Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

At last… here is my review of our May 19, 2006 wedding. The pictures are scans of my proofs from Jovon Photography (the color is a little off) so if you borrow, please give credit to Jovon.

LA Productions – Laura Mastriano A+++++
Wow!!! I do not even know where to begin… Laura was so helpful throughout the entire planning process. From the moment we booked her, she was there for us. She advised me on votive placecards, rose petal cones, the Polaroid guest book – so many great ideas! Not only was she helpful throughout the planning process BUT she was AMAZING the day of the wedding. Had it not been for Laura, I probably would not have made it to the church. My zipper broke when I was dressing – mind you I was on a tight timeline because my hair and makeup artists showed up 1.5 hours late… anyway, the zipper was so broken that Laura had to SEW me into my dress!! She was so calm and so cool that I did not know how bad the situation was nor did my mother. The dress stayed put the entire night – so much so that my groom had to cut me out of the dress at the end of the night!!!! That is why Laura is so amazing – she keeps it together on the day of and takes care of everything for you so you do not have to worry. Both Laura and her assistant were wonderful. The Carlyle thought they were great as did all of my bridal party. LA is an A+++++++++

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Jovon Photography – Telmo/Jim A+++++
Another Wow!!! These guys are amazing. Telmo has such a great personality – he is so much fun to be around but doesn’t mess around when it’s time to get down to business. My bridal party had sooo much fun with him. We received about a thousand proofs to choose from and they were all beautiful. Jim was also lovely to be around. He was very quiet and laid back, taking photojournalistic photos from afar. Both photographers were great. We also booked our videographer through Jovon and the video came out fantastic as well.

Flower Michele – John A+++++
John’s work is absolutely amazing. My husband and I looked at about eight other florists before we decided to book Flower Michele. From the moment I met him, John was so enthusiastic about our wedding. When I described to him the vision of my wedding, he suggested pink peonies – when I tell you that they were the biggest most beautiful peonies I am not exaggerating. Everyone was raving about the flowers. The centerpieces were a mixture of pink peonies, ivory hydrangea, pink roses and wax flower – absolutely stunning. We actually had a florist who was invited to our wedding that said the flowers were premium, high quality flowers which you usually do not see at weddings. John – you are such an inspiration – thank you!!!!!

Tommy’s Tunes – A+++
We had Joe Costa as our MC and he completely rocked the party!! The music was fantastic – we loved his style. He would play about half of each song and mix into the next. It was one great song after another. The dance floor was packed the entire night. Joe was really nice. He came over to see us about an hour into the wedding to make sure we were enjoying the tunes.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

All Star Limo – Rolls Royce/H2/8 passenger A+++++
The drivers for All Star are fabulous. First off, they keep their cars so neat and clean. Secondly, the drivers were such dolls!!! Our bridal party loved the driver of the H2 and I was thrilled with our Rolls Royce driver. On the way to the ceremony with me, my mom and dad in tow, our driver hit a ton of traffic due to a transistor blow up on the Grand Central. He remained calm, got off the exit and found his way through the back roads. When a HUGE thunderstorm approached, he again kept his cool and slowed down a bit to allow the storm to pass so I could make it to the church without a downpour. When we arrived at the church, the drivers were fully equipped with large umbrellas and easily lifted me and my huge dress from the limo. We arrived in church dry and ready to rock. Our driver was very knowledgeable of the Long Island area and was able to take back roads to the Carlyle to avoid traffic.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Church – Our Lady of Mercy, Forest Hills, NY

On the way to church, there was a thunderstorm complete with wind and hail. When I arrived, it was still raining slightly and during the service, the sky was dark which gave a really romantic feel to the church. Father John gave a lovely homily. We exchanged traditional vows. The sky cleared up as soon as the service ended – we were very lucky!!

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Rose Petal Cones - A
Laura from LA gave me direction on how to make rose petal cones. Our guests loved them and thought they were very unique.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Carlyle on the Green – A+++
Absolutely amazing. People are still raving about the room, food and service. From the moment we pulled up to the Carlyle we were treated like royalty. Our bridal attendant, Janet was there for us the entirenight – holding my bouquet, applying my lipstick, bringing pillows for my seat, helping me in the bathroom – she went above and beyond. Our maitre’d, Gerard was also great. Not only did he ensure we had an amazing time, but at the end of the night one of our groomsmen missed the shuttle bus and was left behind. Gerard actually drove him to the Melville Marriott – what a great guy. The ballroom at the Carlyle is beautiful at night. The dance floor was just the right size and boy did we have a dancing crowd! Everyone raved about the cocktail hour. If you’ve booked the Carlyle, I promise you that you have nothing to worry about. Our banquet manager, Sue worked with us and did everything she could to make the evening perfect. The golf course is a perfect backdrop for pictures.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Sylvia Weinstock Cake – A+++
Wow – when Sylvia sketched the cake for me, I couldn’t have imagined how beautiful it would really be. All of the flowers that adorned the cake were hand-made out of sugar. They were absolutely gorgeous. Throughout the evening, our guests would stop by to touch them to see if they were real!

Godiva Favors – A+++
As a Marketing Manager for Godiva, I was very lucky to work on the launch of new Godiva wedding favors. I was one of the first brides to have them. They are mini chocolate wedding cakes inspired by Sylvia Weinstock – yummy!

