Wedding Review.....1/5/07

I feel like im missing some reviews...I will add more if I think of them! I dont have many pics yet...so again I will add those soon!!!







Bridal Elegance....8....(DRESSES & MY VEIL) My Dress,MOB,FG,BM......My sister used Phylllis in the past and had no issues. So when I heard she's the owner of gownfind.com I thought ok lets give her a try! She gave the best prices for all the dresses as well as alts! So I used her for everyone. I had no probs w/ her until it came down too Alt time! A few ppl had to go back and forth to her because either she took it in too much or let it out too much. So it became a lil annoying to some of my girls. I noticed she's short staffed and she gets over whelmed fast. So my advice is if you use her def do all appts w/ her during the day. After 4 pm hits she gets busy and she's jumping from 1 customer to another! That's when I noticed more issues. All in all I was happy w/ her for myself the only major prob w/ her work was my bustle..it broke before the CH was even over!!


Alfred Angelo Dresses...Big Fat 0.....I wore an AA dress for my sisters wedding and was fine but of course I decide to do the same and the zippers broke on 5 of the 7 dresses!!



Formal Knight (TUX)...9..After looking high and low for a tux that fit Alex well we ended up using Formal Knight in Deer Park. The owner was super nice but we did see once the guys went in for there measurements he gave a little of an attitude. Nothing major! Fast fwd to the day of the guys all looked great but I will say 3 guys lost their buttons on the tux's! Again nothing crazy....prices were Avg but Alex was Free along w/ 1 more tux, which we gave to our best man!


Jenn the Hair Genie...(HAIR) 9...She was awesome and as much as id like to give her a full 10 I was a little bothered w/ the fact that she didn't stay as long as she said. I was told she be there for my getting ready pictures and she wasn't. She did a great job on all our hair but 1 thing I told her was pics was a must and she told me 'Duet is late and I gotta go!' She did hang out for a while but I felt a little cheated there!
But if anyone is using her...she's great and very talented!!



JN (MAKE UP).......OMG........10!! Now JN was a life saver....she did the girls make up and mine and we ALL loved it!!! She was my 1 and only trial and booked her on the spot. I'm so glad I did b/c it seems like she gets booked w/ a blink of the eye!! She was there on time, set up and went right to work. She stayed to the very end and couldn't of been happier!!


****The only thing I can say negative that we all seemed bothered by was neither of these vendors (make up and hair) had change on them when it came to pay time...I know my BP wasn't happy with that! So def make sure you have the exact $$ or be ready to give them extra!****






Pippy's Sweets....(INVITES) 10.........Diana is 1 of my favorite vendors!! She was always on top of things and took my ideas on what I wanted and put them w/ her own! She gave us a great deal and had lots of patience w/ me since I wasn't 100% sure on the colors I wanted. She mailed me a # of times samples and never gave me any greif!! I'm still hearing how much ppl loved her work! I'd rec her for any job!!!





USPS........Another Big 0....My invites were sent out and in most cases ppl didn't get them till 2 weeks later. Luckily they all made it but took way too long! If that wasn't bad enough when RSVPS were sent back they were lost as well! I had some that ended up on the West Coast and took weeks for me too get! Thinking about it i'm still missing a bunch!! I thought it was my font but I talked to the post master and he said it def wasn't that!





GlamGal.com (TIARA)...10....Super easy to deal with. Got my tiara for 85$ with s/h.. while it was sold for 150$ or more on other sites and bridal shops!!!





Blue Rainbow.com...10....This is where I got my girls monogramed make up bags....ive seen the same ones else where and just happened to hear about the site from another LIW bride so I went on to take a look. They had the same ones I was planning on ordering for 1/2 the price! Funny thinng is I placed the order at 6pm and the bags were delieved the very next afternoon....i was shocked w/ how fast these came!! Id def use
them again!!





Ring Bearer Pillow...E-bay...SuzeRep....10!! This women was just amazing...she made my love knot pillow exactly how I wanted it (even if Jack refused to carry it!!!) LOL...She was great to deal with and does amazing work!!





