The reception hall was the wild card. We wanted to find a venue that felt like Manhattan but was located on Long Island. We didn't want a place that was overdone and tired, but instead looked fresh, contemporary and classy. We found all that and more at The North Ritz Club. Thanks to a tip from Adriana who had attended a wedding there, we went to check it out and fell in love immediately. It was a newer property that only hosted 1 wedding at a time which was something that was important to us. The value was amazing and the price was spot on - SOLD!
Next up was music. We knew from the beginning that we wanted a live band. It was a bit pricier, but we had been to one too weddings that had DJs that just did not create the atmosphere we were looking for. Our search began at a wedding showcase at the Milleridge Inn where we met Phil - an enthusiastic guy who happened to own the After Hours Orchestra. We agreed to attend a preview to check the band out and I have to say, we were blown away. They sounded great and could play anything from Sinatra to hip hop to jazz to rock. After seeing a few other bands, we knew that the After Hours Orchestra was our band. Done. Check!
Once the band and the venue were in place, we took some time off to just enjoy our engagement. Plus, we had another wedding to look forward to ~ Adriana and John, married on December 11, 2009.
It was very beneficial to have a family member planning a wedding at the same time we were. It was because of them that we found both our photographer, Millimeter Photography, and our florist, Signature Floral Design. Michael at Millimeter was so easy to work with and had a great team that turned out amazing photos (what you see in today's blog). Yelena of Signature Floral Design was also a gem who truly captured the look we were going for with the flowers. You may have heard me say that wedding flowers make me mad. As soon as the word "wedding" is attached, the price is jacked up 300% and that pisses me off! Well, not with Yelena. She was absolutely affordable and did absolutely AMAZING work on our bouquets and centerpieces.
Next up, cupcakes. We decided that in lieu of a traditional wedding cake, we would go with cupcakes. Convincing my parents of the choice was not easy (Bob Q. envisioned a bunch of Betty Crockers on a sheet pan which did not excite him), but we made them see the light when we hired Amy from the Cupcake Gourmet to do cupcakes for our engagement party. I honestly don't remember how I found Amy ~ I think my good friend Michele recommended her. She was a sweetheart from the start and invited us to her shop in Huntington for a tasting which was AWESOME! We decided to host a taste test with the cupcake mini's at our Engagement Party and chose our wedding day flavors from the results. With the help of Yelena's gorgeous anemone flowers, the cupcakes at the wedding not only tasted delicious, but looked amazing!
Finally the vehicles. If you know Ed, you know that he is a BIG fan of Mustangs (the cars...not the horses). Both vintage and new, there is not a Mustang on the road that he won't oogle over. So we made it our mission to have a vintage, cherry red 1967 Mustang convertible as our getaway car on the wedding day. Problem was, we didn't own one nor did we know anyone that did! First we called all the local car rental places...no dice. Then we had a thought to troll the vintage car shows that take place on Long Island. Again, easier said than done. Then an miracle occurred. Our good friend Allison Hunt mentioned to us that a good family friend owned one and would be happy to let us borrow it for the big day. SCORE!! Mustang Scott (as he familiarly became) was the sweetest guy who not only allowed us to borrow the car, but he also played chauffeur complete with a tux and a bottle of champagne. While our bridal party sat comfortably in a black Lincoln Navigator limo (provided by Camelot Limousine), we rode in style with our custom "Just Married" sign.
So there you have it. We are proud to say that all of the vendors we worked with were local business owners so we feel that not only did we receive personalized service, we supported the local economy. There truly was not one single hiccup along the way which tells us that we picked the right people for the job. Even when the stupid Icelandic volcano threw a wrench into our honeymoon plans, Joe at Camelot Limos was awesome and changed our airport pick-up and drop-off with no fuss. I would highly recommend using any of the above - they helped made our wedding day completely flawless. :)
Some other wedding day vendors that are not listed above include Priscilla of Boston (my wedding dress), Tuxedo Park (Ed and the groomsmen's attire), Bridal Reflections (bridesmaid dresses), My Glass Slipper (bride's shoes), Nordstrom (groom's shoes), Willow Pet Hotel (Lucy's home away from home during the wedding), Antonette's (site of rehearsal dinner), MetroModes (hair and makeup for the ladies).
