March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Obviously I don’t post very much, but I definitely found the Brides’ Review very helpful when looking for vendors, so I promised myself that I would write one once the time came.
Caution for those reading my review: I can be wordy, but since I used these so frequently when planning my wedding I wanted all the information to be there for future brides.

LIweddings: A+
I can’t believe how much easier this site made wedding planning. It was so great to be able to search through threads and find vendors and then go over to the Brides’ Review to check out the final product. Thank you for putting together a great resource for LI brides.

Weather: A++
We had every kind of weather on the planet for our wedding day. It was cloudy, it snowed, it got sunny, super-windy, but for the walk from the Inn to the RH the weather was perfect with a little chill in the air and the stars shining.

Invitations: Now and Forever - B
I looked high and low for invitations that I liked that were not too expensive. After ordering numerous free samples from a variety of websites, I finally found one that my DH and I could agree on. They were quick with production and delivery; however I did have one major issue. The dye of the black envelope that invites slipped into actually came off on the invitation (and anything white that touched it) after mailing. So when I saw the invitation that my mom received it had a little black shadow surrounding it. It didn’t really bother me until a guest took the invitation that she received and spent a lot of money to get it framed. Now the black shadow is behind glass for a lifetime.
I don’t have a photo of my invitation, but here is the sample one, so that buyer can beware.
DIY piece: I created my own direction cards, hotel and transportation information. I had a gift certificate to Staples, so I brought them there to get them copied and cut.- What a nightmare! Only about half of them were usable. I should have learned earlier on in the game the benefit of purchasing my own paper cutter (which I did to make my water bottles). It would have saved me a lot of annoying trips back and forth to Staples, but at least it didn’t cost me anything.




Dress: Lillettes - A
By the time I had gotten to Lillettes I had been to almost 10 bridal salons and had lost count of how many dresses I had tried on. As soon as I walked through the door, I knew that I wanted to buy my dress there. The service was great and I did not feel pressured to buy or rush. The gown that I actually bought was something that I probably would have never tried on and was picked out by the person who was helping me. They were honest as I tried on dresses, which I truly appreciated. I was so excited with the dress that I finally purchased.
Here comes the down side: I travel often for work. I had called Lillettes before a trip in the summer and said that I wanted to order a dress that I had tried on, but I was hoping to wait until after this trip. I asked if it would be a problem for me to wait the couple of weeks to come in after my business trip or did they recommend that I order ASAP given the date of my wedding. I was told that I could wait and it wouldn’t be a problem. I ended up ordering my gown 8 months before the wedding and was told it would be in around the Christmas holidays. I waited patiently after the holidays for a call and finally called the 2nd week of Jan. It came in the following week and I called the alterations department the next day. The next available appointment that matched with my fairly flexible schedule was not until the end of Jan.
At my first fitting, I didn’t love the dress, so much so that I bought another one (which was returnable and needed no alterations). My second fitting was 2 weeks before the wedding and after the alterations I fell back in love with the dress. However, there were some little things that I would have had fixed if I had had a chance for another fitting. Nothing earth-shattering, just little changes that I would have made. I can’t complain about the seamstress though, she was AMAZING and very helpful. I think that my discontent comes mostly from the lack of time to have the alterations exactly as I wanted them, which I think would have been less of an issue if they had hinted in any way that waiting to order may be a problem.





MOB dress: My Daughter’ Wedding A++
Ok, I have raved about them before. Like my dress, Mom and I looked all over the island for hers. MDW had the biggest selection, at all price ranges and great customer service. I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a MOB or MOG dress to head up to Great Neck (they also have a Edgewood, NJ location).

Everyone else’s attire for the day: Numerous places
We had a Man of honor (my brother) and a Best Woman (my DH’s sister). Since the wedding party was small and I knew that I could trust everyone, I had little involvement with the attire choices. All the men, except my DH owed their tuxes. My DH got his at Men’s Warehouse and it was a good experience. I have no idea where my SIL and MIL got their dresses, but both of them looked STUNNING!

Officiant - Rev. NIck - A+
Both my DH and I really didn't have much to say about our ceremony, besides we wanted it to be non-religious and light-hearted. We had not met Rev. Nick until the day of the wedding and he was able to meet both of these needs in a way that was fun but still very meaningful.

