4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

We had an amazing day-gorgeous weather, lots of sun, happy guests, and cooperative family. Like every bride before me, I will say that the day flies by. Chris and I made sure to take time for just the two of us to take it all in, even so it flew! One thing that was very important to us was to dance. We wanted to make sure we greeted our guests but still had time to enjoy our party. We did a quick receiving line (just parents and us) and made the rounds to each table. We sacrificed our first course and used that time to meet with a bunch of the tables. This worked out well because most of our guests were seated during this time. We ate our dinner quickly (actually, DH ate, I was too excited to eat) and used the rest of the time to greet the remaining tables. Other than the table rounds, DH and I were on the dance floor. Our motto was that if you wanted to hang out with us, come and find us on the dance floor (or better yet, bring us a drink to the dance floor, jk of course).

My advice to brides-to-be; work your a$$ off putting everything together before the big day, but on your wedding day, know that you can do no more and try to relax and enjoy the ride. I worked until two days before the wedding putting the finishing touches on stuff but from the point of the rehearsal and on through the day, I let others run the show and enjoyed the day. From my mother to the make up artist to the maitre d, everyone commented that I was the calmest bride they had seen and to me this was a huge compliment. That doesn’t mean everything was perfect (see below), it just means that I refused to let any glitches get me worked up. When my gown turned filthy black on the bottom from crossing the parking lot at the hotel in the early afternoon of my wedding day, NO PROBLEM! Freaking out would not fix it, so I just moved forward. When the string trio was still not present at the scheduled start of my ceremony-NO PROBLEM! Freaking out would not make them appear, so I moved forward. When I walked out of my ceremony and the DJ had just arrived, hadn’t setup the cocktail hour and wasn’t dressed-NO PROBLEM! Freaking out would not make them dressed up and ready to go so I nicely asked them to setup as quickly as possible and moved forward. Long story short-things will go awry on your day. How you react can set the tone for the day. If you and DH enjoy yourselves, so will your guests. The “little” glitches make for great stories at the morning after brunch!


Without further ado, onto my review-note, I tried to include prices wherever possible. If you want more details, please FM me and I will be glad to share more information on any vendor.


LIwedding and all the brides with great ideas, advice and feedback-10! Priceless-I would not have known about so many things had I not stumbled across this site. All of the little details that made our wedding special I learned from this site so thank you to everyone, and Ron and Liz!

Save the Dates-www.partyinnovations.com-10!
If you are on the fence about save the dates I would recommend doing them. Many of my guests told me that they appreciated the advance notice and they made plans around our wedding. I wanted something inexpensive but of good quality. I knew I wanted a magnet but I was concerned about how to mail them because the magnets are the size of a business card and would look weird alone in an envelope. Party Innovations includes envelopes and “die cut,” note cards to hold the magnet for very little extra. I spent less than $100 for 96 magnets with matching envelopes and cards to hold them.

Labels for Save the Dates-www.amazinglabels.com-10!
I ordered the labels with little bride and groom heads that kind of looked like us. On the first line, I had them write “We’re Getting Married”, and then followed with our address. These were really cute and got a chuckle from many of our guests. Ordering them was a very quick and easy process.

Favor tags and miscellaneous labels-www.myownweddinglabels.com-9!
I ordered coordinating tags for favors, sizing tags for slippers for the slipper basket, labels for the OOT bags and sticker labels for the petal cones. They were a little pricey but very easy to work with and very nice work.

Out of Town bags-www.papermart.com-10!
I ordered 50 periwinkle bags to use for OOT guests bags. We put a wine sized sticker label on them and tied an invitation (shaped like a fried egg-an idea from another bride on here) to the day after celebration breakfast to the outside. Papermart had tons of colors and sizes to choose from and they came very quickly.

Slippers for slipper basket-www.mysisterusa.com-10!
I ordered about 80 pair of slippers in black, white, light blue and lavender (to match our color scheme). Because I wanted specific colors, sizes and a sequin style, I paid a bit more than others who have used this vendor. I paid approximately $220, but it was well worth it. There were only 3 sets left at the end of the night. Shipping was quick; they even called if they were out of stock on something I requested.

