My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

8/16/09
wedding review

VIDEO Highlights reel
http://vimeo.com/channels/59433

We really had the most wonderful day. I married my best friend and everything was perfect. I could not stop smililing that day and people are still raving about all espects of our wedding day/ weekend. I can not thank our vendors enough for pulling together and creating these memories that will last us and our guests a lifetime! It was truly a memorable experience we will never forget from the people to the services we had the best vendors!!

Also, thank you to this site and all of the girls that offered thier review, advice and opinions during my planning. Our wedding would not have been what it was without all of you!

(all the pictures are non-pro except the ones under my photographer review)

so here it goes...
Shower
Anthony’s Catering in Hopewell Jct., NY-??
I don’t want to rate the place because I didn’t deal with them directly but the food was good (Italian) and the girls working were nice enough. Simple and comfortable. My mom and sisters did an absolutely fabulous job putting it all together, the details, the gifts, the decorations, centerpieces everything was over the top amazing!




Rehearsal Dinner
Restaurant Blue, Blue Point, NY; A
We hadn’t really looked around for place but randomly drove around the area and stumbled upon this place, they had a shower going on the first time we went in. The place was nice and the price was reasonable. Food was good and the people were nice. I probably could have put a lot more planning and effort into the dinner but I was so worn out from the wedding planning I left it up to the staff.

FH trying to get away!



My Dress
Bella Sera Bridal, Danvers MA; B
We went to 6-7 places in a week to find the right dress and by the last day had found one I loved but wanted to sleep on it before I decided. That night I drew a picture of my dream dress and the next morning we decided to try this 1 last place just because. The shop was tiny but the warmth of the place was over powering. The owners and other employees were fabulous. I tried on 2 dresses with no luck and then mentioned my drawing (which I had with me of coarse!) She pulled out a dress I normally wouldn’t have chosen but after much pinning and pushing and pulling the dress had morphed into something I could love, I actually looked a lot like my drawing! I purchased the “dress” and hoped and prayed I would love it when it came in. I did love it, but I didn’t rate them an A because the day after I purchased the dress (a Casablanca gown) I got on e-mail about a Casablanca trunk show they were having with 10% off the dress, and a free veil. For 2 DAYS later. I know they didn’t HAVE to tell me about the deal I was missing but It would have been nice and that annoyed me. I did call right away and while they wouldn’t give me the 10% off she said I could get the free veil. When I went in months later to pick the veil, the woman was pretty nasty about it and was so annoyed with me she wouldn’t say anything and ordered the wrong length. I loved it anyways so everything worked out but the whole situation just bothered me.







The day i bought my dress!

Bridesmaid Dresses
Bella Sera; B+
They have a large selection of dresses and we got them at discount since I bought my dress there. 1 Sunday we all went in for a brunch party with bagels and mimosas and such and tried on and chose dresses it was unique and a lot of fun! The dresses did need a lot of alterations but I hear that’s common.



Tuxes
Classic Tuxedo; B+
Didn’t put much effort into the tuxes, went in one day and chose the styles we wanted and then left it up to the guys to get measured and such. They were nice enough to extend the pick-up and drop- off dates since we were getting married OOT. Some of the tuxes didn’t quite fit, including my dads whose was 3 or 4 sizes to big in the pants, luckily the jacket covered it and you couldn’t tell since it was too late then. DH tux was free so even better!



Engagement/ Wedding Bands
DeScenza Diamonds; A+
DH chose my e-ring there (he did gooood) so we went back for our bands. The sales people were super nice and we got 20% for buying all of our rings there. It was quick and easy choosing our rings. Since we purchased almost a year in advance we put the rings on layaway and made payments each month which was great. We paid them off right before the wedding. My only issue which wasn’t even an issue was when I went in to pick them up they told me I didn’t make the final payment. They had lost the paperwork for the ring but luckily I was super duper organized and I had my copy of the receipt in minutes.


