Nicole Montero & Hector Lopez, June 10, 2011

Location: Glen Island Harbour Club, New Rochelle, NY

The combination of gorgeous views of the Long Island Sound and the unbelievable attention to detail from the staff made Glen Island a very easy choice.

After seeing at least 15 venues that all felt very much like wedding factories, Rocco at Glen Island made us feel that our wedding would be very much the elegant yet fun event we wanted it to be.

On the day of, I had absolutely nothing to worry about as every single detail was absolutely taken care of. I would recommend it to anyone getting married.

Dresses

Luna Novias by Rosa Clara – purchased at True Love Bridal in Matawan, NJ

These ladies carry a gorgeous and extensive collection of gowns that are under $2000 and look like they are worth $20,000. It’s a tiny, understated shop where the owners take pride in finding the absolute perfect dress for each of their brides.

The reception dress: Jessica McClintock

As much as I adored my wedding dress it was legitimately a straight jacket. I loved how I looked but I was so concerned I wouldn't even be able to sit in it that right after the dress purchase I started looking for a dress to change into. I loved it and the fact that the big flower on it sort of matched my wedding dress.

Bridesmaid Dresses: Jim Hjelm

I had a massive adverse reaction to even having matching bridesmaid's dresses but after seeing these I sort of loved them. I gave my bridal party about ten different dress options and I had them vote on their favorite and this one was almost unanimous. The color palette was perfect.

As for my MOH, yeah the Pippa-style show stealer, is my favorite person after my husband: my sister. Her dress instructions were any long dress you want that is champagne colored. I think her dress might have even been better than mine and I could not have been happier... she looked absolutely amazing.

Hair and makeup: Jagged Edge Salon and Spa, North Bergen, NJ

My family and I have been going to this salon since I was 2 years old. Rene, Eddie, Danny, Pattie, Bebe, and Barbara took care of my entire wedding party.

The morning of my wedding was like a festive little party in and of its own at the salon with the food and champagne. We had a wonderful time and I was thrilled with how we all looked.

Entertainment: Majestic Events Entertainment

These guys put on one hell of a party! Literally from the second we walked into the reception to the very last song people were all over the dance floor. Even the music they played during the little time we spent sitting to eat was perfect. Again, would recommend them to everyone.

Photographer: Inku Photography

There are no words to describe this man’s work. My fiancé and I agreed that photography was a place where we did not want to be stingy and we met with many photographers in our hunt for the right one.

From the moment we met with Inku at his office, he made us feel like we had known him forever. His style of photography is absolutely beautiful and he manages to capture every moment without actually being intrusive.

He mixed in very well with our friends and family and although he is a bit more expensive than other photographers he is absolutely worth every penny. His work is flawless and speaks for itself.

Videographer: Michael Maher

Michael is actually the family friend of a sorority sister of mine whose wedding I was in back in October of 2010. Michael has worked as assistant videographer on over 30 weddings but as a gift to my sorority sister, he shot her wedding on his own.

A little over a month after her wedding, while we were struggling to find a videographer who didn’t cost $5000 but also didn’t make cheesy videos, we saw the trailer Michael had put together for my friend’s wedding. It was everything we could possibly have hoped to find.

Since he is just starting out his cost was unbelievably reasonable and after having recently seen our wedding trailer, Hector and I are literally telling everyone we know about him. He is actually going to be filming my cousin’s wedding in Miami next year.

Flowers: Arcadia Florist

Jen at Arcadia found a way to give my wedding the exact look and feel I wanted without going over budget. I got the lilies and orchids I wanted!

The day of the wedding I got so many compliments from all of my guests on how exquisite the flowers were. I could not have been happier.

Inspiration

I wanted the wedding to be elegant but very fun with personal touches. The only centerpieces I’ve ever seen that I absolutely loved have been those made of submerged flowers and I knew calla lilies and orchids looked best.

Lilies are ivory and sage and I also wanted to have some champagne touches. Since it was a June wedding I added a pop of color by having fuchsia added to the invitations and my bridesmaids' bouquets.

I wanted the whole wedding to have a feel of clean, modern, elegant simplicity and in the end I think I definitely accomplished it.

Fun Touches

The dancers (aka "The Careless Bamboleo"--the whole thing was to the Gypsy Kings song Bamboleo) were all incredibly good friends of ours. The manly flamenco dancer is my husband's best friend and his wife (who is one of my best friends) was his partner. The guy in a mullet with a saxophone is my other friend's little brother. If you youtube "sexy sax man" his costume will make much more sense.

Basically, these were songs that always made us laugh and they put together a very, very elaborate show for us and everyone absolutely loved it. My husband and I did the "My Little Buttercup" dance from The Three Amigo's for the two flameco dancer's wedding, so they had to top it.

Do you have any advice for future brides?

• Stick to the budget… or at least attempt to make a budget. We went over… by a lot.
• Have fun with planning. It gets so overwhelming and so many people have input that there is a huge risk that you’ll end up conceding to other people’s wishes instead of your own.
• It’s your wedding! If something doesn’t feel like it fits your vision then absolutely don’t do it. In the end you’ll be a happier bride knowing that you can look back and your wedding was everything you dreamed it would be.

