9-23-05 My Wonderful Wedding!!!...added more!
Okay, so it is finally my turn to do a review!!! I still am in shock that the whole thing is over. Below is my review of each vendor, I am trying to be as honest as I can with each. I don't have any pictures right now, but my mom is mailing me a disc with all of her digital shots, so I will add pictures later this week. Here goes:
David's Bridal- (Bride, bridesmaid and flowergirl attire) - Rating: B
-Although the overall service was decent, my alterations came out fine, my bridesmaid and flower girl dresses arrived without a problem, I was a little disappointed with the price of alterations. My alterations were about 1/2 the price of what I paid for my dress. Adding the alterations to the dress price, alterations were 1/3 of the cost. It seemed a bit much when it was not a complicated alteration. I had 3 inches taken off the bottom and a 3 button bustle put in. That's it. But I guess, that is the way the cookie crumbles!!!
AfterHours Formal Wear-(Groom, groomsmen, FOB, FOG and Ringbearers attire) - Rating: F
-I was completely disappointed with the service of this company. We origanlly fitted my husband in the North Carolina store which was beautiful and all the staff corteous. That was the end of it though. Everytime that I called the store in Roosevelt Field, I was put on endless hold, hung up on, etc. They lost 4 of my groomsmens measurement 3 times. A week before the wedding they still could not get it straight. They had down the wrong wedding date for us. They told me it was my fault they could not find the measurements because I did not give them the same name for the groomsmen as was on their credit cards, it took them 25 minutes to find my husbands tux when he went for the fitting, the store manager was rude to both me and my husband, and they told one of the groomsmen that his tux was reserved for the day after our wedding, not the same as the rest of the bridal party. He ended up getting his tux the night before the wedding! In the end the manager told my husband that it didn't matter who was right or wrong (hello, what happened to the customer always being right?) but that we should leave happy. So he gave my husband and the groomsmen who got his tux late a refund. In my mind too little, too late. For more detailed info please FM. I probably said too much already![]()
Variety Music -(DJ for Cocktail Hour and Reception)-Rating: B+
-So the craziest part about this is that I selected Variety Music out of the blue based on price and reviews on this site. But after our final meeting (the only meeting really because I live in NC) I sort of recognized the house and had the feeling that I had been there before. After the honeymoon my husband and I watch my Sweet 16 video and just as I had suspected, it was the same company! Crazy right! Anyway, as for the review. Ray did a really great job and I was happy with the overall music of the night. The only thing that bothered me was that he did not play some of the songs I requested on the play list (I only had a short list of maybe 15 songs) and he asked to do the Congo Line in the middle of us greeting our tables. Other than that he was fantastic and had everyone up and dancing.
Spelman Studios-(Photographer)-Rating: A++
-I really cannot say enough about Christine and her staff. We have not received the proofs yet but I have no doubt that they will be fantastic. From the first meeting where she got all the family names and made notes of special shots, to the day of where she came into the hotel and got everyone going to be ready on time. Her and my MOH even made the bed. She was so calm, attentive, focused, and professional. Everyone commented on what a wonderful choice we made. On a whim she got my father's cousins (27 people plus us) together for a group shot in under 5 minutes. She was awesome. I cannot wait to go see the pictures and put together our album.
Swan Club-(Catering Hall)-Rating: A
-Karen was our Maitre'd and she was awesome. She made sure that we were happy and everything was just right. Our guest's said everything was wonderful. THe only complaint they had was that some of the waiters were a little short with people. My only complaint was that they lost my memory candles (not that big a deal-we made them ourselves for like $5 a piece, but still there were 4 of them and they are just gone). It was certainly a rockin' party at the Swan Club
Royalty Limousines-(Transportation)-Rating: A+
-Limos were something that I put off until the last minute. THis was a company that my Aunt recommended and I went with it. We had 2 8-10 passenger limos and both drivers were really great. We had a good time.
Village Florist and Gifts-(Bride's bouquet, corsages and boutinears)-Rating: A
-My Aunt made all of our centerpieces, the brides bouquets, flower girls headpieces and the little girls bouquets. We got the flowers wholesale from a friend of mine in the business. But for the remainder we used Village Florist and Gifts in East Williston. The service was great and the product was wonderful. My only complaint was that the florist called me the day before the wedding to tell me that certain berries she had recommended would not be available. If she didn't call me I would never have noticed and I would not have been stressing about it. But I guess it was better to say something rather than nothing at all. Otherwise, everything was great!
