5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

*edited to include recap

Although I wasn’t a frequent poster, I got LOADS of ideas and inspiration from all the lovely ladies on the boards. Here’s a quick review of our 5/16/09 wedding.

Herricks Jewelers >> A+
I showed DH lots and lots of pictures of the ring I dreamed of. SIL and I even went out to various jewelry stores including Fortunoff in hopes of finding it but we had no luck. I thought I wanted a micropave band but in person it just looked so dainty. I was extremely nervous that DH wouldn’t find what I had in mind but knew I would love no matter what he picked out for me because it came from him. When Dan proposed and opened the ring box I was in complete shock and couldn’t stop looking at it. The ring was more than I could have ever imagined! Although Herricks did not have the ring, Dan spotted an eternity band with prong set diamonds and they designed an engagement ring based on it. We ordered the matching eternity band for myself and a plain band for DH.





Engagement Pix by Amanda Picone >> A+
Recommended thru a post on here. Amanda was just starting out and offered an unbeatable price and a great eye for pictures. We LOVED the results from our shoot in Dumbo and wished we haven’t booked a wedding photographer so that we could use Amanda, but it was too late as the deposit was nonrefundable.

Save the Date postcards by VistaPrint >> A
I designed a save the date card using pictures from our shoot with Amanda Picone. I waited for a sale and got 100 postcards for FREE. We were very pleased with the product and quality.



Invitations by E*venstar P*aperie >> A+
Although the process was lengthy (partially due to me changing my mind about the design!), everything was completed on time. I absolutely LOVED our invitations! Tess@ was very patient, understanding and sweet. I highly recommend her.



St. Ignatius Loyola in Hicksville >> A+
I fell in love with this church the second I stepped inside. At first, the volunteer who answers the phone told me I had to live in the town and be a member.. I was very disappointed because we lived in Bethpage (neighboring town) and wanted to become members at this church but she said we couldn’t. We became members at St. Martin of Tours in Bethpage and booked our wedding there however within a few months we received a call that there was a mistake and that we couldn’t get married there because Communion was to take place on that day. The priest was willing to write a letter explaining what had happened and to accept us at a different church. I phoned St. Ignatius back and explained to the Deacon what had happened and they happily accepted us. I was soooooo happy because that was the church I wanted to get married at initially. Deacon George was awesome! The pre cana was done at a couple’s house and not as bad as we thought…we met other couples who were getting married and thought about and discussed things that may not have come up in regular conversion.



Hair and Make up by M-i-a >> B
I did 3 trials and ended up changing my make up look on the day of. I was very stressed because while her team came early and got the girls ready, she was very late. I was ready just in time to hop into my dress and into the limo. I loved the outcome but just felt rushed and if there is anything I hate more, it's being late.
I gave the tip for all the girls at the end and received an email from her assistant that the tip was never received. I explained that it was given to M-I-A directly and that was the end of that.





Liz Rene Couture Giselle Shoes >> B I ordered a few pairs on endless and liked the peep toed ones the best. The heel was on the higher side, although I do wear heels on a daily basis. By the middle of the day, they started to hurt in the front but I was able to **** it up and wear them until the end.





Jewelery >> A+
I purchased the earrings on overstock and they were exactly what I was looking for, simple dangling pearl earrings with a touch of diamonds.
The bracelet DH ordered through etsy. It was perfect! A simple 3 strand pearl bracelet with a filigree closure. The seller is DanaSaylorDesigns.
The necklace I got from DH’s parents and it was purchased at Macy’s.





Dress at Lillettes >> A+
This was the only salon that carried the dress that I found online. It was the first dress that I tried on and immediately fell in love. I knew that I wanted a mermaid dress and later discovered that I like lace. I also went to Kleinfeld’s, RK Bridal and Bridal Reflections but nothing came close to my original Maggie Sottero Phillipa dress.
I have no complaints about the alterations, it was an overall easy process even though they had to take the dress in about one size.
The bridesmaids all ordered their dresses and did alterations (which were a little pricey) at Lillettes as well. Each bridesmaid picked her own gown by Belsoie (Jasmine) in the color peony.





Tuxes at Di Re Formal Wear >> A+
No complaints at all! I picked black tuxes for the groomsmen with silver herringbone vests and ties while DH had a white tie and vest. The tuxes were affordable and looked great!





