My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

I’d like to start this review by saying that, one thing I could have never predicted, planned, or imagined is how I felt on my wedding day. The emotions I felt that day were none like I have ever experienced. I have used words like Amazing and Wonderful to describe my wedding, but the truth is words cannot describe how I felt.

I know I have said this before, but I must emphasize how much this website helped me. I am the first to get married in my family and have never been to a LI wedding before…I knew NOTHING about planning a wedding. I am also an OOT bride and planned this wedding from Maryland. I owe my whole day to ever one of you and this website. So many of you reached out and answered all my ridiculous questions. THANK YOU!!!!

Now on to the review!!!!

Before the Wedding

The first thing I did was book the hall…since I am an OOT bride this was the most difficult thing I did. I had to rely on reviews and phone calls to do most of my research. I started by making a list of halls and calling each one to ask for availability and price. I narrowed my search down to 12 halls and went to visit them. I wanted a place that had one wedding at a time and had the “look and feel” I was searching for. The last place I went to was the Hamlet Wind Watch in Hauppauge. By the time I went there I was so tired and discouraged. I loved the place from the minute I walked in. The atmosphere was perfect. We sat down with Denise and went over the package and I began to cry…We signed a contract the next day.

So the process began 20 months before the wedding date.

David’s Bridal, My Dress and Bridesmaids Dresses (B):
What can I say about David’s Bridal…their customer service stinks, they couldn’t find my shoes, they sold me the wrong slip etc.…but I was looking for a gown in a certain price range. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say there are extremely understaffed. I went a few times and tried on a LOT of dresses…until I fell in love with my first dress. They only had the dress in ivory in the store and no picture of the white…I ordered the white and when it came I hated it. David’s Bridal took the dress back no problem and that is when I found the one I wore on my wedding day. Both were Oleg Cassini and very affordable.





Phyllis at Bridal Elegance, alterations (A):
Everything everyone says about her is true…she knows what she is doing and did everything I asked her to do and more. She did a great job on my dress, I LOVED my bustle. She also did 3 of the girls in my bridal party and there were no complaints. There was a small issue with my grandmother’s dress, but it looked good on her and I am not sure the issue was entirely Phyllis’s fault. Also the bustle broke by the end of the night, but this was completely the fault of my guests, who kept stepping on it.

Helen’s, MOB Dress (A):
Service was excellent (Liz in particular). She was very friendly and helpful. Dresses were reasonably priced and there were no problems with the alterations. The dress looked great on her!!!!

Me and LIW, DIY projects (A+):
I really enjoyed this part of wedding planning. Most of the supplies were bought at Michaels or a local scrapbook store. I got the cardstock from Staples. All of these ideas came from this website…thanks ladies for being so creative!


Petal Cones-this was the most time consuming thing…but worth it.



Programs



Menus



Favors


Card Box (Non-Professional Picture)
Wish/Bowl, and Table Names (Non-Professional Picture)
Pew Bows-get a bow maker…they are 10 bucks at Joann’s or Michael’s (Non-Professional Picture)







Sorry I don’t have pics of these, but if you want more detail FM me.
OOT Boxes
Memory Candles

After Hours, Tuxes (A-):
We got tuxes for men in 6 different states. They managed to get this right with only a little guidance. We went with them solely because they had the same color vests as the bridesmaid dresses and I LOVED the color. The tuxes were a little pricy, but overall the experience was fine.

Hyatt Hotel Hauppauge, OOT guest accommodations (A):
Very reasonable price, considering it was Labor Day weekend. They worked with me every step of the way keeping track of all my guests, even those who did not book in the block for various reasons. The rooms were nice and the hotel itself is beautiful. All my guests were very happy and there were no complaints…there was a small issue with the OOT boxes, but it was resolved quickly.

The Day Before

Pomodorino’s, Rehearsal Dinner (A+):
Dinner was excellent, the price and service were good, and the atmosphere was perfect. We had 50 people at our RD and it fit everyone very comfortably. They worked with our timeline and were very efficient.

The Wedding Day

I can honestly day my wedding day was flawless. I had no major issues. The weather was amazing, especially since they were calling for a hurricane the entire week before. All the vendors did exactly what they were paid to do and in some cases beyond that…there were only a few minor disappointments.

