April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

NO PICS ARE WORKING!!!!!!!!! I COULD CRY!!!!!!!!!!! ill fix at some point, now i wanna throw the computer!

1st...these are all non-pro pics, havent gotten the proofs yet

Mother Nature: C-
It rained....but didn’t pour. And we were able to take like 5 pics outside when we got the reception, so I cant completely complain! The weather on the day of the wedding was better than the snow storm at my shower, so that’s good!

Church
St. Barnabas: A
Fr. Anthony married us. He was so wonderful to work with. He didn’t know DH and I well, but gave a fabulous sermon and answered all my questions up to and on the day of the wedding. Of course the “donation” was there, but it was average for churches. We didnt need to do church flowers b/c it was the week after Easter, and their flowers were BEAUTIFUL..couldnt have done it any better.






Milleridge Cottage: A+
Nadine was out Banquet Manager. She was very helpful. I felt like I was a bit of a bother for her when we spoke over e-mail or on the phone, but in person she was a doll...so maybe it was just my interpretation and not how she was really acting.
Our Maitre D was Stephen. He was good. Came right up to us as soon as we got there. We were running a bit late, so he extended the CH for 15 min’s to make sure everyone arrived. He didn’t really attend to the parents too much, but was pretty good with DH and I.
I honestly forget the Bridal Attendant’s name...I didn’t see her too much, but I was running around a lot, so I don’t think that was a fault of her.
A few minor problems;
When we showed up DH noticed right away that his last name was spelled VERY wrong on the sign at the Milleridge entrance. I of course had a big problem with this and mentioned it to the Maitre D right away, but I don’t think it was ever changed.
When we left the reception hall, the servers did a good job at rounding everything up for us...BUT we didn’t know until later that they packed out toasting flutes and cake and trowel etc, in the bags in the box BUT NEVER WASHED THEM. So they SMELLED when we got them out the next day.
We had a sign in board, and wanted it in a place where people would see it right away to SIGN it, but they had it in such an obscure spot that no one saw it. DH asked the Maitre D to move it, but it just ended up in another bad place....subsequently, barely anyone signed it, which bummed us out a lot!
However, the cake was GREAT! and looekd beautiful, my florist did the flowers, and the vieneese (SP?) hour was amazing and everyone was raving over it!



http://www.liweddings.com/community/album/?ID=2849&SID=11&P=46302




David’s Bridal: A
They were very helpful. Kept implying I was preggers b/c I needed a dress so quickly, but nothing but nice and accommodating.



Mother Dress - Bridal Garden: A
Great with my mother. SOO helpful. They did my mothers alterations and alterations for my dress. Everything came out very well. My mom decided last minute she wanted a different dress and got it from Nordstorms, but the Bridal Garden had nothing to do with that. Either way, my mother looked stunning and felt fabulous and thats all the matters!



Classic Transportation: A+++++++
We decided to go with a trolley instead of traditional limos. I worked with Christine to book everything and WHAT A DOLL! When we first went to view the trolley she sat there for like ½ an hour just discussing things with us. Then one of the drivers showed up and gave us a ride in the trolley to check it out.
Day of the wedding - There were a few problems. The trolley was on time 100%...but on the way to the reception from the church, it began to overheat. The driver was FABULOUS (John). I had no idea anything was wrong until I heard my FIL mentioned it to my MIL. We just had the heat on a bit and opened a few windows and we were fine. Then the trolley was supposed to p/u guests from the hotel and bring them to the reception. The trolley held out for this as well. By the time we were ready to leave the reception and go back to the hotel with all the guests, I said I didn’t care that we got back in as long as we got back, expecting a bus or something...but they rushed and got the other trolley to bring us back. They handled it VERY well!
My BM's decorated the trolley before we left for the church and it look sooo cute! The limo co supplied us with 2 bottles of champ. and beer and glasses for us to toast when we got onto the trolley from the church. They were realyl just wonderful!





Flowers: A+
My neighbor did my flowers and did such a beautiful job! Nothing else to say...but they were beautiful in person and in pics. Exactly what I wanted. I can give anyone her info if they want it, just FM.
She did the boks, bouts, garland on the Milleridge staircase, and pew bows.




I am having my Bok's preserved and made into wreaths for DH and I as well and a small one for both sets of parents. I dont have them yet, but have seen her work and know they will come out BEAUTIFULLY!