Favors-mms.com and Mikasa-10!
We had personalized M&Ms wrapped in tulle, placed in crystal Mikasa candy dishes as our favor. The personalized m&ms are a little pricey-you can order non-personalized ones in your wedding colors for a lot less. So, we did half and half-all in light blue, white and lavender. They took about 2 weeks to come in, though if it were around a holiday, I would probably allow more time. A few came in chipped and on some the printing was a little blurred but for the most part they were really cute. We had some printed with our names, others with our wedding date, others with “I DO” and other miscellaneous wedding phrased we thought of. M&Ms are dear to the heart on my mother’s side of the family (won’t bore you with the “why”) but these were a big hit.

Aisle Runner-www.madebye.com-10!
So pretty! Erin did a fantastic job, the runner was lovely. After you place your order she emails you with various “mock ups” so you can pick the exact design you want. I told her the colors, style, etc and she came up with some great choices for me. We added a few graphics at very little extra. Her work is fabulous and the finished product is great-we received so many compliments on our runner. If you use Erin, you cannot wait until the last minute. She only accepts a few orders at a time. Once you place your order, she puts you on her schedule and she will tell you when to expect your runner. She says to allow up to six weeks-though I got mine in about 4 weeks. Total cost was $120.

Calligraphy-www.afineletter.com-10!
Such great service and a beautiful end product. I really wanted hand calligraphy but did not want to spend several hundred dollars. I found afineletter online and their prices cannot be beat. I paid less than $0.50 per set and they came out fabulous. Melanie’s turn around time was fantastic-I had everything back in less than a week! Her attention to detail was equally superb. I spelled last names differently for members of the same family. She caught it and emailed me to find out which spelling to use. Also, I had the incorrect zip code for a cousin-she caught that too! I cannot say enough about how great the workmanship and the service were.

Invitations-www.mygatsby.com-10!
We had pocketfold invitations in a light blue floral print. They were lovely and we received tons of compliments on them. Though I originally purchased satin ribbon to use to tie bows around them, I scrapped that idea because the ribbon was too thick and looked bulky. Instead, I went to Michaels and purchased a sheer organza ribbon that tied perfectly and held up when the invitations were mailed.

Stamps-www.zazzle.com-10!
Stamp prices changed in January and the new wedding stamps were not available until March. So, I had the choice of putting two stamps on my invitations or custom ordering stamps. I chose the latter and the results were really cute. With zazzle, you can download any picture onto the stamp. I found a picture of a wedding cake with a light blue background that matched our color scheme. I ordered $0.87 stamps for the outer envelope and $0.39 stamps for the inner envelopes. Again, lots of compliments from those who noticed.

Disposable cameras-I cannot remember where I got them but they are the kind you can get almost anywhere online (they were white with light blue graphics and “I do” written on them). The reason I am including this in my review is just to suggest that you do this. We have some really great shots from these cameras AND we took them to a 1-hour photo place to develop them the next morning. I was so sad that the wedding was over and these shots let me relive it a little.

Toasting Flutes-Tiffany-10! These were an engagement gift from one of our BMs and we loved them.

Bouquet Jewels-www.bouquetjewels.com-10!
A little pricey (especially the shipping). I ordered monograms to insert into all the bouquets. They were very pretty. The girls loved them.

Hoodies-www.plaintshirts.com-10!
I ordered hoodies and sweatpants for me and my bridesmaids and hoodies for mothers and grandmothers. I then took them to work n play to have them customized. They came out great and the prices were reasonable. Though, this is one of those things I added on without really thinking of the total cost. For 9 hoodies and 5 pair of sweatpants plus all of the personalization it cost about $250. Although it was more than I should have spent, I don’t regret it. They all loved them, we wore them getting ready and for the breakfast the next day. The mom’s especially liked them.

Rehearsal Dinner-Long Island Grill-10!
They are located on Portion Road in Lake Ronkonkoma. The size of the room was great, the food was fabulous and the price was great (I think $25pp?). The service was great too.

Grooms Cake-Carvel Ice cream cake-8!
DH loves Carvel Ice Cream Cake so I ordered a sheet cake and had them scan our engagement picture on it. It looked great and tasted great. The only minor drawback is the estimated size. The cake said it fed 45-50 people, we had 30 at the rehearsal and there was just enough cake. I would have ordered two if I had known how small it would be.

