CAEid's reviews

I honestly wanted to use a local (Brooklyn) baker for convenience, and obviously one that was not a complete rip off. I did everything with Marisa via email, and she did a phenominal job.

I purchased the mirrored initials from ebay seller ( guy72830) – ; spray-painted them gold, and glue the rhinestones, purchases from ebay seller (designer_trends_by_tami) – .

I purchased the slippers from: http://www.intertradecorp.com

Glass Vases were purchased from cudge.net – ; Votive Candles were purchased at The Rag Shop. I printed out the design in MS Word on vellum paper, trimmed the sides, closed it with double-stick tape, and wrapped a ribbon around.

Votives were purchased from cudge.net – ; Tealights were purchased from Ikea, and the clear labels I purchased from Staples. Designed in MS Word, and stuck them on the votives – easy!

I had visited a number of reception sites before I finally found Fox Hollow. The minute I walked into the lobby and saw the Winter Garden Pavillion I knew that it was "THE ONE." After speaking with Angel over the phone who gave us directions patiently for 45 minutes, we arrived and were greeted by the friendliest staff I've ever encountered. We met with Banquet Manager Frank Acierno, and he went over the menu while my MOH and BM and I watered at the mouth. The entire time the "price" was sitting in the back of my mind. I was praying that I wasn't setting myself up for disappointment as I knew I wanted my wedding here. After the menu reading, Frank gave me a price, and my jaw dropped to the floor. After I came to, I asked if he had made a mistake. He didn't, and I pulled out my check book without batting an eye. To be fair to DH, I called him and told him the price, and he didn't even care what the place looked like - he said "book it now." That's what I did. A few weeks later, I came back with Mom, DH, and MIL. They fell in love with the grounds, the lobby, and of course the Winter Garden Pavilion. We then had dinner, and they asked me again if there was a mistake in the price. They just couldn't believe the quality and quantity at such an amazing price! Oh, and the grounds - gawgeous!

Fast forward to a month before the wedding, we speak with Jennifer N. who coordinated the final details - menu selection, cake selection, chair cover, and chocolate fountain! We loved Jenn! She was an absolute doll, and DH wanted her to become our best friend. She advised us on the best choices for the cocktail hour, the cake, and desserts, and every single selection was the BIGGEST hit at the wedding. We also requested our MD & Bridal Attendant at this meeting. We requested Angel (of course) and Jennifer. Unfortunately, Jennifer was unable to make it the day of, and had Jackie M. Jackie was absolutely amazing! The minute I stepped out of the limo, she was there. She had our drinks freshened constantly, she kept the GM's happy w/food and drinks, and literally had EVERYTHING in her "goodie bag." I mean, she had a curling iron...who carries that? Well, I guess a bridal attendant right? Anyway, it turns out that Angel was the MD at my Uncle's Wedding 9 years ago at the Chateau Briand! Talk about a small world! Angel was on top of everything the entire night. Jackie was on top of everything the entire night. Fox Hollow was simply amazing the entire night! Can you tell how happy I am with Fox Hollow? They had everything set up exactly how I asked. I did not run into a SINGLE problem with Fox Hollow. Every a week after the wedding when I remembered my shoes were missing, I called and spoke with a kind gentleman Jose, who found my shoes and a few extra favors and had them shipped to me! How honest is that? The food at the Fox Hollow speaks for itself. Simply put - tasty, delightful, fulfilling, scrumptious, and you just can't have one. I had the Filet Mignon AND Vegetable Purse, and DH had the Salmon. All THREE were delicious. Our guests were so full and so happy with the food, they didn't want to leave. We picked the Peach Melba as a dessert and we were surprised in how many guests ate it! We thought the cake and mini-Viennese was enough!

We picked a whipped cream icing for the cake, with vanilla custard and fresh strawberry filing. It was simply delicious. I say this as I feared the cake would not be good, as I had sampled it at a few Fox Hollow events I'd attended. We had plenty of cake and desserts to last us a

At the end of the night, Jackie put everything together, and walked us over to the Inn at Fox Hollow where we were staying. I had a piece of glass stuck in my foot, and that girl got up in there and took it out. I was actually fighting (friendly) with her b/c I was capable of doing it on my own, and would be a little freaked out touching someone else's foot! But, she did it, and I honestly love the girl! All in all - FOX HOLLOW WAS PERFECT. They exceeded my expectations 500 times over! few months.

I'm Maronite which is a separate division of the Catholic Church. I would say that it is a Roman Catholic Church with a combination of the Christian Orthodox traditions. I was baptized, confirmed, raised in my church, and knew that I would one day be married there. DH is a non-practicing Catholic, and the Msgr. at OLOL embraced him into the church and welcomed him among the parishioners. We did not have to go through Pre-Cana but did meet with Msgr. on numerous occasions for Pre- Martial Guidance. I would recommend this to all couples as you truly learn a lot about each other. On to the day of the wedding: We were not restricted to anything in regards to what we can throw, aisle runners, etc, so I was truly grateful for that. We ended up not having Msgr. Sadek b/c he was celebrating his 50 Years in Ministry, and had Father John was absolutely the kindest person I've ever met. His Homily was touching, personalized, and our guests truly felt embraced. It also happened to be his first Ceremony in English! All in all, I know ladies on here don't usually rate a church, but I "rated" it a 5:5 b/c we honestly had no difficulties, what so ever.

