My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Artist

A special thank you to liweddings.com – all the weddings I’ve been to have been non-catered homegrown affairs. Planning a Long Island wedding was a real challenge! I may not have posted a whole lot, but I would not have been able to plan my wedding without this site.

On to the review – I included prices which some may find tacky, but I think will be useful to all brides in the planning process. Please note that I booked most of my vendors in the spring and summer of 2005 so pricing will be different for 2006 and beyond.

Most pictures are courtesy of DUET except for the section on my friend, JIMMY, who is also a photographer.


Hair
Cosmetic Artistry by Mya – 10:10
$100 for Bride; $65 for BM and Mom; $45 for Flowergirl

I highly recommend Mya! She arrived promptly at my house in Queens at 5:30 AM. I had a hair trial with her but decided that I didn’t want to wear my hair half-up/half-down. I didn’t have enough time or money to book another trial so I took a chance and just showed her some pictures of updos the day of. She replicated the style I wanted perfectly! She also did hair for 3 BM, my mom and the FG. I would recommend her to anyone and her prices are very reasonable!






Makeup
Karen the Makeup Artist – 10:10
$155 for Bride; $75 for BM and Mom

I was going to have Mya do makeup as well but no one (including me) wanted to be up at 4 AM so I hired Karen a month or so before the wedding. I didn’t want to spend any more money on trials so again I just showed her pictures and she replicated the look perfectly! She used airbrush foundation which looked really natural and lasted throughout the day. She applied makeup for me, my mom, my aunt, and my sister (MOH). She arrived at my house early and was a true professional – I highly recommend Karen!






Gown and Veil
Pinina – 10:10 for Service / 8:10 for Dress
$800

My bridal salon messed up my dress and I ended up getting a refund 3 weeks before the wedding. I went to Pinina (located in Washington Heights in Manhattan) and she made me a dress in three weeks! My only complaint is that she assured me I would not need a bra since the dress had a corset back. Mind you, I am a 34G. I didn’t wear a bra and ended up tugging up my dress the entire time. I should’ve known better but as a dressmaker I think she should’ve made me move around in the dress to ensure that it would hold up. But overall, Pinina was a pleasure to work with. She also made me the most gorgeous chapel length lace-edge veil that I have to pass down to my daughters and/or sisters. It was really that beautiful.
















Oh, she made a mini version of my dress for my flower girl (also my little sister). Just precious!








Shoes
Alco Shoe Corp – 10:10
$70

This is a local shop near my house. They were terrific – I saw the shoe I wanted online and they didn’t have it in stock so they had it shipped from another store. They dyed it to match my dress at no extra charge. I almost forgot to pick up my shoes so they even called me the day before the wedding to remind me to pick them up. The shoes were made by Saugus (“Penelope”) and were so comfortable. And they were 3” high so they gave me a much needed boost (I am only 5’3”) but I didn’t have to sacrifice comfort.






BM Gowns
Netbride and RK Bridal and Pinina – 10:10
Jim Hjlem #JH9055T - $175 each

I added two BMs a few months before the wedding, so I had to use different vendors to get all the dresses in time. I placed the original order for 3 dresses through Netbride, then placed an order for 1 dress through RK Bridal (no frills) and Pinina ended up recreating the dress perfectly for my last BM since Jim Hjelm could not ship it in time to any vendor. I went with a black tea length dress because I wanted something a little sexy that the girls could all wear again. The girls all had the dresses altered at their local tailor.








Tuxedos
Tuxedo Park – Won’t Rate
Groom: $250; Dads: $220; GM: $190 – Tuxes with everything (vest, shirt, shoes, etc.) inc. tax

Usually Tuxedo Park gets rave reviews on this site which is why I went out of my way to use them. My DH has never rented a tux before so I wanted to use a reputable company. Our first visit was great – an older gentleman spent at least an hour with DH showing him different styles and generally making him feel like a king. The prices were higher than other places, but again we were paying for what we thought would be top notch service. Unfortunately, the service went downhill after they got our deposit and my credit card number on file.

They caused so many headaches:
- On our way out during our first visit, DH asked them when the tuxes were due back – Rich (the owner) said one week – he neglected to say that there was a $25 late fee for each day past the first day

- The GM were supposed to get a $30 discount on their tuxes – well, the first GM that went to get his tux was charged the full price! My DH had to go back to Tuxedo Park (and he lives in Manhattan) to clear up the issue

- MY DH told the GM that they had a week to return the tuxes (since that’s what Rich told him). Three of them returned the tuxes 4 days after the wedding and were charged $100 late fees each! The GM wanted to talk to DH before paying but we were on our HM, so they asked Tuxedo Park to hold the charges until we came back. Instead, I came back from the HM to a $325 charge from Tuxedo Park! They had the credit card numbers for the guys on file, but charged my card instead!

