Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more! Updated with link to HM pics on page 4!

::FOR THE GROOM (because it’s his day too, lol)::
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Groom’s Cake: The Chocolate Duck, Farmingdale – 10

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Our rehearsal dinner was catered at my in-law’s, and I wanted to definitely get a groom’s cake for Rob. He loves superheroes, so I needed a Superman shield cake. On the recommendation of Christine (AutmBride), I called Chrissy at The Chocolate Duck in Farmingdale. Chrissy said no problem, I didn’t need to supply a picture, and we decided on a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling, since Rob is a huge chocoholic. The cake was for 30 people and reasonably priced. Chrissy even joked that she could raise the price for me if I wanted! She was really great to work with and it was such an easy process. I picked it up the day of the rehearsal (they deliver too, if needed) and was totally floored. It came out perfect, looked amazing and tasted even better! The cake was made with lemon fondant icing and I’m not a huge fan of fondant, but it was truly delicious and the lemon icing really complimented all that chocolate. We have some major food and dessert connoisseurs in the family and they all raved about the cake. I highly recommended them for any of your baking needs, whether it is a groom’s cake, cookie favors, or even your wedding cake!





Wedding Gift: NY Mets Sunday Season Tickets – 9

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This should qualify me for wife of the year and I’ve only been married a week since I am an avid Yankees fan, but I really wanted to do something special for Rob (a totally selfless act, if you ask me, lol) and I decided to get him Season Tickets for the Mets. I emailed through the Mets website and received a response within 24 hours. I was assigned a Corporate Representative, Mike, and dealt with him through the entire process. There were some very minor bumps in the road, I purchased the season tickets at the end of the 2005 season, but they were originally Saturday tickets. I later changed my mind to have Sunday tickets, as I figured Rob could go to more games (huge family, always a function on Saturdays) and Mike said it would be no problem to change for the 2006 season. When it came time to pay the invoice for the 2006 season (ten days before Christmas – niiiiice), I had to call Mike to make sure they change it from Saturdays to Sundays and I ended up getting double billed by accident, but Mike was great through all of it and made sure everything got sorted out. It was a great surprise for Rob and he was so happy and excited for the tickets.



::DAY OFF::
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Mother Nature – 10

Okay now, before I get a “A 10 for a sunny/cloudy/rainy day?!” I will go ahead and explain myself. The reason why I gave dear Mother Nature a 10 is simply because I had the opportunity to “have it all” on my wedding day. It was sunny while I was getting ready and on the way to the church, the rain held out long enough for photos outside of the church, and believe it or not, we got some incredibly romantic “in the rain” photos at our reception hall. Ladies, I know we’d all love sunny wedding days, but if there is one thing that you will take away from my review, be it that you simply must make the most of every single moment that day. I think my photographer was amazed that Rob and wanted to go out in the rain, even dropping that umbrella for some shots, I didn’t care about my hair or makeup, I just wanted some of those awesome kissing in the rain shots that should be on postcards. Don't let any opportunity to remember your day pass you by.


And the show goes on…


::DAY OF WEAR::
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DJ Chic, Knottie and LIWer Denise (BnBDreamin) – 10

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Denise is really great and very talented! I ordered from her a tank top and hipster blue panties with a keyhole back for the day of and it came out perfect. We decided to have “I heart Rob” on the panties, with our wedding date on the back, and “Rob’s Girl” tank top. I wore these with the “Bride” sweatpants I ordered from The Knot and I was so comfy all morning. I love how they came out, I highly recommend her!











Professional Shot::




::CHURCH::
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St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church, Floral Park – Can’t rate a church

Rob and I decided to have our ceremony in his home parish, St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church in Floral Park. Normally, the ceremony is taken place at the Bride’s home parish and I received all my sacraments at Corpus Christi in Mineola where I grew up, but I moved around quite a bit after and have not been back there since my sister was married. I knew it would mean a lot to Rob’s family to have it at St. Hedwig’s so we made our decision. Overall, they seem to be very laid back there, it took us a while to find out about pre cana because no one had the dates, we didn’t know who was going to marry us until the week before the wedding, but we just went with the flow. I made the programs very general because I couldn’t finalize a lot of the music or Gospel readings.

The ceremony went better than I imagined, except that the Unity Candle was left at Rob’s house so we couldn’t do the Lighting and Father Leszek accidentally forgot about the Prayer of the Faithful, everything else went perfectly. I expected to bawl my eyes out too, but I surprisingly held my composure and it was the most incredible experience. The church singer was wonderful. She is only 15, she has the most remarkable voice and she also played the violin for the Ava Maria, which was breathtaking.







One funny point during the ceremony was that when it came time for the rings, I put the ring on the wrong finger! It was easy for Rob to put my ring on since he had my engagement ring to go by, but when it came time for me to put his ring on, I put it on his right hand and wondered why it wasn’t fitting! I just left it and Rob realized after that he gave me the wrong hand. I guess we were both nervous because that’s the point that everyone is watching and so many people noticed! Oops!



