My 9/25/05 wedding -- Snapper Inn
Since DH and I aren't going on a honeymoon right away (probably next year instead), I can post my review (and a few photos!) quickly.
I want to preface my wedding review by saying that my DH and I are not a “typical” couple and we were not looking for a “typical” wedding. We really wanted the wedding to be a reflection of us as a couple, so it may not be what most folks expect.
I am also a control freak,![]()
so I took on the task of doing a lot of things that other couples might normally hire someone else to handle. We could have afforded a more expensive wedding, but we made the decision not to spend lots of money.
AC Moore, Michael’s JoAnns, and the Rag Shop became an addiction for me. I was at one or more of these stores every week. I constantly changed my mind about things, and I was always able to find ideas and supplies at one or more of these places.
Dress: gownfind.com. 10/10--Based on the recommendations from the ladies here on LIW, I decided to go with Phyllis. Very responsive to my numerous questions, plus she gave me a great price on my dress. The alterations were a breeze, and Phyllis was always honest when something didn’t look good. She also bailed me out in terms of my undergarments (see below). I got so many compliments on my dress.
Undergarments: Georgette’s 7/10--I feel bad about giving them a low score, but I really have no choice. I went to be fitted for a long-line bra. I brought along a picture of my dress as reference. I was fitted for a bra that I thought would work with my dress. It didn’t. The dress was too low cut for the bra, and it showed through the top of the dress (it wasn’t even close). Plus, it wasn’t long enough, so it created an unflattering bulge around the tummy. I did purchase a body shaper for the lower half, which did work for me.
MOH Dress: David’s Bridal, East Brunswick, NJ. 10/10--My MOH got her wedding dress there, and was very pleased with their service. We ordered the dress 3/14/05 and she picked it up on 3/30/05 (they originally told us it would be in at the end of April). She also had them do the alterations, which we were both pleased with. She looked beautiful on the wedding day.
Jewelry
Earrings: Sears. 10/10--Went there on a whim, and just looked around. Found a gorgeous pair that I absolutely loved for less than $10.
Necklace: Mom. 10/10--She lent a pearl necklace that my father had given her on their wedding day. Plus it has great sentimental value.
MOH’s necklace: QVC. 10/10--I got my MOH a beautiful pearl and blue topaz necklace for the wedding. She loved it and put it on right away and didn’t take it off until after the wedding.
Shoes: Ebay. 10/10--Unfortunately, I don’t remember the seller’s name, but I got a great pair of light blue Khussa shoes. I wanted something different than the normal wedding shoes, and these were perfect (and comfortable!).
Hair: My mom. 10/10--My mom did a great job with my hair. I wanted something casual and romantic and she gave me exactly what I wanted. Best of all, it was free!
Makeup: Me. 10/10--I wanted to look natural, not overly made up and I think my makeup came out great, thanks to Bare Minerals and Smashbox cosmetics.
Rings: HawaiianJewelryshop.com 10/10--Our rings are really different and we LOVE them. The service can’t be beat. We custom ordered our rings on a Friday, and we had the rings in our hands by the following Tuesday! Unbelievable.
Flowers: Me and my mom. All our flowers were silks. My mom made my bouquet, which I tweaked. I made my MOH’s bouquet, the bouts, and the corsages. They were exactly what I envisioned.
Invitations:
Pocketfolds. InkandPaperInvites.com. 9.5/10 Had the best price I could find on the web for blank pocketfolds. Shipping was a little slower than I would have liked, but since they are dropped shipped from the company that makes them, it takes a little longer. Easy ordering and they were great about letting me know when I would receive my order.
Envelopes. LCIPaper.com.10/10 Ordered my RSVP and outer envelopes from them. Nice selection, good prices, and fast shipping.
Pre-Wedding Dinner: Seascape Restaurant, Islip. 9/10 We did not have a rehearsal, so this really wasn’t a rehearsal dinner. More than half our guests came from OOT, so my mom wanted to have a dinner for those guests the night before the wedding (we had a Sunday morning ceremony). We had a very hard time finding a place willing to do a private party on a Saturday evening (even with 40+ guests). Seascape had a great price and was willing to work with us. We booked them about 2 weeks before the wedding. The food was great, but I was disappointed that they didn’t include dessert in the package.
Hotel for OOT Guests (I also stayed there the night before the wedding): Hilton Garden Inn, Ronkonkoma. 9.5/10 Wow! What a great hotel! The only reason they don’t get a perfect score is that they lost my cousin’s reservation, but they got them a room without problem. Clean, beautiful and great service. I got lots of compliments from my OOT guests. The BM ended up staying at another hotel, and when he saw the Hilton, he was kicking himself for not booking there. Blocking rooms was easy, and the sales staff was very friendly and helpful.
