PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with glitz)

PRESHUS & SMURF GET MARRIED!

George & I met through friends … at Mulcahy's, of all places. The first time I met George, we did not speak. At all. But this also meant that there were no cheesy pick-up lines, no lame excuses, and no stories made up to try to engage me in conversation. Our meeting was not planned … and our friends were surprised at the interest we had in one another. And although we had no real contact that evening, I felt drawn to him. I just knew I needed to see him again. The second time I met George, something really clicked for me, and I somehow knew I had found someone who would have an impact on my life. And since that day, we have not let a day go by where we didn't at least speak on the phone.

We dated for just over 5 years before getting engaged, and planned our wedding for about a year and a half. While I'm the first to admit that I was very impatient while waiting for the proposal, I think that there are a lot of benefits to knowing your husband-to-be for 6+ years by the time the stress of last minute wedding planning hits. I was never more certain in my life that I was making the right choice when I looked into his eyes and said our vows.

We got engaged in May '06 and I knew I wanted a fall wedding … so fall '07 it would be. The length of our engagement allowed us to feel relaxed through most of our planning, giving us the ability to take many breaks from wedding planning. I would have gone crazy without those breaks.

While writing this review, I made the decision that I'm not going to give a rating or grade to any of my vendors. I am in a somewhat unique position as an LIW bride, since I was a LIW vendor first! Many brides find this site during planning, and then get into the business and join the other side of the site later. For me, things were the other way around, which has given me a somewhat unique perspective.

And I don't think it's fair to summarize someone's performance with a grade or rating. I think almost all of our vendors truly did their best for us, and I think the story tells a lot more than a number or letter ever could. Sorry girls, you'll just have to read the review!

Hopefully you'll have the patience to read through to the end. DH just accused me of writing a THESIS! I think he might be right …


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OUR PARENTS
There are just no words to possibly express our gratitude to our parents, they raised us to be the people we are today and made the wedding of our dreams a reality. They made our dream wedding come true for us, and we will always be grateful to them.

And in crunch time, when I was no longer able to complete all the projects I envisioned for the wedding, it was my Mom and Dad to the rescue! They even stayed up for hours after our Welcome Dinner (the night before the wedding) to finish tying the ribbons on the programs!!!


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SVS FINE JEWELERS
2947 Long Beach Road – Oceanside – (516)766-2614
http://www.svsjeweler.com/

Contact: Sami

The ring I received when we got engaged was FH's Grandmother’s ring. It was such a sweet and sentimental gesture, but the ring didn’t fit. We decided to get the stone re-set instead of getting the band re-sized. We went to SVS Fine Jewelers on Long Beach Road in Oceanside and worked with Sami.

The price was great and the service there is fantastic. They changed the setting while we waited, and we were able to see them working so there was no worry about the stone being switched. I’ve brought it back to have it cleaned many times throughout our engagement, and they did it on the spot.


When it was time to look for wedding bands, we looked around a bit but didn't find anything we loved … and no one really seemed to want to take the time to help us. So, we decided to give SVS Jewelers a shot since Sami was so helpful with my engagement ring. It was much easier for me to make a decision, I knew I wanted diamonds . I ended up with an eternity band, and I love it!








George was harder to please since had no idea what he wanted! But Sami was great with educating us about our different options.



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ENGAGEMENT PARTY

We got engaged in May 2006, and at first didn't want to have an Engagement Party. The more I thought about it, I realized what an important thing it would be in our situation. George comes from a very small family, he has 2 Uncles who are not married and never had any children – so he has ZERO First Cousins. My family is the complete opposite – I have tons of Aunts & Uncles & oodles of Cousins. (Dad is has a brother & sister who both have children … Mom comes from a HUGE family, originally of 12 siblings where almost all have children, and most of them even have their own children now). I have more than 35 first cousins … this does not count their spouses … just the blood relations! You can imagine the culture shock to George & his family … I thought it was better for them to go through the introductions earlier, instead of at the shower or wedding!

To me, the engagement party was the perfect opportunity to get everyone together and start to get them acquainted with one another.

The Location
Mim's NY
235 Roslyn Road – Roslyn Heights – (516)625-7305
www.mimsny.com

So, I did some research and found rave reviews for Mim's. We checked it out, and looked no further. We loved it! We decided on a Sunday Brunch and worked with Barbara in the Roslyn Heights location. She was great to deal with and very accommodating. We had a few special requests for the menu and she met every single one of them. It was exactly what we wanted the day to be, and we couldn't have been happier.





Invitations
Invitations are very important to me because they truly set the tone and impression of your event for your guests. I decided to make them myself as a DIY project, because I just knew I wouldn’t get the end result I was looking for any other way. I really loved how they came out, and we got so many compliments on them.



Centerpieces
These were another DIY project. Mom, Dad and I spent more than an hour roaming around Michael’s one night trying to come up with an idea. What we saw there gave us some inspiration, but we worked with a floral wholesaler in New Jersey who was wonderful and helped us come up with the design of the final product.



Favors
Favors aren't really a true necessity for an Engagement Party, but we wanted our guests to have something to take home with them.

