Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Our Wedding Review – 9/23/04

Hi ladies and gentleman! Before I start my review, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you. You have all kept me sane throughout the planning process, not to mention my DH, who is grateful that I had a place to talk about weddings 24/7. This site has been my 2nd home. I have met so many wonderful people here. And of course, the advice, suggestions, and ideas that I have received have been priceless. Pretty much every vendor that we booked was based on recommendations by LIW brides and grooms – our wedding would have been no where near as amazing as it was without you. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I hope that I can help future brides and grooms out there as much as you’ve helped me.

And now, onto the review. *** Warning *** I am a Very wordy, detail oriented person – so, I apologize in advance for the forthcoming novel!

Our wedding day was truly our dream wedding come true. It was so much more incredible than we had ever hoped it could be. My husband and I went through the entire day beaming from ear to ear and enjoying each and every moment. Everything about our wedding was “us” – from the antique 1931 Plymouth, to our black and white wedding cake, to our first swing dance. It was a fairytale, our fairytale. I wouldn’t change a thing about it, and oddly enough, I’m not sad that it’s over – just fulfilled, with so many wonderful memories, and a wonderful life to look forward to with my husband.

Mother Nature: A+
Despite my sporadic bouts of worrying about it being too hot or raining and ruining our outdoor cocktail hour and ceremony, the weather was Perfect. I still can’t believe how lucky we were. We had sunny skies and it reached about 80 degrees. Yes, it was a bit hot in the sun taking pictures outdoors in the afternoon, but the weather for our ceremony and cocktail hour was awesome. We had a beautiful pastel colored sky for our sunset ceremony that looked like something out of a painting and a starry sky for the cocktail hour with a temperature that wasn’t too hot or too cold. Just amazing.

Audrey’s Bakery (Groom’s Cake, Wedding Cake, & Chocolate Fountain): A++
Thank you LIW for hosting that wonderful GTG where we got to meet Thomas and try out his to-die-for chocolate fountain!! I have 3 reviews for them – 1) Groom’s cake – I sent Thomas tons of pictures of my DH’s car, and the cake that he made of it was fantastic. It was so detailed and delicious!! My DH absolutely loved it, as well as the rest of our rehearsal dinner guests. 2) Wedding cake – I found a picture of a cake that we fell in love with on the internet and brought it to Thomas. He duplicated it Perfectly. It looked so incredible that some of our guests couldn’t believe it was real! And of course, it was delicious too, from the filling to the fondant! 3) Chocolate fountain – another big hit of the evening! Everyone loved it! After the reception was over, my DH and I realized that we never got to try it, so we ran over to Thomas, and he said that he was wondering when we would come over, and handed us a plateful of chocolate strawberries and marshmallows. Mmmmmmmm….now, if we could only afford a chocolate fountain for our home!!

The Capriccio Ensemble (String Quartet): A
Natalie, the manager and 1st violinist was a pleasure to work with. We had a string quartet play for the ceremony (as a violinist, this was something that I’ve always wanted). I only got to hear them play a little (there was so much to take in during the ceremony, that I barely remember any music except when I walked down the aisle), but what I heard was just beautiful. I got many compliments on how gorgeous the music was, and I look forward to watching our video so I can hear more!

Christian D’Gray (Flower Girl Dress): A- / C
I had to split this grade into two. The A- is for the dress. It came out beautifully, but, the silk flower pinned to the waist broke early in the day – however, this was probably not helped by our overly energetic FG. The C is because the dress arrived so late. I was supposed to have it more than a month before the wedding, and ended up receiving it about a week before my big day. I was a nervous wreck about it, and had back up plans in case the dress never arrived. Despite the beauty of the dress, I would not order from them again.

Dance Obsession (Dance Lessons): A++
We took lessons for about 2 months at Dance Obsession in Farmingdale. Our teacher is Lisa. She is Awesome!!! Not only is she an excellent dancer and teacher, but she is such a sweet, fun person, and also acted as my "counselor" (I usually HATE being the center of attention and was soo nervous about our first dance). We did a fox trot which then broke into a swing dance, and used 2 songs. Lisa choreographed the whole thing (with input here and there from my DH). The dance turned out to be truly amazing, all thanks to her!! While we were dancing, our guests were screaming and cheering so loud that they were deafening! People kept coming up to us all night long saying how incredible it was, even the band! Once we dig ourselves out of debt, we are definitely going to resume taking lessons with her – we can’t wait!

