My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

First off, I want to say thank you to every one of you who had offered support, guidance and friendship during the entire wedding planning process. Chatting with all of you, really made the experience even more pleasurable. I really learned a lot from this site. I encourage all of you that are still planning your wedding to use the website for all that it has to offer. Do not get caught up in all the BS. This is supposed to be the happiest times of your lives…enjoy it!! Now on with my review….



STD’s- savethedateoriginals.com (9) Service was quick and quality was good, price was even better. I ordered almost 200 magnets for $35. The magnets were a little thinner than I would have liked, but they did the trick. Everyone loved them. There was a mistake in the number that was sent to me which was immediately rectified by Angie. She rushed me some additional magnets within a few days! I made my own cards to put them in which I bought at Ac Moore.


Invitations- (10) Carlson Craft I ordered them through a family friend who was able to get them at wholesale for me. I was looking for something very traditional, formal, ecru card stock with gold lettering. I wanted the stock to be thick and not flimsy. Carlson Craft had an excellent selection to choose from and I was very, very happy with their product. I highly recommend Carlson Craft.



Aisle Runner- Madebye.com (9) I wanted one of these so bad and I did not have the patience to do it myself so I had one made for me. Erin was a little slow in getting back to me on several occasions despite my numerous e-mails back and forth confirming my order. I was a little nervous b/c she never got back to me confirming the length of the runner I wanted and whether or not she had received the swatch from my girls’ dresses in the mail. But when I received the product, the color was perfect and she replicated my monogram exactly on the runner. Many of my OOT guests had never seen one before and I must tell you , it was a big hit. It was perfect.


Cake topper- Wedding cuts.com (10) Excellent quality. Product was shipped fast and exactly as expected. I had them put additional rhinestones on the topper in my wedding colors. Again, too lazy to actually buy the crystals and glue them on myself although you have the option to buy the rhinestones and glue from them for cheap! . They had a huge selection of font and types of toppers to pick from. I highly recommend them.


Monograms- CreativeMontage.com (9) Overall, their service was extremely fast and the quality of work was fantastic. But each time I wanted to make a change, it cost me a few dollars more. I only wound up using two of the monograms but included them in every aspect of my wedding. Great product, just a little pricey for changes.

Bridesmaid jewelry- crème-de-luxe.com (10) Jenn was fantastic to work with and she was incredibly responsive to my ideas and e-mails. I tried forever to find goldtone burgundy earrings with no luck, which is why I contacted crème-de-luxe to have her create exactly what I was looking for. Because my BM’s were all so very different, I felt that the same type of earring for each girl was not appropriate. I had her create 6 different earrings of varying lengths but each of the designs matched in color. I wasn’t sure what I wanted and just told her a little bit about each girl and she made each style fit their personality. The jewelry was outstanding and matched the dresses perfectly. We did most of the communication via e-mails and the necklaces came perfectly packaged in neat little gift boxes. My girls loved them and will be able to wear them again. She was another great find. I highly recommend her and her products.


Paper for programs, menus, placecards- paperandmore.com (10) Service was fast and paper I purchased was great quality. I wanted something a little thicker than scrap booking paper but thinner than cardstock in pink metallic. It was perfect. Price was reasonable. There were many types of paper to choose from. They even sent me samples ahead of time so that I could choose.

Placecard and Program Design/Execution, Bridal Shower Thank yous, Rehearsal Dinner invites- (10) My friend did all of these little tasks for me b/c in the end I was overwhelmed and could not possible take on another DIY project. A few months before my wedding my friend began her own business of making invitations, favors, etc. I used her for all of these items and she did exactly what I wanted!!

Organza bags for rice and silk flower petals- tributesfloralcompany.com . LIW vendor(10) This is where I found the best quality rose petals for the best price. She had an enormous selection of colors and types of petals to chose from and the quality was amazing. I saved on shipping and picked up the items at her house in Medford. Most guests thought the petals were real until they touched them. The small organza bags for the church rice were great quality and the price was cheap 5 for $1. Again, largest assortment of colors and size. She also does wedding flowers. Highly recommend Linda and her company!!




Organza bags for slippers-pouchdepotinc.com (10) I found this vendor via many recommendations from LIW. Service was fast and bags were cheap. Perfect size for slippers. Color was a little more red than burgundy but was suitable for the job. Great quality.

