My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

I must confess that I haven’t been the most active bride on this site. However, the post that I’ve been looking forward to writing ever since I found LIW is a review. The reviews on here have been so helpful and given me such insight on my vendors that I really felt it would help other brides if I wrote one as well. If anyone wants more elaborate info on any of the vendors, like more specific price quotes or contact info, I'm not bashful about sharing prices; FM me and I’ll be happy to give them! With the exception of my bakery, I don’t think there’s a single place here I wouldn’t recommend!

Just to give other brides a comparison point, as a bride, I'd say I was pretty low-key about things. I was excited about my wedding, but I never had the desire to go overboard. I wanted to keep things simple, saving myself as much time and money as possible; that’s why I went with people I knew instead of running around from one vendor to another making comparisons. A lot of times that’s a gamble, and research is necessary, but in my case I got extremely lucky in both the prices I paid and the service I got - that’s why I’m hoping to spread the word about these vendors so that I can help OTHER brides avoid the research and go for the best!

**Note that most WEDDING DAY photos were taken by the fabulous Julie Stapen, who I will rave about later! The only exceptions at this point are the reception photos, which were taken by my friend Jeremy Davis, another great photographer!!! :)

I’m going to start with the “before the wedding” stuff and then go for the wedding day.

Engagement Party – Sergio’s in Massapequa – A
I was having a small party with just my closest family members and friends, and, as such, I wanted an intimate setting with good food and a warm atmosphere. Sergio’s provided just that. My mother and I worked with the owner, Mike, and he was kind and accommodating from the moment we walked in the door. As we were sitting and discussing prices – without even having committed to anything yet – he treated us to a complimentary glass of wine and talked to us like he knew us forever. He gave us a great deal and even offered to throw in the cake and balloons to save us a few trips. The day of, which was September of 07, was a great success – everyone raved about the food and had a great time! I’d recommend this place to anyone expecting a small party (say, 50 or less) for a rehearsal dinner or engagement party. If you have a bigger crowd, the room may be a bit tight.





Shower – Alias, Smith and Jones in Oceanside – A, with a CAKE by Cakes by Mona in Levittown – A+++++
I wasn’t really surprised by the fact that I was having a shower the day that I did, but I knew nothing about the details. My sister and cousin planned a fabulous shower at Alias, Smith and Jones. The restaurant had a bright, cozy room that was just plain pretty; there’s no other way to describe it. The menu included a brunch buffet, and, frankly, I’d recommend buffet showers to ANYONE at this point. There was something for everyone and people were able to get up many times (which they did). The servers were friendly and, according to my sister, the place gave her a great package. I was beyond happy with my shower at this place and I’d recommend it to anybody.









Cakes by Mona is a one-woman business, which, according to my sister, is located in the back portion of a café. My sister found it online and gave it a try. Apparently, Mona’s extremely nice, and it’s obvious that she’s very talented as well. Everyone loved the cake, both the pretty outside and the very delicious inside. I should have considered getting a wedding cake from them too. You’ll see why later…



Bachelorette Party – Spencer Gifts (A), LI Vineyards A, including Vineyard 48 and Pindar, karaoke

I sort of had a potpourri of things I wanted to do for my bachelorette party and, since my girls are awesome, we did it all. First off, let me say that Spencer gifts is super fun and they provided really great naughty accessories for all of us . The vineyards are always a good time, and for any girls considering a vineyard bachelorette, I really recommend Vineyard 48. There’s a lot of open space for you to walk around and relax, and if you want to bring food, they have a great picnic area to set up. Besides which, the wine is great (particularly the reisling), and, if you come with a large group, they’re really great about doing tastings. As a final note, Karaoke is always a fun way to end the night, particularly when you go to a place where you get to rent your own room!













