My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

All pics are non-pro until I get my proofs on CD after I get my albums! Hope you enjoy!

Engagement Ring: Kristin’s Jewelers – A
DH’s family has been going to Kristin’s forever. I love my ring. It is exactly what I have always wanted and was custom made for me. DH brought an idea from a magazine, they sketched it, had it made in wax, and then cast in gold. DH hand selected the diamond. It is perfect and I love it! The price was good also, but I feel like it could have been a little bit better!

Save the Dates: http://www.freshimpressions.us/ - A
I ordered my Save the Dates from this website. They were prefect and relatively inexpensive. The proof came to me via email very quickly and arrived at my home in a little over a week. They sent me MORE than I ordered at no charge so I have some extras. I would highly recommend this company.

(This is just a sample...not our actual STD)

Side note: While I loved my STD’s, be careful about who you send them too. There are people I would not have invited to my wedding but since I sent them a STD more than a year in advance, they got invited anyway. Just something to consider!

Invitations: Checkerboard Invitations – B
I ordered my invitations through Perfect Wedding Planner. I did love them but they were ordered incorrectly. After seeing the beautiful DIY invites that many brides on here make, I wish I had not spent so much on my invitations. They could have been just as nice and much cheaper. Overall, the invitations were beautiful, but not worth the money.


Calligraphy: Judi from A Bridal Paperie – A+++
Phone #: 516-694-4866
Judi was a LIFESAVER!! I was not planning on having my invites done by a calligrapher. My mom and I were going to print them on the computer, but we had a problem with them feeding. I had NOT budgeted for calligraphy, so it had to be cheap and no one could seem to do them on the computer because of the same issue so they had to be hand done. Judi came to the rescue and had them done in 3 weeks just in time to send them out. She was also SOOOO inexpensive!! I HIGHLY recommend Judi!

Bridal Shower: Piccola Bussola, Mineola – A+
My mother, aunt and MOH (cousin) threw me a wonderful bridal shower at Piccola Bussola. The food was excellent and the staff was wonderful. The room was perfect and so private. We even had our own bathroom. It felt like my party was the only thing going on there. My family was above and beyond generous. It was perfect and I couldn’t ask for anything else.



Rehearsal Dinner: 300 Long Island – A+
We decided to have a rehearsal dinner for our bridal party, family and OOT guests since we had so many coming from so far. We wanted something non-traditional where everyone could do something fun and get to know each other. DH loves bowling, so we were decided to rent out the “Back 9” room at 300 Long Island bowling alley. We catered the food through them, drank and bowled. It was soo much fun for us and our guests. My dad was able to make a slide show that projected on huge screens with pics of me and DH. The staff was great, the food was good, and we had an awesome, relaxing time!


BM Gifts:
Judy’s Jewelry in Tri-County – A
Judy made the necklaces and bracelets for my bridal party as well as my bracelet. They were perfect and exactly what I wanted at a great price.

Theknot.com – B+
I ordered the girls tote bags with their name embroidered on them to use the day of the wedding. The bags were a good quality, but I ordered during a sale and was charged full price which was almost $100 more. They adjusted the bill but it took more than 2 months for me to get my refund. The quality was good, the customer service was just ok.

Personalizedgiftsandtshirts.com – A+
I ordered tanks for the bridal party. They were not what I expected, but exactly what I ordered. I contacted them and told them what I wanted. They exchanged my purchase for exactly what I wanted. I was very happy with the price, quality and customer service. If you’re going to use them, order a size larger than you think. They run very small!

GM Gifts:
JCPenny – A
We bought the gm’s leather wallets on a great sale at JCPenny. We got them each a gift card to their favorite store. They were really appreciative of the gift and all felt it was useful.

Parent Gifts:
Mom’s gift: Hallmark in Roosevelt Field – A
I got my mom the mother/daughter Precious Moment. It was perfect and she like it.

Dad’s gift: ExclusivelyWEddings.com – A
I ordered the “Daddy’s Girl” wooden clock for my dad. It was cute and he like it. It came in very quickly as I ordered it pretty close to the wedding.

DH’s parents gifts: Ebay seller mainemomof4 – A
Seller was pleasant to deal with and I received the merchandise really quickly. It was good quality and the mom’s really appreciated it!

