My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

Ok, I'm going to try this review and hopefully all goes well! I hope this will help all future LI Wedding Brides!!!

LIW (A ++) - Such a great invention! Thanks LB for getting me into it. Thank you to all the brides on here, especially 08 Brides for all your support and advice. I wouldn't have done half the things I did or even know about them if it wasn't for you!!

Weather (A++++) - We couldn't have asked for a better day. The week leading up to the wedding showed possible rain, but someone was watching us (My Dad!) and the day was absolutely beautiful, day and night!!

Reception Hall - The Harbor Club (A+++) - The Harbor Club was WONDEFUL!! The whole process leading up to the wedding was so easy. Matt answered all my questions and emails quickly and thoroughly, that I never had to ask again. The place was so reasonably priced for everything they gave us. The day of the wedding they went above and beyond anything I could have asked for. Our Maitre'D Donna was great. She helped pin my dress when it kept falling. She told us step by step what would happen that night. Alexx our bridal attendant was there everytime we turned around, with food, with drinks, etc. We never even finished our drinks and there was another waiting. The bridal suite was always packed with food and drinks and she helped us whenever it was needed. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better reception hall to have had my wedding. I heard from guests that the waiters and bartenders were great too. They are still raving about the place and the food especially over 2 weeks later! Oh we even got to take home a bunch of left overs from each station of the cocktail hour and dessert tables! Thank you Harbor Club!

Flowers - Flower Barn (A++) - Our flowers were beautiful!! I love our bo-k's and the CPs were exactly what I wanted. Mike was so reasonable and easy to deal with from day one. He was the only florist I went to and I was happy from the start. Not to mention they are in my home town and I've used them for flowers before. So I knew what quality I was getting. I would recommend them to anyone! He even delivered our flowers not only to the groom at his house in Seaford, but to the Hilton Hotel in Huntington where I was getting ready with my girls.

Photo/Video - Sherwood Triart (A+) - We used them for photo and video. Dana and his assistant and Benny the photojournalist were great! They got almost every shot I wanted. Of course I realized days later that there probably were a few others I would have liked to have gotten, but I can't even tell you how many pictures Dana and Benny took throughout the day, so I'm sure I'll have more than enough to choose from!! I gave them a list and they followed 95% of them. Benny was even jumping on and off brick walls to get the fun shots, that I can't wait to see! The videographer was very nice too. Though I did hear about him making a few comments about my friend who is breastfeeding at the moment, need I say more!

DJ - Dance Jock (A+) - They did a great job with the music. Granted, I gave them a play list and I think they played almost every song I asked for, so I would like to think I helped out! LOL...They kept the party going all night. Everyone was dancing. I had girls telling me they've never danced so much at a wedding. With all that said, I do have a few things to say, but it wouldn't stop me from recommending them to anyone, just make sure you stay on top of these things and make sure they are known by your MC. We went to meet with our MC 2 weeks before. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to our meeting, so we met with another MC and went over everything. I thought I was pretty clear on things. I was upset that I didn't officially meet our MC until we were lining up for the introductions into the reception. And although he played all the music I asked for, a few of the songs that I really wanted to hear he either didn't play at ALL or he played them right in the beginning, that DH and I never heard them and were bummed. I'm talking about Bon Jovi, one of our favorite groups and I didn't even hear the 1 song they played by them, which I was waiting for all night! They also only played 2-3 slow songs and I wouldn't have minded 1 or 2 more, just to be able to dance with DH b/c he isn't big on fast dances. The last thing was that I wanted to do the Hora, which is usually done first thing at a wedding. At around 11pm or so, the MC asked if I still wanted to do it. Of course I replied yes and asked why we didn't do it earlier and he told me I had too many other songs I asked for. I was a bit annoyed at that, b/c the Hora is an important dance and I also thought I relayed to the other MC I met with that my list was only a guideline and I didn't expect everything to be played. With that said, make sure you meet with YOUR MC and if you don't, call him to make sure everything you want will be done! Like I said, they still did an excellent job, other than a few things that only DH and I knew about. Oh and the ceremony musicians (from what I could hear and remember) did a great job. And I had a blast playing the bongos with the percussionist!!

Officiant - Judge William Corbett (A) - He was very nice and easy to deal with throughout the whole process. He gave us a whole packet of poems and sayings to choose from. I chose most of them, but the ceremomy wasn't longer than 20 minutes, which is what DH and I wanted. People were saying how beautiful his ceremony was and I was happy about that. Unfortunately I only saw him for a few minutes before to sign the papers and quickly go over what was going to happen once we were out there. After the ceremony I never saw him again. DH said he asked for his money and he left. I know I was bombarded with guests, but I would have at least liked to say goodbye and more than just where is my money. Other than that, he did a great job and hey, he married us! So he's a good guy in my book.

Limos - Ultimate Class Limos (A+) - They were recommended by 2 friends and I couldn't have asked for anything better. They were on time, everything was clean. They even switched my limo to the bridal coach so I would have the fun horn as we were driving from place to place! We had 2 limos, which were great and a bus to take guests back and forth from the hotel and RH. The drivers were very nice and everything worked out well with them. They even picked DH and I up to bring us to the airport for the honeymoon and back.

Invitations - Costco.com (A+) - I ordered my invitations through costco.com, which is affiliated with einvite.com. Costco gives you a 25% discount and sometimes they run specials, like free shipping, etc. They had a great selection and I had no problem finding one I liked at a reasonable price. Although I was a bit leery about doing everything online, the process was easy and any questions I had were answered on the phone or through email and the invitiations came out exactly the way I wanted.

