MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Hi Ladies,

I still can't believe that I am now writing a review for MY wedding! My husband and I just got back from our AMAZING honeymoon in Bermuda. I don't have a ton of pictures right now, but I will post a few.

First, I have to thank each and every one of you so much for making this experience so unbelievable! Your advice, suggestions, comments, etc was so helpful I could not have gotten through this year of planning without you!

Ceremony and Reception: Inn at New Hyde Park – A+++++++++++++++++++++++ (I could go on forever!!)
If there is a word that means something better than perfection, that is what I would use to describe this venue. Ladies, the Inn is just INCREDIBLE! I cannot say enough positive things about this place. Everything was exactly how I imagined it. I had two bridal attendants Michelle and Kerri who were like mind readers, anything I needed was already done before I even said a word. They were so sweet and right there with me from the second I walked in to the Inn until I got into our car to leave. Barbara was our Matri’D and she was fantastic, kept everything running on time and anything we needed she was there, she took care of anything and everything! The service at the Inn is TOP notch, from the food, to the décor, the bridal suite, grounds, cocktail hour room and of course the incredible ballroom. I could go on and on, but if you are booked here or thinking about it, DO IT!! You will not be sorry at all. Also, many people are concerned with the price and the number you have to guarantee, but we did a Saturday day wedding in the summer and we only had to guarantee 125, and it was a good price, plus they threw in a TON of stuff, plus my 5 foot chocolate fountain!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the Inn!!!

Florist: Pedestals – Nadia A-
Pedestals were great and Nadia was awesome to work with. She completely understood exactly what I wanted with my centerpieces, bouquet and BM bouquet’s. Everything looked beautiful! The only small small issue we had was I asked Nadia to please provide flowers for our wedding cake; specifically I wanted white and dark purple flowers since those were our colors and the day of the wedding, when my husband and I went to take pictures in our ballroom, I saw the cake and there were just white flowers provided. Fortunately, the Inn was able to make a call over to Pedestals and the next time I looked at the cake, everything was perfect, the purple flowers were there! Overall, I was VERY happy with their service, our flowers were delivered early and everything looked fresh and lovely.

Pastor April Gismondi: A+++++++++++++++++++++++++
April was one of the best vendors to work with from the moment we had our first meeting. She was also the easiest, which as we all know is VERY nice to have in the crazy wedding process. April was sweet, funny, always got back to me very quickly with anything I needed answered. We met with April for the first time in her backyard and I knew right away, she was going to be the one to marry us. She was warm, compassionate and could literally on the spot put together a ceremony that was perfect for us. Lou and I are not very religious, and we wanted a simple, personal, and romantic ceremony and that is exactly what we got. The amounts of compliments we received on how beautiful and unique our ceremony was are still pouring in. Even at one point in the ceremony, April asked us to face our guests as she was reading the description of our relationship, this in itself was so incredibly special to us. I LOVE April and would recommend her a million times to anyone!!!!

DJ: Long Island Sound – B+
When we first met with LI Sound they were great, we loved Scott our MC, because he was a little bit calmer than and not as crazy as the other guys available, which is what we wanted. Lou and I come from radio backgrounds and a cheesy DJ was not gonna work for us at all. LI Sound was professional, courteous and had reasonable prices. We hired a string quartet through them for the hospitality and ceremony which were very nice; I think it added a little class and sophistication to everything. LI Sound played the music we wanted, we were pretty specific on genres, however there were a few mistakes. We set up a unique introduction from the BP, combining our two favorites TV theme show songs, the Golden Girls and the Entourage theme song. In our final meeting, we sat with Scott and he created this awesome mix that was perfect! We left there so excited! Unfortunately, the day of the wedding, it was not the case. They played the wrong version of the Golden Girls theme, some male version which I had never heard of (and in the meeting he also played this version and he immediately said oh this is not right), however that was played, and then they did not cue up the Entourage theme to the correct part so it was very sloppy sounding, especially since Scott himself created this mix for us which we loved, but then completely forgot about it. Also, my parents introduction song was not cue’d up to where it was supposed to be so instead of playing the chorus of “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner, it was the beginning, so it was a little odd. Also, they played two songs from the do not play list, Coldplay and DMB, however I actually didn’t notice this since they were played when we were eating dinner. Overall, we were very happy with them and the day of the wedding they gave us an upgrade to their white lighting package which was free of charge and looked great since we had white centerpieces. However, we are still a little upset with the careless mistakes that we feel could of definitely been avoided.