Rehearsal Dinner – Donavan’s in Bayside off of Bell Blvd. – A++++
I can’t stop raving about Donavan’s for the rehearsal dinner because they went above and beyond my expectations. This restaurant was close to our church, which was our motivating factor in choosing it. We figured, “Oh, it’s a bar and grill, it’ll have good choices – let’s go with this one!” Then we saw the package they offered and felt awfully proud of ourselves for choosing it, but, considering how good a deal it was, I wondered how the food/room would be. Let me tell you, everything was fabulous. They gave us a room in the back as well as the ENTIRE outdoor section. Before eating, our group of 20 something had plenty of room to walk around, mingle, help ourselves to wine and beer (all of which was included, without any limitations I noticed on the TYPE of beer or wine, unless those limitations didn’t come up), and our orders were taken immediately so that, as people trickled in, we didn’t have to rush to the tables for the orders to be taken. The food was excellent and the service was phenomenal; the wait staff treated us so well and worked quickly and efficiently to be sure that we had everything we needed. I’m definitely keeping Donavan’s in mind for any future parties/dinners I’ll plan!











Bridesmaids Gifts – ExclusivelyWeddings.com, Macy’s
I got the girls personalized totes from ExclusivelyWeddings.com, which they all loved. I also got jewelry sets from Macy’s (Charter Club) – I’d recommend this to anyone! I wanted to get the girls jewelry, but the sets I found at wedding themed shops/ websites seemed tacky and cheap, OR were so ludicrously expensive I’d have to count them out. The jewelry I got from Macy’s looked nice enough to use again, but didn’t cost me a small fortune to buy. I also threw in Visa gift cards and bottles of wine, and my husband gave the guys Best Buy gift cards. The bridal party was happy – gift cards are a good thing to throw in!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

Invitations – Nova Printing – A-
I found Nova Printing through a friend of mine who used them for her wedding. Using this website to order my invitations was very easy and stress-free. I particularly like that this company will send you a sample of the paper used for each invitation you’d consider purchasing so that you can feel its texture. Furthermore, while you’re online playing with text, the website will show you a sample of what your text will look like before you order. I was really happy about this because a lot of other internet sites don’t do that, and you wind up taking a blind leap of faith when you type in the text that you want. The invitations came out beautifully and I was very happy with them. The only thing I would say was remotely less than perfect is that, when the invitations first came, I got a bunch of outer envelopes without return addresses on them. Of course, we were able to get the correct envelopes by placing a new order, but I was a little disappointed that this error in my order wasn’t credited back to me in any way. However, despite that, I’d still recommend their services; they were reasonably priced and they did a beautiful job!

Favors - DIY, with the help of our local liquor store, Party City and my in-laws and mom who spent a Sunday burning themselves with glue guns (A++++++ to them!!!)
Since I had a burgundy/wine/fall thing going, I thought that wine bottles would be a perfect favor to give. To anyone considering going with one of those wine bottle websites, reconsider if there’s a liquor store right by you – I figured the difference in cost and it came to almost $200!!! I ordered cases of small Cabarnet bottles and ribbons from Party City. Both places were very reasonably priced, easy to work with, efficient and one less stress factor in my life; I’m very glad I went with them (and everyone LOVED the favors!)



Programs – DIY, with the help of LIW, Kinkos and my very crafty mother-in-law
I had NO idea how to do a wedding program, and, thanks to LIW, I found out that there are TONS of templates online that were beyond easy to use – all you have to do is Google them! It was the easiest thing ever; I printed up a simple program, brought it to Kinkos ,where they were printed inexpensively and beautifully, and passed them on to my mother-in-law to do her crafty thing. They came beautifully and I was very happy!




My gown, tiara, jewelry and veil – Lynbrook Bridal Center – A

*EDIT* - I heard a rumor that this shop *may* be going out of business! I hope not! I just wanted to post that so that other brides know before I go on. They were great! I hope that's not true!

