THE MJDoc12 REVIEW! 02/25/07:WATERMILL, MARIANELA VERA, BURTONS, ELEGANCIA, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JN, ROCK SISTERS.**PRO PIC FAVS ON PG4!!**UPDATE *W/TY Card & DIY Photobook Album Layout Pics on Pg5**!
THE MJDoc12 REVIEW! 02/25/07:WATERMILL, MARIANELA VERA, BURTONS, ELEGANCIA, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JN, ROCK SISTERS.**PRO PIC FAVS ON PG4!!**UPDATE *W/TY Card & DIY Photobook Album Layout Pics on Pg5**!
I can't believe I'm actually doing this thing. It's so bittersweet to be making a review of my big day and everything that went with it. I know many brides love BIG reviews, and well, this one will NOT disappoint. I have taken a great deal of time making this up, as I even began the review a few months BEFORE the big day, so as to make sure I put as much detail as possible to remember it all. If you have any questions, please feel free to FM me. Now I am going to take this time to give background and tell you a little about us...because...well....because I can!
DH and I met, during a time in my life, when I was running with the "wrong crowd" and lived for the party. On February 15, 2002, we somehow managed to meet--against all the odds--and my life has never been the same. I was only visiting my family in New York (I had been living in South Carolina) when my brother & sister decided we wanted to go out dancing at a club. It just so happened that my brother mentioned this to his co-worker, and even though he never went out to a club by himself before--my DH decided, "Why not?" My brother said, "Hey talk to my friend Pete, cause he came by himself." Being the little b*tch that I was, my response was "I don't wanna meet your friend." Of course my brother called me a b*tch and said "Just keep him company!" (Mind you--he was NOT trying to set us up, he simply was trying to make sure his co-worker wasn't bored.) An introduction was made--and we never left each other's side for the rest of the night. 3 months later, I moved back to New York, and said good-bye to my party days and welcomed the new life ahead of me!
Fast forward to March 27, 2005--Easter Sunday. I knew a proposal was imminent, as DH had purchased a ring and it was merely a formality to give it to me. (We'd already put half the deposit down on our RH at that point!) That morning he brought me an Easter basket shaped like Hello Kitty! with pink fur, and all my favorite candies in it! He was down on one knee and said "This didn't fit in the basket, open it." In his hand was a big satin covered egg from Dove chocolates--and my dumb jazz did not even put 2 and 2 together and realize that the ring was inside. Being it was about 9 a.m., my response was "I don't feel like eating any candy right now, we're about to have bacon & eggs." He insisted again, and I of course said no. Finally he simply said, "Open it!" I figured it out at that moment and opened it, and my beautiful e-ring was inside!! Who knew the rollercoaster that happens between the time they slip the e-ring on, until the wedding band comes!
The Review: First and foremost I want to say that it took my DH and I two years to plan & pay for this wedding. This was the first time, in either one of our families, where there was gonna be a truly big wedding. Therefore, we wanted it to be special and unique for us. The entire planning process had it's ups and downs, but in the end, I married the greatest guy in the world.
LIWeddings.com: A+++++++ Without this website, I don't know how I would have been able to do my wedding! After having to cancel a contract that was an all-inclusive package, I had to suddenly find my florist, limos, photographer, etc. within a few months of our wedding. This site helped me find them and I am so grateful to all the reccomendations I've received.
PRE WEDDING VENDORS:
Save the Dates Magnets: A++ HBWenger Enterprises, Ebay Seller Store:HB Wenger Enterprises This was probably the first official wedding item I ever purchased, and was quite happy with it. The seller worked with me to design the magnets, and gave it to me for a reasonable price! This pic of the proof he sent me a long time ago, does not do it justice.
Cards & Envelopes: A+ AC Moore Found some simple cardstock to print out to accompany the STD magnets. Very inexpensive and easy to use!
Return Address Labels A+ Superior Labels.com Found this site on a random search on Ask.com; since my DH and I never had any labels done with both our names on it. We received 60 labels from them for around $4.50 or so. They came exactly as we designed, and I thought they were a great deal!
Invites: A- The Wedding Center Elite Weddings Catalog Our invites were included in our "all-inclusive" package that we used from The Wedding Center (but later cancelled!). Of course the package choices we were given were not quite what we liked. Therefore we were given a 30% discount on any order from any other books outside of Carlson Craft and Birchcraft. We found ours in Elite Weddings I; and thought they were much more than we planned on spending. We found them to be too perfect to pass on. Contrary to what some say about TWC--we did not get "short changed" on the number of invites, and actually wound up receiving about 10-15 additional invites in our order. Unfortunately when we cancelled the all inclusive pkge we had booked with them....they added the 30% back on the price. The invites were great, BUT I know we totally over paid for them in the end.
Silver Wax Seals & Stamper: A AC Moore The seals came out really nice on the back of the invitations. But I will say that this is not something to do quick! It took me approx. 5 hours to put the seals on the back of 70 invitations. The wax I used was in the glue stick form, with a mini glue gun, low heat. You put about a 3/4" circle of wax on the envelope and have to wait about 45 sec.-1 min. and then press the sealer into it. To make sure the stamper doesn't get stuck on the hot wax, you have to spray it with WD-40 or cooking spray just about every time you use it. It's time consuming, BUT I thought it looked very pretty on my invitations, and I got a lot of compliments on it.
Envelope Addressing A+ Done by: ME! I was considering using inkspun or a calligrapher for our invites, and then I had to find out where to cut some corners on the budget. So I decided to just address the invites myself. I used MS Word and downloaded a font from DaFont.com. I used silver for the color (since the back return address on the envelope was silver) and I just sat there and printed each and every invite individually. Sure I probably could have used mail merge, but I am just too anal for that! I wanted to make sure each on looked right. It was time consuming, but in the end, I think it looked fantastic!
Hotel Accomodations for OOT Guests and Wedding Nite: C+ Hilton Garden Inn 3485 Veterans Memorial Highway Ronkonkoma, New York, United States, 11779 (631) 738-7800 While the hotel itself was fine, the reason for the C+ was that I was rather angry that they decided to omit a VERY big piece of information from me. When we searched for an OOT hotel, I really wanted to have an "after-party" since our wedding ended at 5 p.m. We loved the rooms and comfort of the Hilton Garden Inn, and the fact that they had a bar that we could have stay open late on a Sunday, was great. So we booked there, and paid an additional $100 for the bar. We booked just under a year in advance, and I was happy about our decision. Fast forward to the DAY BEFORE my wedding, when DH and I are checking into our separate rooms....and they say "Um, yeah, our hotel was sold to a new management company, and we do NOT HAVE A LIQUOR LICENSE!" I was like "What?" They had a FULLY stocked bar, but were not allowed to serve. I was p*ssed off, and said "When did this happen?" Turns out it had been done for a few weeks already....um.....why didn't you CALL me? At that point I didn't want to stress it, but it truly angered me cause now we couldn't have the after-party there! My family wanted to drink and get a few more rooms and stuff, and in the end we had to go back to my parent's house. Like I said, the hotel itself was fine, but that whole issue with the bar almost made me fly off the handle. At least they credited me back the $100.00.