Cake: Buttercooky Bakery A-
Our cake was included in our package with the Inn at New Hyde Park, but I had always heard good things about Buttercooky so I was excited. Lou and I were pretty easy customers when it came to selecting a cake and didn’t have anything crazy or specific in mind. After about 5 minutes we found the cake we wanted and it was exactly the correct colors. We sampled the fillings and cake choices and everything was delicious. We told them we wanted the cake exactly how it was in the picture, however the day of the wedding, the cake design was correct, but our cake shape was wrong. The picture was of a square cake, but they make it round. It wasn’t a huge deal, but my BM Kelly made a card box to match the cake, and she did it square, so people were confused why there seemed to be 2 cakes. All in all the fillings were correct and everything tasted yummy!

My Dress and Veil: Paradise Bridal Patchogue – Cherise – A+++
I was never one of those girls that could not wait to go dress shopping, in fact just the opposite I was dreading it. I wanted to lose 50 pounds or more for the wedding so I would feel more confident, but unfortunately that did not happen. However, after putting the experience off as long as I could my mom basically dragged me out to the stores. We went to 2 other stores before hitting Paradise Bridal. I had read from LIW that they had a great selection of all different sizes so that made me feel good. Cherise helped us and from the moment I met her I knew I was in the BEST hands. She was kind, sweet, caring and made me feel so comfortable and beautiful. The first dress she pulled, I knew it was it. The dress was a Bonny and it was comfortable and I could move around in it. Once the veil was put on, everything was falling into place. Anyone that is nervous about shopping for a dress, go see Cherise and she will make you feel better and look like an incredible bride!

Alterations – C
As much as I loved Paradise Bridals, I will not rave about the alterations department. My dress was ordered in my size and I stayed the same weight for 8 months or so. I scheduled my first fitting on June 1st. I told the store my wedding was 2 weeks earlier than it actually was because I wanted to know that dress was out of the store and with me in my mom’s closet. I knew when I bought the dress that making the hike out to Patchogue was not going to easy, since I work in the city, but they were accommodating and gave me the last appointment. The first fitting was great, we had to wait about 20 minutes or so, but the seamstress Celia came in and said there was not that much needed and that the dress was made for me and that I would only need 2 fittings total. I was thrilled. My second fitting two weeks later, I came back with my mom and two of BM’s for them to learn the bustle which was going to be pretty complicated. The place was insane…several women SCREAMING and yelling about how nothing was done for their wedding dress and their wedding was that weekend, like two days away! I did not get a good feeling. We had to wait again for another 20-25 minutes because of all the disasters that were happening. I went to try everything on expecting it to be perfect and I could have it pressed to take home, however it was anything but, nothing was done! The bustle was half started but never finished, the straps were still huge and the zipper was ripping! I was fuming! Mostly because no one apologized or said they were sorry it wasn’t done, it was just like oh well you will have to come back for another fitting. I don’t think so, I work in the city, I can’t just leave at 530 and poof I’m in Patchogue, plus now they thought my wedding was June 26th and that was Thursday June 17th. Luckily I made a little stink, not bridezilla but they knew I wasn’t happy, and I came back that Tuesday. At the last fitting, everything was pretty good, the straps were still a little loose, but everything else was done. However now there was no more time for fittings. Celia guaranteed me it would be done and in the end it was. The dress fit perfectly and I LOVED the way it looked on me, so everything came out great in the end.

Patken: John – Photographer, Frank – Videographer - A
They were both great, John was patient, funny and I believe got some great shots, they were there early and were extremely professional. Any additional shots we wanted they were willing to do. During the reception, I barely knew either of them was there. They did their job and were not intrusive at all. I of course don’t have any pictures yet, but I’m sure they will be amazing!

