My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

I need to start off by thanking my MOH Carol (summerbride06). She provided directions in my highest time of stress (rehearsal dinner night) as well as helping me in a million and one areas. I feel so lucky to have a friend like her, and I felt relaxed, happy and ready for the big day even more with her at my side. Carol, I owe you!! I can only hope to do the same for you. I'll certainly try!!

*Just a sidenote...enjoy every second of the day. Yes it goes fast...but we really took it all in, had some time to ourselves and felt ecstatic that we were finally there. As sappy as it sounds, I truly met my soulmate John-I have never felt this way about anyone in my life, and am still in awe that he is my husband. I am a truly lucky person and thank God always that we found each other. Remember the reason for this day, and when petty problems get in the way try to brush them off. When you see your family and friends looking at you with tears in their eyes, it makes it so real. These people are there for YOU, to celebrate your love. Realize how lucky you are and don't take one thing for granted...ok now i'm done!!

Where do I start?? I'll grade on a 1-10 scale, seems the most accurate for right now.


Rehearsal Dinner: 10-Angelinas (in Lynbrook): . The food, decor and service was outstanding. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the delicious italian food they served. Angelinas has been a family favorite for a few years now, so I was so happy when my inlaws decided to book there. No complaints. The cake was from Malverne bakery and was probably the best chocolate cake I've ever had.

Mother Nature: I have to give her a 10 even though it wasn't the most spectacular weather ever...but i had obsessively been watching the weather just hoping to have my cocktail hour outside. Showers were called for the few days prior and morning of..BUT..it never rained. It stayed a little cloudy and then the sun would break through at times...it ended up being perfect. A little humid, but i couldn't have cared less. It was about 80 during the day and cooled off to high 50's at night. Cocktail hour outside was wonderful.

St. Raymond's Church: 5. The reason for the 5 was because of the awful communication from Deacon Tom who married us. I live in VA and would call him every time I was traveling to NY. He ignored my calls for months...only in the end to FINALLY return my calls and make the distance between us to be the problem. It upset me that the man marrying us didn't ever really get to know us...but by the time we were ready to be married, I didn't care anymore. I should also note that he didn't attend the rehearsal dinner so had another priest fill in for him. He had known the date for over a year, but traveled out of town that night. The ceremony is what meant the most and us saying 'I Do'. The church itself is gorgeous, hence the reason for 5 points. And the ceremony itself ultimately did go smoothly...except the Deacon didn't pronounce us man and wife and I had to ask if I could kiss my husband. I wasn't happy about that.

Invitations: 10-Lettering by Lynne in Alexandria, VA. She did an excellent job. Our invitations were elegant and on heavy paper...but we paid a lot less than what they appeared to be. We had tons of phone calls from people just telling us how much they loved the invites. It really set the tone for the day. Lynne was so nice and got the job done in no time.

Bridesmaid Dresses/My Gown: 10- Bridal Visions, Falls Church, VA. I picked out the dresses with the help of my MOH and sisters. I went with 'Dessy' dresses in the color 'midnight' (pretty much a deep blue/navy). I loved the way the girls all looked in them, and especially the way the flowers complimented their dresses. The service with Bridal Visions was courteous, easy, and very quick. My dress was a casablanca gown-first one i tried on!

My Shoes-7-Macys. The brand was Caparros...while I LOVED my shoes and thought they were so pretty, the back strap kept slipping off as tight as I made them. The strap actually came off at the altar and i was afraid I'd fall. I took them off at the reception and was very happy to do so!

Veil/Tiara-10-Ebay!!. The veil was $30 and the headband ended up being $11...yup, $11. I'm not necessarily a bargain shopper ...but found these, they are sold brand new...and I loved them. Both were just what I wanted!. The seller was honeymooneve.

Hair-10-Jacob Jospeh Salon in Lynbrook. Even though I now live in Virginia, I had been going to Josephine for a few years. I wanted something very simple for my hair..down and curly, and she did a great job. I was really happy with it as well as how all the bridesmaids looked. Everyone picked their own style and looked terrific. The only thing that happened was that my headband was killing my head as time went on. Not their fault at all, I just hadn't realized how it was digging into my scalp. I ended up with a migraine by the end of the night bc of it. If I could do it again, I would have gone back and had it adjusted instead of letting the headache get worse. But it didn't really bother me until the end of the night and i did have a few drinks on top of it, ;)

Makeup-10++++Oksana. As all the other reviews have said, Oksana was so wonderful. I loved my trial and was even more impressed the day of. She spent over 45 minutes making sure every drop of makeup was in place. It stayed the whole night, and I just loved how she did it. She also did my MOH's makeup and one of my cousins. Everyone was very happy. I will use her again in a heartbeat. And what a sweet person...she calms you down, and is so patient.

