Our October Fall 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the party ride, Dortoni's, magnetstreet, Mormile Florist, Lillette's Bridal

LIW: I know everybody says the same thing…but I don’t know what I would have done without this site. Whether it was to share ideas, give and get opinions, do research or debate the tackyness of icicle lights…this site has saved me from insanity.








The Bridal Shower
Venue: Bridgeview Yacht Club A++++++
I had never been to Bridgeview Yacht club before so I went in with no previous knowledge or opinions on the locale. The room was prefect and the staff was AMAZING! Everyone, even the waiters and bartenders were so pleasant and accommodating, it made for a wonderful vibe.

Macys Bridal Registry: A
There were some issues with my address reverting back to my old address…but the problem was solved and I received all of my gifts. Only 1 gift came late on their part. The service at the Bridal Registry center at Roosevelt Field was great.

Preparation Details:





The Dress, hair clips & veil:
The Vendor : Lillette’s Bridal A+
dress designer: Jasmine Couture
Lynette was the salesperson I worked with and she was WONDERFUL! So willing to try on as many dresses as needed to find THE one. She was never pushy and she never rushed me. I had been to other “higher end” bridal shops where I felt like the salespeople acted inconvenienced by my presence and I never felt that way at Lillette’s. My alterations came out wonderfully and I am STILL in love with my bustle. I highly recommend them. They also took care of one of my BM dresses and the FG dress.


The Shoes: Colorful Creations
The Vendor: Bridal Shoe Boutique B+
The selection was decent and they handled my sale quickly and the owner was nice. However…the salesman was weird and obnoxious. I didn’t take my shoes back to them to be dyed even though it would have been free. The shoes themselves were VERY comfortable and I kept them on the entire day and night!



The Earrings: The Look Boutique, Oceanside A+

I had been eyeing these earings in the window for a few days and finally gave in. They are GORGEOUS and matched back to everything perfectly. The price wasn’t out of this world and the owner was very nice and helpful.


The purse: Franchi @ www.perfectdetails.com

the purse was a gift from my MIL...it arrived quickly and it is gorgeous!


The Tuxes: Feldman Esquire Tuxedo’s, Lynbrook A+
The owner was so patient and the tuxes looked AMAZING on the guys! My DH looked so Handsome and so did all the GM’s and family members…I was so proud of my boys!


BM Dresses:
The girls dresses were by Bill Levkoff and were Euro Cinnamon with champagne sashes. The girls got their dresses at various bridal shops including RK Bridal, Lillette's and netbride.com


Save The Date’s : Magnetstreet.com A+
…they were so fast and it came out so nice. I was VERY happy with this service.


Invitations: DIY (supplies from cardsandpockets.com)



Favors: Fortunoff’s A+
my MIL ordered these votive holders in sets of five. We ordered 40 sets and she helped me write “Mel & Joe 10.18.08” on each one and put different fall colored organza ribbons on them. They looked really pretty on the tables and we had labels made for white bags that our guests were given towards the end of the evening to put their favors in.

The wedding day:






Limos: Camelot Limos : A++
I cannot say enough about how fabulous Joe was to work with. He’s an honest guy and very up front. He worked around the schedules they had which were very tight but he made it work so we could have our dream wedding day…classic cars and all. Our drivers were great! I loved the rolls Royce and of course the party bus for drop off was fab.


Party bus: The Party Ride: A
The bus was clean, the driver was nice…we all LOOOVED the bus…in fact…DH says he never wants a limo again…only party buses from now on. but there was one thing that annoyed me. They did not even offer me the option to stock the bar. I assumed it was included in the price for a wedding bc they never even mentioned it was an option. Sooooo…we had to make an impromptu pitstop at the liquor store for alcohol and sodas. Because of this pitstop plus us getting lost on the CW post campus…we only had 20 mins to take pics at cw post. It’s because of this I had to lower the grade because to this day I’m upset that we missed out on pictures by the beautiful brick arches in the garden of c.w. post.





















St. Agnes Cathedral: A+++++++++++++++++++++
You can’t really rate a church…but this is the parrish my parent in laws were married at as well as sister in law. I received my Communion and confirmation there this past easter and I really enjoy being there. It’s a beautiful church and I feel at home there. Father Andrzej was sooooooo great. I was so focused on his words and everybody said they loved him. He is such a captivating speaker. He put me at ease throughout the whole process.











Jericho Terrace: A++++++++++++++++
(not enough words can express how much I recommend them)
Banquet Manager: Anthony
Maitre D: Jose
Bridal attendants:

WOW! WOW! WOW! What an amazing event they put together. They were so on point I cannot even begin to tell you all the details as to how on point they were. As soon as my bus arrived outside my bridal attendants were already there waiting on me. The bridal attendants had loads of food ready for us and they cleaned my dress as I stuffed my face. They were always there to grab my bouquet or refill my drink…I was so not used to that level of service. I LOVED MY GIRLS…AND IF ANYONE AT JT READS THIS …THEY DESERVE A NICE HOLIDAY BONUS!!! The main manager ROB was so pleasant to work with and really helped us out when we were concerned about being way under our minimum. We booked Jericho Terrace because they made us feel like family when we walked in for the first time…and even after leaving the event…we STILL feel like we have family at Jericho Terrace. If that’s not an example of how to do business…I don’t know what is.
The FOOD…OMG THE FOOD…it was out of this world and people are still talking about it. I especially loved the cheese tortellini at cocktail hour. People are still talking about the Chocolate fountain! Also, Everything was clean! I have been to events where I didn’t want to eat or drink because of a dirty dish or a foggy glass…but this is not a problem at JT…the entire hall and everything in it was gleaming clean!
ANTHONY & JOSE…I cannot thank them enough for making everything go so smoothly and stress free. They are such seasoned professionals at what they do I’d hate to think of what this wedding could have been without them.


