My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review UPDATED w/proofs

Our wedding day was absolutely wonderful and so dreamy, as I married the man of my dreams that I met in 7th grade in Junior High School. I love him more and more each day, and to finally get married and “Seal the Deal” was absolutely amazing. It flew by so fast though and everything felt kind of anticlimax. I am slowly falling into the pace of married life and it is NOW that everything is sinking in…it’s such a wonderful feeling! Its true what they say that all the planning is so stressful and long, but on that day, when it all falls into place, it is sooooo worth it. There are a few things that I might have done differently had I known what I know now, but the most important thing is that I have married my soul mate, the love of my life, and THAT I would not change for anything in the world.

I began writing my review way before our wedding day because I wanted it to be as detailed as possible and to the point. Thank God I did, because it would be so hard to get motivated and write about everything from the beginning

Sooooo here we go…


I added some non-professional pictures to give you an idea, but will substitute them with my professional proofs as soon as I get them!

Weather – B+: Hurricane Ernesto really twisted my perfect wedding weather because I was so sure that my wedding day was going to be warm, humid-free and sunny. Even though it wasn’t exactly what I anticipated it to be, in the end, it all worked out perfectly – it did not rain (thank the Lord) and it was cloudy and breezy, which I also thank God for because it was so refreshing taking pictures outside in the big dress. I honestly don’t know how some girls did it in the hot and sunny weather…I would have been perspiring the entire time.

LIW- A: I came across LIW in September 04 when I was researching halls. At that time Mike and I had just decided to get married and weren’t even engaged yet. I lurked for some time, kind of “got to know” the posters and decided to join in on the fun in March of 05. Well, its been quite a ride… This site has been tremendously helpful in researching and finding the right vendors, getting advice and in keeping me organized and on the right time track. Through the “Get-Togethers”, I have met some truly wonderful ladies and have made some great friends. As we all know, nobody else but WE are interested in the wedding planning, and I couldn’t have done it without my 06 girls.

Thank you Ron and Liz for creating such an amazing website filled with resources vital for planning a wedding. I know it gets hectic sometimes with all the catty drama, but believe me - you guys are truly appreciated and respected, and have created a safe haven for us brides-to-be. Once again – thank you.

Westbury Manor – A: Westbury Manor was absolutely amazing to us and our guests the day of our wedding and leading up to the big day. The décor, the service, the food and just the overall warmth of the place (which clearly lacks the “catering-hall” feel) is what attracted us to Westbury Manor in the first place. The day of our wedding, when we arrived, we were escorted to the photo studio where the photographers set up their cameras. WM had a ton of food and drinks ready for our entire bridal party and took care of us like royalty. As our families were arriving a bit early, they were directed to join us in the photo studio, which I thought was very nice. Even though WM holds more than 1 wedding at a time and there were 2 other weddings going on that day besides ours, I did not see any of the brides even once… I just saw a few of their guests downstairs when we were leaving. The cocktail hour was opened for our guests ½ hour earlier and as everyone left the studio to the cocktail hour, our Bridal Attendant Laura sat us down and served us the cocktail hour food and drinks like King and Queen. We ate good and truly relaxed and recharged at that time. Everything was so delicious and beautiful. After we ate, we went downstairs and mingled with our guests.











There were a couple of things that bothered us that day though. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know if I didn’t stress enough the fact that I wanted to take pictures in the gardens, but the only pictures that we took in the garden were of just Mike and I. I really don’t know if this was WM’s fault or DUET’s, and at this point there is nothing that I can do about it. My advice to the future WM brides is that if you want to take pictures outside, make sure you stress this fact to both WM and your photographer. Mike had a few little issues with our Maitre’D (Rammy), but in the end, after speaking with our guests and confirming a few things, we realized that overall he did a good job and was on top of things. Laura was a doll and attended to us diligently the entire night. Another thing was that I specifically requested from WM was a round cake and ended up with a square one. The requested round cake was confirmed when we picked out our menu AND with the BM a couple of days before the wedding when we dropped off our final payment and our things at the hall…I STILL ended up with a square cake…no biggie BUT something to pay attention to in the future.

Out of all the reception halls that I have ever attended, besides Russo’s (my favorite), I would greatly recommend Westbury Manor to all the future brides. We cannot wait to attend our Anniversary Dinner there next year.

