Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/MORE PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

This review is worth the effort -- especially because of all the help that you wonderful ladies were to me. I didn't post a lot during the planning process, but I read a ton and many of you influenced my choices. I thank you wholeheartedly (special thanks to kns11, gettinhutched, milana and kittythestray -- four extraordinary women!)

I will continue to add to the review as I finish items and if someone could please help me figure out how in the world to add photos...that would be very much appreciated!

Here goes!

Dress: Lillette’s in Baldwin A+
Carol assisted me in selecting my dress. She has an incredible knack for listening to your personal style as well as your ideas for a wedding dress and then finding the perfect manifestation of that! My dress was Maggie Sottero’s Fiona and it was the second dress I tried on. When other brides say “You’ll know your dress as soon as you put it on” they are serious. Carol hadn’t even pulled the dress over me and I knew it was the one.

For alterations, I was so blessed to have Laura as my seamstress. What a gifted woman. She took my dress from being a size and half too big to one that was custom fit for my body. I felt like a queen and honestly never felt so beautiful in all my life.

In addition to my experiences with Carol and Laura, I had wonderful interactions with Gerri, Lydia, Francesca and Donna. You are in the very best of hands at Lillette’s.








Shoes: myglassslipper.com A+
My grandmother died almost a year ago and with some of her inheritance, I purchased shoes from Filippa Scott. My shoe was from her Fifi line and was called Maisie. Completely comfortable slingbacks that truly looked vintage and elegant. A real glass slipper!






Footpetals.com A+
I also purchased inserts for my shoes to boost my comfort level and it paid off. I used the killer kushionz and the sticky strap adhesives. I also got these for my matron of honor and put them in her goodie bag.

Undergarments Neiman Marcus A+
I used a bustier from Wacoal. We “busty” girls need support on our day and this bustier gave it to me. It was comfortable, didn’t slip and even the seamstress said it was a perfect undergarment for a bridal gown. It was seamless, smooth cup with boning.

Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse A

MOB dress: Lillette's in Baldwin A
My mom found her silk shantung suit in a bridal magazine and while Lillette’s carried the line, they didn’t have a sample of the particular dress my mother wanted. They quickly ordered it and it was exquisite. However, my mother had lost weight during the time between her measurements being taken and the dress coming in. (She had said she’d lose weight when her measurements were taken, but we went with the larger size to be safer than sorry.) When mom went for her first fitting, the dress wouldn’t even stay on her body – it was that huge. So rather than reconstruct the suit through alterations, Donna, the owner, offered to order the next size down. When the dress came in, it was actually the wrong size and was two sizes down; thus the suit had to be taken out. It was a frustrating experience for my mom and I completely understood. Lillette’s worked with my mom on the price of alterations because the sizing wasn’t mom’s error. Nor was it Lillette’s – it was the manufacturer who sent the incorrect size. But Lillette’s did the professional thing and lowered the price of alterations for my mom.

Veil: Obridal.com A+
Kathy Occansey is a gem of a lady. She worked with me non-stop for three months while together we created the veil that I wanted. At first, I wanted a very simple veil, but as the wedding plans became more and more finalized, I realized a more intricate veil would really finish the look I wanted to achieve. Kathy and her staff offered me more than 15 different options for lace placement and that was after three or four rounds of various laces to choose from. I ended up going with a elbow length blusher and a 90” chapel veil with French Alencon lace centered at the bottom of the veil. It was gorgeous.

Thanks to gettinhutched for introducing me to Kathy!



Hair jewelry: Thomas Knoell A+
Never in my wildest dreams had I pictured myself spending any money on hair jewelry or even wanting it. But on a lark, my mom and I went to the showroom and low and behold, I fell in love with two pieces. One was from the sample/discontinued sale and another was from the current product line. Thomas completed reset and polished the sample comb and kindly allowed us to name it after my DH’s late mother…so we now have our second heirloom from his mom. The comb is named Lorna. And I selected a headband piece called Lace. Thomas replaced all of the crystals in both pieces to match my dress and veil.

Day of jewelry: DH and Anna Bellagio A+
For one of our anniversaries, my DH gave me the earrings I wore on our wedding day. When he first gave them to me, I knew I’d wear them as his bride one day. (I think he purchased them at Macy’s) I was able to find a bracelet from Anna Bellagio that closely matched the diamond and pearl earrings I wore. However, the bracelet was cubic zirconia and faux pearl, I believe. But no one would have been able to tell.

One of the sweet touches from Anna Bellagio is a personal note from Anna thanking you for the purchase and wishing you well on the wedding. Will definitely buy from her again.