BP Gifts: A Lillian Vernon: BM & FG Totes & Gifts I bought personalized totes bags from LV and some other personalized gifts for them from there. It's not really my style, but I know they both love that catalogue. They came in as ordered, and looked fine.
Things Remembered: Guy's gifts A In typical fashion, my DH didn't have the gifts picked out until the last minute. Ultimately we choose to go with Things Remembered. DH bought his GM a stainless steel drinking flask and had it engraved, and he bought his other GM an initial engravable key chain and money clip. They both really loved it. His BM got an engraved stainless steel pocket watch. We actually got a pretty decent deal online cause there was a sale and we got a rate of $3 flat rate for standard shipping. Everything came as expected and no complaints.
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
DAY OF:
Mother Nature: A- It was actually a pretty decent day considering it was early in the morning in February. I wouldn't have minded a little more sunshine, but it was a good day. We lucked out and the snow didn't actually fall until about an hour and half AFTER the reception was over.
Hair & Make-Up:
Hair: Bridget & Sarah Rock from Gorgeous Faces Website: NY Bridal Looks
Trial: Bridget did my trial about 4 months before the wedding. I printed out pics from a fellow LIW bride's wedding and asked her to start from there, and see what we could do with it. In less than 1 hour, she managed to duplicate the hair style, and adjust it for my frizzy/wavy hair! When she was done, my DH walked in and simply said, "Wow." Needless to say, I didn't waste time to book her!
Day of: A+++ The Rock sisters are simply amazing! They showed up to my hotel room and the two worked at lightning speed to get the 5 heads of hair done. I couldn't believe how quick they were able to jazz up hair styles! My BM and MOH both had a half up/down style, and my MIL had a full up do, and they just curled and fluffed my mom's hair (she has super short hair). They were on time and the hair-do's lasted allllllllllllll day and nite! Bridget did my hair and I received so many compliments on it. They truly were some of the best vendors all day, cause they were not only on time---they were ahead of schedule! I completely and totally recommend them 10000%
Make-up: Jacqueline Nicole Website:Prettyme.com JN E-mail address Trial: After hearing many things about airbrushing, I decided to go for a trial with Jackie Nicole, since she offers this service. The trial went great, she asked me so many questions about my dress, the way I wanted to wear my hair, what kind of MU I wear, if any; I was blown away by how much detail she wanted. (Like asking about the neckline of the dress, and how much detailing was on it...to make sure I didn't have too much going on make-up wise if my dress was very sparkly!) I loved her work sooooo much. Because it was already scheduled, I did go for a trial with anther make-up artist, jus to see how traditional make-up looked..and while it looked great...I felt it was too caky. I then realized the airbrush was for me, because it was so light and flawless, and I called up Jacqueline and booked her!
Day of:A++++ JN was the first vendor I was dealing with on the big day. Since we were doing pics before the ceremony, she had to start make-up by about 5:15 a.m. I was awake at about 04:45 and took a shower and such, and she was there a few minutes after 5 a.m. She was all smiles and set up and chit chatted with my MOH and I. She is such a sweetheart and she was great at keeping things cool, calm, and collective. All the ladies loved their make up and were so surprised at how she was able to ask just a few questions and then nail their make up perfectly. I was the only one that did airbrush, but everyone else's faces stayed gorgeous all day! As for me, I was such a crying weenie, and my make up was good the entire day, long into the evening. She did a perfect application, and I didn't feel like I had any make up on at all. I purchased the lipstick from her that she used, and that only had to be re-applied twice in like a 14 hour span! I adore Jacqueline, and just like the Rock sisters, she was ahead of schedule and helped start off my wedding day right! Every bride should use her!
Limousines Sir Oliver Limos A++++++ 2460 Ocean Ave. Ronkonkoma, NY (631) 585-1600
We met Jen and Joe at a showcase that the Watermill had, and really enjoyed their great customer service skills. Soon after we had an appointment set up, and met with Rich...whom I just adored! We laughed and had a great time, and wound up booking a 14 passenger Excursion for our big day, and he gave us a great deal! On the morning of, our limo driver was Rachel and what a darling she was! Since we were marrying at the reception hall, we figured we'd just have the one limo and it would go back and forth. So by about 8:00 a.m. or so, she picked up the boys and took them to the Watermill, and then came back for my girls and I (with my parents and MIL). She cracked open the champagne and we had a good time riding to the hall. Since we still had the limo for like another hour and half, I asked her if she wouldn't mind going back a 3rd time to the hotel and pick up a couple of my friends who were from OOT, so they wouldn't have to spend money on a cab. She was like "No problemo" and did it!
After the wedding, we were supposed to just do a simple pick up/drop-off from the Watermill back to the Hilton. When we booked, Rich told us that usually they just send a town car back over to pick up the bride and groom...BUT if he did have a limo available, he'd send one anyone. Well.....he must have LOVED us cause before she left, Rachel told us that Rich said he would be sending back their newest car, a 14 passenger Lincoln!!!! I was so ecstatic.
The cars were clean, working just fine, and the champagne was flowing. I truly was happy with my limo company.
Ceremony Location: A+ Vanderbilt Room Watermill Caterers For a small fee, we had the ceremony at the hall. The best thing was that the flowers for the ceremony were all included! The Watermill provided them for us, as well as the aisle runner. All we had to do was show up and all the flowers, chairs, etc. were good to go. It looked great, and everything ran smoothly.
Officiant: A Rev. Angela Heil 22 American Ave. Coram, NY 11727 631-736-1371 We met several officiants, but really only clicked with Rev. Heil. She was all about making sure our ceremony was what WE wanted. I worked with her over several months, until we had the wording we liked. She was great to work with!
Ceremony Items: Glass Container for Sand Ceremony: B+ rclieb, Ebay Seller Store:Ebay Store The container was one of the first things I bought when we were planning this wedding, and I just love it. The only reason for the B+ is because the glass stopper it comes with, doesn't quite fit it the right way.
Colored Sand & Funnel A AC Moore I went to Michael's initially for the stand, and they had 1 lb. bags, in like 2 or 3 colors, and were mostly out of stock. Then I went to AC Moore and found 2 lb bags for the price that Michael's had for just 1 lb., and with lots of colors!!! That's why I posted about the sand on here!
Arras Container & Coins B+ JMckinley Online Website:Arras Online We went with a Spanish tradition of exchanging 13 Arras (or Monedas), in which the groom pours 13 coins into the bride's hands, symbolizing that he is entrusting all his worldly goods to her, as she is now the keeper of his home. We ordered a beautiful set from this website; and the only reason they get a B+ is because they sent the wrong container for the coins, than what I ordered. (I purchased a silver treasure chest, and they sent me a gold Cinderella carriage). But they did rectify the error, and all was well!