Attire for Getting Ready: Victoria’s Secret, Macy’s & Stitch It, Roosevelt Field – B+
I got my sweatshirt and sweatpants at Macy’s and took it to Stitch It in Roosevelt Field Mall. The sweatshirt and sweatpants were perfect and comfortable. Stitch It did a great job with the embroidery, but they were a little over priced. I think it would have been cheaper at TriCounty. I also wore Victoria’s Secret Bride tank. Looked cute together!



Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal, Westbury – A for gown, B for service
I bought my Oleg Cassini gown from David’s Bridal in Westbury. It was a sample and exactly what I wanted. Ivory, strapless, lace, pearl beading. It could not have been more perfect. I only tried on 4 gowns and bought this one on the first day out. I loved my gown. I took it elsewhere for alterations after the horror I had heard there. I also bought my 2 veils at David’s. They were perfect, however, the short veil had to be ordered. It was in stock for 3 weeks when I went in to ask about it. No one ever bothered to call me. Three days before my wedding I went back to have my veils pressed. The women were so rude to me that I was glad I took it elsewhere to have my gown altered.


Alterations: Christine’s Alterations, Levittown – A
Christine did a beautiful job on my alterations. My gown fit beautifully and once my bustle was done correctly, it stayed the whole night. I only needed 2 fittings and the price was reasonable compared to what is generally charged at a bridal salon. I was happy with the results.


Wedding Shoes: JDRShoes.com – A+
My shoes were Caparros that you could find in any department store. They were extremely comfortable and I am glad that I got them. I saved $25 dollars by ordering them through this website. They were affordable and shipped to me very quickly.


Garter: Gartersbykristi.com – A+
I ordered my Mets garter from this website. The price was right and it came very quickly. I only wore this during the reception as I wore my grandmother’s for the ceremony.


Headpiece: David’s Bridal – A-
I bought my headpiece at David’s Bridal. I loved it but it was definitely overpriced.


MOB dress: Isabella’s Wedding Center, Brooklyn – A+
My mother tried on 9 million different dresses before she found “the one!” She drove me from LI to Brooklyn one day to see a dress that we had seen online. She fell in love with a different dress and it was so worth the trip. Her dress was a Montage and was absolutely perfect for her. She coordinated with the bridal party so well without matching and looked beautiful the day of the wedding. I’m glad that she held out until finding this dress.


Flower girl Dress: Burlington Coat Factory – A+
My flower girl dresses were $30 at Burlington Coat Factory. They were exactly what I was looking for and the perfect price! I couldn’t imagine spending hundreds of dollars on a dress they’ll wear once and grow out of. They looked adorable.


BM Dresses: The Wedding Center, Commack – A
I ordered the Jordan 1410 dress from the Wedding Center in Commack in aqua and lagoon. The dresses were about $150 before alterations. I didn’t want to go much above that price since some of the bm’s were still in school or newlyweds themselves. The girls looked beautiful in their dresses. The Wedding Center does not have the friendliest staff or the best customer service, but they had a huge selection and good prices. My girls’ dresses came in quickly and in perfect condition with no problems. I am very happy with my experience there. The girls had their dresses altered elsewhere since they live all over the country.



Tuxedos: Town & Country Tuxedo, East Meadow – A+
DH, all of the groomsman and fathers ordered their tuxedos from Town & Country. We picked the tuxedos up Thursday before the wedding. Their were some minor fit issues so the guys went back on Friday and they fixed them right away. The colors matched my bm dresses perfectly. I was happy with the quality, customer service and price of the tuxedos.

The ring bearers tuxes were purchased from SIMS. It was actually cheaper to buy their tuxes than to rent them. It worked out wonderfully and they looked adorable.

Hair and Makeup: Creative Impressions Salon, East Meadow – A+++
Michelle has been my hairdresser since I was 14 years old. She has done my hair for my sweet 16, prom, shower and everything in between. I couldn’t have imagined anyone else doing my hair. I went for a trial and it was perfect. The day of the wedding Michelle did myself and my mother for hair and make up. It was exactly what we both wanted and lasted all day. The make up stayed on and the hair never moved. The rest of the stylists styled my bridal party. They all looked beautiful and loved her hair. I would highly recommend Michelle or any of the staff at Creative Impressions.

