11/12/2005 VERY DETAILED REVIEW of MY BIG FAT JEWISH WEDDING!!!!! Temple Chaverim, Niteflight and more, with PHOTOS!!!

5/30/06 review of video updated!


Ok, here are my vendor reviews. I loved the majority of my vendors!!!!! Some of them really deserve A++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (extra pluses) but I did not write out the extra plus signs because all of my A+ vendors were equally incredible. Any vendor that I gave an A+ to was really superb. FM me for any more details. My wedding was spectacular and the details were all noticed! At the end of each vendor’s review, the last sentence or 2 sums up how I would feel about recommending that vendor or using them again in the future.

The vendors listed in this review are not listed in any particular order.


Invitations, Noteworthy in Woodbury A+

--I got gorgeous invites from them!!! They were by C'est papier. The people at Noteworthy were quick and attentive. They carry some great lines there!! They were so nice to me and FH and we got the invites very quickly. Also, we went to some other invite stores that were more pushy to try to get us to use their calligrapher. Noteworthy gave us the information about their calligrapher but were not pushy at all. As an added bonus, one of the girls who worked there made helped me carry my invites to my car. For those who have kids, I noticed some really cute stationery, especially the “letters home from camp” type. I would definitely shop there again.


Mary's Corsetiere (also Woodbury) A

--They really know what they are doing there. The woman just looked at me and knew that I have a short torso and long legs--which means that I needed a corset that is made for a shorter body. I went there once in the summer, they noted a style number and size, then I went back in September to make the purchase. The only reason they did not get a plus is because they were a little bit rushed when I went back and I got less attention than the first time. Before I went to Mary’s, I also tried Georgettes but I felt more comfortable with the fact that Mary’s understood my body type, sized me correctly and did alterations. I will be recommending Mary’s and I would go back if I had a dress that needed a special bra or corset.


Temple Chaverim (Reception and Ceremony there, located in Plainview) A+

Jewish brides, you owe it to yourselves to check out Temple Chaverim. The place is incredible. Even before the wedding, they were on top of things, answered questions and generally just catered to me and my FH.

On the day of the wedding, they delivered on every detail we had discussed, plus they added some surprises. It was a very lively wedding and not one thing went wrong. H and I had a great time and it showed. We were our crazy, silly selves and we could be that way because Temple Chaverim managed the wedding so well for us and all we had to do was have fun.

My friends and family are still raving about the food, the service and the beauty of Temple Chaverim.

I totally believe in the idea of hiring a wedding coordinator, but with Temple Chaverim, it was simply not necessary. The Banquet Manager did everything a coordinator does and more. In fact, there were 3 Banquet Managers and a bridal attendant at my wedding. They had started to set up the ballroom for my wedding a few days before and we got to see how great it was coming together. A few days before the wedding, when the owner of the catering service saw the Indian Tapestries that I was using in the center of the tables, he called me to see if I wanted to make a change in my tablecloth selection, because he had ones that were a better match to the tapestries. I think that many caterers would have just thrown down the tapestries and not really cared! I took his suggestion and the tables were so beautiful. They did everything I asked for, such as putting out the favors and table tapestries, lighting, etc. We showed up early for pictures, and they gave us great service from the moment we arrived. The florist and the band both commented that this was an easy place to work with.

After the ceremony, we had a martini line in the front hallway of the temple, with some smaller stations and passed hors d’ ouvres (Sp??) . I just found out today that one of my friends thought that the front hallway area was the whole cocktail hour. There was so much food there but that was not even the main cocktail hour. So, when she got to the cocktail room, she was shocked to see all the stations and the huge bar. I knew that this caterer has a reputation for amazing gourmet food but I did not know that there would be so much of it

I attended most of the cocktail hour and it was amazing. There was a vodka and caviar station complete with an ice shot slide (H is known for his summer ice block parties on Fire Island). There was Asian food served in Chinese food containers. There was tempura, penne alla vodka, eggplant rollatini, seared tuna with sticky rice, a whole soup station, a whole pasta station and more passed hors deovres than I have ever seen.

We also had a station that was a replica of the old style Jewish delis. That was so popular. We had a great mix of traditional Jewish foods and the more modern dishes. For anyone who is unsure about whether their traditional ethnic foods will be popular with the guests, go for it. I am so glad that we had those foods. I found out later that a friend of mine who is Catholic received an entire lesson on Jewish foods from an Aunt of mine who I hadn’t seen in years! My friend tried Dr. Brown’s soda, stuffed derma and all kinds of other foods and loved it. The Jewish deli also had pastrami, and hot dogs. It was a real ice breaker for my guests. Other Jewish style foods were lox, falafel, hummus.

After the cocktail hour, as the guests made their way to their seats in the ballroom, the banquet manager sat my husband and I down at a table, put smocks over us to protect our clothes, and served up a feast of the cocktail hour food. He had told me ahead of time that he likes to do this, and it was nice to know that I would have a chance to eat after mingling at the cocktail hour. I would recommend that other brides request this. It was nice to pause before the reception.

At the reception, the staff escorted people to their tables. That was a big hit with my girl friends. The service was incredible. I had made slipper baskets and Temple Chaverim had staff members carrying the baskets from table to table and offering each lady a pair. And they helped the ladies find the sizes they needed. Then they put the leftover slippers up near the band and some people got them later. I think there may have also been some slippers placed in the bathroom. Almost all the slippers went and that was a big hit. I loved having them “served” this way.

The dance floor was bustling all night (more about that in my review of Niteflight), everyone was lively and smiley and taking notice of the wonderful details that made it such a great event.

The desserts were incredible. The dessert carts, egg creams, ice cream, international coffees, cordials, pre-plated chocolate dessert, cake and bakery to go were huge hits! The bakery to go is at the end of the wedding. When people are waiting for their cars, they could treat themselves to a “bakery-to-go” with sweets, pretzels, s’mores, roasted chestnuts, Halvah and all kinds of other goodies. They provided bags. I have some friends with small children and they brought these goodie bags home to their kids.

I would highly recommend Temple Chaverim, obviously. I think that some of our guests are now interested in having events there. I hope so, as I want to go back!!!