Ceremony and CH Music: Capriccio Ensemble A+++
I think that Natalie might have to be one of my favorite vendors, especially considering that I only saw her face to face for a total of about 5 minutes from the start of us working together, right through when they finished up at the cocktail hour.
My DH and I had gone to a party where they had a string group that was playing pop music and heavy metal and he WANTED that. I put out a couple of feelers on Vendors Helping Brides and Natalie responded.
Via email and phone, I passed along 3 Black Sabbath songs that we wanted to have played. Natalie did the arrangement and even sent us the marked up copy so we could have it. Natalie was always so helpful over email and always responded quickly to my questions. All and all she was a pleasure to work with.
On the day of the group was professional, the music was beautiful for the ceremony and rocking for the cocktail hour. The Capriccio Ensemble actually played the Black Sabbath songs as my DH and I were right next to the group (don’t know if that was planned but it was perfect). They did a great job and I even over heard a guest saying “Isn’t that Ironman?”
I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a string group.

Flowers: Perfect Wedding Planner Florist: A++
Flowers were never really a big thing for me. I had in my head that I wanted a “Victorian” look with a ivory, mauve and dusty rose color scheme and I went around to a couple of vendors with this information. I met with Richard, he showed me some books and he had exactly what I was looking for. We did one sample, which I liked but I wanted more greenery. I booked him after the first sample and came back a couple of months later for a second sample, which I loved!
The day of the flowers were stunning! They were fresh and were exactly as the sample was. Richard even spoke with the Fox Hollow staff to double check with me that everything was exactly as I wanted it, which they were. Richard truly is a genius when working with flowers.
On a side note: the girls at PWP are so sweet and it was always a pleasure to go to meet with Richard, since they were always so upbeat and a pleasure to be around.
One cautionary note: Richard is an artist and sometimes the paperwork aspect of things could fall through the cracks. It was never a problem with me, but I could see that it may be frustrating for some brides. However, the week before my wedding it was if the world revolved around me. Richard called me to set up the final appointment and knew everything about my requests. In my opinion, the most important thing that he had everything in perfect order for my wedding, even if it meant that he was slightly distracted previously because he was focusing on the wedding of another bride.

You can almost see the whole centerpiece in this shot.


DJ: FM Entertainment: A++
Talking to DJs was something that I was not looking forward to. And my DH was dreading it even more, since we both had a vision in our head of old-school slimy DJs that reminded us of used car salesman (Oh I think that I may be offending some people here- sorry). Between looking at the boards and calling around for prices, I found FM Entertainment. We went to a showcase and really liked that Frank was so laid back.
We did our final meeting with Frank right before the wedding and he was great in giving us some suggestions for the “holes” that we had in the music for the reception.
At the wedding, Frank was great. He played the guests requests and most of the things off of our “must play” list. Although the one thing that I learned was that if you want people to dance, find a DJ that you trust and let him/her do their thing. For the sets that Frank picked, the dance floor was packed. I had more than one compliment on what a great DJ that he was and even a request for his contact information.

Photography: Joe Zarba A+
Joe is a family friend of my DH. He had been the photographer for all the major life events for the family. Joe was a pleasure to work with, made even better by the fact that he knew the family so well. All the non-stock photos on this review are from him, but what you can't see is that he got a photo of every guest at the wedding and not just table shots, but people up and dancing. These photos helped us to see how much our guests really enjoyed our wedding. Plus I think that it's going to be fun to pass some of these on in our thank you notes. He is based out of Brooklyn, but if anyone would like his information please FM me.

Favors: Donations A++
When looking at favors, my DH couldn’t get behind any of the standard favors thinking that they were a tremendous waste of money (be angry at him, not me). We decided to make a donation to Heifer International and couldn’t be happier with our decision. The cards were printed up by Vistaprint and the placecard holders were from Pier One.
I had ordered 30 cards from Vistaprint and 4 of them were cut poorly and were not usable. I called up Vistaprint and they sent my 10 new ones - no charge, 2 day shipping. I used Vistaprint for LOTS of things and have not complaints.


Hair and Makeup: Fresh Face Forward: A+++
I LOVED working with Sabrina and Stacey. I loved their work, but what I loved even more was their attitude. They were so relaxing on the day of, which I now realize is so important. Your hair and makeup people are the people that you spend the most time with on the day of your wedding when your nerves are already stretched. I knew as soon as they came to do my trial that these ladies would keep me cool on the day of my wedding and they came through with shining colors. Oh yes, and we all looked GORGEOUS!!
These two may have to be my favorite vendors and I highly recommend anyone looking for hair and makeup.

Guest Transportation: Golden Touch: A+
We had wanted a NYC wedding since most of our friends live in the city and many don’t have cars, however the NYC prices were at the high end of our budget. Thanks to my aunt for pointing out that we can rent a bus for our NYC guests to get out to LI for a fraction of the cost. I called around for party buses and the best price that we got was from Golden Touch. They were easy to work with and the guests had no issues. My DH and I went out to the bus at the end of the night to say good night to all of the guests on the bus and the bus looked great. The selling point for Golden Touch for me was the BBB rating. Transportation companies always seem a little shady, but Golden Touch had great BBB ratings compared with other companies.

