REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Marlene Ford (Day of Coordinator)- What a GOD SEND! I never planned on having a planner or DOC. But a friend of mine told me that Marlene may be able to do it Pro-Bono in order to promote her business. So, I spoke with her about 2 weeks before the wedding and she helped me so much! She confirmed with all my vendors and made sure everything ran smoothly. She called at 5am on the day of to make sure I was up for the hair and make-up girls and she arrived at 8am (although she offered to arrive at 5 and I said that was ridiculous). She put the boutenneires on the guys. She ran after me and made sure I had what I needed. On the day of my DH couldn't stop talking about how great she was. She handled the vendors for me, she ran around looking for my bag that I had the money in when I accidentally left it in the hotal room. When we took pictures she came over and made sure my hair looked good and fixed my train. She honestly did everything! We were so grateful to have her. Even my Dad said how great she was, everyone was really impressed. I don't think she is doing any more pro bono work but she is totally worth whatever she charges. She made sure that I was happy and looked great at all times. I can't imagine what a mess I would have been if she wasn't there. FM me for her information.



Magnet Queen (Save the Dates)- They were really easy to work with it was harder getting FH to agree with a picture to use. They sent a proof and I needed something fixed. They fixed it and in a very short period I received my very well made STD magnets with plastic covers and envelopes. And I think it was $50 for 80 magnets- I think. Whatever it was- it was super affordable.



Davids Bridal (Wedding Dress, Bridesmaid & Jr. Bridesmaid dresses and shoes for bridal party)- I knew I wanted a very plain dress. I am not big on dresses and I didn't want to spend a lot of money. SO I went to DB. I picked out a plain dress with a colored sash. When the dress came in and I tried it on- I wasn't in love with it. DB has a strict NO RETURNS policy. However, I started trying on dresses right there and the sales woman who helped me got her manager to take back the original dress I ordered. I know I was very lucky because they can be very rude to customers with their 'no return' policy. A couple of times I encountered some rudeness including one of the managers trying so hard to convince me that I should wear a veil that she said 'Every bride wears a veil' I had to say 'I don't do veils' But in general I have a had a good experience with them. The girls had their shoes died to match their dress sashes and they came out BEAUTIFUL- much better than I was expecting. My Matron of Honor had a little trouble getting her shoes back when she brought them to be dyed but that was the only hiccup.ANother one of my bridesmaids accidentally had her shoes dyed the wrong color and one of the saleswomen went out of her way to get her the right shoes and she had them shipped from Kentucky! SO, overall my Davids Bridal experience was fine.



East Wind

Everything was great! We went with EastWind because the gardens are beautiful and the price was super affordable. THey were helpful the entire time. Everything was great. I barely ate anything but everyone else, inclusing the groom raved about the food. My Maitre'D & BRidal Attendant were both amazing. They mde sure everything ran smoothly, even running back and forth getting my flipflops to get them to me and bringing me unlimited drinks and food (that I almost never ate because I was too excited). Whenever I had a question I e-mailed the East Wind Planner Elizabeth and she was always incredibly helpful and nice. Honestly, things could not have gone more smoothly. I can't think of any criticisms right now.















www.reverence.tv ((Roberto)- Airbrushing on shirts for BMs)- I wanted shirts for my BMs but I have 8 so I needed to be economical about it and I am not a fan of the shirts with the rhinestones. So, I saw the airbrushed tanks that were posted on LIWeddings by SoinLoveRwe2. The vendor she used didn't exist anymore but I loved what she had done. I started pricing around for airbrushing and all prices were between $15 & $30. Then I did a craigslist search and I found Rob. He is incredibly sweet. I sent him a picture of what I wanted. He really worked with it and he was SUPER affordable. I sent him the shirts (that I got for $2 each at a store in brooklyn). He sent me design examples through e-mail and I told him what I did and didn't like. They came out awesome. He was professional and did great work. Everyone loved their shirts.



Tinapie Bakery- www.tinapie.com (Groom’s Cake): Very easy to work with. I had a budget and he worked with me until I had exactly what I wanted in my price range. He even offered to give me a discount if I ordered a wedding cake from him but I couldn’t afford it-although I REALLY wanted to. I asked for a Yankee Stadium Cake and Mets/Yankees cupcakes with jerseys. He delivered on the morning of the wedding. My Maitre'D said she has seen a lot of groom's cakes especial sports ones but this was by far the best Yankee cake she had ever seen. It was yummy too!








Rolling Pin Bakery (Wedding Cake- East Winds House Bakery)- I had heard mixed reviews about them but we couldn't afford anything but the cake that came with our package. THey just used the flavors and colors that I picked and it came out better than expected. It looked pretty the pink and green design was just enough and the cake tasted GREAT!



Kohl’s (Bridesmaid DOJ)- Affordable and pretty!