RENEGADE!!!: A+++++++++++++
OMG....From start to finish they were AMAZING. DH heard their DVD and said that’s our band. We booked them having never heard them live b/c we live out of state. I went to see them after booking with my mother and they were FABULOUS. If EVERYTHING else went wrong the day of the wedding, and I had them as my band, the day would have been a success! The wedding was an afternoon wedding, and not 1 person was sitting down, everyone was rocking out on the dance floor. So many people got business cards to use them for their own events.



Photographer - Krammer Photography: B+-A
I used Krammer from NJ b/c my Brother and SIL used them and they were top notch. I put a mixed grade b/c maybe I will be pleasantly surprised when I get my proofs next week. They were pretty pricey #1. I think DH and I made the mistake of saying we wanted to be at our CH. Pics were good at my house b4 the wedding ( I DESPERATELY wanted outdoor pics but couldn’t have those) but the pics inside are great Im sure. And from what I know of DH’s pics they prob came out nice. But there were 2 little problems. 1 - When we got the reception it wasn’t raining so DH and I were able to take a few pics outside and I said over and over please get the BP out here to take pics and the photographer kept saying, don’t worry about it just go in to your CH and wouldn’t take them...I wish I had been more persistent, but that it fault of my own. 2 - I handed him our rings and invite as soon as he got to my house, and as far as I know never took pics of them. He kept saying, oh I’ll take pics of them with DH holding them...but he never did that. SO maybe I will be surprised when I see the proofs, but right now I am prepared to go to the studio with invite and cleaned rings in hand and say here ya go, snap away! They did our e-pics and they were amazing, so heres a shot to see till I get proofs!



Holiday Inn Plainview: A+++
I have to say I had 1 bridezilla moment and it was with the woman who coordinated our blocking of rooms...and I greatly apologized. I blocked 20 rooms b/c she said that was the max she could do to start. Well as they began to book up like 5 mos before the wedding I called to block more rooms and she said, there are no more available rooms, I don’t remember ever telling you you could only block 20. I LOST IT. I wanted the HIP b/c they had the bar there, a bridal suite for DH and I and it was a nice hotel. Well like 2 weeks later DH called and spoke with her and she did everything she could to get me more rooms and managed to get all the rooms I needed plus more. We went back to the HIP bar (Monroes) after the wedding. Had a great time. They had a DJ earlier and a band later (no RENEGADE, but it was music!!) Drinks were super expensive, and the bartender a bit of a jerk. But we had a GREAT TIME!

Videographer - VideoGuy: A
I wasnt going to do a videographer, but decided I might regret it if I didnt, and I was sooo right. Looking back I barely remember anything, even though DH and I made such an effort to take several steps back to observe and let it all in. I am so excited to see the video. He captured so much and we barely knew he was there. AMAZING

Mens Warehouse: B
Ok, so b/c I needed a new dress, this messed up the tuxes a bit. They were great when we initially ordered. Then my dress switched from white to ivory, so we needed to switch the tux shirts and vests (b/c the didn’t have and ivory vest in the one we had originally ordered.) This presented as a problem b/c the guys tuxes came in like 1 ½ months prior to the wedding (not they we complained), but they had to add the other shirt and vests and ship them separately. They kept messing up though and some guys got the right ones and some didn’t. DH stayed on top of that to make sure everything came in, but thank god he did or I fear we would have had problems! Then a few guys shirts/vests didn’t fit, but they were able to get them in time, the day before the wedding. AND the guys looked HOT!



Invitations/Calligraphy - Follow Your Heart (Vendor on LIW): A
She was fabulous to work with! I got beautiful invites and a stress free ordering process. We also had the calligraphy done by her daughter. They looked amazing and it was 1$ per set (for laser printed calligraphy) of envelopes which was very reasonable. They looked great. Only complaint was that we got back way fewer envelopes than we gave her, but they ordered more envelopes for free to us and thank god we did b/c we needed them!

Makeup: Lisa (FM for info)
She was the sweetest woman I could have asked for to be there the morning of the wedding. She charged $75/pp, same for me..and did such a fabulous job and did everyone makeup just as they asked for it.

Hair - Maria Concours D’Elegance: A++++
Maria did 2 trials for me. The first I had I just didn’t love, so I went back to her closer to the wedding and re-did my trial. I asked that she try my hair ½ up and she did a fabulous job. Then she wanted to make sure I ruled out all up, and without any problem she did the most FABULOUS up do I have ever had. I broke out in hives the morning of the wedding, so decided on the ½ up...but both were sooo great I could barely decide. She also did hair for 3 other BM’s and they looked BEAUTIFUL and the girls loved it!