Day of Jewlery
Little bit of everywhere;
I bought my pearl necklace and earrings while on vacation earlier in the year. I knew I wanted to wear pearls so when we got to St. Thomas (the BEST place to purchase any kind of jewelry) I found exactly what I wanted in a little shop in town. My diamond earrings were a gift on our first dating anniversary from DH and my bracelet I borrowed from a family friend. I added a blue swavorski crystal to the back of my necklace, simple, cheap and looked great.

Invitations
Boxes- Nashville Wraps (www.nashvillewraps.com); A+
Paper pieces- MyGatsby.com; A++
Outer Boxes- Uline.com; A+
I wanted to do something different with my invites and loooved the idea of the boxes but hated the price tag that came with them. So I decided to make my own, they were cheap, fantastic, unique and everyone loved them! I ordered some sample boxes from Nashville wraps, good quality but the inside was white, so I also ordered some tissue paper from there, I wasn’t to thrilled with the coloring of the tissue paper but my fault for not getting any samples before placing my order but for only a few dollars I got 250 sheets of paper, lets just say I wont need any tissue paper for a few years! I then ordered some paper samples from so many different online sites. I only cared about 2 things, I wanted raised ink and they needed to FIT in the boxes! Oh and I didn’t want to pay a lot. I found mygatsby.com and was impressed with their selections, they have a mix and match option which was going to work perfect for me. I ordered their sample book and loved the paper. I chose a simple invitation design, chose my wording, font, size, everything and ordered. (also google the site before you order I found some great coupon codes) when I got the invites I realizes I had a spelling mistake and a mistake with the rsvp cards, both my fault. My coupon code had expired so I called and re-ordered my order and she let me use the coupon again , great customer service! I also had to find a way to ship the boxes so I ordered these book mailers from uline, they were perfect. All together, I am in love with my invitations and even more since mommy and I made them!!




Weather; A++
I was soooo nervous it was going to rain since it has rained all summer and every time we did something wedding related it would pour! I check the weather every day and was soooooooooo off the wall ecstatic when the sun was shining bright that morning. It was HOTTTTT but Lands End did a good job keeping us hydrated and all in doors until right before the ceremony.


Officiant
Reverend Debra Viola; A+
I am Still getting raves about the ceremony, guests said it was like she knew us all our lives. It was personal and beautiful. Honestly I don’t know half of what she said, haha good thing I tuned back in in time for the vows. She did give us a binder with her whole service typed up nicely inside! Leading up to the day she was great to get in contact with, I booked her over the phone without meeting and when I made a trip out to LI she was eager to meet us. She is a warm and genuine person who turned our ceremony into beautiful words and memories. My only… very small quip was it seemed she may have been running a little late, we didn’t get to do a rehearsal and I didn’t get to see my BM and MOH sign the license and I really wanted a picture of that. No big deal though.


Reception
Lands End, Sayville, NY; During planning A+, Day of A
We spent a week on Long Island searching for the perfect place. We almost didnt make it to LE, we fell in love with another venue the night before. But we went anyways and i am so glad we did. At so many of the other places, the people were rude or the setting wasnt quite right but at LE we fell in love with everything and everyone right from the start. The food, the grounds, the people are all out of this world!
Leading up to the day Judy was great, the communication with lands end and the services provided, the tasting, everything was outstanding. They were very accommodating to everything I asked for. planning from OOT was difficult at times, but Judy always had solutions before they were problems and anwsers before my questions were asked. She never made me feel like my questions were stupid or insignificant. The morning of the wedding the staff at LE was there to greet us as we pulled into the parking lot. I felt so special at that moment and even more special throughout the day. Our drinks were never empty (they asked as soon as we got out of the limo) and when we couldnt get food, they had it there for us. My BA was the sweetest girl ever. I had a hard time being waited on at first, but she made it easy! it was really hot and so she brought over a table with water to where we were taking pictures. The BM during the reception never let our glasses go empty or our plates. She made sure we sat and ate and brought us extra food :) she wrapped up each of the entrees and since we missed the dessert cart, we took home each of those as well! I cannot say enough wonderful things about the people at Lands End we were treated wonderfully and everyone is still raving about the party. Of coarse i wasnt expecting everything to be perfect and it wasnt, there were a few early morning 'hiccups' at LE but they were (mostly) quick to resolve them. Afterwards i felt the professionalism could have been a little better but nothing that ruined the day. In hindsight i should have been a little more direct with them and all my vendors about what i wanted. I learned that day that if i didnt tell them, i cant complain. Altogether though, i had a fantastic day and just hope someone i know gets married there so i can enjoy more of it!! you wont go wrong with Lands End thats for sure!!