Cake - The Rolling Pin Bakery (A+) - I was a bit nervous, but at the same time had confidence because of Matt at the Harbor Club, because all of the work for the cake was done over the phone and through email. In the end, the cake was 99% what I wanted. Nothing is ever perfect, but I wanted a square, fall looking cake with a touch of fall colors here and there and that is exactly what I got. Plus, it tasted great too!!

Dress/Bridesmaids Dresses - Bridal Suite of Bayshore (A) - They were great to work with. I never really had a problem with them. They helped me pick the perfect dress for me, not even one I originally went in looking for. My dress and alterations were great, as were the BM. Actually 2 didn't even need alterations. My sister however, did need to go back twice, but it wasn't that big of a deal and they fixed the problem. So everything worked out!

Shoes - Sandy's Shoes (A) - My mom, me and BMs got our shoes here. I've used them before and have never had a problem. They are very nice and have a nice selection.

MOB Dress - Totally You (A) - My mom loved her dress. They did a good job with alterations and everyone we worked with was nice and helpful.

Picture Site - Vanderbilt Mansion, Centerport (A) - Because the weather was great, it made the site even more beautiful. We were there for over 2 hours and got some great shots of DH and I. I can't wait to see the pictures!

Bra's - Georgette's (A+) - My mom, sister and me all got our day of bras there. I even exchanged colors of my long line bra and was missing a few garter straps and they didn't even give me a problem. I bought other bras there also. I would go back again!

Air Fresheners - Makesperfectscents.com (A) - I thought giving air fresheners to guests was a great idea and surprise for them. The woman was so easy to work with and they were reasonably priced. She helped me pick the perfect scent too, citrus! Everyone loved them!!

Garters - Sewuniquegarters.com (A) - I really wanted a NY Rangers garter for myself and not too many places sell them, surprisingly. They were one of the few and reasonably priced. So I bought a Rangers for me and a NY Mets for DH. It was a last minute thing and they came quickly.

Tuxedos - Town & Country (A) - It was honestly the only place we went, but they are local, we've used them before and they gave us a good deal. They were even great when 2 days before the wedding I wanted to change the vest color of the GM. I spent over an hour with them looking at other colors, waiting for my mom to bring the BM dress and in the end stayed with the same color. Plus my cousin lost a cufflink and they didn't give him a problem.

BM Gifts - Kohls, QVC, Peach Couture (A) - I got the girls jewelry from Kohls and an initial jewelry box from QVC. I made a last minute decision and bought pashmina's from peach couture. Everything was beautiful and came quickly. The girls loved them

GM Gifts - Things Remembered (A) - DH had the toughest time coming up with something for the GM. In the end he decided on pocket watches, which were a hit with the guys. Things Remembered was great too, because 2 days after we placed the order I received a 20% off coupon in the mail, they returned everything and let me rebuy it with the discount.

Favors - Truffle Trolley (A), donation to St. Judes - I placed the order for chocolates about 6 months before. About a month before I contacted them to make sure the order was still in order and I even emailed them a few more times to add more favors to the order. I thought they would kill me, but they were very accomodating. The truffles were great and so nicely packaged already! I also made a donation in my father's name to St. Judes. They gave us very nice bookmarks to give to all the guests.

Hilton Hotel (B+) - No one had a problem checking in, everything was clean. Unfortunately a few guests did not receive the OOT bags and then didn't know about the bus or the brunch the next day, even though I had told them about it anway. They were the most reasonably priced and were the only hotel willing to keep the bar open for our guests when we got back after the wedding. The brunch the following day was excellent as well. The only other problem I had was that I felt it took our contact person too long to get back to me sometimes. I know she has other work and clients to deal with, but closer towards the wedding when I was unsure about a few things or adding on guests that didn't call before the deadline, she took over a week to get back to me and that was information I needed to know. Otherwise she was very nice and easy to deal with.

Oriental Trading (A) - I bought personalized water bottle labels from them, which were easy to use. I also bought wedding mints to put on the tables. My mom bought a 'just married' car decorating kit and several other items that she used at my shower. Their prices are great and they have some cute things to use for showers and weddings.

Hair - Giovanna's (A) - this is my usual salon, so i have nothing bad to say about them. They made me, my mom and all my girls look beautiful!

Make Up - Zorida (Khoulouds Beauty) (A++) - Zorida was great! She did a great job on all of us. Our makeup stayed on all night and looked like it did when she first put it on. I'm still getting comments on pictures of how great my eyes looked!

Rings - Dennis Mole (A+) - Dennis was recommended by a friend and even though he's not always the easiest to catch on the phone, he's great to work with. He helped design my e-ring and made both of our wedding bands. His prices are comparable, but his quality is the BEST! Even when I brought my ring to be appraised the guy was shocked at what quality my ring was for the price!

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Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding

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Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

GREAT REVIEW! You looked beautiful and I LOVE your CP's! Congratulations

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

Congratulations! Thanks for posting your review. Love the pics, esp. the one of you with the drums!

Wishing you lots of happiness

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

i am so glad i got to share your day with you! you looked amazing and your vendors (from what i could see) were all terrific - although there was that videographer

congrats again!

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

everything looked great! Congrats!

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

you like so nice congrats

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

u look so pretty , great review thanks
!

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

congrats!!!!

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

Great review you looked gorgeous

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

Congrats MA!!!

I love the mini-pumpkins in the centerpieces!! You look like you are having tons of fun playing the drums!

We are going to look at the HC next Friday.

See you Monday

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

great review! everything looked great!

Re: My Fall October 12, 2008 Wedding @ the Harbor Club- Huge Review!

I don't think i ever saw your review.

Great job! Everything looked fantastic.