My very long and late REVIEW of my November 18, 2006 wedding! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Our wedding was the most amazing day of my life. It still boggles my mind occasionally that it’s all over. From the day I joined this site I always found reviews very helpful and was always inspired by everyone’s details, so I swore to myself that I would write one after my big day to hopefully help future brides. I’m a little late but thought it still could be helpful! I was blessed to have great vendors, and this is my opportunity to give them some props. This is very long and detailed and chock full of photos…just to warn you! Also please note that majority of these photos are by Leli Photography, non-prof pics are noted. Thanks for reading!

My wonderful DH: Infinity/10
With the exception of my gown shopping/fittings and hair/makeup trial, my DH went to every single wedding related meeting, appointment, etc with me during our yearlong engagement. We did every DIY project as a team, and when I was totally going crazy and in major meltdown mode, I even had him calling stores to see if they carried longline bras. The man is clearly a saint! Planning our big day together made me fall more and more in love with my little “groomzilla” and I truly feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world.

LIW: 10/10
This site was so helpful along the way and I truly do not know how I would have done the planning without it. If it were not for this site, I would not have found the majority of my amazing vendors. DH thinks I’m crazy and can’t believe that four months after the wedding I’m still obsessed. But I’ve stuck around to help future brides – because past ones have been so helpful to me. Thanks to Ron, Liz, Kim, and the rest of the staff for this amazing resource and network of fabulous brides (and handful of grooms) to be!

Weather: 11/10
Getting married towards the end of November we knew we were taking a little bit of a risk. While snow was unlikely, I knew it being freezing cold and dreary was a definite possibility. But, I didn’t give it much thought until early November when I found a 12-day forecast online and checked it on an hourly basis and completely drove myself crazy. The morning of the wedding I woke up elated – the forecast called for mid-50 degree weather and sunny skies! Woohoo!!!! I feel so blessed to have had a perfect weather day – I truly believe those watching over me on the big day made it happen. In many of my photos, it’s tough not to think that it was a pretty summer day.

Look at this sky!


SAVE THE DATES
Vendor Used: Magnet Street
After deciding to have the wedding on LI (where I grew up), DH and I wanted to send out save-the-dates because it would mean we were having lots of OOT guests and wanted to give them ample time to plan their trips. We found magnets we liked at Magnet Street and ordered samples (free). The quality was great, the ordering process was relatively painless (you are able to customize color, etc), and the delivery time exceptional. Many of DH’s out of state relatives/friends (he’s from PA) had never seen a STD so they were a big hit.

We also included our OOT hotel information for those who wanted to plan ahead and book their rooms.

This is the picture of ours from their website – we customized font color and ring color to match our color scheme.



ACCESSORIES

Joan’s Jewelry Tri-county: 10/10
Purchase: Day of jewelry (earrings and bracelet)
While shopping at Tri County for my veil I stumbled across a booth – Joan’s Jewelry (this was the name on their business card, I don’t remember the booth having a name on it). If I remember correctly it is very close to Barron’s. I found the earrings there that I had fallen in love with online but didn’t want to spend the money on. I also found a bracelet there that I liked, but it was too small so they arranged to have one custom made at an incredible price. When we returned to pick up my bracelet my mom found earrings she liked, and they immediately knocked the price down for us. I highly recommend checking them out. I have to take a good close up pic of the bracelet.




Barron’s Tri County: 10/10
Purchase: Two-tiered ivory veil with thin satin trim and crystals
I had a small freak out regarding my veil. For some reason I had never given much thought to a veil…just knew that I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars at a bridal shop for one. I had a rude awakening about a month before the wedding when a bride on here getting married a couple of months after me was worried about getting her veil in time. Oops…it never occurred to me that they took a lot of time! Thankfully, all of the ladies here recommended I go to Barron’s in Tri-County flea market. They have beautiful veils – any type you can think of – for a fraction of the price of what I expected to spend. Yana Barron was great to work with and was totally right about which color I should purchase (I was leaning towards a different shade of ivory and she steered me in the right direction based on my swatch). I had a two tier (one used as blusher) with a very thin satin trim and a few rhinestones for sparkle. Loved it and wore it the whole day/night.





DyeableShoeStore.com: 9/10 Link
Purchase: Bride’s shoes
You’ll read below that I put off my first fitting til the last minute…one of the reasons being that I never had time to find shoes. A little over a week before it was supposed to happen I totally freaked out and ordered five pairs from this site, just to give myself some options. They have a big selection (even have a separate section for larger sizes – I wear an 11) and I was happy with their quick service. The pair I wound up with was super comfortable. The only negative was the fact that I ordered so many pairs and then wound up returning all but one, I had to pay a restocking fee (you don’t have to pay this unless you return multiple pairs). Totally worth it though because I saved lots of time by not having to shop around. They even called me directly to let me know one of the pairs I ordered was on backorder and did I want them to hold my order or select something else, which I appreciated because of my situation. Recommend! I got them dyed to match my ivory dress at Casa di Mario in Patchogue – they did a great job.

I added shoe clips to the shoes as well…which you can kind of see in this pic.




Patchogue Floral Fantasyland: Store closed so won't rate
Purchases: Tiara and Unity Candle
This store has unfortunately closed, but this is wear I bought my tiara. The woman who helped me spent two hours with me while I tried on every darn headpiece in the place. Have you noticed a trend that I don’t make decisions easily? I was happy with it and got a lot of compliments. I also got my unity candle there.





