First off, I need to thank the world that I found this website. Without it, I wouldn’t be writing such a HAPPY review! I found almost all my vendors on this site and I was thrilled with each one. “No regrets” is a special thing to say about your wedding day and planning experience and I can literally say I have no regrets.
Please note before reading!!!: I am a very enthusiastic person so I will give myself the LIMIT of 5 +’s in my grades. Note that 5 +’s equals like a million to me. :)
The Binder – A+++++
The “Famous” Binder as I like to call it. This thing is so big it needs its own Zip Code. I honestly planned most of the wedding myself, delegating and recruiting people (mainly DH and my parents) as I needed them. I made a “13-month At a Glance” checklist and it really helped my planning experience! Everything from the wedding is in here and this way, on the wedding day I was able to bring it and know all my contracts, receipts, pictures, etc. were handy if there were any questions. (Including back-up ceremony, speeches, vows, and marriage license copy.)
Wedding Day Weather – A+++++
Haha, I used to think it was funny when people “graded” the weather but Mother Nature was VERY kind to me on my wedding day. The day before (Saturday) was windy/rainy/cold and I know that a lot of 10/24 brides could not take pictures outside. Well, our day came rolling around and it was so beautiful that during the outside ceremony, I even felt the sun beating down a bit on my shoulder. Perfection! And even my grandma wasn’t cold – which she always is! We had some nice clouds in the sky – but lots of sun – and the clouds only added some fun design/drama to our pictures! A perfect Fall Day if I ever saw one.
David S. Diamonds – A+++++
Engagement Ring & Weddings Rings. The owner, David So, calls my ring the “Lamborghini” and I love him for that! Haha! David is a Diamond Genius! I worked a lot with his sister Amy, as well. His store is personable – hidden away on 5th Ave in a beautiful office building. He has a Patent Pending for his new Diamond Cutting Technology and my diamond is better than a Tiffany-Grade Diamond (virtually no imperfections.) Best thing – I can go anytime during lunch to get it professionally steam cleaned because my office is close by!
Engagement – No grading necessary – it was perfect!
We met the summer after Freshman year of College and literally met in my parents kitchen in Long Beach. DH was coming to visit my twin sister with his best friend who had just started dating her and didn’t know my sister even had a twin! We thought it was the funniest thing that we met in the kitchen, so this is where he had to propose! After the “YES!” he whisked me away to the 1770 House in the Hamptons where we visited Duck Walk Vineyard and other cute little places in the area.
My Bridal Shower – A+++++
Minnesota’s in Long Beach, Long Island
This made the whole “wedding thing” seem so real! Lots of eyes on me – good practice for the wedding! The food and service were great! My mom’s amazing planning just put the whole thing over the edge! She worked SO hard to make it a beautiful black and lavender themed shower. She had lots of fun games including Bingo during present opening, which makes it fun for the guests! She handmade the invitations, as well as matching napkin rings! (If anyone wants literally handmade invitations for a sister or friends shower- maybe my mom will make them for you for a great price! ?) My Bridesmaid Laurie made the wishing well umbrella and all 8 of my bridesmaids presented me with a decorated wine bottle specified for the “first” of all holidays throughout the year! (ie. First Christmas/Chanukkah as a married couple, first NYE, first Anniversary, first birthdays, First dinner party, etc.) SO much fun to have at our apartment! The Minnesota’s room was beautiful and has lots of natural light – and a place to have a little picture slideshow, which my Bridesmaids also put together.
Bachelorette Party – Wine Tour in LI – A+++++
Long Island Vineyard Tours (LIVineyardTours.com through Metro Limo Group)
I feel so lucky to have these girls as my Bridesmaids. 10 Thank You Notes EACH wouldn’t be enough. They put together such a FULL day of Carly-centered festivities and being a twin, I was definitely not used to this. They even had adorable American Apparel Tank Tops made for us with the same Black and Lavender theme as my shower! We went to 4 different wineries, got to try like 20 wines, danced a bit while listening to a live band, the driver of the limo got us a beautiful picnic spread at the vineyard of our choice and the weather was absolutely perfect. One of my favorite memories with these girls ever!! Not only that – they took me to my fav place for dinner (Fresco Creperie & Café in Long Beach) – and had my mom decorate our table before we got there! And then continued to go out after that! Talk about a full day! It was very ME! A classy Bachelorette Party – no crazy strippers, etc. And this company takes care of everything for you so you can just enjoy the scenery of Long Island’s Wine Country!
