MrsMadness
Board Fanatic
Member since 4/04 250 total posts
Wedding Date:
5/7/2005 3:00 PM
Wed. Location:
The Riviera
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May 7th Riviera Review - Some 12th Night Proofs Added to Page 3
I am a frequent lurker and a much less frequent poster, but I received so much help from liweddings that I feel I owe it to future brides to review the wonderful vendors that I used. If anyone has any questions about any vendor, please feel free to FM me.
Reception hall – The Riviera
When I walked into the Riviera for the first time with my mother she said, “You’re going to have your wedding here.” She just knew and so did I. Throughout the whole process they were understanding and receptive to my questions and needs. Michelle was my BM, but along the way I spoke to and received help from nearly every employee that worked there. I had many DIY projects that I dropped off with them the week of the wedding, and I was unsure of how everything would turn out. When I walked into the hall the night of my wedding I have to say I was blown away. They set up my votive placecard holders along with family wedding photos and my memorial candle in the entrance way and it just looked beautiful. When I walked up into the bridal suite and looked down onto the hall, I nearly cried. It was exactly as I envisioned. The staff set up my favors and menus better than I instructed, and the chair covers just really made the hall. I did not eat that much at cocktail hour because DH and I decided we wanted to use our time to greet as many guests as we could, but the few things I did eat (lamb chops and eggplant rollatini) were delicious. Everyone I spoke to said they enjoyed the food at cocktail hour. Then came the appetizer (tomato and mozzarella) which was also great. The one little thing that went wrong was that I chose to have a pasta course (penne a la vodka) and instead of that they gave everyone an intermezzo. However, they did add the pasta station to the cocktail hour. In the big scheme of things, it didn’t matter at all, I was just a little annoyed because I had put penne a la vodka on the menus that I printed. No big deal, I did not let it bother me at all. For our entrees we chose the chateau briand, duck, stuffed flounder, and chicken princess. We were served all four, and everything was excellent (my personal favorite was the flounder, although I really liked the duck also). Afterwards we had cake and the mini-viennese with the chocolate fountain! BIG HIT, and included at no extra charge. I know that it was very crowded in the small cocktail hour room during CH and Viennese, but I don’t think anyone was really bothered by it. I had many guests for the hall (181 in total) so if you are having a smaller wedding there, you have nothing to worry about. Also, it was supposed to rain all day, and luckily the rain held out, but it was a little too cold to sit outside for cocktail hour. However, many people (especially the smokers) migrated out there throughout the night. Our Maitre D’ was Jennifer and our bridal attendant was Megan. Let me say I had nothing to worry about. Megan was especially excellent. She took care of Chris and I EVERY SECOND, and we never went without a drink. We are so happy that we chose the Riviera, everything was so perfect and so many guests have called after the wedding to tell us how wonderful and beautiful everything was. For the price we paid for a Saturday night wedding in May, I have absolutely no regrets. I can’t wait to go to another wedding there!
Band – The Times Square Orchestra
All I can say is WOW! Before we booked TSO we looked at Code Bleu and Full House, both which we had heard before and both which we loved. However, a year ahead of time they were already booked for our date. Let me say how lucky we were that TSO was open for our date. I first heard about them from a former LIWeddings bride (for which I am very grateful!) and the second we heard them play, Chris and I knew they were the right band for us. In the weeks and months leading to the wedding, Mary Anne (the manager and singer) contacted me and got me ready for the big day. I can honestly say that I did not need a day of coordinator because Mary Anne talked me through all the details not only of the band, but of the whole reception and even my church ceremony. Her advise was invaluable and I am so grateful for all of her help. On the night of the wedding, they were AWESOME! From the end of the first song, to the last song of the night, people were on the floor the entire time. Every singer that they have did an excellent time, and I just really have to say how professional they are. Without hesitation I would book them again in a heartbeat, regardless of price (and mind you they were VERY reasonable).
Cake - Black Forest Bakery
I originally was going to go with the cake provided, but then I found a picture I liked and decided to contact the bakery to see if they could do it. I went to meet with them, brought a picture of the cake and everything was set! May 7th was also one of my Junior BMs birthdays, so I decided to suprise her with a cake and black forest had no problem making that also. The cake looked great, just how I had asked, and from what I remember tasted good to! It was not worth it to me to go to another bakery since the Riviera includes the cake, and I am really glad that I stuck with Black Forest.
