My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!! UPDATED forgot some vendors and Now includes links to proofs UPDATE! Honeymoon Review of disney bottom of page 1... Pics page 2

My wedding review:

Ok Overall the day was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! - The only downside was that I had a horrific allergy attack friday night right after the rehearsal and my uncle had to drug me up with meds so I could function on the wedding day - but it didn't interfere with anything really - other than not being able to drink. A number of my guests were also having problems as well.

Overall I was EXTREMELY pleased with all of my vendors - minus a few customer service issues they performed perfectly on the actual wedding day - which is what is really important. I would be happy to elaborate in FM if anyone wants further info.

We are still getting thank you notes, emails, phone calls from all of our guests telling us and my parents that is was the nicest wedding they had ever been too- which was nice to hear. I hope my LIW's ladies all had a nice evening! I actually had a few requests to plan a few people's weddings in the future (and one offered to HIRE me!!!!!)

If I leave anything out please remind me to add it.

Anyway to my review:

Weather: After hearing about rain all week we really lucked out - it was in the 60's and perfectly clear skys and bright sun - I could not have asked for a better day!

Invites: A+ - Lion In the Sun - our invites were from Julie Holcomb - they were letterpress - they came out exactly as I wanted them and I could not have been happier.

We also used Lion in the Sun for our calligraphy on our envelopes as well as for our escort cards. ( I was hoping someone would have a photo of the escort card table but I haven't seen one yet) in fact I don't have any photos yet other than what has been already posted on the boards. I was VERY pleased with the job that they did.

Rehearsal dinner George Washington Manor - B - overall we were pleased with the dinner - but were less pleased with the banquet office and the service on the night of the party. We had about 37 people - 4 were last minute when we thought we were going to be under our minimum we asked them to throw in some plates of cookies (12$ I believe for 4 tables) per table since we were paying for two people to eat that weren't coming at $67 a head- they told us it was not their problem they could have rented the for 60 people and we would just have to suck up and deal. They did not want to discuss finals with us over the phone and were rude when we explained that we were NOT in the state and couldn't just pop in from Michigan to finalized details we had already discussed, but I would be happy to come in on the 12th to talk to them when I come into NY but I was informed that would be too late and they were forced to discuss it over the phone. DH calls me in a panic the weekend before the RD to tell me that they called and told him they needed seating handed in today or they would not do it. I called and was told the next day would be the latest they would accept it. So mom and I had to rush to do the place cards and the seating - when we arrived our BM was not there so we spoke to another wonderful and polite women (don't know her name) who informed me that all I actually had to do was hand in the number PER TABLE and the rest could have come anytime and had NO idea why I was told that.
The actual dinner - the food I heard was good - I unfortunately was unable to eat much -
I got DH a groom's cake from St Honore which was supposed to be displayed at the beginning of the party - I had to hunt down the MD without DH finding out since it was a surprise to have him bring it out - DH told the MD he wanted to do the toast AFTER dinner - but the servers came in immediately after to pour the champagne so he was told he had to do it sooner than he wanted to. Also our server didn't know what the entree's were and we had to correct him when he announced them to our table.

Favors for RD A+ Godiva in Roosevelt Field. - We got small boxes of godiva hearts for all of our guests - we decided to do these last minute and godiva was very good about putting them together only days before.

Hair and Makeup Bridal Touch by Elena - A+ - Ok I know there was some controversy for a while about Elena - But I had absolutely NO issue with her at all - she was nothing but INCREDIBLY sweet and did an amazing job on the wedding day. Elana does hair and makeup for commercials and independant films as well as her work for weddings. My BM's were so impressed with her work that they plan on recommending her for some of the independant films that they are involved in. She did all of our hair and makeup fast, and it stayed the whole day!
She spent the day worrying about whether I was happy and what she could do to make me look the best. I would use her again in an instant - Aliaspook and dawnie and a number of other girls on here have used her as well and were also happy.
We even changed my hairstyle on the day of the wedding and it came our perfect - she was willing to do it again if I didn't love it! She followed us around until at least when I walked down the asle and maybe longer but I know she was fixing my makeup as I was about to walk down the asle. Her prices were also VERY reasonable and MUCH cheaper than other people I looked at who would come to my house. I would recommend her.

