Planning review
So we got engaged a couple of days before Christmas and found out that our date was already taken at one of the places we wanted so we went into high gear on the planning. Here's our impressions/plans so far.
Venue
The first place we visited was Chateau La Mer and fell in love immediately and didn't even look anywhere else. We got the tour from Lou, who is great and I signed the contract with Nick because it was Lou's day off. They are super helpful, the place is beautiful, and you get SO much food. Plus it's right on the water and if you get married during peak time (late spring, summer, early fall), they have a yacht that you can arrive at your reception in. They're always willing to answer our crazy questions. I definitely recommend them. We went to their tasting and they really have great food. They give you the works at the tasting and you can bring up to 6 people. They serve the main courses family style so you can try a little of everything. We were all very impressed, even my future FIL, who wasn't that into the wedding planning at first but after he went to CLM, he jumped right in.
Photographer
We met with Time Xposures, Velvet Studios, Artisan, and Patken. For a good sized (8x10 or larger) digital album with at least 60 images, 2 parents albums, a portrait for the wall, all of the thank you notes, the website with the proofs for guests to order, and 10 or so loose 5x7s for the bridal party, and an engagement session, they were all around $4000-4500. Most either had a lighting assistant or a second photographer included as well and they were all willing to work with our budget. Besides Patken, we loved all of the photographers we met with and it was a really really hard decision. I went back and forth a bunch of times and I really would have been happy with any of them (except Patken).
Patken was quite pricey and the fact that you don't get to meet with your photographer beforehand turned us off. I've heard them described as kind of used car salesman like and I would have to agree.
Chuck at Artisan is a great guy, spent a lot of time with us showing us samples, very professional, and he was a close second.
Jon at Time Xposures was also great, really fun, BEAUTIFUL work, and he had some cool options like a DVD slide show of your proofs set to music of your choice.
We went with Velvet Studios, who we thought had the best work and Bob REALLY worked with our budget. And you get 2 photographers so that will get you so many proofs. He just seems really professional and he's the house photographer for Chateau so he knows the venue pretty well.
Flowers
We met with Burton's and The Little Flower Shop. They were both around $1800 for bridal boK, 3 BMs, a junior BM, and a kissing ball/pomander for the flower girl, 8 bouts, 4 corsages, 15 low centerpieces, and a nice arch spray for the gazebo. And that's with roses, lisianthus, peonies, and a few other flowers. Both Burton's and Flower Shop were great and really seemed to get what I wanted. We ultimately went with Little Flower Shop because in the course of our conversation, I got the sense that John REALLY pays attention to the details and I knew he would do a good job. I had my feelings confirmed independently from someone my aunt works with and they said he's meticulous. He delivers all of his flowers himself, sets everything up, and makes sure it's perfect. If you're a CLM bride, he's right down the street too. He's also letting us bring our own vases for the centerpieces so that's saving us some money as well.
Burton's was great too but they use a delivery guy and only do weddings so I felt like I was losing a little of the personalized attention.
DJ
My fiance is friends with a DJ at Steven Charles and so it was a given that we were going with them. Sal is a fun, great guy and I can't wait for the reception. I met with Steven Charles the owner for our info session and he was so helpful and sat with me for a long time, showing me a DVD of a reception they had done (at CLM it just so happens) and their prices are really reasonable. They also have a TON of music and all of the new stuff and can get pretty much anything you want.
Invitations and favors
We haven't ordered invitations and favors yet but I think we're going with Exclusivelyweddings.com. They have the best prices, you can order a proof AND you can get free invitation samples in the mail which is very helpful, and they also have favors, attendant gifts, and all that stuff.
Gown
I got my gown at David's Bridal. It's perfect and the girl there was so helpful. I've heard bad things about them but I had a pretty good experience. I guess you just have to go in with lower expectations and realize you're paying like $1000 less for a gown than you would normally. I've seen dresses like mine on some shows and it's like $1200 more if it's by a fancy designer but it's basically the same dress. I'd give them a try for sure, even as a first stop in your dress hunting.
Bridesmaid dresses
I'm pretty sure we're going with Alfred Angelo because they have just the right color (spice) and they have a nice selection of different dresses for my girls to pick from. They're all different sizes and shapes so it's important to me that they get to be comfortable. Bridal Suite in Centereach is where we got the BM gowns for my sister's wedding and they were pretty good. I showed up to pick my MoH gown and they hadn't done the hemming yet but they did it right away and I came back later that day and it was ready. You don't need an appointment and they greet you right away when you walk it. I'd recommend them but I'd lie and say that your wedding is a few weeks before it actually is just to be safe.
Miscellaneous
There's great vases at Ikea for $1.50 each (seriously) and they fit quite a nice centerpiece. My sister used them for her wedding and they were just the right height. They're called Vasen. But you have to have an Ikea near you because they don't ship them. A lot of florists seem willing to let you use your own glassware so I'd definitely hunt around for good deals.
We also got votive candles from A.C. Moore this past week for like $3 for a box of 12. Normally they're $7 a box but if you look for deals around wedding season you can get them much cheaper. They're nice and simple and they come in white or ivory so they match pretty much anything and when the wedding's over, you can put them around your house and they'll blend right in. I think I might tie some ribbon around them to spice things up a bit but they're really pretty plain as well. My mom is still using some of the ones they had at my sister's wedding.
And finally, I definitely recommend watching Rich Bride Poor Bride on the We network. They have great ideas and you get to see real brides with real budgets (less than 40K usually). My fiance and I like to watch it while we eat dinner and it serves as a cautionary tale too because some of these brides get WAY out of control with their spending.
