March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Hello ladies!! I want to start off by saying that without LIW weddings I would have been so lost. I had no idea about where to start or where to go. I didn't even know where long island was or how to get there...lol(only lived in Manhattan).

I've learned so much on this board. So many creative, funny, resourceful and thoughtful ladies. It's a great place to come and share ideas and help others. I never went out of my way to socialize with the girls on here, but I always tried to respond to questions and help others out as they've helped me. I recommend this sight to anyone who wants to delve into their planning (just ignore any side drama, cause with a place full of women, it's bound to happen...lol)

We enjoyed every part of our wedding and didn’t let anything or anyone change that. It didn’t pass by fast, but definitely take time for yourselves to talk and reflect, to hug and to kiss. It’s your day, do what you want. Our wedding was the most beautiful and fun day we’ll always treasure and it’s thanks to our families, friends and the wonderful vendors that made this day special.

So, my review begins.

Save the date cards: ME!! A+++
We had quite a few out of town guests, so I decided to buy New York City postcards and write a cute mssg. on the back with the date of the wedding. It was an inexpensive way of sending out save the dates.

Dress: Saks Fifth Avenue A+++ Kenneth Pool Amsale
I’d gone to a few places and tried on dresses.
I was going to go to these places with my mom and have her pick from my top choices. Well my friend and I decided to pass by Saks one day. I tried every designer you could think of. Then, I walked out in a Kenneth Pool gown and everyone was raving about how beautiful the dress was. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was myself. I hesitated because I wanted more of a drop waist, modified mermaid dress. This was more ball gown style, but beautiful. When I saw myself in the mirror I knew it was the one. So I bought it.


Alterations, Bra, Veil: Bridal Elegance - A
I’d heard of Phyllis through this site. I’d heard a lot of mixed reviews about her. I took her my dress and she looked it over and gave me a price. I explained to her that I did not live in long island and needed to schedule my fittings on weekends. She said no problem. I’d heard all these bad reviews about her attitude and such, but my experience with her was absolutely POSITIVE. One thing I noticed about her, is that she really takes her time, so if you’re a bride that wants things done when you say, she’s not for you. She knows what she’s doing and will tell you what needs to be done. I had four fittings. Each one was a progression of what needed to be done. We decided to cut a lot of the tulle in the dress out because there was so much unnecessary puffiness. She cut a lot from the bottom and by the train. It really made a difference.
She always took her time even when other people were around. She never rushed me nor was rude to me. Her staff was very pleasant and very helpful. On the last fitting, my dress fit like a glove, I did ask her to loosen it a bit, but she said I’d be pulling my dress up all night.
The day of my wedding, the dress fit tighter than usual, I think I may have gained a little weight and I’m a tiny girl…lol. But we managed to get it up. It was all very funny. My dress was very comfy and I never pulled it up once.
I ended up buying my bra from Phyllis and it was so comfortable. It was half the price of the original bra I had. I took that one back.
I wasn’t into wearing a veil, but knew I loved the mantilla veil. I mentioned to Phyllis how sad I was that I wouldn’t be wearing one cause the dress didn’t match the lace. I also didn’t want to spend tons of money. I just didn’t think it was worth it.
Well she showed me a veil that had beadwork like my dress. It matched perfectly!!! So, I bought it and I was very happy I’d be able to wear a mantilla afterall.


BM dresses, MOG dress and alterations: Bridal Reflections in Carle Place - A
Jim Hjelm #5718 in rose petal and spice
I’d also heard mixed reviews about this place. Well my experience was 100 % positive. They were very helpful and pleasant. I needed material three weeks before the wedding and one of the girls took my order over the phone and made sure to get it in before closing so it would be in on time. Two weeks later it was there. The dresses came in timely manner. They were ordered in July 07, MOG dress October of 07. The girl’s dresses were in by Jan. 08. MOG dress came in March 08.
The annoying part was the alterations because they only do them during the weekdays, so keep that in mind. My girls managed that though. One thing I noticed with the seamstress is that she was asking me what I wanted, I thought that wasn’t right since she is the experienced one. I don’t like the way she bustled the girl’s dresses either. They had a sweep train. She put these tiny hooks, but instead of hiding them in the dress, they were on the train of the dress. My sister is out of stated and her seamstress managed to hide the hooks in the seam of the dress if that makes sense. I thought they could have done a better job. My BMs didn’t seem to mind. So I didn’t make a big deal about it.

MOB dress and FG dress: My mom ordered her dress from a local bridal shop by her house (out of state). They were great. My flowergirl’s mom found her dress at JC Penny. It was beautiful and a fabulous price.