Hotel-Courtyard Marriott in Ronkonkoma-8!
I loved our suite, and our guests were treated well. However there were a couple minor issues. First, the person we originally coordinated everything with was let go. She had told us because of the size of our block we would not have to pay for our suite. We ended about having to pay for 3 out of 4 nights-so we only got one night free. Also, when we checked in, they had us booked in a junior suite when we were supposed to have a king suite (we needed the extra room for the day of). As soon as we walked in to the junior suite, I turned around and went right back down to the front desk. They told me that the reservation was made for a junior suite. I said I don’t know how they made that mistake but they were going to have to fix it right away, as “this will not do”. They fixed it, and we were reassigned to the correct room. Other than that, everything was great. Our guests liked how close we were to the train station (some of them went into the city over the weekend) and the free shuttle between the airport and the train station.

Hair-Moscolo’s International, Farmingville-8!
This is the place I regularly get my hair done. I went for 3 trials with my hairdresser and though I liked them, I didn’t think any of them really captured what I wanted on my day. However, since I had already put deposits down for the BMs, and me I didn’t feel I could change. So, each trial cost me $65, as did the day of. However, the day of my wedding I absolutely loved my hair. It was perfect. It lasted all the way through the getting ready and the ceremony and pictures on a windy beach. Throughout the reception the front (which had a wave) started to wilt a bit but I was rocking the whole night so I can’t really complain. It held up very well.

Makeup-Jillian from Gorgeous Faces-10!
Jillian did such a fantastic job, she was awesome. She came early and was very patient with everyone. I only guaranteed 4 people (which include, me, MOG, a BM and a junior BM). Even still, she only charged me $20 for the junior BM because she was so young (11) and didn’t need much help. She really could have charged me the full price and I wouldn’t have complained because I never asked if it was less for younger girls. Our make-up lasted the whole day, 3 of us got fake eyelashes and they looked fantastic. I bought extra lipstick to reapply throughout the day (fingers crossed, I hope I reapplied as much as necessary). Words cannot describe how great Jillian is. Anyone who is using her-count your blessings and have no fear, she is great.

Rings-Elegant Jewelry (Attias Flea Market)-10!
Great price and great quality. My ring is a platinum raised eternity band (the diamonds are not set within the band, instead they have little prongs) and DH has a plain platinum band. We got a great price and they were appraised for more than we paid.

Shoes-Varone’s, Sayville-10!
I found my shoes online but really wanted to try them on before buying. Varone’s was great; they have a good selection and service.


Bridesmaids Dresses-Centereach Brideal Suite-9! Great Service and decent price. The only problem is that I think their sizing charts are off (or those of the designers, Alfred Angelo) because 3 of the girls had problems once their dresses came in-the tops were snug though none of them gained any weight.

Bridesmaids gifts-custom beach bags (EBAY!), purses (coach!), jewelry (swarovoski), custom hoodies and sweats (plain-tshirts.com and work-n-play)-10! I started early and kept adding on as I thought of or heard about other ideas. So, I went over budget. However, the girls loved their gifts and I felt like I got them stuff they would use after the wedding.

Dress-Macy’s Bridal Salon, Smithhaven Mall, Lake Grove-9!
I LOVED my dress. I went to four salons and tried on a million dresses and as soon as I tried on my dress I knew it was my dress. I loved it. Macy’s only sells Demetrios, mine is the Demetrios Couture collection so it was a little more than I wanted to pay but reasonable ($1,600). Had I known that other salons carried Demetrios at the time I purchased my dress, I probably would have shopped around a little. However, my experience with Macy’s was pretty pleasant. Some of the sales women were a little gruff, but all helped me in and out of a ton of dresses and overall I had a good experience. The only problem I had is in the alterations. The small of my back had a little gap where it could have been fitted better; the hook and eye at the top of the zipper was broken so from the back it looked as though I barely fit in my dress however from the front you could tell it was loose. Also, at the top of the skirt (where the zipper meets the skirt) there was a “hole” about 3 inches long, along the seam. You couldn’t really see it because it was not a jagged hole. It looked like they forgot to sew up the seam all the way. Under the “hole” was the built in slip. It all blended well together so you couldn’t really tell that there was a hole (and I’ve been looking in all of the pictures). It was just weird. Other than that, everything else was great. The alterations were reasonable ($250). Originally, the seamstress was going to put in a regular bustle, but I requested a French bustle, and I really think it made the dress look richer. And, it didn’t cost too much extra.