Elk Mills Embroidery: 10/10
Link
Purchase: “Something blue” label for gown, monogrammed bo-k wrap, handkerchief for parent/grandparent gifts
I had seen some other brides on LIW have monogrammed bo-k wraps and it was something I wanted to do as well. I found Kathy at Elk Mills on ebay, but contacted her through email and corresponded with her in that way through the whole transaction. She was such a sweetheart and I loved what she created for me. In addition to the bo-k wrap, I also got my “something blue” from her – a tag to sew into my dress. I also bought hankies for my mom, grandma, dad, and DH’s grandma. Beautiful work, reasonable prices, and I highly recommend Kathy! Please note, Kathy is currently working on her website so you will not see a selection of all of her products, but send her an email with what you are looking for and she will send you pics.




All Sports Weddings: 10/10
Link
Purchase: Garter
DH is a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan (see Groom’s Cake) so I went with a Philly garter as well. Waited until the last minute to order this, and had to pay a rush fee but was worth it!



Blum's of Patchogue: 10/10
631-475-0136
Purchase: Longline bra for bridal gown
You will notice a trend in my review…anything that had to do with myself (dress, shoes, etc.) for the wedding I put off because all of the decisions totally overwhelmed me. The bra was no different. The week of my first fitting I frantically ran around trying to find one that would work with my dress and eventually wound up at Blum’s the morning of my first fitting. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! I wish I had gone there first because they fitted me properly and had exactly what I needed. Some of the ladies in there are not the sweetest and the fitting process is not for the modest, but I totally recommend them for their selection and quick service. Will refrain from sharing pics of this particular item.

Bride's Village: 10/10
Link
Purchase: Aisle Runner
Even though my transportation company offered an aisle runner, crazy me needed it to be ivory so that it would match my dress and everything else that I was a psycho about making ivory and not white (pew bows, boys shirts, etc. – of all things to worry about). I found one I liked on this site and ordered it. A day or two after ordering I received an email letting me know that my aisle runner fell out of its packaging and was lost in transit! They were very apologetic and sent me a new one out immediately that arrived the next day. I was very happy with it (100 foot ivory floral lace design) and appreciated their good customer service.





Lillian Vernon Catologue: 9/10
Purchase: Wreaths for church doors
We wanted to add a little something to our church doors (but not pay a fortune for real flowers) so we found these wreaths for very cheap. They only get an 9 because they took a looooong time to arrive, so I recommend ordering early if possible.




DIY PROJECTS

DIY Projects: 10/10 for me, DH, my mom & her friends!
It was important to DH and I to add a lot of personal touches to our big day. I highly recommend all of the vendors we used to make them possible (mentioned throughout below).

Pocketfold Invites
Vendors used include:
Cards & Pockets: Pocketfolds
LCI Paper: Linen paper & envelopes
Paper & More: Bronze metallic paper
JKM Ribbon: Satin Ribbon
We did 6”x6” DIY pocketfold invitations. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it in the end. We got a lot of compliments and felt it really set the tone for the big day. I enjoyed it so much I’m considering going into business on the side. Crazy, I know. I could not do it without DH – he cut every single piece of paper with an exacto knife – he is more of a perfectionist than I am! It was really a fun project to work on together. If anyone has questions, please FM me.



(nonpro)



Menus
Vendors used include:
LCI Paper: Linen paper
Paper & More: Bronze metallic paper
We used the same linen and metallic papers as we did for our invites, as well as the same fonts. We used 8.5”x11” paper, designed in Word, and printed two to a page and cut them down to size. My mom and her wonderful friends attached the metallic paper to the back of each one, and folded the napkins how we wanted and tied them with a pink ribbon. We could not have done it without their help!!! Any other questions on how to make them, please let me know.

(nonpro)



Favors
Vendors used include:
Multiple Lenox Outlet Locations in NY, NJ, & PA
Paper Mart: 3x3 favor boxes
LCI Paper: Linen paper for placecards and notes in box
Paper & More: Bronze metallic paper
JKM Ribbon: Thick Satin ribbon
AC Moore: ornament ribbon, toulle, & potpourri
Patchogue Floral Fantasyland: wrapping paper
DH and I are both in love with Christmas, and knew we wanted to do a Christmas ornament…but one that wasn’t too “Christmasey.” After Christmas 2005 I happened to be in the Lenox outlet in Riverhead and saw silver ornaments that were also “friendship balls” that you could put a small gift in. At that point we were unsure how many we might need, but estimated 150. Once DH and I decided this is what we wanted to do we went to the outlet in the Woodbury Commons, and the woman there helped us locate the number we needed in multiple locations. She was extremely helpful and patient with us as we figured out which locations had what quantity, and allowed us to use our coupon for the entire order even though they were coming from different places. Some she had shipped to our home, and the others she arranged to have put on hold for us so we could pick them up.

They came individually boxed but DH and I did not like the packaging so we bought 3x3x3 kraft color boxes from Papermart, and pink tissue paper and ribbon. We also filled the ornaments with little sachets of potpourri that was made in part with all of the roses that DH and I have exchanged throughout our relationship for a personal touch. We then wrapped them, attached a ribbon to the outside and created labels that also served as placecards. People really liked them. Highly recommend shopping immediately after Christmas if you are looking for ornaments! When wrapping ornaments I also recommend pre cutting all of the wrapping paper to the appropriate size ahead of time. This saved a lot of headaches (except for DH who was in charge of cutting).