Flowers-9.5- Burtons. I have to say that all the flowers were beautiful. My bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets, the bouts for the guys and moms/grandparents flowers were great. I had all two toned coral roses with stephanotis that had a pearl in the center of each. The other bouquets were a mixture of the deep coral rose and an ivory rose. The only (minor) problems were 1)a few roses fell out of my bouquet. I guess some weren't secured well enough..a rose spilled right out of the bouquet and onto my gown in the middle of the ceremony, and this happened two other times as well. The centerpieces were very pretty...I didn't think they were as full as I anticipated...but there were 3 dozen roses in each with queen anne's lace-family and friends couldn't stop commenting on how beautiful all the flowers were, so thats ok in my book! John was great to work with and helped me meet my budget and threw in a lot of free flowers. They were delivered on time and in great condition.

Tuxedos- 4 -After Hours. What a disappointment. The staff at after hours no matter what location they were based were just young, unprofessional and dismissive of requests. 4 of 8 tuxedos were wrong. Some shirts were ribbed, others were plain. My husbands tux...WRONG. They hand him the wrong vest, wrong tie. In the end it wasn't the hugest deal I guess. Everyone looked great BUT why should even one tux come in incorrectly?? They gave DH the option of checking the stockroom to see if they could find what he ordered but we just told them to forget it. He basically matched all the guys but had a diff. tie and bout. They are getting quite a letter from me!!!

Limos-10-Royalty. These guys went above and beyond. They were early to every location-offered help with my gown, asked if I wanted an aisle runner set up, had drinks and champagne for all of us and were patient with the photographer when she wanted shots outside the church. I should have tipped them more, but didn't anticipate being so extremely happy. We are sending the two drivers a little extra money, as I feel they truly deserve a great tip. The limo bus was great!! I wasn't on it long, but its HUGE, spacious, clean and stocked. And the rolls I got for me and DH was so nice. I wouldn't have done this any differently!!

Band-Stages-10. I love this band. They had played at two other relatives weddings-one a few years ago, and one last year. We booked them right away b/c they sound great, and are a really great price for a band (around 4K). They had our crown up and dancing the whole night. The only thing.....funny now but not at the time :( When they announced my DH and I, they said MY LAST NAME instead of his. I gave the guy a look and he said 'whoops, i mean mr & mrs B, not V'. It was fine and one minor thing in the scheme of things. Nothing was really getting to me that day. They played everything I asked and nailed all the songs. They are a smaller band-5 members, but have a big sound and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a great band. Several friends have asked for their # so they can either use them or recommend them to others.

NYC Emerald Society Bagpipers-10+++-This was a surprise for us given by my grandparents. I cannot tell you how awesome it was. My grandfather had hired them for all his own childrens weddings, but I never expected it for mine. They came it midway through the reception and played a few classic Irish songs as well as a few patriotic ones. They had my brother ( a new marine) come out and walked around him while playing. People were crying and clapping the whole time, thats how emotional and overwhelming it was. It was the highlight of the night and something I will never, ever forget. DH (who is 100% italian) wore an irish hat they they placed on him and they had the two of us dance a waltz that got faster and faster. The pics of this make me laugh every time I look at them.

Photography-TBD-Images Forever. I really don't know what I'll end up giving this vendor. Cynthia was our photographer, and she worked with two assistants. We met with her months ago-loved the work she had done and were so impressed with her pictures. She promised to be inobtrusive, and to get all the shots we needed. While she and her assistants took TONS of pics and I'm sure they'll look great, I think the style was different than what we anticipated. There were so many pics taken where we were told to look at the other person and pretend to be engaged in conversation. Then she asked us to kiss seriously a hundred times, to hold the kiss etc....I was starting to get frustrated b/c I didn't really want to be posed so much. BUT..i do know its her job. She was excellent at getting everyone together whenever it was needed, and didn't hesitate to yell for someone. My one request was that pictures on Fox Hollow grounds were finished before cocktail hour. She was done at 6:30 and cocktail hour started at 7. Perfect! I can't wait to post proofs and should have them shortly. They offer packages that can suit many different budgets...which we needed but at the same time, we wanted someone good.

