MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

I can’t believe our wedding has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday I joined LIW. I first want to say Thank You to Ron, Kim, Liz and the rest of the LIW team for putting together such a comprehensive wedding planning site. I got so many ideas and so much information from this website and the women on it!

All of our vendors were phenomenal. I couldn’t wait to write this review. I will add pictures as I get them!

Invitations: Cathy at The INVITATION STATION
All i can say about her was that she was FABULOUS! We got the perfect invites for a great price and the customer service was unbeatable. Cathy was so pleasant, helpful and profession! Do yourself a favor and go see her!!

Reverend Deb Viola- Ceremonies of the Heart
FH and I were lucky enough to win the services of Rev. Deb Viola at TWOTY 08. We were psyched because we really didn’t know where to look for an officiant. Neither of us are religious so it really didn’t seem like too big of a deal. When we met with Rev. Deb we absolutely fell in love with her! She was laid back, funny and patient with FH and I as we had NO idea what we wanted in our ceremony. She asked us about one another and how we met and we just started talking with her. We had no idea how personalized our ceremony would be. All of our guests are raving about how she really captured the essence of who we are. Let’s just say that FH expected to be rather non-chalant during our ceremony and he definitely was emotionally moved. I would not hesitate to recommend her to EVERYONE I know that is getting married!

Imagine Studios
When Brad and I started looking at photographers we knew that we wanted photojournalistic and natural shots. The first site I saw was for Imagine Studios and I immediately set up an appointment to meet with Lia. We went to her studio, looked at her work, watched a sample video and I found myself in tears. Her work is simply STUNNING. She was an absolute doll and I knew that we needed to have her at our
wedding. From the moment she and Nelson (her husband and Videographer) walked in the door of my parent’s house I felt at ease. They calmed my nerves, took awesome shots and made the picture taking fun! We were walking through mud (actually brad was carrying me through mud) she was lying in the grass..it was just awesome. I can’t wait to see our pictures! They made the obligatory family shots go quickly so that Brad and I could enjoy our wedding! I can’t wait to get my proofs! I will post them when I get them!



Amanda Picone- E pics
We had the pleasure of taking Engagement Pictures with Amanda Picone. Her natural and unique style along with her wonderful personality made what could have been very awkward VERY enjoyable! Amanda was totally accommodating and her pricing was very reasonable. Brad and I didn’t know where we wanted to take our pictures and Amanda patiently gave us a huge list to choose from. We ended up taking them at Grand Central Station and we couldn’t be happier with the finished product! If you are looking for a photographer for e-pics or anything else, give her a looksie!



Jenerations- Bpics
After hemming and hawing over whether or not I wanted to take boudoir pictures, I was convinced by a friend of mine to do them with Jen from Jenerations Photography. What an awesome experience! Jen is such a sweetheart who totally knows what she is doing! Again, this could have been very uncomfortable but she made everything really easy and fun! Brad loved the pictures. I have never felt so sexy in my life! Ladies, do yourself a favor and do a boudoir shoot!
(these I can't post, but take a look at her site...)Jenerations

Elite Affairs- Aisle Runner
Once again, at TWOTY, DH and I were lucky enough to win a customized aisle runner from Lisa of Elite Affairs. I emailed Lisa and she quickly got the process started. I sent her our colors and our last name and she sent me a bunch of options for our monogram. We picked one and waited for the finished product! When we received it, we were very pleased but the font style looked off centered. I told her I had noticed this and she told me to send it right back and she would get on making a new one. I was so impressed that she would work so hard for a customer that had won her services for free. I expressed this and my gratitude and she said that her main goal, regardless of our paying or not paying was that we were satisfied! This is the key characterisic of a good business woman!


Makeup- Jenn Tomeo
DH worked with Jenn when he was a teacher in West Babylon Schools and after I had gone for a makeup trial with someone else he said “You have to try my friend Jenn..she is a nut, but is so fun and that’s the kind of energy you want around you on your wedding day!” Jenn is a makeup artist for MAC cosmetics and she is SO unbelievably talented. She views each client as a canvas (she is an art teacher) and really does her best to make you look as beautiful as possible. She did the makeup for my mother, two of my BMs and myself and we all had a different look that matched our personality. She came to my parent’s house and really kept us laughing along with making us all look gorgeous! Jenn works at MAC at the Bay Shore Mall. Please feel free to FM me if you want her info!
When I get my proofs I will post a better picture!