We did small boxes of M&Ms tied with a ribbon and a personalized sticker. The customized M&Ms are pretty expensive, so I decided since I was doing 3 different colors, I would have 1 color personalized and the other 2 blank. The website was really easy to use: www.mymms.com/customprint/

The small kraft boxes were ordered from Jean M. They were a pain to assemble, but worth the effort in the end. They looked so cute at each placesetting.







Candy Buffet
Since we were planning to have a full Viennese hour at the wedding, and I LOVE the idea of a candy buffet, we decided to have it at our engagement party. We got the bowls and vases at different stores: Target, Michaels, Walmart, etc. We designed the personalized bags and the made the signs. It was a HUGE hit with all our guests, young and old!







The Cake


The Happy Couple



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SAVE THE DATES

These were another DIY project for me. I had a lot of guests coming from out of town, and a lot of local guests who we thought might want to stay in a hotel, and it was the perfect way to get people to stop asking if we set the date yet!

I also included a magnet, but its not in these pics

Unfortunately only 1 of our guests booked a room before the wedding invitations went out … oh well!

I know the pictures aren't great, and I will try to add better ones.






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BRIDAL SHOWER

Ok, so I have to admit it – I was THAT Bride. The one who helped plan her shower, assemble the invitations, design the artwork for the favors. The one who totally stalked her registries. BUT for what its worth (not much, I guess? ) I stayed out of everyone's hair when it came to the events of the day. The big downside to knowing exactly when it was coming is that I was a little nervous and jittery the week before, stressing out about what to wear, being the center of attention, etc.


The Location
The Carltun
The Gatsby Room
Eisenhower Park – East Meadow – (516) 542.0700
www.thecarltun.com

When George & I were looking for wedding locations, I was convinced I would fall in love with The Carltun. I loved so many things about the place, but they didn't have a separate location for the ceremony and that was high on our list of priorities for the wedding.

So, when it came time to pick the location for the Bridal Shower, Mom put it high on her list! They have some smaller rooms perfect for Showers, and we both fell in love when we saw The Gatsby Room. It even has an outdoor patio that overlooks the golf course.




The food and the service were absolutely incredible, we were very impressed. Their staff helped bring everything in, catered to our guests all afternoon, and helped pack up the cars at the end of the day too!














Invitations (and other details)
The kudos go to my brother and my mom on these projects! My brother did all the design, setup and printing … and made sure it all looked perfect for his big sis!

(I have to take better pics of the invites to post on here, I will update the review when I do.)


There were also matching menus at each place setting, and matching table numbers.


And matching placecards too!


There were also these fun pink napkins …



The Centerpieces
The centerpieces were pink balloon clouds, done by my parents. This is the best picture of them I have on the computer, in the background – in this pic of my & one of my BMs.


At the base of each was a gorgeous bridal doll. These were given to the little girls who attended to take home at the end of the day.



The Favors
When I posted about these on the boards, they caused quite a commotion! I designed the artwork for the imprint, and had them created through a manufacturer I work with at my store. The story behind the umbrellas (besides the whole 'shower' idea) is that for the last 6 years, anytime George & I go anywhere, it RAINS!!!! So it became a little inside joke to our family, and so it just had to be …. umbrellas for favors!




I took better pics when I got home that night:









The Details
My mom and my bridesmaids went totally above and beyond for me, and created the most amazing bridal shower ever!


They operated like a well oiled machine when it came time for opening the presents. My only regret is that I felt like I didn't take enough time to 'oooh' and 'aaah' at each gift because the next one was right there ready for me to open.


There were lots of activities and games to keep our guests entertained, including 'Advice to the Newlyweds,' Bridal Bingo and a Word Search. And the baskets!!!!! They made me 4 different baskets, each with its own funny poem!!! There was 1 that was candy related (snickers, hugs & kisses), one that was household product related (brawny, joy, shout), a wine basket and a candle basket.










The highlight of the day was a video that one of my girls made with George … she came to our apartment and then they went around to local stores played 'Which would Jess pick?' From my choice of marinade in our kitchen cabinets, to which color lip gloss, to which kind of ice cream at Carvel and Cold Stone … they covered it all! It was hysterical, and George was such a great sport about everything. He had everyone laughing the whole time, and I love him for going along with it!

One of the most amazing details is the cookbook that everyone helped collaborate on. My cousin Jenna did all the compilation and the assembly, but the recipes were contributed by all my family and friends. The book is absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to try making some of them!









Also, instead of the typical paper plate hat, my MOH brought a straw hat to use. And my super crafty Aunt made the prettiest Bridal Shower Bow Hat I've ever seen – it even had a tulle veil!




And, of course, a picture of the Happy Couple



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OUR WELCOME DINNER

Because we were getting married at the Reception Hall, there would be no actual rehearsal of the ceremony. And we had a lot of OOT guests coming in for the wedding, so we wanted to create an opportunity to spend some extra time with them.