Ceremony Musicians: Capriccio Ensemble A++++++ Contact: Natalie Kriegler So I went to my friend Sandy's wedding (GothBride) and she had a string quartet for her ceremony. Well before that, I had said "I don't need that, I'll be fine with recorded music." After hearing the way it sounded at her wedding...I KNEW that I wanted to add it to ours! Unfortunately I was afraid we didn't have the budget and that my DH would say it was an unnecessary expense. So I started shopping around and I found Capriccio on here, after reading many reviews and reccomendations. I contacted Natalie, and I let her know that I wanted a price quote and to see her repertoire. She was such a sweetheart! There was no pressure at all and I really was amazed at her customer service. I kind of had to keep her on hold for awhile and I let her know that if I got my DH to say yes, I would book with her. At no time did it feel like I HAD to book her ASAP or anything. It finally wasn't until about 5 wks before the wedding that we received some extra money and I knew we could afford it.
We went a non-traditional route with our music for the ceremony and it went as follows: Mothers & BP Entrance: "The Prayer" My entrance: "All I ask of You" from Phantom Vows: "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin Sand Ceremony: "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge Rose Presentation to moms: "You Raise Me Up" Josh Groban Recessional/Pronouncement: "Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve
The trio also performed as people came in, doing prelude music. They were on time, sounded amazing, and I am soooo happy we used them.
Wedding Bands & E-ring: A+++ Nalleh Jewelry, LTD 3041 Hempstead Tpke Levittown, NY 11756 (516) 731-2227 My DH (yipee!) went to them, since one of his GM's uses them a great deal. The prices they offer are incredible, and they really worked with us on designing the right bands for the wedding. He wound up having to do new castings for both our bands, and did excellent work on them. If you are on a budget, but still want something nice, they are great. I was convinced I'd have to go with a simple plain band, but he gave us a great rate that I was able to go with diamonds! When we went to pick up the bands, mine was PERFECT! Exactly what I wanted, and looked great with my e-ring. DH's band was a little big, and the jeweler re-sized it right there on the spot--and we were so happy!
Wedding Gown Staff: A Overall: C+ Bridal Suite of Bay Shore 7 West Main St. Bay Shore, NY 11706 (631) 666-0700
Okay let me first say that I was DEATHLY AFRAID of going shopping for a wedding dress. I am a plus-sized lady, and we all know that many times the samples in stores are designed for supermodels addicted to cocaine. So I put off the dress search for a long time. Well finally, on a random rainy Saturday afternoon, I decided to go try on a few gowns. I figured, I wouldn't find anything, and perhaps I would finally get over my fears. A friend of mine went with me and we went into Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, without an appointment. I kept it real with the sales staff and let them know my fears, and they were beyond top notch. I was never meant to feel like a fatty, nor was I pressured into any particular styles. They brought me dress after dress that each flattered me nicely. Finally, I was almost set on a dress, when one of the salespersons suggested I look at one particular dress. She brought it to me, and I put it on and that was IT! I knew it was the one! She perfectly matched a gorgeous veil & tiara, but I was unsure of them, cause of the price. But regardless, I came back 2 days later and ordered my gown.
Now this is the part where I express my overall grade of C+. I want to first say that the DRESS itself came in and was great. BUT there are a few reasons I became dissatisfied with them overall. First, I had no idea about searching for a cheaper price for my gown, and took what they offered at face value. Granted, this is MY fault, but I found out later on, that I was charged nearly $400 MORE for my dress than what most other places charge. Also, they added a slip to my contract, and I realized later that I was charged $95 for a simple A-line. Again, my fault, but I really just didn't know any better about prices, cause I have never been married before!
Then came the time frame that the dress took to come in. I was told it would only take about 3-4 months to get my gown. It was ordered in June, and at the latest, it would arrive in October. Well when October came and went, I called them, and was told "guaranteed ship date by end of November, but it WILL be here before then, the ship date is always just a technicality" Okay, fine, that's great, I thought! Once again, November came and went, and nothing. Finally I called toward the end of the first week of December and was told "Oh it JUST came in, we were gonna call you." So I made an appt. on the phone at that moment, and told the girl I didn't have a long line bra yet. She told me not to worry, they had plenty and I could just purchase it from them, no problem! I go for the fitting, and it turns out the bra is totally wrong for the dress. Makes me look terrible. The seamstress takes one look at me and says "This is the wrong bra, I can't do anything for you, get another bra and re-schedule the fitting." She did not tell me what kind of bra...where to look for it...NOTHING. It really pisssed me off the way her attitude was, and quite frankly I just did NOT like being treated that way. I know this doesn't seem like a lot--but when I went to pick up the gown and take it elsewhere for alterations; they brought my gown out and the woman was just DRAGGING it in the garment bag across the floor! Yes, it's in a bag, but my gown has beading in the train and front, and applique, and how does she know that the bag isn't going to catch on something and tear the gown inside!?!? Then one of the hanging tags on the dress was missing and they just dismissed it like "Well that sometimes gets removed or ripped." Um, how the !@#$ am I supposed to hang it? So I shot her a look, and she immediately said, "Um, well I can get them to sew a new tag on there for you right now." The garment bag was all dirty on the bottom, from her dumbass dragging it. So ultimately, all these things made a bitter taste in my mouth about them.
Did they get me the right dress? Yes Did they help me FIND the right dress? Yes But in the end, did I feel I over paid and received poor customer service after I put the order in for my gown? YES!
Alterations: Phyllis Limmer A++++++++++++++++ Bridal Elegance After the issue I had, listed above, I had heard soooo much about Phyllis from LIW, and knew that I should check her out. I went to her and told her about my fitting nightmare a few days earlier, and she immediately took me to the back of her store and found a bra for me. I later went for my first fitting, and was very happy with the way she treated me, and such. It took about 5 fittings (cause I'm so freaking short and we had to keep hemming it up), but in the end she did such an amazing job on my gown, I was beyond thrilled. The gown fit me perfectly! I had told her that I was worried about having that "stuffed sausage" look, that I notice happens to a lot of plus sized brides, when you have a strapless gown. Too often the seamstress makes that gown soooo tight, to ensure that it stays up, that you have all this back fat hanging out. I did NOT want that at all. So instead, she placed little boning tabs inside the front & back of my gown...and hooked into my bra, and kept the gown from falling down at all. The dress stayed in place the entire 14 hours I wore it! (Yeah, I couldn’t take that bad boy off!)
We did a simple french bustle for the gown, and it looked great. One of the points did break when someone stepped on it, but my bridal attendant pinned it up and it was party time all nite long. So many people told me that dress looked like it was made for me, and I owe that to Phyllis for her amazing work!
I forgot to add how awesome Phyllis helped me out by adding a modesty panel to my gown! Let me explain, after my final fitting, my sister/MOH noticed that the sweetheart dip in the neckline on my dress was gorgeous...BUT that it might be a little too revealing for close up pics. She made a point in saying that I didn't want to look at my pics years from now and see sooooo much cleavage...or have my boobs pop out or something. So we discussed this with Phyllis, and she suggested a modesty panel. She actually designed (from the fabric of my gown) a small panel, and put some beading on it to match my gown, right in the dip of the neckline of my dress! The best part was that the panel had velcro on it, so I could remove it, place it higher or lower, or just take it out completely. Phyllis did such a good job on it, that you really can't tell at all that I have a panel in the dress that wasn't originally there! For the most part I just kept it in all day, cause quite frankly I was booby-riffic as it is. But to show you what i'm talking about.