Garter...E-bay...Forgot the sellers name right now but I had a Yankees Garter made for Alex. The women who made it was easy to work with and made it and was at my house in 3 days!!!





Monogram Cake Topper...7...E-Bay....I ordered this in early Dec and was told it be sent in 2 weeks. After not getting it by mid Dec I wrote the seller and they said it wont be out till Dec 26th! Never got notification of shipment so once again I wrote and got a response saying they are closed for the holidays and they don't see my order. AHHHH needless to say I wasn't a happy bride! BUT Christian was helpful and found my order and had my topper made and shipped it out over night (split the cost w/ me) and got it w. 1 day to spare!!





BM Jewls....10....Made by our very own Tatum (Tatum&Steve) I met T on here back when I was going through some real stressful issues w. my younger brother. She FM me 1 time and ever since that day she and I have built a very special friendship!! I am very lucky to have met someone that's so caring and sweet. What was even better she offered to make my girls there jewelry! They came out really great! She also made me a bracelet that I wore on my wedding day! As a surprise Tatum also made me a Bo-k charm...w/ my daughters pic hanging from it! She knew I wanted it and being the sweetie that she is she took more time out and made it for me!! Love ya girl.....you and Steve deserve the best!!!!!! xoxoxoxo






My Jewls....I bought a few sets and wasn't happy with any. I ended up running to Macy's and got a crystal and pearl necklace and earring set. Nothing fancy...I honestly wasn't in love with it but everything I loved was way over my budget so I 'settled'





Wedding Bands...8...Diamond Roof....After looking for rings we ended up @ Diamond Roof....not sure why but we waited till the last minute to get our rings. I was going to get my ring made but due to time we decided to take a look at what Sam had. He was great to deal with and love to work with him again! Unfortunately we went again too look for some other jewelry that we wanted to purchase and he wasn't has helpful. He saw I was upset and told me too wait and he find me something. I thought that was great but he literally had me standing there waiting on him for over an hour. That's when I just looked at him and gave him a face of disappointment and walked away.





Cafe Testarosa (RD) 9..........I really would like to give this place a full 10 but just minor issues while trying too book makes me grade them a little lower. Once we booked they really were great I dealt w/ Kathy and Nicole whom both were super great! The day of went find the only thing was 1 waiter we had must of been new bc he didn't seem to stay on top of things! The food was great and i'd def go back there in the future!





Royalty (LIMOS) 8.......We had no issues at all with Royalty when we booked. They gave us what we wanted and a great deal plus a discount being an off season bride. Again booked them on the spot. We had no problems w/ the Alex's driver...he was early and did a pick up/drop off! My driver Bob...AKA Santa was nice but was getting annoyed that we weren't ready AS soon as he came to my front door. I wont hold a grudge on him for that b/c I know he just wanted us on the road so we can make it to the ceremony in time. But he did give off an attitude at 1 point b/c he didn't want us going back to the hotel for pics in between the church and Watermill! In the end he did what we wanted but told us we must be at the WM by 6 or it goes into OT! When we said we have the 15 min grace period he told us NO we don't that's only for traffic and or bad weather....ahhhh hellllooo it was raining?! We got to WM at 6:13pm so we all joked that we will stay in the limo for 2 more mins just so we get all our allotted time!! LOL
The recp ended at 1 and Manny (who we booked with) was picking us up to take us back to our hotel. He got there at 1:10am and was getting mad that we weren't ready to go. We still had guests there saying goodbye and I was told he wont be there till 1:30am so he kept pacing the floors and making comments until we were ready to leave.





