The Brides' Review - My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

chichila15 Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:03 PM+

chichila15 MEMBER SINCE: 5/04 TOTAL POSTS : 2294 WEDDING DATE: Sep 18, 2004

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:03 PM

My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

All I have to say is that the day unfolded beautifully! Yea it poured like hell during the morning, but the sun played peek-a-boo early afternoon, and the light drizzle didn't bother me any. The weather didn't stop our happiness, nor the mood that we got from our guests. Our whole day was filled with tears, laughs, and a jolly old time!

Invitations: Precious Collections A
We ordered the very classy/elegant 'Periwinkle Delight' model. They were very prompt, and quick to ship them out. I received them in like a week! After stuffing the envelopes, a couple of months later, I noticed that I was missing a couple of invitations. After contacting them, they happily obeyed, and sent me my few, with like 20 additional invitations for my trouble, at no extra charge. No questions asked.

Wedding Gown/BM Dresses: Flowerama (Elmont) B
I ordered my dress back in Feb, and the girls ordered in late Mar, and we didn't get anything until August (6 weeks before the wedding). I was told, upon ordering, that if I hadn't gotten a call from them by June, for me to contact them. So I did, and they told me that I was too early, to call back early July. I did, and was told that the dresses were delayed, and to call back in mid-July. I did.... well, you can imagine how stressed I was getting the run around. I thought 'What if they send the wrong color, or size?'... with such little time, I flipped. So, finally we received the dresses 6 weeks before the wedding, and all else was perfect. Thankfully, I didn't have to alter the dress much, other than hem & bustle. They took care of my alterations, and made sure to stay on top of it all. Same with the BMs dresses.

Tuxedo Rental: A
The guys are SOOO lucky. FH & his guys went to rent their tuxes 2 months before, and were in and out. The Thursday before the wedding, they picked them up, and that was it. We go through so much work compared to them!!! At first, DH told me that he didn't like his tux, and took it anyway, but I told him that he couldn't judge how the tux looked on him because he tried on the jacket over a t-shirt & basketball shorts! Of course it's not going to look good. I told him to wait until he has on the whole ensemble..... and after the ceremony, he told me that I was right. OF COURSE, I WAS... he should remember that for the rest of his life...

Hair: C-
I've always gone to the same hair dresser, and I was a little peeved at the lack of service she provided. I made an appt with her for Friday to do my hair, and she had someone else wash my hair, someone else blow out my hair, and she styled it. During the time that I was there (almost 3 hours!!!), she attended 3 other customers. What the hell was the point of making an appt if someone ELSE would do my hair? After the other stylist blew out my hair, I sat waiting for my hairdresser for almost 20 mins, AND she knew that I was pressed for time, and had to leave by 6:30... I didn't leave until 6:45, and had to run to the church for rehearsal! Mind you, I lost my cell phone in the cab I took to the church because I was rushing!

Makeup: My Maid of HonorA
She did a great job, and I couldn't have asked for anything else. She also touched me up every so often throughout the day.

Photographer: Proline Studios A+
Not only was the photographer more than on-time, but he was a real cool guy. He knew exactly what he was doing, and knew what was best, and what wasn't. He also didn't complain at any of our requests. He even would show me some pics on his LCD monitor on the camera to see what he meant. I couldn't have asked for a better person to have lingering around the entire day.
We asked him to take a lot of candids at the church & reception, and I can't wait to see what he got. I felt his flash near me during the mother/son dance, as I was on the side watching while a friend hugged me from behind. He had a great eye for candids!

Videographer: Proline Studios A
I didn't see him until I arrived the church, and he seemed like a professional guy. I felt like he wasn't in our way at all, and anytime I knew I wanted to capture a moment for the video, he was already on it.

DJ/MC: Bravo Sound A+
Our MC did such a fabulous job in getting everyone on the dance floor! And the best part, he didn't need any cheesy 'chicken dance' or 'limbo' songs! Everyone truly loved the music he played, and I only saw the floor clear when everyone was eating... lol.

Ceremony Music: Cousin (violin) A+
Not only was it more intimate having him play at for the recessional, but he did an amazing job. He played 'Ave Maria' for the bridal party, and 'Cannon in D' for my walk down the aisle. When I heard his violin sounds at the rehearsal, he made me cry... that's how beautiful!