I was one of those brides that picked out the first dress I tried on, and I’m one of those brides that will recommend that to anyone! I think the reason for this is because the women at this shop really know brides and, within ten minutes, they factored in my desired budget, style and taste in order to show me FIVE dresses I really loved. I really didn’t anticipate that I’d fall in love with a gown so quickly, but when I saw the dress that would later become mine, I had no desire to shop anywhere else. The dress wasn’t the only appeal; the women working at the bridal center were professional, kind, quick and pleasant to work with. I also like that they were honest with me; they didn’t tell me that everything looked fabulous just to get me to buy it. When I was trying on veils, they had placed a more expensive headpiece on me and they told me they honestly didn’t like it, then switched to a less expensive headpiece, which looked better. I’m totally gullible when it comes to this stuff; it would have been so easy for them to sway me to buy the more expensive piece and they didn’t – the way it looked was more important to them. As for everything else, the alterations were great, the service was very good and I was happy. The only thing that stopped me from adding a + to this A was the fact that I DID see some other brides waiting around quite a bit. It’s not a huge shop and you will likely have to wait your turn at some point. However, as a bride, I feel you have to be smart, too – try your darnest to get to these shops on the weekdays. Weekends are SWAMPED!











Shoes – Carle Place Bridal Shoe Boutique – A+
I used this store before for bridesmaid shoes, and I was really happy with them. I found the perfect pair of shoes for me, and they were comfortable and reasonably priced.



The bridesmaid dresses/bridesmaid shoes/Mother of the Groom dress – David’s Bridal – B+
I was very happy with the style of the gowns that my bridesmaids had. The girls chose a beautiful color and flattering style for them, and, on our first visit, we had a very pleasant experience. However, on later visits, there were a few service problems. Admittedly, this is partially my sister’s fault, but she had gone to exchange a size and, to make a long story short, since she had misplaced her receipt, they sent her on a wild goose chase between the David’s Bridal in Astoria and the David’s Bridal in Westbury, in which she spent an entire day driving back and forth in order to make the exchange. She doesn’t even mind the driving so much (well, okay, she sort of did, but that wasn’t the biggest complaint), but the problem was more in the fact that the women at both stores were extremely rude to her when she was in the process of doing this. I’ve heard a few similar complaints like this. However, it’s up to you – if you’re willing to endure the risk that the people working there may NOT be the nicest, it’s worth it, because the dresses truly are beautiful and you don’t have to spend your life savings on them.










Mother of the Bride Dress –Totally You – A++
My mother and I had gone together to get her dress. We went to another store and, while the dresses were pretty, the prices were outrageous. We went to Totally You and, within a few minutes, my mother found her dress. The women at the store were incredibly nice and knew exactly where to look to find my mother just the kind of style she wanted. She looked absolutely beautiful the day of the wedding, and Totally You helped!







The Tuxes – The Tux Shop in Ridgewood – A+
Maybe it’s because they’re men, but the men had no complaints (or really any comments whatsoever) about the tux shop. Everything went smoothly; my cousin even went in the day BEFORE the wedding to exchange his tux a size and they were able to do it without a problem. They matched the swatch of the girls’ dresses perfectly. The guys looked very handsome that day!





The Unity Candle – Things Remembered – A+
I wanted a very simple and elegant candle – no frills, foo foo or anything like that. Things Remembered had just that, and they were reasonable, fast and provided a beautiful set.



Accessories – Card Box, Bubbles, etc. – The Knot Shop A+
Pretty stuff, quickly delivered…enough said!

The flowers – Cress Florist in Douglaston - A
Since The Riviera offered complementary floral arrangements on each table, we only used our florist for the church, bouquets, corsages and boutainiers. We worked with Tom, a friend of my grandmother’s, and he was absolutely excellent. I showed him a swatch of the bridesmaid gowns and he immediately knew exactly what to do with it. He arranged beautiful flowers, which were delivered promptly, and was always kind and professional with us. On the down side, I didn’t have a bouquet to throw and had to toss my own, which, technically, I didn’t ask for, so I guess that’s my fault. Other than that, I was very happy with Cress!