Limos: Camelot Limos – A
Joe was great and everything he promised us was delivered on time and there were no problems at all. We did not require anything crazy, but I got a limo for me and the girls to take us to the Inn, the guys got one from my apartment, and then we provided shuttle van service for out of town guests to and from the Long Island Marriott to the Inn and back after the wedding. Lou and I received our own private town car back to the hotel. After gathering all of our stuff at the end of the night, our town car driver had to wait a little bit, but he was patient and never seemed bothered. The drivers were so helpful with anything we needed in gathering our stuff together. Def recommend Camelot!

Hotel: Long Island Marriott Uniondale – A
We did not have a lot of people staying at the hotel from out of town or the night of the wedding, but the Marriott was great. The rooms were a good size and the price was reasonable. We booked with them because it was about 15 minutes from the Inn at the rate with the discount was $159 per night so we thought that was a good deal, plus they had a lot of options for an informal after party. They had a comfortable lounge area with a bar and couches and then we went to Champions Sports Bar after for some food and drinks. It was the perfect way to end the end. Carmela our Event Manager gave us an upgraded room for our wedding night and our room had a huge balcony and we had champagne and chocolate covered strawberries sent to our room complimentary.

Invitations and Favors: Invitations and Beyond – Oceanside – A++
This place was great, so friendly and accommodating. We must have looked through like 20 books of invites but when we found the one we loved it was it, they gave us a great 25% discount off the retail price. It was so easy working with Jared via email, always there to answer any question. They made us accommodation and direction card and everything looked amazing, so different and unique.

Our favors were little plastic notebooks with pens attached on the side. We wanted something practical that anyone could use. I had seen them online, but Invitations and Beyond dealt with the vendor directly and got a discount if I ordered a certain amount, everything was as easy as looking through a book, picking out the color and design. I LOVED them! And they were really reasonably priced. I bought white organza bags to put them in, so assembly was super easy and I got tons of compliments on the unique favors.

BM Dresses: Commack Wedding Center – Dress – Bill Levkoff Style #601 Eggplant - A
I know that a lot of people HATE the WC but to be honest, I had a really awesome experience. I admit the customer service is definitely lacking to put it nicely, but if you are able to look past that, the prices are amazing. We worked with Ellie and she was great! So sweet and knowledgeable she really helped us a lot, pulling as many dresses as we needed and putting everything together. The dresses came in weeks ahead of schedule. My MOH found out she was pregnant after we ordered the BM dresses and was going to be over 7 months pregnant at the wedding, so needless to say the original BM dress was not gonna work. Bill Levkoff luckily made a similar dress in a maternity style that was also available in Eggplant, and since she was the MOH it was okay that it was slightly different. The WC said she was going to have order it ASAP to have it in on time for alterations and to my surprise it was in again weeks ahead of schedule. Only 2 of my girls went there for alterations, others went to their own seamstress’, but again they made appointments and everything looked perfect. I absolutely LOVED this dress, very flattering on any body type since it was A-Line and again I would definitely suggest using the WC, my girls saved at least $50 compared to other stores and the alterations cap was $65 max.

Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse – C
I was hesitant to use this vendor from the beginning after hearing mixed reviews, but like most people I thought a national chain would be best since the best man is from Atlanta and it would be easier for the groomsman, fathers, etc, to just go to any location rather than a smaller store. Ordering the tuxes were great, we picked out something classy and simple and it was done. Picking them up was another story. My husband’s tux fit great, however was completely wrinkled like someone rolled everything in a ball and then brought it out to him, however we brought it back the next day and it was pressed on the spot. The best man’s tux was a lot more complicated. He flew in two days before the wedding, directly from the airport they went out to MW to find out the tux was not even in yet and they didn’t know where it was!! They ordered him the exact same tux and said that either way one of them would be in the store by the time they opened the next day, which would be Friday, the day before the wedding. Needless to say, my husband and best man went to the store Friday morning and sure enough there was no tux. They guaranteed them that it is on a UPS truck and should be arriving at the store any minute. About 2 hours later, they got the call the tux was in, they came back, things were pressed and it was all good to go, after being in the store for ANOTHER 2 hours because they were extremely short staffed. Why MW would have less employees on a Friday during the summer in wedding season than they do on a Tuesday or Wednesday night is beyond me, but there it is. The guys looked great, just took a while to get to that point. I would say it’s still a good idea to use them if it works for you, but STAY ON THEM! Luckily, our situation could have been a lot worse!

