GT143EA's -Awesome July 19, 2009 Wedding at Villa Lombardi's! Also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs, MME, Jacqueline Nicole, Sir Oliver Limos! NOW WITH ALBUM LAYOUT!!

I can’t believe the time has come to write my review! I started coming on LIW around March 2007 after I got engaged. My sister Diane (BunnyBride- an ‘07 bride) turned me on to it and before long I became addicted! I would first like to
thank Ron and Liz and the entire LIW staff for creating and maintaining this site! Another special thanks goes out to all of my fellow ’09 brides! I don’t know if I could have gotten through this important/crazy time in my life without the help of my girls! Thanks so much for everything ladies!


Engagement Ring: Robert’s Jeweler- Southhold - A+
DH picked out my E-ring with the help of Robert himself and I have to say, he did an amazing job! I could not be happier with my e-ring! It’s absolutely perfect for me!


Save The Date Magnets: Vistaprint.com- A+
I got my STD’s from Vista print and they were perfect. I pretty much got them for nothing because vista was having a sale. They were very simple and served their purpose.

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Bridal Shower: My Parents House with food catered from Café Figaro’s- Centereach- A+
My bridal party threw my shower at my parent’s house. It was supposed to be a surprise but like most other brides, I knew about it! When I walked in I was surprised at what an amazing job they did! The shower was a wine theme and all my guests brought bottles of wine instead of a typical wishing well gift. They had set up a table of wine and cheese from different countries around the world! They catered the food from Café Figaro’s in Centereach and it was delic!!It was an amazing shower and everyone was extremely generous!


Bachelorette Party: Mangia e Bevi- A+
The Alphabet Lounge- A+
We started at Magia e Bevi for dinner and the food and atmosphere was great! I had been there for a couple of BP so I knew what to expect. After dinner we went to The Alphabet Lounge, where we danced to 80’s & 90’s music all night long! Awesome time!






Bridal Party Gifts: CustomGlamGirl.com- A+
Spafinder.com- A+
Beer Distributer in Shirley- A+

It was so hard to figure out what to get our BP! I didn’t want to do the typical jewelry and flasks. We wanted something they could definitely enjoy! For my MOH I got her a zip up that she wanted with a rhinestone cupcake on the back. She wanted it and I knew she’d use it more than once. The zip up sweatshirt was from CustomGlamGirl.com and was about $100. It came in more than enough time and in perfect condition. I got my BM’s and my MOH gift certificates to Spafinder.com. I thought this was a good idea because they can go on the website and choose any of the spa’s that accept these gift certificates. The girls loved them! For the guys, DH decided he didn’t want to give the typical groomsmen gifts. So he got them a keg of beer that they s ucked down the night of his bachelor party 3 days before the wedding! The guys loved it!

Boudoir Pictures: Jenerations Photography- A+
Boudoir Album: Mypublisher.com-A+
I contemplated doing B-pics for a long time before I actually did them because I am not a skinny girl and didn’t want to look like a cow! Well, Jen is an absolute genius! She positioned me in such a way that my big body actually looked beautiful! And Jen is such a doll! Makes you feel so comfortable even though you are standing practically naked in front of her I made an album on mypublisher.com and gave it to DH on our wedding night. He loved it! If you are having doubts about doing this, don’t! It’s a great ego boost and your FH/DH will love it!




Engagement Pictures: Thomas Paul Photography- A+
I wanted to do my Epics the same day as my Bpics because I would have my makeup already done and Tom made it happen! It had been raining on and off all day so Tom thought we should cancel but when I insisted that we get them done that day. He met us at Sunken Meadow Beach and had them done in a flash! We didn’t get a drop of rain on us and our pictures came out amazing!!!!



DIY’s: Family Candle and Programs
I only did 2 DIY's and that was our family candle and programs. DH has a 9 year old son and we wanted to light a candle with him during the ceremony. I got all the supplies to make the candle at Michael’s. Thanks to Jessica (tgrlily339) who made me a beautiful monogram, I was able to print it out on velum paper and glue it on the candle, add some ribbon, and it was finished and it looked great!!
I bought the fan programs from Michael’s and they turned out to be the biggest PITA! I couldn’t feed them through my printer because they weren’t wide enough, so my amazing dad helped me by taping every fan panel (about 400 of them) to a piece of paper and then I fed it through the printer. It took a couple of days but they came out awesome!



Cake Topper: Penguin Collections By Angela's Creations: A
I LOVE penguins so I knew I had to have a penguin cake topper. I found an adorable one from Angela's Creations. I showed my sister and she ordered it for me for my shower. The reason she didn't get an A+ is because it didn't get here in time for my shower, but when it came it was perfect!