(nonpro)






Card Box
Vendors used include:
AC Moore for frames and foamboard
This was one of DH’s projects. We purchased 4 picture frames from AC Moore, along with some foam board and batting (that stuffing kind of stuff) and DH used L-brackets to nail them all together on a plywood base. We cut the foam board to size and covered it with fabric that matched the BM dresses, and stuffed. Kudos to DH!




OOT Boxes
Vendors used include:
Paper Mart: Gable boxes
LCI Paper: Linen paper
We had loads of OOT guests as mentioned already and wanted to have something for them upon their arrival at the hotel. We purchased 9x6x6 kraft color gable boxes from Papermart. Although their shipping can be a bit pricey, these were the best prices/quality I could find around. They also can only be purchased in large quantities (100 I think per case), which was okay for me, but recommend splitting an order with other LIW brides if you need less than that. Service was quick and reliable and boxes were exactly as described on the site. As mentioned before, I also highly recommend LCI Paper. On multiple occasions I placed an order online and it was sitting on my doorstep the next afternoon (with not selecting express shipping).

We filled them with two small bottles of water, muffin, rice krispie treat, granola bars, candy, New York deli chips, pretzels, “Lovesavers”, tins of pink M&Ms, personalized mini Hershey’s, and a CD of our favorite songs. Many of these items were purchased from Sam’s Club and Costco. I designed the labels in Word, cut them to size, and glued them on. The boxes were tied closed with a ribbon, purchased in rolls from AC Moore. The boxes were a huge hit and almost every OOT guest thanked us for them throughout the weekend.

(nonpro)




Notecards
Vendor used: Michael's
DH and I are both big saps. Something he talked about since the time we got engaged was wanting to write a personal note to each of our guests that they would find on the table. These were not our “thank you” notes, but more a message of letting our guests know the specific, personal reasons why it meant so much to have each of them there with us. For example, friends of my parents who I’ve known my whole life I wrote about memories I have of them growing up– sleeping in a tent in their backyard, a specific kind of soda they always serve, their famous luaus, etc. and how those memories have shaped my life and how important it was to me that they were there to share my special day. Almost every guest mentioned these notes to us and how special they thought they were. It was one of our special touches, and we are happy how it turned out. We bundled the notecards on each table – they looked like this:

(nonpro)


Bridal bo-k charm
Vendor used: Michael's
Inspired by other girls on the site (Goldi0218, itslaurie.) I wanted to incorporate some special people in my day that couldn’t be with me physically. I went to Michael’s and purchased crystals that I strung together and attached a photo of my materal grandfather, a small Waterford crystal cross that belonged to my grandmother, and a gold charm that my grandfather had given my maternal grandmother. Need to upload better pics but you get the idea.




DRESSES/TUXES

David's Bridal: 10/10
Link
Multiple locations
Purchase: Flower Girl Dresses (Style H1108, Color: Ivory)
My two flower girls live in different states so it made sense to go to David’s Bridal for their dresses since they each had one conveniently located to them. I went shopping with each girl individually and picked the dress accordingly. The service is definitely no frills as compared to a non-chain bridal salon, although both sales associates helping us in the two different locations were very helpful. Dresses were purchased in Rochester and PA, so I can’t review any of the local LI stores (although I did go shopping for my gown at the David’s in Westbury and my experience was horrific). Each girl’s mom ordered the dress and both were delivered in good condition and much quicker than the 6 weeks they said it would take.

The dress comes with a coordinating sash (white or ivory depending which you buy the dress in) but my MIL made sashes so they would match perfectly with the BM dresses (using extra fabric purchased from Bridal Suite). I think they came out great! David’s also sells various sashes in different colors for an additional charge. My girls, Claire and Markayla, were such precious princesses the day of!









Bridal Suite in Centereach: 10/10
Centereach, NY
631-585-6040
Purchase: Bridesmaid Gowns (Mackenzie Michaels, Style 88169, Color: NuRaz)
I was faced with the interesting challenge of my 8 bridesmaids living in 6 different cities in 3 states. I was able to coordinate most of them going to look at dresses at the Bridal Suite in Centereach (although not all at once) and each and every time we went we received tremendous service. Although initially we just went to get ideas there, the service was so outstanding and the selection so vast, I wanted to make the purchase there. After little debate (did I mention my girls were amazing!!!!!) we decided on a Mackenzie Michaels (a Long Island designer) gown in a raspberry color. The girls picked the color and several plan to cut the gown to make it a shorter dress. The quality of the gown was amazing, and the price even better ($129).

I must mention here that the shop’s owner, John, is great, and went above and beyond for me multiple times. First off, my sister (MOH) is extremely conservative and this whole process was her worst nightmare. John made her comfortable from the get-go and explained all the different things they could do to alter the dress to her liking. They wound up adding straps and making her a custom bolero jacket. In addition, after I had already placed the order for my girls, I decided to add an additional BM (originally had 7) but needed to know if I could get the dress in time. I called and spoke with John and he had Mackenzie Michaels cut an additional dress in three different sizes (didn’t know my BM’s size when I called), without me being responsible for them. They were also very accommodating when I needed additional fabric ordered to make the flower girl sashes. True customer service at its best!

Four of the 8 girls wound up getting their alterations done at Bridal Suite and the seamstresses were fabulous too. Everyone I know who gets engaged I send here!!!






