Accomodations

We decided to book a block of hotel rooms for our many out of town guests who will be comming to the wedding. For pure research purposes, Mike & I did all the hard work for you. Such as attending "client appreciation" nights at all potential hotel locations. LOL These "client appreciation" nights included free beer, wine & apps and of course a tour of the hotel rooms & facilities. This wedding plannig stuff is really hard work! (No really it is..) But this was a "gimmie" as far as plannig tasks went. One of the fun things to cross off the "to do" list.

We decided on The Hilton Garden Inn in Planview, a short 5 minute drive from the Carlyle. It's been newly renovated and looks brand-spanking-new! The location is convenient and the price was right.They have rooms with either 1 king bed or 2 queen beds, plus they have additional roll away beds if needed. If you decide to stay at the hotel please book through our Reservation Website so we can keep track of who is in what room and so you can take advantage of all the special goodies we have for you!

We have also arranged for round trip transportation to and from the ceremony & reception via a luxury shuttle bus for all hotel guests staying at The Hilton Garden Inn. An itinerary will be placed in guests rooms so everyone can take advantage!  Its a great idea to stay even if you arent an "out of towner" in case you are too tired or having too much fun to drive home!

Be sure to book PRIOR to AUGUST 13th 2010 to take advantage of the special group rate. Our event code is CMW. Check in is 3pm and check out is 12pm.

If you have any questions, dont hesitate to call me or the hotel liason : Laurie Triosi at (516) 755-5552

Photography & Video

Im excited to say we've booked our wedding photographer & videographer. I was so excited to finally meet the man behind the gorgeous wedding film I saw at the Oheka Wedding Expo in 2007. Yes 2007. I have been covetting his work and hoping to one day have a video production as glamorous as the one I saw since BEFORE I was ever engaged.

The videographer or should i say film producer...because that is what he does!.... Is David from DMS Productions. He says, "they arent videos, they're films!" How fancy! And we all know I like fancy, haha.  He has been awarded a ton of film, production & editing awards. And recently awarded The WEVA Creative Excellence Award; which is the most prestigious award worldwide for wedding videography.  DMS was honored with more international awards than any other video production company in the United States. Impressive huh? Yep. And he films Platinum Weddings, the show on WeTv.

Our Big Day is going to be filmed in High Def, with lots of different cameras & equipment, you're all going to be Movie Stars! haha You can check out examples of his recent works by clicking: DMS Video Production Clips. David is extremely talented and Im really looking forward to seeing the final product. A typical piece by DMS runs aprox 45 mins and wont be completed for almost 3 months after the event. Perfection takes time people! Haha

The photographer we chose is Rocco Chilelli of Camelot Studios. He works very closely with David on many events so it made sense to go with him. They have a great reputation together. The style we asked for is traditional mixed with candid/artistic shots. I really want it to look like a photo journal of the days events and highlight the small details which may get overlooked by Mike & I during the excitment of our wedding day. Rocco's previous works really showcase how he is able to write a story of the day through pictures. You can check him out at Camelot Studios.

It was so important for me to pick artists I thought would really capture our special day in a way that would be classy and honored forever. With all the stuff that will be going on, its going to feel like a whirlwind for Mike & I. I cant wait to celebrate with all our family & friends on that day and then sit in front of the TV and force all of those family & friends to watch the film & slide shows over and over and over again! Who's excited!?! Lets not all jump up at once! LoL Yea...I know, but at least give into me just once.

Inspirations

Ive been thinking alot about what I want the wedding to look like. Im in love with anything that's fancy! Mike calls me his "Fancy Girl". So living up to that; my inspiration words are: Vintage, Glamorous, Fun, and Sophisticated. I always wanted a formal wedding, so I'm hoping to create a "Black Tie Affair!"

As far as colors, I originally wanted all deep jewel tones. Purple, blue, gold, fuschia. But I've done a complete 180 and I'm going with light pinks and gray. I think that will give more of a subdued elegance.

Here are some sample color boards I found as well as some inspiration pics:

We Bought a House!!!

