FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

First of all, I'd like to thank LI Weddings and all of you lovely ladies for being so incredibly helpful and supportive. I wasn't an avid poster here, but any time I did have anything to share or ask, everyone who responded was always so sweet and helpful. I only hope that my review will be half as helpful as all of the LI Wedding reviews that I read before my wedding!

Let me just preface all of the comments below by saying that our wedding day was amazing from start to finish and not because of the weather, the vendors or our RH, but because it was the start of what we hope to be an incredible journey. Yes, most of our vendors made it easy for us to enjoy our day, but when it comes down to it - a wedding isn't about flowers or favors or food - it's about two people celebrating their love and their commitment. Everything else pales in comparison.

WEATHER: B

I slept at my parents home in Mt. Sinai out in Suffolk the night before and woke up to really dark skies and some rain, but once we drove out to Roslyn it started clearing up. It was cloudy most of the day, but the sun came out in the late afternoon and my photographer (Jay from Duet) practically forced us out into the cold to take advantage of it. I'm so glad he did because we got a few really nice shots in the garden at the Royalton.

THE ROYALTON MANSION: BEFORE: B+ DAY OF: A-

The Royalton Mansion

Because we live in the city, my husband and I really wanted to get married in Manhattan, but we realized very early on that financially, it just wasn't the right move for us. When we first started looking on L.I, I had a lot of preconceived notions. I wanted something intimate and elegant and I had this idea in my head that anything affordable was going to be tacky and ornately decorated. I saw a picture of the Royalton in a magazine and the first thing I noticed were the hardwood floors. Sounds ridiculous, but to me that was one of the most important requirements. No ugly hotel carpeting!! I think we saw two places before stepping into the Royalton and quite honestly, I don't remember which ones because the minute we saw the Royalton - there was no other choice for me. It was gorgeous - from the main hall with the spiral staircase and the checkerboard floor, to the hardwood floors and window inlays in the banquet room, to the amazing bridal suite, to the cozy mahogany cocktail room and the pretty gardens outside. This was the place!

I also really liked the staff at first. When we were booking, we worked with Gerard Foster and one of the owners, Michael Einhorn. They were very down to earth and we felt very comfortable with them. It wasn't until a few months before the wedding when things started getting a little strange. Phone calls with Gerard always felt rushed - like he was too busy for me. We scheduled our tasting with him thinking he'd be there and he didn't show. The person who did show suddenly became our point person calling us about various details. He seemed fine, but he kept giving us conflicting information. I would call Gerard for clarification and he'd act like he didn't know anything about what the other guy was telling us. Things started getting confusing and we started to worry. The final straw was a call we got the week of the wedding telling us we owed money for a tent that we'd planned on using for our ceremony from Day 1. In the whole year after we booked with them, not one time did anyone mention that we'd need to pay extra for it. To me, it was all a result of a very ambiguous contract and poor communication on their part. We worked it out, but in the end we didn't have the proper tuiling for the ceiling of the tent. It was still quite a pretty ceremony without it, but the tuiling would have definitely warmed up the room.

As for the day-of, except for the ceremony tent, they really did an amazing job. The rooms were decorated beautifully and all the moving parts came together seamlessly. I'm still amazed how they did a daytime wedding that ended at 5pm, but still had everything set up for my wedding which started at 7pm. I was even able to get into the bridal suite with my bridal party at 1pm while the other wedding was going on. It was a bit odd to arrive while a wedding was going on. I practically bumped into the other bride while she was taking photos. I suppose it was worse for her to see me and my girls entering her wedding in sweatpants, so I shouldn't complain. Aside from hearing the music occasionally, I really didn't think about it. Arturo, the maitre'd and Gerard were on top of everything. They made sure we had everything we wanted from the minute we arrived at 1pm to the minute we left at 2am. Our bridal attendant Fabiola was also amazing. She did so much - everything from setting up our hundreds of framed photos in the cocktail room to consulting with our florist to make changes to the bouquets (see florist review below). She would get drinks and food and anything we needed at a moments notice and I don't think I had to carry one card the entire evening because she was always behind me ready to help. She was a doll. Absolutely loved her.

The food was delicious and we are still hearing raves from friends and family. The service was impeccable. A family member actually asked my mother if the owners were family friends because he couldn't believe how attentive the staff was. They really came through. I'm only giving them an A- because of the tuiling for the tent and for something that I only found out about recently. I'd rather not post it here, but if you are interested, please FM me. It was just a fluke thing, so I don't want to make a big deal about it.





this is our thank you card pic!
