Dress and Veil A - Priscilla of Boston - the dress I choose was not originally strapless - but I had them alter the dress from a high neck into a modified sweetheart strapless top. They showed me numerous dresses so that I could design the exact top I liked the best.
This dress was a difficult choice - I kept wavering between this dress and a few at Saks, I was hesitant about using a store I didn't know anything about - but I was glad in the end I went with them. I actually didn't need any alterations done on the dress other than the bustle.
I don't know whether my drunk BM's didn't know how to properly bustle the dress (3 strings tied to 3 other strings not rocket science) but for some reason it didn't hang completely right - then DH stepped twice on it ripping open the ties - and I had my mother and 5 other women in the ladies room trying to fix it - for some reason a section just kept hanging that was NOT like that at the store - so mom was convinced they girls didn't tie it right - but I loved the dress and it was fixed so I was happy - I wouldn't change the dress if I had to do it again - I absolutely loved it!!!!!!

Photography Mark Kauffman/Angelina Studios - A+ (more review when I get my proofs the grade is simply for their perfromance on the day of.
Leading up to the wedding I found Mark very easy and comforting to work with - he gave us a great engagement shoot - A+ for those photos- and the week of the wedding we met with him for 2 HOURS!!! Just talking about the plans for the day and what to expect he even shot a few more photos to get us to relax in front of the camera -
We had three photographers - Mark, Roy, and Jackie - I would choose them again in a flash - they were SOOOOOO pleasant and comforting on the wedding day and most of the time with the exception of a few words, or jokes we barely knew they were there!
Mark and Roy came to my house while Jackie went to the Garden City hotel to film the guys getting ready. Since I wasn't feeling well Mark talked to me and made me feel MUCH better.
Over the course of the day I would say they were extremely unobtrusive and an asset to our day!

ETD**** Now have our proofs! I absolutely LOVE all of my proofs - I got about 1350 of them!!! And there are so many amazing ones that I am not sure how I will ever pick an album. Mark, Roy and Jackie are the absolute best photographers!! I looked at quite a number of photographers and they were by far the best!

Ok I scanned in about 400 or so of my 1350 proofs. Let me know what you think!

First link:

Getting Ready Photos
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeguGzZu5aMJM

Ceremony and Church Photos:
Second Link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeguGzZu5aMJu


Third Link:

Formals (before and after the ceremony)
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeguGzZu5aMKA

Fourth Link:

Reception:
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeguGzZu5aMKi


Videography Wild Rose Video (A+ for day of final review and grade when I see the video) We had Marie and a second camera - Bill actually showed up for a short time too. They were wonderful interviewing me and the girls at the house - My MOH had a problem with her eye and needed medicine and they offered to help her get it. We did notice them at the house only because there were about 10 people at the house while we were getting ready (including the BM's) so it was rather chaotic - but once we left I don't think I noticed them all day! They were amazing to work with on the wedding day and like Mark they were an asset to have around - calming nerves, helping with minor things etc.

Tuxedos D - Victor Tabots - This was the ONLY vendor that I would NOT use again if I had a do over. Where should I start - OK we should have been concerned when my father told me they kept calling him Mr. G (my FIL's name) OVER and OVER and that they argued with him when he TOLD them that they mismeasured him. In fact it turns out they MISMEASURED ALL of the men in our wedding party. They pants and jackets were ALL either too big or two small. Then when they did the alterations one GM's pants legs were different lengths and they tried to tell him that it was fine until another salesman said hmm that doesn't look right.
Two gm's had holes in the jackets.

They messed up ALL the buttons and the cufflinks - they ordered black buttons instead of the mother of pearl and then tried to tell the guys that they were the correct buttons - when my father pointed out you don't wear black buttons with tails with white vests and white ties they finally agreed he was right but that they didn't have them and didn't know if they could order them in time. After apparentely some discussion they were told to come back late friday and then again SAT MORNING to get what they needed - so poor DH nearly had a heart attack.

Then after all that they shirts were so badly wrinkled that ALL the men had to iron their shirts before the wedding.

Overall all the men said it was the worst tux experience they had ever had.


