My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS! ***UPDATED WITH HM PICS!!!

So, I can’t believe it’s all over but it is time to give my review. I have to say that my day was perfect, absolutely perfect and definitely the BEST day of my life. I truly wish I could do it all over again. I think about it all the time and smile, and I know it wouldn’t have been possible without all the wonderful people in my life. With that said, now I’ll get down to it. I was really pleased with everyone so most did get an A but I added the + if they went the extra mile. Don’t have many professional proofs scanned yet but I included some along with non-pro pics.

Weather-A+
The day started out a little wet, but it cleared up beautifully and the sun was shining the whole day through so we couldn’t have asked for better.

Madeira Café, Mineola-A+
We had our rehearsal dinner there the night before the wedding. The food was delicious and there was so much of it! The service was wonderful and they were more than helpful and made sure everyone was happy.

Cold Stone Creamery-A+ + +
We ordered our rehearsal dinner cake here, and it was amazing. We got the Cookie Dough Delirium cake and it was so good. Everyone raved about how much they loved it. Definitely worth it!!!



You’re Invited to Celebrate, Mineola-A+ + + + + + + + + +
I ordered our invitations and also our favors from You’re Invited. I had originally wanted to make my own invitations but I was vetoed so when I went to see Paula, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for picking invitations. She was very patient and tried to help me find something that I liked. I eventually decided on a simple, elegant design. She put the order through, took care of all the wording, and once the invitations arrived, she showed me how to put them together. When it came to ordering favors, I went to see her since she was so easy to work with as far as the invites. She helped me and DH pick out something we both liked (espresso cup sets), and again ordered and wrapped all the favors perfectly. She was so great to work with, always friendly and smiling, and really gave me a few less things to worry about.





Our Lady of Hope Church, Carle Place-A+
I really can’t rate my church, but I must say that they made everything easy and hassle free for us from beginning to end. Our priest was very laid back and friendly, and my DH had no qualms about getting married there (he’s not religious so we weren’t sure at first). Everything looked beautiful and went perfectly!!



Unity Candle-A+
I bought my Unity Candle at Irish Alley in Huntington. I had wanted an Irish themed candle and had looked online, but time caught up with me and I didn’t have time to order. I checked out Irish Alley and found a nice Celtic Claddagh set for $40. I loved it and didn’t have to spend as much as I thought. The store is small, but they do have some cute items.



Royalty Limos-A
We went with the stretch Escalade for the bridal party, ’39 Caddy bridal car and an 8-passenger Caddy (for the parents after the church). Royalty showed up on time and the limos were very clean and ready to go. The driver of the bridal car was very helpful and got everyone organized for the church entrance. The driver of the Escalade seemed ok, but he did get impatient after the ceremony about getting everyone to leave. He was shuttling my bridesmaids into the limo while I was asking them to get out because I wanted to take a few more pictures. We had plenty of time so I didn’t understand what the big rush was. He wasn’t pleased about having to wait which annoyed me a little. Besides that incident, everything else was fine. My parents had no problem with their limo and driver and everyone got to Woodbury Country Club on time and with no problems. At the end of the night, we had arranged for a town car pickup through them and were upgraded to a white stretch limo which was a nice treat. I was very pleased with them overall, just didn’t give them an A+ due to the one driver’s impatience!

LA Blossom-A+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Oh my goodness!! I don’t even know how to tell you how much I LOVED my flowers. They were absolutely exquisite. I was so excited when Laurie arrived with them. The bouquets were gorgeous! The altar flowers and pew bows at the church were also beautiful, and the CP’s were phenomenal. I was thrilled with my flowers and kept raving about them all night. Laurie did an outstanding job, and was so patient and helpful through the entire process. Anyone using her or thinking of using her should definitely do it! She’s the BEST.


Burton’s Bridal-A+
Jasmine-A+ + + +/Mori Lee-A+ + + +
I ordered my dress and also my bridesmaid dresses through Burton’s. My dress was Jasmine Couture Style #H048. I loved (and still love) it. I had the hem-to-hollow measurement done when I ordered it and had no problem with the few alterations I had after. One other thing I was so happy with as far as my dress was that it had a detachable train. I just took it off after the first dance, bustled my dress the little it needed to be, and didn’t have to worry about that extra weight for the rest of the night. The bridesmaid dresses were Mori Lee Style #340. All the ladies looked wonderful in them, and the color was beautiful. Those that had their dresses altered at Burton’s had little if any problems and the dresses turned out great. I also picked up my purse for the day of there, and it matched perfectly, and was inexpensive! Admittedly, there were a few times when the Burton’s ladies could be a little snooty, but the dresses came on time and looked great which was most important so I really don’t have any complaints.





Foresto Tuxedo, Mineola-A+ + + + + +
DH got all the tuxes here. He raved about them and said they were fantastic. Although he said they might be a little more expensive than other tuxedo places, they were well worth the money. Their colors are limited, but they matched the bridesmaids great and all the men looked very classy!



