My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more (including Etsy and Ebay vendors)!

I remember being newly engaged and stumbling across LIW through Google searches, and I found the reviews incredibly helpful. And now that it's my turn to post my review of the wedding vendors who made our day so special, it's kinda bittersweet.

DH proposed on May 25, 2007 at beautiful Wave Hill in Riverdale, (Bronx), NY. I began writing my review during the planning process because I knew I wouldn't remember everything later on. The day of the wedding was a big blur, and now that we've received our proofs we get to re-live that day! DH and I are both Greek, so a lot of the vendors are very Greek-wedding specific, but I reviewed even the most minor vendor, so I hope this will be useful to many others!

The weather was incredibly cooperative; the previous day was miserable with on and off drizzle and a bone-penetrating humidity. But Sunday, November 16th was partly cloudy and pretty chilly, but no rain! Overall, we enjoyed our wedding, and our guests tell us they did, too! The best part was, after 3.5 years of dating including an 18-month engagement, I married my best friend and soulmate surrounded by our loved ones!!

Most photos below are copyrighted by Photography by Christos; please do not use any without proper authorization. I scanned the proofs, and the scanner bed is a bit dirty, so there are smudges on some photos; the actual photos looks 200% better than the scans that are posted here!

Without further ado, here's my review of our Sunday, November 16, 2008 Wedding!!!


PRE-WEDDING VENDORS

Engagement Party Invitations
Exclusivelyweddings.com: A+++
I wanted something simple and classy for the engagement party invitations, and after finding a design I liked online, I found it cheapest on exclusivelyweddings.com. I didn’t pay extra for an emailed proof (but I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked everything), and the invitations came out amazing! Plus they arrived sooner than the date they said they would arrive.


Engagement Party Hair
Helen at Maximus @ Source Mall: A+++
1504 Old Country Rd. Westbury, NY; 516-222-8880; http://www.maximusspasalon.com/
I have been going to Helen for about 2 years for my regular hair needs, so naturally I went to her for my engagement hair. It was VERY humid that weekend (last weekend in August before Labor Day), and since the engagement party was going to begin at 12noon, I didn’t want to get my hair done so early in the morning. So, I went in late on Saturday, and Helen pulled off an amazing styling! I slept with my chin propped up on a pillow, and surprisingly my hair was almost perfect the next day. The front had fallen just a bit by the morning, but it was easily picked up and hairsprayed into place by the lady who did my make-up on the day of the engagement party.



Engagement Party Make-up
Nyckie at SPAce Salon: A+++
29-09 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, NY 11105; 718-726-4477; http://www.salonspace.com/
She did a wonderful job with my make-up…I still get compliments about it! Plus, my mom needed to get her hair done for the party, so the salon called Nyckie to come in early to do my mom’s hair before doing my make-up. My mom loved her hairstyle, too!


Engagement party venue
Caffe on the Green
201-10 Cross island Pkwy, Bayside, NY 11360; 718-423-7272; http://caffeonthegreen.com
Before: A++
Day of: A-/B+
The Good: Beautiful area to take photos, and great customer service. The morning of the event, they even changed some tables due to guests rsvp’ing last minute. They also brought in a more comfortable chair for me when I complained that my back hurt (not from their chair), and they rolled in a microphone for us so that our fathers’ speeches could be heard (even though when I had asked for it weeks in advance I was told they could provide one for us). The sheet cake they provided tasted AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! And they turned a blind eye to us bringing in our own cookies.
The Bad: The service was less than perfect. We had 60 adults and 5 kids, not a lot of people really. One table (unfortunately the table with all of our picky aunts and uncles who’ve been in the restaurant business for the past 30+ years) did not get served salad until someone mentioned it to my father. When my father informed the matre’d, it was taken care of immediately. However, the vinaigrette on everyone’s salad was SUPER salty, and very few people ate it. Also, some of the passed hors-d’œuvre could have been a wee bit better tasting. But the main entrées were good, and everyone walked out happy (I hope!)
*** NOTE: I read in the newspaper yesterday that Caffe on the Green will be taken over by a different company, and will be changing its name ***


Engagement Party Flowers
On the Square Flower Shop: A+++++
125 Westchester Square, Bronx, NY 10461; 718-824-1350; http://squareflowers.com
On the Square Flower Shop is owned and operated by my DH’s godfather, who gave us our engagement day flowers as a gift. They were exactly what we wanted…a small arrangement of red and white roses in square vases.


Bridal Shower Venue
Laterna Restaurant: A+
4720 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361; 718-423-1245; www.laternagreekrestaurant.com
My family has used Laterna for gatherings in the past, so we knew we would get a good price and great food. We had a small group of ladies (about 50) for the bridal shower, so we were given the front room. It was a bit of a weird set-up in that room because there was no staging area for the gifts (they were all laid out at the sides of big chair), but we managed. The food was excellent, the cake they provided was good, and we all had a great time!


Engagement Party Favors & Bridal Shower Favors
Astron Gift Shop: A++
22-81 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105; 718-932-7011
There are 4 favor stores within 3 blocks of one another in the Ditmars area of Astoria, so I went to all 4 to get prices for the cake server I wanted to give as a favor for the engagement party. Astron had the best price of all, so we ordered from them…they did a fantastic job; it came out exactly like I wanted it to. For the Bridal Shower, my mother and SIL (who was my MOH) chose a ceramic spoon rest as the bridal shower favor, and it was again prepared beautifully by Astron.