PHOTOGRAPHER - DUET - Jay's Team - A+

Duet Photography

We're extremely happy with out proofs. Jay and his team were fantastic. We would have liked more shots of our guests at their tables, but the VIPs were taken care of and he basically got everything we asked for. The style is perfect for us - a nice mix of formal and photojournalistic without turning us into wannabe models in glossy magazine photos (you know what kinds of photos I'm talking about!)



















FLORIST: STEFANS: Before: B+ Day-of: A

(their website is terrible!)

As many of you know, the Royalton only allows you to use two florists. Annoying? Yes, very. We met with Spitz & Peck on L.I. and in Manhattan and weren't impressed. We chose Stefans mainly because we really loved Paul. Really sweet guy. The problem was that I had a lot of trouble communicating what we wanted. We did two samples and both weren't to our tastes. He just kept telling me that what I wanted was not in our budget. After the second sample, we basically just had to keep our fingers crossed because we had no idea what we were going to end up with. As luck would have it, we really liked what we got in the end. Granted, they weren't as full as I might have liked and they weren't my dream flowers, but I think overall he got my basic vision right and the BM bouquets were perfect, so much so that I liked them better than mine! As I mentioned above, my bridal attendant found the florist after he dropped them off and was setting up the ceremony flowers and she got him to change them for me, not once, but twice. Gerard also helped with this. I felt like a jerk doing it, but I wanted them the way I wanted them and that was that. I didn't like my MOH's bouquet at all, but my MOH liked it, so that's all that counts in the end.



front hall centerpiece





centerpiece



bottom of table centerpiece


bride's bouquet



MOH bouquet

Officiant: Monsignor Lisante: A++

Father Jim!

He's amazing. I had a close friend tell me that out of all the wedding ceremonies she's ever been to, including HER OWN - this was the nicest one she's ever seen. Father Jim is so incredibly engaging - he makes everyone feel like they are part of the ceremony. He made us laugh, cry and rejoice all at the same time. Family members told me they didn't want it to end. Who says that about a wedding ceremony!




Hair and Make-up Artists: Claudia and Maureen Pedala: A+

The Pedala Sisters

Expensive, but worth every penny. They came on time and worked their butts off. They're total sweeties and they made all of us look like beauty queens.







Ceremony Music: MAS Music: A+


Marie is a vendor here and she was awesome. She is super affordable and a complete professional. From the very minute I contacted her, she was attentive and extremely helpful. We had a string trio and they were fantastic.

EJ the DJ: A

EJ the DJ

My hubby is an events manager with this company, so I'm a bit biased. However, they are really good at what they do and since me and my husband are really into music, I can say honestly, having a great DJ was extremely important to us, regardless of the connection. We had two Plasmas, deluxe lights, video, live simulcast (on plasmas), zap shots during cocktail hour (shown on Plasmas the entire wedding), an MC and a DJ. The MC Tony was great. We didn't want a theatrical MC at all and he really toned it down for us. Every song the DJ played was hand picked by us with the exception of a few filler songs. There were people on the floor the entire evening including the last 15 minutes of the wedding where we played a set of old school hip hop for our close friends who went absolutely nuts on the dance floor. They said it was the best ending to a wedding they'd ever seen! Also very cool were the zap shots that were on the Plasmas all night which we got on a disc the night of the wedding. It was amazing to have those to look at the very next day.

Invitations: Encore Studios A+

My MIL is in the business, so she got us a deal on our invitations. Encore is expensive and we probably would not have picked these otherwise. We wanted something non-traditional and I was so happy with how they turned out. We received so many compliments on them and I still look at them and think they are the nicest wedding invitations I've ever seen. The card stock alone...it's so heavy!






Menus and Programs: My JeanM A++

This company was fantastic. I was mainly attracted to their non-traditional colors as I wanted to do my menus and programs in the reverse colors of my invitations. I did a lot of comparison shopping and their prices are really quite good. They were such a pleasure to work with. After I sent my program draft to them, they actually called the very next day to confirm information that their proofreaders found to be wrong. They caught a bunch of things that I would have never noticed. Same with the menus. They did exactly what we wanted and never charged us a penny over what was advertised. Everything was delivered in an extremely timely manner and I loved everything they did.





Labels for our Favors and Out of Town Bags: Wedding Labels A+

Another great company to work with. I actually taught myself how to can and made my own pumpkin butter (I give myself an A+!). I put them in small ball jars and we needed labels for the top. This company gives you a ton of templates to choose from and you just find a way to fit the information you need onto them. It's very straightforward and user-friendly website and they are pretty affordable. People loved the favors because they were homemade and the labels just added that special touch.