DJ-Tommy’s Tunes-8!
We had a package that includes an MC and DJ. We didn’t want any props, light show, etc. and we got exactly what we wanted. Our MC Fred was great-though he seemed a little off from other times we’ve seen Tommy’s Tunes in action. That said, everyone had a blast and the music was good. We didn’t have a very long “must play” list (about 10 songs). They played most of them. I asked that they not play any group dance songs etc, and they only played one early on when not too many people were dancing. They got the names, intro, all of our musical selections for garter, bouquet, cake cutting, intros etc. right on. The only reason I give them an 8 is because they had not finished setting up when the ceremony concluded. DH and I came out from the ceremony and they were just setting up and going to change. We were running out for pictures so I just asked that they setup for the cocktail hour quickly, and they did. I was just a little caught off guard seeing them setting up but from what I understand my guests did not notice any of this. Upon reflection of our day and from comments our guests made I want to add this-we were strongly against group dances. However, our guests (especially the out of towners) commented that they would have liked more of these. I have now changed my position on these dances. I would included more of them (though some I still loathe) to give guests who are otherwise uncomfortable dancing, the chance to get up and join the crowd. Our crowd was pretty good even without these songs, however for the comfort of our less outgoing guests, I would expand our play list to include a few more of these types of songs.

Ceremony Music-Counterpoint-7.5!
I really loved the music we had at the ceremony. It felt really special to have a string trio playing and I got chills as I heard the bridal party going down the aisle. The reason for the 7.5 is that at 5:30 (the start time of our ceremony) they had not yet arrived. I received a call earlier in the day from Christina confirming the start time and assuring me that all would be fine. It was a little weird when I caught wind of the fact that they had not yet arrived (she said they would be there 30 minutes early). Also, I cannot ascertain whether or not they played music as my guests were being seated. In any case, the music I heard was lovely; I just wish they had been there on time.

Flowers-National Wholesale Florist-5-not recommended.
Flowers were the one area that I was really stressing about as the wedding got closer. I booked National a year in advance based on other’s pictures and reviews and the fact that they were supposedly cheaper than other florists. Originally, I was quoted a price of $1,200 for everything. The second meeting, that went up to $1,500 and by the final up to $1,800 because Ana said I “wanted different flowers”. I didn’t. I always wanted tulips, hydrangea and roses and it was in the original contract as well as the new contract. I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers so I let it go. I set up an appointment to see a sample and it was very blah. We went over what I liked and didn’t like and made some changes. This was right around the time when they moved the store. Frank or Fred (the owner) was in the office that day and made me very uncomfortable. I came with my checkbook, ready to leave a second deposit. I told Anna how much I was going to leave and she was fine with it. A couple moments later when Ana went to take care of something else, Frank or Fred came up to me and told me that I needed to pay my entire bill. I nicely explained that it didn’t say that anywhere in the contract and he said it didn’t matter, that they needed the rest of the money. He also wanted me to make the check out to “Plant Lady”. I told him I wasn’t comfortable with that because my contract and all my dealings were with National. At this point, Ana came back and Frank/Fred disappeared. I explained to Ana what he said and she said not to worry about it, he had just broken up with his girlfriend and was out of it (I’m paraphrasing, but still!!!???). I could leave what we had agreed on and I could make the check out to National. Anywhoo, I was uncomfortable with the sample centerpiece and requested Ana make another based on our discussion. She said she would have to charge me and I agreed. I really wanted to see what our day of flowers would look like. I was so concerned that I went to Michaels and bought fake flowers that looked like the flowers I wanted and made a “mock up” of the centerpiece I wanted. I dropped it off at national and told Anna that I wanted something along the lines of this mock up. I know that approaches a full blown “bridezilla” moment, but I really thought that maybe Ana and I were not communicating well and that I should just show her what I wanted. When I saw the second sample I thought I was going to cry. It was hideous. It looked nothing like what we talked about or anything even close to my “mock up”. There were no tulips or hydrangea. She had big white mums that she had painted lavender and turquoise. They were really gross. After seeing that-I was stunned and stated that I didn’t understand, how after all of our conversations, she could think that this is what I wanted. She said that she just did it to get an idea of colors and that she wouldn’t be charging me for the sample-that she used left over flowers to save me money. At this point, I considered leaving and just losing whatever money we had already given them. However, I wasn’t certain I could find a replacement with a months notice. Alas, I told Ana of my concerns and told her to keep it really simple on my wedding day that blue hydrangea, and white tulips and roses (and stephanotis for my bouquet) are all that I wanted. Nothing else. I hoped that by keeping it really simple I would minimize the chances of it getting screwed up. On the day of my wedding, I was pleasantly surprised. The bouquets were fine and the centerpieces, okay (blah, but fine). The “blue” hydrangeas were spray painted blue, but the guests would have to look close to see this. I know that sounds terrible, I was happy because my flowers were mediocre. However, given all that could have gone wrong with them and that I was afraid they were going to be outright ugly, I feel lucky that they looked as good as they did. Note-they were all dead by the next day AND you could see green florist tape around the revere bowl of the centerpieces when looking at them from eye level. Oh-one more thing; I originally wanted a few lavender roses in the arrangements. She told me there was no such thing. I showed her a picture and she said it wasn’t a lavender rose-but it was (I confirmed with a friend who used to be a florist)! By the time of my wedding, I would have paid double to work with a different florist. I will say this-Ana is very nice, the bouquets were big, the corsages and boutonnières were fine, and the pedestal arrangements were big. I know other girls have had good experiences with this florist, and I am happy for them. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend them.