Votive Placecards – A+
Laura from LA gave me direction on the votive placecards – another huge hit at the wedding. To take it a step further, Joe and I named each table after something that is important to us. I created a book which was placed by the card table which explained the meaning of each table. Our guests loved the personalization and enjoyed learning about our relationship.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Maureen Pedala/Claudia Pedala – Weighted Average – C

F – The morning of our wedding, Maureen and Claudia were supposed to arrive at my mother’s house at 8am. As part of their contract, we were required to pay for a car service to pick them up in NYC and take them to and from my mom’s house in Lindenhurst. We ordered a car service to pick them up at 7:15. This time was confirmed with Maureen a few days before the wedding. The day of the wedding, they did not leave NYC until 7:50 and due to traffic and weather it took them almost two hours to get to my moms. They did not arrive until 9:35. I sat around waiting and waiting for over an hour and a half. As great as they are, I would not recommend them to anyone as I feel this is completely unacceptable and unprofessional. They threw off the timing for the entire morning which put me on edge and that is the last thing you want to happen on your wedding day.

A – The work they did was amazing. Even though I only had two hours to get ready, my makeup was flawless and lasted the entire night. My hair was amazing, I received so many compliments. However, Claudia did not secure my veil very well and it had to be removed prior to cocktail hour which was disappointing because I really wanted to wear it for my first dance. My mom and bridesmaid’s hair and makeup looked amazing. Claudia gave each girl a different look for their hair and it was nice that the girls were distinguishable from each other.

Kleinfeld – B
When I found my dress, I fell in love. It is a Reem Acra ‘Rich’ in white. After having six fittings including one the week before the wedding, I was floored that my zipper broke. My mom called Kleinfeld while we were away on our honeymoon and the owners were very apologetic. They offered to fix the zipper and pay for the cleaning and preservation of the dress.

Stuart Weitzman – A+++
Although their shoes are a little pricy, they are extremely comfortable. My heels were at least 2.5” high and I wore them the entire day and night. I did not even think to change my shoes until we were ready to leave the reception. I wore them with dresses on our honeymoon and wear them to go out at night. A great investment.
Swarovski – B+
I bought my chandelier earrings from Swarovski but they did not offer them in pierced, only clip-on so I had to have the backing changed to pierced by my local jeweler.

Thomas Knoell – B+
I ordered a crystal bracelet from Thomas Knoell via Kleinfeld. When I went to pick up the bracelet, the crystals were brown instead of clear. Kleinfeld worked with TK to fix the problem and had a new clear crystal bracelet ready in a few days. However this was the week before the wedding and thus added stress.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Burton’s – Bridesmaid Dresses C
The bridesmaid dresses from Bill Levkoff were about $40 less at Burtons than other salons and they cap their alterations. The price is right but the alterations are questionable and the ‘cash only’ policy is a real pain. A few of my girls had a real problem getting appointments and had to swallow attitude from the staff at Burtons.

Tuxedos – Dante Zeller, Forest Hills, NY - A
The tuxes were Ralph Lauren. The groom wore a three button black tux with white on white. The groomsmen wore two button black tuxes with latte on white. Our fathers also ordered tuxes from Dante – black on black.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Your review is wonderful and your pictures are gorgeous!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on everything!!!

Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA

Dance Lessons – Arthur Murray, Bayside, NY - A
Our first dance was ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ by Tony Bennett. The dance lessons definitely paid off. We glided around the floor and everyone was surprised to see our choreographed set. It was great!!

Paper and More – A
They have great prices and quick delivery. I purchased all of the paper for my DIY projects here including rose petal cone paper, program paper, vellum.

AC Moore – A
Another great resource - I bought the votives for my placecards on sale here, baskets, flowers to decorate baskets, glue gun, glue sticks, scrapbook material for the table name book, picture frames – I could go on for days.

Myweddinglabels.com – A
My husband works for glacéau vitaminwater and so for a departing gift, we had bottles of Revive set up near the exit. We had hangtags printed by my wedding labels with our names and wedding date.

Bus Bank - F
We ordered a shuttle service from the Marriott Melville to the church and from the MM to and from the reception. The bus never showed up to bring our guests to the church. We were extremely upset because some of our out of town family members missed the church. My sister's boyfriend tried to coordinate drivers for everyone. Bus bank refunded a portion of the balance, however for guests to miss the church due to their negligence is unacceptable.

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Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

Stunning! Kelly-grl you were the most beautiful bride!!! We all had a blast and it was a perfect day!!!

Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

WOW!!! You were a stunning bride! Everything looked beautiful and it looks like you had an amazing day. Congrats date twin!!!

Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

Congratulations-great review! You looked stunning and your pics came out perfect.

Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

ok where do i begin.... loved your hair, loved the flowers, loved the cake, loved the shoes... i loved everything!!!! You where a beautiful bride. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

You look beautiful! Thanks for posting.

Re: Review of 5/19/06 Wedding - Carlyle on the Green, Jovon, Flower Michele, Tommys Tunes, All Star, LA Productions, Sylvia Weinstock, Godiva

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!
It was a lot of fun to write.