My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

My wedding day, 6/24/07 was the BEST day of my life! The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and not too hot. I woke up that morning expecting things to go wrong and just told myself to roll with whatever may happen because in the end I will be married to my best friend, the love of my life. Well, everything went perfectly, I have not one complaint. All of my vendors went above and beyond my expectations! Besides to help out all of the brides to be out there, I am writing this review as a kind of thank you to all of my vendors-I feel that a great review and a recommendation is better than any monetary tip – (that’s not to say I didn’t give monetary tips ;)-My vendors were truly fabulous and my wedding day was EXCELLENT! So here we go! I will add some of my proofs when I get them-for now there are a few non-pro pictures in my album :0)

LIW-A+
Since I was the first bride in my family and out of my friends, I was pretty lost as to how to plan a wedding. This site was amazing!! I would never have had the wedding I had without the help of this site and the ladies who post here. Many of my ideas were borrowed from ladies here and many of my vendors were found here. Thanks Ron & Liz for creating such a great place for brides!!

Rehearsal Dinner-Singleton’s A
The food and the service were excellent. We used the library, which is the room downstairs. This room is the most private one there and even has its own bar in the room. We went with the buffet only because we felt it allowed for more mingling and created a looser atmosphere. Everything was great and I would definitely use them again.

My Bridesmaids’ gowns and My Mom’s gown-Lidia’s Bridal Copiague- Customer Service A Alterations B+
My girls ordered a Bella Formals gown in Victorian Rose. At first I was going to order a lighter color pink, but the women there warned me that with the satin material the color I had originally chosen would look almost white in the pictures. So, I trusted them and ordered the darker shade, which turned out perfect! We all loved the gown. My mom ordered a Bill Levkoff gown that was a two piece gown. She ordered it in a champagne color with black trim-simply gorgeous! The ladies that work at Lidia’s are extremely nice and very helpful. Ordering the gowns was very easy and they all came in on time. They even took one of the gowns to the post office and shipped it to my SIL, a BM in Louisiana, for me. To separate my sister, the MOH, from the rest of the girls we decided to have her wear elbow length gloves. Lidia’s ordered them and they came back right on time and matched the dress perfectly.

The alterations came out fine, but the reason I gave a B+ is that a couple of the girls’ dresses weren’t ready or even touched at all by the time they went in for their “final” fitting. So a couple of my girls had to go back again or wait around for an hour while they worked on the dress. Also, I noticed all of my girls and my mom pulling up their dresses all day long. In the end though the dresses were beautiful and all my girls and my mom looked gorgeous!

Tuxes-Sal’s Massapequa-A
All of the guys, especially my husband, looked so handsome. The men that work there were very patient as it was harder to pick out the tuxes than the dresses (this is b/c my darling husband was involved in this-LOL) In the end, my husband picked out the tuxes, with my help ;) He opted for black shirts for himself and the groomsmen, which I was a little worried about but they looked awesome. All the tuxes fit perfectly (even though two of the groomsmen are out of state and had their measurements sent over-which were far from accurate) and were ready on time. Highly recommend Sal’s!

My Tiara and Hair Comb-Barrons in Tri-County-A
I really didn’t want an elaborate Tiara and really didn’t see anything I loved at Fantasia’s (where I got my dress). So I tried out Barron’s and they were great. I got something I really liked for a great price. He gave me the option of buying the one on the shelf or ordering a brand new one. Since I had time, I opted to get a new one and it was in right on time. While, I was looking a found a nice hair comb that matched perfectly, which I also ordered to wear on the back of my head.

My Jewelry and girls’ gifts-Swarvoski-A
I bought all of my jewelry and the girls’ earrings and bracelets from Swarvoski in Smith Haven Mall and Roosevelt Field. They sparkled so much and look awesome in the pictures.

My Gown and Veil-Fantasia Bridal-A
I purchased my gown (private label-1226-in white) from Fantasia Bridal in Rocky Point. Rocky Point is about a 45 min drive from Massapequa, where I live. I could have gotten the gown closer but I fell in love with the saleswoman, Linda and also heard that they did great alterations-so, I decided to suck up the commute and buy it there. They also matched the lowest price I found on the gown-so I got it for about a hundred dollars less than they were asking. Since I bought my dress there I got my veil discounted. I loved my veil-it was made by Richard Designs in England and had crystals hanging from the edges. It shipped right on time and looked fantastic with my gown.

