APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

I was married on Friday, April 10, 2015 and could not possibly be any more ecstatic about how wonderful the day was, and aside from the day already being a special one, each and every one of our vendors made it that much more fantastic!!!

Rehearsal Dinner - Sidetracks, Sunmyside, Queens, NY - A+
We held our rehearsal the night before the wedding, and chose this particular place because of the party room and its proximity to the church. Everything was FABULOUS!!! We had about 22 people at the rehearsal dinner, and there was PLENTY of room if you needed to invite many more guests. The food was fantastic, with a salad appetizer, three entree choices, and three dessert options for your guests to choose from. Also OPEN bar, which may or may not be the best option if your wedding is the next day. I couldn't have asked for more and everyone had a fantastic time! Afterwards we made our way to the Huntington Hilton, and it was only a 30 minute trip, so definitely worth considering this place even if you're out on Long Island.

Room Block - Huntington Hilton, Melville, NY - D
Not only did we block our rooms at the Hilton, use their shuttle for wedding guests, and offer brunch the next morning, but we also stayed here the night before and the night of the wedding. Both my husband and I, our parents, our bridesmaids, and some groomsmen, stayed the night before on top of having about 20 other guests from our wedding stay the night of. I've had previous experiences as a guest here with no complaints, as well as my cousin having used this hotel for wedding guests, we decided it was the best option; Particularly since they have a bar in the lobby that stays open till 12am Monday to Thursday and Friday to Sunday until 2M, so you can have a small after party here. I worked with Annette for the room block and Nicole, the reservation manager, for any reservation issues. The rates they offered as a group discount for blocking rooms turned out to not be much of a discount since I actually found lower rates by browsing on the Internet and even got my suite for at least $50 less than what they offered per night. I shared a junior suite with 2 bridesmaids the night before and the issues began immediately, with not having been given more than 1 bath sized towel, no toilet paper, and no extra sheets or pillows for the pull out couch. My now husband called and requested these items, and they said, no problem. About an hour went by, and one of my bridesmaids called, only. To be told the housekeeping staff are changing shifts and we'd have to wait an hour. This was already 12AM.....someone knocked on the door at 2:30AM, and we wound up not answering because we had all been sleeping for an hour or more in the king sized bed. Sharing a King size bed with 2 other people the night before your wedding.....NOT ideal lol. My brother in law told me the next day that they closed the bar at 11pm that night we arrived, and refused to serve him and my brother, saying they were closed. He had to get the manager, who apologized and reopened the bar. Apparently this same issue happen the next day, when we all arrived back to the hotel after the wedding; They closed the bar at 12am and would not serve any of my guests. I also received complaints from my guests that stayed the night of our wedding, that there were other guests running around the hotel banging on their doors all night (Both Nights) and that apparently this this same group ( a teenage church group!!!) also smashed a car window in the parking lot the night of my wedding. Other issues ensued following the wedding when I had guests telling me they were charged the regular room rate instead of the group room block rate they booked under. The staff at the Hilton offered NO customer service, did not help us with our bags, did not clean our room or bring new towels the day of my wedding, so when my husband and I returned, the bed was still unmade and still no extra towels. Needless to say, I am incredibly disappointed with the Hilton after the amount of guests we brought in and the money we spent for our rooms, the shuttle, and the breakfast. I highly recommend anyone use a different hotel, unfortunately.

Hair & Make Up - Salon Seven, Deer Park, NY - A+
All of my bridesmaids and myself went to Salon Seven at 6am the morning of the big day. They had a team of about 4 hair stylists for updos, and two make up artists. They served us breakfast, including muffins, bagels, fruit, mimosas, and coffee while we were there. Stephanie die both mine and my MOHs hair. They were fantastic and incredibly reasonably priced. It was worth traveling 10 minutes to them for the mini breakfast we received as well as their fantastic work on everyone's hair and make up!

Rob Shook Photography - Niantic, CT - A+++++
Rob was a GODSEND!!!! I found him while searching for a photojournalistic style wedding photographer and found him on some association website. I never met him until the day of our wedding, which could be risky using someone you've never met! His rates were incredibly reasonable, and he offers unlimited time from BEGINNING to END, as in from prep until that very last song of the night! He also has an assistant that accompanies him. He was with me at the hair salon at 9am and stayed until 11pm when the night finally wrapped up. I could not have possibly wished for anything more from Rob! He captured our day so beautifully and was so flexible with all the traveling around we did from the salon to the hotel to the ceremony to the gardens where we took photos to the reception. Please, please take a look at his work on robshookphotography.com! I HIGHLY recommend hiring him for your wedding!

ALL photos below are by Rob Shook Photography.

LJR Films - Brooklyn, NY - A+++++
Photo and video were the most difficult for me to find. After finding Rob, I though that I'd get just as lucky finding a great a videographer, just as quickly. Unfortunately not! It took a long while to find Lesean from LJR films, but it was well worth the wait and all the research we did to find him! Thank you to all the LI Weddings brides who recommended him to me! We had such a blast working with Lesean! Both him and Rob worked so in sync with each other and really captured every single aspect of our day! I didn't mind running around in muddy grass in the gardens where we took our photos, because it was ABSOLUTELY worth it for the awesome shots he got in the video! Lol, I wore those mud stains with pride....although my MOH probably didn't agree after spending 45 minutes trying to get them out with a tide stick lol. My husband and I, and all of our guests are so blown away by his trailer; I am still getting compliments and raves about it, and now people are dying to see the full video! Definitely give Lesean a call if you want someone that can capture your day in ways you couldn't have even have dreamt of!