BACHELORETTE PARTY VENDORS
Mangia e bevi: A-/B+
800 9th Avenue (corner of 53rd Street), NY, NY 10019; 212-956-3976; mangiaebevirestaurant.com
I had read a review on LIW of this restaurant as a fun place for a bachelorette party, so my SIL (who is also my MOH) checked it out one weeknight evening for dinner. We liked the food a lot, so my SIL made reservations for a party of 15 people about 2 weeks before the actual date, and at that time, there were no other reservations for that date. On the day of the event, there were at least 4 or 5 large groups (more than 8 people per group) all waiting for tables, and we waited almost an hour after our reservation time before our table was ready. Luckily we had really nice weather, but I couldn’t imagine what we would have done if it was freezing cold or raining out. They need better reservation management, and a better reservation manager (it took 3 or 4 phone calls on my SIL’s part to actually get in touch with him).
Once we got in, we had a great time. The drinks were strong, the food was great (and came out fast!), and the atmosphere was really fun! They had tambourines and there was dancing on the tables thanks to a good looking waiter (who also did some dirty dancing if that was your cup of tea). We opted for the group menu which included salad, hot and cold appetizers, choice of dinner entre and I think dessert was included (I don’t remember, sorry). We chose the group menu that included only the food, and we paid for our own drinks.


Ammos New York: A
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, NY, NY 10017; 212-922-9999; www.ammosnewyork.com
If you’re looking for a chic place to enjoy live Greek music and dancing on the weekend, Ammos in the city is the place to go! We went to Ammos for drinks and dancing after dinner, and we had a blast!! It wasn’t too busy that evening, so we had more space on the dance floor. The band and singers were great, and we all had a great time.


WEDDING VENDORS

PART I: “MAJOR” VENDORS

Church
Saint Catherine & Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of Astoria: B+
22-30 33rd Street, Astoria, NY 11105; 718-728-1718; 718-728-1719
This is the church that I have been going to since I was very young. Actually, I attended school there for grades K-3. Approximately one year before our wedding, the church received a MAJOR facelift—beautiful icons of saints finally graced the façade. The interior of the church had also been redone several years ago, and the wooden screen enclosing the altar was redone about 5 months before our wedding. So, the church was gorgeous inside and out!
However, on the day of the wedding, there was a small timing issue. Our wedding ceremony was scheduled to begin at 3pm, but there was a baptism at 2pm. In classic Greek fashion, the parents and child didn’t arrive until 2:15pm, and the baptism didn’t begin until 2:30pm. So, our wedding ceremony began around 4pm. That, of course, meant we had less time to take photos and relax at the reception hall, but at least the important formal photos were taken. The church should have allowed more time between the baptism and wedding ceremony, especially since this is neither the first nor the last time there will be such a delay.



Reception Hall
Leonard’s “La Dolce Vita” of Great Neck
555 Northern Blvd., Great Neck, NY 11021; 516-487-7900; http://www.ladolcevita.com
At time of booking: A+
Before Day of Wedding: B
Day of: A-
We had first met with Antonio, and he was ok…nice but not overly helpful. When I went back to ask some more questions, Antonio was not available so we met with Maurizio, and we instantly loved his customer service!! He gave us a good deal when it was time to sign the contract.
Between the time of booking and the wedding, there was minimal contact with the reception hall. But, whenever I had questions, Mauricio answered them. I personally did not like Ian who takes care of the “final details.” He was more sarcastic than helpful, and downright insulted me. Other Leonard’s brides haven’t had an issue with him, so I want to make clear that this is my own personal opinion of him.
On the day of the wedding, there were a lot of events going on at Leonard’s. I saw only a little of this activity when I first arrived, and after that I only saw a few people on my floor. We were in the Tiffany & Crystal room (2nd floor), and when the limo dropped us off in front of Leonards, we were efficiently whisked upstairs to our Bridal Suite. The floor managers did a good job in making sure that we didn’t see a lot of commotion. However, because we arrived somewhat late (because the church ran late) and were short on time, we couldn’t take photos by the chandelier until dinner service. No big deal really. The maitre’d and the bridal attendant were great while we were in the bridal suite…after that I rarely saw either of them. In fact, when I needed the bridal attendant most to help pin up my bustle, she was nowhere to be found. My parents’ table had some issues with their waiter, and a number of guests commented that the coffee was brought out WAY before the Vienese hour desserts.
Ok, now for the good things about Leonard’s. The cocktail hour foods were really good, and the dinner entres were amazing! Guests raved about all the dinner entres, and they said the drinks were good, too. We had our entres (filet mignon and double-cut pork chops) wrapped up and ate them hours later in our hotel room; they tasted great even semi-cold! The filet mignon was like butter and perfectly cooked, and the pork chops were probably the best I’ve ever had, especially with the peppers that came with the chops. The Vienese desserts were plentiful and delicious (so I’m told since I didn’t eat any of them except for a small piece of cotton candy).
And the Leonards cake…was great! We didn’t want to spend extra for a cake that would be cut into pieces, so we went with one of the 2 free cakes provided by Leonard’s. We chose the stacked type (no columns), yellow cake with strawberry filling, and it tasted good. We were given the top layer to take with us, and rather than freezing it for next year, we decided to eat it a week later. Even a week later it tasted good! A friend of mine who decorates cakes on the side decorated the cake as a favor for me…I gave her various fake autumnal fruits and she turned a simple white cake into a beautiful fall-themed cake!
Overall, I was pleased with Leonard’s and am happy I had my wedding there.








