My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

Hi girls! I just got back from my honeymoon in Mexico and wanted to share my vendor reviews with everyone. I don't have any pics on the computer yet but I will post them as I receive them.

Hotel - Huntington Hilton: C
I am so disappointed with this hotel 1) provided gift bags to be distributed to OOT guests when they checked in and we learned the next day that they were not.
2) I filled out forms for the hotel to charge my credit card for our room and my FIL & MIL room. These rooms were to be paid for in advance so that none of us would have to deal with it at check in or check out.... check in was fine but at check out, they asked my DH and FIl for credit cards and charged them each - they also charged my credit card . I have to fight this out with them today so I will give an update later.
3) My DH checked in a few hours before the wedding, he got dressed there and then the limo picked him and the GM up from the hotel and then we met up for photos. After the wedding we got to the hotel around 2am. By the time we got changed, had a few people to the room, and then finally got to bed it was 4am. We got into bed and noticed that the bed was WET ... we turned down the sheets and the middle of the bed was wet, it smelled of PUKE!!! GROSS! We called the front desk who proceded to tell us that there wasn't anything they could do about it They asked why we didnt mention it when we checked in at 3pm... UM - sorry, we didn't go to bed until now, how could we have know. After 20 min of arguing, they agreed to bring up a new matress because they refused to give us another room. They came, changed the matress, and remade the bed. They removed the matress and dumped it, along with all of the sheets, right outside of our suite - all of this remained at our door all night and was still there when we checked out after brunch the following day. I am absolutely disgusted and can't wait for the sales dept. to open this morning so I can have it out.

Invitations - funnybuggy.com : A-
My invitations came out beautiful. I loved everything and will most likely order from this company again however, there were times when their response would be extremely slow... this was a design process that went on for months, I think they just need to be a bit more quick with getting back to customers with revisions. Two of my friends used them for their invites also and had the same experience.

Gown / Headpiece/Veil - Klienfelds : A+
Kenneth Pool for Amsale
I LOVED my gown! Kleinfelds did an amazing job! I was nervous when I went for my first fitting because the dress was huge! I am short and petite but chunky at the same time (if that makes any sense ). They don't make petite dresses so the dress was humongous! The perportions were all off! There was so much detail on the bodice, I was afraid they wouldn't be able to do the job but they did it! It was gorgeous! I can't wait to have pics to post.
The headpiece was also gorgeous and the veil was perfect!

Makeup - Chante Cutter: A++
Chante is a doll! I found her through a friend and she is not a vendor on LIW. She freelances for Bobbi Brown at Barney's, Saks, Bloomingdales...etc. She is amazing. She took so much time in making me beautiful. She did a great job not only with me but also with my mother, MIL, SIL, and grandmother.

Hair - Michelle and M Salon in Forest Hills: A
Michelle did a great job! I loved my hair. It was exactly what I dreamed of. I wore my hair 1/2 up with the rest falling in loose waves.
The Salon also did a great job with the hair for all the BM's, my mom, MIL, and grandmother.

Tuxedos - Men's Warehouse (Forest Hills, Quees) : A big fat F!!!
1) When my DH and his father went to pick up the tuxes 2 days before the wedding, DH's tux was too big (pants too long and jacket sleeves too long), FIL's vest was the wrong size.
2) When I went to pick up my step father't tux, they couldnt find it and once they did it was all wrinkled (they were supposed to have pressed it because he had tried it on the day before and it fit fine)
3) MORNING OF THE WEDDING, DH notices that they didn't give him his shirt - luckily he was able to go there and get it but ***!
4) My FIL and MIL checked into the hotel before the wedding and were getting dressed at 4:30 because they had to be at the hall at 5:15... FIL sees that they did not give him PANTS!!!! This was 45 min before he was supposed to be at the hall for photos!!! We all freaked out but one of the aunts was able to go back to the store and get the pants and literally fly her way through long island traffic to get the Carlyle - unfortunately in all of this we were delayed with taking photos before the ceremony and ended up missing our cocktail hour because we had to take the photos then.