**If anyone doesn’t want a crazy drinking-focused bach party, I also recommend Spa Castle for more of a low-key day..**
Day-of Hoodie – Jonathan’s Embroidery in NYC
$15 Hoodie at Old Navy (ordered it online) and went to Jonathan’s Embroidery in NYC to get the writing put on the back. Highly recommend them – great customer service and it came out exactly how I wanted! (Brought a picture and he matched it exactly.) And it’s a funnnn thing to wear on your honeymoon! I got so many compliments on it on the plane rides! (And it’s fun to be like, “oh yeah, no biggy, we’re married. Yep...I’m married to this hotty right here! Haha)
The Bridal Garden – A
The Bridal Garden is an amazing place to get what was a very expensive dress for a lot less. These dresses are usually only used once, or were a store’s sample, and occasionally need some fix-up touches, but all the money for the dress goes to a woman/children’s charity! I feel like ya spend so much on weddings that this was the coolest way to give back a little. Definitely check this out if you’re reading this and haven’t found your dress. I was able to take my gown (by Judd Waddell, who designs the Jim Hjelm Bridesmaids line) and make it a one-of-a-kind gown by changing a bunch of things! I loved my dress and because it was worth a lot more than I paid – I got a gown that photographs beautifully!! Gina, the main lady at the Bridal Garden, had me buy the matching lace on the gown to make me a customized veil (see below regarding lace stores) and poof! My dreams came true! One of a kind gown and veil!
By the way, if you need a seamstress, Julie is their seamstress and she WORKS MIRACLES. She’s a hard worker and somehow (I will never know) fixed a couple holes in the netting of my gown and made it look like new without replacing all the lace! Just had to mention her. FM for info.
1) Lace Star - Didn't get my lace there because they didn't have the right one. But I was hoping to give this place my business. They were very nice here.
2) Sposabella Lace - Had everything I needed, and bought my lace here but the owner is a bit of an a-****, if you catch my drift. So if you're going there, be ready to be annoyed a bit at the know-it-all...
My Day-Of Earrings by Adriana Orsini – Saks 5th Avenue. A+++
I went to Saks to look for some dramatic earrings because my gown had a lot of detail on it and I didn’t want to wear a necklace because it could really take away from the gown. So – I got these and I love them! Photographed so well and I felt beautiful!
Wedding Shoes – DSW.com A+
Only at the reception after a bit of dancing did they start to hurt, and I think that’s pretty good considering the amazing price. I hated all wedding shoes I saw and felt like a lot of other ones at other stores looked like they were from 1992. These are exactly what I wanted – and the bit of bling matched my earrings nicely! DH got his wingtip shoes at Florsheim in NYC.
BM Jewelry – Ann Taylor Loft A+++++
My wedding was October 2009 and I saw these necklaces at ATL in December 2008 and bought them right away! My wedding colors were eggplant (the color of the BM dresses), ivory and gold and the gold leaves holding the pearls together on the necklace was absolutely perfect! They have a good weight to them and will look beautiful even just with a black shirt and jeans now that the wedding is over! (I also got the girls a couple little things and an ivory shall each.)
BM Dresses – Bill Levkoff at RK Bridal – A
Not much to say that isn’t obvious about RK Bridal. Good place to go. No real complaints – huge selection. Recommend all alterations to be done during the week during lunch hours if the bridesmaids work in the city. Loved my Bill Levkoff dresses – the sweetheart shape complimented all my girls – small and larger chested alike! Two tips for when the girls do their first alterations. Take their straps if it’s a strapless dress and you won’t need them because this can act as a color swatch for things like flowers and wedding cake icing colors (or flowers). Secondly, when they do their first alteration, be SURE to tell the seamstress to keep ANY and ALL extra material they cut off the bottom of the dress because this fabric is perfect to use to wrap their bouquet stems in! This way, in the pics, the ribbon matches perfectly to the dress, because it IS the dress!
