MARCH 24th WEDDING @ The Woodlands/Right Angle Studios/Royalty Limos/ FM Entertainment/Mormile Florist - NOW WITH PROOFS-UPDATED W/ VIDEO REVIEW

This is nuts, I really can’t believe I’m writing my review!! I've attached my proofs. All photo credits go to George Spiers from the Right Angle Studios. On that note, here we go…

LI WeddingsA++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This site was great, answered all my questions, and was a valuable resource for vendors. It made wedding planning more fun than stressful, and I virtually met a lot of great women along the way. It was a place to vent, share, get advice or just chat, and really helped to keep me sane. I recommend it to every bride I ever meet.

Mother Nature: A++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We had the best day ever. Everyone said it was supposed to be cold and rainy all day. Even the morning of, I got up and checked the weather hoping for a miracle, but they said low 50’s and rain. Then, the day ended up being gorgeous. Sunny and 60’s at times. We couldn’t believe it, we were truly blessed. It did start raining right as the cocktail hour started, but at that point, all the guests were in, the pictures were done, so we didn’t care/wouldn’t have noticed if people didn’t tell us.

RH
The Woodlands: A++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I cannot rave enough about them. They so far exceeded our expectations, it was amazing. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, we were waited on non-stop.

Our BM Lauren was amazing. There were some changes in the staff during our planning and we only began working with Lauren a few months before our date. She did everything she could to make us comfortable with the changes, and made sure our wedding was what we wanted. She was a huge help!

Our bridal attendant Nicole was amazing. She was there with drinks for us whenever we needed, she organized our 24 person bridal party with ease (not an easy task with our group) and made sure every moment was special and that we were enjoying ourselves. She even packed everything up for us at the end of the night so we were ready to just go after our goodbyes. She was a huge help.

The place itself was gorgeous. They made everything look spectacular. Even when something was different than what we had asked for, it was for a good reason and it looked even better. They are good. People just kept saying they had never been to a more beautiful wedding. We kept hearing how elegant and beautiful the place was.

Our Maitre-d Max was very attentive and nice. He made sure he took a moment with us at the beginning of the night before the guests arrived to walk us around and show us everything, which I’m so glad he did now because we would have missed so much if he hadn’t.

The cocktail hour was insane. There was food everywhere. The room was so gorgeous with the fire going, people were blown away. The wait staff were very attentive getting everyone food and drinks. I’m so glad we got to be there.

The food was unbelievable. We really didn’t want the food to be run of the mill wedding food, and that was one of the reason we booked with the Woodlands in the first place. Everyone was raving about it, and people are still calling me saying how delicious everything was and how they are going to go back to the restaurant for dinner now.

All in all, it was a dream location. From the getting out of the limo to the last song, they did everything perfectly. I wouldn’t change a thing and I’m so glad we went with them.









Church
St. Agnes Cathedral A+
This has been my church since I was born, so I had to get married here, it was a must. It’s an absolutely gorgeous cathedral. They were so accommodating with us (FH is Jewish) and pretty much said right from the beginning it was important we made our ceremony about our love, which we were really impressed with. They were very nice and moved our wedding back an hour when we realized that our wedding day was the same day as the town’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade that ends right outside the church, despite the evening mass that would immediately follow. The music director is very nice and helpful. Pre Cana was great, we were pleasantly surprised. Our DO coordinator Brendan was new, but very nice and very sweet. He kept reminding me to focus on our love and not worry about the details.






Bagpiper
Tim the Pipe Tutor A+
Tim was literally the easiest vendor to deal with. We settled all the details via e-mail, he showed up, played amazingly, we paid him and he left. He did such a great job and really made the wedding just a bit more special. Everyone was raving about what a great touch he was. I would absolutely reccomend him.


Hair and Makeup
Frasada Salon and Day Spa
Hair Stylist: Gisella A+
I loved her. On top of doing exactly what I wanted, she was really nice and calming. She was the second stylist I tried there, the first was a disaster, and she got it completely right on the first try. It was like she just got me.


Makeup Artist: Michael A+
He was very good, I was very happy with his work.


All the girls had their hair and makeup done there too by other hair stylists, and by Michael and another makeup artist. They all looked flawless. In fact, one of my bridesmaids who’s getting married in October booked them for her wedding before leaving that morning.


