FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Hello All! I have been on LIweddings for over a year now….. I have been lurking and looking at reviews and I loved the pics. So I just wanted to share some of mine.
Links to photos are within review


Lets start at the beginning of my day:

HAIR
Explosions Hair Salon Howard Beach: A+

I had a few trials at other places and I was never satisfied. I wanted something simple, but everyone kept giving me very elaborate styles. The week before my wedding, I approached my regular hair stylist at Explosions (her name is Jo). She said she would do it. I was supposed to have a trial, but I was unable to. So, on the morning of my wedding, I went to her not knowing what to expect. I couldn’t have been happier. Jo has been cutting and coloring my hair for years, so she knows me and my style. She did a great job!

MAKE-UP
My friend and make-up artist Veronica (FM me for details): A+

Again, someone that knows me very well. From the beginning, I knew that she was going to do my make-up. She was at my house before I got home from the hair salon. Veronica is one of my closest friends and she knows her stuff. I loved my make-up. I felt so pretty.

DRESS and BM DRESSES
Wedding Salon of Manhasset
www.weddingsalononline.com
Bridal Sales: A+++++++++++
BM Sales: A
Alterations: A++++++++++

I dealt with Jordana at the Wedding Salon for my bridal gown. She was wonderful and EXTREMELY patient. I tried on a ton of dresses and the re-tried them on again and again. I kept going back to 2 styles that I loved and I couldn’t decide. Both were Kenneth Pool……LOVE HIM! One style had a beautiful top, the other style had a great skirt. I was so torn. Jordana suggested that I combine the two and make my own style. I was so nervous. But when the final product came in, I was in LOVE. It was beautiful. I also had the train extended a foot. My mother really wanted me to have a long train. Jordana also helped me find my veil and I loved that as well. And she was patient with that as well. I tried on a bunch of veils and then re-tried them on. I ordered a cathedral veil and I was going to bustle it. In the end, I changed my mind and changed the order to have the cathedral detachable. Jordana said no problem and that was it.

Casey did my alterations. She was such a doll and boy is she thorough! She didn’t miss anything. She was crawling on the floor to check the seems on my hem while I was in the dress. I had three fittings and each time, I was in the dress for a minimum of an hour. She let me put my veil on to see how it would look. She let me take pictures in the dress. She did just a great job. I was so happy! She created such a unique and beautiful bustle. It was a French and American bustle combined. It showed off the beading on my dress beautifully.

I totally recommend both Jordana and Casey if you plan to visit the Wedding Salon.

When you purchase your gown, they give you a 20% discount on the BM dresses. So that was a great deal. The Bridesmaids wore Lazaro dresses.

I would highly recommend the Wedding Salon for all of your bridal needs. The owners of the salon uphold a wonderful reputation. They made my experience a very memorable one and over all I was happy with everything.


MOB DRESS
Estelle’s Dressy Dresses, Farmingdale:

I can’t really give this store a rating because they don’t really do anything. But we had a nice experience. My mom waited a long time to get a dress and this was a last resort. We found a dress that she really liked. They have a nice selection of MOB dresses and they are cheaper.

TUXES
Gino’s, Farmingdale: A+

What can I really say about Tuxes. We went in and pointed to a Tux. Then the guys were measured and they were ready on time. We have used Gino’s before. DH best friend got married last year and they used Gino’s. DH sister got married in December and they used them too. No complaints.

LIMO’S
RJ’s Exotic Limos, Wantagh: A

They were great before the wedding. They were very willing to negotiate the price. And the 2 owners were very nice. I called them a dozen times to check on things and they were great! The only thing that I would have had an issue with, had I not decided to be extra safe, was our limo bus. The limobus that we got was a 30 pass. (supposedly). I felt very unsure about this, since we would have at least 30 people, so I got an extra car. There were 20 of us on the bus and it was comfortable. Thank goodness I decided on the car for the parents.
The other disappointment….(I am very surprised that I didn’t snap out about it, but I was so made at my church organist that nothing else mattered) is that my limo driver forgot to pull the aisle runner down for me. He approached me when I pulled up to the ceremony and asked me if I wanted for the whole bridal party or just myself. I decided for myself. Well, the doors opened and dum dum dad um played and No Runner…….In his defense (and also probably the reason I didn’t flip) everyone felt so rushed to get down the aisle because of the long wait we had. So I forgive him. I think he realized afterward because he was overly accommodating and very apologetic about the overtime charge. This is one of those things in the end that really didn’t matter. And none of my guests at the church noticed.