Hair & Makeup: A+++++
Michaelangelo’s salon & spa, Rockville Centre




Hair:MARIA
Maria did my hair and we had never done a trial. I went in with a picture of mrsbartontobe’s hair from her wedding review because it was EXACTLY what I envisioned for my wedding day. She did her own version of it and got it done in record time considering my hair wasn’t straightened in advance and we were pressed for time. I was extremely happy with my hair and with the exception of 1 loose curl…it stood in place all night.


Makeup: ANNA
Anna did my makeup and I have never felt so beautiful in my life as I did on my wedding day. I went in with a picture of Jessica alba…I said I wanted a light, natural look with just a glow to it. I think she really gave me exactly what I was looking for and we had never even had a trial.








Flowers: A++++++
Mormile Florist, Rockville Centre, NY
I worked with the owner, Matt Mormile. Matt was a pleasure to work with and he doesn’t try to inflate you with any crazy fairytale dreams or anything. He straight up asked me what I was going for…gave his opinion where it was needed and delivered a product that met our budget and expectations. I have never really cared much about flowers. My attitude was “they’re gonna die anyway” …but I understand the need to “set a mood” in an event. I wanted something that fit a fall theme without being a “blatantly planned, cheesey over-the-top fall theme” and I feel that is exactly what I got. My bouquet was made of Mango calla lilies with brown hipericum berries and Italian ruscus. My bridesmaids bouquets were comprised of “Friendship” roses and Italian Ruscus. The Friendship roses are GORGEOUS in the fall as the color deepens to a golden mango color on the inside and deep redish rust on the tips. It was the perfect combination for the fall wedding. At the church we had 8 planters of Mums with cattail and wheat fillers. It looked simple but beautiful…just how I wanted it. People kept commenting on how beautiful and full the flowers on my Dais and cake were. The centerpieces were unique and while it wasn’t what I initially envisioned …the centerpiece design grew on me and I’m glad I trusted Matt because when it was all set up…I felt so good about my decision to use Mormile.



















Photography:FINE A R T Photography, Westbury A+++++
Photographers: Lisa , Lance
It’s funny because when I started looking at Photographers…I cared the most about the photography. I went to quite a few photographers and spoke to even more online. I originally thought I would 100% book with Sherwood Triart. As we looked around a bit more we realized how overpriced Sherwood Triart was. While the photography they showed us was AMAZING…we knew there were TONS of photographers in NY to choose from and we were sure we could find an amazing fairly unknown photographer willing to expand their portfolio for a lot cheaper…so we nixed the idea of booking Sherwood. All the while I had been getting voicemails from Fine A R T photography about how they were the recommended house photography vendor for JT. I passed them off as despirate for their several voicemails until one day when I saw some photos and decided to meet with them and just see what they had to offer. I was blown away when they showed me albums of other JT brides they had photographed and I was even more happy when I saw their more reasonable prices. I got them to throw in an engagement photo shoot and I LOVED our E-pics. They were there outside my house waiting to snap pics as I was pulling up to the house in my car from the hair and makeup appointment. They were friendly, professional and helped keep me at ease. They didn’t get in the way and I have soooooooo many proofs and there are so many great shots to choose from!









DJ: Starlight Express
Emcee: Steven
Starlight express did not let me down. They are so professional and just amazing at what they do. I can honestly say I had a BLAST at my own wedding. They kept the dance floor packed and everybody had smiles on their faces. Our guests were really enjoying themselves and they told us over and over again that it was the best wedding they had ever been to.


The Cake: Dortoni's Bakery, Levittown A+++
Dortoni's is the vendor that JT automatically uses. we chose a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and chocolate swirls. The filling was Canolli and chocolate Canolli...it was SOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! I wish I had more right now!

Other odds and ends:
Favor bags: bagsandbowsonline.com
Labels for favor bags : myownlabels.com
Ring pillow: ebay vendor:
Cardbox: DIY project



Cake Topper: Ling’s Moment A
I went through A LOT of back and forth and I even cried over this cake topper. We went back and forth about 4 times with different versions and they just couldn’t seem to get it right…but the reason I cannot give them a low grade is because no matter how much time it took…they were always willing to try again and do whatever it took to get it right and meet my standards. What they do is truly an art and I know what they do is not easy…so as long as they made the necessary corrections and got the product to me on time and up to my expectations…I’m happy. It now sits on my fireplace mantle and everybody thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen at a wedding.

more photos:

































THE HONEYMOON: St. Lucia, West Indies A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Travel tom
I can only start by saying …Our honeymoon is something we will NEVER, EVER forget. We both had such and amazing time in St. Lucia. We were so relaxed that after over 8 years together…it reminded us of when we first fell in love…without the stresses of everyday burdens.









