I don't even know how to begin describing what an amazing day it was...
We had a beautiful sunny day. Kristen and Carmela arrived on time and did a wonderful job with everyone's hair. I was nervous about mine since during the trial we didn't finalize the exact style, but Kristen was a doll to work with. Everyone looked great and they finished early. Not until I saw pictures and the video did I realize part of my hair was falling down before the reception even began...
Jeanne also had everyone looking great with their make-up. We were all done before the photographer arrived. My makeup looked great and with the exception of my lipstick - it stayed on all day.
I was happy with all my choices - it was really an amazing day.
Limos - NJL. Our driver was on time and very friendly. Even though he got a little lost on the way back to my house (after dropping the guys off), we made it to the church on time.
Flowers - John from Flower Michele outdid himself. The bouquets were unbelievable. Everyone was talking about them all night. The centerpieces were perfect. My cake was the most beautiful I've ever seen (John decorated it with gardenias). John was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend him.
Lands End - an amazing place. We arrived there really early and they had food ready for the bridal party and we had full run of the place for pictures etc. It was great to have so much time between the church and reception. Pictures got finished early and we really got to enjoy just hanging out wih our Bridal Party and we had our own private cocktail party before the cocktail hour. The service was impeccable. The food outstanding. They handled every request quickly and efficiently. Marietta, the maitre'd, is just fantastic. People were blown away but the amount of food, the beauty of the place and the quality. We had a few last minute cancellations the day before and one no-show.
Band - Current Affair. I highly recommend them. Guests were asking for their business cards all night. They had everyone up dancing and sounded exactly like the original artists. I could not have been happier with this choice. They were absolutely incredible. Even my dad who really wanted a DJ was thrilled. They learned a bunch of songs for us and were great to deal with. Everyone's still talking about them.
Photo - Vinny from Patken. Haven't seeen our proofs yet but just found out they're ready.
Video- Platinum Video. Peter had a family emergency and had to leave after the ceremony. Fortunately, he was able to find a quick replacement to meet us at Lands End. He handled the situation very well and assures us that we'll love our video. He also took some money off our bill since he was unable to finish our day.
Tux - VIP in Commack. Slight mess up with my dad's vest but it was quickly resolved.
Bridal Dress - Paradise Bridals. Great to deal with throughout the whole process. Rosalie (seamstress) and Donna (sales women) were wonderful.
BM dresses - Dessy and After six dresses in different styles (all claret). All the girls in different dresses looked great and was a big hit. We ordered them online and saved tons.
All the special touches we did really made our day (we handmade our programs and invitations, special dances, table names, favors, family wedding photos on display, etc).
We had a great time at our wedding - we really enjoyed it and danced a lot. We managed to greet everyone (220 guests) at the cocktail hour and going around to some tables, but we also made sure we had time to have fun. Guests were commenting that watching us dancing was a show in itself. They enjoyed that we were enjoying ourselves.
Being married is wonderful. We just returned from our honeymoon in Costa Rica and I'm trying to adjust to reality.
I feel like I'm forgetting things - I could keep writing about that day forever...I hope to get some pictures online soon. Thanks everyone for all your help in the planning. Most of my vendors came from recommendations from this site.
link to more pictures:
here Link to our SF reshoot:
here
