The Brides' Review - My 10/17 Giorgio's Review with Imagine Proofs

mvecchio Posted: Nov 30, 2004 04:12 PM+

mvecchio MEMBER SINCE: 11/03 TOTAL POSTS : 90 WEDDING DATE: Oct 17, 2004

Posted: Nov 30, 2004 04:12 PM

My 10/17 Giorgio's Review with Imagine Proofs

I know this is late-but I was waiting to get my proofs and then I had to buy a scanner! It's a lot of work!

First-my wedding was amazing, the most wonderful day of my life. Mostly, because I am so in love and I married the most amazing man. So a thank you to my husband-who helped plan every last detail with me, I am so lucky! He wrapped favors, made rose petal cones, ran across God’s creation to get things done. I couldn’t ask for a better husband,!

Also- Thank you to all the girls of LIWeddings. I didn’t post a lot, but I was on everyday looking at all the beautiful pictures and reading everyone’s trials and tribulations, and it made me feel sane during an insane experience. So Thanks!

Reception-Giorgio's-A+++++-Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful! People are still raving, about the food, the service, the scenery, and the atmosphere! George Jr. and his staff are top notch, and they deserve the praise they get! Steve and I wanted for nothing, everything just flowed so beautifully. The food was wonderful, and being a certified chef myself, it was nice to be offered something other than chicken francese and prime rib. They are truly taking it to another level to distinguish themselves, and I think it is amazing. There is such care in all food they prepare and the way it was presented, it was truly a class act. I am very happy with our choice! The only criticism I can offer is I think Giorgio's should align themselves with better vendors. I know they are trying to be on par with Atlantica and some of the more upscale places, I think they need to use vendors that are more upscale. Gene from Travel King harassed us to no end, phone calls at 10:00 at night. Other than that-it is a beautiful place to get married! My cousin said she wished someone else would get married there so she could go to another wedding!

Church-St. Mary's in East Islip-you can't really rate a church can you? We got married in the church for our parents. We hated having to go through Pre-Cana, it was 7 weeks long. The priest was Father Steve and he was so sweet. But the floor in the church was filthy and the back of my dress got dirty. For the amount of money the 'donation' was-I think the floor could have been cleaned. But-I wouldn't change it, it was beautiful.

Photography-Imagine Studios-A+++++-Lia Diaz is a wonderful photographer, and I have people telling me that my proofs are the most beautiful wedding pictures they have ever seen. I wanted more photojournalism shots, and that is exactly what we got. Every time I look at my pictures, it brings back the emotion of the day-and that is what I wanted. I highly recommend them-she and her assistant were very professional, and very unobtrusive.

Flowers-Krist Florist-A+++++- This is a little mom and pop florist in Bohemia. I used them because my mother uses them for business. I was a little unsure when I went in there, the books Gail showed me were a little out dated, and I was very apprehensive. But-I have to say, my flowers were amazing, everyone who was there or sees my pictures does not stop commenting on how beautiful they were. I showed her some pictures from Martha Stewart Weddings of the type of centerpieces and bouquets I wanted, and they came out even prettier than the pictures. I had circus roses for my centerpieces and linnitis and Sahara roses in my bouquet. It was such a beautiful combination, and so appropriate for the season. Gail and her husband are the sweetest people-and again, I highly recommend them.

Dresses-Bridal Reflections/Massapequa-C- I went there because I wanted an Eve of Milady gown and I knew they carried them. I had a great experience in the Bridal Salon; my gown was the fourth dress I tried on. I used them for my bridesmaid dresses and my mother got her dress there. I also bought my headpiece, veils, earrings and pocketbook there.
Once I started going for fittings, it was a nightmare experience. My seamstress was Zee-Zee and on three separate occasions she looked at my eyes and told me my eyebrows didn't look so good, and then proceeded to give me her card for eyebrow waxing. I found this so unprofessional, I complained to the manager and it stopped. My dress didn't need a lot of alterations when I went for my first fitting. It was a little big in the bust area, and it needed a little on the sides, but that was it. Well-by my second fitting which was three weeks later, my dress was so tight I could barely breathe, and I had lost weight in that time. When I told Zee-Zee this she blew me off and said 'All brides think they are fat.' I complained again and when I went for my third fitting Roslyn was there with two of the other seamstresses and fixed the problems. In the end, I still think it was a bit big around my boobs, but it looked pretty. The other nightmare was they ordered my mom's dress like four sizes too small and then tried to claim she gained 4 inches in her waist since she ordered it. Now my mom is not the thinnest women in the world, but she has been the same weight forever. I didn't think it was right that they blamed my mother for their mistake. Again-in the end they were able to fix it, but this was all two weeks before the wedding, and the stress level was through the roof. The girls didn't have a great experience either. They were rushed in their fittings and felt like the seamstresses weren't listening to them. My advice is to go there for the selection, but have your alterations done somewhere else. For all the money you spend, you deserve to be treated better. If I could do it over again, I would go to a smaller bridal shop. That said, in the end, everything was fixed and no one knew anything that went on.

Video-Candelite-No rating because I haven't seen it yet. Very unobtrusive, I barely knew they were there.

