My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS ADDED

I have finally finished my long review. I apologize in advance if I rambled too much but I wanted to make sure to include everything I could remember.

LIW – A+
I’ve met/chatted with some really great girls on this site. I probably could have planned the wedding without it but it wouldn’t have been as much fun. I did find a vendor or 2 because of this site and because of this I will be eternally grateful to Ron and Liz.

Weather – A+
The weather on September 8th was gorgeous. I like it warm and it definitely was. There was a nice breezy and not a cloud in the sky. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!

Church
St. Pancras R.C.C. - A+
I feel that I need to say that this is not the church we intended on getting married in. However my parish was giving me the run around and in order to not be stressed closer to the wedding, a year before our wedding date, approximately a year after we booked with my parish we decided to change to St. Pancras and we couldn’t have been happier. We met with Father Gallo who is so funny and very laid back. Since DH is Methodist and this was not my parish he told us the paperwork we would need and said that these 2 “obstacles” were not a problem.
The day of the wedding, I was very late due to problems with my limo and Father Gallo kept everyone entertained and even helped put the aisle runner down as the person in charge of that was slacking! He made us all laugh a few times during the ceremony. We received many compliments from our guests saying that our ceremony was one of the best they ever attended.
Also St. Pancras is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever been in. This is my parish from now on!

Wedding gown
The Wedding Salon of Manhasset - A
Jordana – A+
I never in a million years thought I be purchasing my dress here. I thought I’d never be able to afford their dresses. I actually went because Jordana is a friend of mine and when I got engaged she told me I HAD to go there. So I went 18 months before my wedding during an Amsale trunk show. I went with a specific dress in mind but they didn’t have it. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, since this was a trunk show and the dress is pretty popular. Word of advice – if you want to see a specific dress ask to see it when you make your appointment. Anyway I tried on a very similar dress and I really liked it so they were going to bring it in for me (and give me the trunk show discount if I purchased it at the later date). I tried on like 20 dress and all the while there was another soon to be bride that had this amazing dress on. Nothing like the ball gowns I had been trying on all morning. I kept admitting it and complimenting her when Jordana finally asked if I’d like to try it on. I did and began balling in the dressing room. It was the one! I tried dress on for 1 ½ hours and they didn’t complain at all. I even got to meet Amsale herself and she said that the dress I chose was the best for my figure. It was nice to meet the designer in person. There was some stress though when my 1st dress came in. It looked ivory to me and I went back and forth with the Wedding Salons owner and a rep for Amsale. They finally changed the fabric to what their website originally said it was made out of and I had my new “White” dress in less than 4 weeks. All in all I was extremely pleased with the service I received here.
Sue for Alterations – A+
Sue did my alterations and at the final fitting it was perfect. She did a great job and maybe feel very comfortable and beautiful in my dress. I highly recommend her!


Bride’s Maid dresses
The Wedding Plaza, Floral Park – C-
516-326-6464
We didn’t go here to try dresses on but I wound up choosing The Wedding Plaza to purchase the dresses. It was pretty much in the middle of where all the girls lived so it was convenient and the price was pretty low. Carmela was the salesperson and the seamstress. I was very dissatisfied in Carmela’s attitude and how she did not follow directions. Almost all 8 girls were measured incorrectly. All of the dresses came in 2-3 sizes too big. Not only did 2 dress get sent home without bustles but several girls had to have multiple fittings because she made them too small (these girls did not gain weight). In the end all dresses looked beautiful but if I had it to do over again I would have gone elsewhere.


MOB dress
Alta Moda, Bellmore - A
My mom had a hard time finding a dress. She is quite tall and all of the popular MOB dress designers could not accommodate this. We went to Alta Moda after going to 4 other shops. Josephine was very sweet and helped us chose the perfect dress for my mom. It was expensive for a MOB dress but my mom loved it! Alterations were perfect by the final fitting. My mom looked beautiful and was very pleased with Alta Moda!

Hair
Ridgewood Hair and Tanning
Paula – A+
I decided to use my regular hair stylist for my wedding. I am so glad I did. We had discussed for 2 years color, length and style that I wanted my hair to be. About 1 month before I went for a trial, which she didn’t charge me for and I loved it. The day of the wedding I was near tears when she finished my hair. It looked great, lasted all night and most importantly DH really liked it! There are so many reason I am glad I used her most importantly because of the look she achieved but it certainly didn’t hurt that I spent a lot less than other brides do on their hair.


