point, I can`t say with absolute certainty, but we were supposed to have frozen mixed drinks butler passed during the cocktail hour, and from people I have talked to, they didn`t see this done. These are all little things, and overall, I would absolutely, without a doubt book John Anthony`s again without hesitation. It may seem like I`m pointing out many minor negatives overall, but these are the little things we noticed, but probably many of our guests didn`t. Definitely have your DJ/Band make an announcement regarding the cameras you put on the tables. We put out 25, and only got back 13! If there are any important details you do not want overlooked, appoint someone to be in charge, or make a short list for yourself as a reminder. Bottom line, I`ve never been happier in my life as I was when I walked down that aisle. I told everyone at my parent`s house that they weren`t allowed to cry in front of me, cuz that would get me going, and I didn`t cry once. I stayed strong through the promises (vows), and was a bit surprised I didn`t break down and cry. I kept my head up and let my happiness shine through my smile. We took a brief honeymoon to Mohonk Mt. and fell in love with the place. We booked one of the Tower Rooms, and have said we will try to get back there to 'our room' each year for our anniversary. (It is expensive). But what a beautiful place! So peaceful and relaxing, and the sites and food were absolutely incredible. Plus, they even left us a little gift! Gee, if anyone`s still reading, thanks! I could talk for days on what a great time we had with everything. Sure, there are things we`d change if we could do it over again, but nothing major, and we certainly don`t want to do it over again! Even the rain didn`t seem that bad .. just inconvenient, and a major downer when thinking about how the video and photo albums could have been, as opposed to what they will be. Any questions, please feel free to ask.

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

Our Wedding continued (Really, Really Long)

Kel, sounds like your wedding was perfect!! (as it should be) I am so glad that everything went well---congratulations to you and your husband--I wish you a lifetime of happiness!! I actually got engaged at Mohonk Mountain house---on top of the tower! It is absolutely beautiful and the tower room is the best room to have!! I am so happy for you!! I have 15 days to go, myself!!! YEAH!!! Best wishes!

Congratulations Kel!!!

I know what you mean about not being able to stop talking about your wedding. I want to do mine again (of course without having to plan it all again). It was the best party I have ever been to. I am sure you feel that way too!!!

Question:

Would you mind sharing the info for your hairdresser? How much does she charge? Does she also do makeup?

It sounds wonderful - absolutely! I wish you lots of love! *NM*

Congratulations Kel and Best Wishes

Did we get married the same day 9-14? We had rain too, but like you I didnt let it get to me and now it dosen't even bother me.

Congratulations it all sounds perfect!

glad to hear all the details pay off!best of luck for a bright future. And keep in touch.

Kel, so happy for u! Congrats :) *NM* *NM*

Congrats kel *NM* *NM*