OLD FASHIONED YELLOW CAB
Filmcars: B-

I decided to arrive at the church in a Yellow Cab. It was so nice. It was a surprise to DH. He didn’t know. I hired the car to take me to the church and then to wait to take pics afterward with DH. Well, he showed up early to my house. The driver was very nice. We had a problem at the church (I will get into that later). Our ceremony was delayed for almost 45 minutes. My contract with Film Cars stated that if I went over 1 ½ hours of service, that anything after would be $100 per hour overtime. Well after we were married, the photographer came up to me and asked me “Where the Yellow Cab went?” He just left! He didn’t say anything to anyone. I was really upset because DH did not even get to see my car. Nor did anyone else in the church. I basically got the car as a photo op and I was only able to take a few pics by myself in the car.



FLOWERS and INVITATIONS (My FAVORITE Vendor…….This is a long one)
Designs by Rose, Howard Beach: AAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
www.designsbyroseinc.com

When I first started looking into my flowers, I went to several places: Flower Barn, Flower Michele, Flowers by Brian, Dolsimer Florist and Pedastals. All of them are highly recommended. But they didn’t see what I had in my head and I feel that most of the people I met with knew very little about flowers. And they were pricey. But I knew that flowers were going to cost me money. At each appointment I was asked “how much do you want to spend?”. It seemed that they were only interested in the sale. The other thing that bothered me about all of these places, is that you don’t really know who is doing your flowers. So, basically the person or people that will be putting your centerpieces together will only go by notes and a picture of your sample. These florists display elaborate centerpieces in their stores and they are absolutely breath taking. But they also cost a fortune. Out of all of the florists above, I really disliked Flowers by Brian (JMO). I met with a guy there that gave me sales pitch. Before I even left the shop, he started giving the same pitch to the next client. It was very impersonal. Flowers by Brian also came in with the highest price out of every florist I went to. Another thing about all of these places that I did not like was that they want you to book before they make you a sample. How can you commit to something when you don’t know if you will like what they are offering you? Designs by Rose made me 2 samples before I booked. Although to be fair, Mike at Flower Michele also made me a sample after I insisted. But I didn’t care for it. Anyway lets skip to DBR review.

When I went to Rose and Doris at Designs by Rose, the first thing they wanted to know was what I wanted. Then they told me how I could save money. Their price came in as the lowest. And by a lot of money. Plus, they were offering me flowers like orchids and hydrangea and Snap Dragons, Calla Lillies. The other florists were basically just offering me roses. Rose gave me ideas for my Bo-K. She is a real visionary. I told her what I wanted and what I didn’t want. And she listened to every word.

Doris and Rose also did my invitations. They were so thorough. Doris was a great help with the wording of the invitations. She gave me her opinions and we discussed all of my options. I was very difficult to deal with. I wanted a plain invitation. But the quality of the paper was very important to me. I really wanted a good quality stock. We found a great invitation that I made a little design change to (I am difficult with everything….it’s just my nature) Doris said that it would not be a problem. I also ordered my direction cards from them. About a week after I received my invitations, I decided that I also wanted matching Accommodation cards. I called Doris and she said “Not a problem”.

Nothing was a problem for them. I can’t tell you how many times I met with them and how many times I changed my mind about something. Each time, it was “NOT A PROBLEM”. It was so nice dealing with a vendor that made me feel like I was their main priority….. For instance, Rose and Doris closed shop for a week in January and went on vacation. I remembered something that I wanted to tell them, so I sent an email. I thought that they would respond when they returned. NOPE…..Doris responded about 20 minutes later. SHE WAS ON A CRUISE AND ANSWERING MY EMAIL!!!!!!!

About 2 weeks before my wedding, I had a meeting with Rose and Doris. Doris showed me a new stand that they just got in and suggested that I change the original stand that I had chosen to the new stand. She thought that it was a more classic look and she said it would look better in my room. I was a little apprehensive because the stand didn’t have candles on it and my original choice did. But I decided to follow the pros advice and changed it. I was so happy when I walked in my room and saw the beautiful stands. They were amazing!