Makeup – Josephine Castelli – A+++++
Josephine is a parent of one of my close friend’s students, which was one of the luckiest breaks for me ever, because I don’t know how I would have been lucky enough to find her otherwise! She’s made up celebrities and worked for TV before, so she really knows her stuff! She did my makeup at our mutual friend’s wedding. I didn’t want anything overbearing or crazy; I just wanted a classic look and that’s what she gave me. I not only love the work that she did, but I also love that she came to my house and was so relaxed and fun, joining in on the jokes and conversation that I had going with my family and waiting very patiently every time my sister and cousin made me laugh for me to compose myself so that she could work. Furthermore, considering her level of experience and expertise, I’d say her prices are pretty reasonable, particularly when you compare them to the other makeup artists out there. She was fantastic and I’d recommend her to ANYONE!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

Hair – Pascal’s on Union Turnpike by Lakeville Road - A++
You will NOT find a better price than Pascal’s – if you think you can, I absolutely dare you to try (FM me if you think you can!). Pascal’s is this hidden gem that I hadn’t been to before, and when I went there for a trial, I just fell in love with it. As it turned out, I liked the hair I did for the trial, which was this elaborate updo with intricate little loops, but my hair is very hard to keep up so it was falling out. The hair stylist I worked with was able to give me a similar updo with just a twist, and I was very happy with it. It stayed ALL NIGHT, endured the wrath of me putting my veil on, taking it off, moving all over the place, dancing and so on, and didn’t budge an inch. Before you consider some salon that’ll charge you hundreds of dollars, I’d suggest trying this place out and seeing what they can do for you – you won’t be sorry, and your wallet will love you!






Photography – Julie Stapen A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Julie Stapen is a photojournalist who works for The Post and who I also believe does freelancing. In addition, she has a business taking wedding photos as well as children’s portraits. The day that Julie had her first meeting with my husband and I, she invited us to her apartment, got us bagels, let us play with her adorable dog Thelma and gave us the chance to go through her many albums. We loved them – from her wedding photos to her shots overseas to her album of The Gates from a few years ago. She has an eye for special moments like nobody I’ve ever seen.

However, before I go on to describe her work during the wedding, let me stress that I found out in March that Julie was pregnant. At the wedding, she was seven months along. I worried that I would have to find another photographer, which I really didn’t want to, because I’m a huge fan of Julie’s work. My sister, who works with Julie, told me not to worry and that Julie wouldn’t let, you know, a little thing like PREGNANCY affect her ability to shoot photos like she always does. Having known a few pregnant women in the past few years, I was still kind of skeptical and a bit worried for Julie even more so than myself (because who wants to be the bridezilla that forces a seven-month-pregnant woman to work?), but something made me believe her, and
I’m beyond glad I did.

First off, upon finding out she was expecting, Julie immediately hired a second photographer to be there without any added cost to get any shots she wouldn’t be able to get herself. The second photographer was just as good and nice! Meanwhile, Julie herself was the one at my house, running around with more energy than I had, talking and joking with everyone and acting so casually she made us forget she was even taking pictures, which made them so natural and beautiful. Her angles, her lighting, her style, her personality – they were all top notch. She and the second photographer got outstanding shots at the ceremony and reception. And, not for nothing, but this girl is so reasonable that it’s almost criminal; she really OUGHT to charge more for the work that she does, but, because she’s Julie, she isn’t doing that.



























Limousines - Go Gos Limousine Service - A-
The limousines we got were very nice cars and fully stocked with plenty of drinks for us. The drivers were nice guys who were funny and got along with everyone. Furthermore, the company really hooked us up on a deal, in which we got 2 fourteen passenger limos for the price of 2 twelve passenger cars. There were only two issues that resulted in the minus. For one thing, I was originally given a quote for overtime fees that didn’t match the price that I paid. However, given the fact that we were given such a great package in the first place, I didn’t complain about it and I just paid them the additional fee. The second issue involved our limo driver recommending that we take a walk around the limo before going to the church because the car was “totally clean”. Yeah – I got some kind of dirt all over the side of my dress, and it took 15 minutes of coating it in water, oxy clean and tide-to-go in order to get it out! Other than those 2 points, it was a great limo company and I’d use them again!





