We did it! (Long)

Well, I agonized over this all day Saturday .. whether my new husband and I should get all dressed up again in our wedding attire and have our outdoor pictures done that we missed out on at Belmont Lake State Park and John Anthony`s because of non-stop rain all day on our wedding day, or if we should just dress simply in nice clothes. Our photographer, MICHAEL O`NEILL of East Northport made things difficult on us by telling us about his 100% weather guarantee. Had it not been for that guarantee, there would have been nothing to consider. At first, I was against it with the thought the restaged photos were not 'our day.' But, I just couldn`t help thinking I would regret down the line that I didn`t have the outdoor shots done. In the days following our wedding, anytime we drove past Belmont Lake, I felt sad. Plus, I just kept remembering how much we had talked about getting deck shots at John Anthony`s when we booked them. After driving myself crazy all day and all night Saturday, I woke up Sunday and told my husband I thought we had to do it. My thinking was basically with as much as it was tearing me apart, we needed to take up the photographer on his free offer, and we could always decide later not to use the 'restaged' photos, but at least they`d be done. Because I was struggling so much over deciding, I felt we needed to do it since I was so uncertain. I also thought about how I had very few shots with the train of my dress, which I absolutely love! The train has so much detail on it, and we only had a few shots done with it down the aisle at the church because my house was too cramped. Believe me, there was a lot of thinking done on this, but now that it`s done, I can honestly say I am so happy we did get all dressed again for the photos. My husband really didn`t want to go through the hassle or expense (neither did I), and basically thought it wasn`t necessary for us to do the photos, but he too is now happy we did it. Here`s what we needed to do: First, my hairdresser/makeup artist, KRISTEN [of ENCHANTE Salon and Day Spa in Smithtown] was not able to redo my `do and makeup on my short notice. But, she did help in arranging plans with Carmella on the morning of the shoot. The salon knew when I called exactly what I was calling for, and when I got there, everyone was so nice. I`ve been there before, but the more times I go there, the more I like the place. Carmella was great. I brought pictures of my wedding day hair, and she didn`t finish until she and I were both happy with the results. As for my makeup, I did that on my own and was pretty satisfied with the results .. of course my skin didn`t look as flawless as when Kristen did it, and the colors are a little different than my wedding day colors, like lipstick and blush. But, the restaged photos taken were long, full-length shots since we had our portraits taken at Michael O`Neill`s studio the day of the wedding. I called TOWERS FLOWERS of North Babylon for a bridal bouquet of black magic roses ($50), and they were able to come through on just two days notice! Then, I called them back the day of the pictures because I forgot to ask for a double rosebud boutineer ($7.50). Again, they were able to come through for me. The bouquet was a lot smaller than the one I had on wedding day, but the flowers looked absolutely beautiful, and are looking better by the day. As for the tuxedo, DI RE FORMALWEAR of Franklin Square, where we rented from for the wedding, basically charged my husband full price eventhough we only needed it for a few hours, and they didn`t even have it ready when he went to pick it up at the time they said, causing us to run slightly late for our appointment. Finally, I really can`t say enough about our photographer. While we still haven`t seen any of our proofs yet, he`s been absolutely great to work with. He was there waiting for us at Belmont Lake State Park, and while my husband went to pick up the permit from the Administration Office, I showed him where I thought would be a great place for photos, and he loved it. You could just see his mind going to work setting up all kinds of shots. After taking a bunch of shots of me and my husband at the park, we went to John Anthony`s, where again, he just kept setting up all kinds of shots. And on several occaisions, when we all thought we were done, he came back and said, 'Hey, let`s try this' and would take a few more. I`m really happy we did this, as you can all probably tell by as much as I`m going on and on. The weather was perfect, and I was able to have full length shots taken of my gown, including the back with the train. While we might have been missing our 'wedding day glow,' my husband and I definitely did have a good time despite having to get all dressed up in our gear for what took just about an hour. And I have to say, we might have enjoyed our pictures a little more because there were no wedding day pressures on us. Now, I`m really, really glad Michael O`Neill offers that 100% weather guarantee! http://www.monphoto.com Enchante Salon and Day Spa 220 West Main Street Smithtown (631) 979-2300 Towers Flowers 1350 Deer Park Ave. North Babylon (631) 242-0070

Good for you

At least now you can say you got to wear your dress more than once. I am so glad that you were able to get shots of the train. So often, girls forget about photos of their dress.

Good for you

Isn't Towers Flowers the best - Im using them too!

Towers Flowers

I was really happy Towers Flowers could help out on such short notice. But I still have to say I was really impressed with the flowers and designs from Flowers by Brian, who handled our wedding. I`m sure your flowers will be beautiful! And the people at Towers Flowers seemed really nice too! Good Luck!!