::RECEPTION::
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The Woodlands, Woodbury – 10

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One thing that Rob and I agreed on from the beginning was the type of reception hall that we wanted. We wanted a place that had an intimate feeling with a lot of character, and we knew immediately when we saw The Woodlands that this was the place for us. It was a relatively new hall, along the famous “strip” on Jericho, near Fox Hollow, Crest Hollow and the Woodbury Country Club, but mysteriously, I never heard of the place until someone mentioned it to me on The Knot.

The Woodlands is a mansion that sits on the Oyster Bay Golf Course. The drive up to the hall is amazing, a narrow winding road amongst draping trees that leads to the circular driveway with a fountain. It’s truly a beautiful location, the grounds are gorgeous and the inside of it is even better. It has dark wood, lots of fireplaces, grand piano, winding staircase and black and white checked floors. It reminded me of the 1950’s saloon décor, especially in the Drawing Room, one of the cocktail rooms, which is probably my favorite room. The ballroom was equally cozy, with French doors lining the whole room so guests could walk outside for fresh air. There is some history about the residence on the website which gives a nice background on the mansion and the grounds.

The Drawing Room::





The Winding Staircase::





The Grand Ballroom::



Rob and I visited only 2 more halls after The Woodlands and we went back immediately to book them. Our initial meeting was with Joe, who left recently after we booked. We worked with Dana after but my experiences with her left me a little uneasy. It was only when Dana had left The Woodlands, that I met Maureen and she is truly amazing to work with. She eased all my worries and was really great through everything.

The day of was nothing short of spectacular. There were a few little things that happened, but in hindsight, it really didn’t matter. Our bridal attendant, Nicole, was amazing, every time I turned around, she either had an umbrella and my bouquet in her hands, a drink, or holding my dress out, she was amazing and really very sweet. She even brought us our own tray in the cocktail hour, as we were walking around saying hello to everyone! Maureen was there too, and she checked on us frequently through the night. She even opened the doors when everyone was being announced into the room.

We had three Maitre ’D's which I did not know about until that day, but I would more so call them a head Maitre ’D and two Captains I guess. This perturbed me when it came time to tip, I didn't intend on having three people there, so I ended up adding money to the envelope and tipped the head Maitre ’D. There was a slight situation, my cousin, who responded as a one, ended up bringing his on-again, off-again girlfriend, I informed them of this, and they said they would take care of it, but I later found out that my mom moved a few people to accommodate, but it wasn't a big deal. I couldn’t remember all their names, but each one of the kept coming around, making sure everything was going well and if we needed anything.

We choose the Lobster Tempura Roll as the appetizer, Asian Pear Salad, and our entrée selections were Filet Mignon, Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Chilean Sea Bass. Dessert was homemade waffle crepe with vanilla ice cream, raspberry drizzle and chocolate covered fruit garni. Our wedding cake was a chocolate devil’s food cake, with Oreo and chocolate pudding filling and fresh whipped cream. Every person I visited raved about the food, saying it was the best wedding food they ever had. They also commented on the food at cocktail hour and the martini line and said it was amazing. So many people mentioned on how much they loved the atmosphere of the mansion and that the service was top-notch throughout the night. Both my Mom and MIL were receiving phone calls the next day about our wedding.





Quite simply, I could live at The Woodlands, that’s how much I love it there.



::PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY::
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Imagine Studios, Hauppauge – 11

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If there is one vendor on our wedding day that went above and beyond, it is Imagine Studios. I gave Lia and Nelson an 11 on a scale of 10 just because they truly were amazing that day, the word “perfect” just seems too weak to describe it. The incredible thing is, I’m sure they do this for all their brides and grooms, that’s what makes them so special. I knew from the beginning I wanted extraordinary photographs because that is what I will take away with me after all is said done, and from researching various photographers, nothing compared to Lia’s photographs. I called to even move up my appointment to meet with them earlier because I didn’t want them to book for my date! When we first met Lia and Nelson, and saw their work, I knew I wanted to book them immediately. Actually, I think from seeing a sampling of Lia’s pictures on their website, I knew then, but once we met, we totally clicked and felt that we would work great together. Lia and Nelson are just so talented, their work is truly remarkable.

We had an engagement sitting with Lia a few months after we booked. If you have this option available to you, I highly recommend taking advantage of it. Both Rob and I never really had such extensive photographs taken of us, we were really shy in the beginning and it gave us a chance to see how Lia worked, and how we worked with her. We went to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Oakdale, and took photos for about an hour. When I picked up my proofs, I was absolutely stunned, every photograph was beautiful, we couldn’t pick a favorite. She gave us over 130 proofs for just an hour of shooting! It was really amazing and I was so excited for our wedding pictures! Below is the link to a few of our engagement pictures, you can tell in the first few photos, we had silly forced smiles because we shy and nervous!

ENGAGEMENT PICTURES

During our final meeting, I didn’t give Lia a list of must take photos, I just gave the names of the immediate family and told her which rooms at The Woodlands that I really wanted to take photos in. I completely trusted her ability and photojournalist style, so I didn’t want to limit her artistically or even on time. I also mentioned at the meeting, that in the event of rain, I definitely wanted some romantic outside in the rain shots.