Bleu Diamond Events-
I feel like LIW provided us with SO many great vendors!! Gina from Bleu Diamond Events was another prize that we won at TWOTY this year. I was very skeptical about having a DOC and said that I would never have one, it was a waste..yada yada…Boy was I wrong!! When I told my father her usual rate, he said “If I had to pay double for her, she would have been worth every penny!” Gina was phenomenal. I can’t say enough about her. Again, being that she was giving us her services for free, I would have expected her to not pay as much attention to us as she would her paying clients. Again, I was wrong! Gina and her assistant Megan took care of EVERYTHING! We met with them a few times and had a blast each time. I am genuinely sad to not have regular meetings with them. The week of the wedding Gina called all of our vendors to confirm the details so Brad and I would not have to. We gave her all of the details for our wedding (menus, bathroom baskets, aisle runner…etc) and she happily brought them with her and set them up. I had no worries on our wedding day because I knew that Gina would take care of everything. She came with two rolling suitcases of “emergency” necessities for the bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents. She was organized and professional. I had tons of vendors contact me saying what a pleasure she was to work with! Gina took tons of pictures for us and just treated us like we have known her forever. I truly adore her and feel as if a wonderful friendship has begun.

Partybooths.com
We had seen NYC photobooths at TWOTY and thought it would be neat to have one at our wedding but couldn’t fit it on our budget. My in-laws thought it was a great idea and offered to get it for us. However, they agreed that NYC photobooths would be just too expensive. After doing some research, we took a leap of faith and booked with Partybooths.com. We were NOT disappointed! They were easy to reach, reasonably priced and provided a fantastic product! They arrived on time, set up without any distraction and our guests loved the photobooth! We loved having the album to take home with us that night! It provided us with instant gratification and we loved seeing the memories that were made!


Burton’s-
DH and I went to Burton’s because we had heard what great quality flowers they had and that their prices were unbeatable. All of this was true. We met with Bobbie who was a very down to earth and no BS kind of woman! (I LOVED this!) We were clueless as to what we wated but told her our colors and she went to town! Our Boks were STUNNING and the centerpieces were lovely! Though they were slightly different from what we asked for they really were beautiful and we were VERY happy…we have gotten tons of compliments on how gorgeous our flowers were! My one complaint would be that they used fake candles in the votives. Our banquet manager changed them to real candles for us...so just make sure you stay on top of that!


Vintage String Quartet
I can’t say enough wonderful thigns about Francesca and her quartet. Both Brad and I are musicians and we knew that the music at our wedding had to be nothing short of amazing. I actually worked with Fran my first year teaching so I knew that she was a phenomenal musician and I had all the confidence in the world in her group. Brad and I wanted to have his cousin sing a special song while our bridal party walked down the aisle. We sent her the music and they happily agreed to learn and perform it at our ceremony! We then became really annoying and requested that they play DH’s arrangement of “What a Wonderful World” as I walked down the aisle. Again, Fran assured us that this was no trouble at all! The music was GORGEOUS and we so appreciated the way that they went above and beyond to customize our ceremony.

The Riverview Restaurant-
The Riverview is one of our favorite restaurants so we knew we wanted to have our Rehearsal Dinner here! The food was fabulous, the price was reasonable and the atmosphere was perfect! Definitely check it out!

Macy’s – Demetrios-
I purchased by dress from Demetrios and was not overly thrilled with their service. My consultant showed me one type of dress only (this I realized after starting to work at a different bridal salon) and as a whole I found them to be very mediocre as a salon. I chose to take my alterations elsewhere because of this and the fact that they did not have a cap.

Paradise Bridals-
I work at Paradise Bridals and I feel that my view of the store could be seen as partially biased so I will just say that all of my dresses came in without any trouble and fit beautifully! I will also say that the selection of dresses this store has is insane and the women I work with truly care about their brides. I would like to also mention how wonderful the alteration depeartment was. I chose to take my gown to Paradise and Rosalie worked on it. My dress was 2-3 sizes too big on me when I went in for alterations and by the time I wore it on my day it fit like a glove! Rosalie did a fantastic job. She was patient, kind and is VERY talented. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone.