The Church – A Bayside RC Parish (will disclose name if you FM me) – C for the Rehearsal, B+ for the day of the wedding

My church, Our Lady of the Snows in Glen Oaks, has just undergone construction, so I was skeptical about booking it for the wedding, not knowing how it would look or if it would even be done. We decided to go for another church in Bayside, because the priest we had marry us is a friend of my husband’s family. Given that, I’m not going to openly give the name of the church or the priest, but, I must say, the man was completely and utterly unpleasant during the rehearsal. The only reason that the church earned a rank as HIGH as a C for the rehearsal is because it went quickly and we were basically on schedule. As for the officiant, he was rude, he reprimanded people, he was arrogant and he made me feel like I was a little kid being yelled at by my teacher, not a bride about to get married. To give an example, in the beginning he was insisting that I get my bridal party together and ready to walk in. I asked if my parents should join the line too, and he very irately told me that “parents don’t need to practice”. Two seconds later he was annoyed with my dad because he wasn’t standing with me (because, within a two second time span, I guess he decided that one parent DOES need to practice). Fortunately, he redeemed himself the day of the wedding and led me to conclude he must have had a really bad day the day of the rehearsal. The only negative news I heard about him on the day of the wedding was that he lectured the guests about talking too much before the ceremony because “it was a church” and “that kind of conversation isn’t acceptable” or something to that extent. Another issue on the day of the wedding was that, while I was early, the organist was 20 minutes late. However, once the ceremony started, all of that was forgotten. The priest said a beautiful mass, gave a wonderful sermon and let go of all of that coldness to carry on with a warm, memorable ceremony. In addition, the church itself looked absolutely beautiful.













The Reception Hall – The Riviera – A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Let me start by saying, if you’ve read those bad reviews of the Riviera that I was so surprised to read in the past month or so, make sure you look at where they're coming from. If you check all of the reviews from the brides that actually got married there, you'll see a different set of opinions; with a few exceptions, the only major complaints I've seen seem to come from the brides that didn't choose it (and, no, I don't count 'my friend got married there and...'; I take it from the horse's mouth, the horse being the actual bride). Right before the wedding I got nervous after I saw a ton of posts about how bad the food and service was. I honestly don’t know HOW anyone could have said ANY of those things. I guess it's a matter of personal taste. I wanted elegant, beautiful, cozy, warm and FUN. I got all of that and then some. But let me elaborate from the beginning.

Even before I was engaged, I had heard a lot about The Riviera, but I hadn’t been there. I liked the idea of it because I’m not a big fan of showy, elaborate wedding factories that cater 7 parties at a time. I heard that the Riviera was this quaint, intimate, rustic place on the water and that it had a cozy charm to it. When I went to see it for the first time, that’s exactly what it was. It was a beautiful catering hall, certainly, but it also had a homey feel to it; you just felt at ease and warm being inside the place. What added to that was my experience with the banquet manager Michelle, who was so laid back, honest, and straight with you. I loved that, because if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s people who are sugary sweet one minute and then get tough when it comes to the nitty gritty aspect of discussing prices and what not the next. Michelle truly is the real deal; there is not a phony bone in her body and she is a true business woman, but she also maintains a pleasant, unintimidating and fun disposition at all times. She’ll also hook you up MAJORLY!!! She threw in so many extras for us that I felt lucky every second of the way!