What Craziness!! We've been waiting to hear about this house for over 7 months!! It was a short sale and took forever; a few times we just wanted to take our money back and walk away. But finally we were given a closing date of November 9th, 2009. But we still didnt want to get our hopes up until we had the keys in our hands. And now...WE DO! We are officially homeowners. We'll be busy moving in for the next few days. For now check out the pictures of the house we took when we saw it with our real estate agent HERE.

The Venue

After going out and looking at every possible venue location on Long Island from Suffolk to Nassau to Queens, we finally decided on Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage State Park. Its a beautiful location which sits on the golf course that was the site of the 2009 US Open. The club house boasts the largest ballroom on Long Island which is fully enclosed with glass windows and doors on three of four sides overlooking 1500 acres of idylic green grounds. A newly buit gazebo aside one of the greens will serve as the ceremony site, weather permitting, otherwise it will be held indoors infront of the fireplace in the Lenox room.

We've picked September 3rd, 2010 as the date we'll become Husband & Wife in front of all our family & friends. Save the Date!

The Engagement Party 10.3.2009

So the party went off without a hitch! With lots of help from family & friends especially Mom, Aunt Donna, Mrs. Mongan, Sabrina, & my Sissy everything was set up and looking beautiful before I even got to the restaurant! They are my magical elves.

My parents as well as my future in-laws hosted over 100 family & close friends for a fun & festive lunch & cocktail party at The Riverview Restaurant which is located on the water in Oakdale here on Long Island. Everything was FABULOUS!

The decor was perfect. All the runners & napkin rings my mom had made looked awesome! And the homemade floral centerpieces opened up nicely. My magical elves placed pictures of Mike & I on each table which guests were able to take home with them if they wanted. They also set up an alcove where we displayed collages of our families lineage and past wedding photos as well as photos of our wedding party. A separate table displayed the homemade favors in the beautiful white bags with blue bows.

Guests were greeted with passed hors'devours & cocktails which got the party started! Everything was so delicious and the service was great! The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. We hired a photographer to chronicle the event and take journalistic photos as the guests enjoyed themselves. You can see all the photos by clicking HERE. After everyone arrived we invited the party into the dinning area where Mike & I thanked everyone for joining us and our parents toasted us as well. Then we dug into the open buffet!! Yum!

After plenty of "Family Group Photos" to record everyone who was there; we had dessert which consisted of vanilla & chocolate cupcakes!!! They were topped with white butter cream frosting and dressed with black cupcake wrappers and a blue jewel on top!! So Cute! They matched the decor perfectly. The cupcake wrappers were some chore to acquire!! After days of Mike & his Mom searching store after store to no avail I ordered the solid black wrappers from Etsy and had them shipped overnight so they made it in time for the party. I wanted everything to match!

During the festivities we were able to announce our wedding party. We gave out small gifts and asked each person if they would support us by being our bridesmaid or groomsman. The girls got guava & mango scented candles, while the guys got cigars in leather cases. Just a small gesture preempting the possible stressful times that may be ahead during the wedding planing process...

The Wedding Party:

Maid of Honor.........Sabrina Fuchs

Cousin of the Bride. A NYC school teacher, amateur comedian, and fashionista. She'll make me laugh when I want to cry and she'll make sure I look good doing it.

Sister of Honor........Michelle Collins

Sister of the Bride. Yes. I need a maid of honor team, and Michelle fits the bill. She knows what I like and she'll make sure I'm happy!

Bridesmaids

Marissa Mongan.....Sister of the Groom

Studying to be a teacher. She knows how to party! And will totally tell you like it is.

Melissa Petrini.......Cousin of the Bride

We went to college together & are also sorority sisters!!! How great is that? She has traveled the globe with her Army Capt. Tom and is mother to lil Ella.

Victoria Tobin........Best friend of the Bride

We've know each other since H.S. and cheered together all the way through college. We eventually both became members of the NYPD and remain good friends. She'll be getting married July 22nd 2010 where myself & Megan VanValen will also be her bridesmaids.