We named it a 'Welcome Dinner' to try to emphasize the point to our guests that it was not a typical Rehearsal Dinner. Since we had so many children that would be attending the wedding, we really wanted to have an evening with just the adults. It sounds easier than it really was to create.

Our final count was over 50 people, and it wasn't easy to find a location that had a private room to accommodate that size party on a Friday night. Many weren't willing to work with us because they didn't want to give up their regular weekend crowd.


The Location
Stresa East
7940 Jericho Turnpike – Woodbury – (516) 364-1565
www.stresarestaurant.com

The private room was really nice and very spacious. The food was great, the service was good. I would definitely recommend them!



The Invitations
I don't have pictures of mine, but this is the stationery we used. I changed the ribbon color to chocolate brown, and it looked great! I will update the review with a better picture.



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LILLETTE'S
861 Merrick Road - Baldwin - (516) 546-5660
www.lillettes.com

Sales: Carol
Bride's Seamstress: Francesca
Bridesmaids & MOG Seamstress: Lydia (?)

Shopping for wedding dresses was a daunting experience for me. I am not a size 6, so most of the sample dresses didn't fit me. And the 'plus size' dresses that the stores had were also too big on me. I searched on LIW for bridal shops where girls had great experiences, and it seemed that this shop in Baldwin was listed on these threads very often.

Carol was my consultant, and I know I have said it before but I will say it again – she has the patience of a SAINT! I didn’t know what kind of dress I wanted, and must have spent a total of 4 or 5 hours at Lillette's trying on different dresses. She never made me feel rushed or pressured. She always had a helpful suggestion, and gave honest advice.


The dress was from the Mori Lee Blu Collection, and had everything I was looking for. The lace bolero jacket was an added bonus that I didn't think I'd wear – as you can see, I wore it all night long!






We ended up also getting Bridesmaid Dresses and our Flower Girl Dress there too.

After ordering the girl's dresses I had a mini-meltdown about the color of the sash on the dresses. The color of the Euro Taupe on Bill Levkoff's website is VERY deceiving. I ended up going back to Lillette's to see the swatches again. Carol calmed me down, and cut me off a piece of the swatches, and told me to STOP LOOKING AT THE WEBSITE COLORS! I am so glad I didn't change my mind, I loved the dresses when they came in and even more on the wedding day!

My Advice: Girls … don't doubt your decisions … go with your gut feelings, you know what you want better than anyone else does! Trust your 'bride instincts'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


My MIL has known Gerri for years (BIL & her son went to school together), so she purchased her gown at Lillette's too. I did not have much interaction with Gerri, but she was very sweet and kind whenever I did see her. I'm sure she would be great to work with as a Bride.

My first fitting went great – the dress fit me like a glove. We added a huge pickup bustle (to continue the pickups already on the dress) with bustle ties, and cups & stays into the top of the dress. Also, we added covered buttons along the zipper on the top of the dress. I had a ribbon bustle, and it stayed all night long. Out of all my friends who've gotten married before me, I think I'm the only one who's bustle didn't fall. Francesca is so sweet and really wonderful at what she does. I highly recommend her as a seamstress!







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PM BOUTIQUE
2898 Long Beach Road – Oceanside - (516) 766-0064

My mom purchased her dress from them. It is a Jovani design, and really beautiful. It was elegant, sparkly, and it came in the right color. The dress came in on time. And they were able to use the shawl to create cap sleeves for her – which looked especially nice because the ends of the shawl had some of the same beadwork on it, so it looked even more like it was designed to be a part of the dress from the manufacturer.

The sample dress size just fit Mom, so we agreed with the salesperson to order the next size up, to allow for alterations if needed. No actual measurements were ever taken. Mom watches what she eats, and lost a few pounds from the time of ordering until when the dress came in. She tried on her dress, and it was snug (like the sample was)! We finally came to the conclusion that they must have ordered the sample size, and not the larger size up they were supposed to.

The seamstress was able to let the dress out a tiny bit, and in the end it looked perfect. Mom looked beautiful!


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BARRONS
AT THE TRICOUNTY FLEA MARKET
www.tri-countyfleamarket.com

I was very picky about the kind of veil that I wanted. I knew I hated the really poofy huge veils. The aisle where our ceremony was is relatively short, so I didn't want a cathedral veil either. The only thing I really knew that I wanted was for it to have a blusher.

For a while I thought I wanted a silk tulle veil, but then I changed my mind because it looked like they were too flat to me. (Do I sound like a bride now? Or 'Goldilocks & the Three Bear's? This one's too poofy … this one's too flat! )

One Sunday afternoon I decided to drag my parents to Barrons 'just to see what they have' because I read so many rave reviews on here from you girls. Well, they did not disappoint! They have a HUGE selection, and will custom make them with the specific color tulle to match your dress, and the type of beading and edging. We ended up combining 2 types of veils to create the perfect one! And he gave me a FREE blue garter too, which I ended up using as my 'something blue'. I was thrilled!!!!!!!

I fell in love with the veil again when we picked it up from Barrons, it is everything I had hoped it would be! Absolutely perfect!