Flowers – Flowers by Lorraine aka Bayview Florist
The Riviera gives you a flower budget at one of their house florists, so it was not worth if for me to find a different florist. I met with Lorraine last August and I felt she gave me a fair deal for low rose centerpieces (18 per, all red) along with all of our personal flowers (boquets, bouts, corsages, church arrangements). When I contacted her in February she had merged with Bayview Florist but was still honoring our contract. At that time I decided to add 6 more roses to each centerpiece. In the end the flowers ended up beautifully and were delivered in time with no problems. I only have one complaint; when I first went for a quote, I did not book right away. I misplaced the original contract, and when I went back to book, I had a few changes and she fixed the contract. To my own fault I did not look it over close enough, and rose petals for the church were not included on the new (and final contract). When I drove out to pay my final payment the week of the wedding, I brought a box of rose petal cones for her to fill. She acted shocked and said they were not included on the contract. I asked her if there was anything she could do for me and she said she could fill them for an extra hundred dollars. Considering that I had already given her a good amount of business, had not haggled her for any prices, and had upgraded quite a few things, I was insulted that she did not throw the petals in for free (especially since many other brides received this from their florist.) However, it was my own fault that I did not insist on it being in the contract. I just felt that it was bad business not to offer that to me. Overall though, the flowers were beautiful and exactly how I imagined.
Photographer – 12th Night
What can I say that hasn’t already been said. This was another find that I got from liweddings and to this point I couldn’t be happier. Our e-photos were with Dom and he was of course great. The day of the wedding we had Geraldine for 10 hours, and Mike for 5 hours. They were both prompt, kind and funny. Although my face hurt from smiling at the end, I am positive that we will have beautiful pictures. I have yet to get the proofs so I cannot give a complete review, but I definitely felt comfortable and I know we were in good hands. Again, they directed me through getting prepared, arriving at church, and taking pictures before the reception, and were so thorough that I had no need for a day of coordinator. ETA: The proofs are AMAZING. I am adding some on page 3. Also we are in the process of doing our albums, so if anyone has any questions, FM me.
Video – Mittermax
When I booked with 12th Night, they recommended Mittermax and after seeing the demo we booked Travis on the spot. Again, he was professional, laid back, and great. Even though he is really tall and hard to miss, we really didn’t feel like he was intruding or even there at all. He arrived early and stayed late and I am just positive that he did a great job. On top of that he was a really nice guy. Of course I don’t have my video yet, but he was shooting pretty much non-stop so I am sure he captured exactly what I’d want. ETA: Travis is THE MAN. He even delivered the video to our house. We went for the groomsmen sequence (similar to reservoir dogs) and it is HYSTERICAL. I love our video. Not cheesy, not too formal. Perfect for me!
Bagpiper - Kevin Connolly (sp?)
Another liweddings recommendation. I wanted to surprise Chris with this as he thinks bagpipers are "really cool." He played before and after the ceremony, was easy to deal with and sounded great! FM for contact info!
Limos – Royalty
This was our easiest decision. We walked in, spoke to Manny, looked around the showroom and booked. We got a discount for having our reception at the Riviera and were able to get the cars we wanted. The drivers arrived at my house and at Chris’ early, and were very professional. They knew exactly where they were going and I really just let them direct me (pretty much all the way down the aisle!) The limos were clean (we had booked the Navigator but they upgraded us to the Escalade, and had a 4-person Rolls also) and were stocked with champagne and liquor. Everything was great. On the way home we had a black stretch limo (not sure what type) and the driver was very patient waiting for us to leave the Riviera. He even drove us back to my parent’s house to pick up my car keys before bringing us to the Garden City Hotel
Wedding Night – Garden City Hotel
I always loved the GCH and it was my dream to spend my wedding night there. I was not disappointed at all. My parents paid for the hotel room, and it was wonderful. It was so cool to show up in my wedding dress and Chris in his tux and have everyone wish us congratulations. It was exciting when they called us “Mr. And Mrs. …” On top of that, the room was very nice. We didn’t have a suite (I didn’t think it was worth it for the amount of time we were there) but our bed was huge and everything was impeccable. I am so happy we started our married life there!
Pictures – Old Westbury Gardens
We had a three hour gap between the ceremony and reception so we needed a place to take pictures. Diana at OWG was very accommodating and the grounds are just beautiful. We went to the box garden, the walled garden and one other location, and the flowers were beautiful. I really felt like I was in a European Mansion. I don’t know how the pictures turned out yet, but I am happy we spent the extra money to have them taken there.
Invitations – Mary at Paper and Ink Studio
The final product turned out beautifully, but what heartache I went through to finally get them! This vendor was recommended to me by my date twin Laura1976, because I couldn’t find the “different” type of invite I was looking for. Mary, the designer and owner was very nice and extremely creative, but we had a hard time finalizing the paper that would be used. As a result, my invites came later than I had wanted, and Mary ended up refunding me $100 for the tardiness and lack of communication. I also ended up having two different forms of the invite. Many people commented on how nice and unique they were, and they were exactly as I had imagined. It was the process that gave me the most stress in the whole wedding process. However, in Mary’s defense she was just beginning her business, and made amends for any errors. I would recommend her (and have).