The day for me started off rather calm and quiet, my mom and my sisters were off getting their hair done at a local salon, while I was home getting my hair and makeup done. Towards the latter of the morning, my house starting bustling, my bridesmaids starting arriving and suddenly, I have 6 girls getting their dresses on in my house. My flowers arrived, I started running around, putting a little makeup on my younger sister, while my makeup artist worked on my mom. When Lia arrived at my house, I was feeling a little frazzled, and she walked in, flashed her smile, and immediately put me at ease. I was feeling a little uneasy about my look for the day of, and Lia assured me that I looked beautiful. She even took a few shots, and showed me in the digital so I could see how it comes out in the pictures.

She started with my dress, my jewelry, the invitation and my shoes. I really wasn’t paying attention while she was working on those photos, but I’m glad to know that I’ll have these pictures to remember the little details by. She took pictures of me getting into my dress, and after we were all ready, we took shots outside with the bridal party, as well as inside.

When we arrived at the church, Nelson was there shooting the video. As the ceremony started, I didn't even see Nelson or Lia throughout, but a friend mention to me that Lia was all over the church taking pictures, even practically laying on the floor to get those high angle shots. We had the quickest receiving line, I think we broke a record. We were able to take photos in the doorway of the church and we got the outside pictures in time before the rain started!

When we arrived at the hall, it was still raining and pretty much lasted through our entire two-hour picture taking session. I felt bad that most of the time, Lia was outside stuck in the rain with an umbrella taking pictures of us! Quite a few of our pictures were taken in the doorway of the lobby to The Woodlands, in the Grand Ballroom and outside the Ballroom. When we walked outside with our umbrellas for a “walking away” shot, when Lia was done, we told her we wanted to drop our umbrellas for a true “in the rain” photo and she was all for it. She shot quickly, got AMAZING photos that she was so excited about, she even showed me in the digital window. We walked in a Nelson was amazed that we even wanted to go outside. Rob and I had so much fun, and we actually didn’t get as wet as we thought we would! The last set of pictures was in the Drawing Room and near the winding staircase. Lia knew how much I loved the black and white checked floor, so she took some shots from the staircase, looking down on us.

For the rest of the night, I barely saw Lia or Nelson, unless I caught a glimpse of them snapping a picture, but they were very unobtrusive the entire night. At the end of the night, both Lia and Nelson gave a big hug and said that we had such a beautiful wedding. Nelson said that Lia was so excited about the photographs! It’s so nice to hear when your photographer shows that much passion and emotion on things, it makes you so happy and excited. I seriously could have started crying, I was thanking them so much. We even joked about packing them in our suitcases to take them on our honeymoon so they could take pictures!

I have many favorite vendors, but I think that Imagine is the one that really stands out in my mind that day. I can never say thank you to them enough, they will be giving me my memories of our wedding for the rest of my life. When I saw just a sampling of our proofs, it literally took my breath away.

PROFESSIONAL PROOFS

I can’t even say “Some of my favorite pictures” because they are all favorites. I’m going to have a hard time when it comes time to pick our album::





















::DJ::
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DanceJock Productions, Deer Park – 10

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Rob and I had our first wedding battle when it came to the music. Rob wanted a band because he felt it would be more elegant, and I love DJs because I love the original music and sound. Rob agreed on booking a DJs for cost reasons and I let him call the shots on them. His main concern was that he did not want giveaways and he wanted an unobtrusive MC. We visited the three suggested DJ companies on our list supplied by The Woodlands and another that was suggested to me by a fellow Knottie. We ended up choosing DanceJock because we loved their videos and Danielle, who our original meeting was with, was really great and put us at ease about a low-key MC and no giveaways. Rob wanted Scott, the owner of DanceJock, to be our MC, and luckily, he was available for our date. We later meet him at a Bridal Showcase at The Woodlands and we felt totally confident in him after seeing them in action.

As with our photographer, at our final meeting with Scott, I did not give him a list of must play music, as I did not want to limit him and wanted him to feel the crowd and work based off that. I just told him various artists that we didn’t like, made a request for a few special songs, and gave the list of the bridal party and the songs we’d like to dance with our parents to.

The day of, our bridal attendant, Nicole, walked us into the ballroom while cocktail hour going on, and everything was all set up and ready to go. Scott remembered a few quick things I mentioned to him at the meeting and he confirmed them with me again and we were all set.

For the introductions, our parents and bridal party wanted into club music, I forgot the name of the song, but it was something that we trusted them with, to get everyone up and going. When Rob and I were introduced, it was to Van Halen’s “Love Walks In”. Our first dance was to “You and Me” by Lifehouse and it was amazing. Everyone loved the song, even our little ring bearer and flower girl danced together!

Scott had everyone up and dancing the whole night. When he’d see people starting to sit down, he invited everyone to the dance floor with us, and told them to get around us for “We Are Family” and it got EVERYONE up on the dance floor. He played a great mix of music, pleasing everyone, which was what we wanted. Since Rob is Polish and I’m Italian (and German and English!) he played a few Polkas and the Tarantella. We did the anniversary dance instead of the bouquet and garter toss, which everyone commented on how original it was. Rob’s aunt and uncle won the toss bouquet for being married for 60 years!