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THOMAS KNOELL
250 D Jericho Turnpike – Mineola – (516) 248-3636
www.thomasknoell.com

So … what can I say about Thomas Knoell that hasn't already been said on these boards? I had read about his work on LIW, and then found out that my cousin would lend me her comb and hairsticks. What better accessories to use as my Something Borrowed?!!

His items are absolutely gorgeous pieces, and the quality is superb. Everything is so well made, and so sparkly too! All the pieces are custom made, you can have any crystal color you want. If you like the style, I say go for it – you will NOT find anything that even compares!

I completed the collection by adding 2 more hairsticks, a band, earrings and a bracelet too!







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TUXEDO PARK
104 Westbury Avenue - Carle Place - (516) 294-7300
www.tuxedoparkli.com

We had a great experience with them at first, but they caused a great deal of stress to my DH right before the wedding & to my Dad on the morning of the wedding with situations that never should have happened in the first place.

They did correct all the problems in the end, and everyone looked great on the day of the wedding.

I hate to say this … but the headaches that we experienced were just not worth it.




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B R I D A L L O U N G E
www. b r i d a l l o u n g e .com
Contact: Mia

Mia is an absolute genius. And an architect. And an angel. And I her. She is beyond talented in her craft, and has the perfect temperament to keep a bride entertained and calm on the most hectic and stressful day in their life.

I booked my trial appointment with her, and met her at a salon in Bethpage. She spent a TON of time with me, over FOUR HOURS! She worked hard to create a special look for my big day, not the typical cookie cutter 'bridal hair style' that I see very often on wedding websites. And we were so impressed, we booked her on the spot! Click for link to my trial post

On the wedding day she arrived very promptly at my hotel room, and brought an assistant with her who was also great.

Mia truly made me feel like an absolute princess, and I absolutely love how my hair & makeup came out. We also hired her for my Mom and MIL, my MOH, and hair for 1 BM and makeup for another BM. Everyone just looked great! I very highly recommend her to all future brides.
These pics were taken by my DOC Eliana






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HILTON LONG ISLAND (HUNTINGTON/MELVILLE)
www.hiltonlongisland.com

Management at the Hilton seems to change hands with the seasons. I have lost count of the number of people we have dealt with there in the last year. They were all very helpful, but it can get frustrating never knowing who you're going to be speaking with.

At the end of our planning, our contacts there were Danielle (Sales Manager) and Jana (In-House Reservationists), and they were both absolutely wonderful to us. When we checked in on Friday night, Danielle was there to greet us and make sure there wasn't anything else she could do to help us. They treated us like royalty.

Our guests ended up booking 23 rooms there, and it was also were DH & I spent the night before our wedding (in separate rooms, of course! ) and also our wedding night in the Bridal Suite.

We booked a conference room in the hotel to use as a Hospitality Suite on Saturday during the day – for a Continental Breakfast (we paid extra for this – the Hilton's blocked room rate does not include breakfast for the guests, and we wanted to make sure that everyone was able to eat!) and Snacks & Refreshments afterwards. The room we had for this was just down the hall from our Bridal Suite, so it was very convenient.

Sunday morning we had a Farewell Brunch in the hotel for all our guests, to ensure that everyone was fed before they got on the road, and also a last chance to see all our guests. The food was delicious, and everyone had a nice time.


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OLD WESTBURY GARDENS
www.oldwestburygardens.org

Contact: Diana then Kim

Since our ceremony & reception were at the same location, we expected to just take pictures at the hall before the ceremony. Then we learned that NRC booked a wedding that ended an hour later than we expected … so we needed to find a place to take pictures. I immediately thought of OWG because I have seen such gorgeous pictures on LIW, and it was also recommended by Alan, my contact at our photographer. I spoke to Diana, and I have to say that I think she was the sweetest person I dealt with in all of my wedding planning. Unfortunately we never got to meet her in person because she left OWG before our wedding. But we have been dealing with Kim since then, and she is also very kind and helpful.

The gardens were gorgeous on our wedding day, with tons of beautiful fall colored leaves still left on all the tress. Unfortunately because it was really really cold, we were only able to spend a short amount of time outside. No one wanted to admit to me how cold they actually were, no one wanted to spoil the bride's fun especially at such an expensive photo location … it was left up to me, I'm the one who cried mercy!

We had our 'first look' (setup by our photographer) outside, and took some BP pictures outside too.







Although they really aren't supposed to let groups inside until its dark out, we were able to get into the mansion a bit earlier because it was just soooo cold! We took a lot of pictures on the staircase in the lobby, and then pictures of DH & I in the red room (which I have always loved) and also the blue room upstairs.




























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OUR OFFICIANTS

Monsignor Lisante & Rabbi Block created the most beautiful and memorable ceremony ever. It felt warm, and was very personal to us both, and our families. They worked wonderfully together, and did an absolutely incredible job of blending our two religions and cultures together. They smoothed over any tension that our guests might have been feeling about the 'interfaith thing'. They managed to be spiritual and funny, all at the same time. Everyone was very impressed, especially our parents! Out of everything from our wedding day, this is one of the things we've received the most wonderful comments from our guests on. We couldn't have been happier!

