My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

First, thanks so much to everyone on this site. I may not have posted that often, but I definitely was a lurker and took a lot of the advice that was given to others. Good luck to all of the future LIW brides and Congratulations to all of the married LIW brides. May all of your lives be blessed and fruitful.

Now for the review:

Mother Nature - A+: Holy cow! It was such an amazing day. There was this incredible low lying fog in the morning that lifted to one of the most beautiful fall days ever. Because of the summer we had, all of the leaves were still on the trees and were at the height of their color change. The pictures taken on the golf course at the Hamlet are going to come out insane!

My Dress, MOB Dress, BM Dresses, FG Dress - Macy's Bridal Salon, Smithaven Mall - A- : All of the dresses for the wedding party were purchased here. Because I got my dress here they give anyone else associated with the wedding a 10% discount. My dress came out perfectly. My seamstress was Rosalia and she was great. The dress was ordered a size bigger than my measurements (just in case) and it was sooo big when it came in. You
would never be able to tell from the pictures just how much work was done to it in order to get it to fit right. I had 2 fittings and both went smooth. I can't remember the name of the designer for the BM dresses, but they were Empire waist floor length gowns in cranberry. The cut was perfect for my girls as all of their body types were different. Only my SIL had
her alterations done there and she had a pretty hard time with her seamstress. The dress didnt fit her well when it came in and needed some work to it (not alot). When the seamstress pinned it, it fit perfectly. When
she went back to pick it up 2 weeks later it was taken in waaaaay too much, the hem was all wrong, and alterations were done that were not necessary. Luckily when she went back 2 more weeks later it fit her beautifully.
Now, there was some drama with my mom's dress. She had seen a Jovani (?) dress there when we were out looking for a dress for her. The color of the dress was a really pretty copper color and looked very nice with my mom's hair and skin tone. However, the size that they had was way too small and she couldnt get an idea of what it would look like. Macy's was kind enough to have her size sent to them from another store. When it came in it came in a plum color. No big deal, the dress fit her beautifully and she ordered it that day in the original copper color. Fast forward to 2 months before the wedding. We go to my first fitting and to her first fitting. The dress fits her and only needs some minor alterations and a hem. Again, no big deal. 2 more weeks later we go back and when she comes out of the dressing room to look in the 3 way mirror, we realize that the dress is actually plum and not copper. We were surprised that we didnt realize it the last time we were in there, but the color looked nice on her so she didnt want to make a big deal about but thought she should let the manager know what happened. Believe it or not they tried to convince us that the dress she had on was copper and that our contract stated that 'dye lots may vary'. They were pretty rude to us, especially considering all of the business we were giving them. My mom didnt want a new dress but we all felt that she deserved something for the mix-up. In the end they wound up giving her another 10% off of the dress, but the fact that they were yelling at us and thought we couldnt tell the difference between purple and brown left a bad taste in my mouth.
We also purchased the FG dress from them as well (before the dress drama). The dress was a Sweet Beginnings dress and was absolutely adorable, no complaints at all.

Flowers - Flowers by Rosemarie - A+ : Rosemarie had done the flowers for my cousins wedding a couple of years ago and when it was time to look for a florist I knew just where to go. She works out of her house and its just her and her daughter who do the arrangements. We met about 8 months before the wedding and I brought some pictures of the ideas that I had. We were completely on the same wavelength and she was able to really express the ideas that I had, all while sticking to a small budget. Her prices are incredibly reasonable and the flowers were outstanding. They literally took my breath away. 3 days later and my flowers had not changed one bit, they look that fresh. FM me if you would like her contact info. My only
complaint (and its not really a complaint) was that she doesnt do huppahs. But since its only her and her daughter, it was completely understandable.

Veil and Headpiece - Patchogue Floral - A : I had a very simple veil, finger tip length with a blusher put on a comb. I have no clue who made the headpiece, but it matched the bead work on my dress and was inexpensive. I had no problems with them.

Undergarment - Mary's Corsettiere - A : Lets just say that they know what they are doing. Rae was my saleswoman and she knew exactly what I needed. If you are going to use them, get there at least 30 minutes before they open or you will be there awhile but it is worth the wait.

Shoes - Craft Shoes - A : I hate heels and only wore them for the pictures and the ceremony and then changed into flip-flops. They have a great selection and the sales people are pretty experienced. It's definitely different than your regular shoe store though, so be prepared for a little 'bizarreness'.

Photo/Video - Duet - A++ for day of, final TBD : I absolutely LOVED working with Duet. We had Alberto, Gio, Matthew, and Sean for the day. They were so creative with the shots and were absolutely everywhere through out the night. At one point, Gio had to crouch behind me and hold my train so it didnt get wet on the golf course where we were taking pictures. It was hysterical. They had us laughing all through out our formal pictures, which were before the ceremony, and it kept all of us relaxed. During the reception, everytime my FH and I would kiss we would see flash pops everywhere :) I cannot wait to see my proofs.

Tuxedos - Tuxedo Park - B+: For my SIL's wedding, this is where they had rented the tuxes. They gave us a pretty good discount that we were able to give to the GM's since the tuxes were a little on the pricier side because they were brand new. We didnt have any major problems, and they were pretty quick about fixing them if they did arise. The reason they only get a B+ is my FH's pants were a little too tight and he had asked them to let them out.

Officiant - Cantor Shelly Rakovsky - A: We met with the Cantor about 8 or 9 months before the wedding and we really hit it off with him. We wanted a short ceremony and for it to be a little more spiritual than religious. We had my aunt give a Buddhist reading about love that was so beautiful and Cantor Shelly was more than happy to include it in the ceremony. He talks maybe a bit too much, but he takes the time to get to know you and makes the ceremony very personal.

