My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics...UPDATED 6/30 - Now includes HM Review and Pics; UPDATE: 7/1; REVIEW EDITED 7/11

Gown – Ashley Jordan, bought at RK Bridal—A
Some of the veterans may remember my issue with another bridal store. I found the dress I wanted at a store that cut out the tags. The dress was $2,500, which was way more than I wanted to spend. I tried to find it online but couldn’t find the dress at all so I gave up. Decided to try one last ditch effort to find this dress so I typed 'lace bodice a-line skirt' into google. Lo and behold, it was the 3rd return. Got the info and went to RK Bridal to try it on ... and it was $650.00!!!!!! This is the exact same dress I tried on at that bridal shop. So, right away RK was very good to me . The staff was great – courteous and professional. I did have to wait at all of my fittings and had a little trouble communicating with the seamstress due to language barriers but all in all my dress came out perfectly. I would HIGHLY recommend them!

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review

Bridesmaid Dresses – RK Bridal No Frills Program—A++++++++
I had the hardest time finding an appropriate dress for my BMs that I liked. The sizes ranged from 0-20 and ages from 19-39 so you see my dilemma! The one I did find was a Jim Hjelm and was $220 and up everywhere I found the dress, which I could not in good conscience ask my BMs to pay and none of the online vendors (at least at that time) carried Jim Hjelm. RK did though and, including tax, the dresses were $176 each! They also came in only three weeks after I ordered them and they were so nice, they called and said why don’t you save the shipping $ and we’ll just hold them until you can get in to pick them up. Wonderful!!! Again, very highly recommended.





Flower Girl Dresses – Dresskids.com—A++++++
The prices of flower girl dresses, IMO, are absolutely outrageous. So, I did extensive research online and found this great website. We were a little unnerved about ordering online so we ordered one to see the quality before deciding (their return policy was great – 30 days, no questions asked). The dress was adorable and so reasonably priced (with shipping it was $61)! And the quality was excellent. Even moreso, their customer service was fabulous. The second FG’s dress was too big. We sent it back and within three days we had the new size back!! I HIGHLY recommend them!!





Veil – Sew Deb—A+
My FAVORITE article of clothing that day. I could have just worn the veil and been fine, although I might have shocked some of the guests.

I got SewDeb's name from Bethsiar's review (thank you Beth ). I emailed her and told her what I was thinking (simple, flowy material, single tier, hip length since i have a drop waist gown). She was so unbelievably helpful and responsive. We decided together that silk tulle was the best way to go. SewDeb deals with two silk dealers in the UK on a regular basis so I was able to order the material from here and have it shipped directly to her (I think she's in the mid-west somewhere). She then created my gorgeous veil. It was exactly what I wanted! And, including costs of material, shipping and labor, it was all for less than $100!!

The only issue I had occurred the morning of the wedding. The veil began to disattach from the comb. But Tara Le, the lifesaver, just sewed it on and it was perfect. I would recommend that you ask SewDeb to sew, rather than hot glue, the veil to the comb.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review

Airbrush Tanning – Glow Skin Spa—A-
I was expecting some fancy dancy big spa. It's in a converted apartment on the 8th floor of a building on 60th between Park and Madison. But, makes sense as to why so many celebrities go - there's definitely a sense of anonymity associated with it.

Anyway, Jeani, the owner, is the one who does it. She’s really sweet and I felt totally comfortable. Basically, she uses an actual airbrush over your body. She did mine twice, not sure if that's affected by the shade you choose. Anyway, she had me in all these positions to do it and used a sponge brush periodically I guess to brush away excess or give some areas a little more. After this, I stood in front of a fan for 10 minutes, turning often. Then Jeani put powder on me so that the stickiness wasn't terrible. I didn't put a bra back on and had brought a black loose tshirt and black sweats to change into.

The price on the website is $65 which, compared to a number of other salons, was very reasonable. Well, as a first time customer I was eligible for a 20% discount. There was a package of 3 for $150 but I applied the 20% to that and got three for $120! So, for $3 more I got an extra time (which I'll be using for my MOH's wedding in July). I do recommend trialing this before your wedding (I did mine for my first fitting so I could see the color with my dress). I definitely recommend it.