RABBI A. ALLEN BLOCK
Soon after I was engaged, I realized that we’d need someone to marry us! I always loved thee Rabbi from my Temple where I grew up in Brooklyn. I remembered that he officiated interfaith weddings, but the last I heard he had retired. On a whim, I did a search on LIW to see if he was mentioned at all … and HE WAS! A quick FM to another bride, and I had his current phone # (isn't LIW great?! ). I was sooooo excited, and DH was happy that we’d have a connection to our officiant. Rabbi Block recommended Msgr. Lisante to us, and we couldn't have been more pleased with that recommendation.

MSGR. JIM LISANTE
www.msgrlisante.org
Rabbi Block recommended Msgr. Lisante. I left this one up to DH since it’s his religion. He played A LOT of phone tag with the secretary, but finally connected with her after about 2 months! My advice is to be patient and persistent, it was totally worth the struggle to have him officiate the wedding.

We met with Msgr. Jim about 6 months before the wedding, and even though I was a ball of nerves about the meeting – he could not possibly have been a nicer human being. He made us both feel very at ease about the whole process, which was very important since I was a little nervous about pulling off the ceremony.

He asked us each to write a short essay that would be read during the ceremony, I had to answer the question 'Why George?' and DH had to answer 'Why Jessica?' It added such an incredible level of personalization to our ceremony that couldn't have been achieved otherwise, and I am so glad we did this.

INTERFAITH PRE-CANA
Msgr. Lisante requires that couples attend a special interfaith pre-cana weekend. It took place a few weeks later at the church in West Hempstead on a Friday evening and then all day on Saturday. It was a nice experience to share, the speakers were interesting (some more so than others, of course ) . There was a family psychologist who spoke with us for a bit, and gave out her number to everyone incase we ever needed to speak with someone throughout our engagement or married life. There were a few speakers on Saturday, and we especially enjoyed the Deacon that spoke. Other speakers included interfaith couples who talked about how they handled religion while bringing up their children. Sandwiches and chips were served for lunch, which allowed all the couples to casually chat a bit and take a quick break. Rabbi Block came to go over an outline of how the ceremony would typically go, and answer any questions. We wrapped up the day with Monsignor Lisante, who is an absolutely captivating speaker.

I admit, I was nervous about pre-cana, but many of the past LIW brides were kind enough to take the time to explain it to me … and I hope this review helps future interfaith brides. If you have questions, please feel free to FM me!

Here are pics from our ceremony:




















ABOUT OUR CEREMONY
Since I used this site for a lot of research while planning my ceremony, I wanted to share some of the details to help future Brides while planning theirs:


CEREMONY MUSIC:
(we both wanted our music choices to be current – and not written/composed by people who had been dead for over 100 years! everything worked really well and the first time my Mom heard the song I was walking down the aisle to, she cried!)

Seating of Guests: Forrest Gump Suite' – Alan Silvestri
Processional – Bridal Party & Groom: 'Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness' – Smashing Pumpkins
Processional - Bride: 'Three Flights Up' – Yellowcard
Recessional: 'Love & Memories' – O.A.R.


PROCESSIONAL ORDER
(with an interfaith ceremony, there really are no set rules – you can make it all up as you go … this is what worked for us)

Officiants
Bridal Party
Matron of Honor & Best Man
Groom & His Parents
Flower Girl
Bride & Her Parents


READINGS
OLD TESTAMENT: The two of them become one body. Genesis 2:18-24
NEW TESTAMENT: If I do not have love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a


TRADITIONS WE INCORPORATED INTO OUR CEREMONY
Interfaith Ketubah – signed by bride, groom, 2 witnesses, rabbi & monsignor
Yarmulkes – offered as an option, only worn by those who felt comfortable
Readings from Old Testament & New Testament
Unity Candle
Breaking Glass
Yichud


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NORTH RITZ CLUB
7150 Jericho Turnpike – Syosset - (516) 921-4000
www.northritzclub.com

Banquet Manager: Ida
Maitre'd: George
Bridal Attendant: Monica

There isn't much I can say about the North Ritz Club that hasn't already been said on these boards. When looking for the location for our wedding ceremony & reception, one of our highest priorities was finding a place that only had 1 wedding at a time. We also liked that they had separate spaces for all the events of our day (ceremony, cocktail hour and reception). One of the first things that DH and I agreed upon about our vision for the wedding was that we didn't want a 'wedding factory,' we didn't want our guests being asked 'which wedding are you here for?' We wanted it to be all about US. And it was!!!

Throughout our engagement, we stopped by to make all our payments in person, or just to get inspiration as we planned our big day. All of their staff is warm, friendly, and makes it a point to remember their couples. We always felt welcomed, like we were walking into our 'home.' There were a few times that we took a few minutes to sit down at the sweetheart table, look around the room and imagine how it would look on our wedding day. It was a great feeling, and definitely helped us envision things.

After we booked, NRC did some major renovations – they redid the ceiling in the cocktail hour room and created gorgeous stations for the cocktail hour food. It was a huge improvement, and DH was especially impressed by it.