Salon Beyond, Garden City-A+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
I had my hair and make-up done at my usual salon-Salon Beyond. Vicki did both for me and I absolutely loved everything. I had my trial with her previously, but loved everything the day of so much more. Two of my bridesmaid’s and my Maid of Honor also had their hair and makeup done here. It was a lot of fun and all the ladies working on us were so friendly. It was nice just to relax and have some girl time before all the craziness started.





Brazil Bronze, Great Neck-A+ + + + +
I have to give credit to Brazil Bronze airbrush tanning for covering up my awful tan lines. I had really bad tank top lines from a burn I had gotten over the summer and since my dress was strapless, I had to find a way to cover them up. I went to Brazil Bronze for a trial and was pretty happy with how everything turned out. I still felt like my tans lines were obvious though so when I went back for the wedding, she took extra time to cover them up and it turned out great. You really can’t see them at all in the pictures and I like that I’m not super pale (which I usually am). She was very friendly and I’m so happy I went with it!!

Barron’s, Tri-County-A+ +
I picked up my veil, tiara, hair pins and money bag from Barron’s. The ladies were extremely helpful, the prices were reasonable, and they gave me a free garter!! Great place-check it out!!

Ice.com-A+ and Gabriel’s, Tri-County-A+ + +
I ordered DH’s ring from Ice. It’s white gold and was really the only one he liked (I actually found it through LIW from a fellow bride). It was way too big so we had to have it resized which changed the finish on it a little but it’s still really nice and he loves it. I found my ring by accident at Gabriel’s. I was looking for a band for DH way before the wedding and my MOH saw a band that she thought would match my ring and it was an exact match! I didn’t look any further and I couldn’t be happier with it.



Estelle’s Dressy Dresses-A+ + +
I bought my jewelry and my shoes from Estelle’s. The girl at the jewelry counter was extremely patient and showed my so many different items until I finally decided on my favorite. My shoes were Colorifics Lindsay, and I must say they were very comfortable and I kept them on the whole night. The woman in the shoe department was really friendly and very helpful in putting my shoe order in, letting me know when it arrived, and wishing me all the best when I picked them up. She was just a very pleasant person to deal with and the prices there are great so I’d highly recommend checking them out.

Weddingchannel.com-A+
I ordered my garter, bride slippers, some lip glosses, and my disposable cameras from here. I never had any problems with my orders. Everything came quickly, and when one of the stones from my garter fell out, they replaced it with no hassle at all.

Disposable cameras-D
Although I had no problem with ordering my cameras, the actual cameras were not worth the money. I did get them on sale for $3.69 or so each and I did take into account that the pictures wouldn’t be great, but they were still a waste. A lot of people didn’t even see them (even though the DJ made an announcement) so some weren’t even used. The majority of the pictures from the ones that were used were grainy or dark so we’ll probably throw them out anyway. We did get a few nice pictures from them, but all in all, I would suggest either skipping them altogether or getting regular disposables which might take better quality pictures.

Glenmar Studios-A+ + + + + + +
I have only good things to say about Glenmar. The e-pics we took with them came out so nice, and our proofs from the wedding are fantastic. I love them!!! The photographer we had for the wedding (Tom) was very friendly, and easy to work with. He was a little kooky and kept saying funny things before he took the pictures (he kept saying “eeeasy” and “oh yeah” before each shot) but it was funny and is now an ongoing joke with the whole bridal party so we enjoyed him. Their service has been great so far, and their prices are pretty reasonable. I’d highly recommend them!

Golden Moments-A+ + + (so far)
We saw a ton of videographers before finally deciding on one. We didn’t want anything too crazy for our video-just the footage with some music and nice editing. A lot of the people we went to see had so much going on in the videos and it just wasn’t us. We were at our wits end when we met with Pat and were pleasantly surprised. The video he showed us was exactly what we were looking for. The day of the wedding, he was on time and was very patient with all of us getting ready and the general chaos in my parent’s house. He was very friendly and honestly, I didn’t notice him half the night which was great. I’m sure the video will turn out wonderful!! Can’t wait for it!!

In the Mix DJ’s-A
In the Mix was, for the most part, great!! They went over everything with us when they arrived. As far as I know, they got everyone’s names right when they were introduced, and they introduced us perfectly. We wanted Portuguese and Irish music played for both of our families and they made sure to play music from the CD’s I gave them. They were also great about making any announcements I asked and made sure to play everyone’s requests, although they did play a few songs that seemed inappropriate (like “Promiscuous”-hmm, kinda strange for a wedding). The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the music they played during the cocktail hour-we had asked for Jazz but what they played was a little to easy-listening type Jazz for our taste. Also, the last song they played was “I Wanna Get Lost in Your Rock n’ Roll/Drift Away” and we thought that was really strange. It’s just not a song that I would think would be an end of the wedding reception song so we were confused as to what made them choose that, but all in all they did a great job and we were very happy with them.

Woodbury Country Club-A+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Absolutely perfect. From when we booked them until when we left after the reception, WCC was nothing but a pleasure to work with. Our banquet manager Bob was patient and so friendly and accommodating with everything. All the other staff we met with or worked with were also wonderful. They really went out of their way to make us happy! Our Maitre D was John. He made sure that we had time to eat, that we saw the reception room (and the Viennesse) before everyone else and that we did everything we were supposed to and had everything we needed. He really went above and beyond. My bridal attendant was Ronnie. She was very sweet and made sure we had food and drinks in the bridal suite, took care of my dress and even ran and got bobby pins to fix my hair when it was falling out a bit. Such a nice person!