Photographer-William James-6.5
We hired Bill because he did my brother’s wedding. Our engagement shots were great and Bill and his wife are super nice. He is really laid back. I told him we wanted a lot of fun shots and he warned me that he is better at executing them rather than creating them. I printed a lot of shots I liked from this site and gave him a folder of them. I don’t think he looked at them. However, there were two shots that I really wanted and I reminded him of them and he went along with it. He showed us them in the camera right after taking them and they looked fantastic. We got his top package ($3500)-it is two photographers (traditional and photojournalistic) and an assistant. The proofs were available online within a week. In total we had 600 shots-with two photographers I would have expected more. We have some great shots, however not very creative (see previous statement about execution versus creation). I was especially unhappy with a specific set of shots-the family shots. I have a 92-year-old grandmother and could not ask her to climb out to the beach for family pictures so we needed to find a more accessible location for family shots. Bill pulled a bluish curtain near the bar area and used this as the backdrop. At the time, I could feel that I wouldn’t like these pictures and I wish I had said something because post-wedding, I hate these shots. I will choose 2 of these shots for our album (one of his side, one of mine) and just let it go. Also, in the pre ceremony pictures I felt like I had to give a lot of direction. I had to drive home the fact that I wanted them to take pictures of DH and his side before they left the hotel (Bill’s initial response was “if we have time when we are done with the girls”). Also, they didn’t get a shot of our dip during the first dance. DH and I spent a lot of time and money on lessons, and I really wanted this shot and hate the fact that it is missing. However, in spite of all of this, I am still going to have a hard time narrowing it down to 80 shots for the album. There are so many pictures I love that it far outweighs those that I don’t love or those that are missing. Though if i had to do it over again I would have spent the extra 2-3K and gone with Imagine. I love there stuff and they were my first choice.

Videographer-www.weddingcinema.net-TBD
We didn’t originally budget for video because we wanted to spend more on photos. However, we decided to add on video about 9 months before the wedding. I found Pete from this site (someone recommended him) and he has been so easy to work with. I told him our budget ($1,300) and that though I wanted certain things from his more expensive package I really couldn’t afford them; he threw them in at no charge! In fact, he upgraded our whole package at no additional charge. I loved his work and his personality. I was a little worried that I had hired video outside of my photographer’s studio but they weren’t willing to work with us on price so we had to. I am very confident that we are going to love Pete’s work, but I want to see it before I give them a rating of course.

