My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

I had such an amazing day. It was the happiest day of my life! Some advice:

-When you visit vendors, take a notebook wherever you go and write everything down, even the little details. It helps when making decisions.

-Always keep in mind that this day is about celebrating the love between you and FH. It helps put things into perspective.

-I wish I had gotten a videographer. I let a relative tape everything, and it just didn't come out well.

-Take your DH and take a step back and look at the room, take in the surrounding, look at all the people who are here for your special day. It puts it all into perspective.

-Ask for 5 minutes with just you and DH in the bridal suite. Best thing we ever did. Our bridal attendant brought us a plate of cocktail hour food and said 'I'm not calling down the bridal party for another 5 minutes and I'm shutting the door.' It was incredible to have just 5 minutes to ourselves.

-ENJOY YOUR DAY! It goes so fast!

So here are the vendors!

Before the big day:

Invitations, Place Cards, etc. Party City in Islip-A+

I worked at a Hallmark store for 4 years, so I was familiar with Carlton Craft and how to order it, so I think that helped. They have a huge selection, great prices, and they came quickly and perfectly.


Favors-Sweet Nut Hut, Deer Park Ave in Babylon-A+

We ordered photo coasters and jordan almond clusters for our favors. They came out beautiful. They have an amazing selection there.

My dress, BM, Best Woman and FG dresses-
Macy's Bridal by Demetrios-Smith Haven Mall- B
Alterations-A+

I don't know, I wasn't impressed with their customer service. It took less time to measure my 9 BM's than it did to ring them up, and they kept arguing with everyone about their method of payment (i.e. when you want to use a bank card as a credit instead of a debit, the woman didn't understand because the machine kept asking for the pin number). The dresses all came in beautiful. Their alterations are expensive, but for Josephine, the seamstress I had, I give an A+++. She was so sweet and amazing. She knows her stuff!

My dress was beautiful. It was the first one I tried on and I fell in love with it instantly. The only thing they had to alter was the hem, which I get into below.

A few things I was dissapointed with were they misplaced my vail and forgot to give it to me with my dress (they said it was in the bag), so I was in a panic 5 days before my wedding. Also I paid for a hollow to hem measurement so the beading would not go underneath the dress when they hemmed it, and they did the measurement wrong and the beading on the bottom of my dress still was tucked under. (which was the salespeople's fault for not measuring correctly, and not the seamstress's fault). I don't know, I wasn't thrilled, but I wasn't extremely dissappointed either.

Tuxedos-RSVP in Bay Shore-A+

The tuxes were all correct. My brother and my dad's shoes were a bit small, but they corrected the problem immediately. They did a great job and the guys looked so handsome!

Ebay-Card Box and Unity Candle-A+

You can find so many things on Ebay! I found exactly what I was looking for!

Ring Bearer Pillow-Disneyshopping.com-A+

Our theme was Disney, so we got the Mickey & Minnie Ring Bearer Pillow for him to hold. Very fast shipping and it was beautiful. We got it for $7 because of a sale, and it was originally $40.

Undergarments-Blum's in Patchogue-A+

Fantastic, they found exactly what I needed, and they were very helpful. They have an amazing selection of all sorts of bras and undergarments.

Shoes-Varone's in Sayville-A+

Amazing selection, very helpful, and great prices.

Engagement Ring-Tiffany & Co in NYC-A+

DH wanted me to add this because he picked out the ring all by himself. He did a lot of shopping around and went to Tiffany because of the quality and the customer service. They are incredible. They were so great the two times we went to resize my ring.

Wedding Bands-Littmans-South Shore Mall-A+

Very helpful, we got two beautiful wedding bands for an amazing price. The sales people are so sweet and knowledgable (my DH was still on a questions kick from the engagement ring, so when he asked questions about diamond quality and things like that, the saleswoman knew her stuff!)

My Day Of Jewelry-Swarovski-Smith Haven Mall-A+

The sales people were so helpful and helped me pick out the perfect necklace and earrings. My advice is to go with a picture of your dress. It made things a lot easier as far as what style would compliment the dress best.

RD Invitations-Hallmark Creations in East Islip-A+

I used to work here, but all of the people I work with have moved on. They did a great job. Every detail was gone over, they did a great job matching the color of the font to the invitation. I was very happy with them!

Build a Bear Workshop-RB & FG Gifts- A+

What do you get the kids that have everything?! I was at a loss for what to get my 6 and a half year old RB & FG when I remembered Build A Bear. I went online and found a bride and groom bear, and when you order from online you can personalize it. So we put 'Shannon, Our Flower Girl' and 'Kevin, Our Ring Bearer.' They were so adorable and the kids loved them.

Bagettes.com-BM and Best Woman Gifts-A+

I got make-up bags with photos of me with my bridesmaids. They came out ADORABLE. They're so personable and different. My only dissapointment was that I didn't get one for myself when I was ordering them! They came so quickly too!

CJB Designs-BM Day of Jewelry-A+

Cortney is a vendor on here. She does amazing work. The girls' necklaces were stunning. She communicated constantly with me, and was so sweet!

Things Remembered-GM Gifts-A

We got multi-tools for the guys. A couple of the personalized boxes came scratched a bit, but they shipped quickly and they looked great. The guys loved them!