Florist – Metro Floral – A+: Metro Floral in Astoria is my mom’s neighborhood florist from which my family buys flower arrangements for all occasions. I always loved their arrangements and they are always very inexpensive. Since they are located in my mom’s neighborhood and across the street from our church, I decided to use them for our wedding. I met with Jose (the owner) a few times and explained to him exactly what I wanted. I chose to purchase my own low and long candelabras from Crate & Barrell and had Jose create a design for me. The first centerpiece sample came out ridiculous and I made it known that I was clearly not happy with it. I met with Jose a couple of more times after that and we went over the flowers and the kind of arrangements that I wanted one last time a couple of days before the wedding. He yessed me to death that everything was going to come out the way I wanted it, but after seeing the sample I was quite skeptical about how my flowers were going to come out. The day of our wedding, when Metro delivered our bo-ks and bouts to my mom’s house, I was completely speechless…the flowers were GORGEOUS and EXACTLY what I wanted them to me. At that point I was assured that the centerpieces were going to be beautiful and exactly what I wanted them to be, and they were…I was so happy when I saw them at Westbury Manor…everything, from the dais to the corsages was beautiful, colorful, fresh and gorgeous. They made a mistake with the GMs bouts, but Christine got on the phone with them and they were at my house ½ hour later correcting the design.









Photo/Video – DUET - A+: After seeing some of the ladies’ wedding and engagement pictures, and after visiting Duet’s studio, we decided to book with Duet. This was one vendor that I was absolutely head-over-heels for…until we took our engagement pictures. Out of 50 proofs, there was only 1 picture that I really loved. The other 5 I simply liked. I was very disappointed with our proofs and I was praying that my wedding pictures would come out different…and they came out AMAZING! I love all of my 700 proofs! There are a few shots that were missed but overall I was extremely happy and satisfied with my proofs. They took some amazing shots and I am ultimately very happy that I went with them.

The day of the wedding, Woo and Hong arrived at my house as scheduled and got to work right away. Joseph was in our apartment with Mike and the boys. What can I say that wasn’t said about Duet before. They were ALL over the place taking shots everywhere and of everything. Mike had a little complaint about the fact that there was a little language barrier and that the guys had a hard time understanding them at certain times. I personally did not feel this way, and overall after the formal portraits were taken, they went to work on the pictures and were very unobtrusive and catching every moment.

***HERE IS THE REST OF SOME OF OUR WEDDING PROOFS ***



Limos – Royalty – A: We booked the Cadillac Escalade 20 passenger limo for us and the bridal party and I am so happy that we went with our bridal party instead of going in another limo by ourselves, because we had such a blast on our ride to the WM. We booked with Manny, who was nothing but helpful, honest and gave us a great deal. The day of, our driver was Mike who was such a sweetheart and a hottie...OMG! When he dropped the guys off at the church he made sure that Mike was calm, offered him water and just really made sure that everyone was ok. Then he came to pick us up and was so nice. He waited for us to finish taking pictures and was so courteous escorting us in and out of the limo. At the end of the night, Royalty’s very own Manny came to pick us up and was so nice, dropped some people off for us and got us home so quickly. The cars were clean, and the bars were stocked. Royalty really lives up to the reputation that it has earned. I would definitely use them in the future and highly recommend them to future brides.




DJ – High Voltage Sounds – A+: What can I say that wasn’t said about Vin before. Reasonably priced, fun, personable and a great DJ. He played a variety of music the entire night and played most of the songs from my 3 page “Must Play” list LOL. He also managed to get some Polish music for me, which I kind of asked him for at the last minute…especially our “Sto Lat” song which is a toast song that we sing at birthdays, weddings and all other special occasions. He kept us dancing on the dance floor the entire night…I think I sat down three times throughout the night and that was for speeches, dinner and then bc they shut off the music LOL. If you’re on budget and are looking for a great DJ, High Voltage Sounds is the way to go.

Make-up - Make-up by Oksana – Oksana – A+: Oksana nailed it right on the head the first time I had a trial with her. She is a talented professional and very personable. She knows exactly what colors to choose with one’s complexion and applies make-up to enhance your best features. She made me look and feel like a princess, and did a fantastic job on my mom, my grandmother, my sister and one of my BMs. I will definitely use Oksana for professional make-up in the future. I felt very comfortable with her and she just makes me look fabulous every time she does my make-up LOL…(sorry for this conceited statement…I’ll let Oksana confirm it) LOL.