Makeup
Vincenza - A+
It was a fluke that I stumbled upon Vincenza. My brother works with her husband and when I was complaining that the person I had scheduled a trial with bailed on me twice he told me that his friends wife used to work for MAC and was a makeup artist. I called and scheduled a trial with her. And told her exactly what I was looking for and she nailed it. I told her I would find my own lipstick because I was very picky about the color. About 3 weeks prior I finally found the lipstick thank GOD! The day of the wedding she was at my house before anyone was there. She got started right away with my aunt and mom. I got home from the hair salon and she did my makeup and them my grandmother and several BM’s. She worked for hours and everyone makeup looked great. It lasted all day and I am know for shine on my face and whatever she used was perfect. I had very little shine all day and if I did I just used the power she gave me. He prices were also very inexpensive. Another plus! If you’d like her contact info please FM me.


Limos
Romantique, Blkyn - F
Let me start out with the only good thing I can say about them, they gave me an incredible price for all that we needed. We needed a rolls and a navigator for 5 hours each and 2 Lincolns for 3 hours each. Most other places were quoting us over $3000. I said the Christine Viola recommended them and they were very generous with the discount they provided. I went in looking to book the Escalade but it was booked for my date. Not a problem because the Navigator looks the same except for the front.
The day of my wedding the Rolls came to my house leaking radiator fluid. Ok, not necessarily their fault but the guys limo (which was dropping them off and then picking up the BM from my house) picked up the guys late, asked how to get to the church and then took forever to get to my house to pick up the BM’s making me ½ hour late to the ceremony. They did not accommodate us with another limo since we obviously could not take the Rolls. We had to sit with my IL’s which wasn’t terrible just not what I wanted. I arrived at OWG with 25 minutes left in my time slot because they got lost getting there and the BP’s limo sideswiped a pole with the BP in the limo. When we arrived at Villa Lombardi’s our head driver greeted us with “You owe money for overtime”. Not acceptable at all!!! The money that we saved was not worth the time and the pictures that we missed. I’ve since sent them an email exprssing my disappointment and I have yet to receive a response. I would not recommend this limo company. And in case you were wondering we did not pay the overtime thanks to our DOC.

DJ
2 plus 2 Entertainement
DJ – Nicky G – A+
MC – Jimmy (?) – A+
We had been to a wedding that 2 plus 2 DJed at and we loved them. We used them for our eparty and they were a hit so it was a no brainer for us to use them for our wedding. They came up with suggestions for intro and other songs which was very helpful. They did everything we asked them to. We also had zap shots taken and when we returned from our honeymoon they sent us all those pictures on CD (over 200 of them). They had the dance floor packed all night long. They were wonderful and I would definitely use them for any other parties we throw!

Precussionist
Howie Bongo (through 2 plus 2) - A
I have to admit I was not thrilled with the idea of having Howie Bongo there. DH really wanted to have him I was not so thrilled. I thought he would make our wedding less “elegant”. But that is not the case at all. I think maybe our DJ told him how I felt and he may have toned it down a bit. But it was a great compliment to the music we had played. I even got to play the drums. DH didn’t and he was very bummed about it. Many of our guests told us how much they enjoyed him.

Photographer
ADA Studios
Main Photographer – Anthony Jinete – A+
Photo Journalist – Pat – A+
We met Anthony Jinete at a Villa Lombardi showcase. We had seen 3 photographers already and were not impressed. We instantly clicked with Anthony. So we decided to set up an appointment for another day to discuss packages and see his work. We were looking for a regular and pj photographer and for tons of pictures in our album. We liked Anthony’s work and the packages suited our needs and budget. So we booked with them.

Day of Anthony was there early with Pat who was our PJ. They both got right to work and made my BM’s, my family and me feel very comfortable. They took many wonderful pictures. We love our proofs and it will be very hard narrowing down for our album. Anthony left right after the VH was brought out but Pat said he’d stay until the end and he did. He practically left when DH and I did. We were very happy to have those extra late night pictures!

Our proofs were ready in about 5 weeks.

Videographer
ADA Studios
Mike – A+
Mike was the 1st person I saw at the church and he saved my dad and me from the smoke filled limo. LOL
He introduced himself right away and got straight to work. He also stayed at the reception until the end. He made us feel very comfortable and was very unobtrusive. At one point he was right behind our table at the hall and we didn’t even know until he said “hi”. It’s in our video and so cute when DH and I turn around and laugh. Before he left he told me he’d have the video ready in 2 weeks. I received a call 1 week into our honeymoon that it was completed. He used, with our permission, the pictures we had for our photo montage (which saved me time looking for other pictures to use).
We love our video and show it to everyone who comes over. We could not be more pleased!


Veil
Dionne at The Wedding Salon of Manhasset – A
I love my veil and Dionne did a wonderful job and I was very sweet but I think my mom paid way too much for it! I was changing in the dressing room and still didn’t know how much it was when my mom put the deposit down. When I came out and heard how much it was AND that my mom was buying it for me I told her she was nuts! I give the price a D because it was wayyyy too much!!! However my veil was GORGEOUS!!!!