St. Dominic's Church, Oyster Bay...3...I give them a 3 only out of grace! I grew up knowing this church as it was my dads school and grandmothers 2nd home! Growing up and passing there every weekend I knew this was the place I wanted to be married at! Well that dream came true but the rest was ruined! 1st time we went and met w/ the 1st Father he was rude and nasty so I talked w/ someone and was told he was like that and they didn't blame me for not feeling at ease with him. So they talked to the Msgr and he said he be honored to marry Alex and I! We switched too him and I felt a lot better. Well being we live out of state we never got to meet face to face. So I give him that! BUT I did call him and we talked via phone and I filled out a form stating how I want my ceremony. HA! That was a waste b/c whatever we went over at the rehearsal went right out the window!! Nothing went the way they said and my 45 min ceremony was over in 25 mins! The msgr totally forgot to even do the Unity candle so my MOH Daria (DNN518) had to lean in and say ahhhh the lighting of the unity candle! So he then stops as he's about to pronounce us and says now the mothers will light the candle. After that we were suppose to light our candle but the Msgr instead turns us around and has us kiss and has the music start so we can walk out! I was in shock and was so upset how they ran the whole thing! Once we said our hellos and took advantage of the day light for pics I open the church doors and say to the Sexton as he's vacuuming that we want to come in and get pics on the alter w/ the Father. He got nasty and said he left! Then said close the doors so we don't loose anymore heat! I was dumb founded and when we went to go back in for pics the doors were locked!! I will be calling them to tell them how I feel and if it wasn't for my late grandmother id be stopping payment on my check!!





Hyatt..9...(Hotel for OOT guests).........Heather was wonderful. Anytime I needed her she was a phone call away! I'd give them a 10 but there were some issues when we checked in. 1st off the rooms were crawling w/ lady bugs....Now it could of been worse but still these things were all over the walls, windows and when we woke up on our beds! Also the morning of my MOH and BM took showers and then I went to get in and the faucet in the tub flew off and water was going all over. Needless to say the bride of all ppl couldn't shower nor did I have time to get a new room at that time. So I ended up having to run to my parents house and shower over there!
The next morning we invited all our guests to breakfast in the hotels restaurant....I didn't eat much but whatever I did pick on was very good!!





The Projekt (BAND) 10.......I was torn when we went to book a band. I knew who I wanted but my dad kept telling me to keep my options open and use a diff band rather then the 1 I had my heart set on. I always wanted a band but Alex wanted a DJ. Well luckily when my dad met Mark from The Projekt and he told him there was a showcase. I was in NC and my dad called me saying pack your bags the show case is tonight...he flew me back to NY just so I can see them live. I thought he was nuts but they
ROCKED!! I was so happy I came home to see their show! I called Alex while they were playing and he heard them and was highly impressed. That was 1 fight I won so easily b/c he then wanted a band more than I did!! Needless to say we booked them on the spot!! On our wedding they played everything under the sun and the dance floor was busy all night long! Only thing I can say negative was there were songs I asked for to be played and they weren't done. Not really a big deal being all the important ones were played! They even learned a song that we requested...Tu Amor by RBD that we wanted (a special dance w/ our daughter) They did an amazing job with it!!!





Duet (Photo and Video)....This is something I will have to update once proofs come in. I wasn't 100% happy w/ my E-pics so that's when I thought i'd change teams but once I got the pics I felt better but part of me still wasn't happy. But again I went back looked at my photographers albums and fell in love with his work so I again decided to stick w/ my original team. The day of we had them for 12.5 hours and gave a list of MUST TAKES! Well there were tons of pics I wanted that I don't think we got! There were many times during the reception that I saw them sitting around in a corner or upstairs in the lobby (Not happy about that) But again I don't want to bash them or call Eric until the proofs come in. I sure hope that my gut feeling is wrong and the pics come out as amazing as the past brides proofs have!






Burtons...(FLOWERS).....9.....They did a great job and loved it all. I give them a 9 rather then 10 only bc they were suppose to be at my home the day of at 10am and didn't show up till almost 12! Wouldn't of been a big deal but we had to get all the church flowers to my friend so she can set them up and the pew bows. So since they were so late it pushed our whole time line back!