Here are two pics...the first one is WITHOUT the panel, just look at the cleavage and see that it's missing: Now see look again! The panel is back!
This is the panel as it is, you can see the velcro:
Last but not least, one of the BEST things that Phyllis did on my gown that I feel like I MUST share. If you are having a strapless gown, ladies you HAVE to ask your seamstress to do this. I was very adamant to her about not wanting to look like a "stuffed sausage" and have back fat hanging out of my dress. Too often I see girls in gorgeous gowns, and because it's strapless, the seamstress makes the gown SUPER TIIIIGHT, because by the end of the day, the fabric will loosen and your gown can come down. Well this did not happen to be ONCE all day long, and I was dancing up a storm the entire day. This is why:
Phyllis put 4 boning "tabs" in my dress, 2 in the front and 2 in the back. They were hidden INSIDE the dress and when I put the dress on, I took the thing tab and stuck it inside my long line bra. (One on each boob!) Then we did the same thing in the back, placed it inside the bra, in the back. This kind of made a little hook, from the dress into the bra. If the dress slid down at all, the "hook" kept it in place and there was NO slippage at all. It was the simplest thing, yet it made the hugest different. I did NOT have to worry about the dress sliding at all, AND she didn't have to make it ridicliously tight either!
The Gown A++++++++++++ Designer: Mon Cheri Style # 15230 Website:Mon Cheri Website The gown I selected is by Mon Cheri, and is a tiara satin, strapless, A-line with a sweetheart neckline and semi-cathedral train. It was very flattering for my plus sized frame, and I recommend anyone to check out Mon Cheri for their gown!
Dress Accessories
Veil & Tiara: A+++ Barron's Bridal Boutique @ Tri-County Market 3041 Hempstead Tpke., Booth A-4 Levittown, NY 11756 (516) 735-3828 When I got my dress at Bridal Suite, they paired together a beautiful veil and tiara with the dress, and I loved it. BUT I did not love the price! So after hearing many brides tell me about this place, I went and fell in love! My veil was a finger tip length, single tier, scalloped edging with thin silver threading on the edges. It was everything I wanted and more. Simply beautiful. The tiara was just as fantastic. The salesgirl was very sweet, and they told me it would be ready in about 3 wks, and actually came in around 2 weeks! On the big day, the tiara and veil sparkled amazingly with my gown and each pic shows that!
My day of Jewelry: A+ Ebay Seller: veiledandbejeweled I found the set I loved on another designer's website. However, on a whim, I just happened to search eBay and discovered the exact same set for a fraction of the cost. It came quick, and was even more beautiful in person than it looked in the pic. Highly recommend this seller to anyone on a budget.
Shoes: C+ Coloriffics: Arriana Purchased at: Shoe Buy.com I will be the first to admit that I was a little skeptical about purchasing my shoes online. But a friend told me about this website, and I had to check it out. There is no charge for shipping, no tax, and free return shipping if you are unhappy with your order. Your first order is 10% off, and if you enter the discount code: save5 , you will receive an additional $5 off. They arrived in 2 business days, and they matched pretty well with my dress. They get a C+ cause I felt they looked MUCH brighter in the pics online, than in person. Plus the slingback strap was not tight at all, and even after having it fixed, the shows just didn't stay on my feet right and eventually had to be kicked off, cause if not, I would have fallen flat on my face!
Personalized Garter: A++ HCC Garters Victoria Joane Becoming a wife to a police officer is something that I am very, very proud of. I wanted to add a cute little personalized touch for my DH, and thought a garter designed with "NYPD" on it, in the correct colors and font, would be perfect. However, I had the most difficult time finding one! I searched high and low online, and a very nice LIW bride found one for me. I contacted the website, HCC Garters, and worked with Victoria to design the garter. It was my "something blue"! She took a little while to send it to me (cause she does her garters by wedding date); but when it arrived it was exactly what I wanted.
MOB/MOG Dress: A+ Estelle's Dressy Dresses Rte. 110 in Melville So my MIL and mom were determined to make me crazy by NOT getting their dresses at all until less than 2 wks before the big day. I had asked my mom a BILLION times to go get a dress and she just didn't have the urge. My MIL has no license or transportation, so I had to be the one to TAKE her, as if I don't have a life or anything. Anyway, at the last final minute we went to Estelle's looking for gowns. I hvae no idea what the brand was or anything for either gown....all I know is that they were affordable and fit. Those were the only two requisites I had. My mom's dress needed to be taken in a little bit. While my MIL's gown had to be hemmed up. My mom's dress was a taupe/champagne floor length gown with a portrait collar and very sparkly:
MIL's gown was a floor-length spaghetti strapped asymetrical gown, that was a kind of irridescent burgundy with a matching wrap:
All of the following were done by: Phyllis Limmer Bridal Elegance 1870 E. Jericho Tpke. Dix Hills, NY (631) 462-0323
Faux Fur Wrap: A I rented this from Phyllis, cause honestly I didn't see the purpose of buying it considering when the hell am I ever gonna wear a white muff again in my life? She was nice enough to alter it and add a panel to make it bigger for me (damn boobs!) It was very cute, but I really didn't wear it for more than 20 minutes or so all day.
Bridesmaid/MOH Dresses: A- Designer: Bill Levkoff #232 for BM dress and Bill Levkoff # 932 for MOH The prices that my bridal shop wanted for the BP dresses was a little ridiclious. I called up Phyllis, and she gave me a much lower price and I had to go with her. My MOH went in and got her dress quick, but my BM waited a little while and it was only ordered like 2 1/2 months before the wedding. We put a rush order, and it was here on time. My BM's dress was perfect and altered great.
The reason for the A- has to do with my MOH dress. Althought TECHNICALLY I don't really blame Phyllis 100% for it. My sister lives in Brooklyn and had to come all the way out to Dix Hills for everything. At her 2nd fitting, Phyllis said she would put some boning in her gown to smooth it out and do the bustle. Well my sister wanted her dress while she happened to be out in Long Island the next week, so her mom could add some type of elastic to the wrap so it would stay on her. So she calls up Phyllis and is like "I'm coming to pick up my gown in like 2 hours." When she showed up, Phyllis was a little busy and just gave her the gown. A few days later my sister looks at it (like 2 days before the wedding) and realizes that the pins are still in for the bustle and where she was going to put the boning. It looks like she didn't finish the dress, and just gave it to my sister like that.
This is a mixture of Phyllis and my sister's fault, cause Phyllis really wasn't expecting her to come in for a few more days....and when my sis came in, I'm sure she forgot about the unfinished dress, and just handed it to her. Either way, it wasn't that big of a deal...her mom put the button on it for the bustle and the bust of the dress was fine. We just pinned it to her bra from inside.
FG Dress: A++++ Swee Pea Collection Now I must add that by the end of my wedding, Phyllis became one of my most important vendors. She was more than happy to do the alterations on my gown (even thought I did not order it from her.) Also, when I was in there, and we were approaching less than 3 wks until the wedding, we had to find an FG dress! She was such a life saver cause she had one come in that was what I wanted, and let me use it. It was all white satin, with a white rhinestone buckle. She then went ahead and changed the FG dress, by removing a buckle in the front, and then taking fabric from my BM's satin wrap, and created a sash and bow for the FG dress!