Bocu Salon, Hair for myself, MOB, MOH and 5 bridesmaids (A)
Pam, Makeup MOB and myself (A+):
The day of, Bocu Salon was fantastic…I got so many compliments on my hair and all my girls looked GREAT!!! They were on time, efficient, and had all 5 of my girls done in less than 2 hours. They let us bring in breakfast and it was very relaxing. There was a issue prior to the wedding day about price, they raised their prices since I booked and I was concerned about how much my bridesmaids would have to pay. However, the issue was resolved in a timely manner and fairly. Overall I am very pleased. My makeup was done by Pam and looked fantastic. It lasted all night!!!






Pete from Wedding Cinema, Video (A++):
First I want to say that my DH and I weren’t going to get a video. We didn’t want to feel awkward that day with a video camera in our face plus we had budget constraints. My mom however insisted that we get a videographer. I called a few places and Pete was willing to work in my budget and he was a pleasure to talk to. He was great to work with before, during, and after the wedding. I got every question answered and he always had a smile on his face. The day of the wedding Pete arrived on time and did a great job! He was EVERYWHERE and spent the entire day with us. He got everything on video and thankfully, because we missed a lot. The finished product is AMAZING and just what we wanted. He put a lot of effort into creating the final piece and it shows. But the most important thing is that we never really noticed him the day of the wedding and we felt completely comfortable the whole day. Highly Recommend.

Vinnie from Patken, Photo (A++):
There have been comments in the past about the customer service at Patken….let me tell you if you encounter these issues (like I did before I booked), put it behind you…booking Patken was the best wedding decision I made. After I booked (and no longer dealt with the sales people), my experience was great!!! Every question I had before and after the wedding was answered and someone always picks up the phone during business hours. We met with Vinnie a few weeks before the wedding. The moment I met him I had complete confidence that he would do a fantastic job.

Vinnie also arrived on time and got right down to business. I was very nervous at the salon and arriving at the hotel to get ready. I had no idea what to expect from the day and couldn’t seem to find anything at the hotel. Vinnie took charge and led me through the entire morning. I was completely calm in 20 minutes. We had a full day, family pictures at the church, pictures at the beach, and the Hamlet. We have 4 large families which he handled great, and got every picture we wanted. He’s efficient and in control, but also really fun to work with. We were blown away by the proofs…he was so creative and we will ever be able to narrow them done for our album!!!!!! Highly Recommend.








M & V Limo (A-):
I was the most nervous about this company going into the wedding. I booked them because their prices were reasonable and they were recommended by the Hamlet. However there were a few bad reviews about them on this site. I had 2 10 passenger limos arriving at different time in the day and a car to take us to the airport a few days later. All I can say is that all 3 cars arrived on time and got me to my destination. I have no complaints about the limos, except my MIL and Parents thought it was a little hot and the AC didn’t work so well. My DH and I felt fine.

John from Flower Michele, Florist (C+):
Well, I don’t know what to say about this, but I am going to try my best to describe the situation and events that lead to my rating. I did not have the amazing experience that everyone else on this website does. I booked John solely on the reviews on this site without even meeting him. This was my first mistake, because our personalities don’t really match and I think if I would have done my own research and visited a few florists I would have booked someone else. Our initial phone conversation went really well, he talked with me over the phone and sent me a quote. However, after I booked everything went down hill. I had a hard time getting a hold of John, messages and emails went unanswered. Once I managed to get a hold of him however, he was very patient and helpful as I changed my mind a few times about the flowers I wanted.

A week before the wedding I asked him to send me a final version of the contract as I did change my mind a few times and I wanted to see it all in writing before I sent in the final payment, which I thought was a reasonable request. He faxed me a contract that had hand written notes and scribbles all over it. I thought this was unprofessional and that he should have taken the time to retype it.

The flowers at the wedding were really pretty. I had provided him with the vases for the cala lilies and he did exactly what I asked. The bridesmaids and MOH BoKs were gorgeous. My only complaint about the flowers was that the wrapping on my BoK came undone after the ceremony, which was extremely annoying all through picture taking. I thought it could have been wrapped better. Another complaint was some of the cala lilies towards the outside of my BoK and my MOH BoK broke early in the day and died. Last John agreed to fill the petal cones with the petals at the church. He asked that the petal cones be left at the hotel and he would pick them up, fill them, and bring them to the church. This was never done.

There is one last thing that contributed to my rating. I gave John 12 vases for 12 centerpieces. 3 weeks before the wedding I decided I only needed 11 tables and asked him to drop off the empty 12th vase at the hotel…well it never came and is “missing”. I left a message about this right after the wedding and never got a call back. After 3 phone calls and a week later, I finally got through to someone at Flower Michele and they couldn’t find my vase. After telling me they would ask John and call me back, no response after over a week. I finally heard from John on this issue, 1 month after I left the first message. The vase is still missing. Reimbursement and apologies were offered.

