Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

I know its cliché… but July 3rd was the best day of my life! Let me start off by saying, I used to be an avid poster, but I found I was getting too caught up in the “wedding” and not focusing enough on the marriage that I stopped posting as much on LIW. However, this sight has been a HUGE help to me. And without the imagination and inspiration from other users, my wedding would not have been what it turned out to be. So I have to thank Ron and Liz for creating this website. And I would like to thank the 08ers for their advice and creativity.

Our Engagement Party:
March 3 2007- Chateau La Mer Lindenhurst, NY
A +++++++++
We had our eparty at Chateau La Mer in Lindenhurst in the upstairs room with about 75 guests. We looked at tons of places for this party, and Nick was able to work with our minimum and our price to accommodate our needs. Chateau La Mer is beautiful. We were concerned that being we were the smaller party that we may not get the attention we wanted, since a wedding was going on at the same time. But this was not the case. Our BM was incredibly accommodating, and even asked my guest if they wanted seconds on dinner. The food was incredible. People called me the day after to tell me how wonderful everything was. So if you are considering having a party at Chateau La Mer I highly recommend it. You couldn’t even hear the other party going on downstairs!

Balloons A++
I used 3 balloons as centerpieces. The company delivered them on time. They were set up before I got there. They even gave extra balloons to place on the dance floor. Definitely no problems here.

Unlimited Entertainment C-
I can’t say this company was horrific. However, I feel that they just didn’t understand what I was looking for. I priced out a couple of DJs, and although this company was a little bit more for a basic package, I felt they understood what I was looking for. But at the engagement party, we felt no one was dancing, they didn’t play songs on the play list, and even played things I didn’t ask them to play. What was even more disturbing is that after my eparty I wrote the review on LIW, and the owner called me up disputing my interpretation of how things went. I found this very unprofessional and disturbing. I never returned his call. I never asked for money back. I just didn’t think they did what they promised.

Favorwarehouse.com- Party Favors- A+
We ordered wine stoppers from favorwarehouse.com. They got them delivered in a timely fashion. And they were the least expensive.


The Bridal Shower:
April 12 2008- HR Singletons Bethpage, NY
A++++++
My shower was not a surprise. My mom lives in Staten Island, so it was hard for her to select a location without my assistance. Again, we had a problem with meeting minimums from other locations we looked at. Singletons worked with us with the minimum since we were using The Woodlands as our wedding venue which is owned by the same person as Singletons. I had a brunch shower with champagne punch and a dessert table that was incredible! I never took a picture of the table, but they had everything from carrot cake to cannolis on it. It was definitely an awesome time. My mom and my sister did a great job on it.

DH stayed for a bit so we could torture him lol


Bachelorette Party- Atlantic City-A+++++++++++++
One word…. Trouble.

Although I wouldn’t recommend staying at The Tropicana.

Rehearsal Dinner- Thom Thom- Wantagh, NY A+++++++++++
We figured, why not. Singh Hospitality owns The Woodlands and HR Singletons, so why not keep it all in the family? And we weren’t disappointed. We used the private room upstairs and had about 20 people. We went with their least expensive menu and did a beer and wine package. I was shocked to learn that Thom Thom gives any type of bottled beer. Most places just do tap. The food was terrific. My SIL and one of my BM are soooo picky when it comes to food. And they both RAVED about the Kung Pow Chicken!



Save the Dates- Vistaprint.com and AC Moore invitations A++++
I decided to send out save the dates due to the fact that we were getting married on a holiday weekend. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money, so I used Vistaprint.com and a promotion code and ordered the small magnets for about 22 cents each! However, I thought the small magnets were REALLY small. So in order to make it look more “professional” I went to AC Moore and I printed my own STD cards and envelopes. All together I think I spent $50 on 100 STDs. Not bad, eh?

Invitations, Menus, Programs, and Placecards- Katie&Chris2006 A++++++++++++
I spent countless days looking through websites, catalogs, and ordering samples from places for invitations…. And nothing. I couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars for invitations for oot guests that we knew were not coming, and for invites that we knew were just going to get thrown in the garbage after the wedding. I saw a post from Jetfan1521 saying she used Katie, and I thought why not just give it a shot and contact her. Not only are her prices fair but her work is amazing. I had friends calling me up saying that they don’t get excited over invitations, but mine were beautiful. And I have to agree.

DH was so impressed with the way our menu looked.