FG Basket: B+ Estelle's Dressy Dresses While we were purchasing my MIL's dress, I realized we did not have an FG basket. I asked the sales lady if they sold them there, and she brought out like 3 and I just picked one. I was at a point where I cared less about it. The reason for the B+ was that I'm pretty sure I overpaid...I think it was like $30 for it. But again, beggars can't be chosers.
MOB/MOG Alterations: A+++++++
I brought my mom's gown to her, and once again, she masterfully altered it and it looked fantastic on her. To add ONE MORE, my MIL didn't get her dress until the week before the wedding. Well it was great, but it was much too long. Phyllis was soooo nice and actually opened up her shop EARLY for me the DAY BEFORE my wedding, and super MacGyver'd a hem on MIL's dress, cause it would be too hard to do a standard hem. (I think it involved some type of heated glue or something--I did not give a shiiit, as I told her it only needs to last a day.) Phyllis certainly saved our wedding!
Bridal Party Jewelry: A+ Ebay Seller: 1goldone The actual name of this vendor is Park Avenue Designs. I imagine they had started small and then blew up from there. The prices that I received from this eBay seller were quite amazing. The best thing is that they have several lots of jewelry you can purchase for a BP...AND you can make an offer on sets and try and save money. I wound up purchasing 2 earring/necklace sets, 2 matching bracelets, and another earring/necklace set for my MIL. Again, a great site for brides on a budget!
Tuxedos: A Vito Wedding World 50 Austin Blvd. Hauppauge Industrial Park Commack, NY 11725 631-543-5700 Found this vendor thru fellow LIWer, MrsDaniRella! They gave us a fantastic deal on the tuxedos. The vests and ties looked gorgeous on them, and it matched the girls dresses perfectly. We didn't need brand new Armani or anything, the BP's tuxedos were some brand I don't even remember and my DH's was a Ralph Lauren. All of them fit the guys great and they were all very handsome. The color vests for the boys was Raisin and my DH had Platinum.
DOC, Wedding Programs, Favor Tags, Menu's, Placecards: A+++++++++++++++++= Cheryl Catropa Click here for e-mail Before I get started, I do have to say that Cher is a personal friend of mine, but whether she was a friend or not...she did an amazing job for me. I let her know that if I had to handle all the other stuff at the end of this wedding planning, as well as try and do my favor tags and such; and she immediately stepped up and went to work. Before I knew it, she had designed everything and was asking for my place card list to finish up! Her prices are very reasonable and she customizes everything for you. Definitely check her out if you don't feel like going the DIY route!
While we didn’t have an official DOC “contract”, she basically at the last minute, became my DOC. She helped me out that morning and made sure everything before the ceremony went off without a hitch. I was cool, calm, and collective, cause I knew that if something wasn't right, she would fix it. She was there as I was getting ready and we went over everything that needed to be handled, as well as all the phone numbers of vendors, so I wouldn’t have to be involved if something went astray. After that, I had no more worries on the day of! Definitely check her out if you are considering a DOC...you will not be disappointed. She was helping out a friend that day, but she does do DOC work for brides on her own.
Bathroom Baskets A+++ Done by: Heather (soontobeMrsVPT) (*sexiest biitch alive) Supplies purchased at: Michael’s, AC Moore, Dollar Tree, Target Literally the week of the wedding, I totally forgot about doing bathroom baskets. That is until my good friend Heather (a fellow 07 bride) mentioned it to me when we were talking. At that point I totally just did not even care about them, but she stepped up to the plate and said, “Don’t worry dude, I’m on it.” Within a few hours she had printed out a poem and used one of my monogram designs for it, bought picture frames for said poem, as well as purchased all necessary items for the baskets! She was such a life saver. Later I purchased the actual baskets themselves at AC Moore, and Watermill set them up perfectly. They actually WERE used throughout the day as they were returned to us at the end of the day and guests had used many things in there.
Florist: B - Flowers by Burton 426 Old Walt Whitman Road Melville, NY 11747 (631) 424-3377 Okay, so I have to say that I was a little disappointed in this vendor on the big day. Working with everyone beforehand was great. The final product was good, but there were two things that really annoyed me that day. Its a good thing I had a "oh well" attitude on the big day, cause other brides might have flipped out.
We kept the flowers simple, this is an area where we decided to cut some costs. No offense to any brides who have huge floral displays and big fancy CP's, but that just didn't matter to us. So our CP's were beyond simple....hurricane lamps with a pillar candle inside of it, with rose petals. (The lamps technically didn't get set up right, but we'll get to that later.) DH and I went to Burton's and said, we need 3 bo-k's, about 6 boutinerres, 2 mom's corsages, and 2 reader's corsages, and a ton of rose petals. No problemo! So on the big day, I arrived to the Watermill and the flowers had just been delivered, if I'm not mistaken. They were left in our bridal suite, and I was looking for the florist delivery person to give them a tip. Well lo and behold, they booked it out of there without seeing either myself or my DH. That kind of annoyed me. You are delivering my flowers, and you can't just wait 1 minute to verify that everything is okay with the order??? Had they actually stuck around 30 seconds, then they would've known that they DID make a mistake on the order. We asked that the mom's corsages, both be cream colored...since both moms were giving me quite the heart attack and didn't have their dresses until like the week before! The bridal attendant asks me about the corsages and I inform her to look for the 2 cream colored one. She has this look on her face like "Oh crap, I don't know if I should tell her", and says 'Um, there's one ivory and one lavender.' I tell her to bring them to me so I can see them....and sure enough...they made a mistake. BUT I have to admit that we were lucky, cause in the end it actually did work out better. My mom was wearing a taupe/champagne colored gown and the lavender actually worked better for her dress than the cream would have. My MIL was wearing a burgundy/merlot colored dress and the ivory went great with it. Soooo...technically it was a good mistake....but in the end it was a mistake nonetheless. Like I said, had the delivery person actually stuck around, they would have known about it. Perhaps they already knew about the mistake and were afraid to face me, who knows. But at least they left too soon and we got to spend their tip on souvenirs in Jamaica!
DIY Centerpieces Supplies A+ AC Moore: Hurricane lamp, clear votive candle holders, pillar candles Cudge.net: Votive candles Flowers by Burton: Rose petals
When we starting realizing that our budget was going a little crazy, we knew had to cut corners. Well this is where we did. Instead of paying for CP's, we kind of made our own. Very simple to do, and the rose petals come rather inexpensive. I have no problem admitting that my CP's cost approx. $ 12 each w/o rose petals. (The petals can be done as real or silk, but wound up going with real.) If you are on a budget, trust me when I say that this is an excellent way to go! It will truly save you $$ ! At the end of the nite, there wasn't a single hurricane lamp leftover. Everyone took one home!
Reception Items: A+ Beverage Napkins Ebay Seller, forgot their name! We got a GREAT price on the napkins and they came out perfectly. They foil printed our first names & wedding date, and I thought they were adorable.