Seating Cards: Inkspun- A+
I used Inkspun for my placecards and they came out perfect and Bill works so quickly! I had a problem and Bill corrected it right away free of charge!His prices are also unbeatable! Highly recommend!


Wedding Bands:Attias Flea Market in Sayville and Lundstrom Jewlers- Both A+
DH bought my band at Lundstrom and got an awesome deal because they were going out of business. It matched my ering perfectly! I bought him a plain silver band from a flea market in Sayville. He said he didnt want a band because he would never wear it, but I told him he needed one for the ceremony. Wouldn't you know he wears it all the time! I plan on buying him a gold one for our first anniversary.

Weather: A+
I could not have asked for a more perfect day! After it had been raining pretty much the whole month of June I was a little nervous! I stalked the weather for weeks leading up to the big day and it changed every day! The day of it was gorgeous!! Sunny, no humidity, low 80’s….absolutely perfect!!!!

Shoes: My Glass Slipper- A+
I went into Manhattan to visit my sister and she took me to this store. It was not what I expected at all! It was this tiny little place in a building! I didn’t think that I would find my shoes there but I did and they were perfect! They were Dyables so I had them dyed the color of my BM dresses at a shoemaker in Selden. They did a great job!





Flip Flops: VictoriaSecret.com- A+
I knew that I wouldn’t want to wear my shoe during the reception but I knew that if I took them off, my dress would drag. So I went on VS website and found 3 inch flip flops. They fit perfect and arrived at my house so quickly! And they were only $15!



Jewelry: Tri County Flea Market- A+
I had never heard of Tri County until coming on this site. I decided to check it out for my DOJ. I bought a necklace, earring and a bracelet at a little booth. It was reasonably priced and exactly what I was looking for!



Flowers To Wear In My Hair: ButterflyEnchantress.com- A+
I originally thought I was going to wear a headband but when I started seeing these gorgeous flowers that other brides were getting I had to have them! So I fm’d Allegra (allegracristina) and she told me that she got hers from butterfly enchantress (Thanks hun!) I went on the website and I ordered two gardenia flowers. They came quickly and were breathtakingly beautiful!

My Dress: David’s Bridal- Westbury- Customer Service- B+
The dress- A+
The women that was helping me was so annoying!! She kept insisting that I buy a slip! I tried nicely to say that I didn’t want one but the 10th time of her telling me to get a slip I had to put her in her place! The dress itself was an A+. It was perfect for me and only cost $500. Can’t beat that!


My Veil: My something borrowed- A+
I borrowed this from my friend/ bridesmaid Krissy. I think she got it from David’s Bridal but not too sure about that. It matched my dress perfectly! Thanks Mama!

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Hair: My girl Susan- A+
I’ve know Susan for years because we worked at a salon together! I knew the day I got engaged that I wanted to do my hair for my wedding! I had 2 trials with her and was not totally sold on either of the looks. Well, the day of the wedding she outdid herself! My hair was perfect as was my moms and my bridesmaid Krissy’s!



Makeup: Jacqueline Nicole- A+
Jackie did my hair for my E-pics, B-pics, and my wedding! She is just as sweet as she is talented! She made me look gorgeous for all 3 occasions and I cannot thank her enough! She also did the makeup for my mom, sister (MOH), and one of my bridesmaids and they all looked amazing!


Limo: Sir Oliver Limo- A+
We weren’t even sure if we needed a limo because we were getting married at the RH but when I decided I wanted to take pics at the beach before the ceremony we decided to just get one. We got a 10 passenger limo, nothing fancy, to take us all to the beach, then to the RH. The limo driver (whose name I forgot) arrived at my parent’s house to pick up the girls and was right on time! The limo was clean and stocked with beverages ? While DH and I were taking some final pictures on the beach, our driver was nice enough to come down and give us bottles of water because he knew we must be getting hot! Sir Oliver also gives you a complimentary ride to the airport for your HM and we were lucky enough to have the same awesome driver!