On to the items purchased:
Rest of my wedding attire
Veil/headpiece – Barrons’
The quality, price and selection were amazing. Plus the owner said the sweetest things when I picked up my veil which was the first major finalizing of my things for the wedding day. Her words really reminded me that my wedding was about a marriage not just a day.
Shoes – Macy’s
The best part about these shoes was the price of $18 on clearance. I just carried around a swatch of my dress and always stopped at the clearance racks of the department stores and DSW whenever I was there for other reasons.
Necklace – Everything Angelic.com
I really wanted a necklace that had a piece going down the back and I looked all around for one. This site had lots of options to customize and great customer service. You can see the actual necklace in some of the photos below.


Wedding bands
Mine – circa1930s.com
I LOVE the stuff on this site. Since my e-ring was much more blingy that I thought I would get (I picked it out and love it) I wanted a plainer etched engagement ring. Found one here at a great price and once again great customer service.


My DH – Etsy.com vendor- robandlean
If you are looking for a unique anything, check out Etsy an online shop of artisans. My DH and I saw a wood inlay ring on the streets of Soho, but the seller was less than helpful, so the search began. My original e-ring was a wooden ring from a street fair, so we liked the idea of having my DH wedding band having wood in it. Thanks to a fellow LIWer for the idea to check Etsy. Robandlean was a great vendor.

Gifts
My DH – cufflinksdepot.com
My DH is a videogame junkie. So these X-box controller cufflinks were the perfect gift for him. He got a kick out of them and lots of people wanted to see them.
You get both the ring and the cufflinks in this photo.


Mine – online somewhere (photo from antiquejewelrymall.com)
I wanted an antique style bracelet for a gift and my DH made a perfect choice. Don’t know where he got it, but he got it just right.


Reader – Things Remembered
They have these really cute silver photo carriers with a spot for 2 3x4 photos. They fold to business card size, can be put out as a frame and engraved. So cute. (sorry again for the stock photo)


Man of Honor – the website seems to be down
I decided that I wanted to get my brother a pocketwatch and looked online for Colibri pocketwatches for the best price. The website that I got it from seems to be no longer there, sorry.
Best Woman – Tri-County
My SIL always wears a pearl necklace, so I head up to Tri-County to find a pearl bracelet. Got a good price and even learned a little bit about pearls.
Parents – Bed Bath and Beyond
My DH and I went back and forth on this and we decided that our parents wouldn’t want us to spend a ton of money, so our gift to them was a framed photo of the two of us from the shower that can be replaced with the wedding photo. We also gave them a new invite that hadn’t gone through the mail.

My DIYs
I kept it simple here
Water bottles: According to my DH, this was my one Bridezilla moment. Anytime that I had a fabulous time at the wedding (and the open bar) I would KILL for a bottle of water at the end of the night, so I decided that I needed to do it. BTW this was super cheap. I brought the water from Staples, used resume paper as the label, printed them out at home and attached them with gluedots. It took me about 3 hours to do 144 of them and final cost was less than $50. The Publisher template I have was a little off for the new Poland Springs bottles, but FM me if you want the template.
Photo cards: This really isn’t a DYI, since they were printed out by Vistaprint, but I had business cards made up with our snapfish account and password. Our guests with digital cameras could take the cards with them with the information. We had a couple of guests who have either emailed us their photos or uploaded them right to snapfish.

RH: Fox Hollow A+++++
I can’t say enough nice things about the Fox Hollow. From the moment that I called to set up an appointment to see the place until the end of my wedding day they were AMAZING. I always felt completely comfortable with their professionalism and their excellent customer service.
We got ready over at the Inn and our Bridal Attendant (Cindy) came over and saw us a good 6 hours before the wedding was suppose to begin, offering us some light snacks. This was a welcomed surprise for my DH, for while the girls packed some food, he was starving.
Our every wish was their command, I even joked during the evening that if I noted that I didn’t like the reflection of the moon they would see what they could do to move it.
I didn’t eat much of the food, but I did notice as I walked around a lot of clean plates.
We only had one small miscommunication regarding a specialty drink and the wrong one was purchased for us. As soon as the mistake was realized, everyone came out of the woodwork to apologize to us. In the end, it wasn’t a big deal, but the fact that the Fox Hollow team was so apologetic really showed me how important it was to them to get everything just as we wanted it.
For the brides getting married at the Fox Hollow, stay at the Inn if it’s an option. It was so great to have the help of the Fox Hollow staff from the moment that you arrive on your wedding day, until you are safely “deposited” back at your bridal suite at the end of the night.
For all the girls thinking about the Fox Hollow or booked at the Fox Hollow, you will have a wonderful experience.