Dante Tuxedo: A
We worked with the owner, Mike. He was terrific! Very knowledgeable, kind, and helpful. He measured everyone perfectly, even my hard to fit cousin and grandpa. All of the guys looked terrific. I would definitely recommend them.

Elsa’s (Wedding Rings): A
Stephen was wonderful to work with - very patient and kind. My DH, who never wears jewelry and did not want to wear a ring, designed his ring with Stephen and absolutely loves it! It has a ying yang design, and really is awesome. My ring compliments my antique engagement ring beautifully.

Imagine Studios (Photo and Video): A+ (waiting for proofs and video)
From the first time I saw Lia’s photos, I knew we had to hire them. I absolutely love her work, and was so thrilled with our engagement pictures. Lia, her husband Nelson (the videographer), and Paula are all such wonderful people to work with. For the wedding we had both Lia and Paula as photographers, as well as Nelson and a second person (whose name I’m not sure of) as our videographers. They were all great to work with, gently guiding us through the day, never too pushy or in the way. (Hey, that rhymed!) I only noticed the light for the video on us a few times, but it was never imposing and in our faces. We can not wait to see our photos and video! I’ll update their review once I have everything.

Jacqueline Nicole (Makeup): A+
Jacqueline is Awesome! I knew I would love her work when I saw the beautiful wedding pictures and trials of LIW brides that used her. She is so talented, and such a wonderful person as well! I never wear makeup, and was really concerned about it feeling uncomfortable and not looking like myself. I had two trials with Jacqueline, one with regular makeup and one airbrushed, and both of them felt so light, like I wasn’t wearing makeup at all. She really worked with me to get a look that was “me” – natural, yet bridal. I loved my makeup (I went with the airbrushing) and it lasted great. She also did my Mom’s, Grandma’s, MOL, 1 BM, 1 Junior BM, and my FG’s makeup – every single one of us was so happy!

Karin Yngvesdotter (Seamstress): A+
Karin is one of my favorite vendors. She is so incredibly talented, and such a sweetheart. Every fitting was so much fun. She altered my trunk show sample wedding gown from a size 8 to probably a size 2 (yes, I’m a twig, that wishes I wasn’t). Karin also perfectly altered my swing dress which I found on eBay.

Kleinfeld
I’m not going to rate them b/c I didn’t fully use their services, but I can tell you about my experience. I bought my dress at a sample sale. My sales lady was very knowledgeable, but I did get the feeling that she was a tad pushy and heaped on compliments that might not have been 100% genuine. I purchased my dress, and since it was a sample sale, had to bring it home with me that day. They did not store or alter it for me. The lady that I worked with to pick out my veil, tiara, and earrings was terrific. She really helped me pull everything together and was very nice and down to earth. Unfortunately, I don’t remember either of their names. But, I would say that I had a very good experience there.

LA Blossom (Florist): A+
Laurie is such an artist. She is so creative and really stays on top of the latest styles and ideas. She met with us a few times at our home, and had sample bouquets both times, as well as a slew of pictures. She even brought two centerpieces to our hall so we could see how they looked there and choose what we liked best! That really impressed me. Not to mentioned the countless emails and flower pictures that we sent back and forth. My bouquet was beautiful, from the gorgeous arrangement of white, ivory, and pale pink roses, dotted with freesia and waxflower, right down to the cluster of 4 little pearl pins that adorned the silk wrapping the stems. Although I was too busy to take a close look and fully appreciate them that day, from the glimpses that I got, the bridesmaids’ bouquets, FG basket, corsages, boutonnières, and centerpieces were all beautiful too! Laurie delivered on every detail that I asked for, from the votive candles, to the two gorgeous black magic roses for the rose ceremony, to the rose petals decorating the tables, bordering the aisle, and filling the rose petal cones. And she is such a sweetheart too!

Lillettes (BM and MOB Dresses): A
I worked with Geri; she is so nice, knowledgeable and knew just what styles would flatter me. Although I didn’t buy my dress there, b/c I felt I could trust her and their service, we bought our BM dresses and the MOB dress there. We never had any problems. The dresses were all altered beautifully. The store sometimes was extremely busy – but I can’t fault them for that!