Limos Ultimate Class (customer service C/ day of wedding A+++++) Although I was disappointed in some aspects of their customer service (not knowing I booked with them when they had my contract for 1-2 months) and another incident FM me for more info - I would use them again based on their day of service.
We had two drivers (I had Janice and not sure of the male drivers name) four our two limo's -one for the wedding party and a bridal coach for me. Janice was amazing - everything the girls on here have said was true. She was helping me out at the house even before I left, she was reminding everyone of things that we would need so that nothing go left behind - my parents and bridal party were also REALLY impressed with them. One of our gm who had been in mulitple weddings said he had never seen help and treatment like that before in any wedding he had been in!

Florist for Church Feldis Florist - Garden City - A - My church requires us to get our flowers from the altar guild (at least for the altar) I didn't have that much choice - they have small planters so you are somewhat limited by what you can put on the altar - but I was warned that many try to totally over decorate the church and it looks bad to have flowers in every niche etc and it takes away from the wedding itself - IMO the church is gorgeous alone and to overdecorate it would be a crime. So we kept it simple - we used palms outside the church steps, pew candles and just a few bows, and the flowers on the altar - I was pleased with how it looked subtle but nice.

Florist for personals and receptionPedestals- A - FM me if you want a full review - We started working with Vicki who apparently left but they didn't want to tell me that so they kept telling me she was on vacation. I ended up working with Joe. There was one confusion - I had called about rose petal cones and was told they do them all the time and was quoted a price - but when I called back two days later I found out that it was not true and that in fact it would cost a little more than double that and they would do it as a favor - I wasn't going to do it but in the long run I caved in from time restraints and went with it.

Flowers on the wedding day: They gave us an arrangement for my mothers entrance table and it was GORGEOUS! There was one minor issue that somehow in all the different contracts that went back and forth and things were changed somehow the MOH's bouquet was changed to all white when it should have been half white and half pink to match my bouquet. When I noticed this they showed me the contract but rushed out the door to fix the problem. I was very pleased that they were so concerned that everything was perfect that they were rushing to fix the problem. I take it thought that they didn't have the right color callas because later that night I noticed that the pink in her BQ was in fact dyed. But I was impressed that they went out of their way to make it perfect for me. Bouts and coursages and hand held bq's for the mothers came out perfect!!!!

Reception flowers: They totally outdid themselves. I LOVED my centerpieces. They were 40 Callas in a pilsner vase filled with limes and finished with bear grass and curling willow. I promise to post pics of all of this ASAP.

They gave our servers florist paper and at the end of the night they broke down the centerpieces and gave each women a beautiful calla bouquet to take home!

I would highly recommend pedestals and would not hesitate to use them again.

Band A++++++++++ Times Square Orchestra - THEY WERE THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT!!!! I can't say enough about this band. All of my guests are still asking about them - they had said they were the best band they had ever heard at a wedding! I was VERY IMPRESSED with them!!!! The Food and Beverage manager at the club asked for their card saying they found a great new band to recommend!!!!

They learned our first dance song PERFECTLY they sounded just like the cd!!!! (we used the wild rose video song) Many of our guests told us that they would never dance at weddings but couldn't stay off the dance floor! I just can't say enough of how amazing and hard working this group is - they were just perfect - on the day of and perfect to work with. I will recommend them over and over and over they were so great!!!!

I didn't give them much of a play list in order to let them do what they did best and it really worked out! They had people of all ages dancing all night long.

My only regret was that I was not out there dancing more than I did!

Wedding Favors Art Magnets - from the Metropolitan Museum. We picked out 5 magents that had a frame to them and wrapped them in gift envelopes from the met with white ribbon - I hope everything liked them - many of the guests said it was a cool and unique favor.

Escort Card Table We used photo cards from Lion in the Sun and instead of table numbers we choose a different work of art for each table and each guest got a postcard with that work of art - I loved how they came out I hope someone got a photo of it for me.

Cathedral of the Incarnation We had a bit of a rocky start- The normal wedding verger was unavailable and we were left with a Lovely women - but she had never done it before and the directions she was given were not good - so after a panicky rehearsal where we realized we didn't have a clue what would happen on the wedding day - you would never have known. The dean (the priest who married us) gave us directions so we were never at a loss it worked out beautifully. This was a church I have been a member of for about 18-20 years so I couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else. The ceremony was everything I imagined it would be.