Wedding Gown
Paradise Bridal
44 W. Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772; 631-654-5713; http://paradisebridals.net
Time of purchase: A+
Before arrival: C
Upon receiving dress: A
Paradise Bridals is quite far away from Queens (a little over 50 miles away in Suffolk county), but the initial buying experience was worth the drive. I called on a Saturday afternoon for an appointment the next day, and the person I spoke to was incredibly nice about accommodating me so last minute. On the day of the appointment, Patty S., the consultant, was fantastic! She not only listened to what I wanted and found great dresses for me to try on, but also explained things thoroughly and made us feel very comfortable about everything.
When I called in April to find out the date of arrival of my dress, they didn’t have one. I was told that it would arrive 6-8 weeks before my wedding date, even though my mom and I had been told it would be ready by June/July 2008 when we purchased it in December 2007. After 2 months of waiting for a date of delivery (and calling once every 1-2 weeks during that time period), I was finally told in June that it should be ready by the 2nd week of August. I contacted them again at the end of July and was told it would be in no later than August 10, and in fact it arrived a few days earlier. I picked it up on 08/08/08 and tried it on…it was not a busy time for them, so a consultant was available to help me into and out of the dress. Since the only adjustment that was necessary was on the halter strap, I paid the remaining balance and took the dress home with me.
Overall, the experience wasn’t horrible, but there were several things that bothered me. First, I wish they were more upfront about the delivery date at the time of purchase. Second, when I asked for a delivery date, they should have had it rather than making me wait for 2 months to tell me when it would be delivered. Third, at the time of purchase, I asked who the designer was, and was told it’s a private label. I stupidly thought it was Private Label by G and didn’t even think to ask the desinger’s name before I left. When I picked up the dress, it was not Private Label by G, but rather a private designer. I’m not so concerned about designer labels, but felt betrayed that they were not upfront about it from the beginning.




Alterations
Sarina: A-
7009 Austin Street, Forest Hills, NY 11375 (above Piu Bello); 718-263-0461
I read so many raves about Sarina on LIW that I didn’t even consider anyone else for the alterations. The alterations were good, except the bustle kept falling down all night long. And I actually found her prices a bit expensive. In the end, the dress looked great and that’s all that matters.


Veil and Headpiece
Barron’s Bridal Boutique: A+++
Tri-County Market, 3041 Hempstead Tpke, Levittown, NY 11756, Booth A-4 (1st Floor); 516-735-3828
I showed Yana a photo of the detail on the hem of my dress, and what I was thinking of for my headpiece…next thing I know, she showed me a veil I loved and several headpieces that were stunning! Fifteen minutes after walking in, I walked out with a veil and headpiece…one of the easiest and pleasant transactions I ever had!!



Day of Jewelry: Earrings
A+ Jewelers: A
Tri-County Market, 3041 Hempstead Tpke, Levittown, NY 11756, Booth R16 (2nd Floor); 516-579-3735
After buying the veil and headpiece from Barron’s at Tri-County, I went to the Jewelry Exchange on the 2nd floor. I looked around at various booths, and one pair of earrings caught my eye. I asked to see them, tried them on, and loved them. I tried on 4 or 5 other pairs of earrings, but kept going back to the first pair, so I bought them. Irene was very helpful, and she even cleaned my engagement ring as I was leaving.


Matron of Honor Dress
We visited a number of bridal boutiques to look at bridesmaid dresses, and we decided on the Alyce 1155 dress. My SIL found it cheaper than at a different store, so she ordered it from there (I don’t remember which store it was), and had no problems getting it on time. However, the sample she tried on in the store was 1 size too small, and when the correct size came in, it was way too big on the sides. She found a good seamstress who took in the sides even, and she looked great on the day of the wedding!


Flower Girl Dresses
David’s Bridal
Stores in Yonkers, Ohio and Northern California
Before: A
Upon Arrival: A
I wanted all of the flower girls to have the same dress, and I didn’t want the dress to break the bank. Since two flower girls live in Ohio, and the other lives close to San Francisco, I also wanted to find a dress in a store with locations nation-wide. And since all of them are between the ages of 6 and 8, I wanted a dress with a fancier top (I didn’t want just a simple white dress with a waist ribbon). David’s Bridal fit all the criteria and offered a very large selection of dresses in different price ranges. When the two girls from Ohio visited NY during Spring Break, we went dress shopping at the David’s Bridal store in Yonkers. We walked in with a list of dresses we wanted to look at, so the sales lady let us look through the rack by ourselves and checked in on us a couple of times after that. The girls had a blast trying on all the pretty dresses! We took photos, and then decided on a dress that looked just as good in person as it did in photos. We chose style E8095 in solid white.
They all ordered around the end of May, and the dresses had arrived by early June, approximately 1-2 months sooner than they were expected. The dresses looked great on the girls on the day of the wedding!!
** PHOTO COMING SOON **

Tuxedos
Dante Zeller: A+
Various locations, including Forest Hills (Queens) and Westchester Avenue (Bronx)
I had done a bit of research to find tuxedo shops with multiple locations to accommodate people living in different places, and I found Dante Zeller. I saw on their website that they would be at a bridal showcase at Villa Barone in the Bronx, so I forced DH to go to it to get some information about tuxedoes. He hit it off with the guy at the booth, and because he visited the Dante Zeller booth at the bridal showcase, DH was given a discount if he booked the tuxes by a certain date. He chose the style he wanted and with the discount it was a reasonable price, so he didn’t even look anywhere else. All 4 tuxes were clean and fit perfectly when they were picked up, and the drop-off was super easy. Definitely recommended.



MOG Dress & MOB Dress
JCPenney (@ Queens Center Mall) & David’s Bridal (@ Long Island City): A (for both)
Macy’s (@ Manhasset): A
DH and I didn’t want our mothers to spend a fortune on their dresses, so I took them shopping at the department stores. They were both incredibly lucky to find beautiful dresses in their sizes, and in petite lengths, so virtually no alterations were necessary! Plus, the dresses were affordable!
Also, MIL wanted a jacket to wear over her dress, so I ordered her a chiffon bolero shrug from David’s Bridal. It arrived in about a month (even though I was told when I placed the order that it would take 3 months to arrive), and it fit her perfectly!! The sizes for these shrugs run a bit small, so order up if you need to.
MOB:

MOG:


