My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

Sorry this is so late… First I was waiting for my proofs, and then I just got caught up with everything else…but better late than never!

Although I didn’t post too much, this site was a lifesaver for me- I got so many great ideas from you ladies, so I hope this review helps some of you too!

We did this wedding on quite a budget.. I think it came to about $15k. I’ll try to include some tips on how we did this, because it is possible! Overall, we got some great discounts through contacts, did things ourselves, and skipped what we didn’t think was necessary- like limos, my hair and makeup done professionally, etc.

*all pictures of wedding are taken by Michael at 12th Night

Rehearsal Dinner:

Garden Grill, www.thegardengrill.com Smithtown, NY A+
The Garden Grill was great. They have reasonable prices, beautiful atmosphere, and the food was great. Because they didn’t have anyone coming in after us, they let us stay as long as we wanted.

Baskin Robbins, Kings Park, NY D-
This was my one wedding disaster. I went to Baskin Robbins and asked if I could order a cake that looked like a baseball, in Mets colors, saying “To an Amazin’ Life”. The guy checked and took my order. Come the day of the RD, I went to pick it up, and they got the order completely wrong. It was an entire baseball scene with little plastic action figures, in neon colors, it looked like a cake for a 5-year-old’s birthday party. At first, they told me I should have made sure they wrote SHAPED like a baseball instead of just baseball on the order form, which I told them was not my fault or responsibility. Now this is a ½ hr before the start of the RD. Then they told me they can try to fix it, and it would only take 5 mins. Well they disappear and 20 minutes later come back with a cake that just has MORE tacky icing all over it. I was so upset. I ran out because I was late to my own RD, and didn’t have time to argue for my money back- which I didn’t get. I later wrote a letter and got two $2 coupons. Great.

NFL shop, www.nflshop.com A+
DH ordered each groomsman a personalized jersey of their favorite football team. They loved them!

Gunther Gifts, www.gunthergifts.com A+
For our ring bearer, DH ordered a personalized bat. It was excellent quality, and he loved it!

Jewelry for girls, Family friend A+
A family friend made my girls jewelry as a gift. They were beautiful!

Day of:

Weather B+
Well the weather was ok.. It sprinkled just a little during our cocktail hour, but really held off. It was cloudy but pictures came out great, and we had a wonderful day!

Twelfth Night Photography www.twelfthnightphoto.com A+++
We had Michael, and he did an amazing job. I was a little nervous before I got the proofs, because it takes a while to get back and I barely remembered Michael being there! But as people assured me, it’s because he’s a great photographer! I hardly noticed him and he got so many great shots. I only wish I’d had a list, because we missed some things just because I was caught up in other things. Extremely happy with 12th night!

Videography
This is a place where we cut corners. We had two friends film it…even though its not as good quality as a professional, we still have the moments to remember and that’s what mattered to us.

Hair, family friend B
My cousin recommended her friend, and the price was WAY below anyone I had seen so I gave it a shot. We had a number of trials that worried me, but on the day of she did pull it off.

Makeup, me and my sister A
I don’t know if I should rate myself, but we got together good products and practiced, and were very pleased with the result.

Dress, Mon Cheri Bridals www.moncheribridals.com A-, Alena’s Bridal Shop, Fairfield, CT B+
I loved my dress. The reason Mon Cheri got an A- is because I ordered hollow to hem, but it was only the right length in front… the sides and back were still long and needed to be hemmed. Alena was a very nice lady. My only complaint is that she charged my mom more than we initially discussed for alterations when she went to pick up the dress. In the end I was very happy with my dress!

Bonniebelle garters, www.ebay.com A+
I ordered an eagles garter from this seller, and was very happy with the result. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture with it!

Kristin’s Jewelers, South Shore Mall A+
This is where DH bought my engagement ring. The service was excellent, and we love the rings.

Bridal shoes, www.shoebuy.com A+
This site was great. Free shipping, free returns, and I think a discount on your first purchase. I was very happy with the shoes.


Tri-county Flea Market A-
This is one of those venders I would never have found without this site. I bought my veil and combs from them. The prices were great (and negotiable), and the quality was excellent. The only negative was service was slow when I was there.

My Jewelry A+
I borrowed my jewelry from my SIL, and was in love with it!

Tuxes, Roger’s Tuxedos, Smithtown A-
For the most part, the service here was excellent and the prices were reasonable. The only problem was one groomsman didn’t get shoes, and there was some confusion about a coupon that was listed.

Invitations, Demi Designs www.demidesigns.us A+, Carlson Craft B+
I ordered by invitations from Demi Designs, service and pricing was great. The only problem was that Carlson Craft sent the wrong wording on the invitations. But I loved them!

Bridesmaid Dresses, Bill Levkoff www.billlevkoff.com B-
We got these straight from Bill Levkoff because of a contact there. The dresses were great, but they sent us the wrong sizes, and they had just discontinued the style, so the girls had very expensive alterations that they had to get done.

Bayview Florist and Montage www.bayviewflorist.com A+
Marion helped us. She was fabulous and made the process so easy. She really worked with our budget, and I loved the flowers!

DIY, me, DH, friends and family A+
We made “We Do” letters, programs, rice packets, unity candle, and favors, but my proudest accomplishments were the centerpieces. We got fabric, which we wrapped around potted plants and tied a ribbon. They were beautiful, and cheap!

Favors, Family friend A+
As a gift, our friend made decorative cookies. They were beautiful and yummy!

Registry, Fortunoff A, Macy’s A and Pottery Barn B+ www.weddingchannel.com
No major problems with these, except a few mix ups with Pottery Barn.

Father Tom McCormick www.revmccormick.com A+
Fr. Tom was great. He was available prior to the ceremony, and that day he was excellent. Many people commented on what a personal and intimate ceremony it was.

Westbury Manor www.westburymanor.com A+++++
I know people tend to give multiple +’s in reviews, but it is certainly deserved. What they offer is amazing. The service, food and atmosphere are phenomenal. Susan was my banquet manager, Lorena my maitre d’, and Keyana my bridal assistant. They even made sure we had something to eat. There were 2 things that went wrong- the cake was vanilla instead of chocolate (not a big deal), and at one point random people in street clothes were taken into my room right and stood right next to me looking around (I thought that was a little tacky). Other than that, it was exquisite, and I can’t wait to go back for our anniversary.

Top Hat Entertainment www.tophatentertainment.com A+
Bob Loggia was our DJ. He was amazing. Not overpowering, great mix of music and responsiveness to what we wanted, and got everyone dancing even in a daytime wedding. Would highly recommend! Great prices too, and will work with a budget.

Inn at Fox Hollow www.theinnatfoxhollow.com A
A great indulgence for our wedding night. The room was beautiful and they had champagne, chocolates and rose petals for us, as well as a complimentary breakfast.

Wedclean gown preservation www.wedclean.net A+
Excellent service and prices. They send you a box, you mail your dress away and it comes back perfect!

Honeymoon:

Marriott Aruba Surf Club A++
For our wedding, our SIL and BIL gave us their timeshare. The view and everything was fantastic. We hope to go back soon… highly recommended!

I think that’s it…I hope this helped! Please FM me with any questions.
Emily

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Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

Great review! Thank you for sharing! Sounds like you had an amazing day!

Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

Sorry having trouble posting pics.. I think this will have to be it for now...

and thanks!

Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

gr8 review

Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

great review!

Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

Great review. Pl post some more pics!!!!!!!

Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

Thanks for your review love the dress!

Re: My very overdue 7/4/07 review: Westbury manor, 12th night, top hat entertainment, bayview florist, Aruba etc..

congrats emily!!!!!! great review, thx