Ladera resort:A++++++++++++++++++++++++ (wish there was a higher grade to give)
Ladera is nothing short of heaven on earth. The room, the scenery, the staff…everything was BREATHTAKING! Ladera has only 21 suites…and while it is the resort of choice for big name celebrities…it is fairly exclusive. There were only 9 couples staying the weekend we were there and I am forever grateful for those 2 days of relaxation and privacy directly following the wedding. Also, because there were no t.v’s or radios in the room…it gave us the opportunity to focus on each other, on our surroundings and the FOOD!!! The staff at Ladera are so genuine & kind…I especially loved Petula…she served us at the bar and at dinner time. The best drink I had there was the “lovely lady” which was a concoction of banana, crème de cocoa, coconut rum cream, milk and I can’t recall what else. The food at Ladera’s restaurant is OUT OF THIS WORLD and everybody on the island or who has ever been there knows it. I have not stopped talking about the “Soufriere Cocoa Poulet” which is roast chicken in a chocolate ginger jus with potatos.MMMMMMMMMMMMM. I remember reading about Ladera and thinking “oh it’s not all inclusive, we can’t afford it” but we did and it really wasn’t that much more expensive than an all inclusive…I especially thank travel tom for letting us know we could shorten our stay at Sandals and add 2 days at ladera for close to what we would have originally paid for just sandals. we just couldn’t afford to stay there for the full length of our stay and I was sad to say goodbye to Ladera.






Sandals Regency La Toc: B+
Regency is a beautiful resort with a lot to offer and for an all inclusive resort it was great. However, after experiencing Ladera…it is hard to compare the two. Sandals had TONS of couples and it was a little less intimate of a feeling. Your days are a bit more scheduled as there is some sort of activity or entertainment ever half hour…which is great, but it felt kind of like a “honeymoon / weddingmoon factory” it was more Americanized. That being said…I DID like that Sandals offers the option to travel to the 2 other resorts on the island and use their amenities and dine at their restaurants. What I didn’t like was that for the restaurants that you needed reservations for you could only eat there once during your stay. This rule was really a shame since DH got sick the night we had reservations at the French restaurant LaToc and we had to excuse ourselves from dinner without even finishing it. Also, Their pool could stand to be a bit cleaner. There is a little “grotto” like area under the stage in the pool where people can swim underneath and the supports are made of wood…the wood was growing nasty fur on it. I can’t understand why they would use wood beams in a pool of water using chlorine…don’t they know the wood will rot and grow mold? Same thing goes for the pool bar…the seats felt slimey at times…and the grout on the bar could stand to be scrubbed with some bleach. There was construction going on at the time of our stay and the staircase closest to our room was blocked off…which normally isn’t such a big deal…but when you have access to free drinks all day…the last thing you want to do is walk all the way to the opposite end to get to a staircase. Luckily we only dealt with that for 2-3 days and then they offered to upgrade our room to a 2 story villa which we loved!! The rooms were nice…the spa people were pushy, the restaurants were good, but they didn’t have a great selection of drinks (IE: they only had a selection of 3 beers : Guinness, Heineken or Piton beer at the English PUB!!!)

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

You look gorgeous! Love the flowers, colors, your dress EVERYTHING Congrats

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

Great review. You looked gorgeous! Congratulations!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

great review u looked abs fabulous

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

you are gorgeous!!! great review!!! all the pictures are BEAUTIFUL!!!! love your head piece!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

great review! beautiful wedding!!! congrats!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

You looked beautiful! So great to hear that Jericho Terrace and Starlight Express were great because I am using them as well. I have a questions about Jericho Terrace - what did they do for your when you were under your number? I had to guarantee 200 and I think that I am going to end up being about 10-15 people under. Let me know if you don't mind.

Thanks for the great review! It makes me so happy to see that you had a great experience with the same people that I chose as well!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

great review- You look beautiful

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

great review. i loved the cinnamon color. my girls are wearing one of the dresses that your girls wore. i finally got to see what it looks like on people lol
congrats

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

great pictures! congrats!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

Great Pics you looked amazing Congrats

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

Great review! You looked beautiful and your pictures look great. Congratulations!!!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

Awesome pictures, I love the bridal shower ones with the 'alberti' sign!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

Beautiful review!!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

excellent review! everything looked beautiful!

Re: Our Fabulous 10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the part ride

Everything looked gorgeous!!! Thanks for the detailed review

Re: Our October Fall10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the party ride, Dortoni's, magnetstreet, Mormile Florist, Lillette's Brid

Everything was beautiful!

Re: Our October Fall10/18/08 wedding!! : St. Agnes, Jericho Terrace, Starlight Express, Fine A r t Photography, Camelot limo, the party ride, Dortoni's, magnetstreet, Mormile Florist, Lillette's Brid

What a beautiful wedding! Great Review!