Hair and Make-up
Maximus Salon & Spa
1504 Old Country Rd. Westbury, NY; 516-222-8880; http://www.maximusspasalon.com/
Bridal Consultant: A
Hairstylist (Helen): A++++++++++
Make-up Artist (Patty): A-
Helen has been my regular hairstylist for several years, so I knew I wanted her to do my hair on the day of the wedding. That meant having the salon open an hour earlier than they usually do on Sundays for a $100 fee, but it was totally worth it because Helen did an amazing job! I had gotten a hair trial in September, but had stupidly forgotten the veil and headpiece at home, so we had to play it by ear on the day of the wedding. In the end, the hairstyle came out great and my hair didn’t move the entire day. The only thing that I had a problem with was the veil; I asked to have it tucked in at the base of the skull, so there was little to support it. Helen put a lot of pins in to stabilize it, but as the veil moved (and was pulled a couple of times) it started to come out and pulled the headpiece with it. It was put back into place, but I was glad to take it off and not have to worry about it after the formal photos were taken.
Patty is the only make-up artist on Sundays at Maximus, and the make-up trial was great. The day of the wedding, however, she was about 15 minutes late which threw off my rather tight schedule a bit. She also didn’t apologize for being late, in fact she didn’t speak at all while she did my make-up! In the end, the make-up turned out fine, although I think the trial make-up was better.



Invitations & Calligraphy
Carlson Craft: D-
Michelle at EZ Calligraphy
147 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724; Store: 631-659-3557; Cell: 516-909-1616; www.ezcalligraphy.com
Before/When ordered: A+
When invitations received: B-
When calligraphy was done: A-
I originally wanted to use a different invitation vendor in Queens, but received sporadic and unhelpful responses to my emails. So, when I read great reviews about EZ Calligraphy, I decided to check it out. I emailed Michelle twice about what I wanted and got prompt, courteous, and helpful responses both times. She was offering a promotion during the grand opening weekend of her store in Cold Spring Harbor that included a discount off invitation prices and free computerized calligraphy, and I couldn’t turn down a deal like that. So FH and I drove out to the store on a beautiful Saturday in early April and we weren’t disappointed! Along with being friendly and attentive, Michelle answered our questions, offered suggestions, and made us feel comfortable about choosing her for the invitations.
When I ordered, I requested a change in the formatting of the text on the front panel, specifically I wanted our names to be staggered at the top of the front panel rather than straight across along the bottom. Simple enough, right? After all, Carlson Craft is one of the major invitation printing companies in the country! Unfortunately, it turned out to be much much more difficult than I EVER expected! Carlson Craft kept saying that they couldn’t stagger the names, but could only stack them on top of each other. After the 4th proof, I relented and asked that our names be straight across along the top of the front panel. Again, I thought it was a simple request, but the people at Carlson Craft found a way to screw this up, too! They put our names straight across but not high enough, so the names seemed to be coming out of the groom figure’s forehead!
Finally, 8 proofs later—approximately 2 months after the initial order!!!—Carlson Craft got everything correct and was able to stagger our names!! But just when I thought the coast was clear, Carlson Craft found a way to screw up, yet again! The names were staggered on the front, BUT the wording on the actual invitation was wrong! Although this was Carlson Craft’s fault, it would have made my life a lot easier if Michelle had checked them when they had first arrived…would have saved me the trouble and brought the new cards in sooner.
The calligraphy was good overall. Two things bothered me. First, Michelle didn’t write down which font style I wanted for the outer envelopes. So, a day before I was ready to pick up the correct invitations and calligraphied envelopes, Michele emailed me to ask which font style to use. Nor did she give me a choice of font size. In the end, they came out nice.
Sample:

Actual:


DIY Projects: Direction Cards, Ceremony Programs
I made my own direction cards in Word, so that they were like a folded pamphlet…cover page on the front, directions to church and directions to RH inside, and a map to the RH on the back cover. I printed them myself on 65lb White Linen Cover Stock (bought from Staples), and took them to FedEx/Kinkos (next to Roosevelt Field Mall) to get them cut in half. They came out great!!! Approx. 140 cards were printed for approximately $25.

I used the same 65lb White Linen Cover Stock to print out my own Ceremony Programs. I created the program in MS Publisher using a template and customized it to my liking. It was super easy and super economical (approx. 100 programs cost about $25). Guests raved about the programs and direction cards, and kept asking me where I had them printed.





Card Box
Above and Beyond Events: A+
[email protected]; 516-578-3462; http://www.AboveAndBeyondLI.com
I liked the idea of a card box, but DH and I had decided early on that it wasn’t entirely necessary and it would be a good place to save some money by not having it. So, one fine day I was minding my own business and working on my computer when all of a sudden I received an email from Above and Beyond Events. I normally delete emails from wedding vendors that I’m not familiar with immediately, but I decided to open this one for some reason that I just can’t remember. The email held an invitation to enter a contest through Above and Beyond Events to win a card box. I entered thinking I had nothing to lose, but I didn’t expect to win. So I was VERY surprised and excited when I received an email from Ryan on the day of the drawing stating that I had been selected to win a free card box!!
I exchanged pleasant emails with Ryan in which I explained my colors and vision, and also asked for a monogram. She created 4 monograms from which to choose and kept me on task to email her scanned photos of DH & I growing up. The end result was a revolving photo cube, and it looked GREAT! One panel was our monogram, another panel had 2 e-pic photos, another panel had growing up photos of me, and the last panel had growing up photos of DH. The guests at the wedding enjoyed looking at the photos throughout the night and we got a lot of compliments for it. A couple of our aunts even cried as they looked at the photos.