During our engagement, the Banquet Manager we booked with mysteriously 'went on vacation' … and never came back . This caused me a lot of stress, especially upon finding out we couldn't get into the North Ritz Club at the time he had promised us because they booked a wedding that didn't end until an hour after that. I found that out through LIW, and I'm not sure when they would have told us if I didn't confront them about it. This meant we were losing an hour of photo time that we had scheduled for at the hall … and we had to come up with a plan B. Fortunately, our photographer was able to calm me down and help me with my decision to take pics at Old Westbury Gardens.

We had a sit-down with the GM, who took over as our Banquet Manager for the rest of our engagement. We went over all the verbal agreements, all the things our previous BM had promised and figured out what was possible and what actually never was. I do believe everything happens for a reason … we ended up with gorgeous pics at OWG and there were no more surprises.

They day of the wedding, NRC absolutely lived up to every word of their outstanding reputation. The service was top-notch, with plenty of staff on hand to direct guests to where they needed to be and more than enough staff to tend to the guests at the cocktail hour and reception. The food was superb and overflowing. Even our 'foodie' guests who usually don't eat much at weddings were impressed. They were totally outstanding, and they really out did themselves. We could not have asked for more. Some out of town guests thought the cocktail hour was the meal, they were shocked when they were directed into the ballroom for the first course!

We had added on the 'Dessert Café' which is their version of a Viennese Hour. Instead of adding on an extra hour to the reception, they turn the cocktail hour room into dessert heaven! My father was particularly impressed by this, as he pointed out it means they are cleaning the same room twice (and have to do it once during the reception).









And for all the Jewish brides … they have special chairs for the Hora – with HANDLES! It was so nice to have something to hold onto while being bounced around in the chair.


George was our Matire'd, and Monica was our Bridal Attendant. They were both completely on top of everything all night long (like our own personal Secret Service Agent and Butler, all wrapped up into one), and Monica was like our best friend. She was a genius helping my mom with my ribbon bustle, getting it done quickly and perfectly – it stayed up all night long!

The only real negative we found was with the ceremony room downstairs – the aisle space really wasn't wide enough for 3 people to walk down side-by-side … and we both were walked down the aisle by our Mom & Dad. It was really awkward for both of us, and the pictures of us walking down the aisle show it. DH's Dad had to walk behind DH & his Mom, and my Mom ended up accidentally stepping on the side of my dress causing it to not move forward as I walked so I ended up stepping on the front of it and almost falling. I don't think we mentioned to NRC that we'd have 3 people walking down the aisle. So … make sure you ask them to make the aisle wide enough for 3 people!!


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PEDESTALS FLORAL DECORATORS
125 Herricks Road - Garden City - (516) 248-5300
www.pedestalsflorist.com

Contact: Phillip Samut

The florist was one of our easiest decisions to make. We had stopped by NRC to make a payment on a weekend, and saw the ceiling decorated with tulle & lights … and we KNEW it was something we wanted. Pedestals is one of the only florists that NRC allows to do this.

We had an initial meeting a year before the wedding, but so many things changed after that point. So we scheduled a 2nd consultation with Phil at 4 months before the wedding. We brought pictures of all our new ideas, and he saw our vision and offered some helpful suggestions based on all of his experience. Many couples wouldn't have needed this 2nd meeting, but we booked them as our florist before we had an idea of what we would want our wedding to look like!

The sample CP they made for us was gorgeous, they totally nailed our vision for the flowers. This is a non-pro pic I took at their shop:


And on the Wedding Day, everything was just spectacular. The centerpieces had a bit more greenery than the sample CP, but they were just stunning. We were totally thrilled with how everything looked, and I honestly didn't notice until I got home after the wedding and compared the sample pics to the day-of pics.


We ended up having 1 less table than we had contracted and paid for, so we had Pedestals create an arrangement for in-front of the Sweetheart Table. We didn't give them any instructions or details, just asked them to do what they thought because we trusted them so much. And it was perfect. Again, I can say that I think everything happens for a reason … those flowers added so much to the look of our table! We were really impressed.


Our personal flowers were beautiful too, I loved my bouquet and the girls bouquets too. My bouquet was sooo huge and heavy, that I had to let the photographer's assistant, my DH, or someone in the BP hold it a lot of the day – but that's really because of the arm problems I experienced around the time of the wedding. And the flowers were so pretty I just didn't care . I don't think it would be a complaint from any other bride.

Pedestals also embellished upon the ceremony flowers that were included in the package with NRC. The screens that you see on the right side of this picture were rented from Pedestals – they were soooo much classier than the wicker ones that NRC provides.