Travel Agent- Dawn from cruiseone.com (10+++) What can I say, she has been my favorite vendor. She was attentive to every detail and she became a friend through the entire process. She even periodically e-mailed me to find out the status of my mother’s health. Her prices beat out any internet site I could find. I will continue to use her for any travel needs in the future! She always was there when I needed her. The day before our honeymoon, I called Dawn in a panic because we had lost (FH threw out!!) our tickets and hotel voucher! Dawn calmed me down and provided me with all the necessary info to ensure we would be on the plane to the honeymoon. Our honeymoon was perfect and despite one problem with the hotel (not her fault) , Dawn was able to contact the hotel and fix it. She even had a bottle of wine waiting for us at the room upon our arrival. I highly recommend her for all of your travel needs. Her personality is dynamite!!

Dress, Bridesmaid Dress, MOB dress, Veil and all alterations- gownfind.com/Bridal Elegance (9) I fell in love with my Alvina Valenta gown in Bridal Reflections but of course the price was more than I wanted to spend. I contacted Phyllis via recommendation from LIW and btw sales tax and alterations she was able to save me about $1000 on my dress. Phyllis was wonderful to work with. Despite some alteration problems on my mother’s 2nd visit which was two weeks before the wedding, she fixed the problem, and the alterations came out perfect. The girl’s dresses were amazing and she managed to fit one of my prego bridesmaids the week before the wedding!! She also added a sash to the back of the BM’s dress with no problems. Highly recommended!











Satin personalized cosmetic bags (10) Plethora 1014 ebay vendor-Great and inexpensive idea for bm gifts. She sent me swatches of fabrics so that I could match the girls dresses exactly before she began making the bags. My girls loved them!




Overstock.com- purse mirrors made in India for BM gifts. I purchased small handcrafted mirrors to go along with the bridesmaid gifts. Quality was good and the prices were great.

Hairpins- veil shop.com (7) Not great quality. Price was good. I wound up giving these away because I was happy with how they looked on me. Good selection though but the price reflects the quality in my opinion.

Barron’s tricounty- (10) New hairpins. Lovely and exactly what I wanted. Price was excellent. Simply yet perfectly glamourous. I think I got 6 of them for $18.

Best Western- (10) Amazing to work with. Despite my numerous phone calls to them confirming people who had booked rooms. Every person received an OOT bag with no problems. They left the bar open at the hotel for several hours after our wedding for no additional cost b/c of the number of rooms we had booked…almost 40. They provided two free shuttles because of the number of rooms that we booked which was a God send. Brunch the day after the wedding was fabulous and very well organized. Highly recommend them.

Truffles-Truffletrolley.com- (10) I did a donation as my favor but wanted a little something for my guests. Why not chocolate? They had a variety of prices and quantities to choose from. You can even match the boxes and ribbons to your theme. Slow communication at first! Cheapest truffles around! I ordered boxes and ribbons to match my décor and they were perfect. You are able to order a sample of chocolates to determine which flavors are best. Once mom and I ate all of the samples, we then decided to order. Shipped and arrived 4 days before wedding and were perfect and each box was tied with a beautiful ribbon!


Dress label-(9)Ebay vendor- excellent This was my something blue. I thought it was very different. I ordered ivory but the label came in white…not a big deal. It was a nice touch.

Rehearsal Dinner-Maine Maid inn (7)They were very organized when scheduling my Rehearsal dinner, as well as, the days leading up to the event. The service the day of was very good. But I must admit the food was just so so. Many of the guests reported that they did not like the food.

Church-Our Lady of Mercy-(10) This was my DH church. It meant a lot to us to get married there. They did a wonderful job.











Leli Photography/Video-(9) Gary was amazing to work with during the entire process. When I had some concerns regarding some negative feedback on the boards, he was prompt to offer an explanation or at least make me feel better about what was said. The day of the wedding we had 2 photographers, Dennis and Carlos. Although we had contracted for a different photographer originally in our contract, Carlos, as a substitution was perfect. They were all over the place the day of the wedding and took pictures of things I was not even aware of until I received the proofs. When I received my proofs, all 1444 of them, I was completely blown away at how perfect most of the shots were. A nice mix of photojournalistic with some traditional. I have plenty of choices for my albums. Looking forward to my video!!! I will update my review when I receive the video.