Well, as annoying as the commute got towards the end, I am so glad I purchased my gown at Fantasia’s. The people that work there are so nice and Maria the seamstress is awesome. I went for three fittings and by the last time the dress fit like a glove. My bustle looked fantastic-although, it did not hold but that’s only because I was dancing the day away and people kept stepping on the back of my dress, so there’s no way the buttons could have held-so totally not her fault. I wholeheartedly recommend Fantasia Bridal. My gown came in right on time and was perfect. They did an excellent job on my gown and I absolutely loved it.

Hair and Make-up-Jillian from Gorgeous Faces and Bridget Rock-A
I had one trial with someone else before these two wonderful ladies. That trial went horribly! The woman, who shall remain unnamed as she is very popular here, could not get my hair to curl and basically blamed on my hair being too thin and not trimmed in layers. Being a few hours before our appointment, she called to tell me her salon was closing early that day and she would have to come to my house, she took my dollar store scissors from my desk and cut my hair!! Still no curls-so after two hours my hair looked worse than before we began. She did my make-up for free, which came out nothing like what I asked for. Needless to say I did not book her.

I went to Jillian and Bridget a few weeks later and fell in love. They are so sweet and do amazing work. The day of they got my sister and I ready on time and we looked great! My curls, yes apparently my hair can curl, looked fabulous and held all day and night. My make-up also looked great all day! My sister also looked beautiful! Jillian also brings little samples that you can buy for touch-ups. I bought a lip gloss for my sister and I to share and a touch up powder-both came in handy! Highly recommend!

Rings-Good Old Gold-Massapequa A+
DH purchased my e-ring from Good Old Gold and worked with Amy-she is awesome! They are very knowledgeable there and they are not pushy like many jewelers I’ve been to before. They allow you to take your time and shop around. We had DH’s ring custom made and it came out looking fabulous! Amy even engraved them for free! Also, right before the wedding she re-dipped my e-ring also at no charge even though it has been over a year and a half since DH bought it! Highly recommend!


Limos-Royalty-Franklin Square-A+
I originally met with Manny at a Bridal Show at my reception hall. I actually wasn’t even up to thinking about limos but he offered us a nice package and I had heard so many good reviews about Royalty that I booked him on the spot, w/o even looking at other companies. I dealt with Manny for all the planning and payments. He is a nice guy and has a great sense of humor. After reading some not so good things about them here, I have to admit I got a little nervous. Well, I got to tell you they were fantastic on my wedding day. We had a total of four cars, three were rented for 4 hours and one of the Lincolns was just a drop off. I had an Excalibur (I loved this car-especially the really cool horns) and a 10 passenger Lincoln at my parents’ house, an Escalade for the guys and a 10 passenger Lincoln for my in-laws side of the family. All cars were immaculate, well stocked, in great condition (including A/C) and EARLY! The drivers were soooo nice and extremely helpful. They didn’t rush me at all as we were rounding everything up to go to the ceremony. All four drivers were in constant communication with one another as to make sure I didn’t see my husband before the right moment, etc. We decided to take pictures before the ceremony as to not miss CH. So, we had the flowers delivered straight to Coe Hall and were all meeting there at 8:30am for pictures. The drivers handed out the flowers, helped coordinate things with the photographer, completely ran the processional, and got us over to The Woodlands quickly. Afterwards we had three Lincolns return to drop off the bridal party and our parents and take us to The Garden City Hotel. All three cars were there on time and took everyone home. The next day they sent a town car for us to take us to the airport and again he was on time and was a very friendly guy. They were all around fabulous. I can not say enough good things about them-both their cars and their staff are top notch! Highly recommend!

Ceremony Site and Pictures-Coe Hall at Planting Fields Arboretum-Oyster Bay-A
We are not religious people and decided that to get married in a church would be hypocritical for us. So, originally we were going to have our ceremony at the reception hall. The Woodlands has a nice outside patio where they hold ceremonies. The only thing that kept bothering me was the possibility of rain, in which our ceremony would have taken place in the same room where we eat dinner. I did not like this idea and so began looking for an indoor place that still had charm. Boy did I find this at Coe Hall. For those who are not familiar with Coe Hall, it’s an old, antique mansion that lies on Planting Fields arboretum. The house is used for tours, but because the state is in such desperate need of money, they allow you to hold your ceremony in “The Great Room” (the biggest room in the mansion). There is a balcony where your musicians can play and many large windows from the floor to the ceiling with stained glass.