Flowers
On the Square Flower Shop: A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
125 Westchester Square, Bronx, NY 10461; 718-824-1350; http://squareflowers.com
On the Square Flower Shop is owned and operated by my DH’s godfather (John), and it was a pleasure working with John. I explained my vision (colors and flowers), and he pretty much took it from there. Even though we had a small bridal party, we needed a lot of boutonnieres and corsages (for our parents, godparents, brothers and sisters-in-law), as well as flowers for church pews, altar flowers, and centerpieces. John made some great suggestions and also listened to what I wanted, and the end result was amazing! I gave hiM a small swatch from my MOH’s dress and he exactly matched the color of the red roses in her bouquet. For my bouquet, I wanted a colorful one, my mom wanted a white one, so we compromised on white and red mini-calla lilies and a smattering of white cymbidium orchids …I LOVED it! And the centerpieces were just WOW! They were very large and heavy, and the flowers lasted for about a week afterwards. He also decorated the church with pew bows and flowers, 2 large baskets of flowers next to the altar, and a couple of centerpiece plates in very little time (thanks to one of DH’s brothers helping him).
Needless to say, John gave us a great deal and the best quality flowers, but he would have done the same even if we weren’t related. DH has helped him prepare and set up wedding flowers in the past and ca attest to the fact that John orders the best quality flowers for events.








Stefana (Crowns)
Astron Gift Shop: A+
22-81 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105; 718-932-7011
I wanted stefana with pearls on them rather than crystal…I just find that pearls have a certain elegance and timelessness that crystal doesn’t have on stefana. Astron had a sample tray with pearl stefana set up in their store window, and when I saw them I knew those were the ones I wanted!! And the pearls were in an interlocking brais pattern that matched my headpiece and shoes, and created an infinity sign, which just made them all the more symbolic. Plus, they weren’t too expensive. My koumbares paid for them in full and we picked them up about an hour later (the stefana came with tray, Jordanian almonds, and 2 small candles).



Lambathes (Tall Candles)
Kentrikon & Noufaro: A
23-35 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105; 718-721-9190
Although the lambathes were a bit more expensive than I had expected, the saleslady described a lambatha that was too hard to resist…white toule material formed in the shape of roses with a couple of silk calla lilies and orange-ish berries interspersed. The end result was even better than what she had described! Even a couple of critical aunts agreed that the lambades were beautiful.



Favors
GL Markella: A+++++
3560 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, NY 11105-2107; 718-721-3724
My koumbares and I liked a Lenox votive we had seen at one of the other favor stores in Astoria, and GL Markella gave us the best price for them. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have the gold wrapping paper I wanted, but they made up for it by putting a beautiful large silk calla lily on the top of the box. The final result was an absolutely stunning presentation that exceeded all my expectations!! And the Lenox votive inside was also beautiful and functional (it’s taller than a typical votive, so it can be used for more things). One was given to each family unit.



Chocolate Favors
Ghirardelli.com: A+
I wanted to put the small box of Godiva chocolates at each place setting, but Godiva is a bit expensive and overdone. So, I turned to my favorite chocolate company, Ghirardelli, and I saw on the website that they have several different types of chocolate boxes for weddings. I chose the “origami” box with 4 chocolate squares inside. The boxes were beautiful and came already assembled with the chocolates inside. And they arrived very quickly…couldn’t ask for anything else! One box was put at each place setting.


Photographer
Photography by Christos
PO Box 604514, Bayside, NY 11361; 718-554-3122; http://www.photographybychristos.com
Before: A++++
Day of: A++++
After: A++++
Christos Hountas was the first photographer we met, and he set the bar pretty high; not only did we get excellent personalized service from the very beginning, but we also got a chance to see some really good quality work! So, after meeting with 6 other photographers (including some very popular LIW vendors), we finally decided to entrust Photography by Christos to capture the memories of our wedding day! When we signed the contract in November 2007, we met him at Oasis Café (in Flushing), and he not only gave us more information about what to expect on the day of the wedding, but he also put us at ease very quickly with his stories and jokes. In fact, when we walked out of the café, DH said to me that after all the searching, we made a good choice. Christo also sent us a Christmas card, and called me shortly after my surgery to wish me a speedy recovery.
We asked to have our engagement shoot in late May 2008 at Fort Tryon Park (in northern Manhattan, where the Cloisters are), Christo agreed, and we had a blast. Christo was VERY patient with us as we got used to being photographed. He didn’t over-direct us, and captured some great moments of us interacting. I LOVED the photos he presented us with from the engagement shoot…it was a nice mix of traditional portraits, artistic shots, and candid moments (with a mixture of color and B&W photos).
On the day of the wedding, he essentially was like a wedding coordinator…he made sure we were on time, and communicated with the Leonard’s floor manager to make sure we got the photos we wanted. He came early to my house and took candid, detail, and formal photos. We even took some photos outside even though it was a bit cold. During the reception I noticed he was in the right place at the right time to take the appropriate photo. Most importantly, he gave directions well and he took directions well.
We received about 850 proofs approximately 5 weeks after the wedding…we love them, and we’re having a hard time choosing photos for the album!! Here are some of my favorites. I will post more when I scan them:















Videographer
Bellarino Productions
100 Veterans Blvd, Ste 16, Massapequa, NY 11758; 516-798-1397; http://www.bellarino.com
Before: A++++
Day of: A++++
After: Grade awaiting arrival of the video
Bellarino Productions was the only videographer we considered because the quality of their work really stood out just in the few (and short) video clips on their website. One of the featured videos on the website was from a Greek wedding, and it was nice to know that they know how Greek weddings typically are run. My meeting with Phil & Kate was also top notch...they patiently answered all my questions in a relaxed environment, and showed me samples of everything I asked to see. And their communication after signing the contract was superb! I emailed a question to Kate about something wedding related (but non-video related) and I received an answer within a couple of hours. In addition, Phil kept in touch with us until the wedding date by calling us at major holidays.
On the day of the wedding, Phil, Kate and their assistant were great to work with! They arrived early to the church, so DH spent a lot of time with them before the service began. Phil posed us for some cool couple shots throughout the night and I don’t think Phil put the camera down during the entire reception.