Favors: A+ Wrap With Us.com 277 Robbins Ln. Syosset, NY 11791 Friends of my family had told me about this store, so I checked it out on-line. The prices for their favors and other wedding supplies seemed too good to be true. So I headed to their location in Syosset to check for myself, and it turned out they were even better than I thought! We used glass coasters that spelled out "LOVE" on them, that came in a set of 4 in a clear plastic box, with ribbon and a "Thank You" tag already on it. Since they have everything in stock, I simply saw the favor, walked up to the counter and said "I want 75 of the glass LOVE coasters please." A few minutes later, they brought them out from the back and I was on my way. We wrapped all the favors in silver gift wrapping paper. (Or I guess I should say that my friend Heather (soontobeMrsVPT) did the wrapping...I supervised! ) Then it was topped with a diamond shaped favor tag by Cheryl Catropa.
Edible Favors: A+ Pippy's Sweets 646-207-0914 A few weeks before the wedding, DH and I decided we wanted to add something else as a favor. But we wouldn't decide what it would be, without breaking the bank. Then I attended TWOTY 2007, and one of the favors was from Pippy's Sweets, and I loved it! I e-mailed Diane a few days later, and together we designed a wrapper for some Hershey's miniatures. Because I had a billion things going on, she also wrapped 2 mini's in little plastic bags, and tied it with silver or lilac ribbon for me, and made 120 sets! She did such a great job and I was so happy with them, as well as the price! Many guests were happy to have a little something sweet to snack on the way home.
Videography: (withholding grade until I receive video) The Wedding Center 3 Crooked Hill Rd. Commack, NY 11725 (631) 543-6898 Since we have yet to even THINK about doing the video, I will refrain from giving a grade just yet. But I must admit, so far this has been my LEAST favorite vendor and I was not impressed by the videographer at the reception and ceremony, since I only spoke to him one time when he got there and one time when DH gave him his tip. Otherwise there was NO communication with him AT ALL. This has left a bad taste in my mouth and I am hoping that he's just the strong silent type and therefore I am giving him the benefit of the doubt concerning my video.....but we shall see how that works out.
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Okay here are the BIG THREE...my biggest vendors on the day of...and each one turned out to be AMAZING.
Photography: so far.... A+++++ Marianela Vera 165 W. 66th St., #6R New York, NY 10023 (646) 245-5803 Let me first say that I was initially booked with another company for photography, and then I started to see some pics from other brides that had used them, and I was not happy. One nite I just burst into tears and told my DH that there was no way I wanted them photographing our wedding, and we had to do whatever it took to get someone else. We wound losing a few hundred dollars, but in the end it was the best decision. I am very happy we changed to Marianela, cause I KNOW that I would not have had the comfort with the 'other' company, as I did with her.
She arrived promptly at our hotel at 8 a.m., as promised. She had an assistant with her who was very nice. From the moment she arrived, we hit it off. As crazy as it sounds, I did not actually meet her face-to-face until that morning. :shock: I know that's a little weird, but she lives in Manhattan, and quite frankly I did not want to have to go all the way into the city to meet with her, as I resided in Brentwood at the time I booked her. Based on her work I saw online, as well as her personality on the phone (and the recommendations I received), I knew she would be great. She totally was a darling and was very easy to work with. I didn't feel like we had to stop and "pose" any shots at all. She just clicked away and knew what she was doing. When we arrived at the Watermill, she got DH and I together for some romantics and I loved the poses she had us do.
During the reception, she took plenty of shots of guests enjoying themselves on the dance floor, and once again, it was totally unobtrusive. Family & friends said that it took them a minute to realize she had taken several shots of them already!
***EDITED NOW THAT PROOFS ARE HERE!*** All I can say is WOW, I am beyond excited about my pictures. They are exactly what I wanted. DH and I are simple people and didn't want or need any fancy schmancy pics with lots of photo shop editing and such (that's fine for others, its just not us), we just wanted pretty portraits and relaxed candids that felt like natural. Marianela REALLY captured the love that we have for each other, and I know that 20 years from now, I will look at these pics and say "Wow, how happy and in love we look!" A stranger could look at them and see how we well for each other, here are some of my fav romantic shots:
DJ Elegancia EntertainmentA+++++++++++++++++++++++ 14 Tulip Ave. Floral Park, NY 11001 (631) 346-5262
DJ: I believe his name was Dave MC: Jose (Owner) Percussionist for Reception: Pete
Okay, let me just say that to everyone there are things that are just soooo important on their wedding day...for some ladies it might be $10K in flowers or a big name photographer with multiple cameras and assistants....for us it was the DJ. DH and I are both hispanic and for anyone who knows our people, music is a BIG part of our lives. I grew up listening to the sounds of Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, Juan Gabriel, etc. and spanish music is basically the beat of our souls. We knew when we began the wedding planning process that music would be very difficult for us to find, because living in Long Island...most DJ companies are owned by caucasians and they might have like one or two bi-lingual MC's, but that's it. Not to put down my people, but many 'spanish' DJs is some friend's, brother's, mother's, first cousin Juan who only does business by a pager and doesn't have an actual business address! (You know how we do!) Therefore, finding a DJ was not an easy task. We tried to give some of the big names on Long Island a try, but no one really seemed like they would be able to know all the music we wanted. Eventually I found out about Elegancia Entertainment through some magazines as well as through word of mouth. After setting up an appointment, I had DH go and he wound up spending nearly 3 hours at the appointment just talking with the Jose (the owner) and Luis. He came back and said that had he brought the check book with him, he would've booked right then and there. A week later we both went back, and this time we only spent two hours there! Jose was soooo professional and I could tell that he was the type of DJ/MC who isn't all about hearing himself speak, he is about the music. When searching for a company, I went to showcases and found most DJs to be incredibly annoying with their need to talk a lot into the microphones and such. That was one of the first things that Jose told us, would NOT happen. He admitted that he also hated that, and likes to let the music take over.
During the meeting we saw a DVD of their work at another wedding, and that is where we saw the percussionist used. We loved the sound of it, and added it to the package so that he would play the bongos or timbales along with the music that the DJ was playing. I had many people tell us on the wedding day that the sound of the percussionist with the music almost made it seem like there was a live band playing. Tons and tons of guests were raving over it and I must tell you that if your DJ company has a percussionist available, you should totally consider it!
Due to the fact that we were trying to get a million things done before the wedding, we had totally forgotten to finalize certain things on the music list. So when we went to our final appointment with Elegancia, we had many blanks! (Like mother/son, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc.) But to be honest, I didn't worry about it, cause I knew they would help us, and they did. Any music that we didn't have finalized at that appointment, Jose assured us that he would find something appropriate and he did. When we were there, I asked him about perimeter lighting that another fellow LIW bride had told me she added to her package. He showed it to us and I immediately knew that it was something that we just had to have! They basically take all these special lights and place them around the room, and they are connected to this computer. With the turn of a knob and flick of a switch, the DJ is able to completely change the color of the room. There are not enough words for me to express who a difference this made, and how I am 110% certain that my wedding would not have been the party it was, without it. I know it sounds weird, but lighting can do WONDERS for a room and it made such a party atmosphere for us, without being all "club-like". It was very, very elegant, and this was the #1 thing that all our guests kept complimenting us on. Just look at how different each pic looks with the lighting in the background:
We were worried that since we were having a daytime wedding, that guests wouldn't feel like it was a true party. WRONG! The lighting, combined with the AWESOME music made our wedding the party of the year! (And it's only February!) He played everything!!! Salsa, meringue, reggae tone, old school hip-hop, Motown classics, 50's, party favorites, etc. I don't care who you were, there was SOMETHING for everybody. From the time we entered the reception, until the last song, the music was constant and the party was going on for hours and hours. So many of my family and friends who never dance at parties or weddings, were up on the dance floor enjoying themselves! I can't express enough how much I am so grateful for our DJ....Jose and his staff went beyond our wildest and highest expectations....and without them....our wedding would have been just a regular old party.