The delivery arrived early to the hotel where we were getting ready, and I couldn't have been happier. They even included a basket for the flower girl, which would have been perfect if I hadn't already picked one out that matched her dress exactly. This is a pic taken by my DOC, Eliana (enjft)


And the original reason we looked at Pedestals in the first place, the ceiling decorations! We had them add a pale gold tulle draping to the skylight in the ceiling, and it added so much to the room. These are pics taken by my DOC, Eliana (enjft)



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DÉJÀ VU STUDIOS
265 Horton Highway – Mineola - (516) 248-9600
www.dejavustudios.net

Contact – Alan
Photographer – Dennis
Videographer – Mario

When we had a hiccup with NRC regarding our day-of scheduling, Alan came to our rescue with some great suggestions for how to make the day smooth and even more special. He was very calming, which was exactly what I needed at the moment when I was totally freaking out. Because of the hour of time we lost to take pictures at NRC before the ceremony, we took Alan's suggestion and decided to book Old Westbury Gardens.

We didn't find the time to schedule our engagement pictures until about a month before the wedding, but I am so glad that we did take them. It gave us a chance to meet our photographer Dennis in person and spend some time with him. The e-pic session was a lot shorter than I thought it would be … only about 20 minutes at the Garden City Gazebo. We were able to go home that night with everything on a disc, and both DH & I were happy with the pics.










On the Wedding Day, Dennis was very kind and helpful, concerned and cautious about how I was feeling and not putting too much strain on me. He setup pictures around my need to take short breaks, and ice my neck & arm, and I am very grateful for that. It helped me get through the very long day.



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SPIN AROUND SOUND ENTERTAINMENT, inc.
www.spinaroundsound.com

Contact: Tom White

Music is VERY important to us … especially to DH and his father. His father has the biggest collection of music I have ever seen anyone not in the industry posses, and its still growing! So, we needed a DJ who would play all types of music, reaching out to all generations. We used Spin Around Sound for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception … and all were executed perfectly!

We didn't have much contact with Tom throughout the engagement, because it wasn't necessary. We filled out the worksheet with all our song choices and sent that over to him. Our 'final meeting' was an evening phone call about 2 weeks before the wedding, and everything went very smoothly.

On the day-of, Tom was just INCREDIBLE as our emcee!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tom handled everything perfectly ... and even helped us juggle around the protocol on the spot so things happened when we felt ready for them. There were a few times during the night when Tom checked in with us to make sure everything was as perfect as could be, and that was priceless to DH & I. He was such a calming presence, and we both felt like we were in great hands with them.

The DJ played the perfect blend of music that kept everyone happy with a crowd ranging in age from 7 years old to over 90 years old, and made sure we were in the room when our special requests were played! And we got to hear Guster & Better Than Ezra during our dinner course!!!!!!!!!!!!!














And when my cousin grabbed the microphone to lead the 'Cha Cha Slide' Tom just went with it!



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BALLROOM DANCE LI
www.ballroomdanceli.com

Contact: John

I couldn't have been more surprised that I was able to convince DH to take lessons! I always love dancing at parties & weddings, DH much prefers to hang out at the table or the bar!

I saw many recommendations for John on this website, so I sent him an email to get more info. He works out of a few different studios, and will make appointments wherever/whenever it is convenient for you. With my crazy schedule being in retail, it was great to work with someone so flexible on appointment times. Most often we met him by Roosevelt Field at Metropolitan Dance. We also met him once in Garden City which was also convenient for us.





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CAMELOT SPECIALTY LIMOS
151 Denton Avenue – New Hyde Park – (516) 731-LIMO
www.camelotlimos.com

Contact: Joe Palumbo

Our transportation needs were fairly simple, we needed 2 limos to get us from the Hilton to OWG, from OWG to NRC, and 1 to pick us & our parents up at the end of the night. My ILs also booked a car through them to transport DH's 89 year old Aunt from New Jersey to our wedding, and that also was a smooth process.

On the day of, the limos arrived promptly. They were in great condition, and the drivers were pleasant, helpful and funny.

But one of our limos got stuck in the MUD at Old Westbury Gardens, causing the limo driver to ask our GMs and the GROOM to get out of their limo to try to PUSH the other limo onto solid ground in their TUXEDOS. When that didn't work, all 12 of us crammed into the other 8 passenger limo. You can imagine how tight at cramped we were, but we made the best of it. This was just one more reason why we feel blessed to have the best, most calming and easy-going bridal party ever!

The ride made us all a bit wrinkled for later pics, ceremony & reception, and uncomfortable for the ride .... and thank goodness no one got covered in mud. We were a little late getting to NRC for pics, but it wasn't the major disaster that it could have been.

A couple of weeks after the wedding, I received a call from one of the girls who works at Camelot Limos calling to congratulate us and check in to see how everything was for the wedding. In a different situation, I would have found that to be a very nice touch …. but she didn't seem to know anything about the limo getting stuck in the mud, so I filled her in (she said she didn't have that paperwork in front of her). I really was very happy with their services, except for this incident and relayed that to her. She said she would pass the info onto Joe. I will update the review with any further developments, if there are any.








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THE KETUBAH . COM
theketubah.com

Artist: Stephanie Caplan

I was resourceful enough during my planning to find a direct website for the artist of the Ketubah we selected. In the end, I'm not sure it saved us any money … but it was a wonderful experience to deal with her directly. AND it meant we were able to have the information filled in by the artist herself which was a huge bonus to me (this way all the lettering styles were a perfect match). She was very sweet, and accommodated our rush order since I waited until the last minute to order. We paid extra to have gold leaf detail added to the border, and it came out great!