If anyone has any questions or wants more details about something, FM me!
Venue
The first place we visited was Chateau La Mer and fell in love immediately and didn't even look anywhere else. We got the tour from Lou, who is great and I signed the contract with Nick because it was Lou's day off. They are super helpful, the place is beautiful, and you get SO much food. Plus it's right on the water and if you get married during peak time (late spring, summer, early fall), they have a yacht that you can arrive at your reception in. They're always willing to answer our crazy questions. I definitely recommend them. We went to their tasting and they really have great food. They give you the works at the tasting and you can bring up to 6 people. They serve the main courses family style so you can try a little of everything. We were all very impressed, even my future FIL, who wasn't that into the wedding planning at first but after he went to CLM, he jumped right in.
Photographer
We met with Time Xposures, Velvet Studios, Artisan, and Patken. For a good sized (8x10 or larger) digital album with at least 60 images, 2 parents albums, a portrait for the wall, all of the thank you notes, the website with the proofs for guests to order, and 10 or so loose 5x7s for the bridal party, and an engagement session, they were all around $4000-4500. Most either had a lighting assistant or a second photographer included as well and they were all willing to work with our budget. Besides Patken, we loved all of the photographers we met with and it was a really really hard decision. I went back and forth a bunch of times and I really would have been happy with any of them (except Patken).
Patken was quite pricey and the fact that you don't get to meet with your photographer beforehand turned us off. I've heard them described as kind of used car salesman like and I would have to agree.
Chuck at Artisan is a great guy, spent a lot of time with us showing us samples, very professional, and he was a close second.
Jon at Time Xposures was also great, really fun, BEAUTIFUL work, and he had some cool options like a DVD slide show of your proofs set to music of your choice.
We went with Velvet Studios, who we thought had the best work and Bob REALLY worked with our budget. And you get 2 photographers so that will get you so many proofs. He just seems really professional and he's the house photographer for Chateau so he knows the venue pretty well.
Flowers
We met with Burton's and The Little Flower Shop. They were both around $1800 for bridal boK, 3 BMs, a junior BM, and a kissing ball/pomander for the flower girl, 8 bouts, 4 corsages, 15 low centerpieces, and a nice arch spray for the gazebo. And that's with roses, lisianthus, peonies, and a few other flowers. Both Burton's and Flower Shop were great and really seemed to get what I wanted. We ultimately went with Little Flower Shop because in the course of our conversation, I got the sense that John REALLY pays attention to the details and I knew he would do a good job. I had my feelings confirmed independently from someone my aunt works with and they said he's meticulous. He delivers all of his flowers himself, sets everything up, and makes sure it's perfect. If you're a CLM bride, he's right down the street too. He's also letting us bring our own vases for the centerpieces so that's saving us some money as well.
Burton's was great too but they use a delivery guy and only do weddings so I felt like I was losing a little of the personalized attention.
DJ
My fiance is friends with a DJ at Steven Charles and so it was a given that we were going with them. Sal is a fun, great guy and I can't wait for the reception. I met with Steven Charles the owner for our info session and he was so helpful and sat with me for a long time, showing me a DVD of a reception they had done (at CLM it just so happens) and their prices are really reasonable. They also have a TON of music and all of the new stuff and can get pretty much anything you want.
Invitations and favors
We haven't ordered invitations and favors yet but I think we're going with Exclusivelyweddings.com. They have the best prices, you can order a proof AND you can get free invitation samples in the mail which is very helpful, and they also have favors, attendant gifts, and all that stuff.
Gown
I got my gown at David's Bridal. It's perfect and the girl there was so helpful. I've heard bad things about them but I had a pretty good experience. I guess you just have to go in with lower expectations and realize you're paying like $1000 less for a gown than you would normally. I've seen dresses like mine on some shows and it's like $1200 more if it's by a fancy designer but it's basically the same dress. I'd give them a try for sure, even as a first stop in your dress hunting.
Bridesmaid dresses
I'm pretty sure we're going with Alfred Angelo because they have just the right color (spice) and they have a nice selection of different dresses for my girls to pick from. They're all different sizes and shapes so it's important to me that they get to be comfortable. Bridal Suite in Centereach is where we got the BM gowns for my sister's wedding and they were pretty good. I showed up to pick my MoH gown and they hadn't done the hemming yet but they did it right away and I came back later that day and it was ready. You don't need an appointment and they greet you right away when you walk it. I'd recommend them but I'd lie and say that your wedding is a few weeks before it actually is just to be safe.
Miscellaneous
There's great vases at Ikea for $1.50 each (seriously) and they fit quite a nice centerpiece. My sister used them for her wedding and they were just the right height. They're called Vasen. But you have to have an Ikea near you because they don't ship them. A lot of florists seem willing to let you use your own glassware so I'd definitely hunt around for good deals.
We also got votive candles from A.C. Moore this past week for like $3 for a box of 12. Normally they're $7 a box but if you look for deals around wedding season you can get them much cheaper. They're nice and simple and they come in white or ivory so they match pretty much anything and when the wedding's over, you can put them around your house and they'll blend right in. I think I might tie some ribbon around them to spice things up a bit but they're really pretty plain as well. My mom is still using some of the ones they had at my sister's wedding.
And finally, I definitely recommend watching Rich Bride Poor Bride on the We network. They have great ideas and you get to see real brides with real budgets (less than 40K usually). My fiance and I like to watch it while we eat dinner and it serves as a cautionary tale too because some of these brides get WAY out of control with their spending.
If anyone has any questions or wants more details about something, FM me!