Hair – Hair Genie – Jen – A+: I met with Jen for a half-up half-down hair trial which I loved and booked her on the spot. Throughout my wedding process, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted my hair up or down, but ultimately decided on a chignon the day of. I knew that Jen was going to nail it right on the head, and she did. She gave me such a beautiful hair style. I love her for it!!!! She also did a blow-out style for my mom and my grandmother. At first they weren’t too happy with it because I guess they are just not used to having their hair made up differently, but they looked beautiful, and after receiving tons of compliments they finally admitted that they liked it…and the styles kept up for the entire night. Jen also did my sister’s updo which she loved – I didn’t like it too much, but she did so that was it.


Dress – Bridal Boutique, Greenpoint, Brooklyn – A: My dress shopping process wasn’t as exciting as it was for other girls. I was a little heavier at the time and not many dresses flattered my figure. I knew exactly what I wanted (lace, simple and elegant) and to my surprise, places like R.K. Bridal and Macy’s did not have what I was looking for. They carried a lot of dresses with a lot of beading and bling on it, which just isn’t my taste. I also wasn’t very thrilled with the service at both places. In my opinion, the sales ladies are just in for the sale and are not very good in advising which style REALLY looks good on you. But that was just MY experience. Bridal Boutique was recommended to me by another LIW bride and a friend, Aga, who also got her dress there. When my mom and I first visited the boutique, we were amazed how this little place had so many amazing dresses. Mrs. Janina (the owner) has a collection of approximately 50 hand-picked European-style dresses which I loved. I tried on a few dresses and although still unsure, I came back a week later with my mom and found THE DRESS (which I later noticed in one of my try-on pictures) was hanging behind me while I was trying on another dress - LOL)! They also did the alterations on my dress which came out beautiful! I loved my bustle and overall I absolutely loved and felt so comfortable in my dress the entire night…I didn’t want to take it off! I am definitely preserving it and hoping to open the box and try the dress on again on our 10 year anniversary.




BM Dresses – David’s Bridal – A: I knew what kind of dresses I wanted my BM’s to wear before I even picked out my hall (LOL) so this was a no brainer…I had the style and the color picked out, I got all of my girls together, they all tried them on and ordered them together. The dresses arrived 3 weeks later (yes, 3 weeks later), I picked them all up from David's Bridal, and at their convenience they all picked them up from my house. We also decided to make them a little shorter, and so all the ladies got the alterations done on their own.


Mom, Grandmother, and Flower Girl Dresses – R.K. Bridal – A+: Dresses were ordered through their “No-Frills Program” and they arrived a few days later. The sales attendant (Aisha) was so nice and helpful, and she made the shopping experience very pleasant for all of us. My grandmother was especially happy because she had such a hard time finding a nice dress and at R.K. Bridal she did so within minutes. Alterations were performed at the Bridal Boutique in Brooklyn. One negative thing about R.K. Bridal is that their dresses are a bit overpriced.





Shoes - MyGlassSlipper.com – A: I found the perfect pair to match my dress on this website. Before I purchased them, I went to their NYC store to try them on. They did not have them in stock and so I tried on a similar pair and it fit perfectly. However, when I tried them on when they arrived, I freaked out because the front straps were hurting me. After walking in them for a while, I finally broke them in and they were super comfy. I was happy because I did want to go on another escapade to find the perfect shoes. I wore the shoes for most of the night and they were super comfy.


Veil and Headpiece– Veilshop.com – A+: Once ordered, my veil arrived promptly and neatly packaged. Their quality is truly amazing. The material is soft and durable. My veil was cathedral length (inspired by Mrs_Qiana) and it was just so beautiful. I procrastinated in ordering my headpiece until the week of our wedding. Everyone thought I was crazy for ordering it online that Monday, but I had finally decided on wearing one and found a perfect one…I had faith in veilshop.com…the headpiece did in fact arrive the day before the wedding and it was beautiful and perfect! I loved the way everything came together on our wedding day.