Serenity Limosines-
Eddie was AWESOME! Such a down to earth guy and a pleasure to work with! The day of the wedding we were on a very strict time schedule. I was very concerned that the limos would be late and we would not be able to take pictures at the arboretum. Our drivers showed up early! They were helpful, professional and very quick! Theydrove us everywhere that we needed to go with a smile on our faces! I highly recommend you go see Eddie at Serenity..he has great cars, great customer service and will give you a great experience!

Long Island Sound
We had seen Long Island Sound at my BIL’s wedding and we knew we would book them. We didn’t look at any other DJs. LI Sound was the epitome of professional. They played all of the music we asked for, played none of the music we didn’t ask for and were just a pleasure to work with! Our MC was Chris and I can’t recommend him enough. He didn’t talk too much but knew when to step in to keep the dance floor full! Our guests LOVED the mix of music that they played and keep talking about how great they are!

Chateau La Mer-A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When we began looking at RHs we knew we wanted to get married outside on the water. We had gone to two other waterfront RHs and neither came close to CLM. The moment we walked inside we knew this was the place. The atrium room is simply stunning. The high ceilings and beautiful panoramic waterviews left us standing there with our mouths wide open. We met with Lou and were very pleased with what CLM had to offer us. My father was very skeptical about booking a venue without tasting the food so we signed up for a food tasting and were blown away! The food was absolutely delicious. I ate things that I never thought I would like. We went back and booked with Lou and were SO excited. We had a ton of questions and each time we called Lou patiently answered our questions.
We were so thrilled that TWOTY was at CLM this year. We could not wait to attend and it made us SO excited to get married there. I asked Nick, another banquet manager who happened to be there that day if we could please have some direction cards. I told him our wedding date and before I could say my name he said “Oh DRINKWATER! Hi Lauren!” ( I was STUNNED since I had NEVER met him before!) I thought this was just so cool. For the rest of the night he made sure we had everything we needed. He brought us seconds, let us sample other food and just treated us like family.
A couple of months later we called Lou and scheduled an appointment with him to set our menu. We arrived at our appointment and he looked at us and asked us if were here to view the venue. It was as if we had never met him before let alone talked with him three or four times. We were very put off by this and we decided from that moment on that we would call and ask that Nick please handle our wedding. Nick agreed to be our BM and even more than that he agreed to maitre’d our wedding even though he doesn’t really do this anymore! We were THRILLED! We met with Nick a few days before the wedding to drop our stuff off and he was just so genuinely happy and excited to spend our wedding with us.
When we arrived the day of the wedding Nick was standing on the sidewalk outside waiting for our limos waving his hands, smiling and shouting “HI DRINKWATERS!!!” He made sure everything went smoothly, that we always had food and drink and that we were always comfortable. He called my mother “Mom” and my father “Dad” and really made us feel welcome.
The staff at CLM was ridiculously attentive. Our guests were amazed at how the second they finished a drink, it was being refilled by their waiter or waitress. They raved about the food and loved that they could have seconds, try a different meal or take home a meal in a doggy bag!
Our bridal attendant was Jessica. Aside from the fact that she was such a sweetheart and I want her to be my new best friend, she was exceptionally good at her job. She was with us at all times, asking us if we needed anything, making us a plate from the cocktail hour and sending us home with leftovers! At one point in the night my hair got a little loose and she was waiting for me on the dance floor with bobby pins! She was attentive, kind and really helped to calm my nervous down before the ceremony. I couldn’t have been happier with her and the rest of the staff at CLM.
We were so lucky to have been able to have our wedding ceremony outside on the beautiful deck and took full advantage of their Yacht Arrival..SO COOL! Our guests absolutely loved this!
Unfortunately, there was a slight problem that we didn’t find out about until the day after our wedding. There were some valuables stolen from the bridal suite. We immediately called CLM to ask for help and were directed to Lou. Lou was a jerk. Point blank. He was not helpful, he told us that there was nothing he could for us, was rude and insulted me on the telephone. He said that someone from the bridal party or one of the DOCs took the possessions and that it was our fault that the door was left open. I explained to him that he was right in saying that if the door was left open that is partially our fault. I tried to explain to him that there were numerous employees seen in the bridal suite that night and that my MIL actually saw a woman holding an iphone that was stolen. The employee told her that she found it on the floor and was just placing it on the table. Lou refused to believe any of this. It solidified all of the feelings we had about him throughout our planning. Within 30 minutes of my hanging up with Lou, Nick called my phone even though he was in the middle of working a wedding. He calmly asked what was going on and explained that he would do everything he could to help us out. He was patient , understanding and professional. All the things Lou was not. The next day, I received a phone call from George the owner who was just as wonderful as Nick was. He apologized for the inconvience, for Lou’s behavior and assured me that everything would be taken care of. He felt terrible that we had any sort of negative memory from our wedding day. Because of his kindness and sincerity, I assured him that this negative memory would vanish and we would only be thinking of our AMAZING day at CLM. It turns out that the iphone had a GPS program on it and was traced back to an address in copaigue. An address of one of their employees. The employee was reprimanded the phone was returned and she lost her job. George reimbursed my family for money and earrings that were stolen as well. Without question. Despite this minor incident, I would wholeheartedly recommend CLM to any of you. I do recommend STRONGLY that you work with Nick instead of Lou. Specifically request him if you have to. You will not be sorry!