Ray's Tuxedo in Franklin Square
We found them on the net. We wanted the Calvin Klein chocolate brown tuxedos. When we first told people this, everyone made faces. I’m so glad we went with them cause it just tied everything together. The man at Ray’s was wonderful. I had an OOT ring bearer. So when we did his fitting, her altered the stuff for him on the spot. He also gave him a short sleeved shirt, cause the long one was way too long. They provided excellent service, very professional.


Church : Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Queens
I can't rate a church. So I will say pre-wedding, they were a little of a pain. They have strict requirements, but as long as you do what they say, it's fine. They don't ask anything out of the ordinary, but they want it done when they say.

Day of wedding: It was beautiful. The organist and soloist of the church provided music, so i didn't have to worry about hiring someone. Everything went like clock work. All the readings went well, despite a few mistakes, but it makes for a good story....lol...the father was great and incorporated all of my Mexican traditions of the lazo, arras, bible and rosary and bouquet to the blessed mother. It truly is a beautiful church, it looks like a mini cathedral with a rose window and all.

Woodbury Country Club
Pre-Wedding: A+++
My DH and I had seen A LOT of venues. We didn’t really know what we were looking for and the more we looked, the more we learned what we wanted. We didn’t like venues with five weddings going on at the same time like a factory or over the top places. We wanted something that felt elegant, but comfortable enough for our guest to let loose.
We met with Patricia Peters at WCC. The place was beautiful with a garden, fountains and a gazebo. It was perfect!!! The inside all paneled with dark wood. We looked at the cocktail hour room and the two reception rooms. We loved the bottom room cause we could have the cocktail in the garden, but once we decided it would be at the end of March. We chose the Mills room and had the main floor room as the cocktail room. It’s gorgeous, glass all around over looking the garden and the fountains.
From day one, Pat was so helpful. I called her a few times when were first booked and she was always helpful and patient with me. As the wedding date approached, we had more and more questions. She was over pleasant to talk to. We were able to drop off stuff a few days before the wedding. I gave them a lengthy list. And left the rest to them. Pat hugged and kissed us and said there would be people taking care of us. I told her I was scared she wouldn’t be there. She said don’t worry you’ll be in good hands.

Day of: A+++++
Bridal Asst.: Franceska
Maitre D: Sarah
The moment we arrive at the RH, my Bridal Asst. was waiting for me. They took everything out of the limo. and she took us upstairs. We hung out in the bridal suite for a while. There were drinks and a cheese and fruit tray for everyone. I had Franceska running around for me, she could barely keep up with me…lol…she was with me at every moment. After we took pics in the garden we were able to see the cocktail room it was gorgeous. All full of candles, stations were set up and my DH had his NY Giants ice sculpture on the main fruit and veggie table. There was soooo much food that’s all I can say. Then were taken back to the bridal suite. We told our wedding party to go and enjoy cocktail. We spent some time alone and I’l so glad we did. We ate, talked, laughed. Franceska was amazing the entire time!!! When we were done, we went to the RH to take pics. They were putting the final touches on everything in there. Flowers on the cake, lighting the candelabras, putting our pictures on the table. It was just gorgeous!! All the staff was lined up and ready to serve. I could tell how efficient they were. Sarah our Maitre D was there and told us we had a few minutes before the guests came up. We made our way back to the suite. Everything went like clock work the entire night. All the vendors communicated with one another constantly. My bridal asst. stayed with me until part of the reception. She was so nice and adorable. She eventually said bye and turned us over to Sarah. We didn’t have to worry about a thing. Sarah kept everything on schedule. We had so much fun!!! Once a cup was empty, she was coming with another drink for us.
For those of you who are having your wedding here, I will tell you as Pat our banquet manager told us, “you’re in good hands.” They’re friendly, pleasant, polite, efficient, and organized. I’m glad we had our wedding here. It will be a day I will never forget. Everyone raved about the food and the place too!!




Flower Michelle
Pre wedding: A++++
I'd seen flower michelle when we checked out Jericho Terrace. He had a lot of floral arrangements around and thought wow I need to check him out. So, I did then discover he was on here. as a vendor...lol
I'd originally met with Barbara. We booked with her. Then, when I went back one day he redid my contract and said I'd work with him. It wasn't until later that I learned he was on his own.
I met with John many times. I started with candles as a centerpiece and ended up with candelabras and floral arrangement we came up with together. It had old world elegance to it, very beautiful. See pics below. I was concerned with the flowers matching the dresses cause my bm used two shades of pink. He assured me it would all blend in and it did. I knew I had to trust him and not go crazy about it.