Shoes - Shoe Boutique: B
B/c of my new dress, I needed short shoes b/c I didn’t have much play with the length. They special ordered me shoes I liked and got them in and dyed perfectly. My mother also got her shoes there, and they were helpful, but rude at times to deal with. The woman there (I don’t know her name) was great and nice as could be, but the men were lacking in the customer service field (and they was more than on just 1 occasion).

Veils - Tri-County: A
I found the ceremony veil I wanted at Lillettes, but refused to spend 250 on it. I wanted a cathedral veil with sparkles that wasn’t too puffy. I had Tri-county make it and they did a fabulous job. The veil I wore for my reception was actually cut from my mothers veil. They goodness she had a lot of veil from her wedding that was in good condition though, b/c they messed the first one up. They did the second with no cost to us and did a wonderful job!

Tiara - Lillettes Bridal Salon: C
Ok, there was only 1 tiara for me....I saw it and fell in love with the antique look and found no other tiara like it. I wear it to this day (doing dishes etc) all the time, I LOOOVE IT. It was pricey and the sales persons were VERY rude to my mother. Had I been able to find the tiara elsewhere I would have b/c they said awful and mean things to her. But the tiara itself was wonderful!




Jewelry - One of the vendors in Tri-County, don’t know which: A++++
Ok, so I wore my great-great grandmothers necklace that my mother had worn to her wedding. At this jeweler we had it plated in white gold and had a mold created to match the necklace (which had been hand done) and make earrings. A set of earnings came back but the jeweler was not happy and had them re-done without being asked and they were stunning. I loved having those be something old and new.



Favors A+++ (I give myself a lot of credit for these!)

BlissWeddingsMarket.com: A
We did CD favors and got the CD case from Bliss. They were not expensive and she shipment came through exactly as should and very shortly after the ordered was placed.

Paperandmore.com - A+++
They are a little company, but I was able to get the velum that I used throughout many wedding projects through them when I could not find another place to buy in bulk anywhere. They were so nice and the order came in right after it was placed and it was perfect.



Bag Piper - A+++
As i mentioned earlier, the weather was NOT good....but that Bagpiper, he just played and played, and sounded great. DH LOOOVED IT!



Other Touches:

I placed photo albums of some memories on each table with the people at the table. Let me tell you everone LOOVED them. It was such a personal touch and something that everyone noticed, i ighly recommend this. Its a great way to add a little something for no cost. I got the albums at the dollar store, and used my own pics!



Rehearsal Dinner: Violetta's in Merrick A+++++
The food and service was AMAZING and Frankie, the owner was great to work with AND, the prices count NOT be beat! Highly recommended!



Rehearsal Dinner Cake: Bakery at the corner fo Jerusalem and Merrick Ave (forget the name: A+++
The cake looked great and tasted just as good!



Card Box: FH did a great job. We got a lazy susan from ikea for 6$ that it turned on and 4 frames from Michaels. I loved it!



Bok Giveaway:
I gave away my bok to one of my dearest friends who is getting married to her soulmate in August. We had been through a lot in the past few months and i think she really appreciated it...everyone was crying! I made a bok just for her with her favorite flowers...it meant a lot that i could give it to her.



Here are just a few other pics. Hope this was at all helpful. FM WITH QUESTIONS



http://www.liweddings.com/community/album/?ID=2849&SID=30&P=46321

Message edited 5/6/2006 7:42:07 PM.

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

ooo it stinks that the pics aren't working!
cant wait to see them!

sorry about your experience w/ the dress place!

glad everything turned out well!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

thanks for the review! Congratulations!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

congrats on your wedding!!

the same thing happened to me with the pictures!!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

Well congrats on the wedding!!!!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

Congrats!!!! I saw the pics in your album. You looked great

http://www.liweddings.com/community/album/?ID=2849&SID=30&P=46321

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

congrats! your pics area great!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

Hello fellow 2Be, Adrienne's bride! I sympathize with you...I used that shop and also wore 2Be...I loved the gown but the shop tried my patience...so I relate.

I unfortunately can't see your pics, just Xs...but congrats on your wedding!!!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

congratulations!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

congratulations!!!!

Re: April22, 2006 Review - Milleridge Inn Cottage, Renegade, Adriennes Bridal, Classic Transportation and many more!

Congrats!!!!