Limos-Sir Oliver-10!
So easy to work with. The drivers were great and the limos were awesome. The office staff was great too. We had an Excursion and a 12-passenger limo. We added the excursion at the last minute (a couple weeks before) and were so lucky they could accommodate us. They even worked it out so that we only had to pay an extra $200. For both cars, pick up/drop off service we paid $740. I highly recommend Sir Oliver.

Shuttles-Elite-10!
Sir Oliver arranged this for us; I just felt more comfortable dealing with one company for transportation. Again, the drivers were great, the shuttles great. They were on time. Also, after finding out how many guests were booked at our hotel, I called Sir Oliver to find out if we could upgrade to a bigger shuttle (we originally had two 28 passenger shuttles). They worked with Elite who upgraded one of the buses at no charge. I don’t know any other place that upgrades for free (well, except for Pete at Wedding Cinema!). Our guests loved the shuttle service-the cost to us was around $1,600.



Officiant-Father Tom McCormick-8!
We are both Catholic and though we weren’t getting married in a church, we wanted to have a ceremony that reflected our religion. We found father Tom on this site. He was a Priest for 20 years and left the priesthood for many honorable reasons, which he tells you about when you meet with him. We told him how we wanted out ceremony to flow and he did a pretty good job of making that happen. The reason I am giving him an 8 is because we always felt a little rushed with him, up to and including our ceremony itself. We had a unity candle and he couldn’t work the lighter so we couldn’t use it (though he did a great job of covering that). Also, DH felt a little accosted before the ceremony because father Tom said something along the lines of “ya got my money?” Minor things, and he did a great job for us. I would definitely recommend him to others that want a semi-traditional catholic wedding.


Tuxes-Afterhours-5, Not Recommended!
Afterhours was a PITA from the start. However, we had people from all over that needed to get fitted so we needed a chain. They kept losing our order. One of our groomsmen had to go back to their store 3 times because each time he went in they couldn’t find our order in their system. The store in the Smithhaven Mall (which is where we registered) never put our order in the system. So, whenever anyone went to register either in this store or in any other, they couldn’t find us. At one point I had the Smithhaven Mall store on one phone and a NJ store on another phone trying to get them to communicate with each other. Eventually, we got everyone fitted. Picking up the tuxes was also a problem. They gave my brother the wrong pants and told him to come back the next day (the day of) to get the right ones. After picking up the new pants, when he got back to the house and was getting dressed, he realized they were the wrong ones again (they had a stripe on them). Tuxes were a very frustrating experience and I would not recommend that you use Afterhours. Find someplace else, anyplace else.

Veil, Flower girl Tiara-Fantasyland, Patchogue-10!
I ordered a cathedral veil with scattered crystals and a ¼” ribbon edge. They did a great job and it was ready early. The cost was reasonable (about $115).

Memorial Candles, Unity Candle and Garter-www.myjeanm.com-10!
Great job, came fast and was exactly what I ordered (though a little pricey).

Dance Lessons-www.twirlthegirl.com-10!
Okay, no one else will get any use out of this because we live out of state and took lessons where we live. However, I am including it as an overall recommendation for dance lessons. We had such a great time-it was an awesome way to keep the fun in our relationship throughout the stress of planning a wedding. Each week, we were able to just relax and have fun for an hour. . We took group lessons for a month and then switched to private lessons for a month and a half. Rather than teaching us a “routine”, our instructor taught us several moves that we could interchange throughout our song. This was a great idea because if we missed a step, we didn’t have to worry about what came next. Instead, we could just continue with our dance. Our instructor taught DH to lead and me to follow (not an easy task) and I was so proud of him. My favorite part was of course our dip!