Roslyn Claremont Hotel B-

The actual hotel was lovely, but they don't have a lot of rooms and they really give you the run around when you want to add rooms to your block. The people that handle the wedding blocks are also very difficult to get a hold off. I think the woman we dealt with was part-time and it seemed that every time I needed to talk to her, she was out. She also stopped returning my phone calls as the wedding day approached. We wanted 20 rooms from the beginning, but they'd only give us 10 until we filled them. Then we got 20 and we wanted to add 5 more and they wouldn't do it until we filled the 20. Well, we filled the 20 rooms and when we tried to get more, the hotel was completely booked. Total PITA!

However, I am giving them a B- because we did a brunch there the morning after the wedding and it was really quite nice. They also added a last minute note to our OOT gift bags for us the day of the wedding. I guess if you only have a few OOT guests, this might be a fine choice.

Men's Warehouse: A

Hubby had a wonderful experience with the Men's Warehouse in Oceanside. They were very helpful - giving him extra shirts and pants in different sizes and colors just in case there were problems on the day-of.. Personally, I don't think they have a very good selection, but the husband was happy and this is really his thing to review.

Kleinfeld's: B

I really had a fantastic experience with Kleinfelds from the dress shopping through the fittings with my wonderful seamstress Enza. However, I'm not sure what they did to my dress between the last fitting and the time I picked it up, but my dress did not completely fit on the top. I don't think I lost all that much weight in those few days, so I really don't understand it at all. It seriously needed it to be taken in that morning at least a half an inch. Every time I sat down, it rode up on me and there are several pictures where you can see that it clearly does not fit me.

DRESS: Justina McCaffrey : A+

No manner how ill-fitting, I still loved my dress! The only bummer is that the crystals on the sides look like buttons in the pictures. It's really such a shame because they were gorgeous up close.

Bridesmaids Dresses: Jasmine/Belsoie: RK BRIDAL A+

RK Bridal was great. Not a fancy place, but you're saving so much money, who cares! We chose the No Frills option and got the dresses for $100 cheaper than regular ole bridal salons were charging. They were delivered directly to all the girls and they got their own alterations. Easy-peasy!


Flower Girl Dresses: Bill Levkov: A

Bill Levkoff

My sister got them at a salon in NJ. They were adorable. Not really much more I can say about that.








Bridal Jewelry and Hair Accessories:
Redot Designs and



Amy's Bridal Accessories



A+ for both

I just loved the pretty little crystal and pearl pins I got for my hair from Amy's. They were understated and perfect. I also loved my earrings from Redot. Both companies are amazing to work with. You can call and speak to the actual people putting the jewelry together - felt very comfortable buying on line with them.




Shoes: Stuart Weitzman: C

Horribly uncomfortable and I want to kick myself for letting my mother spend $300 on them! Took them off right after the ceremony and put on my amazingly comfortable platform flip flops (can't remember where I purchased them from!)





Cardbox: For the Modern Bride (ebay seller) A+

I ordered it months before the wedding and didn't get it until a week before my wedding, but it was worth the wait and the anxiety!



Grooms Cake: Cakes by Mona: B+

Cakes by Mona

Mona and I conducted business entirely by e-mail which was pretty convenient. She was fairly responsive - within 2 or 3 days. Cake looked fantastic and was pretty good. For the money, I was underwhelmed. I thought it would be a little larger. Not enough bang for the buck in my opinion, but DH was very happy about it and it was certainly a hit at the rehearsal dinner





Rehearsal Dinner at DaVinci's in Island Park: B

Private room was lovely and the appetizers and pasta were very good. I was a little disappointed with the actual entrees. We had a family party here over the summer and the food was done buffet style and it was fantastic. This time they told us they don't do buffet anymore - just seated dinners and it was definitely a step down in quality.

HONEYMOON: Costa Rica A+
Costa Rica Experts (link below): A

The husband and I are not 'lay out and sunbathe' types, but we did want to go somewhere much warmer than here in November! We just wanted to do something a little adventurous in addition to the usual sun and relaxation thing. We mulled over a bunch of ideas all over the globe. Not tons of options for sun in November. Africa and Australia were at the top of the list, but the cost and the long flights turned us off a bit. We kept hearing from travel experts that Costa Rica was probably our best bet because it had the wildlife, the adventure, the beautiful beaches and it was super affordable. So, we did some research on line which led us to Costa Rica Experts We were attracted to their whole 'luxury adventure vacations' thing. They actually do all of the legwork for you - from the flights, to the hotels, to the commuter flights you have to take in Costa Rica. We dealt with them completely by e-mail and they were very responsive and helpful. The trip went so smoothly because of them.