BM and Groomsman Gifts: Macy’s, Beau-coup.com and Personalizationmall.com – A+
All these sites were great buying fun and useful gifts for our bridal party. I went to Macy’s and bought my girls Le Sport Sack tote bags, a crystal bracelet and went to www.beau-coup.com for personalized flip flops. The girls were wearing eggplant and I wanted them to wear black shoes, so I got them black flip flops with their name on each pair engraved in purple. They loved them, and it was a useful touch in case their feet hurt and they wanted to change out of their shoes. My husband bought his groomsman personalized coolers from personalizationmall.com, tuxedo T-shirts and shot glasses with their names on them. All places were quick, easy and everything was exactly what we want. Highly recommend!!

Hair and Makeup: Melony and Michelle from Cactus Salon, Eva, friend of the family – A
Getting my hair and makeup just right was a little nerve wrecking since I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to look, but after a few hair and makeup trials I loved the way everything came out. They both lasted all day and it looked like me. The last thing I wanted at my wedding was to look too dark or like a clown. The airbrush makeup made my skin look flawless. They were there on time and my mom, and all the girls looked amazing as well.

I think that is everything I can think of, please feel free to ask me ANY questions about anything. I would love to help as you all have been there for me. I will post more pictures as soon as they come in and of course the Professional shots ASAP. Overall, it was the MOST PERFECT day of my life and I could of not asked for anything more. I can’t believe I am MARRIED, but everything like you always hear goes by in a flash so enjoy the day and don’t sweat the small stuff. The day is for you and your FH so make sure you have the time of your life!!!!

:) Erica

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Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

your dress looks great on you and love the bm colors!!! congrats!!!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

love your bouquet! and your dress was beautiful :) thanks for the review

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Thanks for the review!!! Congrats! Beautiful pics!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

It is so beautiful!! ohhh, i am jealous of you, hehe! it is a big challenger to have the ceremony in Inn.

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Thanks for sharing. I am using some of the same vendors, and believe it or not I have the same people assigned for my day. It is nice to hear how they measured up. cant wait to see the rest of your pics

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Congrats! And great job on the review!


I your bouquet

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

aww congrats!! you looked beautidul!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

You look beautiful!! Congrats on your wedding!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Great review and very in depth. I bet it went by real fast. My soon to be husband and I are looking into the same vendors you had.

We heard great things about pedestals too. Probably going to end up using them. Their prices seemed reasonable and their service seems on par with others we visited.

We have to say, we're very surprised with your review of Long Island Sound. We both felt it was a little too critical. We actually saw Long Island Sound at a few weddings. The last one at Giorgio's. The MC Scott and DJ Rusti were incredible. There were some entertainment people 'in the know' who said that they never heard music blended like that. All I know is that we danced all night,

Ironically, at one of the weddings we went to, the DJ, Body Rock, played the same version of the Golden Girls, by Andrew Gold (btw, this is the correct one) and the parents also walked into Simply the Best, which if you ask me, sounded better when the MC was talking over the beginning and not the 'chorus' of the song. We were thinking about using that song too, but felt it was too much.

One of the things I was told by the 'in the know' people regarding 'do not play' is to make sure you specifically say not during dinner either. I guess many DJ's think a do not play list means only during dancing and not background. Did you make that clear with LI Sound?

Funny, I heard the opposite of the Inn at New Hyde Park. I was told they are slow, food is OK, and they just don't run the place right. This came from two bride friends of mine.

I've been trying to convince my future hubby to go to Men's Warehouse. Hopefully he'll change his mind of going to the local one.

I'm having so much fun planning for my wedding, even though it is stressful at times. Before we know it, it will be over. Hope you had a great Honeymoon. I think we found a great place for ideas.

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

great review

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Great Review!! Thanks for sharing!! Congratulations

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Love your BoK! Thanks for sharing your review and pics! Congratulations!!!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

you were such a beautiful bride!! I love your Bo-K!!

Re: MY 7/10/10 WEDDING REVIEW!!!

Very Beautiful!!! Congrats