-The kicker for me: they have a FREE service where they go to the reception hall after the wedding to pick up the tuxes. This would’ve been ideal for us since NONE of my bridal party lives in Long Island. NOBODY TOLD US THIS!!!! We found out because when my DH called to ask about the late charges, Rich told him that we should’ve asked for their pick-up service. WERE WE SUPPOSED TO READ HIS MIND?!

Overall, I would not recommend Tuxedo Park to my worst enemy. If I had known that they would withhold important and useful information (like the late charges and the pick-up service) I would NEVER have used them.




Florist
National Floral – 10:10 for Flowers / 8:10 for Service
$2400 for 15 tall CP, bride bouquet with 3 dozen roses, 5 BM bouquets with 18 roses, 2 Mom bouquets with 6 roses, 8 rose bouts, 5 orchids for BM hair and flowers for the place card table – all pink and ivory roses and hydrangea

My flowers were beautiful – I wanted simple and elegant, and that’s what I got. My centerpiece was a little different than the norm (a “flower tree”) and I loved it! My issue with Ana is that she kept changing the price on me – my contract stated that she would provide tall CP at $95. When I went in for the sample she told me that the CP was elaborate and time consuming so she needed to raise the price to $130. I was upset but didn’t raise a stink because I knew from reading about her on these boards that the flowers could be a hit or miss with her. Then, I had to add two CPs the week before the wedding and she said that because of the close timing she couldn’t offer me the liweddings.com discount (10% off). So overall, I spent $500 MORE on my flowers than I budgeted. Her work may have been beautiful but her business practice leaves a lot to be desired.


















Photographer
Duet – Woo and Joseph – 9:10
$4160 for two photographers, engagement shoot, hybrid (traditional and digital) photo album with 40 pages and 100 pictures, two flush mounted (digital) parent album with 30 5x7 pictures, low and high resolution CDs with all pictures taken and some loose prints: 1-16x20, 4-11x14, 2-8x10 and 2-5x7

There have been some negative posts lately regarding Duet proofs so I want to carefully explain how I feel about my proofs. When I first got my proofs, I was disappointed. I had issues with my dress that day – it kept slipping so I was showing a lot of cleavage and that side arm fat that those of us with boobs hate. I kept focusing in on my problem areas so naturally I was going to dislike every picture that showed my problem areas. It is especially tough when you see so many beautiful pictures on this site. I put my proofs down for a while and picked them up after I saw my video. Now I can honestly say that I really like my proofs. I realize now that I was overcritical. After looking at my video, I see that Duet really did capture my day. I was concerned because we worked on a very tight timeframe (only 1 hour for together shots during the cocktail hour) but Woo and Joseph really did a great job considering the time constraints. I didn’t give them a perfect rating because I wish they had been more creative with some of the shots. Head-on pictures weren’t working for me because of my dress issues, so I wish they had taken more shots from the side, or positioned us so that my DH was covering my front a little more during the formal pictures. But overall, I have more than enough pictures to remember the day and for a very beautiful album.

Remember that everyone posts their best pictures on this website so don’t be too critical of your proofs. Everyone is going to have a handful of AWESOME pictures so focus on those!

Here are some of my favorites:

















































“Third” Photographer
11:10!

My DH fraternity brother, Jimmy, is in the process of building his portfolio so he asked us if he could take pictures at our wedding. He asked after we hired Duet so this required him to work around Duet since there were everywhere occupying all the right spaces and angles. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with Jimmy’s work. He is a true professional and his pictures really captured the emotion of the day, from being supremely happy to the sadness of leaving my family and home. If you are looking for really economical candid/photojournalistic photographer, please FM me for Jimmy’s info.

Here are some of my favorite Jimmy pictures:



























Limousine
Royalty – 9:10
$700

We ordered two 10 passenger Lincolns for pick and drop off service. We also ordered an 8 passenger Cadillac at the end of the reception to take me and DH home. The limos were prompt (even early). The reason I give them a less than stellar rating is (1) our limo after the reception was used – there were open bottles and used glasses in the bar. We wanted to toast ourselves on our way home but all that was left was whisky and beer. (2) The Lincoln took us home instead of the Cadillac. Not a huge deal but we ordered the Cadillac for us – instead the driver took my parents home. Royalty should have communicated better with their drivers to avoid this type of mix-up. However, the drivers were pleasant, knew their way around, and got us where we needed to go in a timely fashion.






Videographer
Wedding Cinema – 10:10
$1400 for 4 edited DVDs including 15 engagement pictures and the raw footage

All I can say is outstanding! Pete is just the nicest guys around and was able to make my guests feel so comfortable that they thought he was a friend that was doing our video! Pete was there from the moment we got to WM to the very end. He caught every moment, including at the end of the reception when I got really emotional and started crying and hugging my mom and dad – by then Duet had left, but Pete stayed and captured a moment that I will never forget (truly more emotional than even the ceremony). I decided to add the video just two months before the wedding and I am so glad I did – girls that are debating it – JUST DO IT!