My Uncle (Hairstylist): A+
My uncle has been a hairstylist for many years, so I always knew who would style my hair on my wedding day. I absolutely Love how my hair turned out (I basically just verbally described an idea to him, and he nailed it perfectly), and it lasted until I took out all the many hairpins at our wedding night hotel. He also did my Mom’s hair, my MOL, 1 BM, 1 Junior BM, and the FG – everyone looked amazing.

NYC Swing (Band): A++
One word - Awesome. They were one of the major highlights of our wedding. We worked with Steve Shane, one of the band’s managers, and the drummer, who is a genuinely nice guy and an incredible musician. Out of all of the bands that we heard, they were in a class of their own, and had a huge swing music repertoire which was a perfect match for our swing themed wedding. For the cocktail hour we had a trumpet player who played and sang in the style of Louis Armstrong accompanied by a guitarist. They were amazing, especially “Louis.” We had a 12 piece band – I can not compliment them enough. In addition to being phenomenal musicians and entertainers, they truly Love what they do – they have so much fun when they play, and that energy is felt by everyone who watches them. For our first dance, we wove 2 songs together, the beginning of “Cheek to Cheek” and the beginning and end of “Sing, Sing, Sing” – we had a choreographed dance that changed from a fox trot to a swing dance. I was really nervous about the band playing it right and was tempted to use the CD that we made, b/c being even a beat off would have thrown off our dance, but they were Absolutely Perfect. I am still in awe over this. It was absolutely amazing. They were definitely worth every penny, and more. My husband and I danced all night long; so did our guests, who continue to rave about how incredible they were.

Old Westbury Gardens (Pre Ceremony Photo Location): A
Yes, it was expensive, but so worth it. The gardens were just beautiful, and the lady who worked at the gardens who accompanied us the entire time was fantastic! I wish I could remember her name. She was so sweet and helpful, holding my bouquet, taking our FG to the ladies room – I wish she could have stayed with us for the whole day!

Reverend Janine Burns: A++
She allowed and helped us customize our ceremony so that it said everything we wanted it to say. On the day of the wedding she was so calming and wonderful. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and you could truly tell how much she loves what she does. I received so many compliments on how terrific she was and how beautiful the ceremony was. I am so glad we chose her.

Riviera: A+
The Staff - We worked with mostly Michelle and Robert Jay, and got to meet Vicki closer to our wedding day. They were all always very sweet and answered all of this paranoid bride’s questions with patience and kindness.

Robert Jay was our maitre d’ – he was fantastic! He was on top of everything, and so calming. I was so comforted to have him as our maitre d’ b/c of how nice, professional, and competent he was whenever we met with him, and b/c of all of the wonderful reviews that I had heard about him. I knew he would do a terrific job, and he did. We had Megan as our bridal attendant. She was very sweet and brought us food and drinks to tide us over before the ceremony after our long photo session at the gardens. After the ceremony, she brought food to our bridal suite from the cocktail hour for my DH and I to eat before we joined our guests. From what I remember, she checked on us a few times during the reception.

The Food –Everyone I have spoken to Loved the food! Both of our families can be tough critics, and they all couldn’t get over how great everything was, from the cocktail hour to the dessert! We added a pasta station and fresh seafood station at the cocktail hour that were big hits. The entrees that got the most raves were the Chateau Briand and the Duck. I was also told that the bartenders were very good, and very nice.

The Hall/Location – I received so many compliments on how beautiful and different the Riviera was, from the warm and charming hall, to its gorgeous location right on the water. (Why is precisely why we chose it!)

Roslyn Claremont Hotel (Wedding Night): C
We got one of their standard rooms. The hotel was pretty but our room was only okay. My DH ordered flowers which were supposed to be waiting for us when we arrived. They forgot to put them out; DH had to call them the next morning at which point they finally brought them to our room. Their late night menu is very small and unimpressive. We ordered two expensive, not so amazing sandwiches.