Florist
Designs By Rose – A+
www.designsbyroseinc.com
I decided to go to Rose because of a recommendation from a Knottie. I had another appointment with a florist for the same day. I met with Rose and Doris first and knew that I had to book with them. I went to the 2nd appointment anyway because it was 15 minutes after I finished with Rose and Doris. But they couldn’t even compete with the vision and sincerity that I received when working with Rose and Doris. They really made me feel like family. Every time I met with them I left feeling more and more sure that they would do an excellent job on my wedding day!
I loved my sample CP but the CP’s on my wedding day were even more beautiful! The girls Bok’s and mine were stunning. I think I may even have her make me another one just so I can preserve it. Everything was beautiful!

Invitations
Designs By Rose – A+
www.designsbyroseinc.com
During our first meeting she told me that they also offer invitations at a discounted price. About 6 months before the wedding I went to look at their books. They carry Carlson Craft and Birchcraft. Not the most glamourous invites but I wasn’t looking to spend a fortune on them. I sat there for about an hour stressing over what to choose when DH chose the perfect simple and elegant invite. During the ordering process, Doris made some helpful suggestions. I received my proof in 3 business days and was very happy. I received my invites in 2 weeks and they were perfect!

Tiara
Thomas Knoell – A+
www.ThomasKnoell.com
I knew from the first moment I saw his designs that I had to have a Thomas Knoell headpiece. I looked on his website before I made my appointment and thought I knew the tiara I had wanted. When I got there he was very nice as was his staff. He asked if I had a picture of my wedding and how I wanted to wear my hair. After view those he pulled out about 3 or 4 headpieces. I fell in love with the first one I tried on. I still asked though to try on the one I thought I wanted but it didn’t work. He was 100% right with the headpiece he suggested. It took less than 2 months to be completed and I was more than thrilled since I didn’t need it for another 10 months. It will now be a family heirloom and I hope (if I have a daughter) that she will wear it on her wedding day!!!

Shoes
Nina Valeska - A
The place I bought them at has since closed but these shoes were very comfortable and not expensive. I do plan on dying them black because I think they are really sexy to wear with a black dress. LOL

Bagpipers
Sanitation Dept. Pipes and Drums – A+
Since DH is Irish he thought it would be a nice touch to have bagpipers playing outside of the church. I contacted the Sanitation Dept, the FDNY and the NYPD Pipes and Drums and only the SD and NYPD responded. Since DH’s father is retired from the SD we thought it would be nice to use them. They were relatively inexpensive and everyone loved them. My dad said when we were waiting to walk down the aisle and he heard them playing outside he almost lost it. It really gave me chills also to hear them play. They did a wonderful job!


DOC
Exquisite Affairs Productions
Christine Viola – A++
www.exquisiteaffairsproductions.com
When I first found out that Christine started her own company I emailed her right away. The price was right and knowing what I know about her now I would have paid a lot more. I hired Christine for her basic day of package, but she did a lot more for me. I needed church direction cards made and started freaking out. I emailed her and asked her to help and she had them done the next day. Then I asked her to make me a monogram that I could use for petal cones and realized I was just to busy to make them and asked her if she could make them for me and she didn’t even bat an eye. She made them and they looked great. I also asked her to make my programs. I really wanted the layered style of program and she had no problem doing that either. I received so many compliments on them that I am glad I decided to do something a little different that the regular booklet style ones. I even have a guest who will be getting married next year ask if I minded her copying them.
Christine kept in touch throughout my planning, which really makes her special to me. She called me about 3 days before the wedding when I was having a mini crisis and she listened to me vent. I was so glad she called and it was perfect timing on her part. She really calmed me down.
The day of because I had so many problems with the limo company she was a lifesaver. I would have missed pictures and my CH if it wasn’t for her. She was the one arguing with them and finally got them to drop the OT charge. DH and I were able to take our family pictures without worrying about who was going to handle that situation.
I love Christine and think she is an AMAZING DOC. I cannot wait for my friends to get married so I can recommend her to them!!!



Envelope Calligraphy – A+
Michele Clark
[email protected]
I heard about Michele originally on Theknot.com and emailed her 2 years before my wedding date just to get a feel for her pricing. The price she charges for hand calligraphy is less expensive than some places charge for computer calligraphy. We set a date that I would have the envelopes to her by and we emailed a few times in between to make sure we were both still on track. I sent her a picture of someone else’s evelopes that I fell in love with. I sent her my envelopes a week early and he was able to have them done early too! They came out beautiful!! I highly recommend Michele!!!

Monogram dress tag - A
Ebay seller: queblessed3x
Had exactly what I was looking for. Shipped quick enough. A little larger than I thought it would be but extremely happy with it!