Invitations/Bridal Party Gifts-Only You in Islip-A+++++- I used them for my invitations, bridesmaid gifts and we rented a mailbox for the envelopes from them. Melinda is the sweetest and they have an amazing selection of invitations, and bridal party favors. My invitations were beautiful and Melinda really helped us pick out something different. For the girls I got silk jewelry boxes with there initials on it, and they loved them.

Make-up-Jacqueline Nicole-A++++++-She is the greatest!! She really takes the time to figure out what you want, and she is so professional. I went for two trials, and ended up changing it up the day of the wedding. This was no problem, she was up to the challenge! I loved my make-up! I got the airbrush foundation, and it did not move! She also did the make-up for my mother and the girls, and she made them look amazing. My mother looked like an angel (which she is) and my girls looked so natural and pretty. I recommend her to everyone!

Hair-Nicky from Cactus Salon in Commack-A+++++ Nicky is my hairdresser, and my hair was perfect. After two trials, again I changed my mind the day of the wedding. She didn't bat an eyelash-she made me look perfect! I loved my hair. She also did the girls and my mom, and they looked beautiful. She's the greatest!

Tuxedo's-RSVP Bay Shore-B+-Steven looked perfect, and so did the guys! I think there was a problem with one of the tux's being to short, but it all got worked out and I thought they looked so handsome!

Shoes-Myglassslipper.com-A+++-I was looking for shoes for a while, and couldn't find anything I liked. I ended up buying a pair of Grazia shoes online, and they looked just like they did on the website. I loved them! They are pricey, but they were exactly what I had in mind-so it was worth the money. They were shipped within a week!

Rings-Bailey Banks and Biddle-A+++++ We looked all over the place for rings, and then we were in the Smithhaven mall and we found what we were looking for. They were very sweet and really took the time to show us everything. They have a great selection!

Bridesmaid Jewelry-AnnaBellagio.com-C+-I ordered the jewelry about one month before the wedding. On my confirmation of the order, it was guaranteed to be shipped by 10/10/04. Well on 10/12/04 I still hadn't received it and I left several messages, and did not get a return call. When I finally got someone on the phone, they told me it was on back order and they could guarantee it by 10/13/04. Okay-4 days before the wedding, so I was a little stressed, because I wanted to give it out at the rehearsal which was 10/15/04. But it came on the 13th and it was beautifully wrapped. The girls were very happy. All's well in the end.

Ceremony Music-Elite Music-A-We had a classical trio and a singer, Lisa Perry. I really wanted this, as I thought it would add a special touch to the ceremony. It did! I came in to Ave Maria-and there was not a dry eye in the church. Lisa has a very operatic voice, and it sounded like heaven. She called a couple of time to discuss the music, and had some problems with just singing with the trio, and not the organ, but it all worked out, and that touch to the wedding was worth every penny. She also sang One Hand/One Heart when we exchanged rings, a piece by Bach for Steve’s parents as they were seated.

Favors-Chocaltier in Sayville-A+++-We picked out four assorted chocolate truffles, and they were delicious. We wrapped the favors ourselves because I wanted a certain type of ribbon, but they looked really nice.

Limos-A++++Charm limosine-We had a Rolls Royce and a stretch for the bridal party. They were fabulous!

DJ-if you have any questions, please fm me.

Travel Agent-Cook Travel East Hampton-D-They were recommended through my aunt who travels quite a bit. We went to Disney and then Aruba. Originally were supposed to stay at the Yacht club in Disney, but the special ran out and Mary put us in the Port Orleans French Quarter. The room was out of the 70's and we had double beds!! We were only there for three days, so we didn't make a big deal, hoping out accommodations would be better in Aruba. We stayed at the Aruba Grand which was horrible. We had an all inclusive there, and we had originally booked a Junior Suite. When we got there we were told we were 'upgraded' to a Times share suite. Well the room was big; we had two bathrooms, a kitchen, a den and a big bedroom, with two balconies-sounds better than it was. The décor was from the 70’s; the couch in the den had stains all over it. There were several occasions where the maid was there when we came in, and she left and never came back. There are really only two restaurants in the hotel, one is more family oriented, and the other is outside, more couple oriented. The food wasn’t that good, and in the morning, the iguanas were running all over the place by your feet. I couldn’t take it! I am not into that! I had Steve bring me breakfast after that! We ended up eating a lot at the Radisson which was right next door, and a much better hotel. I wish the Travel Agent would have clued me in to the accommodations, I would have told her to book better hotels, despite the price. We still had a great honeymoon, Aruba is gorgeous-and it stinks coming back! It’s a let down when you get off the plane! We loved Disney-and if you are honeymooning in Disney-get the mouse ears with veil and the top hat! We got free desserts everywhere and people were so nice to us! In Aruba we did the horseback riding by the natural bridge, and while that was very long and your butt hurts-it was breathtakingly beautiful. If you are going horse back riding and have big boobs-wear a really good bra!!

Our Wedding was great-and I am sad and happy that it’s over. It’s nice to have my life back, but the day went so fast. I am so happy to be married!

If you have any questions about anything, you can fm me.

Good Luck!