Band - Timepiece - A: FH and I went to a Franklin Wayne Music showcase about a year or so before the wedding. We were there to hear Timepiece and Heart and Soul. Timepiece went on first and we absolutely loved them and their personality that we booked them right away, without even hearing the other band. They were so friendly and easy to work with. They played the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. I don't really dance at affairs, but I was on the floor the whole night long. They sounded awesome and were so much fun. There were only 2 things that bothered me that day, and one of them I can't really blame them for. At one point I didnt think they were reading the crowd very well - they were playing a bunch of swing type music and there was barely anyone on the dance floor. But in retrospect I cant really blame them - it was a Sunday afternoon wedding and it was still kind of light out and it was early into the reception. Once it got dark though, the dance floor was packed. The other thing was I felt like the last break that they took went too long. They took a break when cake was served (which most bands do) but usually a band or DJ will come back when people are still drinking coffee and lingering over the dessert. But the plates were being cleared and they still hadnt come back, so people started taking that as a cue to leave and everyone knows that once one person leaves alot of people follow. This was about an hour before the reception ended (around 6ish). However, the people that mattered the most to me and the people that were on the floor the whole night were still there and thats all that really mattered. When they came back they started playing more contemporary music and that was honestly the best part of the night. So in hindsight, it really wasnt that big of a deal and I understood why people were leaving (due to it being on Sunday,etc.) and its not something that I think I would change.

Hair and Make-up - Gorgeous Faces - A++: Jillian and Sarah were my favorite vendors. I had a trial with the both of them and the 3 of us clicked right away. I told them exactly what I wanted and they executed it perfectly. I felt like I had known them forever and they were so much fun the day of. They arrived right on time and got right to work. 5 of us had make-up and 4 of us had our hair done. They have their routine down perfectly. They had to be done by a certain time to go to another brides house, but I never felt like they were rushing me. They had fun interacting with Duet as they see them pretty often as well :) I would totally hire them again for the next affair that I have to get all fancy for.

Invitations - Invitation Lane.com - A: I ordered from this website that I found through Google. They offer 30% off of most books and I received my invitations about a week after I ordered them. After I placed the order I realized I had to change the wording of the invites. It only cost $20 to have them reprinted and they didnt charge me shipping. Their customer service was great and I would highly recommend them to anyone who needs nice invitations and wants a variety of selections.

Hotel - Hyatt Windwatch - A+: My SIL and BIL booked us a room at the Hyatt the night of as their shower present to us. They got the Romance Package which included champagne and strawberries and late check-out. The service was great and the champagne was already chilling when we got to the room. The rooms are beautiful and the bed was so comfortable. A couple of people from the wedding party were also staying there so we all met down in the bar after we changed out of the wedding clothes. I couldnt believe that the bar was open until 1am on a Sunday! We were only there until about 11, but it was nice to have had the option of staying later if we wanted to.

Wedding Location - Hamlet Windwatch Golf and Country Club - A+: The Hamlet was probably the 5th or 6th place we looked at, and once I saw the view I knew that this was where I wanted to have my wedding (and FH liked it too!). Denise and Annetta were so great to work with. Denise was very patient with the questions I had (which werent even that many, I really trusted her). The tasting was awesome so I knew I wasnt going to be worried about that. We changed the ceremony location and cocktail location kind of at the last minute and it was not a problem at all. Denise had everything running smoothly the day of and if anything went wrong, I have no idea :) My florist had brought my FG a small bouquet instead of the flower basket (another last minute change) so when my FG was asking where her basket was, Denise found a really pretty basket and took some of the petals from the tables from the CH for her to toss. I was so grateful for that. The cake is the only place where I had a problem - it tasted delicious but it wasnt what I thought it was going to look like as it didnt really look like the picture I had sent over (which isnt the Hamlet's fault). It tasted amazing, but I had asked that our monogram be written on the top layer and it was kind of crooked and look a little amateurish. Everyone else thought it was absolutely beautiful and people told me so all night long, so maybe it was just me since I knew what the picture had looked like. We got the cherry bon-bon ice cream cake as the other dessert and people loved it and kept saying it was so delicious. There was so much food at the CH that Im sure I didnt get to taste everything but it all looked great. I totally recommend the Hamlet for any occasion.

Pictures!

My LIW Photo Album

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Congrats Date twin You looked gorgeous

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

That is where I am getting married. My cousin works for the Hamlets, and she says they are all great. Denise is really nice.
Your pictures looked great!!!!!!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Congratulations!!! You look beautiful!!!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

congratulations
You looked beautiful

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Oh wow! Congratulations!!!!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Congratulations! You were a beautiful bride. I especially loved your flowers and the FG dress. Best Wishes!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Everything looks so pretty! I especially love that you used Stargazer lilies for your BMs. They are one of my favs! :) Congrats!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

congrats date twin!! we did have the most INCREDIBLE weather for our wedding!!!!!!!!!!! I still cannot belive how gorgeous that day turned out after the dense fog that morning!

and guess what? I am the other bride that Jillian was going to after your house small world!! Jillian is the BEST!!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE her!!!!

ETA: you looked beautiful, great pics! I was laughing at the pic with that FOG in the backround

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

Great Review. We used alot of the same vendors and I was just as pleased as you were with Flowers by Rosemarie & Jillian and Sarah!! My sister in law is in Timepiece too! Congrats!

Re: My 11/06/05 Wedding Review!

congratulations