All photos courtesy of Inku via Two Bright Lights

Katrina and Luis Columna: November 24, 2010

The Location: Surf Club, New Rochelle

I never wanted to do a wedding in a catering hall because I’m a foodie, and the food in catering halls are never good, but at the Surf Club it’s wonderful!

We chose our date for several reasons. It was the day before Thanksgiving, so it was way less expensive than doing it on a weekend. Plus, our family was in town for the holiday, so it was basically a beautiful way to bring in the holiday season!

We really can’t say enough about how wonderfully we were treated. I really felt like a princess. The food is great and the location is right on the water so the views were breathtaking.

The Dress: Saison Blanche

I bought it from RK Bridal in Manhattan. I had a wonderful experience with them and my seamstress was fantastic.

My dress only cost $700-950 once it was adjusted. I had people asking me if it was couture. You don’t need to spend $3,000 on a dress for it to be beautiful!

Entertainment: Pure Rhythm Entertainment, DJ Rated R

Our guests are still raving about him. My husband works for SONY, and they hired our DJ to do their SONY VAIO EXPO in NY. He’s brilliant, there wasn’t a person left sitting down!

Photographer: Melissa Surprise of Surprise Photography

She’s an artist. She captured things that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. When we saw her work, we didn’t need to look any further.

Hair and Makeup

My best friend Roxana Marji did my makeup. She used to work for Lancome. My hairdresser Rema Jubran replicated a picture of what I wanted exactly. My hair held up all night.

Non-Denominational Minister: Veronica Figueroa

We had our ceremony at the Surf Club, which was beautiful.

Veronica did such a wonderful job. We met with her frequently prior to the wedding and got to know her well. We wanted someone to officiate our wedding that was spiritual, fluent in both Spanish and English, and also lighthearted!

Theme and Color Inspiration

I wanted to keep the theme very simple. Since red is my absolute favorite color, we chose red accents with hints of gold.

Thanksgiving is the introduction to the holiday season, and I wanted people to feel that, without making it a “Christmas themed” wedding.

We chose candles as centerpieces with red rose petals, because my grandmother always told me everything and everyone looks better in candlelight. It also gives off a golden glow, which matched my theme. Plus it was way less expensive than flowers, and looked just as beautiful, if not more so.

We arranged pillar candles along with votives as centerpieces, the dais, the cake table, the bar, the sign in table, everywhere! It was stunning!

Kat’s Advice for Other Brides

Weddings can get very expensive, but there are ways to cut the cost without cutting the style. I ordered all the candles for my wedding from www.candles4less.com. They totaled $400, as opposed to the $2,900 it would have cost for centerpieces (bouquets, and boutonnieres not included).

Use your resources! Perhaps you know someone that could do your makeup or your hair! I did a lot of shopping in the fashion district for my accessories. Shoes by Nina: $89.

Women tend to think that something needs to cost a fortune in order to be special for the wedding day. Not so!

Start planning early in order to save accordingly, and avoid stress. Enjoy the planning, because you hope to only do this once!

I personally didn’t want to include everyone in the planning process, because too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. We had a vision, and we stuck with it!

All photos courtesy of Melissa Surprise of Surprise Photography

The Location – Castle on the Hudson, Tarrytown, NY

Michele (who just so happens to be my sister) and Jay picked their Westchester wedding venue because, as Michele says, “Who doesn’t want to get married in a castle?!”  The fairy tale, happily-ever-after-feel and gothic look were perfect for my sister and her new husband.

“The people at the Castle are on another level of awesome,” gushed Michele. Their adoration of the staff started on the day they did their tasting—which Michele and Jay unanimously decided was the absolute best part of wedding planning. The staff was so helpful and made the entire experience so easy for the jittery bride and groom.

“We didn’t have to worry about a single thing from the first day we met Gilbert (the general manager) until the wedding was over,” said Michele. “He literally had the entire day planned down to the minute and he listened to all of our wants and made them a reality.”

Another major perk at the Castle was the food. “It’s the best food we’ve ever had,” said Michele. “I highly recommend the raw bar for cocktail hour. It was a huge hit!” Michele and Jay were so excited about the food, but, like many brides and grooms, they didn’t get to enjoy their meals on the day of the wedding. They were so busy dancing and laughing with their guests, they missed out on their meal! The always accommodating staff arranged for the newlyweds to come back to Equus (the restaurant at the Castle) for their one-month anniversary. The trout dish Michele and Jay had so looked forward to is made differently at the restaurant but David Haviland, the chef, made it for them exactly the way it was made at their wedding.

Theme – Medieval Garden

The Castle in Westchester County provided the perfect inspiration for Michele and Jay, who went for a sort of medieval garden theme. If you saw their home, which is decorated in dark woods with a lot of gothic accents, you would know that a castle was the perfect choice for these two. It completely fits their personal style.