On the day of my wedding, Doris and Rose came to my house to drop off the Bo-K’s. Doris offered to bring my programs to the church for me. That was a big help. The church was set up exactly how I wanted it to be. Rose made me beautiful pew bows with rose petals hanging inside tulle. She also added Roses on top. I really wanted Flowers on the pews, but the other florists I had visited made me feel like I couldn’t afford it.
They decorated my room beautifully. The centerpieces were even more beautiful than I had anticipated. The cardholder I rented from them was so nice (pic below) it is a doll in a bridal gown. Everyone was so impressed by it. They said it was so unique. Rose also did my cake flowers. I left that up to her. I showed her a pic of what my cake would look like. I loved that she used orchids. They also decorated the mantel above the fireplace. They used pillar candles, pink rose petals and green orchids. It looked so amazing.

Rose also made my RD centerpieces. They were so nice. Originally, I ordered 5 CP’s in Martini Vases. Rose thought that a few smaller scattered CP’s would look nicer on the long tables at the restaurant. She made me 12 smaller CP’s in Martini glasses. For the same price. They were great! Each girl in my BP got to take one home, plus the moms and Grandma’s. It was a really nice touch. And the best part was that everyone thought it was my idea!....lol.

I cannot express in words how happy I am with my flowers. From the beginning, Rose and Doris were more than helpful. They became my wedding coordinators. They gave me advice on everything. They were so amazing. Everything that Rose designs is beautiful. She is so talented.

Oh, I also received advice about my veil and hair from Roses sister that works for Reem Acra in NYC. From start to finish….. They were beyond amazing.


VIDEO
Golden Moments, Mineola:
www.gmdsny.com

DAY OF: A +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
VIDEO: (TBD……but I know it’s going to be amazing)

I started my search for a videographer online. I went to various sites and viewed their samples to get a feel of their work. I also went to a few showcases and viewed some sample videos and received pricing. I couldn’t afford to spend $3,000 on my video. And I wanted my video to be nice. I called a few places and their prices were just out of my budget. Then I spoke to Pat at Golden Moments. I sent him a message through his website and he got back to me that same day. When he told me how much his video package was, I thought he was joking! I met with him that weekend and he showed me his samples. I was extremely surprised about how much I liked his work. Pat is the nicest guy and he is so pleasant to talk to. During our conversations, he would give me advice regarding other aspects of the wedding. He is a very genuine person.

On the day of my wedding, he arrived at my house early and went straight to filming. He is a very calm person. All of my bridesmaids were getting ready and putting their makeup on. I was being a bridezilla! Pat was so nice and he tried to calm me down a bit and told me not to worry about what everyone else was doing. I cannot stress how hard he worked that day. He did not stop filming. I remember being up on the altar and getting a glimpse of him way in the back of the church holding his arm straight up in the air with a camera on a pole. He had two cameras with him that day, which I thought was pretty impressive. It must have been hard for him to lug all of that equipment around. At the reception, he filmed everything. But he was not obtrusive at all. He was really great! I can’t wait to see my video because I know that he really captured every moment of our day.

PHOTO:
Duet Photography, Huntington and New York City
UP TO THE DAY: (A)
DAY OF: (A+)
PROOFS: (A+)


Photography was the last thing I picked out. It was so important to me because I do not like the way I look in pics usually. I went to several places and after looking at many portfolios, I decided that I wanted a photojournalistic photographer.

We had Woo’s Team…..but I thought it was more like Joseph’s Team. He did our engagement shoot. I really liked those pics. We received about 80 proofs from our engagement shoot and I was pretty impressed with them. A few of the shots made me look like I had a double chin. So I expressed this concern to Joseph on my wedding day and I didn’t have a double chin in my wedding photos.

The day of the wedding, Duet sent 3 photographers: Joseph and another guy (can’t remember his name) came to my house and Woo went to DH. IMO Joseph was in charge and after seeing the discs that they gave me, he took the most pics and the nicest.

