our 10/25 wedding at NRC

i apologize for the delay in my review... we got married two weeks ago and did not go on a honeymoon yet, we've just been so busy with work unfortunately. but this will be a long one, i hope it helps future brides!

first i have to thank all of the ladies here, especially the newlyweds, for all of their help, advice and creativity over the past year & a half. every single one of my vendors & most of my little creative projects came from you.

my bridesmaids were so amazing. very supportive throughout our engagement and also so helpful. i am very lucky to have such wonderful friends.

unfortunately, three days before the wedding, my mom was hospitalized. we rushed to LI from NJ on thursday night, i was a wreck- so worried about her. thank god it was nothing too serious and she wasn't in too much pain. she was released from the hospital on friday night around 8:00 pm. unfortunately, she missed the rehearsal & dinner, but she looked amazing for the wedding on saturday! this could have been a disaster but she was such a trooper.

our rehearsal dinner was at cafe grappa on hempstead turnpike in east meadow. a cute little italian restaurant with a private back room. i've always liked this place, there was tons of food & it was delicious. however, the service was extremely slow. it took forever to get all 30 entrees out to us. i was disappointed. iliona from sugar sugar bakery in westhampton beach made the grooms cake and it was yummy! and it was great to spend some time with our closest friends and family.

we woke up early on saturday and the girls & i got our hair & makeup done at MGM hair studios on old country road in westbury. after a terrible experience with maximus only a few weeks earlier, the ladies at mgm really came through for us. i am thrilled with the work they did & i thought their prices were fair for opening up so early in the morning.

we all got dressed at my mom's house & the photographer, flowers & limos all arrived on time. we took a few pics at home, and then drove to old westbury gardens where we met the guys. unfortunately, the gates were locked & we had to make a few hurried phone calls to get the staff to open up. the girl who led us around was great.

this was the absolute best decision we made for our wedding! it was very cold, and there was frost on the grass, but what an amazing experience!! that place is fabulous and i just know our pictures will be stunning! and sam & i got to spend some quality time together before the church. it was so wonderful to be with him for that hour or so. i can't imagine NOT seeing him before the actual wedding.

the ceremony at the church (st. brigid's) went much better than i had expected. it was truly magical. getting married is such an incredible and emotional experience!! and the church was filled. my father & stepfather both walked me down the aisle together. we had a receiving line after (another great decision). although it took a long time, and people were waiting, it was great to say hello to every single person. we took a few pictures with our families & the bp at the church.

off to NRC! as all the brides in the past have said, it totally exceeded our expectations! they opened the cocktail hour 1/2 hour early since guests arrived early. we spent some time in the bridal suite with the bp eating & drinking for a bit. george was our maitre'd and monica was the bridal assistant. both wonderful people. so happy with nrc. we did not add on any of the extras (seafood, sushi, etc) & i'm glad that we didn't. there was soooo much food at the cocktail hour. i'll post more about NRC on the most recent NRC post. we had an amazing day. we danced the entire time and we visited every table at the reception. i can't believe how much fun we had! it really is so amazing to have all of the special people in your life right there with you, celebrating your love and marriage.

we stayed at the holiday inn on old country road in westbury. we were pleased with the hotel. we drove back to NJ on sunday. we had a couples massage/jacuzzi/spa day at a spa near us in jersey on monday. wow! what a way to end our wedding weekend! and it was back to work on monday. we leave for our honeymoon on december 20th- hawaii for two weeks



our vendors:
vip studios- john pagona & jessica
we found john difficult to work with in the months preceeding our wedding. however, he was great the day of the wedding. we know he got some amazing shots, especially at the gardens. jessica was fabulous!!!! love her! so enthusiastic and creative. we're waiting for our proofs.

wild rose- bill
what can i say?! all the brides love him, and now i really know why! great man & very talented. at one point, we were in the limo driving from the church to the reception hall, and we see bill driving next to us with his camera out the window pointed at us. driving & shooting at the same time! marie stopped by nrc to say hello as well. love them.

ultimate class limo
great service. i won a free limo at one of the GTGs which is why we went with them. all of the guys were wonderful.

jacqueline nicole
she did my mom & MIL's makeup and they looked amazing!! my mom just got out of the hospital 12 hours earlier & JN made her look better than ever! and what a sweetheart!