Honeymoon: Ice Hotel in Sweden A+++
I’ll keep this one short, since I don’t think that many people will be looking to repeat our honeymoon, but if someone is really looking to go please, please FM me for more details.
The Ice Hotel was the most amazing, once-in-a- lifetime experience. It is a magical place and it almost feels like a natural amusement park. The highlight of the honeymoon was being able to see the Northern Lights in person (too bad that they don’t photograph well, so you’ll have to take my word). The people that we met were so much fun and folks like ourselves who like to seek our interesting adventures. For anyone who likes the cold, I couldn’t recommend the trip more.
Here are a couple of photos for those who are interested. Check out their website more pictures (www.icehotel.com)




My DH: A++++++
As I was writing my review, my DH asked when does he get reviewed? So because I love that man of mine here it is. My DH was an amazing partner not only in wedding planning and in life. The most common thing that I heard from guests that our wedding was so much fun, because “the bride and groom set the tone.” Not only did we have an amazing time at our wedding, but he was able to keep me calm throughout the wedding planning process, only pointing out one Bridezilla moment while we were working on the water bottles. I don’t think that that are enough ++++s in the world to express how a feel about my DH.

Now some last minute words of advice to future brides:
1) Pick some things to turn over to an expert. I plan travel all the time for work and fun, but I got in touch with a travel agent for our honeymoon. It was one thing that I really didn’t have to worry about since I knew that she was taking care of the big things like hotels and flights. Even if I never thought about the honeymoon at all, I knew that we would be able to get there and have a place to sleep, anything we could figure out on the flight if we needed to.
2) Tell your vendors what you want, but trust the people that you hire. I noticed this so much when it came to the music choices and the dance floor. For Frank’s choices the floor was packed, for ours there were just a couple of people. Once you have hired vendors that you trust (that’s the hard part) remember the fact that they do weddings up to 5 times a week, they know what works and what doesn’t.
3) That being said, if you don’t like something speak up. I’m a pretty outspoken person in life, but at the beginning of the wedding planning I found myself keeping quiet on a couple of things that I wasn’t thrilled with (like my first centerpiece, it was beautiful but I actually wanted more greenery). Speaking up never had a bad consequence, as long as it was done in a way that was respectful to the person that you were working with.
4) Always have in your mind what you need to purchase for the wedding. Let’s be serious, we all have our wedding dress ordered months before, but we often wait until the last minute to buy things like shoes, jewelry and undergarments. I always had a running list in my head (and a swatch in my purse) to look for good deals. My bra and shoes were bought when I was shopping for Christmas presents and just happened to stop in. I think it helped to save me money and stress, since I only had one day of just shopping for things for the wedding.
5) Have FUN!! Have fun with planning, but more importantly have fun at your wedding. As you have heard before, it goes by so quickly. So if you stress yourself out over the little things you might find yourself at the end of the night before you were able to relax and have a good time. Not to mention that the fun that your guests have depend more on how much fun you’re having more than the fact that the flowers might have been the wrong color.

Now some more photos. Enjoy!!

Food from the wonderufl folks at Fox Hollow


My DH seeing me for the first time:




Thanks to a previous Fox Hollow bride for the suggestion of this shot (it's a little grainy since it was shot on film):

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

thanks for posting your great review! You're pictures are stunning! I love your unique honeymoon!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Thanks for your review! You looked beautiful and your HM looked awesome!!! Congrats to you & DH

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

lovely review!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

that's a great review!!! my FBIL stayed at the same hotel and loved it!!


btw LOVE your dress

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Thank you so much for such a great and helpful review!!!!! You have some really greatttttt pics!!!! Congrats and thank you again!!!!!!!!!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

thanks for the review!!! you were a stunning bride and everything looked great!!! CONGRATS TO YOU AND DH!!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

WOW i looked into that Ice Hotel..that is a one in a kind place to stay...Congrats to your and ur hubby!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

great review....you made a stunning bride!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

you look beautiful. congrats!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Great review!!! You look beautiful!!!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

great review - i love your dress so pretty!! congrats

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Great review! I love the pictures and your dress. It was an amazing. I know your guest enjoyed it.

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Great Review!!!!!! Congrats!!!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

GREAT REVIEW
CONGRATS U LOOKED STUNNING

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Wow, you're wedding was beautiful, what a unique honeymoon! Congrats

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

Thanks for all the kind words ladies!! It was such a great day and a fabulous honeymoon.

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

nice review! your HM looked awesome! congrats!

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

great review I love your dress the color is beautiful

Re: March 1st - Fox Hollow, FM Entertainment, Capriccio Ensemble, PWP Florists, Fresh Face Forward (**with pics**)

you looked so beautiful! I cant get over your dress - so different! I love it!