Thomas Paul Photography- We have had a great experience with Tom so far. He really worked with us to give us what why wanted at an affordable rate. He was incredibly friendly, he even called over the holidays just to say Happy Holidays. Our engagement shoot was quick and painless. We brought some stuff we wanted to use in the pictures and he did what we asked without a problem.Our engagement photos came out great. On the day of the wedding he arrived early and he took what I think will be some great shots. My Matron of Honor was really impressed with the shots he was taking. He made sure to get all the shots that we asked for. We did have to leave the reception for about 20 minutes to take some more pictures but that was mostly because we started later in the morning than we were supposed due to the amount of people getting ready. I am really anxious to see the pictures. I anticipate them being really awesome. He is a nice guy who does great work.

Classic Video- They are actually East Winds house vendor. We knew we wanted a video but we also knew how pricey videos could get. We met with Classic Video and of all the photographers and videographers we went to they were the most real, least cheesy, and most professional for an affordable price. They sat us down to show us a sample of a video and I cried (FH made fun of me but I don't care it was beautiful). When we booked them we were a little short on cash and they were very nice about it. They had to all us a few times to remind us and could easily have just cancelled our booking, but they didn't. They are incredibly nice and professional. They arrived on time and they seemed to be pretty active with their cameras the entire time. We can't wait to see the video!

FreshFaceForward (Hair, Make-up, Hair Flowers)- Like I have said a million times Sabrina and Stacey did the hair and Make-up for my friends wedding. I knew they were super affordable and great to work with so I booked them right away. I loved my trial. I had planned on wearing a beaded head band/tiara type thing but I was questioning it. Then Stacey offered to let me try out one of her homemade hair flowers that she makes. She put it in and I loved it! So, she made one for me and I had them made for my Maids & Matron. The flowers looked great in everyone's hair at the wedding.





On the day of the wedding they arrived bright and early, 5am (eek!). There were a lot of people having hair & Make-up done and a couple of people had their tan lines airbrushed. But everything came out great! I really like them and I highly rec them because they do a great job and they are affordable.

Just for the Record- I saw them at a friends wedding and I was impressed with the way they got everyone up and kept them moving on the dance floor all night. So I booked them without hesitation. They were another vendor who really worked with me on price and was in my opinion incredibly affordable. On the wedding day we were a little disappointed. The reason we chose them is because the MC, Danny that did my friends wedding was awesome. As a team Danny & Elliot the MC and DJ were great. We met with Danny a few weeks before the wedding to finalize the songs and order of events. Then the day of the wedding, he wasn't there! He never said anything to us about it. I actually spoke to him two days before the wedding to ask him something and he STILL never said anything. They aren't a big company so I didn't even know they had anyone else that worked with them. So, when the reception started the MC came over and introduced himself, he was really nice and did a good job. We were just disappointed that it wasn't who we were expecting. Also, when the reception first started the music the DJ was playing wasn't what we were expecting. When my husband went over and said something to him he said 'Oh yea Danny and I didn't really get to talk about anything.' This made DH a little upset. But then in the end everything worked out the music selection changed and all went well. They did a great job we were just surprised we weren't told that a different MC was coming.

In Full Bloom- I love Marie and Chris at In Full Bloom. Everything came out beautiful. I asked for a watering can with pretty but affordable flowers and they came out great. All the Bo-ks and boutonnieres (roses) were beautiful. It was very hot out so the roses opened and towards the end started to wilt but everything still looked great, the hot weather wasn't their fault. I also had little paper frames with pictures of my Grandpa & Grandma that they added the day of- everything looked great.









Someday Designs (Invitations)- My Dad knows that people at Someday Designs in Syosset. He recommended them to me. I went there and they are the SWEETEST and most talented women to work with. I wanted something plain, simple but elegant and they did it perfectly. I met with them in person twice- for a first meeting and to pick up the invites. Everything else was done through e-mail which was fantastic! It made my life very easy since I don't live close. They are perfectionists and the invites showed it. We got our invites in a VERY timely fashion.

Then we moved and the return address on the RSVP envelopes was incorrect. I told them and they sent me a new proof right away and sent me the new envelopes in a week. They are great and I highly recommend them!

Love My Shoes (wedding day shoes)- I have bad feet. I never wear heels; But I knew I had to for the wedding. The shoes I got were pretty and they were kind of comfortable. But after pictures before the ceremony my feet were killing me. But I don't think it was because of the shoes so much as it was because of my bad feet.

Rev Deb- Rev. Deb was great. We met her once and the rest was through e-mail. We got SO MANY compliments on our ceremony. Everyone loved what she said and how personalized it was. The only thing she messed up was at the end when she said 'Mr. and Mrs. Steve Gentry' which I specifically asked her not to say. But in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter because the ceremony was awesome.