Cake
Audrey’s Bakery, Sayville; A++
The cake was amazing!! It was beautiful and soo yummy. We had vanilla, chocolate, vanilla cake with chocolate mousse and raspberry fruit filling. Let’s just say they top tier never made it to my freezer ;)


Hair and Makeup
My wonderfully talented Sister; A+++++
Bare Essentials mineral makeup; A+
My sister right now attends paul mitchell beauty school so rather than spend 100’s of dollars on services I let my sister do both and she did a great job! We did a few trails over the year and found exactly what I wanted. I purchased all my makeup from the lovely ladies at the Danbury mall who helped me pick the right colors and materials. From someone who never wore makeup before they have turned me into a believer, I wear the stuff every day now. My hair and makeup came out beautifully.
Hair piece was from Etsy seller; A+
Came out how I wanted it and it was perfect.



Hotel
Hilton Garden Inn; B
I blocked 50 rooms for 2 nights, plus a suite for me and a meet and greet party the night before and I had OOT bags. Leading up to the weekend the hotel was wonderful, responsive and great. The day we checked in there were maybe 3 weddings there and the people working the desk I have to say were pretty clueless. She first tried to tell me she didn’t have a suite reserved for me (she looked under the wrong name) and then when we got to the room the suite was open and ready.. we were late getting to the rehersal so there were 10 of us cramming to change in a regular room as quick as possible. I found out from a lot of people that they weren’t getting the OOT bags which had wedding day info the guests NEEDED including directions. I was pretty upset about it. I also heard they were giving my bags to another wedding party. Only about half my guests ended up getting the bags in the end but those who did loved them. My dad called from the rehersal dinner and spoke with a manager who promised to call the rooms of my guests and get the bags to them but who knows if he really did. None of my immediately family even got them. Oh well

Videographer
Red Reel Productions; A++ so far
By far my favorite vendor. Let me backtrack for a minute… we weren’t going to have a video, and about 2 weeks before my wedding I had this major panic attack and just knew I would regret it so I posted on here asking for recommendations. I contacted a few people but they were all so expensive. And then a fellow bride wrote to me about her FH who was starting a video business. I got in touch with him and he sent me some of his documentary work and a communion he had shot. I could afford him and have extra money to tip him.. haha so without ever even talking to him on the phone I booked. The weeks leading up, communication was great and the day of he far exceeded all expectations. He showed up early and started filming every detail at the hotel and during the wedding every time I turned around he was there. My parents were so impressed by him and shh I didn’t tell them he didn’t have any wedding experience. I just received a highlights reel from him and let me tell you I am blown away! I have watched it 100 times it is fabulous, his detail and creativity surpasses many of the experienced companies I looked at. I cannot wait to see the final video! I know that his career is about to explode, I highly recommend him.
You can watch our highlights reel here:

http://vimeo.com/channels/59433

Photographer
Twelfth Night Photography; A++ so far, haven’t seen any pictures yet though
Photography was most important to me since I went to art school and have a passion for photography. I spoke with over a dozen companies on the phone and narrowed it down to my favorite 3 which I met with in person one trip to NY. I disliked the other 2 and 12th night was the last of the weekend so I felt a little defeated by the time I went to see them. But Dom was amazing, I felt like I knew him for years. Both Dh and I left there so excited for our day! Im pretty sure we were there for over 3 hours! I booked him the next day, well I booked Mike and Vicki. We had our e-shoot with mike a few months before and it poured the whole time, we were only out for 10 mins or so I was really sad and didn’t expect much. When I saw the pictures I was floored! Whatever they did, they were able to get a ton of fabulous pictures I couldn’t believe it. Day of wedding mike was great, right on time and always there. He has a great, soft personality and it great with my picture requests and posing. I should have made a much better must take list because I felt like there was so much I was missing but Im not worried because I know they will be great. My only regret is because we had a morning wedding we didn’t have much time for photos, the whole day went way to fast.
Teaser Pictures from twelfth Night











DIY
Me and FH and my family; A+++
Menus


Card Box!