Well it turned out to be a beautiful day anyhow, but I am still so glad I had my ceremony here. It was simply beautiful-my florist did an amazing job and all of my guests were quite impressed with the place. However, there are many limitations and restrictions when using this ceremony site, such as number of people you can invite (125 max), insurance requirements, all flowers have to be approved, no tossed real flower petals allowed anywhere(silk petals are ok on the runner but not outside)…etc. In the end I loved Coe Hall and highly recommend it to those of you looking for something other than a religious institution.

Another plus, is that we took our posed photos here and around the arboretum. Perfect backdrop! Can not wait to see my proofs! The rose garden, with the tunnels of roses was in full bloom and my photographer took some awesome shots!

Officiant-Rev. Debra Viola-Huntington-A+
Rev Deb was great!! We wanted a completely non religious ceremony that focused on our love and commitment to one another and that is exactly what we got. She wrote us a beautiful ceremony that all my guests raved about and still are! Instead of traditional readings we each chose a love poem that we felt spoke from our hearts and had a family member read it aloud-so that it was like my aunt was reading my feelings to Ken and his uncle was reading his feelings to me. There wasn’t a dry eye. I highly recommend Rev Deb-she will work with you to create any type of ceremony you may have in mind.

Ceremony Musicians-Capriccio Ensemble-A+
I had booked a string trio and trumpeters before I had booked Coe Hall (this is when my ceremony was going to be at The Woodlands). Unfortunately, the company I chose did not have the adequate insurance requirements that Coe Hall insisted on. Since I already signed a contract and really wanted the trumpeters, I had to find someone else to play just for the ceremony and still use the original company for CH. I found Capriccio by searching the boards. Natalie one of the musicians, (I think her and her sister run the company) is amazing. She was so helpful during the planning process and always got back to me right away. She was my only vendor that sent the insurance certificate to Coe Hall with out having to be reminded. The day of it was a pleasure finally meeting her and they played beautifully! All the music selections Natalie, DH and I selected together sounded amazing and the guests were talking about it throughout the entire wedding! Highly recommend her!!

CH string Trio and Trumpeters- Kings Brass-East Meadow-A
The trumpeters were awesome-everyone continues to rave about how cool they were. We had two and they came a half hour before CH began and played fanfares as my guests arrived. They also came up to the limo and played a special fanfare as Ken and I got out! As cocktail hour begins the trumpeters take a break and the string trio began playing. Since it was such a nice day, we had them set up on the outside patio overlooking the golf course. We had them play Unchained Melody as we entered the CH-it was fantastic! As cocktail hour came to an end, the trumpeters returned and played another fanfare alerting our guests to head to the ballroom. Then right before Ken and I were announced into the reception they played another fanfare and coordinated it very well with our DJ who had to play our introduction song-Seriously fit perfect with our fairytale theme! -Highly recommend!


Our entrance was amazing I guess I should say something here about the guys’ gifts-although I am not sure where DH ordered them from. We had a fairytale theme and he bought each groomsman a sword. He had them all engraved with their names, date and “Thank You” Love, Dawn & Ken. They were a huge hit at the wedding. After we gave them to each GM at The RD we took them back so the guys didn’t have to tote them around the day of at the ceremony and for pictures. Ken dropped them at The Woodlands the day before the wedding and had them set up in the bridal Suite. For the introductions we had the guys hold up the swords and the girls held up their bouquets. It was awesome as we were announced, right after the trumpeters played, we walked under a bridge of swords and flowers!!!

Florist-Flowers By Brian-Mineola-A
My flowers were brilliant. As soon as we met with Brian, DH and I were sure he was the right fit for us. His ideas brought all my dreams to life. We had loose birch trees with infused orchids at both the entrance into the ceremony and at the altar. The guys who set these up did an amazing job! We also had tulle and mini bouquets that had flowers which matched our bouquets on each “pew” and he even threw down silk flower petals (which I bought online since real petals were not allowed) scattered down the aisle runner. I saw the room before any guests arrived and I was blown away!

The bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres were exactly as I had asked for, the only thing is that they were a smaller than I had expected and the white flowers in my bouquet were very slightly browning by the ceremony (they were pure white the day before when I ok’ed them). This wasn’t a huge deal to me and overall I was very satisfied with the bouquets.

The Woodlands looked fabulous! They transported the birch tree arrangements to The Woodlands from Coe Hall and placed them on each side of the two bars in the ball room-gorgeous! My centerpieces were lovely, just as my sample had looked, actually even better! The sweetheart table had a low version of the high centerpieces that coordinated perfectly! They scattered rose petals everywhere (even on the passing food trays) and had arrangements in the bathrooms, on the entry way table and floating roses on the CH tables. The flowers in the centerpieces lasted all day and many of my guests that won one hung some flowers out to dry for me, which look amazing. Some of the flowers from the bouquets were still alive when I arrived home from my honeymoon almost 2 weeks later. Highly recommend!