Paradise Bridal: 10/10
Patchogue, NY
631-654-5020
Purchase: Mother of the Bride Gown (Mary's Bridal - Modern Maids Collection: Style S05M1537, Color: Dark Platinum)
My mom went to a bunch of stores across LI looking for a gown. She finally found one she liked at Paradise Bridal in Patchogue. The woman who helped her was very helpful and sensitive to my mother’s needs. After my mom made her decision (took her a long time too, lol) the ordered was placed and the gown arrived in a matter of weeks. She ordered it in the color called Dark Platinum. When the dress came in it looked a bit lighter than the swatch in the book (and even photographed blue in some shots), but was gorgeous nonetheless. Alterations went well and my mom looked beautiful!!!!






Lillette's: 11/10
Baldwin, NY
516-546-5660
Purchase: Bridal Gown (Casablanca Bridal: Style 1795, Color: Ivory & Champagne)
After several unsuccessful/miserable dress shopping trips, I came on here begging for recommendations of places to go. I kept hearing “Lillette’s” over and over again, so even though it was an over hour drive from my parent’s house…off I went with Mom. I should preface this by saying that as a plus-sized girl, shopping for my dress did not excite me in the slightest and I in fact put it off as long as possible. My consultant was Lidia. Let me tell you, this woman was so wonderful. She spent 3+ hours with me the first time I went. She showed me dozens of dresses and was so candid and realistic and was not trying to sell me a gown just to sell one. And trust me, I had to be her worst nightmare – millions of questions, not liking anything, etc. I left torn between dresses, with the intention to return that weekend to choose between the two.

When I returned that weekend and was waiting for Lidia, I started looking through the dresses again and found another gown on the rack, tried it on, and the other two were a distant memory. I ordered the gown that day in ivory, and then called to change my mind a few days later to ivory and champagne. Lidia took it all in stride which is amazing, because I was even annoying myself at that point.

My gown came in late August. Again, not looking forward to my alterations, I put it off as long as possible and did not have my first fitting until about 5 weeks before the wedding. Silly, silly me. Every bride’s worst nightmare happened: my gown didn’t fit! I ordered it a couple of sizes smaller than I should have because I knew I would lose some weight before the big day and was worried about them having to alter it down too much because of the intricate detailing around the waist (they told me it would be difficult if it was more than a couple of sizes). Well I guess I was a little, eh, ambitious because it wouldn’t zip all the way. Girls, please learn from my mistake! Don’t go through the stress I did! Paula kept me totally calm and said she was going to look to see if it could be let out a little bit and to come back the following week. Yikes. I didn’t even post about it on here because I was horrified, embarrassed, and really, really, really worried. The next week I returned to find out that Paula no longer worked there and that Leela was going to be taking care of me. I was so upset with this because Paula told me she would be with me every step of the way and make this work. But I had nothing to fear because Leela was even more fabulous. They let the dress out a tiny bit and it was still a very tight fit and very uncomfortable. Leela calmed me down once again and told me to start walking more and drinking lots and lots of water. I barely ate for a week and returned to find the dress fit. Thank the great lord. I loved the bustle Leela created and was appreciative that she sewed in my “something blue” tag with no questions asked. But most of all, the way they treated me was above and beyond wonderful. I was so stressed and freaking out…and they made it all better. In the end, the alterations cost a small fortune, but I would have paid a million bucks to fit into the darn thing. I gave Leela a fat tip and one of our wedding favors, and that certainly wasn’t enough. I wholeheartedly recommend Lillette’s, and thank them so much for making me feel beautiful on my big day – against all odds!









Men's Wearhouse: 9/10
Link
Multiple Locations
DH bought his tuxedo but we had 14 other guys involved in our wedding that needed to rent them. Similar to our BMs, our GM live across the eastern seaboard so we decided a place like Men’s Wearhouse with lots of locations was really the only solution for us since most of them would have to pick it up before traveling to LI. Let me tell you, after visiting the location in Patchogue with DH to find out the tuxes/styles they offered, I was horrified by the fact that I was going to have leave it in their hands to dress half my BP. They were rude, incompetent, and not even remotely helpful. Maybe we hit them on an off day, but I would not recommend that location with even an ounce of my being.

DH and I wound up going to the location in NJ nearest to us. They were much more helpful (although still not stellar), and we were able to create our group number and put all of the guys info into the computer so their names were already there when they went for their measurements. FYI - MW does not carry the tuxes in store and you have to select from a picture.

In the end, all the guys matched the morning of which was a plus in my book after visiting the Patchogue location and they looked great. They used locations in Philly, Scranton, DC, NYC, Rochester, CT, etc. and a few used Lake Grove (including DH for his vest/shirt rental). Most of the guys had no issues upon pickup although a couple needed adjustments, which were handled promptly. I only heard partial stories though at that point because I told DH I did not want to hear any drama about the tuxes because I was so convinced something was going to go wrong with having so many guys. It all worked out – I just recommend staying on top of MW and make sure all of your guys get measured on time. Also, MW often has a coupon on their website for $20 off each tux…take advantage!

As a side note, our guys wore the Kenneth Cole 3-button tux with ivory shirts and alligator shoes. DH wore an ivory shirt, vest, and ivory and Sean John champagne paisley tie (purchased at Macy’s). The boys wore charcoal vests and regular neckties that were gifts to them (purchased from Macy’s (BCBG) for our groomsmen and Marshalls (Donald Trump) for my “bride boys” – my male friends that were on my side of the BP) and our RB’s tie was made by my MIL. The dads wore black vests.











REHEARSAL DINNER

Harborside: 10/10
Patchogue, NY
631-654-9290
There was a lot of family drama surrounding the planning of our rehearsal dinner so I struggled grading it based on my emotions around it. Overall, the food was good and service was excellent, and I would recommend this place to other couples. We had a large private room that was perfect for our group (about 60 people) and they arranged it how MIL wanted with ample room for our BP gifts, cake table, etc. I had no involvement with the contract, finalizing details, etc. so I can’t share my experiences there.