Scott came up to us after dinner and mentioned what the plans for the last set will be. They did some old school music, my cousins kept coming up to me saying they played these songs that took them back and they loved it. We received a lot of compliments on our DJ, they were really great and we can’t recommend them enough!









Professional Shots::









::FLORIST::
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Flower Michele, Mineola – 10

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There really hasn’t been anything that hasn’t been said before about John and Flower Michele. You book him, you’ll be more than happy, period. John is wonderful to work with. He’s amazingly talented, absolutely LOVES what he does and it truly shows in his work. I saw just one florist before John, and once I met with him, I booked him. Rob and I seemed to do well with this “gut feeling” with our vendors, and once I met John and he was able to turn my foggy idea of what I wanted for flowers into reality, I knew he would do everything perfectly. I ended up changing our original color scheme to something completely different and it didn’t faze John one bit. He had some great ideas in place and for someone who really wasn’t all concerned about flowers, he got me excited about our centerpieces and bouquets.

I loved my hall so much, I wanted our flowers to carry this rustic theme. For centerpieces, I knew I wanted low ones and John suggested this rustic urn, which went perfectly with the room. The week before our wedding, I get a phone call from John. The urns apparently were held up in shipping from overseas and he wasn’t sure if they would arrive in time for the wedding. I made a quick visit to him to pick out another urn, but I asked if he could match the original one as best as he can, since I liked the black finish on it so much. I think John was more upset about the situation than I was, but I knew John would do his best and I ended up loving the urn that we substituted more than the original, as I felt it was a little taller and narrower. It gave more of a rustic feel as well due to the detail. I give a lot of kudos to John for working around a tough situation and making it amazing. Since I knew I wanted to reverse the traditional with our bouquets, I had all color and my girls had all light bouquets, we decided to mimic my bouquet arrangement in the centerpieces and it came out beautiful. We had four extra centerpieces that were placed throughout cocktail hour and people actually went back in there to take them! Not one was left at the end of the night.



Our bouquets came out beautiful! My bouquet had femma roses, which were pale orange centers with pale pink outer petals, orange orchids, green verbena (I think) and cream roses. The girls had cream roses and green flowers with yellow tips, called Mint Ice. Our Moms got beautiful corsages, and I ordered three extra corsages for Rob’s other sisters, who were not in the bridal party, and an extra corsage and boutonniere for our readers. John got everything perfect right down to the color of the ribbons. He was so wonderful to work with, and I was so pleased with our flowers.








::LIMOUSINE::
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Royalty Limousines Ltd, Franklin Square – 7

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I really had a hard time reviewing our limo company, as there were a few things that happened on our wedding day that shouldn’t have and left me very upset about. I’m getting varying accounts of the story, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to grade them based off of what I did not personally see, so I will just do my best to give the account of just what my experience was.

We booked with Royalty after visiting two other companies, and getting quotes from numerous others. We dealt with Manny, who was great, and they had the cars we wanted and price was just right. We booked a 1930’s Rolls Royce bridal car, and two 10 passenger Chrysler 300’s for our parents and bridal party. We figured that after the church, each Chrysler can hold 8 each, one with 6 Groomsmen and one set of parents, the other 6 Bridesmaids and the other set of parents, and everything would work out perfectly. I even booked a limo to come back and pick up our parents and whoever was in the bridal party that didn’t have a date or ride, and requested two stops, one at my parent’s house, and the other at Rob’s parent’s house. Manny also gave us a limo instead of a town car to take us home at the end of the night.

The day of, the cars arrived clean and on time, which was very important. The drivers were friendly, but I noticed that some were a little pushy at times throughout the day. Maybe they were just rushed, but I noticed this more so at the church, before and after the ceremony. Our driver was concerned about making it in time to the hall from the church considering the tight time frame, so I made sure that everyone on my side was aware, as well as our photographer, that we needed to speed along with the receiving line, which worked out perfectly.

The drive to the church was HOT. Anyone who decided on an antique car, please take note that these cars do not have the best air-conditioning system. The air in the Rolls was basically just hot air blowing around; my step-dad was so hot he was sweating through his shirt.

We arrived at the church and were getting lined up. At rehearsal, we all were very confused on the order, so when Royalty called to confirm the dates and times, they assured me that the drivers knew the order and would line us up appropriately. It was at this point, I noticed one driver being a little pushy. I had my veil over face, he threw it back over my head, until it was time for me and my step-dad to walk down. He took my purse and bouquet and laid them to the side until we were ready, but then I had to remind someone to give me my bouquet when we were about to walk down. I later found out the next day, that Rob’s parents were already in the church, and when they noticed the line started, they jumped in front and walked down. I’m not sure if the limo driver looked for them and couldn’t find them, but I guess in all the confusion and excitement of the day, we didn’t really know what we were doing, but it really wasn’t much of an issue.

After the ceremony concluded, our photographer and videographer were really quick with the photos. Before I knew it, we walked out of the church, we were handed champagne glasses, got our pictures and were ushered in the Rolls before the rain had a chance to start and we were off to The Woodlands. After the ceremony is where I’m getting conflicting stories of what happened, since I personally was not there. All I know is, that my parents were left at the church and had got a ride with other family members to get to the reception hall. Obviously, I was upset to hear this, since it was our intention to have our parents driven in the limos to the hall.

