My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

LI/NYCweddings.com: This was an endless source of information and SO MANY people commented on the “little things” at my wedding. I “stole” or I prefer used the DIY ideas such as:
Slipper Basket, Photobox, wish bowl, bathroom baskets, Table numbers, Votive place cards, and ideas for menus and programs.
Ebayers: Monogram Cake Topper, Crystals for the topper, and ring pillow, crystals
Monogram cake topper the seller is guy72830..The initials cost 49.99 but no S/H.. BEST PRICE! Great shipping and they looked amazing before I added the crystals.
Swarvoski crystals for the monogram cake topper, the seller is: designer_trends_by_tami. The price depends on the size you buy. I got 3 different sizes, 12, 16, and 20 and three different colors. I ordered one pack in each size, but then I ran out of crystals just after finishing the big M initial so I had to order more.
I bought the glue at Michael’s glue she uses is E6000.
Ring Pillow from seller Cutebride. I loved the embroidery on the pillow and it looked great in person too.
Invitations: Carlson Craft A+
They were so beautiful and I received many compliments on them. Right SuperKat?


Favors: Pindar wine A+
Toward the last few months I was fried with the DIY projects and could not handle anything else so I went to Pindar to order the wine. It was nice and they allow you to sample to pick too. FH actually picked Sweet Scarlet as opposed to my Spring Splendor. But it was a great favor and really was great I didn’t have to do it.

Wedding Dress Paloma Blanca A+
Stunningly beautiful. I bought it from a dress shop in Minnesota and never regrested it. It was beautiful and I was so happy with shipping the dress was $700.on my dress that originally was $2K



Maids dresses – RK Bridal A+
No frills was the way to go. I have been in many bridal parties with dresses you never wear again that hang there in the closet. I wanted to go with a dress that was beautiful yet affordable. RK was great just not as easy to get to in Manhattan but all was worth it and the dresses came in in plenty of time.

Rings: Zareen's at Tri-County A+
Raymond was so nice and helpful. He gave us the BEST price was always cleaning the rings when I went. He was great and I found a jeweler I like and can trust. Recommend!

Wishbowl – All supplies bought at Michaels! The bowl and I found cute pastel book marks to write on and I thought they looked pretty with a clear label on the end.

Votives- Loved the easy print and peel AVERY Labels I used. OMG it saved me aggrevation and time and they were great votive placecards and used as favors too with the wine and chocolate.



Chocolate Favors- In the last month or so I wanted to do chocolate in addition to the wine and votives so my dad went to bridal world or something in Commack and ordered the bride and groom boxes with the chocolates and our names on them. They were so cute!

Slipper Basket: A+
I bought the slippers at 99 cent dreams in Freeport on Merrick Road and they actually were 79 cents. Good Deal! I bought the slipper basket at Michael’s with the ribbon to tie them. It was a hit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did easy labels too that were cute! I have orders in for people from Florida too! Everyone loved it!

BARRON’S Tri-County: A+
Veil –Absolutely beautiful and I loved the crystals they put on it. I wanted to see the veil in person in case I ordered it and it did not look good. Barron’s has a great selection and prices. I actually ordered the wrong color and he made me buy a new one and kept my old one. I was not happy with the service but they have great stuff.
Unity Candle- I also got the unity candle from Barron’s too, it looked so pretty!
Headpiece: - I could not find a tiara I loved and wanted to wear. I loved Barron’s and they came through again. Great selection and prices. They were not very friendly but I guess they have so much business and such a great selection they don’t need to be nice to their customers.

HOTELS:
Best Western A+
Residence Inn-Hilton A+
Both places had my guest and I got ready at the residence inn they were great and I even got a suite to get ready in and it was wonderful. It was the best thing to get ready in a nice hotel room. The staff was great and the pictures will be beautiful.

LEADING UP TO THE BIG DAY….

RD Cake: Black Forest Bakery- A+
Exactly what I wanted. FH is a cop and they made the cake in the shape of a badge. LOVED IT and it Tasted Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Picture of what I gave them and it looked close to this one..

Rehearsal Dinner- Sergio’s –A+
http://sergios.kpsearch.com/df/default.asp
Mike from Sergio’s was great and threw in a few extras. He made sure we were all taken care of the night before. Food was excellent!!!!!!!!