After our first meeting, every experience that followed was smooth. There was never any confusion about pricing, expectations or anything like that. We went for a tasting, which was completely out of this world. We got our materials to the catering hall the Monday before the event so that we wouldn’t have to worry about it the rest of the week. Everything was set and I was never worried. Any time we visited the place, I had to keep snooping around because I just loved seeing it again, and there wasn’t a corner of the place they didn’t let us wander off to; they never had any problem with my desire to stroll around and see it again and again and again, no matter how busy they seemed to be.

The day of the wedding, I was beyond satisfied with everything. I’m terrible with names, so I’m going to be honest – I don’t remember the actual NAME S of my maitre’d and bridal attendant (particularly since I was introduced to dozens of other people for the first time the day of my wedding), but perhaps this is due to the fact that I never had to seek them out for anything – they were always by me and ready to get me something, whether it was a drink, something from the bridal suite or the like. In fact, at one point, my purse got misplaced, and they saw me start to look for it, so they told me not to worry and that THEY would find it. They did – and within minutes, too!

As for the food, it was completely out of this world. It’s weeks later and I’m still having people tell me how great everything tasted. I’ve had a number of people – some of whom are great cooks themselves – tell me that the food at the Riviera was the best wedding food they’ve ever had. Now, you’ll always have a picky eater or two complain about one thing or another (I had one, but this eater’s been unhappy at just about every place I’ve been with her, so I don’t go by that), but I go by majority – when 149 people loved the food and 1 had an issue, I’m going with the 149! The service was also fabulous, and everyone there was extremely nice.

However, for any other brides out there considering the Riviera, let me just tell you that I’d imagine it’s really best for smaller weddings. I couldn’t imagine anything more than, say, 175 in there. I had 150 and we fit comfortably, but it’s really more of an intimate setting and I think it’s probably best for under a certain amount. However, considering how well they did everything else, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d make a larger wedding work!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

everything looks perfect congrats

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

The Cake – Black Forest Bakery – B-

First off, let me start with the positive – everyone but me loved the cake. LOVED the cake. I thought it looked beautiful and that the cream on the outside was delicious. The people that worked at the bakery were very, VERY nice. For these reasons, despite my issues (which, at this point, I’m actually laughing at more than I’m angry about, but they still exist nonetheless), I must be fair and give them at least in the B range. Now let’s move to the negative – I’m a traitor to the Italian heritage and I detest canolli cream. I mean, I really hate it. So when my husband and I drove for an hour in rush hour traffic to get to the Black Forest Bakery and have a “tasting” in which we tasted no cake whatsoever, we made 2 requests – no canolli or fruit filling (HE hates fruit in cake). I have a contract stating that we would be getting vanilla and chocolate pudding inside the cake. Well, guess what? There WAS no vanilla and chocolate pudding. I’ll give you one guess as to what was inside. Give up? You guessed it – CANOLLI CREAM! The one cream that I made darn sure I pointed out that I absolutely HATE! Oh, and they also provided other cake and pastries, with – what else? – FRUIT inside. So, needless to say, I have my issues with this place. However, like I said before, I heard from those less freaky Italians that the cake was delicious and that I’d have to be an idiot to call them up and complain about it, so I reserved my rant for LI Weddings.



The Cake Topper – My mother-in-law, who I think should start her own business.

My husband loves Popeye, so I was looking all over the web for a Popeye and Olive Oyl Cake Topper. They were all totally ugly and tacky. So my very crafty mother-in-law, who is beyond brilliant, got a few materials together and MADE us a Popeye and Olive Oyl cake topper, which was the most special, beautiful thing ever. I can’t even tell you how lucky I am to have her, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.