The drive to the hall was heavy rain, I noticed our driver jumped the HOV lane, but at this point, I didn’t really care, Rob and I were enjoying champagne, talking about how I put the ring on the wrong finger. During the ride, I noticed the window fogging up a lot to the point I couldn’t see. This is another tip for those who booked antique cars, I’m not sure if these cars have the appropriate de-foggers, because I noticed our driver wiping the window with a tissue. I later found out from our bridal party, that our driver was talking to their driver on the walkie talkies, telling him he couldn’t see out the window and their driver told him to wipe the window with a tissue. Again, I was so happy at that moment, it really didn’t matter to me, it still doesn’t really matter to me, but it’s a point about these antique cars that really should be made.

We arrived at The Woodlands and they were right there with the umbrellas as we took photos. Once we were done and went inside, we couldn’t locate Rob’s back-up boutonniere, which was given to our driver with my bouquet, which I had, so it must have been left in the car, so I had to pluck some flowers from our Flower Girl basket (don’t worry, she didn’t notice, lol) and give him fresh flowers.

When the night came to an end, the was another limo driver that came back for us, and the first thing he said was that he had another pick up at Jericho Terrace, pretty much eluding that we needed to get moving. At this point, I was upset at that but I let it go and started getting our things, which Nicole, our Bridal Attendant, was so great, she already had some of our stuff and was bringing it to the car. The limo driver came back for us and rushed us again, after he finished loading the car. At that point, I was tired and annoyed but we got into the limo and left. Being a bride, I can totally understand about the need for the pick up and I wouldn’t want him to be late to Jericho Terrace, but I felt that it was the limo companies responsibility to make sure that there was adequate time between the pick ups. As we were driving out, he pulled up to the other limo that was to pick up our parents and told him that they were waiting for him. I have no idea why he was waiting off to the side, far away from the entrance to the hall, but I later found out that my parents and sisters got into a car with other family members, and that Rob’s parent’s were the only ones left so they went into the limo, and they were the last to leave. I’m sure both of our parents were confused on how things should have gone with the limos that day, and we should have reiterated the plans to them, but I really felt that even despite the confusion on our parents and bridal party’s parts, the drivers should have made sure that they were in the limos.









::BRIDAL GOWN AND SHOES::
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Bridal Reflections, Carle Place/Westbury – 9

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Dress shopping was a fun and exhausting experience. I went to two salons (one good experience and one bad) before making an appointment at Bridal Reflections. After describing the gown I was looking for, which was completely different from when I started looking, they brought out one dress and it was THE ONE. Literally. Once I put this dress on, it felt like it was mine. My Mom started tearing up and I knew this was it! They pulled out a dress by Ines DiSanto, called “Dorothy”. It was perfect. A strapless, box pleated ball gown with a soft sweat heart neckline and a little beading which was just enough for me. My bridal consultant Dana, was very helpful and great to work with. My entire experience there was a great one, I never had an issue with my dress and everything came on time, if not early, and everyone I worked with, from Dana to Amanda and my seamstress Ines, they were all wonderful.







I also bought my shoes there, Grazia’s Vanessa, in Pearl Ivory. They were pricy, but a great buy, I ended up wearing them all night long and never changed into my flip flops! They were beautiful, complimented my dress and I can definitely wear them again.





I did give a 9 just because they are a wee bit deceitful on the alterations and bustle side. Just be sure to ask A LOT of questions, especially in regards to any caps or additional costs such as cups or sewing in your bra. I ended up spending a lot more than I thought I would so just be sure to ask all your questions before ordering your dress.



::BRIDESMAIDS GOWNS::
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Bridal Reflections, Carle Place/Westbury – 7.5

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I wish I could say that we had the same experience at the same location on the bridesmaid’s side as I did on the bridal side. I decided that I wanted the girls to be able to pick their own gowns, and I choose the color. I love the Celadon color and Bill Levkoff was the only designer that had this true color with a lot of styles to choose from. I also knew that Bridal Reflections carried a large selection of Levkoff gowns.

I decided to bring the girls to Bridal Reflections because I thought that I was told that the girls would receive 10% off their gowns because I bought my gown there but after our first visit I was told that they would not do that because they are so competitively priced and that they could give each girl $10 off their gowns. Since I had two of my bridesmaids there for the first time and they chose their gowns right away and were so excited about it, I didn’t want to argue, but that $10 was not honored on all my girls.

One reason for the lower score is that on that first visit, they had my name down incorrectly in the book, so they thought that I did not show up for my appointment. We were there looking at gowns, and they weren’t really helping us, and I hear them talking behind the counter that Jennifer Wong is late and that they were going to call her and tell her not to come in. Low and behold, my cell phone starts ringing, and since I’m a geek and I have their number programmed into my phone, I see “Bridal Reflections” show up on my caller ID. So I walk over and say “Um, are you calling me?” They suddenly realized that I was there, and ran out from behind the counter and started pulling dresses.