Community Church of East Williston-(Ceremony)-Rating: A++
-Pastor Hyuck is such a wonderful man, and his wife is a beautiful musician. We had such a wonderful ceremony. Each detail was put in place and we were able to get the service that we wanted. My Aunt is a member of the board of directors there and was able to decorate the church at her leisure, and it came out gorgeous. Pastor Hyuck made sure that we had everything else taken care of. We were able to write our own vows and select our own music (we had all Beatles music (example: I walked down the aisle to 'Here, There, Everywhere'). It was everything that I have ever dreamed of.
Roslyn Clairmont Hotel-(Hotel for guests, bridal party and bride and groom the night before and night of the wedding)-Rating: B+
-Everything was well taken care of and we were not left for wanting much. A few guest complained that the AC did not work well, but other than that it was a beautiful location and great service. We were very happy.
**That seems to be my review. I hope that it is helpful to all of you ladies. Feel free to FM if you have any other questions. I will be happy to answer them. Overall, the wedding was a huge success and I was so happy that day. Nothing terrible went wrong and it was a day that I will replay in my head forever. Below I willpost some shots that my cousing took (he is a professional photographer) of the wedding. I will update when I have shots from Spelman Studios.
So I totally forgot to review my hairdresser!!
LaMirage-(Bride's Hair)-Rating: C
-Unfortunately I cannot give my stylist there a good rating. I won't mention her name, however I went in for a trial and all seemed well. I told her that I was very nervous because whenever anyone does my hair it falls out within a couple of hours. She told me it would be fine and last all night. So when I went back to the salon the day of the wedding she had no reccolection of what she had done the previous time and it took 4 stylings in order to get it right. (I should have brought the pictures and that is my fault I guess.) Then needless to say, before my father-daughter dance my hair completely fell out showing only a plastic rubberband that she had used to put it up. Fortunately the man who did my BM's hair was able to fix it right there and then. (He is an amazing man. He is a family friend and used to be a professional hairstylist to the stars in CA. He got diagnosed with Brain Cancer 2 years ago and did not want the pressure of doing the brides hair. But he did all of my BM's (6 girls) in 45min. All up-do's and not one girls fell out. Oh well, live and learn. He is the only stylist who ever got my hair to stay up till I wanted it to come down!!!
David's Bridal- (Bride, bridesmaid and flowergirl attire) - Rating: B
-Although the overall service was decent, my alterations came out fine, my bridesmaid and flower girl dresses arrived without a problem, I was a little disappointed with the price of alterations. My alterations were about 1/2 the price of what I paid for my dress. Adding the alterations to the dress price, alterations were 1/3 of the cost. It seemed a bit much when it was not a complicated alteration. I had 3 inches taken off the bottom and a 3 button bustle put in. That's it. But I guess, that is the way the cookie crumbles!!!
AfterHours Formal Wear-(Groom, groomsmen, FOB, FOG and Ringbearers attire) - Rating: F
-I was completely disappointed with the service of this company. We origanlly fitted my husband in the North Carolina store which was beautiful and all the staff corteous. That was the end of it though. Everytime that I called the store in Roosevelt Field, I was put on endless hold, hung up on, etc. They lost 4 of my groomsmens measurement 3 times. A week before the wedding they still could not get it straight. They had down the wrong wedding date for us. They told me it was my fault they could not find the measurements because I did not give them the same name for the groomsmen as was on their credit cards, it took them 25 minutes to find my husbands tux when he went for the fitting, the store manager was rude to both me and my husband, and they told one of the groomsmen that his tux was reserved for the day after our wedding, not the same as the rest of the bridal party. He ended up getting his tux the night before the wedding! In the end the manager told my husband that it didn't matter who was right or wrong (hello, what happened to the customer always being right?) but that we should leave happy. So he gave my husband and the groomsmen who got his tux late a refund. In my mind too little, too late. For more detailed info please FM. I probably said too much already
Variety Music -(DJ for Cocktail Hour and Reception)-Rating: B+
-So the craziest part about this is that I selected Variety Music out of the blue based on price and reviews on this site. But after our final meeting (the only meeting really because I live in NC) I sort of recognized the house and had the feeling that I had been there before. After the honeymoon my husband and I watch my Sweet 16 video and just as I had suspected, it was the same company! Crazy right! Anyway, as for the review. Ray did a really great job and I was happy with the overall music of the night. The only thing that bothered me was that he did not play some of the songs I requested on the play list (I only had a short list of maybe 15 songs) and he asked to do the Congo Line in the middle of us greeting our tables. Other than that he was fantastic and had everyone up and dancing.