Music Band
Nikos Koutras & his band
2567 47th Street, 2R, Astoria, NY 11103; 718-204-7053; http://www.nikoskoutras.com
Before: A+
Day of: A+++
Along with having an amazing voice, Niko also offers great customer service! We enjoyed listening to him perform in person, and we also enjoyed meeting with him and talking about our wedding; he certainly put our minds at ease. His six-piece band consists of him as male vocalist, a female vocalist, DJ/MC, bouzouki, keyboards, and drums.
Niko and his band did an amazing job on the day of the wedding! He totally rocked our first dance song (a Greek song), and throughout the night the dance floor was full. Approximately 30% of our guests were non-Greek, and DJ John did an excellent job playing music for them. Guests are still raving about the music at the wedding!!






Dance Lessons
Dance New York (Instuctor: Luci)
244-250 W 54th Street, 5th Floor, NY, NY 10019 (next to Gold’s Gym); 212-246-5797; www.dancenewyork.com
DH and I would “slow” dance at various functions, but we never felt quite comfortable dancing. I insisted that we take dance lessons, and DH finally relented, so we took 6 lessons with Luci at Dance New York beginning about 6 weeks before the wedding…they were a bit expensive (~$500), but SOOOOO worthwhile! Luci was an excellent instructor and took a lot of time to demonstrate and explain the steps. She choreographed our first dance and provided a lot of support and encouragement when we needed it most. In the end, our guests LOVED our dance (even though we didn’t do all the steps correctly). There was a dip at the very beginning of the dance, and when we did that, our guests exploded with clapping and whistles. I can’t wait to watch it again on video!! My 2 regrets are that we hadn’t started the lesson sooner, and that DH doesn’t want to continue taking lessons.



Limousines
Royalty Limos
315 Franklin Ave., Franklin Square, NY 11010; 516-326-9100; http://www.royaltylimo.com
Before: A-
Day of: A++++
We met Manny at Royalty Limos on a Friday (~6:30pm), and although his customer service could have been a tad bit better, he gave us a good price. Best of all, he didn’t try to sell us more than we actually needed. Since we didn’t have a large bridal party (only a MOH, BM, 3 FG and 1 RB), he told us we only needed one 10-passenger limo (would pick up the groom and his parents, drop them off at church, then pick up bridal party from bride’s house) and 1 specialty limo (the ’67 Rolls Royce Princess would take bride and parents to church and after the ceremony would take bride & groom to reception)…sounded good to us since it meant not spending more money on an extra limo we didn’t need.
On the day of the wedding, both limos were clean inside and out, the drivers were pleasant and professional, and most of all they helped in whatever way they could!! The driver of the Princess (Rich) was also our driver at midnight who took us to our honeymoon suite, and his sense of humor and overall personality was awesome! I couldn’t have been more pleased with Royalty on the day of the wedding!




Hotels for Out of Town Guests
Fairfield Inn Laguardia/Astoria: A+
45-20 Astoria Blvd. South, Astoria, NY 11103; 718-267-0008; http://www.marriott.com/LGAQA
This hotel opened in September 2006, and it was only a year old at the time that we saw it…was still in tip top shape. Shops and restaurants are a few blocks away, and the subway is about 7 blocks away. The hotel manager was super nice and very accommodating to us…she effortlessly set up a block of rooms for our OOT guests. Only one of our guests chose to stay at this hotel, and she seemed pleased with it.

Anchor Inn: A+
215-34 Northern Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361; 718-428-8000; http://www.theanchorinn.com
Before: A+
The Anchor Inn is a no-frills hotel that is clean and well-maintained, and has good rates for NYC. It’s close to a lot of shops and restaurants, and about 7 blocks from the LIRR. I met with Daniel who was a no-nonsense kinda guy, but he answered all my questions, showed me rooms, and effortlessly set up a block of rooms for OOT guests. And, he later emailed me some information about car and van services in the area. Several guests chose to stay at this hotel and they seemed pleased with it.


Honeymoon Suite
The Inn at Great Neck
30 Cuttermill Road, Great Neck, NY 11021; 516-773-2000; www.innatgreatneck.com
Before: A
Day of: A++++++++++++++++++++
I had read great reviews for the Inn at Great Neck from other LIW brides, so I contacted the sales manager via email. I later met with her in person, and she showed me two possible rooms; I decided to book the King Jacuzzi suite (as per my DH’s request).
It was a bit expensive, but we were incredibly impressed by the luxuriousness of our hotel room! I really wish we had a camera with us because it was amazing, from the rose petals strewn across the floor to the chilled champagne to the Jacuzzi and spacious bathroom. We definitely needed the Jacuzzi after all the dancing we had done! I even mentioned to DH that we should stay at the hotel again on our anniversaries.


PART II: VENDORS FOR THE “SMALL” STUFF:

Save the Date Postcards & Uploading Digital Photo Cards
Vistaprint.com: A+++
I ordered 100 Save the Date postcards from Vistaprint and they came out perfect! I actually had to re-order them because I had made a mistake, but thanks to their great sales, I was able to re-order 100 postcards for free and only pay the S&H. I also stole Mizzdimple’s idea for business cards that explain to guests to upload their digital photos onto a Shutterfly.com sharing page. So, I ordered 250 premium business cards for free due to another sale, and again only paid for S&H.



Wedding Registries
Bed Bath & Beyond: A
I registered at the BBB close to my house on a Friday (~5pm), and at least 3 other people were there also registering, so service was less than perfect. But prices are good at BBB and their wedding registry website is also easy to use, so it gets an A.

Macy’s: A++
I had made an appointment at the Roosevelt Field store to register for a Sunday afternoon, and although I was about a half hour late, we were treated like royalty. I went back to the Roosevelt Field store and also to the Herald Square store to add more items to the registry, and the experience was always great. Plus, Macy’s has some great sales, we were given a 10%-off coupon for jewelry, and we get a percentage of whatever is bought from our registry towards a future gift card, so it’s hard to beat that. About 45 days after our wedding, we received a gift card worth $765, which we can spend on anything in the store!!