Dress & Veil A++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bridal Reflections A
I absolutely love my dress, it was my dream dress! Not only was it comfortable, it fit me perfectly and I couldn’t have been happier. As for Bridal Reflections, they didn’t make me as happy. Once they had our money, the were definitely less helpful, but all in all they did an amazing job, so I can’t fault them. Once you were there, they were pretty eager to help you. My dress was in earlier than they had expected. The seamstress did prick her finger and get blood on my dress at my first fitting, which was horrifying. But it was all out by the second fitting and even though I didn’t like her personally, she did an amazing job. I would definitely recommend them.









Shoes
Shoebuy.com A+
I decided two weeks before my wedding I hated my shoes and went to shoebuy.com. They had exactly what I wanted, already in ivory so I didn’t have to get them dyed. They offered free shipping which was amazing. I was nervous about timing so I paid an extra $20 and they were there the next day. The shoes were reasonably priced and I was so happy that I did it. I would absolutely recommend them.


Hair Comb
Carolee.com A+
I loved my hair comb, I went through about 6 different ones, so when I foud this one, I knew it was it. I didn’t want a tiara or anything too big on my head, just a little sparkle. Plus I had a very specific hair style I wanted, mostly down so it was kind of tough to find something right for it. It was very reasonably priced, and exactly what I wanted.


DO Jewelry/Wedding Bands
Fortunoffs A++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I got my necklace, earrings and bracelet from Fortunoffs. They were insanely helpful (I went there like three times to pick it out) and the price was really great. We also got our bands there (and DH got my e-ring there too). They were having this fantastic 15% off sale that day (complete accident we were there on that day) so we didn’t even have to use our 10% coupon we got when we registered there). We both loved our rings so much, they’re perfect. They have a great selection and the people are so helpful. They also allow you to come back forever for free cleanings.






Something Blue
customglamgirl.com A+
I got blue & white boy shorts. I had them put Mrs. Goodman on the back. They were so cute and they arrived in like 3 days!!! So cute, and they have a ton of other stuff to get personalized. I will definitely be going back.

Bridesmaids Dresses & Pashminas
Lynbrook Bridal Center (Alfred Angelo): A
The dresses were gorgeous, the girls all looked really beautiful, it was flattering to all different body types. I even added a girl a little late, and they got the dress for us in no time. They had the exact dress in a JB size, which was a huge help so I didn’t have to find a similar dress in a smaller size. I would definitely recommend them. They handled my 10 girl bridal party like it was nothing. I also got the girls light pink pashminas from H&M. They looked adorable with the dress and they really kept the girls warm.



Tuxes
Tuxedo Park A
We originally found them because they are right next to Bridal Reflections where I got my dress. Being in other weddings, we’ve seen some really bad tux shops, and we were really very impressed with Tuxedo Park. The tuxes are really nice, the store is clean and very classy looking and the staff is very helpful. FH and all the boys looked great. No one had any problems with their tuxes the day of, which I was very worried about since I wouldn’t be there to help fix it. I would definitely recommend them.


Flowers
Mormile Floritst A+
I knew pretty specifically what I wanted, so they didn’t have a huge job to do. I went in, said this is what I want. They got it, the flowers were amazing, on time and all went to the right place. I would definitely recommend them.





Photography & Videography
Right Angel Studios – George & Pete
A++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Let me start by saying that photography is a hobby of mine, so I was pretty picky about which company we went with. I did a lot of research and we saw a lot of photographers. I originally went to see Right Angle because of a photo that I loved on their website. I later found out that the picture I loved was George’s and that it had won awards in photo competitions. I knew pretty much from our first meeting with George that we were going to book him. He is very talented and he is extremely personable. He made our day better. He was funny, patient and professional. He got every picture I wanted, remembering everything I said in our meetings. He was pushy when he needed to be and stepped back when he sensed I needed a break. Several people left the wedding asking me for his contact info. Everyone was really impressed. The proofs are amazing, we have 800 to choose from. George was one of the best choices we made for our wedding, I would absoultely reccomend him and I will definitely be using him whenever we need a picture taken!