Everything looked amazing, and we were so happy with the way the cocktail hour, the reception room, and the Viennesse looked. It was really breathtaking. As for the food, it was amazing. Everyone was raving non-stop about the cocktail hour food, especially the lobster tails. They loved it! The entrees were delicious, and of course the Viennesse was spectacular. My favorite was the little chocolate shot glasses they had at the cordial bar. Everyone loved them, and they were so yummy!

All in all, I couldn’t be happier about WCC. They really went above and beyond, and I hope I get to be a guest at another wedding there so I can have the food again! LOL! They really were Perfect!!!!!!

Huntington Hilton-A+ + + +
We stayed overnight at the Huntington Hilton and also blocked rooms for guests there. We had the honeymoon suite which was huge and received champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our room. We also received a complimentary breakfast but didn’t use it since brunch was at my parent’s the next day. The room was great and we were very happy with it. No complaints.



DIY’s-A
I made the programs, menus, and lovesavers as far as DIY’s are concerned. I also put together my out of town guest bags and a ladies room bathroom basket. I was happy with how everything turned out, especially the menus but just wish I had had more time. I definitely needed more programs, but everything looked very nice and I was pleased for the most part. I think I did ok-A for me.

Honeymoon-A+ + + + + + + + + + +
Disney/Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Our honeymoon was so perfect. We decided on a week in Disney and a week in Punta Cana, and loved every minute. We went to Florida first, and flew Delta with no problems. We had rented a Mustang Convertible (a surprise for DH) from Hertz, and when we went to get it, they said they had none, but with a little discussion (I wasn’t leaving without one-LOL), they came up with a bright yellow Mustang Convertible. It was great, and DH was in his glory. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Resort which was really nice. The suite we had was huge, and it was located close to all the parks so it was very convenient. The parks were fantastic and so much fun!!!! I can’t wait to go back.

From Florida, we traveled to DR. Again, the flight was no problem. We booked the Punta Cana part of our honeymoon through Ellen at In and Out Travel (Dream Destinations) and were glad we did. We didn’t have to worry about anything, and since the documents ended up arriving late (the day before the wedding!), Dave dropped everything off at my parent’s house for us. I thought that was so good of him to do that, and it really impressed me. Everything was arranged through GoGo Tours and we had a shuttle take us to and from the resort which was great. We stayed at the Riu Palace Punta Cana and it was so beautiful. The beach was a two minute walk away, and there was also two pools to enjoy. The food was pretty good (weren’t sure what to expect since it was all inclusive) and there was a nice selection to choose from with a buffet and 4 specialty restaurants. We splurged a little and got full hour massages which were so relaxing and did the parasailing which was a blast. Besides that, we just relaxed at the pool bar and the beach. It really was heavenly.

I’ll add some pics of the honeymoon soon!

Good luck to each and every other bride out there. It really is the best day--enjoy every second.

Some more pics!!!
































Happy, but tired!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Wow, what a great review!!! Everything looked so beautiful!!! Glad you had such great experiences wtih everyone & everything!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Beautiful!! Looks like you had a perfect day

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Great reveiw. Everyone looks beautiful especially you.

I am glad your day turned out so wonderful!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Great review!! Congrats!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Wow!! You are my dress twin and I also used Glenmar and Foresto Tuxes. I loved them. You look beautiful.

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Congratulations!!! You look stunning. You're glowing in your pictures!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

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Posted by ellebelle1

Wow!! You are my dress twin and I also used Glenmar and Foresto Tuxes. I loved them. You look beautiful.

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Thanks! Hey, it looks like our BM's had the same color dresses too. That's funny! Great minds think alike, I guess.

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Gorgeous bride, lovely colors, and yummy looking cake! Thanks for your review. I was considering disposable cameras, but I think I'll scrap the idea now, hehe.

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL...LIKE YOU SHOULD BE IN A MAGAZINE!!! WONDERFUL REVIEW!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Congratulations! Wonderful review. You looked beautiful and truly happy. I love everything from the flowers to your cake. Many wishes for a happy life together.

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Beautiful!!!! Congratulations! I love this pic by the way!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

You look beautiful! I love your dress, and I love your favors!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

um, hello, how gorgeous did you look in that dress??!!

Just beautiful - congrats!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Congrats you looked beautiful...love the flowers the color of the BM dresses everything looked perfect!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

beautiful!!!!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

You looked beautiful! Sounds like you had an amazing day. And glad to hear good thing about WCC, I can't wait! Let us know when you post proofs.

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

Congratulations!!!! You look gorgeous and so happy in your pictures! Everything looked incredible. I wish you and your husband a lifetime of happiness.

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

congratulations fellow carle place bride, you got married the day before me at the same church! you looked beautiful!

Re: My 9/29/06 WONDERFUL WEDDING REVIEW! Woodbury Country Club, LA Blossom, Royalty, Glenmar...LOTS OF PICS!

congratulations and much happiness!