From the start I told Katie I wanted fan programs. I sent her a picture of what I had in mind, but never had I imagined that they would look so fantastic.



My Dress- Eve of Milady- NY Bridal Couture – Staten Island, NY A-
I started trying on dresses over a year before the wedding. I had no clue what I wanted. After countless outings, my mind was dead set on satin and lace with no beading. But I still didn’t find “the one.” My mom turned me on to NY Bridal Couture after exhausting every option on LI. My salesperson Lisa was truly incredible. She convinced me into trying on something I was so against, and I ended up falling in love with it.
The reason I did not give them any pluses is because I felt like the dress could have been altered better. I told the seamstress at every fitting that I wanted beading down the back. It wasn’t until I picked it up that this was done. I was also never told how to unpack my dress after picking it up, and the train was wrinkled in my opinion. My mom was pissed the morning of, but at that point I just didn’t care.

DOJ, Veil, and Comb - NY Bridal Couture and Barrons Tricounty- A++++++++++

I got both my veil and earring where I purchased my dress. My veil came in for my first fitting, but it was wrong. I wanted it double tiered so I could leave the blusher on during the reception, but they were quick to correct it. I am so happy I left on the blusher till after the cake was cut and dessert was served. Especially since my dress was fitted.

I got my bracelet at the booth when you first walk in near the bridal booth. I first ordered a bracelet from annabellagio.com. Then I was nervous the pearls wouldn’t match the color of my dress, so I quickly returned it. They were great on returns and I would definitely order from them again. So I picked a small cz bracelet. It was a great price, and my mom went back and got her earrings from the same woman.

I got my comb from Barrons bridal booth. The price was great and I fell in love with it right away. They even threw in a blue garter!

My Moms Dress- Sugarplum- Lynbrook, NY- C
I loved my moms dress, but our initial service was horrible. The lady was rude and condescending, and we were actually about ready to walk out the door until we started dealing with the owners wife. My mom loved the dress, so as long as she was happy I was. But after the way the first saleswoman treated us, I will never shop in that store again.


MIL dress- Macys Demetrios Bridal Salon- Manhasset, NY A+
The dress fit her and she looked great. The service was great. Nothing to complain about.


Groom and GM Tuxedos- Dire Tuxedos- Franklin Square, NY- C
Not one single GM had anything nice to say about this place. Most said they were like rude used car salesmen. We were annoyed that we were in the store maybe 3 times, and they called DH a few days before the wedding to say he needed to leave his credit card info on file. DH and the GM looked great. I’m sorry they had a bad experience.


Groomsmen Gifts- Bed Bath and Beyond- A+++
We got the groomsmen each crystal decanters. They were beautiful and the price was right! They came 3 in a box and we just individually wrapped each of them.

Bridesmaids- Davids Bridal- Westbury, NY- D
The reason I did not give them an F is because my girls dresses did arrive on time. However, their customer service is horrible. According to a manager at Davids Bridal… alteration appt had to be made when the dress was purchased. But 3 of my 4 girls ordered them at different times and NONE of them were told that. So when the dresses came in during “busy” season, late may, I was told the dresses would be ready to be picked up AFTER my wedding date. My mom and I had a huge fight with different managers, and we ended up getting the dresses in late June right before the wedding. I am convinced my sisters dress was never altered, since the only alteration necessary were on the top and it was still too big. But at that late in the game there was nothing we can do about it.


Bridesmaids Jewelry- 1928.com- A++++
I got my girls chandelier earrings and necklace from 1928. I wanted to get them something that I would want to wear over and over again. So I kept this in mind when making the selection.
Bridesmaids Jewelry Boxes- Lenox.com- A++++
Quick shipping, and beautiful merchandise at a great price!

Hair- Jen the Hair Genie- A++++++
I had my trial with Jen a year before the wedding. I booked with her immediately. She knew exactly how I wanted my hair to be.
She came to the hotel room the morning of fully prepared and ready to go. She is extremely talented and has an amazing personality.
She knows her stuff. When she was done with my hair I was actually unhappy cause I thought it was too curly. She kept saying not to worry, and that they will fall. And oh am I glad I listened to her! They fell by the time I got to the ceremony, and by the end of the night they were almost completely out! I would definitely recommend her.

Makeup- Makeup by Oksana- A ++++++
Who could book Jen without Oksana?? Also extremely talented. Everyone said how perfect my makeup looked. Natural with a touch of glam!
3 of my 4 bridesmaids, my mom, and MIL used her. All of them looked amazing!