Groomsmen Gifts/Ties – Macy’s – A++
The guy that helped us with these ties was extremely excited for us and really sweet, which made the process all that much more fun. We got beautiful Donald Trump ties. DH designed his groomsmen look all by himself, hehe, and they looked SO handsome. Black suit. White shirt. Ivory tie. Purple Boutonniere. Handsome-City! Big thanks to The Donald. (And we didn’t realize the extent until we got our proofs back, but DH’s tie photographed so nicely with my dress!)
DH’s Suit – Hoboken’s Italian Men’s Store, Beau Brummel A+++++
This store is awesome. Seriously old-fashion customer service. The rating is for how handsome he looked ;)
MOB Dress – Blanchee Boutique in East Rockaway A+
Just have to say one thing before my mom’s actual review. My mom wore a silk pants suit to my older sister’s wedding 5 years ago because she isn’t comfortable in skirts and dresses. For my wedding, she completely surprised me that her and her dear friend went to this store and tried on dresses. It meant the world to me that she was open-minded and I think she looked absolutely beautiful! And I’m saying this because I think it speaks a lot to this store that she even considered getting a dress in the first place. ?
My mom wanted to write this part: “Small in size but lots and LOTs to look at and try on -- not all tiny so you can see how you will look...any problems were solved with grace and understanding of the 'momentous-ness' of the occasion--especially for the mother of the bride! At my first fitting, the dress came in totally wrong but they sent it back quickly and did the alterations quickly---all this and I foolishly waited till one month or so before to even start the process -- a bad idea but they came to my rescue!
Invitations & DIY
I ordered the Envelopments brand materials from John at Yes I Do! Unique Gifts and Invitations in Hoboken, NJ and then (along with lots of help from DH and my parents) assembled them myself. This was a place where I needed to cut some costs and assembling it myself was a hugeeee way to save. John was a huge help and is incredibly detail oriented. If anyone lives in/near Hoboken – definitely stop by this adorable store. It was definitely one of the hardest things I did, but it was worth it to me to use the money I would have spent elsewhere. My mom came up with the leaves-idea and that’s my favorite part. I knew I always wanted a pocket fold. DH hand-addressed all the invitations with an old-fashioned dip pen, giving himself the nickname “Dip Pen Ben.” I actually did not end up with a real photo of my invitations because I guess some took the top part off the purple envelope and just put this out on display at the entrance to the ceremony… but here is part of it at least.
**I used www.Renaissancewritings.com website for lots of inspiration – check it out!**
Smithtown Landing Country Club: A++++++ (yes, 6 +’s – I broke my rule for them!)
Before I review this – just want to say that when I first booked SLCC there was 1 review for me to look at over and over and I’m SO happy that I am doing a review of this place to show everyone how wonderful it is! I know of 2 other great reviews done this year alone and know they’ll pile up in the coming years/months!
I knew our wedding was going to be on a budget and I was SO nervous about finding A place, much less the RIGHT place that reflected our taste and personality without breaking the bank. And then a girl at work who lives in Kings Park (town next door) recommended I go take a look at SLCC. I was nervous because I didn’t want to fall in love with a place that wouldn’t work out, but I ended up being ½ right – I DID fall in love but it DID work out perfectly. Rich and Donna are 2 of the most thoughtful people I met during my whole wedding planning experience. They worked with me and DH to find the right items for our wedding. We decided to do a Sunday “Twilight” (1-7pm) Wedding and have the ceremony, CH and reception all on the grounds. Not having the Saturday Night wedding saved money and allowed us to expand our guest list. My favorite thing about them that is very note-worthy is that they only do 1 wedding at a time. This way, my husband was able to tell his groomsmen they can have any snacks/drinks they want/need in the Riverview Room while they were getting ready, and I was able to tell my bridesmaids that while we’re using their adorable Bridal Suite to get ready, they will be served a delish Continental Breakfast with fruit, coffee, pastry, etc. They enjoyed it all SO much the morning of the wedding and made it that much more fun to get ready in there. (Btw – I had 10 people all getting ready and the room was perfect for us.)