Ceremony: Vanderbilt Suite CH: Restaurant Reception: Astor Suite
Maitre D': Jim Captain: Allyson Bridal Attendant: Marie
So our day at the Watermill started around 8:30 a.m. or so. My DH and his boys were dropped off early, since we were doing pics before the ceremony. I arrived at the RH at around 9 a.m. The moment our limo pulled up, our maitre d' Jim and the bridal attendant, Marie were standing outside already, waiting for us. They immediately greeted me and Marie was quick to help me with my train and ask if I needed something to drink. She brought me to the bridal suite and let me know that if there was anything that I needed, I should let her know, because quite frankly, that is her job! Jim was great from the get-go and once I met them, I knew our day would run problem free.
For those of you who may be considering pics before the ceremony, and you are worried...let me say...DO IT! DH and I did not have a gap between the ceremony, CH and reception, since we were marrying right there at the hall. Because of this, we realized that the best way for us to do pictures and not feel too pressured by time, was to do them beforehand. Trust me when I say that this wasn't an easy decision. I too was one of those brides that was ADAMANT about not seeing him before the ceremony. DH did not really see what the big deal was, and really wanted to see me beforehand, cause he knew it would calm his nerves down. We had the big reveal moment, and the BP lined up facing me, while DH had his back turned….and voila! He turned around and it was sooo emotional. We both cried and hugged and it was captured by our photographer and I really can’t imagine that moment any other way.
Okay, back to the Watermill. So we set up for the ceremony and waited. Once again, my BA Marie was wonderful and constantly bringing me water and following me around so that my train would not get dirty. Once it was time for the ceremony, we did a quick run-thru before the guests arrived…got a few more pics…and then I waited in the bridal suite, while the guys headed downstairs to the Vanderbilt. Now I have to say that when we signed our contract, I knew that the Watermill would be providing the flowers for the ceremony, but I did not what kind or anything, until the day of. My only stipulation would be that it wasn’t all carnations or something…otherwise I could have cared less about them. I remember my banquet manager mentioned that they would probably be all white. On the big day I still have no idea what the hell flowers were used….I just know they were colorful and simple:
Funny thing—during the ceremony the flowers above the altar kept dripping on me..I can only imagine how that will look in the video as I kept feeling droplets falling on me and I was whispering to DH about it.
The ceremony actually started ON TIME and the staff made sure that everything went as planned. Everything was in place at the altar like I wanted and the placement of the string trio was perfect, far enough from us at the altar that I could hear my DH, yet the acoustics of the room allowed me to be able to hear them in the back. We had an absolutely hilarious ceremony since DH was sooooo nervous that he flubbed a line or two. My total favorite moment of the ceremony was when DH made a mistake, and the officiant said, “No, it’s spiritual bond” and he repeated her and she said “Fabulous” and he actually (in his nervousness) repeated “Fabulous!” The entire room erupted in laughter, it was great!
After we were announced husband and wife, we were very quickly whisked away to the bridal suite by my BA. We hung out there for a few minutes, as I had a bridezilla moment with my stupid A-line crinoline slip and adamantly DEMANDED that it be removed. I was tripping on it, cause it kept sliding down, despite the fact that Phyllis was nice enough to add an elastic band to the waste to keep it up. Nonetheless it was not working and I just said “Rip this shiit OFF!” I can only imagine what it looked like to the Watermill receptionist who came in real quick to make sure we were okay as my DH was under my dress trying to find the knot around my waist where the slip was tied. In reality no one even noticed that I didn’t have that damn thing on, and I looked just fine without it.
While we did not get to attend the CH (we decided to take more pics), we did get to sample food in the bridal suite. It was delicious. I told my BA what I wanted and she was quick to run off and get it for us. Everything we tasted during the CH was delicious. Our guests complimented on how much food there was. The only slight downside was that a few people did tell me that it was hard to find a place to sit. I know that this can happen with most any hall when it comes to a CH, but my family said it wasn’t so bad.
Before everyone was allowed into the Astor suite, we asked that we be able to see the room. We walked in and I honestly have to admit….it took my breath away. I tell ya ladies, make sure you ask to see the room before anyone is in there. There are no words for the feeling that you get seeing each table set up, every place setting, every favor, etc in the right place. To top it off, the DJ had a gorgeous glow in the room and it really amazed us.
The only small complaint I had about the Watermill was that they didn’t set up the CP’s correctly the way I asked. This could have been a combination of the amount of rose petals that Burton’s delivered or not. But I had told them that I wanted them to fill the hurricane lamps with rose petals as well as the pillar candle, and then sprinkle some petals outside the lamp. There were no petals inside the lamps themselves. The CP’s still looked nice, but like I said, I wasn’t sure if I should blame Watermill or whether or not there just wasn’t enough petals from Burton’s.
Fast forward to the reception, and once again, we were catered on, hand & foot. Our maitre d’ was checking in with us constantly, but not in a way that was annoying. They made sure that my DH had a cold beer all day. Which reminds me of the only other thing that went “wrong” that day, and it was that we had asked that our bottled beer be Bud Light. It was on our final menu meeting contract. When DH got there that morning and asked for a Bud Light, they said they had Coors Lights. (The other option that we didn’t want.) DH let them know that, that was NO GOOD. They scoured the Watermill and found some beers for him, and once the CH started, they must have sent someone to a beer distributor or something and got a few cases. Most of my family drinks Bud Light like DH does, and they all had beers throughout the day.
We had the Long Island Vegetable tower for our appetizer, but I have no idea how it tasted. We took that time to walk around and do table greetings. The second course was Caeser salad and we did get to have some of that. I liked the dressing, as it wasn’t too heavy. The next course was lemon sorbet intermezzo with midori, and it was yummy. I made SURE to eat my dinner. I know so many brides say they didn’t get to eat. Well my fat azz was eating. I had the prime rib steak while my DH got the Chicken Verdi & steak duo. I loved my steak, it was seasoned nicely and tasted delicious. DH said his chicken was great too. For dessert we served Strawberry Amaretto glace over vanilla ice cream. I hate fruit, so I received an ice cream sundae instead, and from what I heard, the berry sauce was good. Our wedding cake was whipped cream with ½ cannolli & chocolate mousse with yellow sponge cake. I had only a few bites of the cake, but once again, from what I tasted, it was good.