Day of: A++++
I was sitting in my dining area getting my hair done when the delivery guy dropped off the flowers. My jaw dropped, they were fresh and just gorgeous!!! We got a lot of wows!!!
My bouquet had peonies, verbena roses and hydrangeas. the girls were roses and hydrangeas.

Elegancia
Pre-wedding: A
We met with Jose and booked on the spot. We loved what they had to offer without all the toys and corny lines we were seeing from all the other DJ's. We wanted someone who knew their Spanish music, but also could provide good English. So we had the DJ and percussionist. No other extras.

Day of wedding: A++++++++
Louie worked our wedding and he was great!!! My mil planned a surprise for me and Louie was in on it. he stopped the music to let the mariachi play. He always checked in with us.
People danced all night!!! The floor was never clear. We had a blast. I don't sweat easily and I was sweating so I know I was dancing a lot. LOL
We gave Louie an extensive list and honestly he didn't need it cause he was that efficient and read the vibe of the crowd.
I want to give a special shout out to MJ Doc because I read her review and Fm her about Elegancia. She had nothing but good things to say. I had other ladies fm me practically bullying me to not book them because they didn't play one song they really wanted or something like that.

Thomas Paul Photography
Pre-wedding: A-
I'd googled photographers in long island and he came up. We'd met with a few photogs. but they were either too expensive for us or we didn't like their work. I really like TP so I met with him and two weeks later booked him.

Engagement photos: We booked with Tom but David was going to be our photog. the day of the wedding. I told them that was fine as I'd seen his work.
Our engagement pics were in Central Park in October. Although David captured some beautiful photos, I felt like he didn't listen to what I wanted and he didn't pay attn. to detail. For example, a person's foot in the pic. or fixing my dress..things like that.
We received our pics and they truly came out great!!! Everyone loved our epics!!
I made thank you cards out of them and sent them out to people who came to my bridal shower. They were a big hit! I used Vista Print.

Tom calls me three weeks before my wedding to tell me David would not be doing my wedding. It would be Bryan and Jackie. My first response was what!!! He assured me we would be fine and that he'd let David go. I was under a lot of stress at the time so I was either gonna trust Tom's word or go crazy!!! I decided to trust him. Bryan and Jackie both called me and we talked for a bit.
I gave Bryan an extensive list from here...lol...
He was very understanding about it...lol

Day of wedding:A++++++++
Brian arrived a little early. I was still getting my makeup done. He was friendly, funny and animated.lol
Jackie arrived at DH house early too. He said they were all sitting around joking and eating food until she asked them to change...lol
He said she was very creative and helped them get dressed, put their flowers on and gave them a ride to the church...lol...cause in laws were doing I don't know what...lol
So a special shout out to Jackie..thanks for putting up with these loud mouth guys.
As soon as I was done with makeup I went to put on my dress. Bryan came in as I was being zipped up. He took funny pics of me putting the girls in place and my bm's dressing me and such. Once that was done he kicked everyone out of the bedroom and took some great, fun shots.
Then he took some great shots on my couch. He was always a professional and funny with the kids.
We took tons of pics at the church and RH. I haven't seen my proofs so I will stop here for now.

Pippy Sweets A++++++
Invites, menus, and programs
Diana was a vendor I found straight from this website. I'd read a lot of great reviews about her.
When I asked about her in a thread, i started receiving all these insane Fm on what a horrible job she'd done for some brides. This is the downside of this site, is the bad reviews but you have to base it on your own experience with the vendor not someone else's. I was really disappointed because I like her work. I searched other places but wasn't as impressed.

I decided to give Diana a chance and I'm so glad I did!!! She did an amazing job and had the invites to me, three weeks before the date I required of her. Diana and I talked a few times and emailed a lot. I told her my concerns and she was very gracious about the whole thing. I can't tell you how many times I emailed her or times she didn't hear from me and would check in to let me know all was on track. Diana will use very expensive paper to moderate, depending on what you want.
I chose pocket folds and we designed them together. She emailed me a sample and then sent the mock invite. I had 5 people look at it before giving the OK.
I can't tell you how many compliments we got!!! Everyone loved our invites.
I was going to DIY programs and menus but one week before the wedding I got the flu and had to follow Dr.'s orders. So I emailed Diana and she came to the rescue. I had them five days later even though she was moving the weekend she was sending them to me. She did a fantastic job!!! I asked her how much and she said don't worry it's on me!!! How sweet is that!!! I highly recommend her!!!

Customized Girl A+++++++++++
I debated whether to use them or not and last min. I did. I bought my bm t-shirts. I didn’t want to just put BM so I thought about how to incorporate their personalities. So, one was sexy maid, flirtatious maid., etc. They came out great!!! They were in white with pink lettering.