Cake Topper
eBay store Lacey Classic Décor (maintained by laceyling): A
We wanted a classic and elegant bride and groom cake topper, and that was harder to find that I originally thought. Everything that fit that description was either too expensive or too stiff-looking. And a lot of people are doing monograms or initals as cake-toppers, so bride and groom ones are rare. Then I found this cake topper on eBay, and it was exactly what we wanted: a little over $10 after S&H charges, and showed some “movement.” Plus, it includes calla lilies, which were part of our floral theme. I would have given it an A+ but there was a black paint spot on the bride’s white dress (I covered it up with whiteout and no one knew the difference).


Bridal Party Gifts
Parent Gifts:
Etsy store Artfulbeginnings (maintained by Kati): A+++
I ordered 2 custom made silk pillows for our mothers and 2 silk scrolls for our fathers. Kati’s communication is amazing, as are her products!


Jewelry for the Adults & Teenagers:
Macy’s: A++
I bought the Matron of Honor’s necklace, the Best Man’s watch and the Usherettes’ heart pendants from Macys…excellent prices and good overall transactions, as always.

Jewelry for the Flower Girls:
Earrings from Michael Diamonds, Inc.: A
55 West 47th Street, Booth 183, NY, NY 10036, 212-730-4341
My flower girls are 8, 7, and 6 years old, and I wanted to buy each of them a pair of earrings that she could wear for the next few years. So, I didn’t want anything with teddy bears or butterflies; I figured hearts were more age-neutral. Studs are nice, but I felt like small hoop/dangly earrings look prettier, and I wanted some sort of a gemstone to add a bit of color to the earrings. With these criteria in mind, I went to Manhattan’s diamond district. It felt like I was searching for a needle in a haystack, but I finally found exactly what I was looking for. I LOVE the look and quality of the earrings. The seller was very down-to-business, and made no small talk. He also wouldn’t bargain down the price, but it was fine because he offered a good price to begin with.


Gift for Ring Bearer:
Sports Car Alarm Clock from Foreverwedstore.com: A
My Ring Bearer is my nephew, who turned 2 years old about a month and half before the wedding. He’s a HUGE fan of all cars, so when I saw this sports car alarm clock I knew it would be a perfect keepsake item for him! Communication was great; they sent prompt emails to inform me that my order was processed and shipped.


Figurines, Personalized Items & Photo Albums for the Kids:
Precious Moments figurines from 3 E-bay sellers
misskittybutterscotch, 2ladiesandthekids, and al00bay: A++ each
I wanted to get my flower girls and ring bearer a keepsake that they could look at later and remember their roles in our wedding. After some searching, I found that Precious Moments made “Flower Girl” and “Ring Bearer” figurines were made in 1983…around the same time that DH and I were ring bearer and flower girl in our relatives’ weddings! So, it felt even more special to be giving these to the children in our bridal party. I hope they appreciate them for years to come!



Personalized denim purses & Photo albums from Michaels: A
I’m lucky that I live very close to a Michaels, so I visited at least once a week for months. I saw these adorable denim purses, and thought they’d be cute for the girls. I also bought iron-on crystal letters, and personalized the purses with their initials. With Michaels’ coupons, they were inexpensive and easy to make. And I also found cute little photo albums for the kids at Michaels.


Ring Bearer Pillow
eBay seller tiffanywhiteross: A+++
I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to buy a brand new ring bearer pillow for a grand total of $4.98 (that’s with S&H included)! It was shipped late, but it was perfect. I’m glad I didn’t spend for it because the Ring Boy (who was just a bit older than 2 years old at the time of the wedding) didn’t even walk out with it.


Flower Girl Baskets
Michaels: A
I wanted the baskets to be deep enough to hold enough flower petals, and also wide enough so the girls could put their hands in easily. What I didn’t expect was how expensive flower girl baskets are in general!! I was not willing to pay more than $10 per basket, so I searched for nice ones at good prices. Around the time of Catholic Easter, Michaels had a sale on all baskets, including flower girl baskets, so I bought the 3 baskets on sale! The girls were playing with the baskets for a couple of hours before the church ceremony, and shortly after walking down the aisle, 2 of the basket handles slightly broke. No big deal, but the girls were bummed.


Garters
3 different ebay sellers: A+++ for all of them
They all were perfect! And inexpensive—all 3 together cost a total of $25.45—thanks to some shopping around.
- Yankees garter was purchased from eBay store Custom Garters (maintained by lcwmw)
- White garter was purchased from eBay store Brooksidegifts (maintained by brendanbooks)
- Blue garter was purchased from eBay seller jeb874



Matchboxes
PartyInnovations.com: A++
109 South 5th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211; 1-800-845-8746; http://www.partyinnovations.com
I’ve always been a fan of match boxes rather than match books, so I searched to find affordable ones. A lot of sites have smaller boxes for cheaper, but I wanted the boxes to be at least 2.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 inches. PartyInnovations.com had the size I wanted at a good price: $147 for 300. Plus, orders over $125 have free delivery, and you can get a 10% off coupon by joining their chat group and posting at least 1 message. Sales tax was added, but it still came out to a lot less than what I found on foryourparty.com.
The color of the boxes is limited to white, silver, ecru and black, and there are only 4 fonts to choose from, BUT they have A LOT of choices for ink colors and designs (I chose white boxes with wine ink). They took less than a week to arrive (3 full business days to be exact) and they were absolutely PERFECT!!! I couldn’t have asked for a smoother transaction.


3 DIY Projects (LOVE Letters, Table Numbers, Place Cards):
L O V E Letters
Michaels: A
I loved the idea of putting LOVE letters on our cake table, so I turned to Michaels to find wooden letters. I decided to paint them a metallic gold to fit the Autumnal color theme, so I chose DecoArt Metallic Paint Champagne Gold. I was worried that the 2-ounce bottle of paint wouldn’t be enough, but after 2 coats of paint, I had half a bottle left over! Using Michaels’ coupons, the 4 letters plus paint came out to a little over $8. And it was a VERY easy DIY project. DH was skeptical about how they’d look on the cake table, but on the day of the wedding he told me that they looked awesome, and I couldn’t agree with him more!