Mind you, everyone tried on their tuxes the day prior, all they had to do was press them because they were slightly wrinkled. When they unzipped the garment bags for us at the store who would have thought to check if a shirt or pants were missing, all the pieces were there the day before.

I don't know how the service is at other locations - I was surprised at what happened to us because several of my friends have used this location and everything went smoothly. I give MW a big fat F!

Limos - Allstar Limos: A -
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at the service. The limo was on time, extremely professional, and BRAND NEW! We were the first to get to use it The driver knew alternate routes to our destination because we hit traffic on the Northern State. He was great! They only thing is that he didn't know the back streets between the hotel and the hall, he could have saved us about 20-30 min of waiting for the parents if he knew the route, but I will forgive him that part.

Photo/Video - JoVon : A+++
I had a photographer and a photojournalist. Dave (the photographer) arrived at my house early!!! He wanted to get some behind the scenes photos and just did his thing. He snapped photos of my makeup being applied, then he went to my room and took tons of photos on my dress, shoes, room... etc. He was just amazing. After my house we went to the Planting Fields Arboretum where we were greated my Telmo (photojournalist) and Alex (video). DH and GM were stuck in traffic with their limo, they had to make a stop at the hall to pick up our flowers (long story...) and then meet us. So we waited patiently but they were very late so we were short on time with photos at the Arboretum. These gusy know what they are doing,... they directed all of us so well. I can't wait for the proofs.
I am guessing the video guy was good, he was there doing his thing but I didn't really notice him - which was exacyly what I wanted - I didn't want to know he was there.
I will give an update once I see something from them.

Ok.... more to come. I owe you florist, hall, and honeymoon. I'll post later today if I can.

ETA: Sorry took a little longer than I thought but here are some additional reviews of my vendors.

Florist/s (I have a bit of an interesting situation - 2 florists)

Jack and Rose: B

While I was absolutely positive that I would be giving them an F, I just can't. As far as the flowers go - the centerpieces came out just as we wanted, the chuppa was beautiful, they set up our centerpieces on stands for the ceremony and provided everything they were supposed to. The flowers were all fresh and beautiful and we took several centerpieces home, they lasted for days. My Bo-k was pretty and so were the bridesmaid's bo-ks of pink mini callas were perfect. The bouts were perfect too, as were the wristlets for the mothers and grandmothers. I can't complain about the final product.

Now, when it comes to customer service... I have to give them an F. They tell you that you can have any flower but they neglect to tell you that for the price you are paying you can only have a limited amount of those flowers. They refuse to answer questions about their contract (which btw is a bunch of BS verbage that is meant to confuse you) and they pushed me off for weeks as I called to discuss flowers for my house - finally 3 weeks before my wedding they tell me that they won't be decorating my house.

No worries though...

LA Blossom: A++

Laurie was there to save the day! I posted on the vendor help board and got a few responses but Laurie seemed to be the nicest and most straight forward. She agreed to meet me 1/2 way between where she is located in Huntington and where I live in Queens. We went over what I was looking for... the price was right, the person was right... and when I left that meeting I felt for the first time that at least some of the flowers for my wedding would be ok. She made a stunning heart shaped wreath for the door to my house, a huge arrangement for our fireplace, calla lily arrangements for either side of our stairs, a tule and flower garland for the staircase banister and also potted plants for the steps outside my house. She drove all the way from Huntington and was at my house at 8am on my wedding day... she set everything up so quickly and also made me an extra bo-k and bout for my Dh just in case the ones from J&R were not nice (she wanted to make sure that I have beautiful flowers no matter what). The bo-k she made was just breathtaking... she had asked what I ordered and made exactly what I wanted.

Laurie saved me! Thank you!