Long Island Sound- (9) When I saw them play at an East Wind showcase…I knew that they would be perfect and booked them on the spot!! Each time I had a question during the planning process, Chris (the owner) contacted me promptly to answer anything. These guys are incredibly professional and very talented in what they can do. Mike B. and Sal did an amazing job with the wedding. The crowd was dancing the entire night and all of the music that we requested was played. They were attentive to the crowd and changed the genres of music accordingly. I must say that this was the best choice I had made throughout the entire wedding. People are still telling us that they never have had so much fun before at a wedding!! Highly recommend them for any occasion!!! One problem was that the steel drum player the day of the wedding was not the original guy in our contract, I found out at the cocktail hour. The steel drum player and the percussionist were supposed to be the same person. I was a bit upset about this b/c I had already made out the “tip” envelopes the day before not accounting for the additional person at the wedding. To make a long story short, the steel drum player got a $100 dollar tip for one hour, which left a GM having to pay the separate percussionist out of his pocket the day of the wedding b/c he did not want to bother us with it. Not a huge deal b/c the substitution was terrific…however, had he not been…there would have been a problem. LISound explained the next day, that they often contract these additional people out, and sometimes scheduling mistakes are made. I wish they would have told me before the day of the wedding so that I could have made arrangements for a tip.

Sir Oliver-(10) My best friend used Rich and his crew for their 7/04 wedding and knew that when I got married I would used them also. When I booked Sir Oliver at an EW showcase, he remembered me from my best friend’s wedding the year before. The staff are all so personable and wonderful each and every time that you called them. Although their prices are not as cheap as others, the personal attention that you get from these guys is worth every penny. Joe was my driver on my wedding day and he was amazing. By the time he arrived at the apartment to pick us up, we were already taking pics in the courtyard. Joe immediately came over to me with a fresh bottle of water and asked if I was thirsty. Joe also was our p/u for the airport…again…he was amazing. On our way back from our honeymoon, Jack was our driver. He was wonderful and we felt like he was a long lost grandpa, we always wanted. I highly recommend Sir Oliver!!!


Guestbook-Shutterfly.com-(10) I did not want the traditional guestbook but rather something others can enjoy as well. I had a photobook made up of pictures of us since we had been dating. Guests signed and wrote their well wishes around each picture.


Jenn and Oksana-(10++++++) What else can I say about these girls that has not already been said! I had two trials with Oksana b/c I changed my makeup ideas and wanted to try something else. Each trial was perfect and exactly what I wanted. I booked Jen without doing a trial b/c my hair was too short to do anything when I booked with her and I was confident in her ability. I finally had a hair trail about two months before the wedding and Jen did exactly what I wanted. I actually wound up changing my idea for my hair the day of and told Jen that I wanted it a little different from the first trial and she went with it. I must say it was exactly how I wanted it without even having to describe it to her!! They both have terrific personalities and are incredibly real people. They took control of the morning on my wedding day and kept me sane. Due to the efforts of both of these woman…I looked and felt exactly how I imagined I would on my wedding day. These girls are truly worth every penny!!!






Flowers By Burton-(10) Flowers were not the main priority for my wedding and I clearly did not want to a huge portion of my budget on them…therefore I new I wanted a no frills florist that can do beautiful work for cheap!!! Enter Burtons…I had no idea what I wanted when I booked with burtons because due to not having my bridesmaids dresses picked out, I had no idea what colors I wanted. All I knew was that I wanted high centerpieces. They created a budget based on the number of tables which was right about what I had budgeted for. I was able to pick any flower I wanted without question. When it came time for my sample, my cousin and I walked in to the shop and noticed a huge centerpiece with exactly the flowers I had chosen. I turned to my cousin at that point and said “That is my centerpiece!” She and I began jumping up an down b/c it was just so beautiful. I actually hugged Mike b/c I loved it so much. About two weeks before the wedding, I questioned my decision about the colors I picked for the flowers and the centerpieces. E-mailed Mike with my concerns and he was perfect. He reminded me that I hugged him when I first saw the centerpiece and that he would change anything if I wanted, but he assured me that everything would be perfect. I made the decision to not change the flowers because I felt very confident in their ability to create exactly what I wanted. On the wedding day, the bouquets were more beautiful than I ever imagined. They were vibrant and fragrant. They centerpieces were huge and beautiful. They did an amazing job!!




Tuxes-After Hours (9) (placed order at Smithhaven Mall)Some confusion because all the GM used different stores, but all tuxes were perfect the day of. I just made sure that I was in frequent contact with them to ensure everything was as planned. We had no problems on the wedding day which was the most important detail. They had a nice selection and the tuxes were fabulous. My only complaint was that they were often so busy when we went to visit with them (prom season), we had to wait almost an hour each time. Serves me right for getting married during prom season I guess!