Megan VanValen...Best friend of the Bride

We've also know each other since H.S. and had many good times together while attending college. Megan was married last month and had a beautiful reception at the Venetian. Vicki & I were her bridesmaids!

Flower Girl..........Kiera Collins

My lil cousin Kiera is the younger sister of the triplets. She is the sweetest thing and will look just perfect tossing petals down the aisle! I cant wait to get her a lil mini bride's dress!!!

Best Man..............Best friend of the Groom

Dan & Mike met while in the NYPD Academy in 2006. They became partners upon graduation and have been inseparable ever since. Their many adventures both amuse & scare me on a daily basis. I have little faith that they will keep each other unscathed until the ceremony. Least we forget the eyebrow burning incident of 2007....

Groomsmen

Kelly Mongan.......Cousin of the Groom

Kelly recently moved back to Washington state with his family. He attends Central Washington University and is a lifeguard during the summer. Rumor is: he's single.

James Herrera.....Cousin of the Bride
Relocated to Long Island from Miami. He teaches at Stony Brook University and tours Madagascar, South Africa, & Latin America in his "spare time".

Michael Fuchs......Cousin of the Bride

All around fun guy, Mike & Mike have shared many heterosexual times together. Including but not limited to Skins vs Shirts Pong Tourney. Both are avid fans of the Man-Hug.

Dave Burgos.........Best friend of the Groom

Dave works with Dan & Mike. Mike and Dave shared a special bond from the beginning as Mike puts it, because neither could make it over "the wall" in the academy. Sorry Dave, you two are spazes.

Kevin Serafine.....Best friend of the Groom

Kevin & Mike went to H.S. together. He currently resides in Las Vegas. Good times include pushing the Mustang an inch past the 140 max down William Floyd Hwy and losing Kev's truck in the desert. Kevin has been teasing Mike with false hopes of moving back to NY for some time now.

Ring Bearer..........Ricky Ray

Ricky is my next door neighbor. His mom used to babysit me when I was little. Ricky loves my mom Lynda & walking my dog Mia. He is the perfect match for our flower girl Kiera!

After the party everyone was invited back to my parents house to wind-down with some more coffee and celebrating. We received so many beautiful & generous gifts from our family & friends. We took turns opening cards & showing off the items that we look forward to using just as soon as we get a house!

Thank You so much to Everyone who came to celebrate our Engagement. It was the BEST party ever & I am so happy and really excited to start planning the actual wedding. I cant say thank you enough. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I'm the happiest lil Bride-to-Be Ever!

Lynda Collins & The Chocolate Factory

So a lot of hard work has been put into this engagement party to make it really special. And I have to recognize my Mom because she is awesome! Not only did she hand make all the beautiful damask runners that will be on the tables, she also made me 0ver 100 royal blue napkin rings to bring a little splash of color to the table settings. I think everything is going to look so fabulous!

Since we are having over 100 guests at the party, the manager said it would be best to have place cards for arraigned seating. So I decided to made matching damask place cards myself! I was able to do it on my own computer at home. I just googled imaged of damask borders and adjusted the size in Microsoft paint. Then I put the image in Microsoft Word and added every ones name & table number in a pretty blue color. I printed the place cards on card stock from the craft store and then cut them out myself. I added a royal blue jewel at the top for an additional sophisticated detail. The card stock was about $3.95 and a pack of jewels was $1. So for less than $5 I made these pretty Place cards. What do you think? I love them!!!

As a thank you gesture, Mike & I wanted to send everyone home with a little goodie bag that would reflect our interest & taste. So we decided on beer & pretzels!

So Mom went to work and hand-dipped 300 pretzel rods in chocolate & about 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies as well!!! It was like Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory up in here!! She tied them up in clear bags with little ties at the top and then we paired them with a Spaten Oktoberfest beer for the adults and Organic Chocolate Milk for the kids. I made the Thank You labels for the bags & Mike glued them onto each bag, then Aunt Donna & Mom tied blue bows on each bags handles...and Viola! The perfect parting gift! Checkout everyone's hardwork.