Florist – Verbena Designs >> A+
I knew the second I met with Jennifer that she would make my vision a reality. She is so nice too! I really liked that they concentrate on ONE event at any given day. I also met with Burton’s (about $600 cheaper) and Flower Michelle (same price quote) but felt most comfortable with Verbena Designs. I saw the centerpiece sample and loved it but later on decided to change my colors and asked Jen to show me another sample. There was some sort of misunderstanding and I hated the centerpiece colors as it wasn't what I had envisioned (i wanted the colors to pop and she thought i wanted a pastel palette). I frantically e-mailed a zillion pictures trying to get the shade of pink that I had in mind across. I felt like a true bridezilla! At the end, Jen nailed the sample and there were no surprises at the wedding. Everything looked beautiful! We had half medium and half tall centerpieces. At the end of the night, there wasn’t one left as the guests all helped themselves. One thing that I wouldn’t spend $ on are the church decorations. We had 2 altar arrangements and I felt that they really didn’t make a difference in the 30 minutes we spent in church. They were a good size but sat on the floor and got lost in all the details that the church already had. Thankfully it was only $200 so I didn’t stress about it.

This is the sample:


Day of:


All Star Limo >> A-
We dealt with Debbie, who's been in the business for a while and told us what we needed when we told her our day of timeline.
We absolutely loved the Rolls Royce (the old Phantom) that they had, it was in mint condition and the price was right. We also got a 14 passenger Lincoln for the bridal party and a 6 passenger Lincoln for the parents. The limos showed up on time, were in excellent condition and the drivers were really nice. The only complaint I have is that the car that was supposed to take us to the airport 2 days after the wedding never showed and when I called Debbie wasn’t there and they had no record of the reservation. They sent a car right away with no compensation for their mess up.



Golden Moments Video >> A (pending)
We are still waiting for the video so I will update.
Initially I didn’t think I wanted a videographer but that was the only thing that DH asked for so we worked it into the budget. We met with a few and they were either boring, outdated, or too expensive. While watching a sample video at Golden Moments, we just looked at each other and knew we wanted them to do our wedding. They also do photography which looked amazing but again, we had already booked a photog.
We had 2 videographers and both showed up on time and got to work right away. No complaints, we didn’t even know they were there. We can’t wait to see the footage!

UPDATE: well, it took a lot longer than promised, but we got our video (on April 1st) and are happy with it. Here is the recap:
Recap

Photog >> C
She’s a freelancer that a few friends of friends have used. We got all 1500+ proofs on cd and were somewhat disappointed as a lot of pictures were missed. Do yourself a favor and tell your photographer exactly what pictures you want. This photog didn’t like that we were only taking pix at Crest Hollow and it was pretty apparent on the day of as she had the 2nd photog shoot the formals. I was so wrapped up in the day that it didn’t faze me and I trusted that the day would be captured as expected. Although we got a lot of great photojournalistic photos, I did not get pictures of: my mom walking into church, just my mom and I, church programs, unity candle, traditional head to toe bride & groom shots. I almost had a meltdown when I discovered there wasn’t 1 full length photo of us to use as a thank you card. We expected a lot more especially after seeing her sample work.



























Percussionist – Bravo Sound >> B
We loved the idea of adding a ‘live’ effect to our 2 DJ’s (1 Croatian and 1 Polish) so we opted for a percussionist. Everything was great except that he showed up after our first dance and claimed that’s the time he was told (so not what the contract said). When DH and I saw the reception room while everyone was at cocktail hour we noticed he was missing and our banquet manager (Thomas) made the calls and reassured us that the percussionist will be there soon.

Homewood Suites in Melville
I wanted to take advantage of the advance pay rate and so I called to make the reservations. I wanted to explain that I will need a 2 bedroom suite for the night before the wedding and where I will get ready the next day then move to the 1 bedroom bridal suite. Well, it sounds pretty simple but the reservationist booked me for 2 nights in the 2 bedroom suite as well as 1 night in the bridal suite. I tried to call back and explain that they made a mistake but they insisted that it was an advance pay special rate and that I couldn’t make any changes. I e-mailed and wrote complaint letters but nothing came of it. Every time I would call, I’d get transferred from one person to another. So at the end of it all, I just gave the extra room to my brother. Lesson to be learned: make the reservations online. The hotel was very nice and spacious, no complaints. The girls and I enjoyed the continental breakfast in the morning and then got ready in the 2 bedroom suite, where everyone fit comfortably in the living/dining area. I would highly recommend this hotel, as the price is very reasonable and the hotel is very clean and nice.