Before


After


Makeup – Denise from Angel Eyes—A+++++
Denise is awesome!!! I had used her as a BM in AFB10304’s wedding and she was so sweet and wonderful. I was thrilled with my makeup and so were my mom and the BMs who got theirs done. Highly recommended.



Hair – Tara Le—A+++++
No contact info because, sadly for the wedding world, Tara Le is retiring from wedding styling. She is AMAZING. And, thankfully, very patient. I changed my mind at least 5 times about my hair. I had 2 hair trials and in the end, went with something different anyway and was so thrilled with it, it was perfect for me and for the look I was trying to achieve. All but 1 of my BMs got their hair done by her and her friend, and so did my mom, and everyone was happy. Her friend will be taking all future references and I would totally recommend her too. I have to look for her contact info and I’ll post it when I find it.







Tuxedos – Men’s Warehouse—B
DH went to Men’s Warehouse for the tuxes because it was the easiest place for all of his GM to get measured, etc. The tuxes were really nice. I think one of the guys may have had a problem with the fit but they fixed it before the wedding day. I know their service is terrible though so if you’re looking to be coddled, this is not the place. But, DH looked VERY handsome and the guys looked great so the end product was very good. Also, not expensive.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review

Invitations – Printing By Harriet (FM for contact info)—A
Invitations – C’est Papier—B+
We purchased our invites from Printing by Harriet in Fresh Meadows. She is semi-retired now and works out of her home. She’s a very funny older woman and was really helpful throughout the process. Her price was also extremely reasonable for the invites we chose.

C’est Papier is the company that makes the invites. The invites themselves are gorgeous and of extremely good quality. However, Harriet sent them a spotless order, which I approved, and the proof, when it came back, had FIL's last name misspelled. It’s not just that, the same last name was on the invite itself 1 other time and it was on the back of the rsvp and outer envelopes since we were having the invites sent from us and the rsvps back to us. Luckily we picked that up before confirming the proof. However, when the invites came in, they misspelled the word thousand, which, although spelled correctly on the original order was misspelled on the proof. Unfortunately the proof error was not spotted by either myself or Harriet. But, come on, they can’t pick that up?? And it was correct on the original so that means that they misspelled it! Harriet paid to have them reprinted for us, although she should not have had to. Either way, I would absolutely recommend them for their invites and quality. However, just really truly 190% double check your proof from them.





Envelope Calligraphy (computer) – Inkspun.com—B
The turnaround time was great, Bill got my envelopes back to me on a Friday when I had only mailed them to him on a Tuesday, which saved me a lot of stress. The envelopes themselves looked fine. Not outstanding but at 39cents an envelope, I honestly wasn’t expecting anything more. However, on multiple occasions that we know of, and probably more that we don’t, he strayed from the proof of addresses which I had confirmed. On my grandmother’s envelope, he had Delray Florida when on the proof it said Debary. He also left 2 children’s names off of an invite, which, of course, caused quite a stir in DH’s family that I had to deal with one night after working a full day and taking 2 classes in a row. Not fun. I would still recommend him but do not cut it close like I did. Give yourself enough time to check the envelopes when they come in and send them back if there are any errors.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review

Ceremony and Reception – Milleridge Cottage—A+++++++++
WONDERFUL! The only word I can use to describe them. From start to finish, they were just excellent. Steve was our maitre’ d and was excellent. Nadine was our banquet manager and really was the cream of the crop as far as wedding vendors go – unbelievably professional and always pleasant. DH and I swear that it is the best-kept secret on Long Island. It provided the perfect venue for DH and I, exactly as we wanted the wedding to go. They worked with us on everything and provided timely and excellent information. The food was incredible, they paid attention to every detail I provided with only one exception (the votive place cards were put out and lit too early), and it was so smoothly run! I know people have mentioned that their bridal attendant was MIA but ours was excellent! And they took care of our families very well too! The ceremony setup was gorgeous and the packages include SOOOOOO much it’s crazy!!!!! The price is also incredibly reasonable. I would really truly recommend them to anyone!!!!





