MORE PRO PICS ADDED on Page 2! My 9-3-07 Review: Oheka Castle, with Bridal Reflections, Tuxedo Park, Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

My wedding day was of course one of the best days of my life! Here is a review of the vendors I used – I hope you find it helpful! All of the pics are pro pics unless noted. Thank you to LIweddings and all of the ideas I got from everyone on this site! FM me if you have any questions. On to the review…

Oheka Castle – ceremony and reception
Pre-wedding: A
Day of: A++++
Oheka was beyond amazing. They exceeded all of my expectations – and my expectations were very high. Everything from the very first day we went there to the wedding day was fabulous. The place is so beautiful and the staff is amazing. Everyone there is so professional. The cake was amazing and the food was great. Anyone getting married there has nothing to worry about.

Oheka was the last place I looked at for the wedding. I looked all over Long Island and Westchester and no place felt like it was the right place. When I walked into Oheka I knew that was where I wanted my wedding. The staff there found a way to make my dream come true by suggesting dates that might be less expensive – and that is why I got married on a Monday. But it was so worth it, and I am glad Oheka was willing to work with me to make that happen.

Leading up to the wedding, we went to Oheka for the tasting and the cake tasting. Each experience was more fabulous than the last. The staff makes you feel like royalty. The food was really good as well.

On the wedding day, they took care of our every need. I needed a ring bearer pillow, they got one for me. My candles didn’t fit in the holders, so they shaved them down. The soles of my dad’s shoes broke and they went out and bought him new ones and wouldn’t let us pay for them! Oheka is the epitome of class and I have nothing but good things to say about them. The grounds are beautiful and meticulously kept. I highly recommend Oheka!




Lina Jang Photography - B
I love my proofs. The pictures I have are great, and I have over 1400 proofs. She printed out the proofs and put them all in an album. She also posted all of the pics online, and is giving me a dvd with all of the proofs. However, there are many shots that she took that are not part of my proofs, and there are a few shots that she missed. Additionally, it took her over 2 months to get the proofs to me, and she has given me 2 dvd’s that have not worked. I am still waiting on the dvd. I also have to wait on a final grade until I have my album back.
Overall I would recommend Lina. Her and her team were on time to the wedding and dressed very professionally. They were all very unobtrusive and professional. She is very creative and takes nice pictures. She was also extremely accommodating and gave me everything I was looking for in a photographer.
Pics throughout are her pics!

DMS Video Productions – pending video
David and his team got some great footage and were very unobtrusive. You will have to wait a while for the video review – it won’t be ready for 8 months!!! Way too long…

Body Heat – band: B+
The band was great. They had people up and dancing the whole night. However, there were a few things I wasn’t happy about. First, I am pretty sure one of their lead singers changed and I was not made aware of it, even though the contract stated that they would notify us. Second, they introduced the best man by the wrong name. And third, I specifically told them not to take orders from anyone but me and there was a whole controversy about a religious dance MIL wanted to do. She requested it even though I told them not to take requests and they were about to do it before I stopped them. Other than that, they played great and were very nice.



Royal Brass – trumpeters
Pre-wedding: B-
Day of: A+
I booked with them a while ago, like over a year before the wedding. In the mean time, the two owners split up. I had no idea until a few days before the wedding when I got a call from one owner that the other person was scheduled for my wedding but he wasn’t going to show up. In the end, the new owner was there and they did a great job. There was just a little stress the day before. All of that is over now so anyone thinking of booking them shouldn’t hesitate.


Stefans – florist: D-
I had such a bad experience with Stefans. My flowers were just ok. My bouquet was wilted and not too full. Also, I gave him a jewel for the handle that was supposed to be attached by threading fabric through it but instead it was glued on (see pic below). Also, My contract said '14 centerpieces or as many as needed.' Well, I needed 17 and offered him more money so that the centerpieces would be fuller. I had 18 tables, one was a kids table, and I had made a candy centerpiece for that table. I did not want flowers on it. On the wedding day, the owner showed up and told my mom he brought an extra centerpiece for that table and that he did not want to get paid for it 'just take care of my boys.' Little did she know, he then went to my dad and told him that he owed $150 for the extra centerpiece that we didn't even want! I was so mad and I am glad that I didn't know until after the wedding was over. He also brought the wrong flowers for my cake and not enough of them. And last but not least, right after the ceremony we were taken in a private room for a toast with the bridal party. The owner made his way into that room, and while my father was making a toast to us, his cell phone rang, AND HE PICKED IT UP! All in all, my flowers were disappointing and he was just disrespectful to me and my family on the wedding day.


Bridal Reflections – my gown, veil, and earrings: A-
My experience was mostly good, but there was one thing that went wrong. My gown came in and there were little tears all over it. They sent it back though and it came in hole free and on time. Every other experience was great. Everyone was friendly and my seamstress was great. She fit my gown to me like a glove in just one fitting. I highly recommend them!