Night before and Night of Suite- Four Point Sheraton- Plainview, NY- A
The rooms were clean and beautiful. They were very accommodating. The only thing that irked me was that the suite was allllllllllllll the way down the hall, so I had a loooong walk to the hotel entrance. Also beware that if any of your blocked guest rooms charge to their room, you may get the bill. Fortunately only one of our guests charged breakfast to the room, so it was no big deal. But maybe you want to clarify this when you check in just in case. But I would definitely recommend them.


Mother Nature A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I had a beautiful day… it was hot, but not humid, and it didn’t rain. If it did rain I was prepared, cause really there is nothing you can do about it.

Church- St Brigids- Westbury, NY- A++++++++++++++
I really shouldn’t rate my church, but we had such a great experience with them its hard not to.
Precana was excellent. I was so scared about it, but I have to say, it was one of the greatest experiences during the planning process.
The church itself is gorgeous. And Father Ralph gave a short and beautiful homily. I am happy to belong to this parish.







Limos- Royalty Limos- Franklin Square, NY B-
We got an antique Rolls Royce, a Hummer, and a Shuttle bus for our wedding. The drivers were both prompt and on time, and the cars were clean. The drivers were courteous, and mine was so funny and calming. We got lucky that we didn’t have an extremely hot day, cause girls… I gotta tell you…. Even though the air conditioning in the old cars are “refurbished” they are still damn hot! I definitely do not recommend them for the summer months. But this was the least of our problems…
When we got to reception at 6:30… both parents came up to the car screaming that the shuttle never showed up to the hotel. When we asked the limo driver he said they are a different company and knows nothing about it. The best man called Royalty immediately, and they told him to have us call them after the honeymoon. I was a little annoyed at this statement, but I can’t be 100% sure of the conversation since I wasn’t on the phone. Fortunately, most of the relatives were from Jersey or Brooklyn, so people had cars to go to The Woodlands in. DHs father actually made 2 trips to the hotel to pick up people. So it wasn’t a major catastrophy, but it still was a huge inconvenience. Especially to the guests who wanted to drink.
We also had a limo pick us up at the end of the night. And the driver actually asked DH where his tip was. Now not like it was his fault, but A. We were still bitter about the shuttle experience, B. Did I not pay 20 % gratuity already?, and C. You just ASKED me where your tip was. We thought this was so rude. But we were buzzed, so we weren’t annoyed that long lol.
Royalty ended up refunding us the money, so in the end they did the right thing.




Florist- LA Blossom Huntington, NY-A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I cannot believe how amazing my flowers were! This was the only vendor I was a little nervous about (not much, but a little). The Woodlands (like most halls) require insurance for outside vendors. And when I met with the BM to do drop offs a couple of days before the wedding, she said she was still waiting for LA Blossoms insurance, so I was starting to get scared. Laurie assured me she would take care of it, and she came through in a major way.
When my BOKs were delivered… my jaw dropped! I am not impressed by flowers in the least. Hell, I know nothing about them. But the size and the color and the quantity of the roses in the BOKs were incredible!
My centerpieces were beautiful! We used roses, hydrangeas, and little green yoko onos (Laurie suggested them) in tall square vases, and they looked so seasonal. And the colors went great with The Woodlands. Everyone kept complimenting me on how fabulous they were.
I would definitely suggest using Laurie as your florist. She was the least expensive, most personable, and most creative one I met with!