Embossed favor boxes


Bridesmaids Jewelry


My tank


Coloring books for the kiddies


Rehersal Dinner Invites


Guestbook


I also made my necklace, bridemaid tanks, sand ceremony vases, our invites, ceremony programs, tags for fans and a few other things i dont have pictures of yet

Music
High Voltage Sounds; A++
My other favorite vendor! They Made the party! When we first met vinny, much like the photographer we had been to a bunch of the more popular Dj’s and were very disappointed. Vinny was the last DJ we spoke to and couldn’t wait to book! He was honest and didn’t try and sell me anything I didn’t need. He spoke to DH as honest as me. He gave us some great ideas and was willing to figure out whatever we wanted while remaining reasonably priced! I was nervous about people dancing during a day time wedding so even though he told me I didn’t need to, I booked the DJ (w/ assistant) and MC package. He also played through our ceremony and during the cocktail hour we booked Howie Bongo on the steel drums. They all surpassed expectations and did a wonderful job. They made the wedding into the special day it was. I made a mistake about the start time and only caught it days before, with no problems Vinny said no big deal he would make sure everything was on time. I also e-mailed him a song the night before to play while we walk in, again no problem! I did hear something about starting the introductions at the wrong time or something like that but I didn’t see or hear it so I wont comment on it. My only small issue was that my special request songs and I only had 3 or 4 were played the last half hour of the day and most of the guests had left or were out at the cigar roller. When I said something to him he said we knew that would happen, which yes I did, but we probably should have played those songs earlier. Someone ran out to get DH so we did dance to the end of the song and most people interrupted to say their goodbyes but oh well… I have to say though, not his FAULT at all, I was not clear on those songs and DH and I have the rest of our lives to dance to them, no big deal. I have recommended them in the past and Highly do so now. I had responded to a post about them a week or 2 before my wedding and my favorite part of the day was when Vinny asked me how they were doing, would I give them good reviews because he saw the post from the week before! I Love LIWs haha. They did do a great job, so Vinny, since I know you are reading… Here is your 2 thumbs up review!! Thank you for a wonderful wedding day! And all of your help planning it!


Flowers
Bella Flowers; B+
I called a bunch of florists, popular ones on here too and either they never called me back or I just didnt click with them. When i called Bella she was more than willing to sit and talk with me but since icouldnt make it back to NY for quite a while she sat on the phone and computer with me as we e-mailed photos back and forth and looked up ideas on the internet. Noone was more willing to work with me and it was great! but...
I have to say I was probably this poor woman’s nightmare. I was so indecisive the entire time, I didn’t like the centerpieces in the end but it wasn’t her fault it just wasn’t what I wanted but I had a really hard time making the decision and I let a lot of people influence the flowers rather than just being aggressive. In the end, people loved them they are only in a few pictures. I loooooooved my Bok so much! i wish i could have saved it just the way it was forever. My bok was the one thing i new i wanted. I showed her a picture and she matched it perfectly!! I did love the Boks!! Overall, the flowers were healthy and on times and decorated the room. I thought there would be more rose petals on the tables. I messed up the number of centerpieces I needed so I didn’t have any on my table but the girls just put their Bok’s there and everything was fine, I wouldn’t have noticed if my mom didn’t tell me. I talked about the rose petal on the gazebo issue earlier, I don’t know who’s fault it is really but that was wasted money. I would recommend them, I would just be assertive and know what you want otherwise the flowers themselves were pretty.