Table Numbers & Signature Drink Menu’s: Le Ink Coquette- A+
As you all know our own little 2009 bride, Eve, is a doll and super talented! So when she emailed me that she would love to make my table numbers and signature drink menu’s of course I said yes! She asked me what my theme was and I told her that I didn’t have a theme per say, but I told her my color scheme and asked her to come up with something. She went above and beyond and made me gorgeous table numbers and signature drink menu’s that I got tons of compliments on! Thanks so much Eve! XOXOX




Family Name Plaque: MySweetMemories.com- A+
I got this idea from Liz (Egem523). I saw it in one of her pics and though it was something great for the reception but also something cool you could hang in your house after the wedding. Liz told me that Channa from my sweet memories made it. So I immediately went on her website and had her make me a couple of mock ups. I was so unsure on the colors, I wanted the last name to pop but I didn’t want the first names to get lost either. She made me one with the last name being in blue, and the first names being in purple (two of my wedding colors). It was perfect. I ordered it that day and I got it about a week later!



Photo Sharing Cards, After Party Announcement Cards, Guest Accommodation Cards- Vistaprint.com-A+
Vista print is always having a sale, so I got all of these cards for next to nothing! All I had to pay was shipping. I designed them all myself and they all came out great! The only thing is that not one person uploaded pics to the site I put down on the photo sharing cards, which of course was no fault of vista prints.



Bridesmaid Dresses: Centereach Bridal-A
I found my BM dresses on Bill Levkoff’s website and I knew instantly that that was the dress! I had all 3 of my girls try it on and it was perfect. We ordered them in euro eggplant from Centereach Bridal. The only reason I didn’t give CB an A+ is because when my MOH(my sister) went for her second fitting the top of the dress was fitted way to tight and the seamstress was extremely rude, saying that my sister must have gained weight when she clearly hadn’t ( she would have had to have gained 10 lbs in a month and only in her chest).


Mother of the Bride Dress: Pzaz, Centereach- A+
My mother is the pickiest person on earth and I never thought she would find a dress as fast as she did! We initially went into Pzaz looking for dyeable shoes for me. We didn’t find dyeable shoes but we did find a MOB dress. Of course when my mom tried it on she wasn’t’ sure if she liked it. But I thought it looked great on her! She ended up getting it and in the end she was glad she did because she never found another dress that she liked more than that one.

Alterations for MOB and Myself: Cathy the Seamstress- A+
I had used Cathy, a women who works out of her house in Port Jeff Station, for a couple of bridesmaid dresses I had worn. She always did an amazing job so I decided to use her for my wedding gown and MOB’s gown. She did an amazing job! My dress and my mom’s dress were absolutely perfect! And her prices cannot be beat!

Tuxedo’s- Rico’s, Center Moriches- A+
We got all the tuxedo’s from Rico’s. DH had been in a few BP’s in the past and always used them. As always the tuxedo’s were in perfect condition and he even got his for free!


Florist: Verbena Designs- A+
Jen is amazing! I booked her about 2 years in advance and through those 2 years I emailed her a million times with a million questions. Jen always answered my emails quickly and never made it seem like I was being annoying! On the day of the wedding she dropped the bouts off with the guys and then came to drop our Bo-k’s off. When I saw the bo-k’s for my BM’s and me I couldn’t believe how gorgeous they were!!! When I got to the RH, DH and I were able to see the ballroom before anyone else. When I saw the centerpieces Jen made I was so happy! They were gorgeous!!!! She did a phenomenal job on my cake as well. She decorated it with flowers that matched my color scheme! I’m still getting compliments on how beautiful the flowers were!


DJ: FM Entertainment- A+
Since we were having a smaller wedding we decided to only have a DJ and no MC. Frank acted as DJ/MC and he did an amazing job! He did everything we asked, play great music with minimal talking. For ceremony music I showed him exactly where I wanted him to start the music for the processional and recessional and he did exactly as I asked. During the reception he played all different kinds of music, even a bunch of songs from our must play list and kept us dancing the entire time!

Photography: Thomas Paul Photography-
Day of: A+
The day of the wedding, Tom got to my house around 7am and got straight to work taking pics of my dress and me when I was getting my makeup done. Our second photographer was Gina and she went to our house where DH and the guys were getting ready and took pics of just them before we all met at the beach. They did an amazing job and I didn’t even realize that they were at the wedding. I picked up my proofs yesterday and they are unbelievable!!! I can’t wait till we get our album!
Album: A+
My album came out gorgeous!!!!!! Im so so happy with it!!! You can see the layout below!!! LOVE IT!!!!!