Ceremony: Fire Island Lighthouse. 10/10 Had a few issues six months before the ceremony, when we found out there was going to be a car show the same day as the wedding. But after sitting down with them, we were able to work everything out. The volunteers were very helpful and everything went off without a hitch. Lovely setting.
Officiant: Reverend Carl Weaver. 10/10 Carl was an acquaintance of ours, and we had seen him do a wedding for a friend of ours. When we met with him, I, in my control freak state, wrote out the ceremony and printed him a copy. I did leave sections for him to add his own personal touches. He was very open and accepting of what we wanted our ceremony to say and how it reflected us. Carl was very organized and gave us a lovely certificate during the reception.
Reception: Snapper Inn. 9.5/10 Had exactly what we wanted – breakfast brunch with a location on the water. I have to admit to being unhappy that we had to pay an extra $4.50 per person for soda (hence the 9.5 rating). John, the GM, was very easy to work with. He was very accommodating with our requests. He even called Tom at Audrey’s for us and arranged for our cake. The staff was friendly and very efficient. Our guests complimented the variety and quality of the food. We were very pleased with the service.
Cake: Audrey’s Bakery. 10/10 We wanted cheesecake for our wedding cake. Three tiers with two layers of raspberry filling and buttercream icing. A lot of our guests were surprised when the cake was served, and they all seemed to enjoy it. The cake itself was beautiful and tasted great.
Favors:
Oriental Trading Company. 10/10 Ordered the boxes to hold our candy from OTC. Fast service, cheap prices.
BJs. 10/10 Bought the candy at BJs. Had the best prices. I checked everywhere (even online) and their prices couldn’t be beat.
Photography: Nancy Bahnsen. 10/10 Nancy is a friend of ours, but had never photographed a wedding before. Honestly, we didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on photos. We trust Nancy, plus she had worked in catering for years, so she knew what pictures to take. She delivered about 70 prints and a CD containing photos the night of our wedding. We were happy with photos – she even trekked to the top of the lighthouse with us to take photos from there.
Bus Company: John Bosch Bus Company. 10/10 Due to the car show, we decided to have our guests meet at Snapper Inn, where a bus would take them to the lighthouse for the ceremony. After the ceremony we had the bus take them back to Snapper Inn. We used school buses, and although not the fanciest mode of transportation, our guests had fun riding the bus. The company assured us that the buses would be clean, and according to my guests, they were. The drivers got everyone to the location on time.
I want to preface my wedding review by saying that my DH and I are not a “typical” couple and we were not looking for a “typical” wedding. We really wanted the wedding to be a reflection of us as a couple, so it may not be what most folks expect.
I am also a control freak,
AC Moore, Michael’s JoAnns, and the Rag Shop became an addiction for me. I was at one or more of these stores every week. I constantly changed my mind about things, and I was always able to find ideas and supplies at one or more of these places.
Dress: gownfind.com. 10/10--Based on the recommendations from the ladies here on LIW, I decided to go with Phyllis. Very responsive to my numerous questions, plus she gave me a great price on my dress. The alterations were a breeze, and Phyllis was always honest when something didn’t look good. She also bailed me out in terms of my undergarments (see below). I got so many compliments on my dress.
Undergarments: Georgette’s 7/10--I feel bad about giving them a low score, but I really have no choice. I went to be fitted for a long-line bra. I brought along a picture of my dress as reference. I was fitted for a bra that I thought would work with my dress. It didn’t. The dress was too low cut for the bra, and it showed through the top of the dress (it wasn’t even close). Plus, it wasn’t long enough, so it created an unflattering bulge around the tummy. I did purchase a body shaper for the lower half, which did work for me.
MOH Dress: David’s Bridal, East Brunswick, NJ. 10/10--My MOH got her wedding dress there, and was very pleased with their service. We ordered the dress 3/14/05 and she picked it up on 3/30/05 (they originally told us it would be in at the end of April). She also had them do the alterations, which we were both pleased with. She looked beautiful on the wedding day.
Jewelry
Earrings: Sears. 10/10--Went there on a whim, and just looked around. Found a gorgeous pair that I absolutely loved for less than $10.
Necklace: Mom. 10/10--She lent a pearl necklace that my father had given her on their wedding day. Plus it has great sentimental value.
MOH’s necklace: QVC. 10/10--I got my MOH a beautiful pearl and blue topaz necklace for the wedding. She loved it and put it on right away and didn’t take it off until after the wedding.
Shoes: Ebay. 10/10--Unfortunately, I don’t remember the seller’s name, but I got a great pair of light blue Khussa shoes. I wanted something different than the normal wedding shoes, and these were perfect (and comfortable!).