Recap Video

Ceremony Music
Counterpoint – 10:10
$500

I didn’t really hear the string trio play before the ceremony because I was in the bridal suite the whole time, but I can’t tell you how amazing it was to hear LIVE INSTRUMENTALS as I walked down the aisle. In my opinion, spending the extra money on live instrumentals was worth it because it created an ambiance that no DJ could’ve matched.




MC/DJ
Rumba Entertainment – 11:10!
$1000

Best decision I ever made. We had very particular tastes – my family is from Trinidad and Tobago and my DH family is from the Dominican Republic – so we needed a ton of Caribbean music played. They were unstoppable – the DJ played calypso, soca, chutney, merengue, salsa, bachata, reggae, reggaeton, and even played hip-hop, pop and 70’s music to cater to everyone. Our MC was so on point and just funny – he kept the crowd going. Really, the best money spent on my wedding was on these guys.
























Officiant
Omar Lopez – 10:10
$400

Omar was terrific – we hired him because we wanted a civil ceremony but with a spiritual touch. He was prompt (even though his car broke down on the way to Westbury Manor), sought me out before the ceremony began to make sure that everything was in order, and performed the ceremony flawlessly. He also stopped by my house a few weeks before the ceremony for a run through and to go over the vows since we personalized them a bit. Great vendor!




Ceremony and Reception Hall
Westbury Manor – Lorena (MD) and Lupita (BA) – 11:10
$75 per person excluding tax/tip plus $525 ceremony set-up fee for a Sunday afternoon wedding – 150 person minimum

Westbury Manor was outstanding! There was another wedding there that day but I honestly would not have known if I hadn’t asked. From the moment the limo pulled up, I was treated like royalty. They truly took care of everything - no question or request was too small. We had the ceremony and cocktail hour outdoors and my guests could not stop raving about how beautiful the grounds were and how much food was available. Some of them thought that the cocktail hour was the reception because of the amount of food. WM even added the tropical drink bar because it was hot outside – something that I really wanted but couldn’t justify spending the extra money on. The reception was in the Manor Room, and again, my guests raved about the food and the service. I can’t say enough good things about WM – they are truly a class act.

For future WM girls – just one thing to note: I made votive candle place cards and the staff took them when they were cleaning up the tables – this upset some of my guests because they wanted to keep them! Not a big deal, but I would mention to your matre’d what you do not want the staff to pick-up.

Overall, I could not have imagined a more beautiful place to get married! Westbury Manor has a great reputation on this site and it is truly well-deserved!



















Day of Coordinator
Maxine-Posh Weddings – 5:10
$250

I did not see Maxine most of the day so it is really difficult to rate her. She stopped by my house early in the morning to pick up all the last minute items that I needed to get to WM. We wanted to do a photo guest book and there was some difficulty with the camera so she went back home, got her camera, and used it to take pictures of my guests for the guestbook. She put those pictures on a CD for me. She also decorated my cake, bobby-pinned my card box shut, and checked with WM at my request to see if they could make small bouquets for the female guests from the flowers at the base of the centerpieces. She offered to hand out the tips, but I had a friend of mine take care of that. I gave her a less than stellar rating b/c (1) it was very hard to get in touch with her – we didn’t even meet to go over the details in person – we had to do it over the phone which really upset me and (2) she just seemed to be standing around most of the reception. I guess at that point, Westbury Manor had everything under control, but I was having so many issues with my gown that I felt that she should’ve been helping me. She only offered to touch up my makeup once – before cutting the cake. I guess I got my money’s worth since she was so inexpensive.


MISCELLANEOUS (BUT IMPORTANT) EXTRAS

Invitations
Kathy from Follow Your Heart – 10:10
$700 for 125 Encore “Classic Collection” invites with gold envelope liner, tissue paper, response card, and extra envelopes

Kathy was a pleasure to work with. Communication was great – we corresponded regularly via email. She also fixes errors timely – Encore sent too few envelopes and she had them rushed to my house within a few days. Kathy is one of a few vendors that offers a 30% discount on Encore invitations – they are pricier than some of the other invitation companies (Birchcraft, Carlson Craft, etc.) but the quality of the paper is a cut above the rest. I got so many compliments on my invitation!