I guess this is the appropriate place to say how awesome my BP was…especially my sister. She collected photos from the entire BP and make shirts for everyone as kind of an ice breaker – as this was the first time the entire group was together. All of my side had pink shirts with the reasons they were in the bridal party and the guys had black shirts with DH’s photo on it and their number order of how they were going to stand in the church to make it easy for them. LOL. It was a big laugh and really fun! My sister also made us a quilt and frame with different tiles that my girls secretly made at my bachelorette party. I was feeling a lot of anxiety at the RD and all these beautiful gestures made me calm down and bring me back to why we are there. Love those girls!

Audrey's Fine Baked Goods: 10/10
LIW Vendor
Link
Sayville, NY
631-244-7288
Purchase: Groom's cake
DH is a football fanatic (Go Eagles!) and a running joke throughout the planning process was that he “allowed” us to get married smack in the middle of football season. As a result, I wanted to get him a groom’s cake for the rehearsal dinner and did some research on LIW. I came across some brides who used Audrey’s in Sayville, and figured this made sense because our RD was being held in Patchogue and they looked like they did great work. I contacted Thomas via email, and he had the great idea of creating a 3-d Philadelphia Eagles football helmet. I was sold. We completed the whole transaction over email, which was super convenient for me because I live out of state. Audrey’s delivered the cake to the Harborside right on time, the cake was awesome, exactly what I wanted (red velvet with cream cheese filling) and a fun surprise for DH and all his football crazy friends. Highly recommend Audrey’s!

(nonpro)



ACCOMMODATIONS

Radisson Hotel: 7/10
Holtsville, NY
631-758-2900
Use: Hotel for OOT guests
Booking a hotel for our OOT guests was one of DH’s jobs. I wanted nothing to do with it. Since we were having so many people coming from out of town (a little over half of our guests) he did lots of research to find the best rate and location for our event. The cost was a huge factor because many of our guests were traveling from PA and upstate NY and we knew they wouldn’t be used to paying ridiculous LI prices. My bargaining DH got them to agree to a block rate of $99/night and it was a convenient location (especially to our church) so the deal was sealed.

My biggest issue with them was the fact that every time we asked them for a list of who reserved rooms so far, the list varied from the time before that we asked. They could not get it together for who booked and who did not….and didn’t have them appropriately noted in the computer if they were part of our block. As a result, we never knew the solid number of rooms we had booked at any given time. Therefore, we never really knew how many OOT boxes to make, etc. It was really annoying and having the type-a personality I have, I was ready to tear my hair out working off of “guesstimates.” Also, for some reason the night of our wedding, almost all of our guests had issues with their keys being deactivated…including DH and I. Not a huge deal, but an annoyance/inconvenience nonetheless. One other thing to note was that after our RD we had let our OOT guests know (and the Radisson staff) that DH and I would be returning to the hotel bar (Old City Grille) to meet them for drinks. They were supposed to have a DJ on that night and did not, and they had only one bartender which lead to some ridiculously slow service.

Overall, however, we were happy with the Radisson and would recommend them to other couples. They were responsive to phone calls and were relatively quick to get back to us. The price was right, the rooms were clean, spacious, and very nice, and we think they distributed all of our OOT boxes correctly. Our guests also really liked the sleep number beds. Our bridal suite was huge and very nice, and they delivered us strawberries and champagne for the wedding night, which I felt was a nice touch.

Hampton Inn: 10/10
Brookhaven, NY
631-732-7300
Use: Room for After-party
We had an afternoon wedding in order to maximize the time we had to spend with our many OOT guests. Part of the plan was to have an after-party, since our reception ended at 6pm. We wanted to have it at the Radisson since all our guests were staying there, but because they have a restaurant and bar on-site they would not allow us to bring our own food and alcohol in and their costs were CRAZY. Our solution was to have it at the Hampton Inn across the street, because it would still be convenient for our guests, and they allowed us to bring in all the food and drinks we wanted. My parents worked out the deal with them and handled the contract so I don’t know too many details except that it was pretty painless. We rented out one of their banquet rooms and brought in a hero, salads, chips and dips, desserts, and lots of beer and wine. It worked out great, and we were surprised and thrilled that about half of our guests (100 people) continued the celebration with us. It was so nice to be able to spend more time with our guests, and if you are able to do something like this, I totally recommend it!

HAIR & MAKEUP

Gorgeous Faces: 10/10
Link
Sarah & Bridget Rock & Jen for Hair
Jillian for Makeup
LIW Vendor
If you do a search on these ladies on LIW, you will find they have nothing but rave reviews. I couldn’t agree more. I booked them even before my trials because I was so confident in the work I had seen and they certainly didn’t let me down. Sarah, Bridget, and Jen arrived right on time at 5:45am (!) to get to work on myself, 7 of my BMs, and my mom. Some of the girls brought pictures with them and some did not…and everyone looked gorgeous in the end. I loved how different everyone looked and how their styles really reflected their different personalities. All the girls loved their hair, and my best friend immediately booked them for her wedding in July. So happy I get to see them again! For those who have asked, Sarah did my hair. Love her!