Watermill....9. Ok well let me start off by saying WM was Amazing when we went too look!! I had some major issues at 2 other halls and my BM there worked with us and made me feel like I princess!! I know I've written on here in the past and may of made some comments about him. (I know this bc Vendors DO READ what we say on here!) Anyway I didn't mean to down grade the guy but I did feel at times he rushed me off the phone and out of his office. He did get us a great deal and threw in stuff so I should be more greatful! But any bride has her moments! Day of we requested Sean as Matire D and he was awesome from start too finish! Allyson was my bridal attendant....and this girl was a true Angel!! She was there all night for us and did a A+ job! Brian was our captain...from what I saw of him he seemed nice and got us a drink here and there but other then that we didn't see him much! Maybe he was behind the scenes more but over hall all the staff there were right on key! BUT the bar tender now that's another issue. Now wasn't there nor did I even enter that room...but from what I heard he was a real jackazz! Your job is to serve drinks and yes maybe some ppl had 1 too many but that's his job deal w/ my guests! Well something happened and from what
I know someone flipped him the finger and this guy went off! He told him to get the F out of his bar and don't come back. Told him he kick his azz and called him a few other choice words! Now I'm not saying my guest was right but he was drinking and this guy is part of the staff needs to learn how too deal rather then use the words he did! Nobody told Sean or me so WM isn't even aware of this matter. I wanted to call and let them know but honestly what will be done? I'm sure nothing!
I was so busy saying hello to all my guests so I didn't even eat at my CH...but everyone loved it and I kept hearing how amazing a few of our choices were! More ppl enjoyed the CH rather then dinner! So far I've head all good about the food but 1 thing I did hear and cant agree more was the cake....It tasted horrible!! I was told that the most popular was Marble cake...gross!!! w/ Choc moose and Canolli filling...I do not rec this too anyone!!! My top tier we took home and I tried again the next day...well that whole thing went right into the trash! Def pick a diff cake!!!!
I'm sure there's always issues w/ all halls so by all means I don't mean to drag down WM...i'd still rec them to anyone and was happy with there over all service!




A special thank you to my family who without them our day NEVER would of happened!! My sisters who had many sleepless nights helping me do DIY projects!! Thanks guys...love you! Of course Daria (DNN518) my best friend and MOH...thank you for always being there for Alex, Alexa and I! Having you there by my side meant so much too me. We cant wait till May 18th so we can witness your wedding day! xoxoxo!!!!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congrats on your wedding. I head it was wonderful. My GF was there with her boyfriend Brian (your cousin). They raved about it. Congrats on married life. I heard you were stunning

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

who Alayna???

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congrats on your wedding. Thanks for the review. I need some pics.

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

---

Posted by NY031978

who Alayna???

---

Yup! She has been my best friend/neighbor for the last 23 years. She's in my wedding.

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

thats so funny! Alayna is a sweetie!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congratulations! It sounds as though for the most part you did have a beautiful day. Can't wait to see proofs.

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congrats!! I cant wait to see more pictures!! You are a beautiful bride!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congratulations!!! I can't wait to see pictures!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Alana...great review...cant wait to see some pics

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

The first '07 review!! Congrats! Can't wait to see more pics!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congrats!!! Can't wait for pictures.

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congratulations! Can't wait to see Pics. I am getting married at WM in 33 days, I am glad things went well. Hope they fired the bartender from your wedding....definitely do not want him at ours!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congratulations!!!

Thanks for your great review. I'll make sure I have exact money for my hair and makeup.

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

---

Posted by deirdre730

Congratulations! Can't wait to see Pics. I am getting married at WM in 33 days, I am glad things went well. Hope they fired the bartender from your wedding....definitely do not want him at ours!!

---

for him to act like that he deserves to get fired! But like i said i didnt even call WM bc i heard about it 2 days after my wedding!! i really wish someone told me that night

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Ugh, I am so sorry things were such a mess at St. Dom's for you! It sounds like the rest went smoothly , and from the one pic there it seems you were stunning. Hurry up and post some photos! And.... CONGRATS!!!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

congratulations to our first 07ers!!!! cant wait to see [pics!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

congrats!!!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Congrats first 07'er!!!!!

Re: Wedding Review.....1/5/07

Great Review to our first 07' Bride

You looked gorgeous and can't wait to see more pic's

You paved the way for the rest of us