DAY OF…

The Riveria-Day of the wedding A+ (before the wedding F)
On the day of the wedding they were wonderful and that is all that should matter.
The place was beautifully cleaned and everything went off without too many bumps. I had my BM plan herself a trip during the week of my wedding and not even tell me until I went in for my final when they told me I was working with someone else whom I don’t even know and didn’t click with. I was NOT made aware of the changes that there was going to be construction outside during my wedding. I think the owner of the Rivera is a real JERK! He was mean and nasty to me and my father. My dad was wonderful and just wanted to make sure every thing was wonderful for his daughter and the owner was mad at my father and they got into an argument the day before the wedding. For such poor customer service and the fact that the owner should have been kissing my dad’s ACE I will give the Rivera an F for the owner and how I was treated before the wedding. It was a bad scene the week leading up to the wedding and my dad was there everyday making sure things were coming along. The more I think about it it makes me so mad.
Just so you can understand I went there ONE week before my wedding..there were LARGE holes where they were breaking through walls, dust was everywhere, construction workers and piles of dirt and debris were everywhere on both sides of the place. The lot on the left was closed since there were bulldozers and wheelbarrows there. It was bad not too mention the siding was not even on and the roof was being completed.
However, the day of the wedding the owners out of the way the place was beautifully cleaned as to my father’s orders and the weather on the water was amazing. I have great pictures and overall they receive an A for having the time of my life with my family. The food was excellent and the place was spectacular! I cannot forget Victoria who came in last minute as my BM she was a delight and so wonderful I cannot put into words. If you are going to the Riveria make sure you get Victoria she was a beautiful sweet person who helped so much that last week even calling me to make sure I was alright.


Day of Vendors:

Makeup; Defining Moments, Nicole Nocella-A+ http://thedefiningmoments.com/index.html
She was great and really kept me calm. I appreciate all she did and was wonderful and the makeup held up and looked great. Thanks Michelle!!

Nial Martin Salon- Debra: A+ (516) 763-4104
Even better than the trial. Debra was a gem and I am so glad that she and her staff at the salon was great. Everyone loved the place; the staff and the décor is beautiful. It was nice and I loved her!!!

Limo: RJ’s in Wantagh A
http://www.rjlimos.com/home.html
I heard about drivers getting lost so 2 weeks before I gave them directions to all places so there would be no bumps in the road. Well, I don’t know where this driver was from but he used a GPS system to get two towns over and was getting me and my maids lost from the hotel to the church. Grrr.. He got off route 135 got back on, got off at the southern state and then went back on 135 only going North…It was clear he had no clue since route 135 goes right into Jerusalem and the church. To be fair he was early picking us up so we did make it to the church on time but I was not pleased with the driver getting us lost but he was nice and the Escalade was clean and the price was right.


Music: FM Entertainment A+
https://www.liweddings.com/vendors/djs/fment/
Frank did a really amazing job. I got so many compliments about how he kept everyone dancing. He had my guests and me on the floor the whole night. I was worried since I have never really seen my family dance. Well, I will have great pics of them dancing thanks to Frank and the DJ…EXCELENT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved FM Entertainment. They exceeded my expectations!!!!!!!!


Photo/Video: Duet –Woo & David A+
http://www.duetwedding.com/
One word -WOW! I had always heard how amazing Duet is and what a great job they do..well nothing less than the best. They were all over people were calling them monkeys since they were climbing walls to get shots. They were all over me and although I tuned then out after a while they were always there and even when they wanted to take a break to eat they let me know. I thought that was very nice and professional instead of running away when the food is served. I was overly pleased and CAN’T wait to see the pics they took. I know they must have done some job and WOO and DAVID really were so AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Duet lived up to their reputation.

UPDATE: I picked up my proofs and they were incredible. I loved them!! I still can't decide what thank you I am using but DUET captured my wedding in such a photolistic journalism I have SO MANY pics to choose from.