Melinda Makeup A+++++++++
I posted on vendor helping bride board and found Melinda. I went to the spa she worked at for a trial. I instantly loved what she did!!! She really captured what I wanted to a T. She also recommended a night face cream for me and scrub. She gave me samples of each. I loved it so much I ended up buying it after the samples finished. I could tell the difference in my skin. Much more glowy than before.
The day of the wedding, she arrived as the hair person was finishing up. She was great. I got a little emotional and she had to touch up my eyes and said don’t worry about it. I hadn’t eaten so I was eating while she did my makeup. The photog. was taking pics and she asked if she could see if my skin was even and not shiny. She gave me the lipstick, liner and gloss no charge. She did an amazing job. She went a little darker than I could have expected, but I loved it. I plan on using her in the future for other events. I highly recommend her!!!

Theresa from Kholouds A+++
Believe it or not I’d decided I wanted to do my own hair. I like doing my hair and thought this would be a good idea. As the wedding approached I realized I probably would not have as much patience as I normally do. I didn’t like what I was seeing from different vendors. It all looked the same to me. I didn’t want anything complicated, but just wanted wavy romantic curls. So, I called Kacey about two weeks before the wedding. I booked Theresa one week before the wedding!!!! No trial…lol…she said I was the only bride she’d ever know to do that…lol
Theresa arrived early on the day of. I’d spoken to her on the phone and told her I have thick hair and a lot of it so no extensions were needed. So she was suppose to arrive around 10:30 and arrived at around 9:30. I was still in PJ’s, hadn’t showered…lol…and had to go to the store real quick. So I told her to make herself at home with my mom and ran to the store. Came back showered and got started. She was very sweet about it and didn’t mind at all. I offered her food and something to drink because I felt bad she had to wait…lol
I showed Theresa a pic. and she went with it. She said no matter what, my hair is real heavy and the curls would loosen as the day goes by. The curls were real tight in the beginning, but by the reception they were nice and loose. She said it would take her about 45 min. but it took her about two hours to do my hair. Thank goodness she didn’t have to do my BM…lol…she really took her time.

Sir Oliver Limos A+++++++++++
This was a vendor we weren’t worried about booking. We figured we’d book em the month of the wedding since we didn’t want anything fancy. A family member recommended someone and we were going to use him. Well when we contacted him, he was rude and didn’t want to give us a bigger limo. I guess he felt since he was doing us a favor, we should take what he gives us. Well, one week before our wedding, I was picking up my dress at the seamstress and the owner of Sir Oliver Limo walks in. He wanted to drop off some business cards. So I asked him what are the rates since my wedding was in a week. His jaw dropped and he couldn’t believe we didn’t have a limo. He gave me his card and cell number and said call me. I told my fiancé and we called. Well I’m so glad we did because the owner gave us a great deal and we had a driver at the end of the night to take us to our suite. We had a 20 passenger lime.
It was so much fun, We loved it.

Message edited 4/29/2008 7:58:36 PM.

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Can't wait for more pics!!!!!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

nice review, very detailed.

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Thank you for the review, I'm getting married at WCC and using TP.
I can't wait to see pics.
Congrats

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

wow i almost got married in that church! it's gorgeous!!

congrats!!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Great review...can't wait to see pics

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

great review

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

great review, can't wait for more pics!! Everything sounds so beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Thank you so much. I am using Flower Michele as well.

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Hi date twin!!! Great review! Congrats to you and your new husband!!! I can't wait to see your pictures- Im sure everything looked great!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

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Posted by GinaZ

Hi date twin!!! Great review! Congrats to you and your new husband!!! I can't wait to see your pictures- Im sure everything looked great!

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Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Thanks for the review!!! More pics, please

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

nice review can't wait to see pics cause im a TP bride also!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

thanks so much for the great review! I'm a WCC bride too and can't wait for the big day!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Thanks ladies I will post more pics soon, hopefully some TP pics too

Message edited 4/26/2008 4:12:26 PM.

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Congratulations Enjoy your marriage to the fullest....my best wishes to you

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

This was a great review. Thanks. I'm glad to hear everything went very well for you on your wedding day.

I'm happy to hear about WCC and Elegancia since those are two of my vendors.

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Pippy's Sweets (Diana) is doing my invites too. Can't wait to see the pics.

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

Thank you for the review!! Very detailed and helpful!! Can't wait to see some more pics

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

great review.. cant wait to see more pics!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

great review!!

Re: March 28 wedding, Woodbury Country Club, Pippy Sweets, Thomas Paul and so much more!!

great review, can't wait to see pics