They were very organized at the church and I barely noticed them. There are 2 things that I can say could have been different…..not better, just different. Group shots could have been a little more organized looking and DH and I have about 90 shots of us kissing. Which are beautiful pics….but I almost wish that we were looking at the camera for some of them. I was frazzled and like I said before we were running more than 45 minutes behind. DH and I did not get to take many posed photos together. This is not Duet’s fault at all. I feel that they did an awesome job under the time constraint. They managed to get pics of the room and all of the little things that you want them to get pics of. They were everywhere the day of the wedding. Everyone commented on how wonderful they were. All in all, I am extremely satisfied with my photos. They took so many beautiful pictures and that is what really mattered the most to me.

My proofs were ready about 11 days after my wedding. I was impressed considering that I see reviews on here saying that people waited a long time for their proofs. But I guess it is because this is a slow time of the year. We received about 800 proofs with a disc of the proofs. They also gave us 4 other discs with all of the pics that they took that day (about 5000 photos in total). A lot of the shots on the discs were great and I am going to request that they print them. They literally took pictures of everything. Some things were repetitive, but I enjoyed seeing my other options.

One thing I want to say is that you can’t pay too much attention to these reviews when it comes to people liking their photos. Everyone’s taste varies. You really have to pay attention to what you prefer and really look into your photographers. Some people (like myself) may be critical of themselves and that is the reason they do not like their photos. Also, and I think another bride said this in her review. When you see peoples proofs on here, keep in mind that they are only showing you the very best of the ones that they received. I don’t think everyone ever LOVES every photo.

Duet definitely gets a thumbs up from me. Everyone that sees my proofs LOVES them. I LOVE them and DH LOVES them……

LINK TO PROOFS: Sorry they are all out of order

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=155223965/a=48213502_48213502/t_=48213502

DJ
Satisfaction Guaranteed Entertainment, Mineola - A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
www.sgedj.com

OMG….they were great! I knew of SGE for a long time. I would see them at parties every weekend when I worked at Russo’s on the Bay. They were always amazing. So as soon as we chose a date, I booked them. Vinny was our MC. He is wonderfully charismatic. He had the party pumping all night. I told him that I wanted him to be very interactive with my guests. And he was perfect.

We chose to have the light package and the 50 inch plasma screen with a photo montage. At the last minute, I decided that I also wanted to have the percussionist. I loved having the percussionist, it definitely livened the party up. With the screens, Vinny told me that they would be taking pics of the party and flashing them on the screen. Well they took around 300 photos of my party and they were awesome. I sent them to a few people who thought that they were my proofs. Vinny sent me a disk with all of the photos that they took. We received them in the mail the day we came back from our honeymoon. Here are a few of the pics taken by SGE:

LINK TO SGE PICS:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoView.jsp?collid=56099823708.452554008108.1175785216446&photoid=590990227108&folderid=0&



COCKTAIL HOUR MUSIC
Stan Weist Strolling Violinist- A

I have to be honest and say that I didn’t pay too much attention to the Violinist. I was only at my cocktail hour for a few minutes. However, I received comments about him from many of my guests after the wedding. Everyone thought it was a nice touch. I wanted to have something for my cocktail hour, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of $$$. This was the nicest, most affordable option. Stan Weist was a great vendor to deal with. He returned my calls promptly and everything was just as planned.



CHURCH
St. Mary Gate of Heaven, Ozone Park (How can you RATE a church??)

I love this church and I am so happy that I was able to be married here. I adore the priest that married us (Father Hugh). From the beginning, he was wonderful. He gave a beautiful sermon.
However, the church organist gets a big fat F. He showed up 45 minutes late. He said he was in traffic, but seriously WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Because he showed up late, my taxi left (although he was WRONG for that), I had to pay overtime for my Limos, and I didn’t have time for pictures. He upset me so much the day of my wedding. It is unbelievable.




RH
Watermill, Smithtown (A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++)

I was really happy with the Watermill. Everyone at the WM was fabulous. From the day I walked in till the end of my reception. They were great! Sean was my Maitre d. I can’t remember my Bridal Attendant or Captains name, but they were both amazing. Anything that I asked them, they were more than happy to oblige. I was truly amazed by my cake. I really wanted an all chocolate cake and I was nervous about it because they don’t have them in their books. But it was amazing and it was delicious. I had some of the cocktail hour food and everything was delicious. We had the seafood boat for cocktail hour and they had a display for me in the Bridal Suite. Every guest that I have spoken to since the wedding has had a story about how good the service at their table was. A few people still remember their servers names. All in all, the staff at the Watermill made my wedding wonderful. I only wish that I wasn’t so nervous and that I sat down for a minute to to take it all in.