East Wind( 10++++++++) Although I was never one of those girls that dreamed of being a princess on my wedding day, I truly had a fairytale wedding. When my MOH got married at the Estate in 7/04, my DH (we were not yet engaged) mentioned that when we got married, we would get married there. I told him he was ridiculous b/c we would be getting married in a church in Hicksville and would not make our guests travel from Hicksville to Wading River. When we went looking at reception halls, he or I found something wrong with all of them. After much frustration, he just looked at me and said, “Just book the East Wind!” SO there the torture of our guests having to drive from Hicksville to Wading River on Memorial Day Weekend 2006 began! (sorry Leslie…it’s actually Frank’s fault!) From day one, the East Wind staff were amazing. I dealt with Shannon, Barbara and John in sales. Each one was perfect. I was in touch with someone on a weekly basis since the day I booked to ask them a question or to comment on something. Each and every time, I was treated with the utmost professionalism. When it came time to choose our menu selection they were accommodating to every change that we wanted. On our final meeting three days before the wedding, I prepared a detailed list three pages along with several sketches (insert bridezilla icon here) of how I wanted everything set up for the reception. On the day of the wedding, the Maitre D was the first to greet me at the limo and told me that everything was perfect and to not worry about anything. In fact everything was perfect!! Every last detail that was on my list was executed perfectly!! I got a glimpse of the reception room prior to the beginning of the reception and it took my breath away. Each table was set up exactly how I wanted it. The cake, which was decorated by my Maitre D, blew me away! I nearly cried when I saw it. My DH and I never had an empty drink the entire night. The cocktail hour was amazing and the entrees were fabulous! Our friends and family say that they have never been to a more beautiful place than the East Wind. I must say that the East Wind really made all of my dreams come true. My wedding day was everything imagined and more!!














More pics


Please feel free to FM me with any questions!!!


As always...Keep Rockin'!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Jaime, you were SUCH a beautiful bride!!! You and Frank were positively glowing.

Thanks for taking the time out to write such a great review - a while back, you told me about Phyllis. I kept her in the back of my mind, and I'm now ordering my gown from her! Thanks!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Great review! I loved looking at your pictures. You had a beautiful day and looked terrific! I loved your Alvina Valenta dress. So pretty and feminine. Congrats!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

OMG Jaime!!!!!!! Your review is beautiful, your pictures are amazing and congrats on everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Amazing review!!
You looked gorgeous and everything looked perfect

I am getting married at the Estate in May as well and I am soooooooo glad that you were happy with everything.

Best of luck to you and your DH

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Congrats!!! You looked gorgeous.. your dress was to die for and it looked like you had a wonderful day!!!! Congrats Again!!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Wonderful review. Congratulations! You looked gorgeous and I loved all of your pics. The BM dresses were beautiful, and I loved their flowers. Congrats!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Great Review, everything looked fabulous!

Congratulations on a beautiful wedding

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

JAIME YOU ARE THE ORIGINAL ROCKER!

Your wedding was wonderful and youre review captured everything perfectly. Thanks again for having us share in your special day!

By the way, what is Frank doing behind you in this picture?

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

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Posted by Goldi1021

JAIME YOU ARE THE ORIGINAL ROCKER!

By the way, what is Frank doing behind you in this picture?

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Spanking me...but of course!!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

beautiful!!!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

A great review from a truly amazing woman!! It was an honor to be witness to your day!!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Jaime, thank you soo much for a fantastic review!! I have been waiting to read a review about new East Wind brides. Everything looked truly amazing- I had tears looking at some of your pictures. Congratulations- I wish you and your DH all the love in the world.

Yea for East Wind brides!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Congratulations! That was a great review!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

this is an awesome review! thank you so much for sharing! you look amazing!!!! Everything looks perfect

all the best..

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Congratulations Jamie!!!! You look Beautiful!!!! So glad everything went well! Great job on the review..!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Great review, Jamie!! Your proofs came out great - they really captured the details and emotions of your day, and of course you - the beautiful bride that you were!

As you know, I am also an EW Bride, and was so blown away with the experience as well.

Congratulations once again!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Great Review! You were a stunning bride!!! Thank you for sharing your proofs!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Great review! Thanks for posting!! Great pics as well!!!

Re: My amazing May 28, 2006 wedding!! WIth reviews for East Wind, Leli, Long Island Sound, Sir Oliver, Gownfind and much more!!!!!!!

Great review!!! You made a beautiful bride!!!