Hair: My mom. 10/10--My mom did a great job with my hair. I wanted something casual and romantic and she gave me exactly what I wanted. Best of all, it was free!
Makeup: Me. 10/10--I wanted to look natural, not overly made up and I think my makeup came out great, thanks to Bare Minerals and Smashbox cosmetics.
Rings: HawaiianJewelryshop.com 10/10--Our rings are really different and we LOVE them. The service can’t be beat. We custom ordered our rings on a Friday, and we had the rings in our hands by the following Tuesday! Unbelievable.
Flowers: Me and my mom. All our flowers were silks. My mom made my bouquet, which I tweaked. I made my MOH’s bouquet, the bouts, and the corsages. They were exactly what I envisioned.
Invitations:
Pocketfolds. InkandPaperInvites.com. 9.5/10 Had the best price I could find on the web for blank pocketfolds. Shipping was a little slower than I would have liked, but since they are dropped shipped from the company that makes them, it takes a little longer. Easy ordering and they were great about letting me know when I would receive my order.
Envelopes. LCIPaper.com.10/10 Ordered my RSVP and outer envelopes from them. Nice selection, good prices, and fast shipping.
Pre-Wedding Dinner: Seascape Restaurant, Islip. 9/10 We did not have a rehearsal, so this really wasn’t a rehearsal dinner. More than half our guests came from OOT, so my mom wanted to have a dinner for those guests the night before the wedding (we had a Sunday morning ceremony). We had a very hard time finding a place willing to do a private party on a Saturday evening (even with 40+ guests). Seascape had a great price and was willing to work with us. We booked them about 2 weeks before the wedding. The food was great, but I was disappointed that they didn’t include dessert in the package.
Hotel for OOT Guests (I also stayed there the night before the wedding): Hilton Garden Inn, Ronkonkoma. 9.5/10 Wow! What a great hotel! The only reason they don’t get a perfect score is that they lost my cousin’s reservation, but they got them a room without problem. Clean, beautiful and great service. I got lots of compliments from my OOT guests. The BM ended up staying at another hotel, and when he saw the Hilton, he was kicking himself for not booking there. Blocking rooms was easy, and the sales staff was very friendly and helpful.
Ceremony: Fire Island Lighthouse. 10/10 Had a few issues six months before the ceremony, when we found out there was going to be a car show the same day as the wedding. But after sitting down with them, we were able to work everything out. The volunteers were very helpful and everything went off without a hitch. Lovely setting.
Officiant: Reverend Carl Weaver. 10/10 Carl was an acquaintance of ours, and we had seen him do a wedding for a friend of ours. When we met with him, I, in my control freak state, wrote out the ceremony and printed him a copy. I did leave sections for him to add his own personal touches. He was very open and accepting of what we wanted our ceremony to say and how it reflected us. Carl was very organized and gave us a lovely certificate during the reception.
Reception: Snapper Inn. 9.5/10 Had exactly what we wanted – breakfast brunch with a location on the water. I have to admit to being unhappy that we had to pay an extra $4.50 per person for soda (hence the 9.5 rating). John, the GM, was very easy to work with. He was very accommodating with our requests. He even called Tom at Audrey’s for us and arranged for our cake. The staff was friendly and very efficient. Our guests complimented the variety and quality of the food. We were very pleased with the service.
Cake: Audrey’s Bakery. 10/10 We wanted cheesecake for our wedding cake. Three tiers with two layers of raspberry filling and buttercream icing. A lot of our guests were surprised when the cake was served, and they all seemed to enjoy it. The cake itself was beautiful and tasted great.
Favors:
Oriental Trading Company. 10/10 Ordered the boxes to hold our candy from OTC. Fast service, cheap prices.
BJs. 10/10 Bought the candy at BJs. Had the best prices. I checked everywhere (even online) and their prices couldn’t be beat.
Photography: Nancy Bahnsen. 10/10 Nancy is a friend of ours, but had never photographed a wedding before. Honestly, we didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on photos. We trust Nancy, plus she had worked in catering for years, so she knew what pictures to take. She delivered about 70 prints and a CD containing photos the night of our wedding. We were happy with photos – she even trekked to the top of the lighthouse with us to take photos from there.
Bus Company: John Bosch Bus Company. 10/10 Due to the car show, we decided to have our guests meet at Snapper Inn, where a bus would take them to the lighthouse for the ceremony. After the ceremony we had the bus take them back to Snapper Inn. We used school buses, and although not the fanciest mode of transportation, our guests had fun riding the bus. The company assured us that the buses would be clean, and according to my guests, they were. The drivers got everyone to the location on time.