National Floral –Ana A+
http://www.800rosebig.com/indexold.html
I had a real headache with my other florist that many of you girls know. To go back my original florist who told me there is no purple flower, she was a family friend and I was all right with that but she changed business and never got in touch with me leaving a number where I could reach her. I finally was left with no choice with less than 2 months to the wedding to look for another florist. I was so upset. I found Ana through this site and will be forever grateful. My centerpieces were still up in the air and Ana helped me with the tons of pictures she has to look through. I was so confident she knew her stuff. She was always willing to help or talk if I had questions. I think Ana at the twelfth hour became the best thing since the flowers were amazing. The bouquets were beautiful and exactly what I was looking for. Oh and there are purple flowers and they were beautiful at my wedding. Thank you Ana for coming through with such professionalism and your work is amazing!!!


The Cake: Black Forest Bakery- A+
http://www.blackforestbakeryny.com/
One of the tops. That cake was way better than I even thought. I was so pleased with Tommy and he was great to work with. Nice guy and knows his stuff. Be as specific as possible. I actually left a piece of swatch with him so he can match the color and he did. I love looking at pictures of the cake. WONDERFUL JOB!


Advice:

I really don’t like giving advice and take it for what it is worth if you read the review to this part. Enjoy your day knowing you can never have that moment back. I am not a very stressed out person so the chest pains I had were weird but I realized it must be stress. I also took a grad school final the day before my rehearsal dinner so I was a little on edge. I think everyone is different and handles things differently. But please try to enjoy the time and the planning. Just ENJOY the day. Whatever happens and comes along remember this is your day and you can never have it back. Socialize, dance, and SMILE cause the cameras are always watching.

Thanks to LIW/NYC weddings I found a friend whom I love and treasure dearly.
Gina, you were the one person whom I can always go to happy, sad, good, or bad during the wedding stress uh I mean planning. I will forever treasure the friendship we made. Gina, you are truly the sweetest giving person I have ever met and on luck and a prayer we were brought together for a reason through this site we met and stayed friends. Here we are still talking on the phone everyday for hours. I love ya girl and you are such a great friend, the best! Thanks to Dave and Bella for their patience and for allowing me to monopolize your time…for hours. J Love you guys!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congratulations, sounds like everything ended up being great! What a lot of stress to go through the week before your wedding, but I'm so glad it worked out. Congrats again!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Cara, my weekend twin!!!!

I saw the pictures that you originally posted and you were a STUNNING bride!!!

I am so sorry you had all that stress to deal with at your hall and the florist before your wedding, (what is it with that weekend & changing florists 2 months before? ) but thankfully it seems like you had an amazing day despite all that!!!!

Great review, woman!!! Hope to see you soon!!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

congrats....cant wait to see some more pics with you and Fh and of you in your dress...great review...Love it

congrats

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Great Review

I can't wait to see pic's

I have Woo/Duet as my Photographer also

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Cara - I'm glad you had such a beautiful wedding. The photos you and Gina posted showed you were having a terrific time and that you were having every dream come true!!!!! Congrats again on your beautiful wedding!!!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congratulations

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

congrats

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Great review and congrats again!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Cara,

Congrats, I am SO happy for you! Your wedding looks amazing and I am so glad you had a great day. It is funny, your wedding cake looks SO much like the picture I sent to my RH for my cake. Also, I am using Woo from Duet for my wedding. It looks like we are more than just invitation twins (which are gorgeous!)

Congrats on your wonderful day and I hope you have much happiness with your sweetie!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congrats, everything looked amazing!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

great review! loved your cp's!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congratulations!!!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congratulations Sweetie!!!!!!!!

I'm so honored that I could be part of your special day.... Dave and I had such a wonderful night at the wedding, and all of the weekends we get together.... Thank you so much for your friendship, kindness and patience.... I will forever treasure the time we have spent together; whether it be on the phone for hours or together drinking wine...

Congrats to both of you, and may you you both be blessed with many happy memories!!!! We love you!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

congratulations

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

I'm sorry you had such trouble before the wedding with the Riviera, but like you said, at least they made your day wonderful. Congratulations, I love all of your special ideas and I am going to steal a couple from you! Thanks and congrats!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

congrats!!!! i loved the grooms cake!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congratulations!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Great review!!!! congrats!!!!!

Re: My 4/28/06 review-The Rivera,Duet,FM Entertainment,Defining Moments,

Congratulations! I love the groom's cake.