My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub (gary hoffman-dj, raindrops and roses, carolyn's create-a-cake, wingate by windham, hick's nursery, and more)

i don't have any professional pics yet so i'll just post what i do have. i'll quickly review the vendors i used and maybe add more pics to this later.

DIY INVITATIONS and SAVE THE DATES:

Jam Paper - A+
went to their location in the city. they were helpful, but not annoyingly so. i bought two of the colors of paper and our envelopes there.

Paper-source.com - A+
bought our green paper and labels here. shipping was fast, prices were reasonable, and i had no trouble with them at all.

Vistaprint.com - A+
we ordered our save the dates, rsvp postcards, and reception/direction cards (double sided business cards) from here. shipping was what they said it would be and the prices were good (especially so since i got everything during a sale). my only complaint was the business cards weren't as vibrant as i was hoping for, but that's sorta my fault since i ordered the matte finish. it was just a little thing though - no one else noticed but me.






BRIDAL SUITE OF BAY SHORE - B
they were wonderful with me, my dress came in on time in the perfect size and i only needed it bustled (no problems with that either). my bridemaids however had a whole bunch of problems with them. they were made to order WAAAY too big and then had to fight to get their dresses taken in enough. there were pulls on a few of them, uneven seems, and bunched zippers. in the end all the girls looked great, but it was still a pain in the a$$. i'd say deal directly with the owner (i forget her name, but she really is a sweetheart) as much as you can, or even the younger girls (they're sweet too, but they don't always know the ins and outs of the company). i averaged out my experience with them with my bridesmaid's experiences and gave them a B.

you can see the bm dresses here sorta:

my dress


RSVP TUXEDOS - A
these guys were really great to deal with - knew their stuff, had a wide selection to choose from, and were very friendly. my only complaint is that they're a little too insistent on staying with the status quo and kinds make you feel guilty about doing anything different. they wanted my guy to wear ivory on ivory and my dad to wear a grey vest with his black suit stating that 'you can't wear colors! you're the [position-in-wedding]!' in the end though, we did get the colors we wanted (my husband in a pink vest/tie with a green shirt he bought and my dad in a green vest/tie). you just have to be insistent with them.

the guys

my daddy (on the left)

my guy


ST. LUKE'S LUTHERAN CHURCH in BAY SHORE - A+
i've been going here since i was little and have known the pastor for longer than that (since he was doing he training at another church). they were wonderful there as always.

THE IRISH COFFEE PUB - A+++++!
i can't say enough good things about this place! we dealt with stephan mahood (one of the owners) mainly, but did speak with other staff members frequently and they were all wonderful! they custom made us a vegetarian menu and it was incredible. i had people complimenting it all night long. not to mention there was more food than i knew what to do with. people were stuffed 1/2 way through the cocktail hour! the waitstaff and maitre'd were incredibly helpful as well. they went above and beyond what was required of them (going to different places to research dishes for our menu, dealing with the hotel to organize a shuttle to our chuch [they really didn't need to do anything here at all since it didn't involve them], to giving us 5 1/2 hours and packaging up and carrying all our things out at the end of the night. they were going to stand there until we had packed everything up but we insisted they leave it and go home).
i would without a doubt recommend this place to anyone and everyone. they went way beyond my expectations!

plus they have the coolest cocktail hour plates ever - they hold your drinks!


CAROLYN'S CREATE-A-CAKE - A
rainbow cookie cake! the cake was amazing - sooo good. everyone was raving about it and i can't wait to eat the top (i don't think it's going to make it to the one year mark)! they're one of the preferred vendors for the irish coffee pub and you can actually deal with them through the ICP, though we got confused and drove out to meet them. they were really great. the only reason i gave them an A instead of an A+ is cuz the cake wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but i think it's because it was so hot (it looked melty and slightly crooked) and being able to see the chocolate under the green ribbon in spots (they glued the ribon on with white frosting, but it didn't cover the whole thing and some of the chocolate showed through) looked a little messy. but it really wasn't a big deal and tasted amazing, so whatever. =0)




THE WINGATE BY WINDHAM - C
first i dealt with Jaime for my block and she was good. then i dealt with Andrea who was amazing. then about 2 months before my wedding i got Rachel who was awful. never returned my calls, lost reservations, screwed up our shuttle, and we didn't have champagne in our room (not that i care about this one, but it was kinda the last straw at that point). in the end everyone got their rooms (after a call to their general manager), but it was annoying to deal with them. i don't know why they went through so many sales managers either and decided to settle with the worst one, but who knows. given their record she may be gone soon.