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J. LOWY SKULLCAP MANUFACTURING
940 East 19th Street – Brooklyn – (718) 338-7324
www.jlowy.com

We ordered Brown Suede Yarmulkes for the ceremony, personalized with our names and wedding date in gold lettering. Even though we waited until the last minute to order them, there was no additional rush charge. They came out perfectly, and were shipped quickly. The quality was perfect.


This is a pic taken by my DOC, Eliana (enjft)




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TOPPERS WITH GLITZ
www.topperswithglitz.com

Contact: Sari Watkins

One of the first things I knew that I wanted when we started planning was a crystal monogram cake topper for our wedding, Later on in the process, it seemed that a monogram with a Markham capital letter 'A' seemed to emerge as a symbol throughout our wedding, but I couldn't find it anywhere!

Then I saw this website advertised on a high-end cake website, and I fell in LOVE!!! And the ability to have the background letter in gold instead of silver was an added plus.

Sari was fabulous to work with, very willing to offer her expert opinions when asked, but also happy to do whatever would make us happy. She emailed me pictures of other toppers not shown on the website, and helped design the perfect combination of colors for the crystals.

I ordered the 6 inch high letter, and it was covered in Light Colorado Topaz, Light Colorado Topaz AB, Smoked Topaz Swarovski Crystals.

The topper shipped quickly, and arrived in perfect condition. And it made a beautiful statement atop our cake.





Pictures from the Cake Cutting:







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POUCH DEPOT, INC.
124 E. Olympic #308 – Los Angeles, CA – (866) 768-2433
www.pouchdepotinc.com

This is the website where I found the Ivory Organza Wine Bottle Bags that we used for the slipper basket. We purchased the 6' x 14' size, and they were the perfect size. I don't think a smaller size would have worked for the slippers because they wouldn't have been big enough for the largest sized slippers.

Customer service was good, they shipped out quickly. The bags were exactly what we were looking for.



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INTER TRADE CORP
5716 Columbia Park Road – Cheverly, MD – (301) 773-8603/8604
www.intertradecorp.com

Thanks to a recommendation by ChrissynRicky, I found this vendor online that sells the Chinese Slippers for $1.50 each. The price was great, especially since the other slipper vendor had raised their prices. I originally wanted Chocolate Brown slippers but couldn't find them in bulk at a reasonable price anywhere … this site had them in Gold, which was another color I was using in my scheme. I was able to order only the color I wanted in all the sizes I needed, no hassles. I placed the order over the weekend, and they called on Monday to confirm everything. One of the sizes was out of stock, and they offered to split the shipment … but I ordered plenty early so I waited until they could ship them all at the same time. It was only a difference of a couple of days anyway.

Customer service was great, they shipped out quickly. The slippers were exactly what we were looking for.

The sizes do run small, so make sure you account for that when you figure out your sizes to place the order.



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DUNWOODY BOOTH PACKAGING & LABELS DIRECT
www.dunwoodybooth.com

We used this supplier to order our

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

what a thorough, great review. i love your dress, and the way you tied in your colors/theme. all of your details were beautiful. congrats! you look radiant in the pics!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

wow! what a great review! thanks for sharing! congrats and happy new year!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

wow, everything turned out absolutely beautiful!!!!! I especially love the color scheme and the DYI invitations

congratulations!!!!!!!!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

great review

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

What a wonderful review!!! You looked amazing. I love your invites, coasters, matches etc. Every detail was perfectly planned.

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

You & your wedding were beautiful!!! Congrats!!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

Congratulations on a beautiful wedding !!!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

what a great review, your details were gorgeous!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

Wow! Amazing! Congratulations and thanks so much for taking all that time to write such a detailed, lovely-to-look-at review.

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

Awesome review Jess!! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful. I loved your color scheme, and all your personal touches were unbelievable - you were definitely super bride!

You looked absolutely gorgeous, and so happy! Wishing you and George a wonderful marriage!! Take care my favorite date twin!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

I just LOVE the umbrellas you had as shower favors!!! Where did you get them?!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

What a awesome review.

You looked gorgeous and your wedding was so beautiful.

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

Awesome review. You look gorgeous! Congratulations!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

everything looks very very beautiful!!!!Congratulations!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

wow what a wonderful review. I enjoyred reading it..your invites and all your details were so beautiful...thats what makes your wedding special..

congratulations and thanks for sharing you beautiful day with us

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

absolutely gorgeous wedding!!!!!!!!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

AMAZING review...
Congrats!
It was all GORGEOUS!!!!

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

I really enjoyed reading your review! I love all of the DIY projects, they look so great. Are you still an LIW vendor?

Re: PRESHUSSMURF'S 11/10 REVIEW! (north ritz club, pedestals, déjà vu studios, spin around sound, lillette's, barrons, mia from bl, thomas knoell, linen creations, original runner co, toppers with gl

WOW that was soooome review! Very well organized and detailed! Congrats! You were a beautiful bride