It was also really important to them to incorporate art. “We wanted a Van Gogh wedding because we both love art, especially Van Gogh,” said Michele. Playing off of Van Gogh, they decided to go with sunflowers and irises as their flowers of choice, two flowers that are found in many of his paintings.

The Photographer – Maximillian B. Nucci

From the second Max walked into the room my sister was staying in at the Castle, I knew he was the perfect choice. My sister was in the midst of a meltdown after seeing her bouquet (which wasn’t what she had envisioned) and the boutonnieres that were, in her words, “made for either clowns or ten-foot tall giants.”  Let’s just put it out there: she was in full-on angry Bridezilla mode. Max immediately started cracking jokes and sticking the camera in my sister’s face, which totally put her at ease. His calm presence instantly diffused a situation that could have gotten a lot worse.

Michele and Jay chose Max because they were looking for something a little more artistic than traditional posed photos. Max set up an engagement session with the couple, explaining that it would make them more comfortable both with him and with being in front of the camera. It also gave Max an idea of how Michele and Jay photographed so that he could get the best shots possible on the day of the wedding. They loved their engagements photos so much that they bought the rights to all of them.

The DJ – Junior Molina, Soundwaves Productions

Michele and Jay knew exactly what they wanted in a DJ. “You know those really obnoxious DJs that sing and scream and practically drag you out by the back of your dress to dance the funky chicken? Yeah, Junior's not one of those,” Michele explained. They liked the fact that Junior is good at feeling out the crowd and knows what to play and (maybe more importantly) what not to play.

They also had a specific list of songs that they wanted played at certain times throughout the reception (starting with “We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes as people were finding their tables). “I was a mess as the wedding got closer,” said Michele “and I wrote him a new email like every five minutes with changes. He just took it all in stride.”

Michele and Jay also wanted to make sure that their guests had a good time and they knew their choice in DJ would be critical. “We had a day wedding, which can be tough to turn into a party,” Michele said. “Jay and I really wanted a party. We wanted everyone drinking and dancing and having fun at noon. Junior made it happen, and everyone had an awesome time.”

The Dress – David’s Bridal 

I was really nervous about going dress shopping with my sister. She’s currently in school for fashion design so clothes are kind of her thing. She had a very specific look in mind and I was afraid she would either be disappointed or she would settle on a dress she wasn't crazy about because she didn't think she had another choice.

Somehow on the very first day that we walked into a David’s Bridal (more for her to get a feel of the styles and fits out there than anything else) she bought her dress. Even stranger is the fact that she tried only one dress on. As she stood on the little pedestal looking at herself in the mirror, she asked us if she should try out any of the others we had seen. One of the other women in the store piped up and said “Why bother? That one's perfect!”  She was right. We left once we could tear Michele out of the dress.

The Shoes – Seychelles

I have to tell you, Michele’s choice in shoe shocked me. She has a soft spot for shoes (OK, it’s more than that. My nephew recently said to Jay “Daddy, why does mommy have so many shoes?”), so I knew they would be fabulous. But the awesome fish scales totally threw me for a loop. They were something I would pick—and a pair I can’t wait to borrow!

I love the fact that they're not at all traditional. It suits my sister. A cool pewter color, they definitely don't scream "bridal!" The scales at the top and on the sides added really interesting detail and texture, something most bridal shoes are lacking. Just look at them! They’re totally drool worthy! If you're interested in these beauties for yourself, they just so happen to be featured in our shop!

The Hairpiece – Tessa Kim and Jennifer Garry

Michele borrowed the birdcage veil by Tessa Kim that I wore at my wedding (check out the link to see how different our weddings were!). She was torn for awhile on whether to do a long, dramatic cathedral veil or something short. On a whim, she tried on mine and loved the versatility of it. There were a variety of different ways that she could wear and she could definitely make it her own.

Michele also wanted a dramatic, feathery headpiece. Since I make accessories, we decided to design a piece together  that I would make for her. After a few different incarnations (my dear sister first wanted a headband, but decided—after I had made it—that she would wear her hair up instead of down and so she needed a comb), Michele cried when she saw the final product, which made me one very happy sister.

A Bride's Advice:

• Make it personal: “As a way to incorporate more art into our wedding we printed our own table numbers, each table having a different painting with a number. Jay used the same paintings (all of which are my favorites) during the proposal.” 

• Wishing tree: Make a wishing tree instead of having a guestbook! “It's much more interesting and people can write down their wishes for you andyour spouse on little cards and hang them from the tree,” she said. “It was really fun and romantic to take the wishes off the tree and read them with my husband over a bottle of wine.”

• Cake: Fight the urge to have a traditional white wedding cake. GO CHOCOLATE!

---

 

Jennifer Garry is a writer and accessories designer living in Westchester, NY with her husband and daughter. When she's not up to her ears in kiddie crafts, you can find her swimming in a pool of beads. Her obsessions include tea, chocolate, sarcasm and her daughter's giggle--any of which can be used to coax her from her little jewelry-making fantasy world.