Interfaith Minister – Reverend Pamela Bloom –A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DH was raised Jewish, I was raised Catholic. We got married at Milleridge and received a recommendation for Pamela through one of my friends who had been at a wedding she performed. This was the best wedding present my friend could have given us - Pamela should be canonized… in the interfaith society of saints, that is. She has received the most compliments of all from our guests, which is so great because I don’t think it’s often that people pay so much attention to the ceremony, which is the actual wedding! Pamela is this incredible woman who is so unbelievably sincere and thoughtful. She was raised Jewish and was ordained as an interfaith minister by the New School. She created our ceremony with us and guided us along the way. We met with her four or five times leading up to the wedding, including a read-thru of the ceremony that our mothers were involved with. The ceremony was an incredibly honest reflection of us and of our relationship. She involved all sides and was diligent in seeing that an evenly balanced ceremony was created and the end result was phenomenal. I really cannot say enough good things about her. If you are looking for a spiritual, but non-denominational ceremony, I would really highly recommend her.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review UPDATE: 7/1; REVIEW EDITED 7/11

Photography – B rett M atthews Photography—D

We would not recommend this photographer.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review

Harpist – Janet King—A+++++
Janet was wonderful. She was so professional and the music was incredible. It really added to the ceremony feel and also the cocktail hour. She was pricier than other harpists but after listening to samples, there was absolutely no comparison – she was worth every penny!





DJ – Big Hits Entertainment—A+++++++++
The music was extremely important to both DH and me. His side of the family, as well as the majority of our friends, were all aghast at the idea that we were having a DJ and not a band. It wasn’t a money thing at all – we are just MUCH more DJ people than band and we have never one time regretted our decision. Actually, it’s reinforced quite often!

Anyway, I’m awful and cannot for the life of me cannot remember the name of the DJ but the MC was Jeff and they were both EXCELLENT!!! They were unobtrusive but kept everyone up all night. DH and I made pretty specific requests about certain songs and they followed it all to a T! Plus, during dinner, they kept the music going but it wasn’t so annoyingly loud that you had to scream at the person next to you to be heard, which I know was a big plus with my family. Their prices were right in the middle of the road, I believe, and Gerry (the owner) is a sweetheart. I know they don’t get much ‘air time’ on LIW but I would really urge you to meet with them.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review

Florist – Milleridge Florist—A+
Flowers have never been my ‘thing’ and Milleridge includes centerpieces with the cost of the wedding so I figured it was easiest to just go with the Milleridge Florist for everything. Apparently I could have gotten a cheaper price for what I needed but I don’t think I would have gotten the quality that we did. The flowers were incredible. I worked with Bob and Chris and both were great. When I met with them they sent me home with samples of each of the flowers I was using so I could show them to people, which I thought was pretty nice. My bouquet was vendella roses and pale green hydrangea; MOH was vendella roses and candy bianca roses and the BM bouquets were all candy bianca roses. The quality of the flowers was outstanding!!

I was getting a dozen roses for each table with my package, usually paired with baby’s breath, some greenery and placed in a bubble vase. I abhor baby’s breath (just a personal preference) so I upgraded to an additional ½ dozen roses and more greenery in its place. About 10 days before my wedding I freaked out about the bubble vases (not a fan) and called. They were so accommodating and when hearing that I was coming from Queens, they handled everything over the phone and assured me that the change would be made and it would be beautiful… and it was! Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the CP (ahem, see Photography review).

Keep in mind… They DO work with other venues, they just happen to be onsite at Milleridge but they are a wedding florist. Definitely check them out.







Hotel – Holiday Inn - Plainview—A+++++
I went to a few hotels in the area for our OOT guests and this was by far the nicest and most reasonably priced! It’s right in between the LIE and the Northern State so it’s very conveniently located. I’m not sure what hotel it used to be but it certainly does not look like a Holiday Inn. The rooms were very big and immaculate. I stayed there the night before and we got ready there the next day. They granted my request to give my mother and myself adjoining larger rooms since the suite was booked for that night and I had 8 BMs, myself and my mother getting ready there.