Table Numbers
mpix.com: A+++
When I received the engagement photos from our photographer, I began playing around in PowerPoint to create table numbers. I eventually decided on a design that included a photo of us with a song lyric below it, (I tried to find lyrics about love that somehow matched what was going on in the photo). My photographer had recommended a website called mpix.com that uses high-quality printing methods to print photos, so I gave them a shot and I was VERY pleased! I’ve used kodakgallery and shutterfly in the past and have been a bit disappointed with the way the colors come out, but the colors for the table numbers were great! Mpix is a bit more expensive ($0.99 per 5x7), but the quality is definitely worth the money. I made two 5x7 prints for each table number, taped them back to back, and asked the reception hall to put them in their regular number stands. They looked great and several guests took me aside to mention that they loved them! Here are a few of them:











Place Cards
mydanilo.com: A++
I wanted to make the place card table look like a cornucopia overflowing with fruit. So, I bought fruit-shaped candles from mydanilo.com, printed the guests’ names and table numbers on green cardstock (bought from Michaels and Kate’s Paperie), and attached the cardstock “leaves” onto the candles with pins. I ordered small pear and apple candles on a Monday at ~10pm, and they arrived two days later!! Lucasmom has to be given a HUGE thanks for creating a leaf template that I was able to print out…buying the leaves from other companies would have cost me at least $50!!!
I printed the leaves on green card stock (various shades bought from Michaels and Kate’s Paperie), and applied to each leaf a clear label with the guest’s name and table number. When I cut out the leaf, I attached it to a fruit candle with a small pin. They looked great and were relatively inexpensive.


HONEYMOON
We wanted to go somewhere sunny, warm, and close to the East coast so that we didn’t lose a lot of vacation time traveling. After considering different options (the Florida Keys, Caribbean islands, Mexico) we finally decided to go to Puerto Vallarta on the west coast of Mexico. After some more research on the internet, I read great reviews for the Dreams Resort and Spa (an all-inclusive resort). And, Delta had a direct flight from JFK to Puerto Vallarta (~5.5 hours long), so we booked about 7 months before our wedding to lock in the airfair prices.


Liberty Travel: A++
143 E 57th Street (between Lexington & 3rd Ave), NY, NY 10022; 212-702-0111
In 2004, my job gave me a gift certificate to Liberty Travel with an expiration date of December 2009. So, I saved it for a major vacation, and I was finally able to put it to good use! We went to the Liberty Travel office with all the information of what we wanted, and they took care of the reservations for us for an 8-day, 7-night stay at Dreams Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and a direct flight to Puerto Vallarta with Delta.They also price matched the exact same package that I found on American Express’ travel site. We had 3 different agents help us at various times, and they were all great to work with! I couldn’t have asked for better service and I highly recommend this particular office!


Dreams Resort at Puerto Vallarta: A+++++++++
Neither my husband nor I had ever been to an all-inclusive resort, and we had heard mixed reviews about all-inclusives from friends and family. But, we really didn’t want to worry about where to find our meals while we were on vacation, and a search on LIW turned up some very positive reviews for Dreams at PVR. We were NOT disappointed in the least!
Since it was our honeymoon, we booked a junior suite with Jacuzzi in the Preferred Tower, which is the newer building. The room looked brand new, and everything was super clean and worked well (including the Jacuzzi and the air conditioning). Best of all was the view of the entire beach from our balcony!! Room service and customer service in general was great, the bed was comfortable, and we loved the bathroom. The food in the resort’s restaurants was excellent! Alcoholic drinks (including the house wine) were included in the all-inclusive package, as were all the drinks in the mini-fridge (beer, sodas, juices, and water bottles). They even had a guy come around on the beach and the pool to take drink orders. The drinks were strong, and the evening entertainment was fun. The best part was the baby turtle release in the early evening!! Can you tell we had a blast?
Liberty Travel also partners with Olympus Tours which provided free transportation to and from the airport, and also helped us book various tours and activities. We did the City Tour (which was ok…the best part was lunch and the tequila distillery); took a sailboat with Pegaso Chartering which took us whale-watching and snorkeling at Marietas Islands; and we attended the Rhythms of the Night show and dinner (the show was fun and the candle-light dinner on the beach was awesome, but in general it’s over-priced and a tourist trap).

More photos will be posted shortly!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Absolutly amazing review! Very detaled! LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing! Glad you had a great wedding and HM!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Gorgeous.

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Congrats!!! great review

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

What a gorgeous church!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful wedding CONGRATS

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

This was such a great and detailed review. Congrats! Everything looked amazing.

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Wonderful review. You looked beautiful

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Great review! Your pictures came out so nice!!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Thank you ladies! The planning process was exhausting and stressful at times, but the end result was TOTALLY worth it!

Good luck to those of you who are not married yet!!

And to the married ladies, congrats!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Great review!!! Very helpful for me and FH!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

very beautiful and detailed review

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Congrats!!! Thanks for writting a review!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

great review!!! Everything looked great! Congrats!!!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Great review...love the details. Beautiful wedding

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

wow, what a though review, great job, glad you had a wonderful day.

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Fabulous review...you looked gorgeous on your day!!! Your cake looked so pretty so i love your whole fall theme

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Great review! Congrats!!!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

great tip on the cake....it was beautiful!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more!

Thank you ladies!! I've added a few more photos...will add more soon!

Re: My November 16, 2008 Greek Wedding Review with lots of vendors: Leonards, Photography by Christos, Bellarino, Nikos Koutras, Royalty, Maximus, and many more (including Etsy and Ebay vendors)!

absolutely amazing.. You are awesome for remembering all the details.. I will also start a word doc with details. You looked soo relaxed!! Also, BEAUTIFUL!! Congrats!!!