Jillian did my makeup, my mom’s, and three of my girls and everyone looked flawless and beautiful. She uses mineral makeup which I really liked for my skin, and it lasted well into the night. She is by far the sweetest vendor I came across throughout the planning process. She was so understanding when it was difficult to find a time for a trial because I live out of state, and was very patient with me. There is not another bunch of ladies I would have preferred to hang out with while getting ready to marry my best friend. They are truly talented and so easy to work with. I feel so fortunate to have found them on this site.








TRANSPORTATION

Classic Transportation: 10/10
Link
Bohemia, NY
631-567-5100
Use: Trolley for bridal party transportation
We had a huge bridal party (24 people including DH and I) and one of the few requests my DH had throughout the wedding planning process was that the whole bridal party travel together from the church to the Watermill. He has been in other BPs before and felt that was the most fun time, and one of the only times that everyone is together during the day. Even all of the huge SUV limos were too small for us, and we weren’t crazy about limobuses. As a result, a trolley was the perfect solution for us. Not only was it different and unique, it was more cost effective and working with Christine from Classic was a dream. We went to their Bohemia location, met Christine, looked at the trolley and were sold. Christine sent us the contract via mail, and all other correspondence was done via email and telephone – very convenient for us because we live out of state.

On the day of, our driver Alison arrived to pick up DH and his GM’s at the Radisson right on time (early in fact), dropped them off at the church, and then came to pick up my girls and I from my parent’s house. Seamless! I was worried about the timeline because our mass was so early (10:30am) but it was perfect. After the mass, we were deciding where to go for pictures (we had originally planned to do it all at Watermill but the day was sooooo gorgeous we wanted to take advantage) and Alison recommended going to Corey Beach in Blue Point. I have all of my beautiful beach pictures thanks to her! We also took advantage of the cooler of adult (and some child-friendly) beverages that Classic provided.

The other thing great about Classic is that they picked up DH and I after the reception, along with the whole BP, and brought us to the afterparty. We were a bit slow getting out of the Watermill and Alison was so sweet and understanding and totally went above and beyond for us. I highly recommend checking them out!






Dynasty Limo: 10/10
Link
LIW Vendor
631-587-8500
Use: Rolls Royce for bride
My DH did an amazing job selecting Dynasty. Throughout the planning process, DH was all about creating the wedding of my dreams and gave in on so many things he wasn’t crazy about spending money on (ie. trumpeters, second photographer, etc) that I lost count. Where he absolutely drew the line was spending several hundred dollars on an antique car to take me 5 miles to the church…which was something else I always dreamed about for my wedding. I thought of every way to try and convince him and was unsuccessful. I understood his point, knowing that even if we did get the car we would take the trolley to the Watermill after church (since this was so important to DH) so essentially DH would never even sit in it.

Fast forward to the morning of the wedding when a beautiful Rolls Royce pulls up along side the trolley in front of my parents house. I didn’t even notice it until my photographer pointed it out. DH pulled a fast one and completely organized the single last piece to creating my “dream” wedding. I was so touched, surprised, and excited. The fact that DH arranged it to be a surprise all on his own still completely overwhelms me. I am such a lucky girl. The car was in pristine condition inside and out.

The service from Dynasty was impeccable and our driver (whose name completely escapes me) kept me calm, along with my dad, while it seemed like an eternity before I entered the church. Not to mention they went completely above and beyond when my Maitre’d called them to tell them I left my purse in the Rolls and they returned it to the Watermill later that afternoon. I can’t recommend them highly enough.






CHURCH

St. Francis de Sales
Patchogue, NY
St. Francis is not my home parish, nor is it DH’s. We chose not to get married at my parent’s parish for a laundry list of reasons, and DH is from PA so we needed to find a church. St. Francis is the first church DH and I ever went to together as a couple and the place he proposed to me, so it held special meaning for us, and Father Kevin (pastor) welcomed us with open arms. It is a beautiful, old, and charming church and so welcoming. The planning process was pretty smooth, although they were challenging to get in touch with at times (although this seems pretty par for the course when it comes to churches). Father Kevin was very laid back and allowed us to do all the little things we wanted (rose petals, aisle runner, wreaths on the doors, etc) and most importantly, allowed my Uncle Bob (a deacon) to perform the wedding ceremony and sermon. This meant the world to me, as he baptized me as well, and it was dream that he would marry DH and I, as he had done for the long line of cousins before me. Father Kevin also was fine with us going to pre-cana in NJ, which was very helpful, and although they typically have weddings at 11am, they allowed us to have ours at 10:30am to allow more time for photos before our CH.

My only complaint was with their music director. She has a beautiful voice and was lovely when we met with her to make our musical selections. At that time she told us that for the night of the rehearsal she would unlock the church and that my uncle could lead the rehearsal since essentially he would be leading the show the next morning. Well when we arrived she completely took over and was a bit rude and not listening to my BP or me. My sister (my fabulous MOH) eventually raised her voice and got things in check. Her rudeness deflated me a bit the night before my wedding, but nothing was going to ruin my day.

The day of, everything was perfect and the mass was beautiful and very memorable. I’m so happy we were able to celebrate our wedding here.










CEREMONY MUSIC

King's Brass: 10/10
Link
516-485-4717
Something I always wanted at my wedding mass for as long as I can remember were trumpeters. I just always envisioned them welcoming my guests and playing during the ceremony. After taking a while to convince DH of my vision, we researched a couple of vendors and chose King’s Brass. They gave us a great deal for 2 trumpeters playing before, during, and after the mass and did virtually all the correspondence with Jill via email (she’s fabulous!). DH drew the line at them wearing medieval costumes, so they wore top hats and tails. The morning of I was so excited to see them and they added such a special element to our mass that many of our guests commented on after the fact. I will never forget walking down that aisle to the sound of them. One of my best and favorite wedding decisions, and a great, easy vendor to work with!