Note: We went to the salon the morning of the wedding. I originally thought I would want them at the house. I’m so glad I decided to go to the salon. Being out of the house kept me away from any chaos that was going on and let me relax with my girls. Also, we were all able to get our hair done at the same time which allowed us to get up later!


Wedding Ceremony: Trinity Lutheran Church, Hicksville – A+
I gave it an A+, but can you really grade a church? I have been attending church here since I was 9 years old. DH has been going with me for 4 years so it feels like a family here. Our pastor knows us and was able to make the ceremony really personal. The church is beautiful and I’m so happy I was able to get married here.


Wedding Bands: Kristin’s Jewelers, Baysore – A+
We picked out our wedding bands and took them home the same day. I got 2 rings and DH got 1. They were reasonably priced and the staff was really helpful while I was indecisive. I’m glad we chose to get our rings here.


Photographer/Videographer: ADA Studios – pending receipt of albums and edited video
FM me if you have questions sooner.

Flowers: Richard from Perfect Wedding Planner Florals – A++++
My flowers were more than I could have ever asked for. I LOVED them! Richard is a true artist and deserves full credit for these arrangements. My bok was exactly what I wanted it to be even though I never gave Richard a clear picture of it since I wasn’t really sure how to describe it. We clicked instantly and he just knew. My bm’s had beautiful bok’s also and they were exactly as I described. The centerpieces were perfect and so full! The price was right and they were great to work with. DH’s bout was crushed from hugging people at the church and they had a new one waiting for us when we arrived at Fox Hollow. They were just great. My only complaints: I did not like the coursages for the mothers and my toss bok was missing. Other than that..it was total perfection!



DJ: Bravura – B+
I read rave reviews about Bravura when I booked them and was so excited to have them as part of my wedding. They were great to deal of before the wedding and right in the price range we were looking for. Our drummer was incredible! He really put an extra touch on the day. I was disappointed with Bravura the day of the wedding. My MC would disappear for segments of the wedding and a young guy who had just started with the company would take over (I did not find this out til way after our wedding!) Also, they did not play more than ¼ of the songs off of my must play list. There were only 20 songs on it!!! They played a lot of rap music that we had asked them not to play. DH and I changed our entrance song at our final meeting. Day of the wedding, they told us that we did not tell them and they would try to find it. DH spent the only 20 mins we had of cocktail hour arguing about this with them. They did not find it in time for our entrance, but did play it while he was removing the garter. I would have given them a lower grade except that my dance floor was packed the whole night. They were not what I expected, but they did a good job overall. Everyone had a good time.



Limos: Royalty Limousines – A+
I rented two 14 passenger limos from Royalty. The limos were clean and on time. The drivers were very friendly and helpful with doors and getting in and out of the car. We ran over by 15 minutes since DH’s grandmother was late to the church. They did NOT charge us the overtime rate and gave us a bottle of Champagne for DH and I. I was very happy with my decision and they were very reasonably priced.

Cake: Cakes by Jay – A+++++
Jay is expensive, but sooooo worth it! My cake was absolutely beautiful and tasted so great and fresh. I had a card that gave us a free groom’s cake with our wedding cake, so DH had a Ranger’s grooms cake as well. The cake was probably the thing that we got the most compliments on during the wedding. I do not regret my decision to go with Jay. He was definitely worth the extra money!


Cake Topper: Precious Moments – A
The cake topper was a shower gift for my mother. It was cute and exactly what we wanted.


Toasting Flutes, Cake Cutter & Server: Lenox Jubilee Pearls Collection - A
DH and I registered for these and my mother bought them as shower gifts. They were cute, relatively inexpensive and exactly what I wanted.


Wedding Day Coordination (DOC): Perfect Wedding Planner – A
I never thought I would need a DOC but I am so glad we decided to go with one. They were amazing the day of the wedding. They did everything from stitching the sashes on my girls dresses, steaming our dresses and making sure my cake got on the stand since I was so adamant about it. They knew exactly what I wanted and made sure it was taken care of before I had the chance to ask about it. There were a few bumps in the road the day of my wedding, but I almost never knew about them since they were taking care of everything before I knew. They are a little more expensive than some other planners, but they were GREAT! I highly recommend them.

