My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

First let me start by saying thank you to all the brides on this site, both past and present. While I did not post frequently I found this site to be an invaluable resource. I hope this review is helpful, feel free to FM if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!

Vanderbilt Mansion @ Dowling – Lessings – 10
They exceeded our wildest expectations. I had concerns about Lessings from various postings I had seen on this site, specifically in regard to the food. DH and I are huge foodies but location was also very important to us. We thought that we had compromised on food for the locale. Wow, were we mistaken. The cocktail hour in particular was fabulous. I highly recommend the fried asiago and olives, bacon wrapped scallops and sliders. I could probably keep going on and on…

Jen our coordinator, Jason our Matrie D, and Lucy my Bridal Attendant were fabulous. Jen entertained all of our phone calls and emails. When a family member unexpectedly passed away just days before our big day Jen helped me rearrange table assignments. Jason was on top of every detail, and both he and Lucy made sure we, as well as our parents and bridal party, always had a drink in hand. Our guests seemed pretty blown away by how great the staff was. Lessings really did a fabulous job; I don’t think it could have been executed any more perfectly!




GE Masana Photography – 10
Finding a photographer was probably one of the hardest things we had to do. Working in the publishing world I love photography and wanted our wedding photos to look like they belonged in a magazine. Finding someone to shoot those types of shots was challenging to say the least but we really lucked out with GE. He is so passionate about his work and it shows. The engagement photos were gorgeous. At the wedding he was all business and worked much later then we had expected him too. We received our album and all the proofs exactly two months after the wedding which I still find pretty impressive. In regard to the photos, well see for yourself but we’re extremely happy with how they turned out. If I ever need photos taken I know who to call.



Wild Rose Video – To Come
We had two camera men for the ceremony and one for the reception, Steve. Steve was great! He seemed to be very creative with everything he did. Steve, asked our driver to drive our car over the bridge at the church so he could get it on tape. While we were taking our portraits in the Courtyard he had climbed up on a fire escape so he could record the whole thing. I can’t wait to see the video.

Band - Arcadia – 10
DH saw them at one of their band showcases and was blown away. They are talented, professional and so easy to work with. They performed a couple songs that weren’t on their list with no objections. At times that night I almost forgot there was an actual band there the music was so good. Arcadia had everyone one on the dance floor the entire night. There’s not much more you could ask for.

Vocalists – 10
This was something my dad wanted for the ceremony. The Opera signers were beautiful and sang all the songs we had selected. It made the ceremony itself that much more special. They were well worth the splurge.

Flowers – My Mom 10
These flowers were a labor of love. My mom, who’s done other weddings before, knew she wanted to do the flowers from the moment we got engaged. Up and until the day before the wedding she and other friends from her Garden Club were hard at work on the arrangements. The final product was simply spectacular, transforming the Vanderbilt into a botanical garden. Without all of their hard work it wouldn’t have been possible and we are forever grateful.



Audrey’s – 10
From the very start they were a pleasure to work with. I had brought a picture of the cake I wanted and they made it look even more perfect by painting the gum paste hydragenias to match the bridesmaid dresses. It was a carrot cake with cream cheese filling and butter cream icing. It was the best carrot cake I have ever had in my life.


Dress – Kleinfeld Bridal – 10
Shopping at Kleinfeld really was an experience all in itself. I wish I could do it all over again. Though, I would probably still pick out the same dress. My Lian Carlo dress was beyond comfortable and quite light. I felt so glamorous in it and my only regret is that I won’t be able to wear it again. My beautiful mantilla was a Homma, also from Kleinfeld.


Bra Tenders – 9
I went here in NYC to get the bra for my dress. My only complaint is that it’s appointment only and very expensive. That being said they did sell me a great bra. I was able to dance the night away without any concerns.

Shoes – My Glass Slipper - 9
I got my Stuart Weitzman heals at My Glass Slippers NYC location. It was recommended to me by Kleinfelds and I found that they had a great selection of shoes to choose from across a wide variety of price points. I loved my shoes and was so glad I bought them on the spot because I had trouble finding them elsewhere. I would definitely recommend My Glass Slipper but just don’t expect stellar service or any discounts.



Bridesmaid Dresses – 10
These dresses were designed and made by my sister, who is a fashion designer. They were absolutely beautiful and fit the girls perfectly. The blue tied in with the rest of the colors just like I had imagined. I am so grateful to all the time and energy she spent bringing them to life.


Hair – Ethan – Cartel Salon – 10
Ethan has been cutting my hair since I was 5 so it was only fitting he did my wedding hair, as well as the rest of the bridal party’s. My inspiration was the Town & Country cover featuring Georgina Chapman. Ethan did a fabulous twist on it. My hair was able to survive the wind and the September sun. It also gave me some much needed height. Ethan is a fabulous hair stylist and we had so much getting ready all morning at the salon, which we had all to ourselves. The clip in my hair is a Homma from Kleinfelds.

Makeup – Lorraine from Trish McAvoy @ Saks – 10
Lorraine is amazing; she did an amazing job with the entire bridal party’s makeup as well as my mother’s. I didn’t want heavy makeup and it took a couple tries until I found Lorraine. She made me look sophisticated and elegant, not overstated. My face stayed put until the very end of the night.