The minute I went to her website, I knew her style, and knew she was the one for us. I had searched up and down for a photographer that was in our budget, and met our requirements. We didn't want any "packages" with albums and such, and didn't want one of those "traditional" photographers. Since we didn't have a videographer, we wanted a photographer that was going to capture the day fully with an artistic flair. We didn't want one of those "pose here with your fifteen aunts, uncles, and relatives" photographers, but one that didn't ask us anything and just snapped away. It was also important for us to have the actual proofs. I booked Marianela without having met her because I felt her work spoke for itself. I later decided to have an engagement shoot with her, to test the fields. I'm so glad we had the E.Shoot because she seriously became a friend to Ricky and I. Marianela is the sweetest person that I know, with that NYC edge I adore. We met in Central Park and she knew exactly where to go and what would be the best back drop. She shot over 200 pictures, and we got our proofs back within three weeks, and loved all of them! I did not give Marianela a "must take photo list" because I didn't want any shots to looked "posed" or "planned." I felt that a wedding photographer knows exactly what to take pictures of, and did not need any guidance from an amateur like me! I started having my doubts on the day of the wedding, but the minute I received the proofs, I saw that her and her assistant, Justin took pictures of EVERYTHING. On the day of the wedding Marianela arrived to my house to take the pictures of us getting ready, the details, and such. She then headed to the church and took the most amazing pictures. We were originally going to head to the Brooklyn Promenade to take pictures after the ceremony, but then I didn't want to run into too much OT with the Limo. Looking back at it now, I feel that we should've just gone down to the Promenade, but when money is on your mind, you don't think straight! However, the shots that they took on the Fox Hollow grounds were amazing. Our bridal party and guests felt so comfortable around Marianela and Justin. If anyone asked for a picture, they never refused, and did it with a smile. They were uninvasive, and that was so important to me and my guests. Marianela and Justin caught everyone in their natural element. We received our professional proofs in less than three weeks. We received over 1,200 proofs, which included mostly film, then digital, in black and white and color. We are so happy to have found Marianela, and I highly recm'd her!

I originally booked La Rosa in January, but then due to budget constraints, cancelled them. When I found out that I had a little extra cash flow, I decided to book La Rosa as a surprise for DH. I contacted them Mid-March, and they still had all my information, and sent the contract over. I did everything over the phone and via email, and they were superb to work with. The best part was that La Rosa was HALF the price of the Cigar Rollers out there. In the end, DH ruined his surprise because he's so nosey, but it was still a very special touch that I recm'd to each bride. The roller came in midway through the reception, set up, and got right to work. Our guests absolutely loved the "manly" touch and enjoyed their cigars.

I booked High Voltage Sounds without even meeting Vinny or his staff. I did everything via FM and over the telephone, because of work constraints. Through the year of planning, Vinny and I built a great friendship, and he was always there with an answer, and if he didn't have it immediately, he had it within 24 hours! I did drive him a little nuts with my random requests, and then never following up to tell him "I'm not getting it" but it was always on top of everything, and never hesitated reminding me! We have him a "Must Play List" only because we were so confident in his abilities and didn't bother giving a "Do Not Play List." Vinny even found an obscure song that we requested for our Cake Cutting Song, which really shocked DH. On the day of, Vinny, his assistant, and another member of his staffing in training kept our party going the entire time. We only requested one slow song because I honestly didn't want a single "slow" moment of the evening. From beginning to end, the dance floor was packed. We also had 30 minutes of Middle Eastern music for my family. In the end, not a single complaint from anyone! High Voltage kept our guests happy, us happy, and really went above and beyond. Thank You to Vinny & The High Voltage Family!

I found Maxine through LIWeddings, and booked her solely on her price. I felt that I needed a DOC during the planning stage as I had a lot of items that needed to be set up at Fox Hollow. Fast forward to March, and I find out that Fox Hollow does the entire set up for us. I had no problems with Maxine at all. Had I had the opportunity to go back, I would have not booked a coordinator - ANY coordinator because I simply did not need it. I was super organized from beginning to end, so I honestly did not need any type of coordinating. Maxine was a pleasure to work with from the moment I booked her. She was always available to answer my questions with a smile. On the day of the wedding, I completely forgot that I didn't drop off the rose petal cones or the programs at the church. I gave a call to Maxine, she swung by and picked everything up and headed to the church. At the church she organized the rose petal cones, distributed the programs, and made sure all the personal flowers were distributed to family members, the GM's, and DH. At the reception, she bought everything to the bridal suite, and gave me an update of the vendors and such. She also distributed all the envelopes, and handled the OT of the Limo. She oversaw the setup of the reception, and made sure everything ran smoothly. After we walked in to the reception room, she stayed near the DJ Booth. I always knew where she was, and she checked up on me throughout the night. I have no complaints at all, but the only reason I gave a rating of 4/5 was because she didn't need to do much, as Fox Hollow and I took care of everything.