The DJ/Pianist for Cocktail Hour – Dance Jock Productions – A-

I have to say, rating Dance Jock is really hard because I know I’m being too picky in adding the minus right now. The truth is, I had a great time at my reception and it’s largely because of their work. They played a good mix of music; old stuff, new stuff, etc. With the exception of one Justin Timberlake song they threw in (because I love Justin Timberlake about as much as I love canolli cream), the music was GREAT! They honored ALL of my music requests, and I had some very odd ones. The MC, Hector, was nice and got everyone up and moving. The way that everything was laid out and order in which it was played worked really well. The pianist at cocktail hour was GREAT! The DJ provided give aways for an added fee, and, no matter how many people will claim that’s tacky and sweet 16, everyone loved them!!! Here’s the ONLY issue – I requested that the music not be played at a deafening volume because I know that my family HATES that, and given how much my family’s done for me for this wedding, I wanted to honor that request. I had to keep reiterating that request because, at various points of the evening, the music WAS played at a deafening volume. Now, in all fairness, I understood Hector’s point – he said his purpose was to get people up and dancing, and that the dancers wanted the music to be turned up, so it was a matter of trying to satisfy everyone; the music was louder at points and softer at points. I think that’s fair, but, all the same, it wasn’t everyone’s wedding – it was mine and my husband’s, and, given that, I would have liked if it our request was honored before everyone else’s. However, the bottom line is this – even WITH the loud music, EVERYONE had a great time, and nobody let that spoil anything, myself included. In fact, I’ve had several people ask me who the DJ was because they wanted to use them for their events. So, that said, don’t let my pickiness sway you – I still say Dance Jock is awesome, and Hector was great!









The Videographer – Dance Jock Productions – A+

We originally didn’t even want to do a professional wedding video, to tell you the truth, but when we booked our DJ with Dance Jock and saw the work they did, we were sold. The videographer at the wedding was super nice and I could tell immediately that he was getting great footage. We got our raw footage immediately after returning from our honeymoon, and I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was! I can’t WAIT to see the edited version!

The Honeymoon – Liberty Travel – B-, Silverado Resort in Napa Valley – A++, The Sheraton at Fisherman’s Wharf, A++

My husband and I took the best trip ever for our honeymoon; if you’re considering Napa Valley and/or San Francisco, whether as a honeymoon or as a trip, go for it! It’s a place with so much life, such delicious food and wine and such gorgeous weather and landscapes that you won’t want to leave. My only gripe is with Liberty Travel. On the plus side, they gave us a wonderful deal and they were excellent in their communication with us. On the negative side, there were several issues. For one thing, we were never told exactly how expensive it is to get a cab from the San Francisco airport to Napa Valley (and I’ll tell you here – it’s almost $300!). Furthermore, there were 3 vouchers we had that we were able to use, but when we called ahead to confirm our reservations, we were told that they were never processed. Finally, we didn’t get any extras thrown in. In the past, when I’ve traveled with Liberty, I was given a complimentary bottle of wine or the like, and those were regular trips. This was our honeymoon and we got squat; I kind of felt cheated with that.

As I get more pictures I plan to update this, but, as a concluding point, let me just say that October 4th was the best day of my life, and I feel like the luckiest bride ever to have gone through my wedding with as few headaches and complaints as possible. I knew things wouldn’t go PERFECTLY, nor would I expect them to, but, honestly, even with a setback here or there, I thought my wedding was as close to perfect as it could possibly be. Seriously, for those brides that are still looking – check out my vendors – The Riviera, Julie Stapen, Dance Jock, Cress, Nova Printing, Josephine Castelli, Pascal’s…they made my day beyond special and I can guarantee they’ll do the same for you!!!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

Congrats on your beautiful wedding!!! Thank you so much for your review.
I'm going with wine colored BM dresses from Davids and it's so nice to see them in pics.

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

Congrats on your wedding!!!

Everything looked beautiful. Thanks for the review.

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

loved your dress...you looked perfect in it!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

great review.. thanks. everything looks gorgeous

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

awesome review!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

Great review you look beautiful

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

excellent review! thanks for sharing! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

great review! Your photos are beautiful! Congrats!!!!

Re: My 10/4/08 Review!! - The Riviera, Julie Stapen photography, Dance Jock Productions, Cress Florist and more!!!

congrats!

thanks for the great review