Terrace on the Pk Wedding Review... VERY LONG

I have my first review to make!! I am so excited b/c a family friend's son was married on Saturday night. The ceremony was held there and I must say a few things. These are things that you should keep in mind when finalizing your vendors and so forth.

1. When Marc was saying his vows we could not hear him. Then again, Marc is very shy and quiet but he was like a whisper. The officiant had a standing mike, which when the bride was saying her vows, we could hear her clearly. But she is loud to begin with So I am getting at--when its time to say vows, if there is a standing mike have it moved closer to the bride and groom or if the videographer provides the mikes for the jacket that would be perfect.

2. Terrace on the Park did not alphabetize the place cards. It was chaos!! I got so fed up and so did my family that we just moved right in to the cocktail room and I went back to hunt down our cards. But Marc's mom told us we were in the table next to her family so I just didn't get the card at all.

3. The cocktail room was joined with the reception room. What irked my family the most and Marc's family was that they only had about 5 tables (yes 5 TABLES) that were so small and had 6 chairs! I sat down, my dad, my mom, FH and by that pt my sis couldn't fit, we were elbow to elbow...literally.
When Marc's bro came to sit with us, and the rest of his family came to our table, whoever was done eating would get up to let the next person sit. It was horrible! But we made the best of it. So there was a lot of mingling going on. Which I guess is the point of the cocktail hour but definitely not enough tables!

4. THe one cool part was the lighting during the reception. I assume the dj coordinated with the Terrace to allow them to use a back light of some sort so it wasn't so bright in the room. That was cool.

5. Make SURE that your dj knows how to say peoples names and last names. Marc and his mom carry a different last name and his side of the family in the bridal party have exotic names. Can I tell you the DJ messed up on all of their names except for Marc's bro?!??! Marc's mom was upset about that. I know this is one of my problems since my family carries a very different and long last name.

6. The bridal attendant was amazing! When the party was introduced into the reception and after they were all lined up, she took all the bouquets out of their hands, placed them on the table of the bridal party, then ran back to go to Marc and his bride. When they were introduced, I didn't notice this but my sis and FH told me was that the attendant was holding the brides train all the way till right before they had their first dance. I was too busy taking pix of everything else.

7. The photographer--I have been so concerned with making sure I get a phtographer worth my money. I at first was not trying to spend too much money on photos but after experiencing this wedding I must say PLEASE do not skimp on the photographer!!! My family alone took 3 rolls of pictures. By the time the bridal party was introduced in the reception, we had finished our rolls. So that was a mental note to me, FH and my mom who pointed it out too, we are definitely getting the disposables placed on the tables. The photographer was perfect at the ceremony, he DID NOT take any pix at the cocktail hour and at the reception he dissappeared! I kept looking for him, no where to be found. Then I did find him, sitting in the cocktail area with a cigarette in his hand. I told Marc's mom who ran over to him and told him to get back to work. I don't know what their contract was based off of, but he dissappeared more than once and that is why I told Marc's mom. He wasn't there to take pictures of the 2 mom's dancing, the flower girl with her sister (1 of the MOH) dancing, Marc's mom and her sisters dancing, all his cousins dancing (girls). These are precious moments to the bride and groom , especially since Marc's family is all over the country and the occasions they see each other together is very rare. SO that is something else to keep in mind. Had we had those disposable cameras, those memories may have been captured, since the photographer was MIA.

8. The DJ--I have no idea who they were but they were absolutely incredible!! From the first dance to the last (we were there till the very end) people were on the dance floor. They knew exactly what type of music to play and when to transition into another set of music. They played a lot of soka and calypso, with house music, a little of spanish (Marc's mom asked for us), reggae, and old school (twist, old rock and roll). Oh and middle eastern music too. I got the DJ's card so if anyone wants info let me know.

9. Flowers: They used Spitz and Speck. The center pieces were very different but beautiful. Although FH didn't care too much for the high candles (this made it romantic) my mom said the same thing as me. They were beautiful. Everything was matching (I took note on that!). But the one thing I didn't like and I know this topic has been brought up before are the boutiennieres (sp?). When my mom hugged Marc's bro, then I did, by the time he got around to my sister, his bout was falling apart! They had two hmm don't know what flower it was but they were white. I think orchid (not sure though). And we were the first people he came over to when he entered the cocktail room. So he didn't hug anyone else except us three. Just a note on that.

The new couple had a blast and in one of the speeches (yes they had 4 too many we think), someone says enjoy tonight and RELAX. THis is what all those arguments, stress and agita you went through for this. So enjoy every minute of it!! So I am passing on that message to all you ladies.

It was a beautiful and emotional evening for my family. And to see Marc walk up the aisle with his wife, was a memory we will hold in our hearts forever. So ladies bring with you a lot of tissues!! My mom was a mess and everyone kept telling me--wait till your day just wait! So was my dad... To see him so emotional made me cry more!! Tears of joy my sister kept telling me. On top of the fact that we will need a miracle worker for our make up!!
I hope I gave a few of you some notes to keep in mind as you plan your day