We didn’t meet Pete the videographer until the day of the wedding. We booked him through George so we knew he would be great. He was very nice and as far as we saw got everything. I will add more once we get the video, but as of now, we are very happy.

Bottom line, I can’t say enough great things about these two!

UPDATE: We now have our video. It is unbelievable. They did the most amazing job. I cried the entire first time I saw it. They made it really like a movie instead of just wedding shots. It's on a DVD so we can skip around. Every little detail is amazing. The music, the screen shots for the scenes, the recap at the end, the intro with our pictures, more than I could have every imagined. Everytime I show it to someone, they are blown away. I've been giving out George's contact info left and right. This was the best decision we made for the wedding, no doubt. Book them for videography, you will not be sorry.

Menus, Tablecards, Programs, Newsletter & Favors
DIY – you can rate…
Menu - they were ecru velum tied to a cream card stock w/ a hunter green ribbon


TableCard-was printed and put in a silver frame. We had 16 tables/movie names and they were all our favorite love stories.

Program

Newsletter - The Goodman Gazette

CD Favor


Invitations & Save the Dates:
Invitation Consultants A+
We ordered our Save the Dates through Invitation Consultants and we were so impressed by their customer service, timely delivery, quality products and prices, we decided to our invitations through them too. They ruled. They sent us a ton of samples, some free, some at $2 a pop. They have a great customer service department that goes over everything. They even found something that could have been seen as a mistake (it was what we wanted) and they held the order and called us to ask if it was correct. They offered an e-mail proof which was extremely helpful. I will be using them for all of our invitation needs in the future and would definitely recommend them for any occasion.


Not our atctual STD-just the sample


Calligraphy
Calligraphy by Sharon A++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sharon is amazing. She’s extremely detailed and very talented. She did our inner and outer envelopes and our place cards. Her work was impeccable, she did a phenomenal job. She is very, very reasonably priced. She works fast and even found mistakes on my spreadsheet I didn't even notice and saved us a lot of time and money. She was also extremely flexible and worked with us and our timing. I would absolutely recommend her.

DJ
FM Entertainment B
We met with Frank from FM about 8 months before our wedding. He was very nice and we liked him immediately. We also liked another company so we were torn. FM’s prices are very good, so we ended up going with them. We met with them once to do our contract and hand over a deposit, then again about 7 months later to go over the day of details with no contact in between. At our final meeting Frank really seemed to get what we wanted, despite the fact that he forgot to bring our contract, we felt pretty confident he was on board. The day of he wasn’t as sure I guess. He messed up our entrance that we went over in detail with him (DH and I were supposed to come in to a separate song that he didn’t play until he had announced us, we made our entrance, high fived all of our bridal party and then DH dipped me, then the song started.) He messed up the speeches, my father was supposed to speak first, something we discussed with him, but he just went right to the best man. Also, the best man was kneeling by our sweetheart table talking to us and the next thing we knew Frank just announced him, really putting him on the spot (he had told us he was going to discuss everything he did with us before he did it, rather he just announced things and we went along). I then tried to quickly and discreetly correct him and ask him to have my Dad speak after all the speeches were done (best man, maid of honor and matron of honor) but he got mixed up and started to announce my Dad before the maid of honor had spoken, it was a big mess. Finally, we gave out a wedding CD favor and said every song on the favor had to be played. He forgot several songs on the favor. These are all things that everyone says nobody noticed but Matt and I, but still we know it happened. They did play a lot of great music and had the dance floor mostly packed throughout the night.

Limo
Royalty A+
We got two 14 passenger stretch Lincolns. They were very reasonably priced (we saw about 6 places and they were the best with everything we wanted), they were on time (early even) and mostly easy to deal with. The cars were clean and the drivers were pretty helpful. We had a pretty simple order, pick us up, drop us at the church, take us from the church to the Woodlands, so they got all of that totally right. I would definitely recommend them, and I would say see Manny if you go, he’s awesome.


Hotel/Morning After Brunch
Inn at Foxhollow: A
The rooms are beautiful as is the entire hotel. Their prices are pretty steep and the brunch was insanely priced, but it was convenient so we couldn’t help it. We dropped off our gift bags the day before, and as far as I know people got them, but I’m not sure because I guess they just kept the left over ones, which I was kind of bummed about.