Our 10/9/09 Review: Vanderbilt Mansion @ Dowling College, Camelot Limo, Entertainment Tonite, Patken, Masters Florist, and MORE!

So Im not sure how good I will be at this but I will try and do my best!

Before I do start....I want to Thank all of you girls for all the help and advice you gave me. I hope I did the same....Good luck to all the upcoming 09er Brides and all the future brides! This website truley does help!!!

Our 10/9/09 wedding was the best day of our lives!

The Vanderbilt Mansion @ Dowling College - A+
Lessings did an excellent job! The place is unbelievable even without wedding decor so you cant go wrong...lol. Our Maitre D and Bridal attendant were amazing and made sure we were good throughout the night. We always had a drink in our hand. Lucy, our bridal attendant was the BEST! The only down fall about the mansion was that AC didnt work well (your probably thinking....why would you need the AC in October? Trust me, we did....its a small place and with lots of people in it at once, you need it! so we were all very hot but people didnt complain). However, Lessings Im sure doesnt control the heat/AC anyway....And working with them was such a pleasure. They really listen to you and my coordinator didnt seem bothered by all my questions and concerns. The food is delish and I still get compliments on it. It was served hot! haha! and thats always a good thing. The filet mignon was butter!

Limo - B+
Camelot Limo
They were good to work with. Always responsive to my emails or calls. However, we did book a VAN for our shuttle service to and from the hotel to the reception but they gave us a limo without telling us (smaller than the van we thought we ordered). Most people would have rathered this but I personally didnt because it wasnt as big as the van was. I havent called them to tell them I was unhappy about this and I probably wont at this point cause what could they do now? And hey, people liked the limo anyway. I know people also RAVE about Joe, but honestly, the only time I ever spoke to Joe was when we met with the company for the first time....otherwise I worked with the girls in the office.

Dress - Bridal Reflections in Massapequa - A
I was very happy with my service here. The women were very sweet and helpful everytime I came in for a fitting.

My Gown - Marisa - A++++++
I loved my dress!! I found it last minute on a hanger in the fitting room I was in. Not what I was imagining my gown would look like either but i decided to try it on anyway. The minute i put it on, I knew it was 'the one'. It ended up actually that it was part of the floor sample sale and that it was the last one so I got it for a HUGE discounted price and thank god it fit me like a glove!! Didnt have to have much alterations to it either....it was truley meant to be. On the day of my wedding, I was so comfortable!

Bridesmaid Dresses - Bridal Reflections in Carle Place - C
Most of the girls here are not so friendly. But we did have 1 great girl help us most of the time we were there. The attitudes were unbelievable when you called there to ask a question....ugh.
The alterations were a HUGE problem for my girls. My sister had to get her dresss fitted 5 times and it still ended up a nightmare. Her dress was crooked! and did not fit her the day of....In most of my pictures, you can see both my sisters holding up their dresses. And I was told that one of my girls dresses tore before the ceremony. Even though the dresses were beautiful, the alteration part was a huge headache and I wouldnt recommend people to go there.

Tuxes - A
Advanced Formal Wear
Tuxes were very nice! However, my sister had to run to the place the day of my wedding because my ring bearer was swimming in his tux! But other than that, they were great to work with and very resonable.

My Shoes - B+
DSW
THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL!! But painful.....thats why I give them a B+. haha!

DOJ - A+
Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry.....compliments of one of my bridesmaids. She works there so I was able to get them for just the day at N/C =) I would never have worn this type of jewelery again so why waste money?....JMO

Florist - A+++++++++
Masters in RVC
Lori was great to work with. I actually went there and told her what I wanted and she made up a sample right away.....she told me from the get go it wasnt going to be noce but I didnt believe her and was a little taken back by her honesty. WELL, she was right and I hated it! she made another sample up with most of my ideas and it was perfect! The overall price was great too....so reasonable!

DJ - A+++++++++++++++
Entertainment Tonite
Our MC was my DH good friend growing up so that helped a lot BUT he is the BEST MC Ive ever seen in action and all of my guests have told me the same. They do a spectacular job and get EVERYONE on the dance floor! we watch our video and cant believe who actually danced! Everyone LOVED them!

Photographer - A
Patken
John did an excellent job! He was very patient with us on the day of and didnt bother us the whole time with the camera. DH and I really wanted to enjoy our wedding day and not be stuck behond the camera the whole time. He really took this into consideration. Photos came out beautiful....we are very happy with them. Im a little upset that I forgot to tell him some must have photos...but thats my fault.

Videography - A+++++
'I Do Weddings' Eric Karol
We actually found him in PA at our friends wedding. We watched their video and we fell in love! It was placed together so nicely and he did interviews with guests, ect. I called him when we got engaged and asked if he would travel to NY and he said, yes no problem! I was so happy! He didnt charge us for it either which was nice. Also, his pricing was great! We got great PA prices =) Anythings better than NY prices! We've had our video for about a month already....talk about fast service! He was great and always got back to you!! Great to work with!!

Holiday Inn - Ronkonkoma - B
I give them a B because the Sales Department Su*ked! She never returned my calls....it took me forever to get the directional cards even though she said she sent them. Everytime I called and she actually answered the phone, she sounded like I was bothering her. Otherwise, the hotel was nice, clean, and front desk staff was very pleasant. Breakfast in the morning was also very good. I do wish I could have found a hotel much closer to my reception hall but that wasnt an option.

Favors - A
www.plantamemory.com
Tree Seeds that I put in mini teracotta pots and wrapped them with a bow. They came out very cute!

Engagement Ring/Wedding Bands - A++++++
Genaro Jewelers in Bellmore
AMAZING jewelers! They give you so much attention and assure you that your jewelry will not go out of sight from you for a split sec! Love them! And they dont forget your face! You are greeted like youve known them forever when you walk in.

Invitations - A
A friend of a friend did them....They were beautiful and simple just like I wanted =)

Hair - A+
Hair by Tara
Friend of mine who's been doing hair forever. She did a very simple half up do with loose girls. Nothing dramatic but very elegant....loved it! AND she was one of my bridesmaids!

Make-up - A+
MakeUp by Diana
Friend of mine who does make up. She does a beautiful job!!! I wanted very natural because I dont wear a lot of makeup everyday....she did exactly what I asked and it was perfect! My lashes and eyes looked amazing and popped like I wanted them too. She actually a 2010 bride on here if anyone is interested in her info....FM me! She also was one of my bridesmaids!

Gosh....did I get everything?

Ummm.......

Cake - A
Black Forest Bakery
Our Cake was actually included in our package. We upgraded for red velvet but thats about it. People said it was delish but I found out later on that the filling wasnt what we requested in one of our layers. Oh well, people still loved it! I dont have a huge sweet tooth so this didnt bother me so much.

Menu - A
DIY project
Very easy....bought the invitation kit (plain ivory paper) from Michaels and just used the blank invites as the menus. Printed off my work computer in elegant font and VWWWALA! done! and only cost me $10 bucks for the kit....on sale =)

Pianist - A+
Charle Henry
He was great!! Had him for our ceremony and cocktail hour. People loved him and he was a pleasure to work with!

Garter - A+
Forgot the website but they were perfect! Mets garter set for DH =) he loved it!

I think thats about it!