Royalty Limos: B
They had a huge selection of cars. We chose their Bonnie and Clyde style 1931 Plymouth and their Cadillac CTS limo. They were very prompt, and the cars were clean. The air conditioner in the Plymouth didn’t work very well (which would have been really unbearable on a very hot day), and when we were running late, the drivers were noticeably agitated. However, our driver was very nice to my DH and I.

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Some of the details that made our day special:

1) Slipper Basket – I bought about 35 slippers, packaged them in ivory organza bags, made size tags, and put them in a big basket with a note in the ladies’ room – they were a HUGE hit – everyone loved them, and they were all gone very early in the reception. I should have bought more!

2) Photo Guest Book – We bought an awesome black cloth album with black pages from Kolo, white gel pens, and had our guests take their pics with a Polaroid camera, attach it to the guest book and sign. Very cool.

3) Poster Boards with Pictures – at first I was afraid that this would turn out tacky, but they were so much fun to look at, and everyone loved them. We had two tri fold poster boards set out in the foyer on easels. One had tons pictures of my DH as a baby and growing up; the other had pics of me. They really turned out great.

4) I made the programs and petal cones to compliment aspects of our ceremony. The programs were made with vellum, pressed petal paper (an idea from a LIW bride), and rose colored tassels to go with the outdoor garden ceremony. The rose petal cones were made with sheet music of Pachebel’s Canon in D Major, the song I have always loved, which is what I walked down the aisle to. Here's a link to some ceremony ideas, such as the Rose Exchange and Hand Blessing - they both were so touching and had our guests in tears.

5) For the reception, I made everything to go with our swing theme – the place cards and framed table names used swing styles fonts and ivory and black paper. Each table was named after a swing song. The favors were CDs full of our favorite swing songs, designed with lots of our engagement photos, wrapped in sheet music for “It Don’t Mean a Thing.”

6) The biggest hits, as I mentioned in my review, was our incredible band, the cocktail hour jazz duet, our first foxtrot/swing dance, and the chocolate fountain.

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My advice to future brides and grooms:

Make the wedding day Yours. Don’t worry about everyone else’s opinions. Choose each and every aspect of your day to suit your tastes and style – you will end up with your fairytale wedding, a personalized day celebrating the love that you share that you will always remember.

Take everything step by step. Planning a wedding can definitely be an overwhelming experience, but when you take it one step at a time, it becomes so much more manageable. Enjoy your planning, it will go by fast! And when your special day comes, don’t focus on the need for it to be “perfect” – this day is all about celebrating your marriage with your loved ones, it is your day to shine, don’t let anything get you down, and be sure to treasure and enjoy each and every moment.

Brides – you Will be a beautiful bride. No matter what shape or size you are, or what imperfections you think you have, you will be radiantly beautiful on your wedding day. Why? Because you are marrying the man of your dreams, and the joy that you have and the love that you share will make you positively glow.

Happy planning, everyone!

Message edited 2/3/2005 9:44:59 PM.

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Thank You for such a detailed review!! you looked wonderful - and I think I may have gotten a few ideas from you! (Where did you get the slippers??)

I'm glad your day was a success....

CONGRATS!!!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Jessica - great review! You were the most beautiful bride that I have ever seen on her wedding day! So happy and confident in yourself. Your first dance was an amazing one that I will NEVER forget!

Riviera brides - Yes, the food was great! And the cake from Audrey's was unbelievable... it really was delicious!

It truly was an amazing day and congratulations again!! Love ya!

ETA: Love those pics!!

Message edited 10/8/2004 11:37:31 AM.

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Congratulations! You were beautiful...I love your cake! Gorgeous!!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

congratulations!
Loved the review and your pictures, you looked gourgeous and it looks like it was a very beautiful wedding! you and dh look very happy.
Dh and me had the same car and same driver!!! he was a sweetheart!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Congrats! You looked beautiful! Thanks for the great review!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Congratulations! What a great review and lovely pictures. Can't wait to see your proofs.

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Congrats!! You looked amazing, I love your cake!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

congrats...
your pics are amazing!!!
everything sounded wonderful!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Congratulations on your wedding day! I love all of the details you worked into the wedding!

Could you tell me a little more about your polaroid photo book? I was thinking of doing this too, but did you have to assign someone to help take photos of guests and refill the film when it ran out? Or did you leave this to your guests to do?