Kleinfelds – MOB gown, my shoes, and my hair clip: C
I hate that store. I know the reviews are mixed, but I went there for my gown and didn’t like my salesperson. We went there for my mom’s gown and her salesperson was great. However, we had about an hour wait for all three of her fittings. And even after three fittings, her dress fell apart. The zipper and clip on the back broke and the beading started to come off. We have tried calling them three times since the wedding and they will not call us back.
My shoes and my hair clip were just fine though! The hair clip was originally a pin and while I waited they converted it to a clip. I didn't want a tiara so the little clip was perfect for me!


Bloomingdales – bridesmaid gowns: A
They were fine. We got a nice discount on the dresses for registering there. They came in right and on time. The girl was a tad slow in getting back to me most of the time, but everything else was perfect. They only carry a few lines (mine were Badgley Mishka) but if they carry the line you are looking for they give you 15% off the dresses if you are registered there.


Tuxedo Park: B
The tuxes were nice and they had a nice collection of vests and ties, but they were very expensive. They were not the friendliest or the most helpful. We went in there after ordering the tuxes to buy a tux shirt for my dad (which is almost $200) and they almost didn't help us. My dad ordered it, paid it in full, and the shirt never came. They still have yet to call us and say it is in. We now have to try to get our money back. Also, DH accidently returned his tie but he had purchased it from them. When we went to get it they couldn't find it and said it was our fault for returning it. It was found and they were nice about it in the end but I didn't appreciate being blamed for them misplacing it. The guys did look very nice though. The tuxes all fit well and were in very nice shape.


Maureen and Claudia Pedala – makeup and hair: A+
Love them! They were so sweet and talented. A pleasure to be around. They brought an extra girl for hair who was also very nice. I loved my hair and makeup as did my mom. My curls lasted all day and through all of my tears my makeup stayed on quite well!


Invitations and placecards – bought in NJ (FM me with questions): A
I loved my invites! I had a great experience, but the woman lives in NJ and works out of her house, so I won’t go into too much detail. She was very professional and helpful.



Wendy Trout Calligraphy: A++
I can’t say enough about her! Use her! She went so above and beyond for me – I highly recommend her! Her prices are very good and she works very fast.
This is a non-pro pic


Zazzle.com – stamps: A+
Very fast and exactly what I thought they would be. Worth it to me! However, I needed $1.81 per invite, so my options at the post office were quite limited.

Homewood Suites Plainview – OOT Hotel: A+
They were so accommodating. The rooms were really nice and very clean. We rented out the conference room for dinner the night before and they were so helpful. They supplied me with paper goods and set the room up really nice. They even let me borrow centerpieces for the tables from their lobby! The price per room was also very reasonable. I very highly recommend them.

Mysisterusa.com – slippers: A++
Great quality and they came overnight. The slippers were $1 a pair and they were a huge hit! Very easy to work with - just called and had them shipped and got them the next day.


Myglassslipper.com – shoes: A
No problems with them. They came very quickly.


Myweddinglabels.com – favor tags and organza bags: A+
Same as above. They were right and came in a few days after the order was placed. See pics above on slippers.

Honeymoon
Maui - Fairmont Kea Lani: Very nice room - the basic room was very large. Nice hotel, but not the best service. Nice pools.
Kauai - Princeville Resort: Needs an update, but was still very nice.
Honolulu - Halekulani: Best of the three. Excellent service. Highly recommend.

That’s it for now! Thanks for reading and FM me if you have any questions.

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

congrats!!!! thanks for the review...i cant wait til my wedding

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

beautiful!!!! congrats!

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Congratulations. Everything was just beautiful

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Congrats on ur beautiful wedding

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Congrats to you. Everything looked gorgeous. Sorry to hear about your negative floral experience. (I can relate to that).

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

congrats

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Congratulations! You looked beautiful!

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

you look beautiful congrats!

Re: My Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

everything looks gorgeous. congrats!

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Thank you for the great review! Everything looked very nice! Can't wait to see ur professional pics!!

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Beautiful !!!!!!!!

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

You look gorgeous... Congrats!!

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

congratulations - you looked beautiful!

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

You looked beautiful!
Can’t wait to see more pics!!

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Bridal Reflections, Tuxedo Park, Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

Congrats...hope you had a great day.

Re: My 9-3-07 Oheka Castle Review, with Bridal Reflections, Tuxedo Park, Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

BUMP - pro pics added!

Re: TONS OF PRO PICS ADDED! My 9-3-07 Review: Oheka Castle, with Bridal Reflections, Tuxedo Park, Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

great review! The pics that you have here are awsome~

Re: TONS OF PRO PICS ADDED! My 9-3-07 Review: Oheka Castle, with Bridal Reflections, Tuxedo Park, Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

great review congrats

Re: TONS OF PRO PICS ADDED! My 9-3-07 Review: Oheka Castle, with Bridal Reflections, Tuxedo Park, Lina Jang, DMS Video, Body Heat, Stefans and more!

You look beautiful! Congratulations!