Spelman Studios-(Photographer)-Rating: A++
-I really cannot say enough about Christine and her staff. We have not received the proofs yet but I have no doubt that they will be fantastic. From the first meeting where she got all the family names and made notes of special shots, to the day of where she came into the hotel and got everyone going to be ready on time. Her and my MOH even made the bed. She was so calm, attentive, focused, and professional. Everyone commented on what a wonderful choice we made. On a whim she got my father's cousins (27 people plus us) together for a group shot in under 5 minutes. She was awesome. I cannot wait to go see the pictures and put together our album.
Swan Club-(Catering Hall)-Rating: A
-Karen was our Maitre'd and she was awesome. She made sure that we were happy and everything was just right. Our guest's said everything was wonderful. THe only complaint they had was that some of the waiters were a little short with people. My only complaint was that they lost my memory candles (not that big a deal-we made them ourselves for like $5 a piece, but still there were 4 of them and they are just gone). It was certainly a rockin' party at the Swan Club
Royalty Limousines-(Transportation)-Rating: A+
-Limos were something that I put off until the last minute. THis was a company that my Aunt recommended and I went with it. We had 2 8-10 passenger limos and both drivers were really great. We had a good time.
Village Florist and Gifts-(Bride's bouquet, corsages and boutinears)-Rating: A
-My Aunt made all of our centerpieces, the brides bouquets, flower girls headpieces and the little girls bouquets. We got the flowers wholesale from a friend of mine in the business. But for the remainder we used Village Florist and Gifts in East Williston. The service was great and the product was wonderful. My only complaint was that the florist called me the day before the wedding to tell me that certain berries she had recommended would not be available. If she didn't call me I would never have noticed and I would not have been stressing about it. But I guess it was better to say something rather than nothing at all. Otherwise, everything was great!
Community Church of East Williston-(Ceremony)-Rating: A++
-Pastor Hyuck is such a wonderful man, and his wife is a beautiful musician. We had such a wonderful ceremony. Each detail was put in place and we were able to get the service that we wanted. My Aunt is a member of the board of directors there and was able to decorate the church at her leisure, and it came out gorgeous. Pastor Hyuck made sure that we had everything else taken care of. We were able to write our own vows and select our own music (we had all Beatles music (example: I walked down the aisle to 'Here, There, Everywhere'). It was everything that I have ever dreamed of.
Roslyn Clairmont Hotel-(Hotel for guests, bridal party and bride and groom the night before and night of the wedding)-Rating: B+
-Everything was well taken care of and we were not left for wanting much. A few guest complained that the AC did not work well, but other than that it was a beautiful location and great service. We were very happy.
**That seems to be my review. I hope that it is helpful to all of you ladies. Feel free to FM if you have any other questions. I will be happy to answer them. Overall, the wedding was a huge success and I was so happy that day. Nothing terrible went wrong and it was a day that I will replay in my head forever. Below I willpost some shots that my cousing took (he is a professional photographer) of the wedding. I will update when I have shots from Spelman Studios.
So I totally forgot to review my hairdresser!!
LaMirage-(Bride's Hair)-Rating: C
-Unfortunately I cannot give my stylist there a good rating. I won't mention her name, however I went in for a trial and all seemed well. I told her that I was very nervous because whenever anyone does my hair it falls out within a couple of hours. She told me it would be fine and last all night. So when I went back to the salon the day of the wedding she had no reccolection of what she had done the previous time and it took 4 stylings in order to get it right. (I should have brought the pictures and that is my fault I guess.) Then needless to say, before my father-daughter dance my hair completely fell out showing only a plastic rubberband that she had used to put it up. Fortunately the man who did my BM's hair was able to fix it right there and then. (He is an amazing man. He is a family friend and used to be a professional hairstylist to the stars in CA. He got diagnosed with Brain Cancer 2 years ago and did not want the pressure of doing the brides hair. But he did all of my BM's (6 girls) in 45min. All up-do's and not one girls fell out. Oh well, live and learn. He is the only stylist who ever got my hair to stay up till I wanted it to come down!!!