Aisle Runner
Lorilis – 11:10!
$135 for a complicated monogram and quote on a 50’ white floral lace runner

Lori was terrific! We corresponded via email and she even called me to confirm everything before she started working on the aisle runner. It was truly my favorite wedding item! (BTW, Lori offers less expensive runners, but I wanted a pretty elaborate one)








DIY: Petal Cones
6” Doilies - AC Moore
1.5” Round Labels - Staples




DIY: Votive Place Cards
Votives and Tea Lights - AC Moore
Vellum Paper (cut to size) - Paper and More
Ribbon - Paper Mart




DIY: Menus
Vellum, Photo Mounting Spray and Paper Cutter - Staples
Gold Cardstock - Paper and More






DIY: Programs
Linen Text Paper and Cardstock - Paper and More
Ribbon - Paper Mart
Gold Flowers - - AC Moore
Paper Cutter - Staples




DIY: Photo Glass Coasters
Glass Coasters - SMC Connection
Paper Cutter - Staples






DIY: Box of Sweets
Gold Boxes - Paper Mart
Personalized Ribbon – Local Store
Gold Flowers - AC Moore
Trinidad and Dominican Sweets – Local Bakeries




Well, that’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed the review and pictures - please feel free to FM with any questions!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Entertainment, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the

Great review!!! I'm using Duet with Woo and getting married at the Westbury Manor. I'm so glad to see everything was great!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

you were a beautiful bride.

i especially love your sisters dress. great touch!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

your wedding pictures are so pretty!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

What a wonderful review. Your wedding was beautiful, I loved all the details and your veil was awesome. I wish you all the best.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

What a great review. You really gave a great deal of helpful information. You were beautiful and I loved the veil.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

You were such a beautiful bride...love your proofs. This had to be one of the best reviews.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

Your review is flawless. I love that you included prices. Also I want to do the coaters and the way you did them were great. Did you put pictures in both of the coasters or just one.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

alisha, i knew when i met you at the bridal store that you would be a beautiful bride---wow!! you looked gorgeous!

everything looked great. i also had a fantastic experience with pete at wedding cinema--i cry whenever i watch my video!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

love your review!!! so useful.. You looked amazing. your dress was gorgeous. I especially loved the flowers, the centerpieces were beatiful and not crazy expensive.

Congratulations!!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

Alisha

omg..thanks so much for the review....I love everything...I am using duet as well as counterpoint and so glad i spent the extra money for the ceremony music...you looked absolutely amazing..I love your gown..thanks so much for comments and opinions. this bio is going to be one of the most helpful for brides in the future...


Roxanne

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

Thanks for the detailed review! You were a beautiful bride and I wish you and your husband a wonderful life together.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With Lots and Lots of Proofs!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

great review! everything looked beautiful!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

You were/are SUCH a beautiful bride!
Your wedding was gorgeous!
Thanks so much for the details in your review.
I needed to price things like flowers and thanks
to you I have real estimates.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

Hey Alisha....Wow you did an amazing review!!!
Your wedding was so fun and you looked absolutely Beautiful!!! Mark and I had a great time, we ate and danced soooo much. Thank you for letting us join you and Luis on your amazing day.
Sorry about your dress though
We hope to get together soon after the holidays!!!
love ya....

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

i think everything looked beautiful. i cannot believe the drama with your dress?! 3 weeks and you had to get a new dress!! you looked beautiful though and i also used mya and LOVED her!!! your proofs look wonderful and i'm glad you did such an awesome review:)

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

Wonderful review!! Thank you for posting prices..it really does help a girl know if shes being jipped!!!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

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Posted by Kayela

You were/are SUCH a beautiful bride!
Your wedding was gorgeous!
Thanks so much for the details in your review.
I needed to price things like flowers and thanks
to you I have real estimates.

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Thank you ladies for such nice feedback!

And I am honored that my review was Kayela first post! She logged on just to respond to my review!

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

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Posted by lisalisa27

Your review is flawless. I love that you included prices. Also I want to do the coaters and the way you did them were great. Did you put pictures in both of the coasters or just one.

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I put picture in both coasters. You won't believe how I made them - I just printed our e-pic on a regular laser color printer! My DH used Publisher to size down the picture to fit in the little window. He added a text box above and below the picture and typed in our name and wedding date. He printed as many as could fit on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and I used a paper cutter to cut them. It was VERY time consuming - you need to size down the picture, print them, cut them, and then remove the paper already in the coaster and replace it with your picture - BUT it was totally worth it! I worked on it as a project with my family - myself, my sister, my aunt, my mom, and my two cousins and we completed it in an afternoon. I really enjoyed my DIY projects b/c it was so nice to spend time with so many friends and family.

Re: My July 9, 2006 Wedding (With LOTS and LOTS of PROOFS!!!) – Westbury Manor, Duet, Wedding Cinema, Counterpoint, Rumba Ent, Royalty, National Floral, Mya from Cosmetic Artistry, Karen the Makeup Ar

gorgeous pictures, the DIYS are teriffic