Wedding Band
Norman Landsberg
Felice – A
I actually work in the diamond district and knew I’d be creating my own diamond wedding band but also knew I wanted a plain one that matched DH’s. Since my company does business with Landsberg it was a given that I’d go there. DH really had all the say in the band and Felice was very accommodating to his indecisiveness. We got a great price and they were ready in a week or 2. No complaints at all. She even recommended an engraver in the same exchange. That was done in a few hours.

Chair Covers
Paragon Designs
Jamila – A+
www.paragondesigns.org
I really wanted chair cover because I think it really sets the mood and even though the chairs at Villa’s matched the room I still thought the covers would give the room a little something special. I live in Queens and was honestly tired of traveling all over for my vendors. When I found out about Paragon I was so excited that they were about 5 minutes from my house. Jamila showed us all the possibilities and we were happy with our choice. We left a deposit and were told to pay about 3 weeks before. Well I forgot to pay her the balance and was scrambling a week before the wedding. She was on vacation but I was able to FedEx her a money order and everything turned out beautifully. She was so understanding about the balance and I was so grateful. Our room looked beautiful and I was so happy we decided to get the chair covers.

Favors
A Gift of Love – A
I had originally wanted to do just a donation but because I come from an Italian family, God forbid if people didn’t have a cheap knick knack to take home at the end of the night. LOL So in addition to the donation we made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society I decided to get a useful favor. I went to A Gift of Love because I heard that their prices were pretty good. I found a very nice, plain, netural salt and pepper shaker set that I felt no matter what décor you had in you home it would match. The price was good at $5 each and she wouldn’t budge on the price at all. So I decided to shop around at 2 other local favor places. One wanted $6 and the other wanted $8.95 but would go down to $7.50. So I knew I had to get them from Enza at A Gift of Love. They were in on time and were wrapped beautifully.




Donation
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – A+
www.leukemia.org
It was a no brainer for us to decide which charity to donate to. DH’s uncle is in remission after almost dying from Lymphoma. My grandfather died of Leukemia and my grandmother is also in remission after having Lymphoma. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society made it very easy to donate money. I printed out the forms from their website and mailed in a check. Very simple

Reception Hall
Villa Lombardi’s – A++
WWW.Villalombardis.com
Perfection is the first word that comes to mind when I think of my reception. We had attended a wedding there a few years before we got engaged. At that wedding we turned to each other and said this is where we will have our reception. We did visit a few other halls but none compared to Villa Lombardi’s. They really gave us our dream wedding. The décor, the food, the staff and service cannot be beat. At our menu meeting we were asked if there were any special items we would like to have and the only thing DH could think of was cherry Coke, which I still laugh about but they give you everything and anything that you can imagine that there was really no need for us to ask for anything else.
I think our MD was Nicole (and if it wasn’t sorry I wish I could remember her name) but she was great. She ran a tight ship which I was so happy about because we had a huge BP and they don’t like to listen well but she made sure she was heard. She was constantly asking us what we wanted and we had whatever it was right away. Villa Lombardi’s really is perfection.

Wedding night hotel
Marriot Courtyard Ronkonkoma – A
Communication between Gina and me was always great. Gina started working there after I blocked out rooms with someone else. I got a great price for our guest and they provided a shuttle to and from Villa Lombardi’s which was a definite plus. Rooms were clean. We had the bar stay open until 2 or 3 and had rented one of their meeting rooms so that we could have breakfast with our guests the next morning. I have no complaints.

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Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more

Great Review, Congrats

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more

Thanks for such a detailed review. Sounds like it was a fantastic day! Congrats to you and your new husband!

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more

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Posted by DavaDay

Thanks for such a detailed review. Sounds like it was a fantastic day! Congrats to you and your new husband!

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Congratulations!!! Thanks for the review. I also booked Designs by Rose and just saw my sample centerpieces last night!! I cant wait for everything to be set up on my wedding day!

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more

Great review! Thanks for sharing! I am also getting married at Villa Lombardi's so I'm glad to hear they did such a wonderful job! Congrats!

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more

Added some non pro pics to the original post and here

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Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more

more pictures

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Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

AND MORE

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Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

wonderful review

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

Vita - what a great review! And your pictures were truly stunning!

Congratulations again!

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

Great review. I am so happy to hear you had a such a great experience with Villa Lombardi's -- makes me more excited for my day!

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

Romantique is definitely the worst of the worst, you are 100 percent for giving them an F!!

So so sorry I didnt see this before or I would have warned you with countless stories from friends and family!!!

Other than that

CONGRATS!

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

great review

Re: My Fabulous 9/8/07 Wedding - Villa Lombardi's, Exquisite Affairs Productions, Thomas Knoell, The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, ADA Studios, Designs By Rose, 2 Plus 2 Enter. and so much more - PICS A

Thank you for the review. We are using 2 Plus 2 also.
Your day looked wonderful.