Limousine: Atlantis Limo D
The only good thing that I can say about them is that they showed up to drive us to the church. The guys had a dropoff limo, and there was no problem. And we had the long SUV limo for the girls (and the rest of the bridal party post-ceremony). Upon entering the limo, I noticed that they seats seemed dingy, and the glasses were 'smokey'. En route to the church, the driver made a bad call in turning on a very crowded street, and it delayed us 20mins. Post-ceremony, he complied with driving us to attempting to take outdoor pics even though it was drizzling, and dropped us off afterwards.
A limo was supposed to arrive @ 12:30am, after the reception, to drive us home.... by 1am, we got into a cigarette-infested CAB because the limo never showed up! Not even a call. We also didn't get a call from them the next day. AND, we didn't get the drive to the airport, like we has contracted for. They didn't get an F because at least one driver did their job... even if he made us late.

Florist: 800-Flowers A+
OMG, I loooooooooved my florist. Not only did we click, but he did the BEST arrangements for me, the BMs, the centerpieces, and the church. The flowers that he provided for the cake & it's table were phenomenal! I absolutely loved everything about him, and he executed everything better than I expected.

Church: Sacred Heart A
The officiant was sooooo cute throughout the ceremony. He made the ceremony, and he did it well. Everyone commented how he chose the best times to throw a joke, and the best verses for the ceremony. He did a fabulous job, and it was extra special because my parents got married there in 25 years before me.

Reception Location: Leonard's of Great Neck A+
I had absolutely no problems with Leonard's. They catered to everything we desired, and held true to their reputation. I didn't get to enjoy absolutely all the food there, because everytime I tried, I was being pulled towards something/one else. Our Maitre'D & Bridal Attendant both did a wonderful job for us, from start to finish. The set everything up better than I expected. DH & I went into the CH to greet people (less time to waste at the reception), and I was floored at how they displayed our seatchart, ribbonwands, and photo guest frame. They also did a great job decorating the cake table. It all looked soooo beautiful!

Honeymoon: Wyndham Sugar Bay in St. Thomas A-
Upon arriving, we were not catered to, nor acknowledged. Unbeknown to us, we were even downgraded from our original OCEANFRONT room because our room wasn't available yet. When I realized, I immediately went back to the front desk and demanded what we paid for. We knew from then on, the less we needed to speak to them, the better, and we went on our merry way with our honeymoon. I was also a little disappointed about the grounds because the beach was a lot smaller than what I had seen on their site.
However, the island is absolutely beautiful. We went snorkeling in St John & St Thomas. We island hopped, and went kayaking. We saw about 4 other more beautiful beaches/bay, and took a sail to St John. The food in all restaurants were delicious, and the natives were very nice & helpful. Activities around the island were a little expensive, but we didn't care... we're newlyweds!!!

And for pics.....

lvdolphins Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:23 PM+

lvdolphins MEMBER SINCE: 4/04 TOTAL POSTS : 3580 WEDDING DATE: Oct 24, 1999

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:23 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

you look beautiful! Congratulations!!

steph4777 Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:27 PM+

steph4777 MEMBER SINCE: 11/03 TOTAL POSTS : 2842 WEDDING DATE: Jul 31, 2004

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:27 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

Congratulations....You guys looked great!

jsb1ot Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:39 PM+

jsb1ot MEMBER SINCE: 7/04 TOTAL POSTS : 1385 WEDDING DATE: Oct 16, 2005

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 05:39 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

Beautiful.
Congratulations

laudipop Posted: Oct 01, 2004 08:27 PM+

laudipop MEMBER SINCE: 3/04 TOTAL POSTS : 449 WEDDING DATE: Oct 30, 2004

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 08:27 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

Congratulations!! You looked radiant!

heidla Posted: Oct 01, 2004 08:33 PM+

heidla MEMBER SINCE: 10/02 TOTAL POSTS : 5901 WEDDING DATE: May 28, 2004

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 08:33 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

Congrats!!!!! You looked fabulous!!!!

NPbride Posted: Oct 01, 2004 09:35 PM+

NPbride MEMBER SINCE: 4/04 TOTAL POSTS : 1374 WEDDING DATE: Jan 01, 2016

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 09:35 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

Congrats! Your dress looks stunning on you!

AndreaLMT Posted: Oct 01, 2004 09:58 PM+

AndreaLMT MEMBER SINCE: 12/03 TOTAL POSTS : 2857 WEDDING DATE: Nov 14, 2004

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 09:58 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

Congrats!!
Great pics-
You looked beautiful & I love the color of your BM gowns!!!

carline Posted: Oct 01, 2004 10:45 PM+

carline MEMBER SINCE: 8/04 TOTAL POSTS : 93 WEDDING DATE: May 28, 2006

Posted: Oct 01, 2004 10:45 PM

Re: My 09/18 Wedding Review (with pics)

you guys look great and really happy.good luck on spending the rest of your lives together. i love purple, i'm a;so using that color next year.congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!