Anyway, the girls came in one by one and ordered their gowns, there were accounts of some not-so-nice treatment there, which is why I didn’t score them higher. There was another situation with my sister, who became pregnant after we ordered the gowns, and when we needed to order a new back for her dress, a comment was made to the effect of, well, you didn’t know you were getting pregnant? or something like that. I was not there when it happened, otherwise, I would have surely said something, but a comment like that is totally not necessary and absolutely none of their business.

Overall, my girl’s gowns came in without any problems and on time, the alterations went perfectly and they all looked beautiful.





::FLOWER GIRL DRESS::
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Butterfly XC – 9

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Our flower girl was three and a half by the time of the wedding, so I didn’t want my sister-in-law to spend a lot of money on a dress for her. At the recommendation of Christine (ChrissyandRicky), we ordered a plain white organza dress through ButterflyXC.com. The dress came in perfect condition and fit her nicely. The material was just okay, but it’s simply a little girl’s dress, which is what we wanted for a very reasonable price. One thing was that the picture shows a very puffy dress, which it is not, and we needed to purchase additional crinoline to go under her skirt, but other than that, she looked adorable that day.

Like a true flower girl, she ran around that night, plucking flowers from her basket and giving them to guests::





::TUXEDOS::
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Foresto’s, Williston Park – 9

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I pretty much left the decision making in regards to the tuxedos up to Rob. He was in previous weddings and they used Foresto’s in Williston Park. He really liked the experience he had there and wanted to go back for our wedding.

Rob chose the tie and vest instead of the bowtie for himself and his groomsmen. Since my dress was off white, all the guys wore ivory shirts and classic two-button black tuxedos. Rob’s tux was a three-button jacket and his tie was ivory and the vest was champagne, and the groomsmen wore black ties and vests. Our fathers decided to wear the classic bowtie look. The ring bearer was to be in the same as the groom, with an ivory tie and champagne vest, but when my sister-in-law picked up his tuxedo, they gave him black. I didn’t know this until the day of, but he looked too cute nonetheless.

One little situation was that in regards to the ring bearer, I felt that $110 to rent a tuxedo for a three and a half year old was too much money. Since we got such a good deal on the flower girl dress, I didn’t want my other sister-in-law to spend a lot of money on something that was being rented. They brought the price down to $100, which I still wasn’t too happy about but agreed and we put the $50 deposit towards his tuxedo, so my sister-in-law would only pay $50 for him. I found out later that somehow, she ended up paying $65 when she picked up the tuxedo, so I plan on calling them to find out why she was charge the extra $15 when they brought the price down. It really wasn’t a big issue, and I can just give her the extra $15, but it was marked on the receipt that it was brought down. The price for the groomsmen’s tuxes were about average from where we looked, and it was about $50 or $60 cheaper for the fathers, and of course, Rob’s tux was free of charge.

The day before the wedding, Rob picks up his tuxedo and after me nagging him to try it on, he still didn’t want to, until one of his groomsmen told him he should and sure enough – the pants were too short and they need to exchange them. Overall, everything else went smoothly and the guys looked great!





::MOTHER OF THE BRIDE ATTIRE::
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My Daughter’s Wedding II, Great Neck – 10

My Mom had a really hard time finding a dress until she went to My Daughter’s Wedding II in Great Neck. She found a beautiful coco color Jovani gown that had just right about of beading and detail for her to love it. It was a strapless gown, which my dear Mom was self-conscious about, so they made cap sleeves on her gown and it came out beautiful! My Mom bought shoes and a bag that matched perfectly and she looked gorgeous and got so many compliments on it!

Hopefully when I get my proofs in, I can get a more detailed picture of her dress, but this is the best one so far, that shows the detailing on it::





::MAKEUP::
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Jill Harth – 8

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Although I would love nothing more to give Jill a higher score, ultimately, the day of look that was done was not what I expected it to be.

I had numerous disappointing makeup trials and I felt very confident in Jill’s ability and artistry. Being a makeup artist myself, I knew from the beginning I was going to be very picky on who I choose to do my makeup, so I started my trials early. My first trial was indeed with Jill, and she did my makeup for my engagement pictures, which came out beautiful. I love the airbrushing, which made my skin look flawless without that heavy makeup look. I went on other makeup trials that couldn’t seem to capture the look I was going for, I knew I wanted a more smoky eye look for the day of, since I’m used to wearing makeup on a daily basis. On my second trial with Jill, she completely nailed the look I wanted, and I was even more confident that she was the makeup artist for me.

The day of, since Jill was at my house doing my makeup, we were in the living room where there was more natural light and no mirror, so I could not see the process of her work. When she was about finished with my makeup, it was around the time that everyone starting arriving at my house and the commotion of the day began. She started working on my mother, and I went to check how the makeup came out. I noticed that the overall look was a lot lighter than I thought we discussed on my second trial. It seemed to me, that it was a combination of what was done for the first trial and for the second trial. Instead of the browns and pinks I wanted in the second trial, more plum colors were used, which was what we used for the first trial. I’m not sure if there was any sort of mix up, but I do take into account that Jill and I had extensive trials and we did a lot of tweaking of the looks which may have gotten lost along the way somehow. After she finished with my mom, I asked her to darken up my eyes a little, but with more brown, to which came out much better.