HICK'S NURSERY- A+
instead of traditional centerpieces, we decided to go with orchid plants. i visited the nursery to see their plants (which were all amazing) and was told to speak to Laurie when she came back the next day. i called her and she was nothing but helpful. took my order, got the color flowers and pots i wanted (they all came in sleek colored ceramic pots - we got light pink), and then called me on occasion to update me on things. in fact, i was able to do everything over the phone with her which was nice since we live in brooklyn. they ordered them 2 weeks before the wedding, called me when they came in a week later, and then took care of them in their greenhouse until we picked them up on the 4th. there was a bit of confusion when we went to pick them up, but that was partly because i didn't go, it was Laurie's day off, and the guys who were getting them for me were speaking to a young cashier at first. once they got someone who was a little higher up on the chain, it was no problem.



RAINDROPS AND ROSES FLORIST - A+
holly and john were both wonderful to work with (though we dealt more with holly). everything was gorgeous, arrived right on time, and was incredibly fresh. in fact, one of our groomsmen couldn't make it so his bout. got forgotten in a bag which i found under a bunch of stuff the next day and it still looked great. i even added two roses for our mothers that morning and they took care of it no problem. my family's used them for everything and i was definitely not disappointed i went with them again this time!

the bm bouquets

my bouquet

(i don't have any good pics of the bouts. yet)

PHOTO AND VIDEO:
i haven't gotten the final products back yet (too early) but they were both definitely amazing to work with.

BRAD HORRIGAN - A
he was out photographer and a friend of my cousin's (he did her wedding too). he was a very personable and thorough guy and called the church and the irish coffee pub in advance to find out about lighting and the spaces. the only issue is that he's not a traditional wedding photographer (he's a photojournalist) so he seemed unsure of the typical and traditional pictures usually taken at weddings. the videographer was great though and set those up and he snapped away. it worked out rather well and i'm looking forward to seeing the pictures.

JENNA SAVINO - A+
she's actually a friend of my sister's. we weren't planning on getting a videographer, but literally the day before the wedding she talked us into letting her do it. i'm SOOO happy she did too because she was amazing. she knew all the ins and outs and just did a wonderful job. i can't say enough about her and i can't wait to see the video!

DJ - GARY HOFFMAN - A+
amazing! he used to dj clubs and events in NYC but now only does weddings. he was so nice to work with - personable, professional, etc. he played what we told him too, stayed away from that typical wedding cheesiness, avoided line dances (the macarena is totally not us or him) and we got so many compliments on the music. really, people were coming up to us all night asking if we had hand selected each song. this is even more amazing when you know the crowd we had with us who listen to everything from goth death rock to justin timberlake and the eagles. everyone was happy! he really was amazing and i would definitely recommend him without a doubt!



umm..... i'm now blanking and can't think of everything else, but it was definitely a blast!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

your pics are so cute, it looks like you had a fabulous wedding that was totally you!! congrats!!!! love the ribbon wrapping your BM bo-ks, and love your dress also!!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

ncie review...luv the socks!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

I wish I was at your wedding - man nice party and amazing colors!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

You're wedding looked like a blast...I love the pink and green color combo.

You looked gorgeous!!! Thanks for the review

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

I love your review!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to get married there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

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Posted by jeffamanda080808

I love your review!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait to get married there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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yay! another ICP girl! it was absolutely AMAZING! you'll be so happy!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

your wedding was so cute...LOVE the rainbow cake idea!! awesome!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

Looks like you had a wonderful day! Congratulations!!!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

oh man...your wedding looked like so much fun! Congratulations ...
Loved the colors and how you incorporated them

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

So nice to read good things about Raindrops and Roses. We've been customers of theirs for years as well and Holly has been amazing so far.
Glad you had a fabulous day!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub - quick review

Great pics...very original love the colors CONGRATS

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub (gary hoffman-dj, raindrops and roses, carolyn's create-a-cake, wingate by windham, hick's nursery, and more)

most creative, gorgeous, unique wedding I have ever seen! congrats on a great job and a beautiful marriage!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub (gary hoffman-dj, raindrops and roses, carolyn's create-a-cake, wingate by windham, hick's nursery, and more)

What a fantastic review.I love all the touches!!! You look so happy with your DH.
Congratulations on a gorgeous and unique day!!!!!!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub (gary hoffman-dj, raindrops and roses, carolyn's create-a-cake, wingate by windham, hick's nursery, and more)

LOVE LOVE LOVE it...
Wish I was there!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub (gary hoffman-dj, raindrops and roses, carolyn's create-a-cake, wingate by windham, hick's nursery, and more)

your wedding looked like SUCH a blast! everything was perfect and you looked beautiful! congrats!

Re: My 7/5/08 vegetarian wedding at the irish coffee pub (gary hoffman-dj, raindrops and roses, carolyn's create-a-cake, wingate by windham, hick's nursery, and more)

fun!