Atlantica-1000000000!!!!!!!!!!!
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Atlantica? It was magical. The staff was awesome. Kristy was our Banquet Manager and she was beyond perfect. The sweetest person ever. Atlantica is one of the more expensive reception sites on Long Island and we didn’t have an endless budget. However I fell in love with the place and tried to find ways to make it happen. We originally selected their basic menu option. As the day grew nearer, I became concerned that people would be disappointed with the lack of food, considering what Long Island folks are used to. I talked to Kristy about it a couple of times and she found ways to upgrade my menu for very little extra. We ended up with extra stations at our cocktail hour and extra desserts including Viennese and the chocolate fountain. Everyone commented on how much food we had, and how delicious it all was. One of the items we added to the cocktail hour was the passed Shrimp Cocktails in martini glasses. They were a huge hit. We also had calamari, miniature gourmet cheeseburgers, and lots of other creative stuff. Atlantica really pampers you. While we were taking pictures outside at the beach they sent food and drinks to us, they served the guys before the ceremony-even introduced them to new drinks that they had never had before. Thanks to the bartenders at Atlantica, a new drink for the entire bridal party is grape flavored, Three Olive vodka with a twist. Guests who arrived early were served lemonade and iced tea in the pub. When Atlantica says “Top Shelf liquor”, they mean it. I haven’t been to too many weddings where you can order Grey Goose. Our friends are big drinkers so this was a big deal to us. Our Maitre D was Jeff and our bridal attendant was Nicky. Again, they were awesome. So helpful, right on top of things. Kept checking in with us about events and letting us know what we needed to do and when. Made sure our meals were kept warm while we walked around to greet people at their tables. The ceremony space looked wonderful, exactly as I had envisioned. The cocktail hour is in the same space as the ceremony and I was concerned as to how they “turn the room”. Although I wasn’t there for it, I’ve been told that they did it in a matter of minutes and that they did a great job of it. The reception room was enchanting, like out of a fairytale. The sun was just setting as we moved from the cocktail hour into the ballroom. Candlelight everywhere, the lanterns, the chandelier-it was breathtaking. People kept asking me how I found this place. For our cake I had a very basic idea of what I wanted. I knew I wanted square, stacked and to incorporate blue in it. From there, I let them take over. It was gorgeous-tasty too. We had alternating tiers of chocolate with hazelnut mousse and pistachio with white chocolate mousse-fantastic. I could go on and on, there were so many wonderful things about Atlantica. I cannot imagine a more perfect place for our wedding. The views of the ocean, the seaside ceremony and cocktail hour, and the magnificent ballroom, the gourmet food, the professional and fantastic staff all make it one of the most lovely, enchanting, romantic, beautiful places to have a wedding. For my other Atlantica girls-you are going to have one of the best days of your life.

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

More pictures as we resize...

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Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Some more pictures: A memorial table of family pictures and memorial candles, table numbers, the shrimp cocktails in martini glasses.

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Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Great review! Thank you for your feedback on some vendors.

I love your attitude and advise. We are trying to think like you so we don't freak out the day of!

You looked beautiful!!!!!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Wonderful review, sorry to hear about TOmmy Tunes, they are also my DJ. Congrats again, you looked beautiful.

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Thanks so much for your honest review You looked amazing!! We are doing mikasa candy bowls too but with hershey's kisses
CONGRATS

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Thanks so much for the great review! You looked beautiful!! You made me so excited for my wedding at Atlantica that I have goosebumps. It sounds like your positive attitude on your day had a big impact. I am definitely going to try and take your advice.

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

congrats!!! you looked beautiful....and i love your cake...thanks for the in depth review!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

THANKS for the GREAT review....As an atlantica bride it makes me even more excited to be getting married there!!! I am also glad because I hav emy appt with tommy's tunes this thursday......always good to have reviews like this one, thanks for taking the time to do it!! good luck!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Congrats on a beautiful wedding!!!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Thank you for that thorough and honest review!!!!! So glad you had a wonderful day despite the mishaps, you gave good advice and I'll try to keep it in mind!!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Great review!! Congrats!! Thanks for the honest review!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Great review - sounds like despite a few glitches you still had a faboulous day! You look beautiful, congrats!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

oh i love your runner!!!! Congrats!!!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

You look beautiful and I hope your day was still amazing aside from the problem with the flowers!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Congrats!!! Everything looks great!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

great review!!! lets see more pictures!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Great Review!! Can't wait to see pictures!!! Congrats!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Congratulations!! Thank you for your review - despite a crazy and stressful work week, you're review reignited my excitement for our wedding day! I can't wait!

You looked beautiful!

Re: 4.28.06 Atlantica Wedding-Tommy's Tunes, Sir Oliver, National Wholesale Florist, William James, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Macy's Bridal

Congrats! Thanks for the review!