My mom’s makeup came out darker than she wanted, I explained to Jill that my mom doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, but it still ended up being too dark for my mom, to which Jill really lightened up for her until she was comfortable with her look.

While my Mom was getting re-touched, I ended up doing some tweaking of my own. I felt more comfortable, but it wasn’t the look I wanted for the day, and I had zero time to extensively fix it myself. The powder that was given to me for that day also was a little too light for me, I really should have brought my own, but in the hustle and bustle of the day, I really wasn’t thinking about it, I just knew I needed to start getting into my dress at this point.

I really love Jill and think she is extremely talented, but I kind of feel for the money it cost, I really should have just done my own makeup for the day. Everyone told me that my makeup looked beautiful throughout the day, but I still wasn’t 100% comfortable with how I looked. I always said I didn’t want to have to worry about my makeup on the day of, but I guess I am just way too picky for my own good, and thinking back, I probably would have been more happier and comfortable doing the looks on me that I know and what makes me feel my best.







::HAIR::
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Roseanna Amador for CosmoNY – 10

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The one thing that I didn’t expect to have a hard time with during this whole planning process was my hair. Boy, was I wrong. I went on FIVE hair trials before finding someone who could deliver the look that I was trying to go for. I’m most comfortable with my hair down, so I knew I wanted a half-up/half-down hairstyle, but most either looked too princess-y or not “enough” to go with my gown and makeup.

After many frustrating trials, my makeup artist suggested I contact Roseanna Amador, whom she worked with before and commented on how outstanding her work was. I called Roseanna and set up a trial. She came to my house and did various styles on my hair. She took a lot of time to find the right part that flattered my face best and what type of curls would work with my face. I mentioned I wasn’t big on a lot of curls, and she did very loose waves that fell nicely but didn’t look too overdone. We tried and updo to make sure that was not the way I wanted to go, and as she started to take the pins out, she did this beautiful style that I could only describe as mostly up with cascading waves. I was able to have the elegance of an updo, with the flattering look of half-up/half-down. It perfectly balanced my makeup and gown and at last, it was a style I loved.

The day of went like clockwork, Roseanna arrived early, and she started on my hair as my makeup artist was setting up. Due to the impending weather, she did a tighter curl in order to hold better throughout the day. I highly recommend her, she is truly wonderful to work with, and she takes the time to find that style that best compliments and flatters your face.

Side shot::





::VEIL::
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Barron’s at Tri County, Levittown – 10

My veil was something that I didn’t want to make a big fuss over. I knew I wanted to take it off after the first dance, so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on it. I did, however, want a veil with crystal edging, and most that I saw were out of the price range that I wanted to pay. I knew of Barron’s from the board, so I went there one day after work and ending up ordering from them. They were able to make a very simple, almost fingertip length veil with crystal edging within the price range I wanted to pay. A true no-fuss experience, it was great. I picked up my veil three weeks from when I ordered it and it was perfect. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reasonably priced veil.





::HAIR ACCESSORIES AND JEWELRY::
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Thomas Knoell, Manhasset – 10

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After the issues I had trying to find a hairstyle that didn’t look too princess-y, the last thing I wanted to wear was a tiara. I wanted to go the hair pins and combs route, only because it gave me flexibility with my hairstyle because I was so back and forth with it, and I also wanted to be able to wear the pieces again. The latter reason is why I justified going to Thomas Knoell! If anyone owns a Thomas Knoell piece, they know that his heart and soul goes into making his jewelry. They are simply stunning and he can custom make anything for you.

I made an appointment with Raquel, and I was truly amazed that Thomas meets all his brides in person to go over their selections. He is definitely someone who prides himself in his work. Thomas showed me a few pieces after we spoke briefly of what I wanted, and I selected a small comb and two orchid hair pins in the topaz crystal. The color is so natural, it literally can go with anything. Since I didn’t want to overpower the detailing on the bodice of my dress, I opted for just simple drop earrings and a beautiful crystal bracelet in matching topaz that coordinated with my hair pieces. The bracelet was remarkable, I got so many comments on how it looks barely there but shimmers, almost like the crystals were skin color and just enhanced my dress’s detailing, without overpowering it. Thomas even gave me a little discount on the bracelet since I was purchasing a few of his pieces.

If you’re looking for unique and simply stunning accessories, definitely make an appointment to see Thomas and Raquel.





::INVITATIONS::
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Invitations by Joan – 10

At the suggestion of my mother-in-law, I went to see Joan, whom two of my sister-in-laws went to for their invitations. I knew I did not want to spend a lot of money on invites, since I ultimately knew that they would be thrown away. I wanted something that would be different than your traditional wedding invitation, but something that won’t break the bank.