DJ-Bravura -Woodbury, NY A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My favorite vendor…..
I saw Bravura at the first bridal showcase I ever went to. I walked in and immediately was pulled over by Paul who asked whether I was thinking DJ or band. I always knew I wanted a DJ, so I told Paul… And he said to me, “Well how bout both?” We saw them perform and I was taken back. I knew immediately that I wanted to use them. They were the only vendor that I met with only ONE of, and booked immediately. I didn’t shop around, that’s how much they impressed me…. And man, did I get the correct impression. THEY ROCKED IT! We pretty much booked all of their services, cause DH and I were big club people, and we didn’t want to skimp on entertainment.
We had Island Mystic do cocktail hour. DH and I attended about half of it, and after all the “Congratulations” and “You look amazing” we heard, “Whos this band? They’re incredible!” I think having Island Mystic set the stage for our wedding. And our guests knew we were ready to have fun.
We used Tony as the MC, the DJ, the Saxophone player, and Percussionist. The saxophone and the percussion were so worth the money. They definitely took the music to a different level. They also add a bit of unique and flair to your typical DJ. We added the sax on a month or so before the wedding. And I am glad we did.
Tony was excellent. He got the crowd going, and kept coming up to us to ask how things were going.
We also booked their intelligence lighting which really gave the room a beautiful pink ambiance.
The DJ was off the hook! He had people on the dance floor alllll night. During our eparty when no one was dancing, DH and I kept worrying if everyone was having a good time. Before the wedding I said we cannot worry about everyone this time. But in all honesty, we didn’t have to. Everyone was out there dancing. And that’s what a quality DJ should be able to do.
Paul sang during our down times. Our guests didn’t realize the Island Mystic singer and Dinner singer were the same person lol. It was a pleasure to listen to him sing while weI enjoyed our entrée. It also added special element to our wedding.
I wasn’t too sold on the idea of having the zap shots and the plasmas. But DH insisted on it. I am so happy I listened to him. The picture quality was amazing! People thought the photographer were streaming the photos, not the DJ! At the end of the night, Tony handed DH the CD of all the images. And we had 160 pictures to have on our honeymoon! I am so happy I let DH get his way on this one!
There is nothing nice I can’t say about Bravura. I was so impressed with them that I called after the wedding to say how happy I was I booked with them. Some guests called us and said it was the best wedding they have ever been to. They truly made our wedding everything we were hoping it would be and more.
Some of the Zap Shots:








Photographer- Sherwood Triart Photography Woodbury, NY- B
I looked at several different photogs before selecting Sherwood Triart. We originally booked them because the quality seemed incredible, and the pictures looked photojournalistic and magnificent. They were a bit more expensive then the other places we had looked at, but we felt it was worth it.
Fast forward to the day of the wedding….
The photographer arrived on time. We had Fred and Pete was his assistant. We were all running a little late. My parents arrived late coming from Staten Island, and Jenn and Oksana coming from Queens hit the same traffic. No biggie. The antique limo arrived on time, but the one that picked up the guys had still not arrived. My mom was the last to get hair and makeup done, and I refused to get ready without her. At some point the photographer pulled me in the room, and said look we’re running late… I’m going to head over to the church. I WASN’T EVEN DRESSED YET! I said, well aren’t you supposed to be here taking pictures of me. He ended up staying, but come on now… if we’re all running late, what are you going to the church for? To sit in your car and wait for us to arrive???
We took some pictures at the Planting Fields, and our time was running out on the limo, so DH and I cut it short. We arrived back at The Woodlands, to take some pictures with our families, and my dad ended up almost fainting. I guess it was the emotion of the day and the heat, but all of a sudden my dad turned green, started stuttering his speech, and said he had to sit down. We stripped off his tux and the bridal attendant ran to get him water. Thank God he ended up ok… but after this I said OK no more photos. We were trying to get everyone together for a big family shot… I said to Fred that we’ll get it later, and he said something like they’ll be not time for that later. But yeah… we got that pic anyways.
DH and I also wanted to take some quick pictures as the sunset. We were outside for like 15 minutes, then we finally said we had enough. We wanted to go back in and enjoy the reception. The photographer said, well I don’t have enough pictures of just the two of you. That got me real annoyed… you were just with me from 1pm to around 7pm and you don’t have enough pictures of us?? Well then that’s not our fault, but his.
We got back the proofs, and while I love them, theres still a lot of pictures I felt went missing. I never made a “must take” list, and maybe I should have.







Videographer- Sherwood Triart Woodbury, NY- Pending Video
We didn’t get our video back, but we never even felt like she was there! That’s great in my book. One time we went to a wedding where the video was right on top of us the entire time… It gets real annoying. So far so good.

Cake- Francescos Bakery- Hicksville, NY- A++++++++++++
Francescos was on the bakeries that does the cakes for The Woodlands. We arrived early for the tasting, and the girls there were nice enough to let us try everything under the sun. We had cannolis, brownies, cookies… by the time we had the tasting we were stuffed! We went with a cake in their package. We had vanilla with strawberries and custard. DH loved the cannolis so much that The Woodlands replaced their apple crisp on their tasting plate with a cannoli from Francescos! DH and I will definitely be using Francescos for all our bakery needs in the future. They are just fantastic.