THE BIG VENDORS!!!!

Tommy's Tunes: 10/10
Link
LIW Vendor
Selden, NY
631-732-5886
We only looked at one other DJ besides Tommy’s Tunes. I had seen them in action several times before and was always happy with them and in the back of my mind I figured we would use them. We requested the same DJ and MC (Joe C. and Justin) that my friend used in January 2005 because they were great and all we remember doing is dancing the night away. We got a pretty basic package – DJ and MC for CH and reception music, no lights or anything since DH and I are not really into any of that. We also added the photomontage on the plasma screens, which they did a great job putting together for us – and it was a big hit. Working in advance before hand with Tommy and the rest of his staff was a breeze and they were very responsive to all of our special requests. They called us with questions regarding the anniversary dance and Polish money dance (a tradition in DH’s family) to ensure they got it right, and followed up with us again when we arrived at the Watermill the day of. The execution was flawless for our introduction, first dance songs, father/mother dances, etc. I feel they really took pride in doing exactly what we asked for. We didn’t want an aggressive MC who pressured people to dance, get involved, etc. and they respected that as well. We were very happy with their service and everyone seemed to have fun as you can tell from some of our dancing pictures!

Overall, I think Tommy’s Tunes is slightly pricier than other DJ companies out there (based on what I’ve read on here) but the quality, reliability, and professionalism is totally worth it!








Flower Michele: 9/10
Link
LIW Vendor
Mineola, NY
516-663-5100
I have a hard time not giving Flower Michele a perfect 10 because their work is truly magnificent...as we’ve seen time and time again on these boards. However, I guess because I was expecting the world, I was a little disappointed when a few things were slightly amiss. Overall, I was thrilled…don’t get me wrong, just felt I needed to share my full experience.

During my planning, I became frustrated a couple of times when our appointments with John were cancelled. As I’ve mentioned several times, DH and I live out of state so planning meetings strategically when we were home was critical to us getting stuff done. As a businesswoman, I understand things happen, but multiple times is frustrating. One time we arrived to meet with him and he wasn’t there, along with a couple of other meetings being rescheduled. John more than made up for it when we did meet with him, however, and even professionally addressed the issue when he sensed my frustration. I very much appreciated this, as well as the abundance of time he did spend with us when we met to fully understand what DH and I were looking for.

We booked FM on the spot because he got our vision. I did not want the standard centerpiece setup, but rather a variety of centerpieces throughout the room using the same types of flowers. He totally got it, and sat with us to develop what the four different cps would be. We decided on some high ones on a pedestal, some low in a square vase, some in cylinder vases of staggering heights, and some all candles on a bed of petals. We also discussed bo-ks at long length because our BM dress color was a bit different and I couldn’t make up my mind. John always steered us in the right direction – he is a flower genius.

The day of, my bo-k and my BM bo-ks were absolutely STUNNING. I was moved to tears when I saw how beautiful, fresh, and full they were. John was totally right about going lighter on the pinks since the girls’ dresses were so vibrant. They arrived earlier than scheduled the morning of, and they were all wrapped correctly in the fabric I provided, complete with the initial charm I gave him for each girl. My bo-k was breathtaking, and wrapped exactly as I asked with my monogram wrap and memorial charms (see DIY section of review).

Where the little disappointment came in was with my centerpieces and cake decoration. There was just a lot more greenery (ugly green leaves) and fewer flowers in them than we talked about or saw in our sample (see sample in album) and the colors (especially the hydrangea) were quite a bit off from what we saw in the sample as well. This was especially the case of our high centerpieces, which were also on the incorrect stand. In terms of the cake decoration, we stressed that we did not want to see the pillars of the cake at all because DH hated them and it was a compromise that we used them at all because I wanted them to be filled with flowers. Because the color was off on the hydrangea, the cake was also a lot lighter in color than I imagined it would be. Again, if you look at the pics you will see what I mean. This was a very small detail that only DH and I noticed, but it was still there, and in our photos. None of these discrepancies were noticed by anyone but me (and DH) and our guests were thrilled that they could take the flowers home because they were so gorgeous. My mother took several arrangements home with her while we went on our HM and said they lasted forever! I have dried many of them for memory sake, just because I can’t part with them.









Leli Photography & Video: Pending albums & Video
Link
LIW Vendor
Head of the Harbor, NY
631-862-1941
After the reception hall, photography was the most important thing to me about the wedding. All I kept thinking about was that the rings and the photos are all you have left to remember the day and because of this I drove myself mad trying to make a decision. We met with several photographers…none whom my DH liked. Not because he didn’t think their work was great, but because he didn’t like the people personally. I think this is my dad’s fault partially because as we were looking for photographers he kept talking about was how he doesn’t remember much of his own wedding except the fact that the photographer they had was really annoying and wouldn’t leave them alone. I think this was on DH’s mind and therefore didn’t like anyone. We felt very differently after meeting with Gary Leli. He was down-to-earth and personable from the get-go and we knew that he would be great to work with the day of….not to mention that his work was stunning. We wanted a mix of traditional (for our parents) and photojournalism, with an emphasis on the latter.