Cherry Valley Club A++++++ - I could not be happier. Everything was just perfect! Again I barely ate because I wasn't feeling right but the little I had was absolutely amazing!!!! I heard people went to town on the seafood station (lobster tails and claws, clams, oysters, shrimp, sushi) Many guests commented that they were stuff by the time we had dinner.

I couldn't have been more pleased with the service and the food at the wedding it was everything I had dreamed it would be. In fact a few of our guests had been to weddings at the club before (some as many as 3 or 4) and said it was by far the best wedding there that they had been to!

Programs and menus After a lot of thought and work I ended up designing my programs and menus myself. I did have them printed at Staples on card stock think paper. I used staples because they were MUCH cheaper than Kinkos and they had better paper quality. I think they came out very nicely and would use them again in a heartbeat.

Jewelery My necklace and bracelet was from Saks - it was a St Johns, and a gift from my mother.

Bridesmaids Dresses Vera Wang -A- I can't say enough about them - they were great - the girls dresses came in in 4 months rather than 3 but we got them early so that was not an issue - they don't do alterations but the dresses were gorgeous and the BM's were very happy many plan on wearing them again to another formal event.

Shawls for the BM's Adriennes - C - they told me when I ordered that they would be ready in say 6 weeks and it took 4 months and MANY phone calls - I was under the impression that if I hadn't pushed I still wouldn't have them - it took a couple of calls and for both my mother and I (when I came to NY) to go in there before they were finally ready - They were a real headache.

Rings Tiffany for my ring - it is a channel setting half band - diamonds in platinum. I had a VERY hard time finding a ring - I looked all over Michigan and NY and didn't have much luck and the last place we looked was Tiffany's and DH insisted I get this ring as it just perfectly went with my E-ring - we bought it in the manhattan store and when I was trying it on for the last time the couple next to me told me I HAD to buy that ring as it was PERFECT for my e-setting... so that just convinced DH it was even more perfect.

DH's ring came from a store out here.

Wedding night Garden City Hotel - A+ - we had the Grand Suite for our wedding night - and when we went to our room - after the wedding they had delivered champagne and chocolate covered strawberries and other berries in a chocolate cup! We were very pleased with our room and I would recommend it.

We have 1/2 of our honeymoon done - I will post a review of that later - we went to WDW - and stayed in concierge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and had a blast - but DH is back in school and we will now have to wait to August to take our Celebrity cruise

Forgot to add:
Carizma - A - we used them to transport guests at the end of the night - from what I heard they were pleasant and reliable. They were recommended to us by the Garden city hotel and the wingate -

Wingate and Garden City Hotel - Room Blocks - B+ the garden city hotel was fine but the wingate had a few very minor problems - we paid for two nights of my OOT bridesmaids and they mixed them up and had us paying for other guests not in the bridal party and for 4 nights rather than 2 it was a mess but quickly fixed

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

CONGRATS!!!! your day sounds like it was amazing and that is awsome!!!!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

congratulations!
sounds like you had an amazing day!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Glad you had such a wonderful day. From the pictures the girls posted on here, everything looked beautiful. Can't wait to see more pictures.

Congratulations!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Congrats Christine. Sounds like everything was wonderful. When I saw everyone's pics everything looked beautiful too.

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Congratulations and thank you for such a detailed review! I can't wait to see your pictures!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

I am glad everything went so well, and love hearing good reviews about some of my vendors.

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Great review! Sorry you had a bad experience with your tuxes. We used them and had no issues -- I guess we lucked out!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Christine - CONGRATS!!! Its so great to hear that your day was perfect. I so wish i could have been there! Thank you for your detailed review

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Congrats.. sounds like you had a wonderful time!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

congrats!! Sounds like everything was great!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Congrats to the new Mrs.

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

congrats!!!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Yeah--I am so happy Elena came through for you as I know you were worried about her!

Hopefully, what happened with me was an isolated incident. She really does do an amazing job and her prices are reasonable!

Congrats!!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Congrats again Christine!!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

yay Congratulations!! from the pictures, I can tell that everything looked beautiful

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

congrats... glad to hear good things about Pedestals... I am using them too...

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

awesome!! CONGRATS!! Can't wait to hear and see all about Disney!!

Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

Chrsitne- you were one of the happiest and most RELAXED brides I have ever seen. A beautiful couple!

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Re: My wedding review 4-24-04!!!!!

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