MISC.
Programs, Menus, Table Cameras, Table Numbers, Favor Tags (and Favor Wrapping)

ME, MYSELF and I

I decided to do all of my own leg work. So I designed and Printed my stuff. I was pretty happy with everything. For the wrapping of my favors, I went to www.papermart.com and purchased the metallic tissue paper in champagne. I also bought black ribbon from them. The favors were 2 small oil and vinegar bottles in a caddy. I bought the favors at Wrap with Us.

The menus, programs, table camera tags, favor tags and programs were all made from the same paper. I bought a huge pack of ivory stock from Staples (got this idea from ChrissynRicky). The table cameras were the only thing that Duet did not photograph. I didn’t specifically tell them to photograph them….so Oh Well. But I bought regular wedding camera’s. They had a white floral design on them. I put them in little pick organza bags and printed a tag that matched my menus, etc. My place cards were written out by my MIL friend.

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

i espeacially like ur review on design by rose, and i booked with them for my wedding, dont be fooled by my date, i am a 07 bride......great review,

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Thanks. You made a great choice for your florist. You will be sooooo happy!

Were you able to see my pics? I have been having such a hard time trying to post them. I thought using the links would be easiest.

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

yes i seen the bouquets very beautiful and ur tables were very nice!!!!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

you look beautiful. Congrats

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Beautiful review thanks!!!!
Your dress was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Thank you for your review!! You were a stunning bride! I am also using Duet so that part was especially helpful. Congratulations!!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Loved your review especially about The Wedding Salon (i worked with Jordana also) and Designs by Rose. Love them both!!!!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

GREAT REVIEW!!!! We, too, are using Designs By Rose (LOVE THEM SO FAR), and DUET (SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS)... you got some GREAT pics!!!!

Here's a very nice one - great lighting and composition!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Ok, Duet did an absolutely awesome job with your pics!!!! I'm using Jay's team but this makes me want to switch!!!

Here are my favorites from all of your gorgeous pics.


















Awesome pic:

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

omg...your pics are awesome!!! great review


i love that last pic Mrs Q posted....is that your dad crying? it's so touching!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Yay! Another happy Watermill bride!

Thanks for the fabulous review...you were gorgeous!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

What a beautiful bride! Thanks for the review

Many years of happiness to you and DH

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful compliments. I had a really hard time posting my pics. I even had a hard time uploading them to snapfish...lol. I am pretty computer literate and this is really embarrassing.....Looking through some of my pics I realized that I didn't upload a lot of other really great ones.

That is my FIL crying in the church. DH family is very emotional....it's so touching.

Was everyone able to see the pics I have on Kodak Gallery?

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

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Posted by 2good2btrue

Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful compliments. I had a really hard time posting my pics. I even had a hard time uploading them to snapfish...lol. I am pretty computer literate and this is really embarrassing.....Looking through some of my pics I realized that I didn't upload a lot of other really great ones.

That is my FIL crying in the church. DH family is very emotional....it's so touching.

Was everyone able to see the pics I have on Kodak Gallery?

---

Nope, the Kodak Gallery album says 'Album Not Found'.

What you should do is send it to yourself (don't check where it says 'Require people to sign in to view pictures' or whatever the saying is). Then, the link that you get to open the album is the one you should post.

Also, FM me if you want exact directions on how to post your pics. It's not difficult if you know the exact steps. I'd be happy to help.

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Your review is awesome, you look gorgeous and I just LOVE your proofs! YEEEAAA Duet!

Congrats on an awesome day!!!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Beautiful pictures congrats!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

Love the pics

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

congrats!!!!

Re: FINALLY.....February 24, 2007 WATERMILL, DESIGNS BY ROSE, DUET, GOLDEN MOMENTS, SGE, RJ's and more.....LINK TO PRO PICS

omg...just gorgeous...i am using Duet and love all your shots....they are amazing...you look beautiful

i had no trouble viewing them at all...there were so many great shots

i love your pew decor