flower michele
next to OWG, this is the best decision we made! i was thrilled with our flowers! john is amazing to work with. you have to see these pics! everyone was raving about the colors!

spin around sound
played all the songs we requested and none of the ones on our do not play list. i didn't have much contact with tom that day though. he did his thing & we were happy.

sugar sugar bakery in westhampton beach
we did not use the cake from NRC. iliona made us a gorgeous and tasty wedding cake & i was so happy with the way it turned out!!

crescendo- quartet during the cocktail hour
my brother & his three friends are high school students in westchester. they played during our cocktail hour & were amazing! i was so pleasantly surprised at how great they were! really professional and very talented! i'm so proud of him!

my gown was jim hjelm couture from bridal reflections in massapequa. great experience with them. no complaints at all.

the girls dresses were jim hjelm also. we ordered them from netbride. great decision- fast service & much cheaper than bridal salons.

for our invites, we used debi from blooming quill. i've posted the pics before, but i just wanted to highly recommend her to anyone looking for custom made invites. she is extremely talented, very sweet & professional.

as i mentioned, i found all of our vendors from you, ladies. so thank you again for all of your feedback & advice in the past. please fm if you have any questions at all.

what an amazing day. perfect weather, friends & family everywhere, and i got to marry the most amazing man! we are enjoying married life in our new home, and we are getting a dog tomorrow (but thats another post!!)! enjoy the pics (courtesy of our friends):

more wedding pics on ofoto



some of my favorites so far:




centerpiece pic:


our amazing (carrot) cake:





grooms cake at RD (DH is a big surfer; from sugar sugar bakery):



my mom & stepdad:




my girls (i was so happy with their flowers!):




placecard holders:



and if you're interested, even more pics from our wedding

more on shutterfly

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

You were Gorgeous!!! Your flowers and cake looked Amazing!!! Congratulations!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

You look beautiful!!!!!!!

Congrats!!!

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wild rose- bill

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what can i say?! all the brides love him, and now i really know why! great man & very talented. at one point, we were in the limo driving from the church to the reception hall, and we see bill driving next to us with his camera out the window pointed at us. driving & shooting at the same time!

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Same with me!!, even a pic of this is on their site with me & DH
Wasn't this fun?!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

OMG - you were an absolutely stunning bride!! Everything looked fantastic! I love your flowers, cake, everything! Congrats, Mrs.!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

OMG - looks like you had a great time, good review
Glad your Mom was OK and was able to look fabulous on your day


Everything looks great, from the flowers (So fresh and beautiful ) to the little touches like your placecard holders and table numbers to YOU !!!!! You looked GORGEOUS !!!!

CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Everything looks great. congrats!!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Everything was beautiful: you, your hair, you dress, your veil, you cake and your flowers! Love your elegant style!

Congratulations!

P.S. I also had orange everywhere: flowers, cake and invitations!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Just gorgeous! You looked beautiful and your flowers looked so vibrant...wow!!!!
Everything looked great!!!

Congratulations!!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

You look beautiful...love the flowers!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Congratulations!!!!! Everything sounded amazing!!!! Your pics are gorgeous!!!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

So Beautiful!! Congrats Mrs!
Thanks for the review on NRC

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

You looked beautiful. I love your mom's dress and color. I think I will have to show it to my mom. She will like it!

Oh yeah, I was looking through your pics and realized what a small world it is. I work with Keith M. (different department, but I have dealings with him occassionally and we nod at each other in the hallway)

Congrats.

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Congrats. you look beautiful.

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

WoW! amazing pictures!! John @ FlowerMichele did a beautiful job!
Stunning!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Congratulations! Everything looks beautiful!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Congrats!! You looked so amazing! Thanks so much for the NRC review!!!

ETA: Your shutterfly link doesnt work


I showed FH the pics last night - First- he said Congrats and you guys looked great!
Second - he is so overjoyed with what you had to say about the NRC and with us choosing it also.

Congrats again!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

FM

You looked amazing. So did the NRC that day. Even though Im repeating my FM, you made that place youre own. I will show Donni your pictures tonight.

CONGRATULATIONS, and thanks for your help with everything!!

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Beautiful pics. Congrats

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Everything looked amazing, you most of all. Congrats.

Re: our 10/25 wedding at NRC

Congrats what beautiful couple
I love your hair it looks soooooo sophistacated
And your cake looks amazing