Oh how I wish I had pictures for you now. I have been begging everyone for pictures but so far none.

Carlyle on the Green: A+++

I don't know where to begin. Everything was amazing. When the bridal party arrived at the hall, we were greeted with fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, and other bite sized snacks (I don't remember exactly what... they made a plate for me and kept telling me to eat but I was anxious and a bit nervous because we were running a bit late and we had the situation with my FIL not having any pants). They took drink orders from all of us and made sure everyone was taken care of. My attendant was better than anything I could have imagined. The first thing she did was make me drink some water, ask me for my lip gloss (which she tucked in her pocket and reapplied for me AL NIGHT), she did not take her eye off of me all night. She was behind me making sure to lift my dress if I wanted to sit... making sure I was ok. If only I hadn't sealed that tip envelope the night before, I would have put double what they told me to put for her.
As I mentioned, we were running late due to several little snags... we were supposed to take family photos before the ceremony but due to time it was pushed until afterwards during the cocktail hour, which meant that we missed it... we were so upset that they offered to extend our cocktail hour for 15 minutes so that we could come out and enjoy a bit.
The ceremony room was gorgeous... the candles, the lighting, the flowers, the string trio... it was just magical (at least to me). We have been told that as the guests walked in, there were attendants handing out the programs that I made and the yarmulkes for the men.
After the ceremony, Alex and I were taken to the bridal suite for a few minutes. They had prepaired an entire tray of all the passed h'dourvs for us to try. They brought us our favorite drinks without us having to ask. They had champaign waiting for us too. When we finally made it out to the cocktail hour it was just about over... we saw how everything had been set up and it was beautiful.
The ballroom was set up like a dream. We got to take a peek before the ceremony. I saw all of tables set with my handmade favors (I owe everyone a picture of those), the menus I designed and printed myself... the tea lights on the tables... my cake decorated with fresh roses from J&R. It was all so amazing.
After the cocktail hour we were all announced into the reception. We were served like a king and queen. Everything was there for us. We didn't have to ask for a thing. If I just thought it, 1 second later it was there for me. The food was amazing... although I must admit that we ate the salad (with the warm goat cheese) and we made several attempts to eat our dinner because it was so good (the Mahi....MMMMMMMMMMM) but we fely guilty sitting down and not mingling with my guest. We were dancing and having a great time. They packed our dinners for us and served us dessert - and boy was that dessert good. The wedding cake was simple - I just picked fresh strawberries with whipped cream and yellow cake with white cream on the outside with green dots to match my green theme. It was simple but delicious.
All of our guests have been calling and raving over what an amazing time they had and how much food there was and how delicious everything was. They just did an incredible job. I wouldn't have had anything done differently (I just wish I had like 2 more hours during the reception to party with the ones I love - it goes too fast).

Fantasy Entertainment - DJ & String Trio: A++

We hired a string trio to play for our guests as they arrived as well as for the ceremony and cocktail hour. They sounded wonderful. So elegant. They were on time - all set up and ready to go when guests arrived.

Our DJ was great! We had a hard time figuring out what music to request because we had a predominantly Russian/Jewish crowd but also many Americans.... we wanted a little traditional Jewish and a few Russian songs as well as all the good old American stuff... some oldies, some disco, some current popular music. I was nervous with the first song because it was like pulling teeth to get people on the dance floor but then all of a sudden it happened and the dance floor was full all night. The Hora was amazing... I think every single person was at least standing around us if not dancing with us. They threw Alex up on the chair and then me (I was terrified but it was fun). It was amazing to look around from above the crowd and see all of the important people in your lives celebrating for you.
We had provided Jeff (DJ) with a few Russian CDs and asked him to listen and pick 3-4 that he thought would work best with the croud (even though he didnt understand the language) - he picked the right ones because they LOVED it. He did a great job and if anyone is looking... I highly recommend. He's super laid back, not in your face, no pressure with anything at all.