I’m reserving my final grade for Leli until my albums and video are complete and can see the final product, but I must say I am in love with my 1200 proofs. They are beautiful and feel they truly captured our day from start to finish. There is a lot of creativity in the shots and a huge variety to choose from. Speaking of choosing…I have no idea how we will decide what goes in our album! We had two photographers (something else that DH had to be talked into) and I was glad we choose to do so…I love how similar shots were caught at different angles and how they were able to capture all of our little personal details of the day. We got the traditional stuff we wanted, but lots and lots of the artistic stuff which is exactly what we wanted. We had Gary and David for photos and Sal for video. All three were fabulous, unobtrusive, and a pleasure to work with. My mom actually woke up in the middle of the night a month after the wedding worried that our video guy never showed up. Of course he was there – just not in your face and distracting to guests…something that was very important to DH and I.

There were a few bumps in the road in the planning but overall we have had a very good experience with Gary. He is sometimes a challenge to get in touch with because he is very busy, but does always eventually return calls and emails. We also had a different second photographer the day of the wedding than the one we were contracted for. This was not a big deal because we wound up loving David…I just would have appreciated a heads up ahead of time. Overall, I recommend Gary and his team – their work speaks for itself! Here are some of my favorites (in addition to the many others throughout my review!):






























Saving the best for last...

Watermill Caterers: 20/10
Link
LIW Vendor
Smithtown, NY
631-724-3242
I don’t even know where to begin with the Watermill. They far exceeded our expectations from start to finish and DH and I could not have made a better decision about where to have our reception. I’ll never forget visiting them for the first time, and DH whispering in my ear “we’ll never be able to afford this place” because it was that gorgeous and their menu was super extensive. From the beautiful CH hour room (Bostonian/Newporter), to our intimate/romantic reception room (Vanderbuilt Suite – downstairs), and the amazing gardens/picture spots, we were in love. Bruce was our BM and was great throughout the entire process. He negotiated with us on price, and met us in the middle when we were frank with him about wanting to choose Watermill, but in a pickle because our second choice was coming in quite a bit less costly. After booking, he was always super quick to respond and answer our million questions in the year we worked with him.

As you will see in the DIY section of my review, DH and I added a lot of little things to the reception. Bruce was very open to all of our ideas and took everything in stride and was meticulous in recording everything so it would be right for our day. When it came time to finalizing the menu, he assisted us in making the best decisions for our group, and even customized my mom’s salad because she casually mentioned in the meeting that our choice wasn’t her top one. LOL. We also did a bit of customizing to our menu since DH and I had some family favorites (ie chicken parmesan, corned beef, additional beer/alcohol choices, etc) that we wanted to have. Bruce even ordered our linens in advance so that we could pick them up and fold them a special way that accommodated our menus. Two words - unbelievable service.

The day of…things could not have been more perfect. Our maitre’d Adam and our bridal attendant Jolene greeted DH and I and our BP at the entrance of Watermill and I didn’t have another worry for the rest of the day. Adam was always nearby when we needed him and ensured that everything was to our liking. He ran around organizing our massive BP for pictures, brought us food from the CH when he realized I missed my special chicken parm request because I didn’t get to eat at CH, and double-checked with how we wanted intros done, kept things running smoothly, etc. Right before any of our guests were in the reception room, Adam brought us in to show us how everything was set up (perfectly I sh

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Great review! I LOVE all your DIY! You are such an inspiration for the lazy brides, like myself! Congratulations!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Congrats Katie! I'm so happy for you! Your review is tremendous! Well done!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

What a great review - I had a pink wedding too & absolutely loved your invitations & bo-k's. Congrats to you & DH

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Great review Katie, your pics are wonderful!!!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Congrats.......You looked so nice. I didn't want the pictures to stop. You had me looking for more. Can't wait to see the honeymoon pictures.

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Everything looks BEAUTIFUL!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of putting intial charms on the BMs bok's!! I may have to steal that one!


CONGRATS!!!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Great review. Your wedding was absolutely beautiful. I had a picture in my photo album that I saw along the way. I had no idea it was yours! Thanks again for the great review!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

loved your review and all your personal touches... you looked BEAUTIFUL in every single picture! and i cant compliment you enough on your invitations!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

i'm been waiting MONTHS for this review!

you are simply gorgeous and i love all your DIY, congrats to you and DH for many more years of happiness!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

One of my facorite reviews!!! Well done Katie

Everyhting was beautiful, love all the personal touches! Your pics are gorgeous!

Congrats!!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

You had a beautiful wedding! Congrats to you and your DH!

Your personal touches were amazing!!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

WOW amazing review! You look amazing Kathie!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Congrats!!! AMAZING review!
Your pics are amazing!!!!!!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Congrats!! Everything looked BEAUTIFUL!!!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

Yeah date twin! I've been waiting for your review! Beautiful!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

I can see all your hard work you put into your wedding and wow it paid off. YOur inviations were stunning!
Your dress was gorgeous. Lidia made me try that dress on she said its one of her favorites. YOu must have inspired her. You looked beautiful!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

wow BEAUTIFUL ~ Everything was so beautiful! congratulations on your wedding & you looked gorgeous! I grew up in St Frances De Sales ~ although FH & I are not marrying in that church! I am so happy for you & I loved all your beautiful touches in your wedding day!

Re: My very long and late REVIEW of my November 18, 2006 wedding! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

I'm amazed by the details of your wedding! You looked gorgeous Your invitations were beautiful Congrautlations

Re: My very long and late REVIEW of my November 18, 2006 wedding! Watermill, Leli, Flower Michele, Tommy's Tunes, Classic Transportation, Dynasty Limo, Lillette's and more!!! (Many pics!)

thank you for the great review! Your wedding looked beautiful!