I think that is it! Sorry for the crazy long review...we loved our vendors and would not hesitate to use any of them again! There are more pics in my albums and I will post more when I get them!! Congrats and best wishes to all the upcoming brides...enjoy the day...take it all in and don't sweat the small stuff!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

such agreat review!!!!!! i can never get tired of looking at those gorgeous pics of u 2!!!! congrats to u both!!!!!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Congrats!! What a wonderful review and love love love your pictures

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Excellent review and love love love the pics!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

great review, thanks for sharing

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

This was an amazing review--you were absolutely stunning on your wedding day!

I am so glad to see that the bad situation turned good and the thief was uncovered and fired! Good to see that things do work out the way they should !

Congrats!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

I worked with Nick and Jessica the day of also. jessica was literally next to me whenever I turned and needed soemthing (but never in the way). SHe is also the one that saved my tables from being ruined by Burtons crappy CPs.

Nick and Jessica went above and beyond. CLM should be so happy to have them as employees.


Glad you day went so well and the issues were taken care of.

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

congrats!!!!!!!!!!!! great review and i love your pics!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Amazing!! Love the pictures you looked stunning.

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

thanks for the detailed review of CLM! I am getting married there 7/10/11 - we have been dealing with Tino who so far has been AMAZING!!!!

thanks for the info! - love your pics!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

yay what a great review lauren!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

congrats!!! great review!!! the bridal suite part has me a little scared but I like knowing past experiences so now I will be extra careful with what I leave in there. Nick is my BM...he knows me by last name everytime he sees me.

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

COngrats!!!!!!!! Great review!!!!!!!!!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Great review! I have to say though, that things being stolen kinda makes me worried. That shouldn't be something you should have to deal with on your wedding day.

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

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Posted by LaurenJosh

Great review! I have to say though, that things being stolen kinda makes me worried. That shouldn't be something you should have to deal with on your wedding day.

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Of course not...the employee was let go. They are very much on top of it. Don't worry!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Great review! I'm glad everything was rectified with the stolen goods.

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Congrats!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Great review Lauren! Glad you had a wonderful day...

We had issues even locking the door in the bridal suite at a friends wedding and I'm shocked nothing was stolen...esp because there was a sweet 16 in the downstairs room which an underage person was trying to drink at, got in a fight with the bartender and the cops were called..but I'm glad it all worked out for you! And Nick is spectacular!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I forgot til just now that he offered us an additional entree at BeLissa's wedding!

Your pics are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Thanks so much for the awesome review....can't wait to get married there in 1 month!!! yay!! :)

Re: MY 7/3/09 REVIEW AT CLM!!

Great review Lauren!!! I love your pics!!!! Congrats!!