Limos
Camelot Limos; A
Joe is a great guy, not a sleazy salesmen type at all. He is honest and genuine and willing to work with you to get exactly what you want for what you can afford. We got a stretch for the morning and a rolls Royce, and a Lincoln navigator for the afternoon. The limos were all on time, clean and the drivers were nice. We weren’t in any of them for very long at all so I cant say much. We didn’t have any champagne or anything in the rolls and there was no ac and it was HOT but again we weren’t in it for long at all. I really didn’t plan out the timing well at all and the guys never met up with the 2nd photographer and it took the limo what seemed like forever to get the guys to LE. The timing of the whole day was all messed up and so everything was really rushed and pictures didn’t get taken, but that wasn’t their fault, I should have figured that out better.



Cigar Roller; A+
larosacuban.com
Great to work with, cheap and easy to book! We actually forgot all about them day of until the DJ announced he was here. It was a great afternoon for the cigars and EVERYONE loved it! the only think i regret it not taking a couple home! perfect and highly reccomended


Bridal Party Gifts; A+
When we heard circuit city was closing we went there and purchased digital picture frames for our parents and I got my mom a mother and bride precious moment.
For the girls, my mom and I went to coach one day and found these bags which were perfect, great size and our colors! Girls loved them and were able to use them day of. I made their DOJ which we gave to them at the reahersal dinner. For my MOH I gave her a bracelet and a sister picture frame
The Jr. Bridesmaids I got a makeup box filled with all kinds of goodies and also DOJ
The boys, we went back and forth, couldn’t decide what to get them but DH really wanted to get sunglasses I fought him on it but the guys loved them and the pictures are great! I was wrong. Just don’t tell him I said that.


tickets to the creed concert for the hubby to be


After Party
Sayville AMF BOWLING! A++
1 small issue at the end of the night with the money but it was awsome! a bunch of people came, we have 1 whole side of the alley. The managers were fabulous to work with and were really excited for us! they even put messages accross the big screens congratulating us! we paid for the bridal party including drink tickets. everyone else was FREE just had to get shoes. we brought our photographer there for some cool pics, cant wait to see them!





My advice is to take time to really enjoy planning your wedding, take lots of pictures and cherish every moment. These wont be things you can ever re-do and you want happy special memories of your planning, so dont sweat the small stuff, do what you can and dont go crazy in the process. On your wedding day talk time to be with your new husband. Get away for a moment or 2, dance with each other, talk with each other and just be present. We spend so much time and money and effort to please our guests but in the end it is your wedding and you should be happy. always remember that.

best of luck to you all!



Twelfth Night pro pictures
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs107.snc3/15441_528955991365_57401113_31515347_4711825_n.jpg'>

Re: My wedding Review. Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Re: My wedding Review. Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

you could possibly try going to photobucket.com and getting html codes for the pictures and see if they show up on your post. Not 100% sure if that will work.

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **Now with lots of non-pro pics!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Reading this review just got me so excited for my wedding at Lands End. Your pictures are beautiful!!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **Now with lots of non-pro pics!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Congrats...Love the the review. Bowling priceless. Thanks you gave me so many ideas.

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **Now with lots of non-pro pics!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Great review. And with the centerpiece on your table - I think most brides do exactly what you did.

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **Now with lots of non-pro pics!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

everything looked soooo gorgeous!!! Congratulations!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **Now with lots of non-pro pics!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Great review and beautiful wedding!

Also, perfect timing since FH and I are looking for a cigar roller

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **Now with lots of non-pro pics!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

everything looked so great! congrats! and good advice!!!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Bump for pro pictures!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

love your pictures... and your dress....

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

soooo beautiful! congrats!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

beautiful! love the bowling pictures

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

AMAZING pictures and great review. I loved all your decoration and color choices- beautiful! YAY!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

They look awesome! I am excited, because I am using them as well!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Amazing pictures!!!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

AMAZING!!!!

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Great review!!!! I love all the pictures.

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

Great review--- thanks!! :)

Re: My wedding Review. 8/16/09. **UPDATED with 12th night Pro pics at the end!!**Lands End with 12th night, high voltage, rev deb, red reel productions, camolt and more!

GREAT review, thanks for taking the time to type it all up!!! I definitely have the same taste as you - my dress is similar, same bridesmaid colors, and nearly same arrangements!! I booked 12th Night as well after our first visit, and after seeing your photos, I'm SO excited! Congratulations and thanks again!