DJ-Music by Michael-A
I found Michael on this site. He is a very low key type of DJ, which is exactly what we were looking for. He is what he calls a PC-DJ-this means all his music is on his lap top-very high quality sound and he can get just about anything. This also makes transitions between songs a lot smoother. Even further, he has an online planning form where you can search his extensive music library and/or add custom songs. Then you save your choices and submit it to him by the wedding-this is very helpful in keeping track and remembering all the songs you do and don’t want played. He is really a great guy-very easy to work with, returns all calls/emails promptly. He played exactly what we asked for and even made us a keepsake CD with the key songs from our wedding on it! Highly recommend!

Photographer/Videographer-Leli Photography-D-
The only reason I will not give an F is because my final album and video isn't bad but the service received was AWFUL! Gary does not return phone calls. It is like contacting the president. The only time I would get a response was when I got nasty on his machine/email. It took over 2 years to get my album (his paperwork states that album production will take no longer than 8 months rom the date you submit your proof selection-that is complete BS) and even a bit longer for video (and that is with my constant nagging-God knows how long it would have taken had I kept my mouth shut). Many shots weren't even taken (and I had made a must take list, which he laughed at and wouldn't take). Strongly DO NOT recommend.

Reception Hall-The Woodlands-Woodbury-A+
DH and I fell in love with The Woodlands the minute we walked in. The ambience and décor was exactly what we were looking for. As soon as we met with Maureen, our original banquet manager, we knew this was our place. She was so organized, sweet, knowledgeable and accommodating. We booked a few hours after we visited and met with Maureen. Months down the road Maureen left unexpectedly and there was one new BM after another. Needless to say, DH and I became very frustrated and worried-everything seemed completely unorganized and we couldn’t even find anyone to speak with. After a few months of unreturned phone calls and complete chaos, Margaret was named the new BM. At first she seemed completely overwhelmed and a bit unorganized, but by the end of planning she really came through! She really stayed on top of the planning of our wedding-we had many small details and she got each one just right-she even found us a castle ice sculpture and managed to get the baker to make the exact cake I wanted-both at no cost due to the miscommunication that occurred during the transition of banquet managers. In the end I was extremely satisfied with Margaret and highly recommend her!

When I arrived there on my wedding day the place looked incredible-just as I had hoped for. The Woodlands set up my many picture frames filled with shots of my family and friends just as I asked for-they had my table name frames set up perfectly-I had place card frames and they set those up beautifully on the piano-my cake table letters were arranged just as I asked, as well as my guest book. I can’t even remember all the little details I had that day, but I do know they had them all set up perfectly! The bridal suite was stocked with everything we had asked for, including several trays of the CH food and a tray of the passed martinis.

The day of our Maitre D, Max, and our bridal attendant, Nicole, were amazing. They catered to each and every need DH and I had. Max had us OK everything before any guests entered both the CH and the reception. We never had to get a drink-not once. Nicole was right behind me whenever I turned around, but not in an annoying obtrusive way. My bustle broke so many times and each time she was there to escort me to the bridal suite and fix it with her bag of tools! At the end of the party, Nicole and Max had everything packed up in the original bins we dropped it off in and ready to go-I got everything back just as I dropped it off.

My guests raved about the food-many have said it was the best wedding they have ever been to (and this is coming from some pretty rough critics, trust me)! The service was impeccable and it did not go unnoticed by my guests. My father needed applesauce to take his pills with, now this is a kind of unusual request at a wedding and within 5 minutes the waitress came back with a crystal glass filled w/applesauce! I wholeheartedly recommend The Woodlands and hope to one day be a guest at someone else’s wedding held here.

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

Thank you for the great review!! Can't wait for pics!!

Congrats!

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

Great review! I can't wait to see pics! Congratulations

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

Congrats to you both on such a great review! I also used FBB for my wedding and my flowers were beautiful as well!

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

great review... I cant wait to see the pictures

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

Congratulations

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

congrats, thanks for posting!

Re: My Wedding Review-The Woodlands, Royalty, Flowers by Brian, Music by Michael, Leli Photography, Capriccio, Kings Brass and more

Great review! Thanks so much for posting. Please post pics when you get them....I'm a Woodlands/Leli bride too!