Guest Accomodations:
The Inn at Fox Hollow – A+
The Inn was so beautiful and convenient for my guests. They were able to hand out there between the church and reception and stumble next door after the reception. Our room was beautiful and the bed was REALLY comfortable. Breakfast the next morning was great.

Best Western, Woodbury – B+
The Best Western was a much more affordable option for many of my guests. The rooms were clean and the staff at the desk was helpful with giving me lists and handing out OOT boxes. I did have some trouble reserving the block originally as the person in charge is bad at returning phone calls. Dealing with her did improve closer to the wedding. Also, I had booked the shuttle which was supposed to pick up my guests until 1am. 3 of my guests missed the first shuttle and it never came back to get them well before 1 am. I was a little disappointed with this.

Reception Hall: The Fox Hollow – A++++++++++++
I looked at several catering halls before making my decision. I knew that I did not want big gaudy chandeliers or a marble dance floor. I wanted good food and a great staff. When I walked into Fox Hollow, I knew it was the place I was going to have my wedding. I was impressed with the grounds, the rooms and the professionalism of the staff. They were busy switching my room from a day wedding to an evening wedding, yet every single person from the maitre’d to the bus boy stopped what they were doing to welcome us and ask if we had any questions. I was floored. I figured that they would be just as gracious, kind and welcoming to my guests on the day of my wedding, and they were. My bridal attendant was AnneMarie and my Maitre’d was Harry. Both were extremely attentive and helpful the day of the wedding. They got us anything we needed and made sure we were always happy. My room was set up beautiful, the grounds were gorgeous for pictures, the food was excellent and I was soooo happy. The only 2 mistakes were the incorrect ice sculpture, which only I knew about, and the napkins that were the wrong color, but probably looked better than what I had chosen. I would HIGHLY recommend the Fox Hollow to anyone looking for this type of wedding. The price was reasonable compared to others we looked at and it was close to my church. Fox Hollow was the best decision I made during my wedding planning.

DIY’s: Me and my mom – A+++ (If I do say so myself!)

RB pillow: Michaels – A
I bought the rb pillows at Michael’s and embellished them with ribbon to match our wedding colors. They were inexpensive and perfect.


Guest Book: Michaels - A
I didn't want a guest book, but DH did. We bought it at Michaels and embellished it with ribbon in our colors.


Unity Candle: Michaels & Fortunoff – A
I bought the unity candle from Michael’s and embellished it with ribbon in my wedding colors. The holder/stand was purchased from Fortunoff. Both were perfect and looked great the day of the wedding.


Bubbles: Michaels & AC Moore– A
Bubbles were purchased from Michaels and tied with a ribbon. The baskets were bought at AC Moore. Both were inexpensive and simple.

Programs: paperandmore.com – A+
My mother made the most beautiful programs for the wedding. The paper was ordered from paperandmore.com. The paper was a good price and arrived in a timely manner in great quality. My mother did an awesome job formatting them and we put them together as a team!




Slipper Baskets: intertradecorp.com – C-
I ordered the slippers from intertradecorp.com. It was a nightmare. I arrived a box in February right before my shower and never opened it. Sometime in March I realized that it was only part of my order. It took more than 3 weeks and several nasty phone calls to get the rest of my order. When they did come in, my mother and I re-bagged them in clear basket bags with tags that were purchased at Michaels and tied them with blue ribbons. The looked nice the day of the wedding, but I would never recommend ordering from them. I called and was nice at first until I was laughed at by the rude man on the phone.


Favors: Magnet America & Autism Speaks – A+
DH and I ordered Autism Awareness Ribbon magnets from Magnet America and made a donation to Autism Speaks. We wrapped the magnets in lollipop wrappers with ribbons. They were a nice touch.

Stew Leonards & stoneycreekwinepress.com – A+
We bought the wine from Stew Leonards in Farmingdale. The staff was very helpful. We told them what they wanted, they loaded the boxes onto a cart and took them to the car. As my mother paid at the register, the men loaded it into my mom’s car. It was nice to not have to lift them all. We ordered the labels from stoneycreekwinepress.com. The labels came quickly and they were great. My mom was able to print them on the computer with our names and wedding date as well as info about the wine. We put a ribbon and a flower on each bottle. The guests loved them.