Tux – Symms – 9
My mom actually suggested we look here as DH knew he wanted to purchase his tux.
Their prices are extremely reasonable and they have great brands including Boss and Burberry.

Bow Tie & Dress Shirt – Thomas Miller – 10
We purchased DH’s bow tie and dress shirt at their Woodbury store. The service is fantastic and the quality of their merchandise is topnotch. I would highly recommend this store, not just for Tuxes/Accessories but Menswear in general.


Invitations – Lion & The Sun – 10
My family has used them on multiple occasions before and I definitely plan to use them again in the future. They have such a large variety of invitations and everyone there is incredibly helpful. The invitations I ended up selecting, were actually the first ones I saw, by William Arthur. The stock William Arthur prints on is extremely good quality. We had them engraved in gold which I at the time had questioned because of the cost. However, once we get them I could see it was money well spent. I received so many compliments on how beautiful our invitations were. The invitations definitely set the tone for the wedding.


Menus – DIY – 9
Originally I had planned to order these but they were so expensive and not what I wanted. I got the idea, from Martha Stewart, to do a lace background. My sister scanned a piece of lace and then colored it blue in Photoshop. We then printed these menus on heavy card stock and cut each one out.


Favors – Carlson Craft – 10
I was able to order these Carlson Craft Donation Favors through work at half the cost. They printed wonderfully and were very reasonable. However, I don’t think most of our guests noticed them. If I had to do it all again I don’t know that I would have spent so much time on these tiny details.

Bridesmaid Gifts – Ross Simmons – 9
I knew I wanted to get the girls earrings but had trouble finding what I wanted at a reasonable price. I purchased this gold, pearl and diamond drop earrings for all three of the bridesmaids. They were shipped promptly in pretty packaging and lived up to my expectations. I would definitely purchase from here again. These are them, except with a pearl instead of the emerald.


Shuttles – Elite Transportation – 4
We booked two minibuses through Elite. While they were at the hotel at the appropriate time they transported all of our guests to the wrong venue. As a result 75% of our wedding was 30 minutes to the Cocktail Hour. The drivers were apologetic and did try to accommodate us by running more shuttles toward the end of the night. However, I was annoyed at the incompetence of the company for not providing accurate directions in the first place.

Mayfair Limos – 10
Fabulous! The Rolls Royce was beautiful, and my parent’s neighbor who works for Mayfair actually drove the car. They upgraded the car I had booked for the bridal party to a brand new stretch SUV. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with and were extremely competitive price wise. I would highly recommend them.











Hyatt Hotel – 10
It really is a beautiful hotel. They were extremely accommodating with blocking rooms and coordinating final counts etc. The bar was kept open late the night of so our guests were able to continue the party long after the wedding ended.

Honeymoon –– French Polynesia – 10

Regent Cruises
We had flip flopped on whether we would splurge on this French Polynesian Cruise and both of us are so glad we did. The Paul Guaguin, which as of 2010 will be under Intercontinetal, is a beautiful boat and it was such an amazing way to see the islands. Regent’s food and service is outstanding. I don’t think I’ve ever been so pampered in my life. DH was insistent we get a balcony room which I would highly recommend. It is definitely worth the additional cost. I can’t tell you how amazing it was to eat breakfast out there in the morning as we were anchoring at one of the beautiful islands. I highly recommend Regent and the Paul Guaguin.

Le Meridan Tahiti
I was not expecting much from our stay at the Le Meridian Tahiti. I thought we’d just relax before and after the cruise. The hotel was fantastic. We were upgraded to a huge room. The hotel provided almost everything you could want, kayaks, snorkeling gear, games etc. The snorkeling on the beach was some of the best we had our entire trip. It was a great way to start and end our wonderful time there.

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

And here are some honeymoon pics of the Meridien & Paul Gauguin.

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Great review. Beautiful pics! What a talented family! Love the flowers and dresses!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

It looks like you had an incredibly beautiful, elegant wedding! Your dress is stunning and you looked beautiful in it! Congrats

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Beautiful!!! great review : )

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

BEAUTIFUL pictures. I love that it had a dark feel to them.

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Your pictures are gorgeous!!!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Great review!!! Thank you for sharing! You looked absolutely beautiful! I love your dress and veil! Congrats!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Beautiful wedding, congratulations. Everything looked wonderful.

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

your pictures are absolutely breath taking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Everything and everyone looks beautiful. Congrats!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

gorgeous pictures! looks like the day was flawless...congratulations!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Congratulations! I love your photo of you and FH in the Library..it reminds me of an old time movie! That is a gorgeous photo!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

I spoke too soon!! All your photos are absolutely amazing!! They do look just like they are from a magazine!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Congrats! Your pics are beautiful!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

Great review, Congrats!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

What fabulous photos! I really love your cake too, how unique!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

just gorgeous!! You do have a very talented family!!

Re: My 9/6/09 Wedding: Vanderbilt Mansion, GE Masana, Arcadia, Audrey's, Regent Cruiese & More!

I'm so glad someone else got to enjoy getting married in a Lian Carlo dress besides me - I love his dresses!