Computer Calligraphy - Inkspun
Bill is another gem. My turnaround was like one day and he was totally accepting that I come to his beautiful house to pick them up. Great guy, great product, totally worth the trip and the money!
Bridal Gown and BM Dresses – Lillette’s
The ladies there are just wonderful. I found my dress the first day I went looking and Pat was so wonderful in helping me. All the girls ordered their dresses their also, and everything had arrived by the end of February. Francesca did my alterations and she was so sweet as well. My mom and my MIL ordered their dresses their painlessly as well. Wonderful service!
Veil and Tiara – Barron’s
Thank you LIW for introducing me to this place. I think I paid 180 for both and they were just perfect.
Rehearsal Dinner – Angelina’s in Lynbrook
Chris’ parents picked this place and they were great. Food and service were excellent and we had a separate room. The cake they gave us was great and really pretty also. FM for pricing. Definitely a great start to the wedding weekend.
Groom’s Cake – Audrey’s Bakery
Tom is a wonderful man! I communicated with him pretty much all through email and he gave me exactly what I wanted. The cake was in the shape of a baseball jersey, half yankee half met with our last name and 05 written on the back. It ended up being a lot less than I expected to pay and everyone loved it. Tom was so wonderful that he even offered to deliver it himself when I mentioned that I might drive out to Sayville (from Valley Stream) to pick it up. Definitely recommend!
Hair - Kristen at the Hair Company
This is my long time hair dresser who did my hair, my mom's and my sister's. The rest of my BP also went there to have theirs done by other stylists. Everyone was excellent. All the girls had very different styles, and all the styles lasted all night long. This place is in Franklin Square and is very reasonable. Definitely look them up.
Makeup- Oksana
What can I say that hasn't been said before - she is awesome! What a calming presence and a talented artist. She did my makeup beautifully, as well as four other girls.
Little extras – Ebay, paper and more, old school seals
I ordered our RD invites from a vendor named Sabrinah Chan and they came quickly and were really cute. Very inexpensive also. I also ordered little stickers to close our favor envelopes from another vendor, and that service was great also (FM for name – I can’t remember). I ordered paper for menus and programs, as well as vellum paper and vellum envelopes from paperandmore.com and the quality and service were great. I got the idea for the faux wax seals from a former liwedding bride and ordered from old school seals. Fast service and a nice touch.
Dance Lessons - Starr Dance Studio, Huntington
Chris and I did not know any traditional dances. I wanted to do lessons so that our first dance would be more of a sway. THe owner Harry was our instructor. THe lessons were a bit expensive, but I think they were worth it. It was an hour a week where we were together, actually doing something other than watching tv, eating, etc. In my opinion it was a nice experience to bring us together. Now granted, we didn't end up as Ginger Rogers or Fred Astaire, but we can do a little fox trot now. I recommend Harry, she is a doll.
Thank you cards - Photo Card Creations
I had so many proofs I loved that I could not choose only one. I saw another liweddings bride post a link to the Photo Card Creations website and I loved what I saw. I emailed four pics, and they sent me in the mail four different samples of a collage. I loved the final product, it came quickly and I have received so many compliments on them. Highly recommend! Not cheap, but 12th Night doesn't give you thank yous, so I thought it was worth a little extra money to have something I loved.
Ideas, advice, support – LIWeddings
Although I really don’t post often, I got so many great ideas from this site. I made my own programs, menus and votive holders thanks to tips from past and present brides. Chris made the photo cube for me and it is still one of my favorite things. Instead of favors we did donations, and we got the bookmark idea from here also. We also added lotto favors at the end, and they ended up being a hit. I made the little “lucky in love” card myself, because I couldn’t see spending an extra $180 for that and they turned out really cute.
All in all, my wedding was an absolute dream. Chris and I both have said that everything was better than we ever imagined. I especially thank my liweddings brides soontobekunz, amy0405, and eogara who were there to share with me and help me along the way. All of their weddings were absolutely beautiful as well and we had tough acts to follow. They are wonderful people who gave me so much support and inspiration as I lived vicariously through their posting! Thank you! On top of that I must say I had a wonderful MOH in my sister, and my BMs were amazing as well. I couldn’t have done it without their calming influence.
Our honeymoon isn’t until the end of the school year, so I will review that when we return (San Fran, Hawaii cruise, Vegas). Also, we had my Bach Party in Vegas in Feb which was awesome if anyone has any questions about that.
My advice to future brides; ENJOY EVERY SECOND! It sounds cliché that it flies by, but it really does. Chris and I stayed together the entire night, and it was the most wonderful, most magical experience ever. You are the royal couple for the day – enjoy it together!
Ok, I think that’s all. If I forgot anything I will post as I remember, and I will send a link to pictures later in the day when I get home.
Thank you!
Jenn
ETA: hair, makeup, inkspun, bakery, bagpiper
Message edited 11/19/2005 5:27:37 PM.
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