Favors-I can't give these a grade b/c I made them along with DH and my mom. OK i can grade them...10! Lol. It wasn't much, just two lindt truffles wrapped in tulle and ivory ribbon. I had Fox Hollow place one at every setting as little something. Money was very tight at the end and I couldn't justify spending hundreds on favors. The total cost maybe $100 and it was a nice touch. Awesome chocolate too!

Best Western, Woodbury-7. The reason for the 7 is because they were supposed to keep more rooms open for me than they did. We even had trouble reserving a room!! They would make excuses like 'computer system is down' and this happened all the time. I had family and friends calling to tell me they were on with them for over 20 minutes until a manager finally realized 'oh yes, there IS a wedding block for that couple, we apologize'. What a headache. But the rooms were clean and it did the job. Not a spectacular hotel, but very convenient to the Fox.

And last, but not least...Fox Hollow...10++++++

From the second we arrived, we were treated like absolute royalty. We were lead to the grounds for pictures and they had a display set up outdoors for us of food and drinks. Our bridal attendant Renee was such a sweet person. Any time i turned around she had a new drink for DH and I, and would carry my dress so it didn't get too dirty. I asked if they had advil ( on account of the slight headache) and she ran to see if she could find some. And right before cocktail hour started, she personally went and filled a huge tray with a sample of all the foods so DH and I could sit and enjoy a little quiet time in the beautiful bridal suite. The food was great-I do wish i could have really taken more time to walk around and look at it all, but the way the wedding day goes, it is so hard to do. But I am so happy we had that time to ourselves to really take it all in and just relax. My family and friends have been talking about the food since the wedding which makes me smile...good food was really important to me. The cake i have to say....a little dry. But it was ok. I kind of expected it, being that I usually feel that way about wedding cake, lol! This is terrible but I forget the maitre'd's name. He was hardly around. The bridal attendant seriously made the day-they all make sure you are happy 100% of the time. The room was gorgeous and the grounds were beautiful. I wouldn't have done one thing differently when it came to the fox hollow.

Honeymoon review to come shortly!! I just wanted to get this posted before I went nuts :)

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review

pics!-that is carol, my MOH second from left :)

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Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congratulations Maureen!! You were such a stunning bride! Thanks for such a thorough review. I am glad that FH was amazing. It looks like a wonderful time and I am excited to have my wedding there.

I wish you and your new husband a lifetime of happiness and love!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congratulations!!
You look lovely, and it looks like everyone had a great time.
I loved Fox Hollow...and I'm glad to hear you did too!!

Love and happiness always!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congrats Maureen!!! You looked beautiful! Your DH is a cutie! :) You both make a really cute couple! What you said about finding him in your review was soo sweet! Its so good that you had that mentality on your wedding day! Best of luck!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

congrats

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

COngrats! Beautiful! Maybe someday I'll meet you guys here in VA!! Was neat to read about VA vendors in your review too!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Thanks for your wonderful review!!! You looked absolutely gorgeous and it looks like everyone had a great time from your pics!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness with your new DH!!!!!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Thank you for your review! You've made me even more excited to get married at Fox Hollow!
Congratulations and may you and your husband have a lifetime of happiness.

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congratulations
by the way I have the same dress as you

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congratulations, You look beautiful

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

beautiful pics and thanks for the review

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congrats!! I love your pictures. I Love to see good reviews on Fox Hollow!! You looked beautiful

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Congrats maureen!! You looked so beautiful! Thanks for a great review!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

great review maureen! you gave so many details i felt like i was there along with you! haha....

i didn't even realize they called you mr and mrs v! too funny. i also didn't realize you knew a flower fell on your dress when we were sitting on the altar--i looked over and saw it, picked it up and threw it. i don't even know where it went and i didn't know you saw that. too funny.

the bagpipers were one of the best parts. i love the pic of michael standing at attention. very moving.

your wedding was BEAUTIFUL!!!! i hope mine is just as nice. you and johnny are just the CUTEST couple and will make beautiful babies one day.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Great review! Beautiful! Congrats again!

Re: My 9/23 Fox Hollow Wedding Review-Burtons, Oksana, Royalty Etc.

Carol-thanks for what you wrote! You're day will be gorgeous, no doubt about it. John and I can't wait.

To everyone else-thank you for your sweet words and for reading the review :)