Videography: Mikey Mike Entertainment (MME)- Day of Wedding-B
Video-A+
I found MME through a friend of mine who used them for her wedding. I love her wedding video and decided to use them to. When I met with them I told them that I wanted someone who was going to capture my wedding and be nonintrusive. He told me that they would absolutely not be intrusive. After the wedding was over, our families complained to us that the videographer was going around interviewing people (which I said I didn’t want) and that during the ceremony they couldn’t see a thing because he was standing right in front of us. I didn’t want to give them a lower grade then a B because neither of these things bothered me but I didn’t give them an A because they did bother our families/guests. I will review the actual video when I receive it.
**UPDATE**
I got my video today and it is absolutely perfect! Ive already watched it twice straight through and I must have watched the recap 10 times!! MME did an amazing job!!



Officiant: Pastor April- A++++++
What can I say about April that hasn’t already been said. She is an absolute doll and is amazing at what she does. My sister used her for her ceremony 2 years ago and I knew she had to perform my ceremony as well. We had a little technical difficulty during the ceremony (her microphone system kept cutting in and out) but she ended up turning it off and using the DJ’s microphone. She wrote a beautiful ceremony that was personalized just for us! We had so many compliments the day of and are still receiving compliments about how beautiful the ceremony was!

Reception Hall: Villa Lombardi’s- A+++++++++++++
If you are having your wedding at Villa Lombardi’s you are in for a real treat! I had never been there for a wedding before, but when we went to one of their showcases I knew that we had to have our wedding there! Not only is it beautiful, but the food is to die for! The staff was on top of everything, that’s including our Maitre’ D and bridal attendant! We also got married there and the outside space where the ceremony was held is so gorgeous! We didn’t even get flowers from our florist for the ceremony and it still looked perfect! People are still talking about how much food there was and how delicious it all tasted!

Honeymoon: Excellence Playa Mujeres- A+
OMG! I can't even tell you how amazing this resort is! We had a rooftop terrace suite and it was unbelievable!! There are so many restaurants to eat at and the food is delicious! Our favorite restaurants were The Lobster House, The Grill and Chez Isabelle (French).Make sure DH/FH brings long pants and collared shirts because some of the restaurants have dress codes.The drinks at the martini bar during the day are the best because of the amazing bartender there! Every night there is a show to watch. Our favorite show was the Michael Jackson show! So much fun! The pools are always clean and there was always floats in the pool to lounge on or comfy poolside beds and loungers to take a nap (which I did almost every day! Must have been the alcohol!) I also had the opportunity to get a message at the spa. It was amazing and Lucia has magic fingers! One day we went over to Isla Mujeres where we snorkled with stingrays, ziplined and swam with the dolphins! Such an amazing time!


I hope you enjoyed reading my review and I hope that it may help some of you in your decision making! Happy Planning!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

your pictures are amazinggggggggg.....you looked beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for taking the time to write this CONGRATS

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

great review!!! congrats!!!!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

AWw gail what a beautiful review yourpictures are great!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Great review!! Everything looked beautiful!! Congrats!! I am getting married at Lombardi's On The Sound...so excited !!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Congrats Gail...Fabulous review!!!! You were a beautiful bride and i love your color scheme

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Congrats and great review. Everything looked great!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

congrats, looks and sounds like you had an amazing wedding.
I want a wedding cake martini!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Great review - congrats

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Loved your review Gail Great pictures

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

You looked beautiful!! Great review! My friend is getting married at Villa Lombardi's in Feb -- so I'm glad everything was perfect!!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

great review!!!! congrats!!!

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Great review ans pics...love the name plate. I was a great idea.

Re: GT143EA's Awesome Wedding Review......Villa Lombardi's, Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Congratulations ! Thank you for the review, and beautiful pics !

Re: GT143EA's -July 19, 2009 Awesome Wedding at Villa Lombardi's .....also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Thank you for the Great Review! you look beautiful & I love your flowers!
Congratulations!

Re: GT143EA's -July 19, 2009 Awesome Wedding at Villa Lombardi's .....also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

great review and amazing pictures! i have a lot of the same vendors as you do and reading this review made me more excited about my wedding then ever. thanks!

Re: GT143EA's -July 19, 2009 Awesome Wedding at Villa Lombardi's .....also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

everything looks beautiful! congrats!!!

Re: GT143EA's -July 19, 2009 Awesome Wedding at Villa Lombardi's .....also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Great review....you both looked gorgeous. you pics are really great too...love the style. Congratulations!

Re: GT143EA's -July 19, 2009 Awesome Wedding at Villa Lombardi's .....also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

One word: AMAZING!!..................... Congrats!!! You looked gorgeous.

Re: GT143EA's -July 19, 2009 Awesome Wedding at Villa Lombardi's .....also with Pastor April, Thomas Paul, FM Entertainment, Verbena Designs and MORE!

Thanks for the wonderful review! I am getting married at Villa and cannot wait!