Did the guests write their note to you right on the polaroid? Did you find that some guests didn't take polaroids?

Thanks for posting such a thorough review. You looked beautiful!

Danielle

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

You looked beautiful!!! I LOVE the pic of your DH jumping over your head!! I wish I could have seen that in person (I love to watch people dance)

Can't wait to see your proofs. Congratulations!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Your pictures are wonderful! You and your DH looked terrific! I love the pictures at the garden and the first dance pictures were so cute! Thank you for your detailed review. Congrats to you and your DH!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Oh Man, Jessica - What a BEAUTIFUL day!!!!!!!!!

You looked so gorgeous as a bride, and I'm so happy for you.

Congratulations!

PS: Oh - and I'm glad your Mom found a dress she loved!

Message edited 10/8/2004 12:46:07 PM.

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Great review!!!! Congrats!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Beautiful pics and awesome review!!!

Thanks for the advice!!!

Enjoy being a Mrs.!!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Thank You for such a detailed reveiw your wedding day sounded like a true fairytale CONGRATULATIONS

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

What a wonderful review and an even better wedding day! Congrats!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

What a wonderful review!! Thank you so much for sharing your day with us and congratulations!!!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Congratulations. Great detailed review. I loved your pictures. You can really tell that you both were truly enjoying your day.

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Omyword! Your energy comes through in every photo. LOVE the dance pix, your cake, your look and your ideas. Especially that photo book as sign-in (good ques. re: whether someone manned the polaroid or not. I think the guests wrote on the black sheets in the white pen, though, yes?...in answer to the posted question). Congratulazione!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

May I suggest that a large part of your wonderful day (aside from the stunning bride, great, band ;), handsome groom) etc, was the product of your wonderful joyous approach a terrific attitude. How could anyone feeling your amazing vibe not have a great time?

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

How beautiful everything looked!!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Wow...what a wonderful review! You and your day look amazing and so special. I love the details you put into it. Thank you for posting them and your review. It really screams that you made the day yours.

Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Thank you all so much for your sweet replies and compliments!!

There have been a few questions regarding the slipper basket and photo guest book, so I'll answer them here:

Slipper Basket
I don't have a picture of it yet, but am hoping that the photographer took one. I definitely splurged on the slippers. I found really soft ones with a full (not open) heel, and fabric-like bottom at a local K Mart that was going out of business and had everything on sale. Slippers here were probably around $3.75 each or so. But, I had to go to other K Marts for more sizes, and I think the retail price was $4 or $5 each. Much more than I wanted to spend, but I fell in love with those darn slippers! I bought an assortment of sizes and colors.

When I was doing my slipper research, other brides got theirs for cheap and in bulk from dollardays. Bunnymonkey also suggested China Town - a wonderful idea!

I put a note on the basket that said "Comfy Slippers, For Unhappy Feet, So you can dance all night long." I was hoping that only the ladies with sore feet would take them, but I think people took them even if their feet were quite happy.

Photo Guest Book
We bought a black Newport Kolo album with black pages. I made a sign with instructions that dictated the three steps (take a picture, attach it with photo mounts, and sign). People attached the pictures, and then signed next to it with a white gel pen so it would show up on the black paper. We also left refill packages of film out. From what I heard, at certain times, members of our BP were calling people over to take pictures and sign - I think they may have even taken pictures of guests for them.

Not everyone signed, but lots of people did. A few people took photos, but forgot to sign for whatever reason.

It would definitely be beneficial to have someone designated to direct people to the guest book, and help them take the picture, etc. If you can find someone at your hall to do that, if you have a wedding coord., or a helpful friend or family member, definitely go for it!

I hope this was helpful! If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to ask!

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May I suggest that a large part of your wonderful day (aside from the stunning bride, great, band ;), handsome groom) etc, was the product of your wonderful joyous approach a terrific attitude. How could anyone feeling your amazing vibe not have a great time?

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Re: Our 9/23/04 Wedding Review w/ Pics (Riviera, LA Blossom, JN, Imagine, NYC Swing & More!)

Gorgeous! I'm glad you think the gardens was worth it....I was a little hesitant about paying so much! I love the way you have your veil....do you have anymore closeups of the veil and where did you get it? Congrats and best wishes!