Accessories – EvesAddiction.com – A: I found a perfect pair of pearl/cubic z chandelier earrings on that site, and although I procrastinated in ordering them (at one point they were out of stock and I thought they will never re-stock them) I at last ordered them and I loved them! They looked so delicate and amazing the day of. My bracelet (4-strand pearl bracelet with a cubic z design clasp) I purchased in a jewelry store in my office building. The store is owned by two sisters who every January-March travel to Mexico and buy the most beautiful silver and other types of jewelry. I purchased the bracelet that Wednesday as I was leaving work…I sometimes believe that those last minute shopping escapades are a true bargain. After I picked out my dress (in February) I was looking around for this bracelet to match my dress and I couldn’t find it anywhere…yet here it was…downstairs from me waiting to be purchased two days before the wedding



Save the Date Magnets – MagnetStreet.com – A : I found the perfect STD magnet on their site and they were very accommodating in customizing the colors and the layout. After making a few changes, I was e-mailed a few drafts, and the overall process took approximately two weeks. The magnets came with cute silver lined envelopes, and I made my own cover cards with our monogram and matching colors. It was a hit, since not many people have received STD magnets before. I highly recommend MagnetStreet.com as they were easy and quick to work with.


Invitations, Table Numbers, Favor Tags, etc. etc. - Pippy’s Sweets A+++ : After deciding to go with a little less traditional pocketfold invitations, and a long hunt to find inexpensive ones, I came across Pippy’s Sweets (who was recommended to me by Anita (Vita930). I contacted Diana who sent me a sample, and to be honest with you I wasn’t thrilled at first. I decided to look around some more, and then I received Anita’s wedding invitation which I loved! I contacted Diana right away and we decided to work on my invites. She was very quick and responsive to all of my concerns and e-mails. I told her exactly what I wanted and she was very accommodating in getting the right paper, colors and ribbon. She e-mailed me drafts every time we made a change and she was just awesome to work with. My invitations came out amazing, and everyone raved about them how beautiful they were. I also paid about a third of what I would have paid a regular vendor. She also addressed all of my envelopes, and made up really cute monogrammed seals. She was amazing to work with. She made my table numbers and the tags for my shower quickly as she already knew my style. I loved working with Diana and I highly recommend her to all future brides that are on tight budget.




Monogrammed Cake Topper – WeddingCuts.com – A: I ordered plain silver acrylic inexpensive letters, since it would be extremely expensive ($20 extra per letter) to have them decorated with crystals. I bought the crystals separately and decorated them myself. To be honest, I wish I have paid the $20 per letter and have them decorate it bc it was such a pain and time consuming process. I spent appx $50 on the crystals…even MORE than as if I just had them do it. The monogram letters arrived promptly, safely packaged and were stunning even without the crystals. You can customize the monograms with different styles of font and styles, and they were not expensive at all.

Picture Frame Card Box – Ebay (kix25_gkb) – B: One thing I did not want to do in the DIY arena was to make the card box myself. I always loved the idea of picture frame card box but it just looked like too much of a hassle to make one myself. So, I decided to look for one, and found the PERFECT one on Ebay. It was a little too plain but I figured I can always decorate it myself. So I ordered it (total was appx $80 – not cheap) and it arrived promptly and neatly packaged. It required a simple assembly and it was neatly made. The only thing I had to do was paint with white glossy paint because the vendor only painted it once (and very sloppily) and you could see the dark wood underneath the white paint. I bought little favor flowers from Michael’s and decorated the top of the box with it…it looked beautiful! BUT for that kind of money I suggest that you make one yourself. Im sure it’s a time consuming process, but if you start early you’ll be fine .


Sign-in Board – Pottery Barn – A+: I ordered my sign-in board from Pottery Barn. I shop there regularly, and I came across the sign-in board which was framed in a beautiful antique silver frame. I wanted something nice since it would be hanging over our bed. I received it neatly packaged and although it was HUGE, I still love it. Now that it is all signed by ALL of our guests (we made sure that it was signed by everyone) I just cant wait to put our wedding picture in it as it looks amazing all signed. We received a lot of compliments as to what a great idea this was.