Finally... the honeymoon....

Riviera Maya, Mexico
Secrets Excellence Cancun: A

The resort was stunning... check out Secrets Excellence
I have a few pictures I will post in a few days, I need to upload them.
The service was impecable... we were greeted with champaign and fresh fruit in our room. Our bed was covered with rose petals and if you have ever been on a cruise... you know how they make animals out of towels and place them on your bed - well, they made birds and their heads came together to make a heart. It was just beatiful.
We had a swin up room which meant that we had a ground level room which opened up to the pool. The pool was like a lazy river... we would grap floating rafts and just float around all day.
The food was great. We were nervous because it was all inclusive, if we didn't like it were were sh*t out of luck but that was not the case. They have 7 restaurants to choose from... Japanese, French, 2 Italian, Steak, Seafood, and Mexican. The food at each one was good. We stayed for 10 days so we got to go to the Japanese and Italian twice. The waiters are so nice... everyone is nice. The service all around was so pleasant. Anywhere you turn there was a smiling face saying 'Hola'. The activities were fun. They had nightly entertainments (some better than others but its all the same after a few 'fuerte' drinks).
We took a day tour to Tullum to see the Mayan ruins and also to Xel-ha which is an eco-park... I can probably describe it as a mix between Action Park and Sea World - it has a natural river where you can float down in inner tubes, you can snorkel, and you can swim with dolfins. I think there was more to do there but we didn't have enough time to check it all out. We also went to Cosumel, the water there is absolutely stunning... the color is unlike anything I had ever seen before. We didn't like the shopping there too much - we felt it was very commercialized (Hard Rock Cafe and Outback Steakhouse are not the place we came to see in Mexico).

I promise to post some pictures of the honeymoon tomorrow... I am just too tired to upload them now.

So... thats aboout it. I don't think I missed a vendor. If I did, please let me know and I will be sure to post a review.

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

So far, sounds like a great day (except for the hotel, yikes, I'm using the Hilton too)
Can't wait to read the rest and see pics!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

Congrats! I had a lot of problems with the Hilton also!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

Congratulations!!!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

sounds great. can't wait for pics.

sorry about the hilton. that is where we are staying too

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

WE WANT PICS!! WE WANT PICS!!!!! in all seriousness, congrats!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

Can't wait to see pics!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

Show us pics!!!!!!!!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

we cant wait to see pics and hear the rest of the review!

Congrats!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green

Congratulations Galina!! You were a beautiful bride. I am so glad your day went well.

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

I just updated the review for anyone who was interested... I still have photos to come.

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

I can't wait to see pics!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

Happy to hear about the Carlyle and about your wonderful day!

Can't wait for pics!!!!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

Congrats Galina!!! Im so glad things worked out better for you that they did for me w/ J&R!!! Sounds like everything went so well! Cant wait to see pics!!!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

That sounds like such a wonderfully amazing day!! Congratulations to you and your new hubby. I can't wait to see pics!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH A FEW PICTURES

UGHHHH! No one is really sending any pictures. Thanks to Hollie (AKA Hmpena) I have these... Still trying to get some more.

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Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

Great review! I have been waiting to read a review on Secrets Excellence since we had a hard time choosing between Royal Hideaway and Secrets...glad to hear it was wonderful, definitely will be visiting one day.

You looked beautiful! Love your dress! Congratulations and bestest wishes!

ETA: I now realize why I love your dress so much...mine was a replica of an Amsale Blue Label and I find the style and detail irresistible...heehee...great choice - looked awesome on you!

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

Congrats!!! That was soooo sweet of Laurie from LA Blossom.

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

congrats!!!!!!!! that was a great review. i cant wait to see pictures from the wedding and the honeymoom. congrats again.

Re: My June 18th Wedding Review - Carlyle on the Green - UPDATED WITH MORE REVIEWS

Congrats you looked so pretty

More Pics keep um coming