I know this is going to be a long one, but I have so much to say! First off, thanks to all of you who have been so helpful throughout this whole process. I hope this post can help some of you who are still in the searching process! I truly had the best day of my life, and despite the rain it was a beautiful, beautiful day!
First off--The Carlyle on the Green: All I can say is WOW! They put on a first class event. Not only was the food and service phenomenal, but I did not have to think about a thing once we pulled up to the front door at 8am! The bridal attendant was already waiting for me outside, carried in all my things, and was a godsend throughout the entire day. She kept me very calm, and got me anything I needed. Our guests are still raving about the food, the service, and of course the beauty of the place.
Band-Steven Scott, Anthony Mills Band: These guys were great. The crowd was up and dancing the ENTIRE day. Even though they are a band, their renditions of the songs they played were unbelievably close to the real thing. They even threw in a couple of Greatful Dead songs for my hippie-husband, which all of his dead-head friends really appreciated. I would highly highly recommend them. They do not showcase, but you would have absolutely nothing to worry about with using them, they were phenomenal!
Flowers-Fleurs de Florissima: Again, nothing but praise! I wasn't sure if the florist truly understood what I wanted at first, and Aubert was a little difficult to deal with, but he totally came through for me. We used colorful, fall-themed, high centerpieces, slightly varying from table to table, and they just looked spectacular. Everything from the bouquets, the candles, to the chuppah, was done beautifully. People always say that no one notices the flowers, but these arrangements were getting complimented all day, and I'm still hearing it from people!
Photography-Jojo Photo: I can't say much yet, because I havent seen the proofs, but Joanne was a delight to work with. I know they're ready already, so she's definitely quick! I'll tell more when I see them.
Video-Jeffrey Studio: Again, I cant say anything about the end result yet, but Alan was totally a professional, and really easy to work with. He was also great about not stepping on the photographer's toes, and even though they didn't come from the same company, they seemed to work very well together.
Hair & Makeup-Salon G, Bellmore: Diane did hair, Susan did makeup.... they were great too. I had 8 girls getting hair and makeup done, and they were teriffic. My only complaint was that my curls didn't stay curly for the whole day (which is kind of odd, because I have naturally curly hair!). But everyone looked great, and the makeup was very natural and lasted all day.
All Dresses-Bridal Reflections, Massapequa: They were great to work with, very patient, and accommodating. My only complaint about them was for the bridesmaid dresses. Every single one of the girls' dresses were ordered way too big, including the girls who got measured by the store. A lot of them were from out of town, so their alterations had to be done outside, which ended up being very costly for them. BR puts a cap on alterations, if its done there, but that didn't help the out of town girls.
I am probaby leaving someone out, so expect more from me soon. I will also try to post pictures but I never seem to be able to size them correctly. Thanks for letting me share! If anyone has any questions about anything, please let me know, I'll be happy to help as best as I can!