Dortoni Bakery, Levittown – A
We ordered wedding cake cookies for the kids as a last minute decision since they can't drink wine. They were a little expensive, but they were really cute and yummy. The bakery was easy to deal with the cookies came out great.




Place Cards: Michaels – A++
My mother made the place cards as tickets since DH and I met while working at Jones Beach Theater and my parents work in this field as well. She used cards and envelopes that she bought at Michaels. She formatted and printed them herself. They were awesome. She also ordered the little chairs from a website, but I’m not sure which one. She did an awesome job with these!



Table Numbers: Ikea – A++
DH and I numbered our tables based on theaters and sporting arenas in New York. We went with my mom to each place and took pics of DH and I with their sign. The pictures were mounted on paper from paperandmore.com that I printed the table name and number on. We bought the little easels from Ikea and DH painted them. They were so cute and went with our place card tickets.

(You can see it on the left side of our table)

Church Banner: My Mom – A+++
My mother made a beautiful banner for us to have at the church. She did a wonderful job and is so crafty! The church actually asked to cut our names off and keep it for future weddings, so we did!


Candy Bar: Ikea, BB&B, Walmart, BJ’s, Nashvillewraps.com – A+
We bought the jars at Ikea, the scoops at Bed Bath & Beyond, the candy at Walmart and BJ’s and the bags were ordered from nashvillewraps.com. The candy bar was a huge hit. Before I turned around the candy was halfway gone. The bags were used and stuffed full of candy by our guests. Everyone loved it, little kids and big kids alike!

Card Box: Ikea & Michaels – A
My mother and I bought the frames at Michaels and the lazy susan at Ikea. We put the mats from Michaels and the pictures in the frames and my dad screwed them together and down onto the lazy susan. My mother made the top out of batting and fabric with a slit for the cards. The top was velcroed on. It looked great and holds all of our engagement, shower and wedding cards in our house. It looks great and my parents did an awesome job.


We Do Letters: Michaels – A+
The letters were purchased at Michaels and painted by me. They were great and matched our cake and wedding colors.


OOT Boxes: A+
Bought the gable boxes from an LIW bride and all of the fixins from BJ’s and drugstore.com. The hotels gave them out and the guests were so appreciative. It was nice to hear the stories of how they used them. Some of them were just downright funny!
My mom did a great job helping me decorate and stuff them.



If you have made it to the end of this review, then thank you for reading. I know it was long! LIW has been so helpful to me during the planning and I am so grateful for all of the advice and reviews of past brides. I hope this will be just as helpful for future brides! Remember, all pics are non-pro until I get me disk after my albums come. Thank you for reading!!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Everything looked absolutely beautiful. Loved that you had the RD at a bowling alley. That must have been a blast. Congrats!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Yes, I made it to the end of the review and loved it!!! You can tell how much work went into the planning.... everything is beautiful!!

Thanks for sharing!!!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Everything looks wonderful! Great review
My e-ring is from Kristin's in Bay Shore also. FH designed it and hand picked the diamond too. They did a beautiful job...I absolutely love my ring! We are getting our wedding bands there also and they're going to make one to match my e-ring. I can't wait!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Great Review!!! Thanks for taking the time to make one And Congrats!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Great Review!!!1 Congrats!!!!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Great review!!!!!! Everything looked great!! Congrats!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Absolutely stunning!!!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Congratulations- your wedding was beautiful! I LOVED all of the DYI's, huge hugs to you and Mom for working so hard!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

pretty!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

thanks for the great review....everything looked great

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

great review!!! everything looked beautiful!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

thanks for the review! you looked so pretty and everything looked amazing. I can't wait for my own wedding at Fox Hollow!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

I loved your review!!!! You look beautiful. I order my dress too from david's bridal and heard soooo my horror stories about the alterations there. I'm def going to look up your lady when the time comes.....
Thanks

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Great Job w/your DIY!!!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Great review - everything looked amazing!

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Thanks for sharing your day with us.

Re: My 4/19/08 Review with Fox Hollow, Royalty, Cakes by Jay, PWP florist and DOC, Bravura, ADA and a LOT of DIY's!

Everything looked fabulous!!! I can't wait to have our wedding in the Garden Terrace room! =)