July 6 ,2008: Russian Wedding

So this weekend will be exactly 1 month that we're married. Over this past month, I've had plenty of time to reflect on the wedding day and gather my thoughts. The main thing I have to say to all upcoming brides is that things will DEFINITELY go wrong before the wedding and on the day of, but DO NOT let that ruin your day!! There were a few things that didn't turn out the way I was hoping, but they were minor things and only I would have known that it wasn't exactly right. Your guests will never notice that anything is wrong unless you show it. I had a genuine smile on my face throughout the entire wedding and we had an absolutely amazing time. Here are some of our reviews. (Pictures coming soon)


Ceremony and Reception: A+++++++

Woodbury Jewish Center
I would highly recommend Woodbury for the bride who wants a large sanctuary for the ceremony and a classy, elegant ballroom. I'd also recommend it to anyone who values good food and good service. We met with Tom at Woodbury numerous times before the wedding and each time were treated with respect and professionalism. The food is truly amazing at Woodbury. People are still talking about it! The best thing about WJC is the attention to the bride. I was so nervous that day, but there were so many people that work there that were able to bring me things and make sure I was ok. I also had a personal bridal assistant (butler), Kevin that coordinated everything all day and made sure I was ok. That was definitely the best investment because he cleaned my dress and brought me food. WJC was also an easy choice for us!




Bride's Hair and Makeup: A+++++ and beyond!

My original hair and makeup artist that I booked almost a year in advance didn't work out 2 weeks before the wedding. I was in a complete state of panic, as I'm sure you could imagine. So literally, a week and a half before the wedding I called a local salon in Manhasset, Nubest and Gloria was able to coordinate a hair and makeup trial for that coming weekend. It was my only hope at that point! I had been on over 5 hair/makeup trials in the year leading up to my wedding, so I figured what's one more!? Anyway, Charles Douglas did my makeup and Mayra did my hair. I was completely blown away just from the trial!!! I brought my headpiece and veil with me and didn't want to take it off, and especially didn't want to take the makeup or hair out all day. I actually went home with the headpiece on! I booked both of them on the spot and was happier with my last minute stylists than with my original one that fell through, HONESTLY. On the day of the wedding, Charles and Mayra arrived at my house on time (in fact, a few minutes earlier) and were so professional. They styled my mother and myself and it was amazing. I received so many compliments that day and I would recommend Charles and Mayra to every bride!!!!! The hair and makeup lasted all day despite the humid July weather and hours of photos at an outdoor garden! I wish I would have skipped all the other hair and makeup trials that year and just booked Charles and Mayra right away. You MUST try them!



Bridesmaid Dresses: A for service

Bridal Reflections of Carle Place: Bill Levkoff style 470 in the chocolate brown with a mocha sash.

The service at BR in Carle Place was wonderful! Two of my bridesmaids live in Israel and didn't fly in until literally 6 days before the wedding. In October, the 2 girls in Israel sent me their measurements and the ladies at Bridal Reflections used those measurements to place the dress orders in November. On the Monday before the wedding, the girls flew in and on Tuesday we went for their first fitting. The next day, we went for their second fitting and that same evening we took their dresses home! They were able to do everything in 2 days. We stayed until closing that night to get our dresses done and the people at BR were very professional. I was so worried all winter and spring as to how this will all work out, but it did thanks to the people at BR. The girls looked beautiful. The only note: if you do have out of town bridesmaids, get their measurements in advance and book your fittings in advance because the appointments book quickly, especially in the summer.

Florist: A

Pedestal's in Garden City
My flowers were beautiful. I had ONLY classy red roses for everything: My bridal bouquet, bridesmaids, cocktail hour, ceremony: everything! We used no filler flowers and used crystals wherever we could for another touch of elegance. The people at Pedestal's were VERY professional, accomodating and easy to work with. The chuppa didn't come out quite as full as I imagined it to be and the color of the draping was too yellow, but it was still very elegant and beautiful! I would definitely recommend Pedestal's as florist (and ask for Rob and Diane).

Bridal Gown: A-

My gown was custom made by a Russian designer in Brooklyn, Galit. Her work is definitely amazing and so when I got engaged I knew that was where I'd get my dress. I had an idea of what I wanted and after our consultation, I ordered my dress. In the end, the dress was gorgeous. I felt like a princess in it and received TONS of compliments!!! I gave this aspect of my wedding a 'minus' because the service was not very professional. Along the way, I had many changes (as all brides do) and worries. I don't feel that my happiness was really the priority here as it should be for the most important day of my life. I had an issue with the top of of my dress in the 2 weeks before my wedding, and we were making changes up to 3 days before the wedding. I wasn't completely happy with my dress, but had no choice to take it home and wear it on the day of the wedding. On the day of the wedding, I forgot about all the problems I had with the dress because as a whole, the dress was beautiful and I looked and felt amazing. I recommend Galit for the bride that wants something extra special and unique for her day, but if you want polite, pleasant and genuine service, then you might want to consider other designers.



Music: A++++ and beyond

Yuhan Benjamin Orchestra

If you are Russian or Jewish, you might have heard of Yuhan. He was my ONLY choice for my wedding. I knew I'd have Yuhan before I even got engaged! I booked him a week after we got engaged because we were afraid he'd be booked for our date. We had very few meetings wtih Yuhan and didn't give him a song list (except for our first dance/father-bride dance/groom-mother dance). You don't need to meet with him often and you don't need to give him a playlist. I trusted him completely. I'm not big on dancing, but at my own wedding ,I didn't sit down for a minute. It was so much fun and so lively. The dancefloor was packed all night. Yuhan feels the crowd and plays music according to the crowd. It was so upbeat and people are still talking about how much fun they had!


Limo: A+

Camelot Limos

We booked the Escalade SUV type of limo for us and our bridal party. There were a total of 11 of us and we just wanted to have extra space for all our things and my large gown. The driver of our limo was so polite, professional and prompt. He arrived on time and got us everywhere on time. He kept asking me if I was ok and made sure my dress stayed clean and that I had water when it got too hot during photos. We also booked a town car to pick up my parents and take them home at night . I was so happy that I did because I knew that they were safely taken care of. We booked a town car to take us home too and were pleasantly surprised when a stretch limo arrived! I recommend Camelot to everyone. It was the only limo company we spoke to and booked right there on the spot. The only thing was that the driver that picked us up at night, got lost and it took us longer than it should have to get home, but at least we got home safely. I'm very happy at how reliable Camelot was and so I recommend it to you!

Anyway, that's it for my reviews for now! I'll try to upload some pics as soon as I get them from the photographer. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck to all of you upcoming brides!!

Re: July 6 ,2008: Russian Wedding

Great review

Re: July 6 ,2008: Russian Wedding

thanks for the review! congrats!

Re: July 6 ,2008: Russian Wedding

Congratulations!

Re: July 6 ,2008: Russian Wedding

great review! Sounds like you had a great wedding- def post pics when you have a chance!!

Re: July 6 ,2008: Russian Wedding

Congrats!