Crest Hollow Country Club >> A+
Everything went off as planned with the exception of the weather and I couldn’t have my outdoor cocktail hour. It was a little windy and very cloudy with rain in the forecast. CHCC was willing to do the cocktail hour outside but said if it started raining everyone would be rushed to the reception room, which I didn’t want. So we had the room upstairs, they opened the door to the balcony and set up lounge tables where people sat and walked around the outdoor grounds.
We had the bridal suite downstairs and it was on the smaller side…it served its purpose.
My bridal attendant was Sandy and she was awesome! She was by my side and took care of everything for us. The food and cake was delicious. They packed extra meals for DH and I which we had at 2am and they were still delish.

Excellence Playa Mujeres Honeymoon >> A++++++++++++
We got the 2 floor rooftop suite and it was very affordable and extremely beautiful! The (8) restaurants were incredible; from Mexican to French to Mediterranean it was all fresh and delicious. The beach was clean and very secluded. We loved our 10 days in paradise and cannot wait to go back as well as check out other Excellence properties.

Dance Lessons with John of Ballroom Dancing >> A+
My brother and I took lessons for our brother sister dance to 'by your side' by sade. John made the dance steps looks sooooooo easy and my brother and I are both dance challenged. He was worth every penny, I highly recommend him. Also, he was able to meet us at a dance studio 2 minutes from my house so that was very helpful!

Hope you enjoyed my review. Happy planning to all the future brides!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

Great Review! Sorry you weren't happy with your photog but I think your pics are beautiful! Congrats!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

Great review congrats

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

Thank you I def like the photos, I just had higher expectations. You live and you learn. I can't wait for our post wedding shoot with Amanda Picone.

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

Your hair and make-up ARE BEAUTIFUL! Very similar to what I'm doing - and I really think your pics are so great! I understand what you mean about being disappointed though that you didn't get some standard shots taken - sorry about that! Looks like a beautiful wedding!!!

Thank you for the review!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

u looked beautiful! i also loveee ur cake and the flowers did come out beautiful! congrats!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

your look beautiful in ur dress!!!
im soooo glad to hear good things about the CHCC!!!! ill be a bride there next year

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

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Posted by BriansWifey

your look beautiful in ur dress!!!
im soooo glad to hear good things about the CHCC!!!! ill be a bride there next year

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Thank you! CHCC was great, I dont have one complaint. From the second you arrive, you have an entourage of people helping you in whatever you may need.

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

What a beautiful couple you guys make.

Your review was wonderful. I love CHCC! I had my prom there!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

You looked beautiful!! Congrats

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

You looked gorgeous in your gown! I am considering Phillipa too!

Your pics are beautiful!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

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Posted by DonnaPWhite1124

What a beautiful couple you guys make.

Your review was wonderful. I love CHCC! I had my prom there!

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Aww, thank you! DH had his prom there as well...When we initially looked at CHCC he was like 'this place looks familiar' but couldnt remember that his prom was there!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

you looked amazing congrtas great review!!!!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

Everything looks beautiful!!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

We're going to excellence for our HM too - I'm so glad you had a great time! Excited =))

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

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Posted by Colby212

We're going to excellence for our HM too - I'm so glad you had a great time! Excited =))

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the place is gorgeous!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

congrats!!!!! I am getting married exactly a year after you

u looked gorgeous! the hair, m/u, the dress everything was very beautiful! loved ur pix, but sorry that not all shots u wanted were taken.

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

congratulations!
Great review - I love reading these! I am so sorry about your photographer You look beautiful & I love your cake!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

beautiful!!!

Re: 5/16/09 BlueEyes' Review: CHCC, Verbena Designs, All Star Limo + more

You are gorgeous! Your wedding looked soo nice! Im sorry your photographer missed a lot of shots I feel that mine did the same thing so I can TOTALLY relate! And I SPECIFICALLY requested them and he STILL DIDNT DO IT! I havent gotten my proofs but he barely did ANY family shots with the both of us and our families and Im VERY upset about this.

Your pics are gorgeous! I think you def got a lot og great shots =)))

Best of luck!