For the entire day, everything was simply amazing. The staff at the Watermill were top notch and I didn’t feel like we were just another wedding to them. They were attentive without being smothering, and that was just what DH and I wanted. We saved a ton of money by having our wedding on a Sunday in the daytime in February…..and we were concerned that we wouldn’t be as satisfied as someone who paid 3 times as much as we did on a Saturday nite in June. They didn’t treat us any different and I felt like royalty the entire day. If you are having your wedding at the Watermill, trust me when I say that you have nothing to worry about at all.
Let me just end my review by saying that my DH and I had the most incredible day of our lives, and heaven would be having the ability to wake up each morning and do it all over again. But I had to say that the reason that we had the greatest day, was simple….we did not let a single thing bother us AT ALL. Trust me, there were plenty of times when I could have let the small stuff bug me:
1) I mistakenly didn’t have enough hurricane lamp CP’s and the last one was actually an oversized margarita glass! (Long story) The captain came up to me and told me about the error and I realized that I put the wrong glass in the bag for the last CP. Rather than flip out, I just said “hey can ya put a pillar candle in it?” She said yeah, and I said “Go for it, I don’t care” and I really didn’t. 2) The whole mishap with the mother’s corsages….we just delegated who got what and it was solved. 3) My brother not arriving for the ceremony until just a few minutes beforehand, and he had the FG! Turned out that he had to pick up some relatives at the last minute, that he didn’t know about.
There were other things, but I won’t bother listing it…it was silly family things, but too often brides fret over it rather than let it be.
It’s been said over and over again, but it really is true. By the time the big day happens, you just have to learn to let go and say “Who cares?” Just being with my wonderful husband that day is what made it perfect. Sharing that with the people who WANTED to and actually SHOWED UP that day, made it even better. I know that when people see our pics, you can just see how happy we are, and after it was all said and done, people kept telling us that they have never seen a couple just enjoy their wedding, like we did. I hope that all of you can walk away from your weddings, feeling that way; because we all deserve that!
Please FM me if you have any questions or comments. I plan on staying on LIW for a long time!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
SOunds like an AMAZING DAY!!! Thanks for the great review!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Melissa, what can i say?!?!?
You are just an AWESOME person. I loooooove your review. Your storytelling is so insightful, yet amusing..
Like i told you in an fm i sent you, you were definitely one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. The way you're glowing, i cant even explain it, puts a grin on my face and more excited about my wedding day..
Chica, thank you for recommending Elegancia back in the day. Because of you, i know my wedding will be rockin. You know how we hispanics love our dance.
May you and Peter have a beautiful marriage full of prosperity, love, and tears of happiness!!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Congrats on your wedding!!! you were a beautiful bride!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
you looked beautiful! thanks for the great review.
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
What a great review!! You looked beautiful and sounds like you had an amazing wedding!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
You looked gorgeous. Thank you for the great review
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Wow what a great review. So glad you had a wonderful wedding day!!!! Congrats!!!!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Wow, not that was a review!!!!!!!!!
You are awesome and I want to thank you for the laughs on here that got me through the day.
You looked absolutely stunning on your Wedding day and you and your DH look so happy together.
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
COngrats! Everything looked beautiful! Had a very similar experience at Bayshore Bridal Suite for my BM dresses and also LOVED my HCC garter!!!
Enjoy newlywed life! Looking forward to seeing your proofs!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
wooow girl everythings sounds sooo great!!! thank you so much for this awesome review!!! and as always you look ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
That was an amazing review!! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Thank you for being so honest...not that I thought you wouldn't be.
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Great Review!!! OMG..you & Pete had an AMAZING day!!!! Congrats!!!!!!!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
WOW, everything was so beautiful, you looked great. Very nice
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Congratulations!!!!!
You look absolutely beautiful and your review is very helpful. Sorry to hear about Burtons and the dress place, but it seems that your wedding was a big success! You and your DH look so hapy together! Can't wait to see the professional pics!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
What an Amazing Review Melissa!! You looked so Beautiful!! Congrats girl.
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
Thank you for such awonderful review... you looked beautiful and I am soo glad you had a wonderful day!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
YYAAAAYYYY Melisssss! Ya finally put it up ya who-ah!
It was absolutely amazing! I CAN NOT WAIT for the pro-shots
Congrats again, Im so thrilled for the 2 of you, youre an amazing woman and deserve nothing but the best
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
That is the best review I ever read! You are beautiful and the picture of you with the tears made me cry...honestly!! I am so happy for you. CONGRATS!!!
Re: THE MJDoc12 WEDDING REVIEW!! 02/25/07: WATERMILL CATERERS, MARIANELA VERA, FLOWERS BY BURTONS, ELEGANCIA ENTERTAINMENT, SIR OLIVER LIMO, JACQUELINE NICOLE, BRIDGET & SARAH ROCK...(Super LONG!)
You looked absolutely beautiful - great review and congrats again
fashion, my DH didn't have the gifts picked out until the last minute. Ultimately we choose to go with Things Remembered. DH bought his GM a stainless steel drinking flask and had it engraved, and he bought his other GM an initial engravable key chain and money clip. They both really loved it. His BM got an engraved stainless steel pocket watch. We actually got a pretty decent deal online cause there was a sale and we got a rate of $3 flat rate for standard shipping. Everything came as expected and no complaints.
I am a plus-sized lady, and we all know that many times the samples in stores are designed for supermodels addicted to cocaine. So I put off the dress search for a long time. Well finally, on a random rainy Saturday afternoon, I decided to go try on a few gowns. I figured, I wouldn't find anything, and perhaps I would finally get over my fears. A friend of mine went with me and we went into Bridal Suite of Bay Shore, without an appointment. I kept it real with the sales staff and let them know my fears, and they were beyond top notch. I was never meant to feel like a fatty, nor was I pressured into any particular styles. They brought me dress after dress that each flattered me nicely. Finally, I was almost set on a dress, when one of the salespersons suggested I look at one particular dress. She brought it to me, and I put it on and that was IT! I knew it was the one! She perfectly matched a gorgeous veil & tiara, but I was unsure of them, cause of the price. But regardless, I came back 2 days later and ordered my gown.
So I made an appt. on the phone at that moment, and told the girl I didn't have a long line bra yet. She told me not to worry, they had plenty and I could just purchase it from them, no problem! I go for the fitting, and it turns out the bra is totally wrong for the dress. Makes me look terrible. The seamstress takes one look at me and says "This is the wrong bra, I can't do anything for you, get another bra and re-schedule the fitting." 
She did not tell me what kind of bra...where to look for it...NOTHING. It really pisssed me off the way her attitude was, and quite frankly I just did NOT like being treated that way. I know this doesn't seem like a lot--but when I went to pick up the gown and take it elsewhere for alterations; they brought my gown out and the woman was just DRAGGING it in the garment bag across the floor! 
Then one of the hanging tags on the dress was missing and they just dismissed it like "Well that sometimes gets removed or ripped." Um, how the !@#$ am I supposed to hang it? So I shot her a look, and she immediately said, "Um, well I can get them to sew a new tag on there for you right now." The garment bag was all dirty on the bottom, from her dumbass dragging it. So ultimately, all these things made a bitter taste in my mouth about them. 
We put a rush order, and it was here on time. My BM's dress was perfect and altered great.