We wanted adventure, but we didn't want to rough it. It was our honeymoon after all! We were also very concerned about the tourist factor. We wanted luxury without being in an all-inclusive tourist trap. After much research and a little advice from Costa Rica Experts, we found two places that were ideal for us. The first was a private nature reserve nestled in the rain forest called Lapa Rios . We were literally in a luxury bungalow on a mountain in the forest - practically all alone. There are only 10 or 12 other bungalows in the place and at the time we were there - there were only two other couples there. There are no phones, no television, nothing to connect you to the outside world - nothing, but you and your partner in the middle of some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Totally amazing. The one nice comfort they do have is the gourmet restaurant that serves three fabulous meals a day which are included in the cost of the lodge. You don't really travel away from the place because they have everything you need there. They provide transport for all of the various adventure and nature tours and the hiking. We hiked down to the beach, through rivers and waterfalls. We zip-lined hundreds of feet above the canopy of the rain forest. And best of all, we saw sloths, tropical birds, monkies and huge iquanas. It was incredible!

This was the view from our deck and yes, that's the forest and the ocean!



Monkies!



Me Zip Lining!




So, after really knocking ourselves out in the rain forest, it was time to head to the beach for the 2nd half of our trip. Time to relax! We actually flew across the contry up to Nicoya to this coastal area called Mal Pais/Santa Teresa - two little towns that sit right on the beach. There are zoning laws that make it impossible for this are to become over-developed. They can't build anything over a certain height, so basically you have these little casitas that line the beaches - some are more luxurious than others, but some are just shacks where surfers from all over the world come to chill. The beaches basically look the same as they did 500 years ago. They'll be stretches of beautiful beach and then huge volcanic rock formations. So gorgeous! Everyone that lives there is laid back - most of the locals own little hole in the wall restaurants with casitas on and across the road from the beach. People are really chill and just want to enjoy the weather and the surf. The place we stayed at -
Flor Blanca was absolutely amazing. It's one of the upscale resorts in the area so even though it's in this totally laid back surfer town, it's quite posh. Our little casita was right on the beach with an open-air living room where we could actually sit on our couch and look at the ocean which was only yards away. Totally unbelievable. There was hardly a soul on our little stretch of beach ever. It was the most private vacation spot I've ever been to. And apparently the best sunsets in the whole country!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

You looked gorgeous and I love the reception hall pics! Congrats!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

Congratulations
Really pretty pictures

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

great review!! love the pics, you looked gorgeous!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

Beautiful wedding date twin!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

beautiful review.. congrats

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

Great review. U looked beautiful!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

Your dress is gorgeous! Everything looked beautiful! Congrats!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

Congratulations! Jay was my photographer too! Your pictures came out beautiful!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

you look GORGEOUS!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the DJ

What an awesome review Rose. You looked so stunning. your proofs are AMAZING! Congrats!! Hope to see you in bleachers next season!

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: 11/3/07 Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the

awesome review!! you looked amazing and i love your proofs and color scheme (which is almost the same as mine!)

Re: REVIEW with PRO PICS: 11/3/07 Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Redot Designs, Amy's Bridal, Roslyn Claremont, Pumpkin Butter, EJ the

You looked BEAUTFUL. I loved your hair clips. Many congrats.

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

Thank you all so much. I'm so happy to share my experiences and these photos. It was an amazing day!

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

CONGRATULATIONS! Loved your pics's. You looked beautiful!!

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

Beautiful! Thanks for posting the links, I love the cardbox and hair pin!!!!

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

What a GREAT review YOu LOOKED BEAUTIFUL!!

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

Beautiful!!

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

You & everything look beautiful!! Congrats!!

Re: FELICITA WEDDING 11/3/07: MORE pro pics: Royalton, Stefans, Duet, Justina McCaffrey, Kleinfelds, MAS, M.A.S, RK Bridal, The Modern Bride, Cakes by Mona, Roslyn Claremont, EJ the DJ

congratualtions...thank you so much for posting i love hearing and looking at the royalton pictures...also thinking about Costa Rica nov. 08 so it was so great to read your review. You looked beautiful, im so glad your day went so well. Congrats again!