The grounds: Amazing golf course with trees on a large property – amazing for pictures! The Nissequogue Deck is where we had the ceremony and I’m in love with these pictures – especially in the fall when the leaves were amazing colors. Rich told me he was going to plant some new flowers on the deck and lived up to his promise! It looked so beautiful out there, I didn’t even need to order flowers for the ceremony besides the girls’ bouquets/bouts for groomsmen. They also just installed a beautiful, elegant gazebo in the center of the 3 little houses that make up the country club. So pretty!
The food: They recently got a new chef and I loved all the food I tried there. My parents were so impressed with how generous they are at the tasting – they make you feel so important and we were encouraged to share our ideas! It really got us excited to have all our guests come and eat! The salad tasting was awesome and we decided to take the presentation of the Greek salad (which was in a cucumber wrap) and use it for the Caesar salad. They really allow you to take the reins with these things and it’s very special and rare. I did not have it in my budget for any extra desserts besides the wedding cake, and Rich was kind enough to help me put together an adorable tasting plate. Each guest got a chocolate covered strawberry, a mini fruit tart and a slice of DELISH cake from Rolling Pin Bakery (more on that bakery below.) Everyone LOVED this tasting plate and the pastries were amazing.
The Best Maitre D’ and Bridal Attendant: Joe and Pat! Whoa! Talk about good old-fashioned service. Ben and I were SO impressed with how smoothly these two made our day run. I honestly didn’t know what a Maitre D’ did before wedding planning and I can’t picture not having him there. He was honestly our rock. He took us carefully through the day and often did things that helped us really live in the moment and be stress-free. He helps make sure you eat your dinner and have a moment with your husband. Ben and I got stuck in a conversation with a guest and he was able to pull us away so we can eat our dinner, which I was THRILLED I got to do because he gave us a taste of all 3 dinner entrées and they were just amazing! Pat was SO sweet and very relaxing to have around if you’re a nervous bride. Walking into the reception, my bustle broke because DH stepped on the back of my dress by mistake and she carefully and expertly used a safety pin to pin it back up and it felt more secure than the original bustle was! Also – she’s very quick to keep your train pulled out nicely when you’re taking pictures. She’s there to help you walk and hold your bouquet in shots that don’t require the bouquet. A bunch of my favorite pictures are where my dress is pulled out so nicely – and I remember her saying to wait so she can fix it!
The extras that set Smithtown Landing Country Club apart from the rest: Donna offered to make a whole extra Hot Apple Cider station for me at the Cocktail hour and we got so many compliments on it! And at the final menu meeting, it was so cute – she kept insisting we come up with more fun extras to make our wedding really personal and we ended up doing a fun Cocktail Special that she had a whole sign for! I made up the drink and she printed it up and put it in a frame. They had a nice room to keep all my stuff for the wedding that I dropped off 2 weeks before and took the time to listen to what I brought and how I wanted it set-up. The day of the wedding, everything was exactly as I wanted and I had a BIG list – let me tell you! ? haha.
Feel free to FM me for any other questions about SLCC! I could go on and on about them but I’m nervous how long this review is getting! I want to be sure to fit it all. Haha.
Pictures that really showcase the colors and beauty of the property and Bridal Suite:
Thomas Paul Photography – Engagement Photos at Sunken Meadow A+++++
Wanted to give TP a separate shout-out for the Epics! We loved our engagement pictures and lucked out SO much on the weather that day. We were nervous because we weren’t used to being photographed but Tom makes it very easy and we loved all the poses! He sends you a beautiful teaser album and an even smaller one that’s perfect to keep in your purse – very sweet of them because it’s incorporated in his package, which is another reason we loved TP out of the 3 photographers we seriously looked into using.) Sunken Meadow Beach is a great spot because they have the beach and also a wooden boardwalk. (More about TP below!)