Makeup: Aimee Skaggs, Christian Dior, Macy’s Roosevelt Field A
Aimee is a new friend and a real keeper! I met her on a whim while searching for someone to do my makeup for the wedding. We did one major trial and then two other mini-trials to try a few other options. In the end, I wish I had written down exactly what we used for the major trial because on the day, I was not paying attention too closely and Aimee used colors and products that were different from what I originally wanted. My makeup looked absolutely beautiful but I wanted to pump up the “wow” factor on my eyes and Aimee did that for me.

I wish my lipstick, liner and gloss had lasted a bit longer. I felt like I was reapplying it constantly!

Hair: Nicole D’Angio A+
Nicole is a hair goddess and a kindred spirit. I felt incredibly lucky to have such a talented woman doing my hair for my wedding. She made my hair look the best it has ever looked. She is a person I will keep in my life always, not just to make sure I look FABULOUS for any affair we might attend, but because she is such a beautiful soul. Worth every penny and worth the wait!

Venue: Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Jamesport, NY
A++

I was late to the whole planning process simply out of fear that I wouldn't be able to handle planning a wedding, especially MINE! We knew that we wanted a small wedding at an intimate venue. We called around to a few inns/bed & breakfasts and most of them thought our 50-person wedding was too large for them to accommodate in the late fall. On a whim, I googled 'Bed and Breakfast' 'Suffolk County' and Jedediah Hawkins Inn came up. I clicked through their website and when I saw they did private parties, I called them up. Our date was one of the only ones still available...the price was unheard of and the place looked beautiful. We made an appointment with Casey (event planner at the Inn) and when I saw the Inn for the first time, I KNEW IMMEDIATELY that I wanted to marry Andy there.

I stayed there the night before in the Sage room (the Belvedere suite had been booked up for months) and got ready there in the morning. They had one of my favorite drinks waiting for me when I turned in for my final night as a bachelorette and that was the beginning of all-out pampering. Breakfast in my room, mimosas at my whim,etc. I even had asked that we put out some cheese and crackers, olives during the cocktail hour and when I tell you the spread that they put out -- it floored everyone. Five cheeses from different countries and even local cheese. Fresh fruit, edible flowers -- it was so beautiful to look at! And here I was thinking we'd have some crackers out so folks wouldn't get too tipsy!

Guests dined off the full restaurant menu, which was a luxury. Food blew everyone away. Head chef Tom Schaudel put together a special appetizer for Andy and me -- a lobster cocktail with caviar, fingerling potatoes and truffle oil. Lobster is Andy's favorite food and anything with Italian truffles is mine!

Andy and I plan to celebrate our anniversary every year at the Inn...

Special thanks to Casey, Eileen and Adam and the extraordinary Tom Schaudel.

Florist: Landscape Adventure A++
Somehow, someway, Jean, the owner, was able to translate my words and ideas into exactly what I envisioned for my flowers. From my bouquet to the ceremony arrangements, the flower girls nosegays to the flowers throughout the Inn, Jean made my wedding absolutely spectacular. I asked her to create arrangements that looked like she’d gone to a field and picked flowers and that’s exactly what she did. And she and my Mom conspired to create a bridal wreath for the door to my room at the Inn – which heralded the news that a bride was getting ready to be married. Stunning. I left it hanging on a wall in my home while DH and I were on our honeymoon and it dried beautifully. So much so that it can hang in our home always.






Still working on this part of the review...bear with me!


Cake: Sugar Sugar A+



Photography: Kristen Burrell Photography A++


Wedding handbag: Claudia Rae Designs (handmade for my wedding) A+


Dress tag: djchic.com A

Garter: ebay A

Gifts:
DJ Chic (hankies for parents)


Classybride.com (hoodies for mom and dina)

Eri Takase (calligraphy for dina)

Etsy.com (ribbon wands)

Exclusivelyweddings.com (frames, money clip)

Stony Brook Gift Shop (compact mirrors for nieces)

Red Envelope (engraved mirror for niece)

Personal Creations (totes for flower girls)

Tri County (T-shirts for nephews)

Invitations:
Exclusivelyweddings.com A

Program:
Andy and me


Wedding night accommodation: The White House on High Street, Port Jeff A
Honeymoon: Coco Plum Island Resort, Belize A++++

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, 2007 wedding -- Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

Congrats!!! Great Review!!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

What a great review!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

Great review!!! Congrats!!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

great review!! Thank you for sharing!!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

Thanks guys! And if anyone can help me figure out how to get rid of those 'red x's where images should be....I would love the help!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

great review

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

TY Jennifer for including me in your review, thats so sweet!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

Jennifer you are a doll! Thanks for mentioning me in your review. I am sooo glad you found out about Kathy through me. She is just amazing!!

Congrats - you looked gorgeous!!

Re: Plunker8's Nov. 4, '07 wedding -- W/MORE PHOTOS! Kristen Burrell Photography, Landscape Adventure, Lillette's Bridal, Obridal.com, Nicole D'Angio, Thomas Knoell, Anna Bellagio and more!

Congrats! Great Job