DH and I also stayed in the suite the night of - it was TREMENDOUS!! We were pleasantly surprised (we had been joking about what big spenders we were, staying at the Holiday Inn on our wedding night). I can't imagine what more it would have been had we paid the much higher prices at other hotels.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review UPDATE: 6/30

Rehearsal Luncheon – Austin’s Steak House, Kew Gardens—B+
DH and I picked out the place for the RD because it was someplace special to us – we used to go all the time when we were early in our relationship and the food is incredible. Service is always slow though and the RD was no exception. But, you couldn’t beat the price and the food did live up to its reputation. Would recommend, but ask to deal with John, the manager. We had another guy and he wasn’t very good – I wound up dealing with John half the time because we didn’t get what we needed from Bob.

Bagel Boss – Woodbury Shopping Center, Plainview—A
I had bagels and tuna, cream cheese and butter delivered the morning of the wedding so my BM and I wouldn’t starve to death beforehand. They were right on time and everything was delicious. Only an ‘A’ because it was pretty expensive ($55 I think?) but it was very good.

Extras
Slipper Basket – biggest hit of the wedding! My aunts and all the women LOVED IT! I just wish I had gotten more (I had just over 50 pairs with 217 people at the wedding). Definitely an easy add-on and it went over really well.
Bathroom Baskets – well utilized, easy to do, I would say a necessity. I got the stuff from Target and used baskets that I had at home.
Votive Placecards – they looked pretty but were lit too early at the Cottage so it did lose some of its appeal. They were also a lot of work at a time when everything else is pressuring you since you can’t do them until the seating arrangements are done. I can’t say either way that I would or would not do them again – it’s a difficult choice when weighing the effort against the result.



Menus, Donation Cards, Programs – all came out really well. I used Paper and More.com for the paper. Unfortunately the cardstock I chose (linen) for the cover of the programs didn’t retain the ink so we had to use some boring old cardstock from Staples. The rest of the paper was excellent though and they all came out well. Unfortunately I don’t have pictures of my menu or donation card to show you (see Photography review).

Honeymoon – 12 Night Mediterranean Cruise, Celebrity Cruiselines—A+++++++++++
Brett and I had to delay our HM because I'm in grad school part-time and did not want to take 2 weeks off. It worked out in our favor because waiting allowed us to take this amazing trip!

I had never cruised before and this was DH's 4th cruise. I was nervous about seasickness but luckily I never had to pop even one dramamine (sp?). The ship was gorgeous, and tremendous. Our room was pretty big considering and we splurged for a balcony which, for such a long cruise, may actually have been necessary to get some fresh air. The food was great, the ports (except dirty, lawless Naples ) were wonderful. We met great couples too. The line, however, is one of the more expensive ones so the people are generally older. That means the ship's entertainment, etc is geared way more toward them than toward us (mid-20's). It was great for a HM because we weren't all that interested in entertainment per se but to cruise again at this age, I'd probably go for one of the younger lines.

Here are our pictures. Click F11 to expand your screen - they're grainy otherwise.

Feel free to FM if you have specific questions about it.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

beautiful pics

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

great review and congrats love the pics

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

Eileen what a wonderful review! Congrats to the both of you. You looked gorgeous, your veil is to die for.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

Great review Eileen!

Love this picture!!!

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Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

You looked gorgeous!!!! I love how everything came together!!!!

BUT your flowers were AMAZING and I loved the BM dresses - its all so perfect!!!!

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

Great review!!

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

congrats!!!! this was well worth the wait!! you looked amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

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Posted by jennandrob

Great review Eileen!

Love this picture!!!

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That was our TY picture! How funny that you picked that out.

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

Congrats!! You looked beautiful!

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

Congratulations!!!

Re: My April 3, 2005 Wedding Review with Pics

Yea!!!!!! thank you for your honesty and I hope your second meeting goes well with BM. You looked absolutely beautiful!