Zales- We got all of the rings from Zales. We have absolutely no complaints thus far.

Sandframes.com (Unity Sand Frame)- I didn't want to spend too much money but it was worth it to get the sand frame I really wanted it. So, I decided to spend the money (I think it was about $80), it was the only thing I splurged on. It was a pianless procedure. The sand frame arrived in a couple of weeks and it looked great. the only thing that happened at the ceremony was that when we were porring the sand it peeked at the top and prevented us from adding more sand. But it was no biggie we just fixed it after the wedding. I just went to the website and apparently they aren't taking anymore orders, I don't know why.


Plantamemory.com (Favors)- I wanted a favor that was environmentally friendly. This favor was a mini flower pot, seeds, sod, a cardboard box and string made out of recycled products. We had to put them together but it was worth it. Everyone loved them and they looked great on the tables.

HONEYMOON

Disney's Royal Caribbean Beach Resort- We got a room with a king size bed because we were on our honeymoon. The hotel itself was clean and convenient for getting to and from Disney. It was nothing special but it did the job. THere was a little fake beach which was nice and DH loved the pool. We also had the Disney Dining plan and we would never go back without getting the dining plan and staying at a Disney Resort again. It was just soo convenient. They also gave us buttons that said 'Happily Ever After...' & 'Just Married' but they didn't so anything for us. Employees at the parks sometimes would day 'Congratulations' but there were never any perks. We loved Disney, I wish I was still there.

Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas- I had never been on a cruise before and I was hesitantn because I don't like boats. DH went 2 times when he was younger and loved it so he was excited. The cruise was nice but def not for me. Nassau, in the Bahamas was just OK. Not great. Royal Caribbeans private island Coco Kay was very nice. I just didn't like the feeling of being trapped on a boat. But the boat was huge and had plenty of things going on including shopping, eating, shows, and gambling. We weren't overly impressed with the food, a lot of the time it wasn't hot but that is semi expected with buffets.

Delta- THEY ARE THE WORST! I flew Delta another time and had a really bumpy flight on a small plane that I wasn't warned about. THis time on the way home the cabin pressure got messed up and the plane started running low on fuel so we had to make an emergency landing in North Carolina. I was crying and it was really scary. Our flight from Orlando was supposed to leave at 2:05 and was delayed until 2:25. It ended up being a little later than that. We were supposed to get into NY around 5 that didn't happen. We landed at the Rinky Dink NC airport at about 4:45 and the plane to take us the rest of the way didn't even get there until 8:30. We ended getting into NY at 10:30. It was ridiculous and they didn't even really do anything for us except give us a $7 food voucher at 6:30 at an airport where everything closed at 7pm. It was ridiculous and scary.

In the end everything was great. The wedding went too fast and our only regret was not adding an extra hour or two to the wedding. IT went by too fast and especially when DH and I had to be taken our for extra pictures. If there is anything else you want to know about FM me. I can't think of anything else right now.

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Congratulations! Great review. You looked beautiful and everything looks like it came out so nice.

We had a Yankee cake too - but for our rehearsal dinner! Yours looks awesome. Best of luck to you.

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Congratulations; everything looked great.

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Everything looks beautiful!!! Congratulations!!

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Congratulations!!!

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Congrats everything was beautiful - I am also usling in full bloom....

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Congrats on everything Kelly. You looked great!! So glad everything went well. I've been waiting to ask you how everything went! Let me know how the video comes out - we're using Fran & Lou too!

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

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Posted by jmd75

Congrats on everything Kelly. You looked great!! So glad everything went well. I've been waiting to ask you how everything went! Let me know how the video comes out - we're using Fran & Lou too!

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Everything went well you won't be disappointed with EW.
ANd Fran and Lou are the sweetest people! Can't wait for the video I'll let you know how it turns out!

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

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Posted by StaceYums81

Congrats everything was beautiful - I am also usling in full bloom....

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In Full Bloom is great- they do great work and are a pleasure to do business with.

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Congratulations!! Everything looked great!! I love the mets/yankees cupcakes!! FH is a yankee fan and I'm a Met fan lol

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

great review! thanks!!

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Hi Kelly! We went to school together back in NB. You and Steve look great and your wedding came out beautifully. So happy for you two! I ran into Steve last summer at 4 on Aaron's bday. He told me you guys were getting married. Congrats & best wishes!

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

I love your review !! it was amazing!! I also booked with Thomas Paul !

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

evreything looked so beautiful

Re: REVIEW: July 12, 2009 East WInd, In Full Bloom, Just for the Record, Thomas Paul, Classic VIdeo, Rolling Pin Bakery, TInapie Bakery, Marlene Ford, Davids Bridal and more!

Nice Yankee stadium cake! I love it! Congrats!!