Rehearsal Dinner-Irish Coffee Pub in East Islip-A+

The food was phenomenal and we had our own private room, which was great, because we were all together and the kids could run around without bothering anyone outside of our party. We were there a half hour early and they were ready for us. They did a fantastic job.

Onto the Big Day!

Hair-Maria from Concours D'Elegance-A+

Incredible, sweet woman who knows her stuff. She did such an amazing job at my trial, and my day of hair was even more beautiful. It never fell out of place the entire night. She also helped calm me down because I was a wreck that morning!

Make-Up-Jacqueline Nicole-A+

She did a phenomenal job on not only me, but my mother and one of my bridesmaids. So sweet, she knows what works, and she was so open to what I wanted. She also helped calm me down the morning of!

Flowers-LA Blossom-A+

I visited 7 florists before I came to Laurie. Either the florists I saw were out of my price range or the low price I was paying, I wasn't thrilled with the quality. One thing I decided I wanted was candles. A very popular florist on this site told me that I could not afford candles with my budget. Laurie not only came up with beautiful candle/flower centerpieces, but was also below my price range. My bo-k was amazing, I had lavender roses and stephanotis with pearls and it lasted the whole night. Everyone raved about the centerpieces and the flowers. She did a fantastic job.

Limo-D'Anna's Limo-A+

Vince is a friend of the family, so we knew who we were going with for limos. They did a fantastic job and were great. Our limo driver, Mike, was fabulous because we had four kids under the age of 10 in the car who were hopped up on soda and yelling and having a good time, and he just laughed. They were great.

DJ-Steven Charles Entertainment-A+

Steve was so accommodating. He listened to our suggestions and made some great ones at the same time. He was really open to what type of music we wanted. Everyone raved about the music and we danced so much! I wish I had danced more to the slow songs I requested, but I was busy socializing with everyone, so I missed a few of the songs that I had requested. He also did a phenomenal job on our video photo montage and had a lot of my family in tears (especially the after the photo of me and my grandfather together, since he passed about 7 years ago). It was beautiful.

Photography-Jo-Art Photography in Sayville-A+

Gil's daughter is in my Gymboree class, so he was the only one we planned on hiring for our photos, and we were not dissapointed. Our pictures are absolutely stunning. I told him that the only photo I really wanted that day was of my DH seeing me for the first time walk down the aisle, and he already knew. When I saw my FG and RB dancing together and turned to find him to snap a picture, he had already gotten it. We had our portraits done at Bayard Cutting Arboretum and they came out amazing. He even includes thank you cards with our picture in the photo packages, so that's one less thing you have to worry about. I was so pleased with the work Jo-Art did.

Portraits-Bayard Cutting Arboretum, East Islip-A+

Easy to get the permit ($50), the grounds are stunning, and the weather held out for us, so I was thrilled.

Cake-Audrey's Bakery in West Sayville-A+

They are contracted by VYC, so they did our cake and it was delicious. We had two layers of canolli cream and two layers of chocolate mousse with whipped cream icing, and it was incredible.

Church-St. Patrick in Bay Shore-A+

FH and I are not very religious, but we felt it was really important for tradition and for our families for us to get married in a church. I made all my sacraments at St. Pat's and it's a beautiful church. Father Gregory Y was so great. We were very happy with our Pre-Cana weekend and had fun, and the fact that our FOCCUS test got us talking about things we hadn't discussed before. Our ceremony was beautiful.


And last, but certainly not least.....

Venetian Yacht Club-Babylon-A+++++++++++++

When Ed and I went to go look at catering halls, VYC was still undergoing renovations. Sight unseen, we booked them, and we were not dissapointed. Our BM was Bill, our Maitre'D was Leon and my Bridal Attendant was Lorraine, and they did a phenomenal job. The staff was on top of everything.The food was out of this world. They were so accommodating to us, and we are still getting compliments about it. They attended to our every need, and when we were mingling during our cocktail hour and I said the only thing I wanted to eat was the eggplant rollatini, I got that and then some. They made us a huge plate and ushered us into the bridal suite and left me and DH alone for 5 minutes, which was such a fantastic thing. We got to talk for a bit and eat and just breathe, and enjoy being husband and wife. VYC brides, you will NOT be dissapointed. I would reccommend this place in a heartbeat. They made my wedding spectacular.

Here are some non pro pics. Thanks for reading! Congrats to all the brides, and I hope your wedding day is as beautiful and happy as mine was!
-Michelle

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Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Great review!! You looked so beautiful!!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

congrats, you look beautiful. Thank you for sharing your review.

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

You look soo beautiful! Congratulations!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Great review! You were a beautiful bride!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Great review..and you look beautiful.

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Great Review~!
Congrats!!!!!!!!!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Thanks for the review congrats

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

So glad to hear a great VYC review...you looked beautiful I can't wait to see pro=pics!!!!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Congrats!!! great review!! you looked gorgeous!!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

congrats.. looks beautiful

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

great review you look great

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Congrats. You look gorgeous.

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

congratulations! thanks for the review!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Congrats and great review!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

I loved VYC too. It looks like you guys had a great time.

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Thanks for your Review!

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL, THANKS FOR SHARING.......

Re: My Beautiful June 1, 2007 Wedding!-VYC, Jo-Art, Steven Charles Ent., LA Blossom, Concourse D'Elegance, Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics & More!

Beautiful.... I love the VYC!!!!!