Joan was really great to work with, and she introduced me to Tru Weddings, which is a division of Carlson Craft. Tru Wedding invitations are very unique, beautiful and reasonably priced which is exactly what I was looking for! Rob and I selected a beautiful wildflower invite, which had mocha flowers and we picked olive green ink for the writing and it came out perfect. Working with Joan was easy, she was really great and Tru Weddings was fast and easy to deal with as well. They accidentally mixed up the font on the invites that I originally ordered, and they resent news ones that arrived within 3 days. I ended up using the “mistake” invites instead as I liked how they came out better! Definitely look into them if you are searching for distinctive invites - Tru Wedding.com. Since Joan is more a word-of-mouth vendor, if you’d like her contact number, please FM me.



::FAVORS::
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SMC Connection – 10

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I wanted to do these frosted glass photo coasters and planned on doubling the order to give a set of four, and tying them with raffia, to further the rustic theme. SMC Connection.com was a great find by Jess (CaMacho) and they had these coasters at the best price. They also had a great service – free shipping on orders over $350, which is hard to find because shipping on these things can be expensive. I was a little weary of this website, but I went ahead and ordered and they arrived within 5 days, in perfect condition. No problems whatsoever, I highly recommend them.



Jordan Almond Flowers – 10

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At my Mother’s request, I needed to have Jordan Almonds for the wedding but I didn’t want to do the traditional tulle sack. I knew of the Jordan Almond Flowers, but my DIY skills are completely nil, so I ordered from their website pre-made. I choose the Rachetti Branches, again to keep with the rustic theme and they came right on time, as expected, in great condition. Definitely worth the cost, especially if you don’t have the time or patience to make them yourself.



::PLACE CARDS::
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MyMMs.com, Michael’s and Myself!– 10

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This was a last minute decision I made. I love M&Ms and decided to order personalized ones for the wedding but didn’t know where to place them. I already had the coasters and the Jordan almond flowers, so I decided to make these into our place cards. I went to Michael’s and bought the candy tins with printable stickers. If I would have had more time, I would have made the sticker a little more decorative than just having the names, I would have liked to have our last initial in the background but I couldn’t get it to fit properly with the names on top so I just went ahead without it. It wasn’t 100% what I wanted, but everyone loved the idea. I should have saved some for us!





::MENUS AND PROGRAMS::
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All Me and Michael’s! – 10

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Okay, so I’m gonna toot my own horn here because I know I said above that my DIY skills were nil, but at least I was able to knock out our ceremony programs and menus! They’re definitely not the best DIY projects that I’ve seen on this board but it got the job done. The menus were a nice touch at the reception and people thought I had the ceremony programs made professionally. I received the template from Christine (AutmBride) and used plain white cardstock from Michael’s and left over raffia for the binding. I made our monogram in Word to match the fonts on our invites. Very simple, and easier than I thought, although I was up until 1:30 in the morning, two days before the wedding, tying those programs! Go me. LOL









::HONEYMOON::
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Greece ~ Crete, Mykonos & Athens – TBD

We delayed our honeymoon so that we can piggyback it to a trip to Scotland for DH’s cousin’s wedding. Full details when we get back in the beginning of July!



I hope this review is helpful, despite all the little things that occurred, my day was nothing short of spectacular, and I again encourage every bride-to-be to take your day for all it’s worth. I remember every single little thing that happened that day. I got to talk to my guests, dance and even eat, it was wonderful!

Once I get more photos, I’ll definitely add them!

Thanks for looking!
Jen & Rob

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Spectacular. Simply gorgeous.

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Beautiful!!! Sounds like you had an amazing wedding. On a side note, I also ordered all my flowergirl dresses through the same vendor and was very happy.

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

What an awesome and to the point review! Thank you! Everything looked amazing! Congrats!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Sounds like you had an amazing day - Congratulations-everything looked beautiful!!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

beautiful!!!! your pics where so nice.
I lovedddd your gown and your creative ideas for the favors and reception. Very elegant!!!!

Congrats

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

WOW Your pics are just amazing!!!!!!! Your review is wonderful

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Great Review...you look beautiful

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Congrats! Everything looked beautiful especially you!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

great review

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

it looked like a spectacular wedding! LOVED your dress! So pretty!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

What a great review

ETA: I heart the red umbrella, your shoes and the raffia (I may return my white ribbon and get raffia!). Best pictures I have seen yet!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

WOW! After seeing your review.. I really don't mind if it rains now!! I never thought I would ever say that! Those pics are so romantic in the rain! That was a GREAT review! You looked stunning!! Congrats!!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

I am speechless! What a beautiful bride and a stunning day!!

Congratulations!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Great review! Thank you!!!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

Beautiful! Congrats!
Your wedding gift to your DH is fantastic! As another bride who's a Yankee fan that married a Mets fan, I can sympathize with you! What a totally selfless gesture, you're much nicer than me

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

You looked gorgeous!

Sorry to hear about your problems with Royalty. I booked them as well, and will be sure to be extremely specific with them about timelines. Thanks for being honest about that...It wil hopefully save the rest of us some headache!

Congrats! and enjoy your HM!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

everything was absolutely gorgeous! including you and your new husband!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

wow great review!!!
Love all the pictures!!!
CONGRATS!!!!!

Re: Our Amazing 6.2.06 Wedding! The Woodlands, Imagine Studios, Flower Michele, DanceJock and more!

I can't say it enough - absolutely gorgeous I'm in love with your bo-k!!