Favors – American Cancer Society Donation and Scrolls – A+: My Mother-In-Law passed away from cancer in March of 2002. After a long and thoughtful deliberation with DH, we decided on a donation to the American Cancer Society in lieu of the traditional favors. We thought that this would be a very special way to honor her and contribute to the continuous research for cure for cancer. I contacted ACS and asked them about the scrolls and to my surprise they already had a “Wedding Scroll” program where you purchase each scroll for $3.00 and which is a form of a donation. The scrolls come on either white or ivory stock paper with raised print and either gold or silver toned rings which wrap around the scrolls.

In addition to the scrolls, we also purchased Lindt truffles and assorted them in pretty boxes wrapped with our gold color scheme ribbon, for each guest to enjoy after they entered the room from the cocktail hour.




DOC - Christine Viola from Excquisite Affairs Productions - A+++++: Well what can I say…she is just an absolutely amazing person. From the beginning when I joined LIW, Chris and I and a whole bunch of other girls have become very close. We all shared a lot of the same opinions and just in general had a lot in common. She was heaven-sent to me right before the wedding when she decided to go into her own business. I was kind of tired of all the wedding planning and did not feel like doing anything wedding related. She made my votive candle place cards and my Church programs. She also purchased the Lindt chocolate truffles and the boxes and ribbon from beau-coup.com and assembled it all for me. She was a tremendous help to me and it would have been so much more for me to worry about without her there for me. All I had to do was to tell her once about what I wanted and it was a done deal. The day of, Christine arrived early and was just hanging out with us as we were all getting all done up. She is very personable and fit right in with my family and friends. She steamed my veil, sewed on my button as it fell off when I was getting ready, contacted the florist when the bouts arrived and were not right, headed right to the church and helped the guys with the bouts, directed everyone in the church, distributed programs, held the doors, applied my lipstick constantly, and I can go on and on and on…in one word – she was an extremely helpful and wonderful person and everyone LOVED her! Mike’s brother said that if he ever gets married that Christine will DEFINITELY be his DOC. To me, on my wedding day, Christine was my ANGEL. She was also Mike’s ANGEL because he saw what a peace of mind I had knowing that Chris was there…everywhere…and that all that needs to be taken care of WILL and WAS taken care of. Christine is worth soooo much more than what she charges for her services, because you know what- on your wedding day she is priceless…a true coordinator and assistant. I love you Chris and wish you nothing but the best of the best in your business. You will truly prosper and be an extremely successful person in this business…well actually you already ARE!




So that’s about it for now. I will post a further review of DUET once I receive my video.

If you have any questions, please FM me!

Now on to the marital bliss!!!!!!!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Great review! You looked beautiful. Glad your day went so well.

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

beautiful!!!! loved your gown & the flowers!

Your hair was seo elegant!!!! and the shoes where HOT!!!!!!!!!

thank you for sharing.

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

awesome, honest, and detailed review.

I was honored to attend and wish you and Mike nothing but the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just have to say, I thought it was odd that your DOC was eating dinner at our table..













(P.S. Christine was also an INVITED guest, no shenanigans like some other DOCS

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Great review. You looked beautiful. I love you BoK

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

everything looked so beautiful.

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Thanks for the review! Everything looks like it was perfect and you look so happy!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Thanks for sharing!!! You looked beautiful and I am so happy that you loved WM.. makes me so glad I booked them.. CONGRATS!!!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

AMAZING review! You are so detailed and thorough! I'm so happy to hear how well your vendors met your expectations, and more often than not, exceeded them.

I can't wait to see the proofs!!!!!

I love you Sylvia (and Mike) and once again, thank you for having allowed me to share in your day in such an intimate way!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

You looked amazing! I loved reading your review. even more I cant wait to buy the cardbox from you! I think it is perfect! talk to you soon!
Stephanie

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

great review Sylwia and I am so glad that I could help a little bit in your planning!!! again, you looked amazing and I cant wait to see your pictures from Duet

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Great review! You looked beautiful!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Great review sweets! You had such a wonderful day, everything was beautiful!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Oooooo stunning! I love the colors you used, you looked flawless in your gown, and everything looked beautiful!

Thanks for the review! Best wishes!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Great review! Thanks so much for posting. You looked beautiful!! Congrats!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Beautiful review!! Congrats!!!

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Everything is so beautiful! You made a stunning bride!!!! Thank you so much for shairing!!!!:: :

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

wonderful review

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Congratulations! Everything looked amazing.

Re: My September 1, 2006 Wedding Review

Great review, Thanks!

Congratulations!