Table Arrangements:
Centerpieces brushed silver vases (Mikasa)
Brushed Silver Candles Sticks (IKEA)





Jeff and Paul from Absolute Entertainment, DJ (A+):
I really clicked with this company when we met. Throughout the entire process all my questions were answered and my messages returned promptly. The week before the wedding Jeff even called me after business hours from home. I made so many changes at the last minute, days before the wedding and even at the reception. They got all of them right and were really good about it. Overall very, very pleased.

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption:
I will not rate a church, but I will say that this church is gorgeous. The ceremony went perfect.





I love this picture!





Cedar Beach, pictures (A+):
All the way to the back of this beach is a pier. DH and I checked this place out Labor Day the year before the wedding and it was the perfect spot. Not too many people, nice view of the water, the pier and the rocks. Also the parking is very close the water edge so there is not a lot of trekking through the sand to get to a good spot to take pictures. Being at the beach with my DH, parents, and bridal party was one of my favorite parts of the day. I loved having the time in between to take it all in before the reception.













Hamlet Wind Watch, Reception (A++):
Like I described earlier, I loved the atmosphere of this place. I loved being the only bride and having the whole reception place for my guests to enjoy. We even got to have our cocktail hour outside, which I loved. The tasting went great and Denise was always available to answer my questions. She runs a tight ship and is very good at what she does. Even her staff did a great job. Everything I dropped off (and I dropped off a lot of stuff!!!) was exactly where and how I wanted it. The food was really good, I got to taste most of the cocktail hour food, ate my whole dinner, and desert. My DH and I also made a point to ask our guests about the service. They had nothing but good things to say about the food and the service and are still calling to rave about it. The night went smoothly and everyone had a blast!!!!!! Highly Recommend.







Cake:
I am mentioning the cake only because this was my one mistake. The cake itself tasted amazing. It looked and tasted exactly as I described to Denise. However, I made the mistake of having real flowers put on the cake, which totally ruin it. The flowers were entirely too big for the cake and it made it look ridiculous. I don’t think this was anyone’s fault, but I think this is what happens sometimes when you have two independent parties working on the same project in this case the hall (cake) and the florist (flowers). Looking back I should have just have let the hall deal with the cake, but this was a very minor issue.




I hope this review is helpful to someone…I had am amazing time planning this wedding and love being married. Thanks again for everyone’s help!!!

Vanessa

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Wow everything looks beautiful. And you pics are great, vinny idd a great job. I love the color of your BM's dresses, sucha pretty blue. Congrats and lots of happiness in your marriage.

Sorry about your florist.

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

GORGEOUS! Everything looks so nice and perfect! I am so happy for you! And YOU...OMG! You and your husband came out beautiful! I love the pics!

Congratulations!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

And this is a classic! Make sure your husband has this pic framed on his desk at work or in his wallet! Its so flirty and beautiful!

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Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

You both look AMAZING!!! Glad you had a great day!
I am even more excited about getting married @ the Hamlet Wind Watch now after reading your review!!

Congrats!!!!!!!

-Kris

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Beautiful pictures and great review! I loved the Hamlet, they are excellent! Congratulations!!!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Congratulations! You looked gorgeous.

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Great review, beautiful pics and gorgeous bride! Congrats on your amazing day!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Great Review! I am also getting married at the HWW!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

congrats!!!!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Great review! Congrats!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Gorgeous pictures. I checked your DIY album, you're very creative and did a great job with everything.

Congratulations and wish you a lifetime of happinness!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

beautiful wedding! congrats

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Great review!
I better get cracking on mine!
Oh, and DUH- Congrats! You are a hottie Labor Day bride!

Im glad teh weathe rcleared up for you! I was thinking of you when I saw that sunshine! ( I was a little bitter though!)

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

YAY! Thanks! Im getting married at the HWW and apprecaite the feedback!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

your pictures came out BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! i am taking my pics at Cedar Beach to and like you said great view of the water and not to many people. you looked so pretty! congrats!!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

you and your dh are a gorgeous couple!!!!

congrats!!! everything looked beautiful!!!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Congrats to both of you. Beautiful pics.

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

Congrats!

Great review! Your pictures are beautiful!

Re: My 9-03-06 Wedding Review Hamlet Wind Watch, Patken, Wedding Cinema and MORE!!!

bumping. awesome pics and I like your petal cones!