Cake Topper- Jbrazzi Ebay Seller- A++++++
I really wanted to stick with our monogram theme, and I wanted a “A” cake topper but they were all so expensive. I stumbled upon this seller and not only were they the most reasonable, but they were the only seller to do the “A” in chopin script. And since my invites, placecards, programs, menus, matchbooks all had the “A” in chopin… I really wanted to stay with the same font. It arrived on time, and was stunning.

Favors- Favorwarehouse.com, CVS, PartyCity for favor bags- A+++++
I owe my LIW girls big for this one! Especially SoontobeMrsD. I decided on ordering ice cream scoops for favors. DH loves icecream and in liu of summer I thought it was perfect. I had a great experience with favorwarehouse.com, so I went with them again. They arrived in no longer than 2 weeks, packaged in a cute little black box and ready to go.
But I felt it wasnt enough. So I was going to try to find bowls, but then decided it was too expensive. So thanks to the girls, I decided to go by CVS, and I bought sprinkles on sale for 77 cents, printed cute little labels, packaged them in bags, and I was done! Thanks again ladies.

La Rosa Cubana Cigars- New York, NY- A+
DH loves his cigars, and I wanted so bad to surprise him with a roller. We were talking about doing an “after hours” from the beginning, not for the whole reception, but for a small group of people, and I thought this would add the prefect touch. I didn’t want 100 cigars, and most places offered only this package. I found La Rosa on LIWeddings, and they offered a 50 cigar package which was perfect. They set up and arrived on time, and gave me nothing to worry about. The only thing was that I paid for the custom wrapper, and I didn’t realize till after the wedding that they weren’t on them. Not a huge deal, but it was extra. It did provide the perfect end to a perfect night.


Last but not least
The Woodlands Woodbury, NY A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DH and I looked at almost every hall in Nassau county. We had a real hard time finding a hall that would allow us to have an evening wedding without having to guarantee 125 people. DH has a really small family (only 5 people attended) and we knew this would be a stretch to make. After several trips to several different halls, we visited The Woodlands. We instantly fell in love with its turn of the century charm, and the fact that it was on amazing grounds. We booked with Maureen who was absolutely wonderful, and she was able to provide us with 110 person minimum on a Monday- Thursday. Thankfully July 3rd fell in a Thursday, so we booked immediately. Maureen left a short while after and I was absolutely stunned. I received no call from The Woodlands, but found out via this website. We were then working with Stefan who had a short stay there as well, we never even met him. Then they had us working with Margaret. Right before our tasting we found out Margaret was no longer there either. I started getting real concerned. We met Eirika at our tasting, and made her promise she wouldn’t leave! I’m glad she didn’t cause she was really sweet and knew her stuff.
The food at The Woodlands is absolutely incredible. You really feel like you’re eating at a restaurant rather than a catering hall. We were fortunate enough to get all 3 entrees for dinner, so we got to sample each one. We were dead set on salmon, but Woodlands girls, you have to have their sea bass! IT IS AMAZING! People were raving about the food.
Aside from incredible food, and am amazing atmosphere… the staff at The Woodlands is phenomenal. I mentioned above that my dad got really sick when we were taking pictures… the bridal attendant (I forgot her name) was really concerned about him. When my parents got into cocktail hour the bridal attendant actually went and made both my parents plates of food so they can both rest. She was also the first one to run over to the bar and get him glasses of water and orange juice. They also kept asking us if everything was ok. Every time I turned around another drink was on the table. I could not have imagined having my reception anywhere else. It really is your home for the day!










So that’s it! I hope you enjoyed it! My advice to future brides is to relax and enjoy your day. Things will go wrong…. Expect them to. But as long as everyone is healthy everything is going to be ok. Be thankful that you have your parents and family, and that you’re marrying your best friend!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

Awesome review. You looked so gorgeous. Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

Congrats......great review!! thanks for sharing it with us

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

nice review, congrats!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

Great review- do you have pictures of your program fans?

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

gorgeous! it looked like you and your guest had an awesome time!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

GREAT review!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

everything looked so great. glad you had such a lovely time. thanks for the review

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

your engagement dress was meant for you!!!great review! congrats date twin!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

gorgeous!!!

Re: Our July 3rd Wedding! The Woodlands, Sherwood Triart, Bravura, LA Blossom,Royalty, and Many more!

Fantastic review!!
I love hearing good things about the Woodlands!!!