Trailer.... https://ljrfilms.wistia.com/medias/5f0mkfizg9

All Star Limousine, Lindenhurst, NY - A+++++
WOW! We did not even expect the level of customer service that we received from All Star Limos!!! Our drivers were FANTASTIC and were the ones that helped us keep it together when certain moments were a little stressful or crazy! I won't get into what moments they were lol but we were so blessed with how incredible our drivers were! Also....we did not realize we would have a waitress on the party bus!!! Just wonderful! This was such an important time for both my husband and I, as well as our bridal party and parents, because the trip between the ceremony and the photo location was our cool down and relax time, and All Star Limos really helped us do just that! We even invited them to our wedding after they dropped us off at the Riviera, because we had several guests cancel the day before or the day of ( like literally....after the ceremony ).

Tim's Florist, Massapequa Park, NY- A+
Also another WOW!!! They are contracted with the Riviera for the center pieces. All of the bouquets and boutonnière swerve gorgeous, but mine was PHENOMENAL!!! They were so easy to work with, reasonable, and have a great eye for creativity. You tell them what your image and theme are, and they will make it happen!

Gardens at Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY - A+
We were stuck as far as where we wanted to do photos, but I felt we needed a different location than just the church and the Riviera. I called Farmingdale Use of Facilities office about a week before the wedding, and they were very accommodating, even with such short notice! They even encouraged me to browse the gardens before booking because of the harsh winter we had. There wasn't much blooming, if anything, but the gardens are still beautiful any time of the year because of all the large, old, characteristic trees. The gardens are HUGE, and offer plenty of photo ops! If you are a Farmingdale alumni, you get a discount, which was a nice bonus for me!!! Definitely check them out!

Wedding Dress - Davids Bridal, Yonkers, NY - C
My father and I picked my dress from Davids Bridal after not a whole lot of shopping around, although I did go to Macy's Bridal in Westbury first, but was not impressed by them after they refused to let me take pics to show my mother in law and maid of honor and decide which dress. David's Bridal is what it is. I knew I wanted to check out the new Zac Posen line, and I think if you go there, you have to know what you want or they will pressure you into buying whatever the most expensive dress is.....or even try to convince you to buy a second dress for the reception. They also try to push their credit card, which they don't even know how to explain. They literally called me 3x when I stepped out with my father while we talked about the credit card option, and came and tracked us down in the parking lot.....that's how desperate they are lol. But when you find the dress, you know it's the one and you overlook these things. They told me the dress would be in by August ( This was February ), but within a few weeks I started getting calls that my dress was being shipped to the store....meanwhile I was more than a year out from the wedding! I checked the receipt they have me and realized they ordered the dress in a size larger than the one I tried in the store, which fit perfectly, and called them. They told me the dress was already in the store and now they'd have to reorder it in the correct size....no problem. When I picked up the dress in March, they were not nearly as helpful. I was left to get the dress on myself, And they gave me a plastic garment bag that didn't even cover half of the dress, the told me I would have to wait for them to reorder full length, cloth garment bags to get one to protect my dress. Needless to say, I took my dress, ordered my own garment bag and never looked back.

Bridesmaid Dresses by Dessy in Venetian Gold - A+

Groom and Groomsmen Tuxes by Mens Wearhouse - A

Chocolate Truffles favors by Truffles for a Cause - A+

Alterations - Belle Grace, Oakland, New Jersey - A+
When I talked to Davids Bridal about alterations when they ordered the wrong size, they told me that because Zac Posen is new to them, they are not familiar with the ability to let the dress in or out, so I l
already knew I was going to use someone else. I was recommended to Belle Grace by a friend of my fathers who knows Liz, the owner at Belle Grace. Its a very unassuming place in a strip mall in Jersey, but it was worth the trip, and her rates were incredibly reasonable! Definitely check her out!!!

Wedding Bands - Helzberg Diamonds, Paramus, NJ - B-
Because I was already venturing to Jersey for my dress alterations, the husband and I went to Helzberg in the Garden State Mall. We went on Valentine's Day originally and picked our bands, and were told they'd be in by the next week. The salesman told us that he could also resize my custom wedding band, which was a tad bit big, and I Had procrastinated on resizing, but that I'd have to wait until I picked Up the bands since they were backed up. I got a call a few days later that our bands were ready, and went to pick them up on my way to my next dress fitting. Well....they only had his band ready, and told me they made a mistake and marked my band as need by May 31st, 2015. I literally LOST it! Luckily this was an easy fix and I got them to Agree to mail it to me, insured, with signature required, because I was not going to pay that GWB toll again for the 3rd time in a week. However they then told me I'd have to leave my e-ring with them for a week to be resized.....I don't think so! Especially after that mistake with my band and the fact they did not make my e-ring, I was not trusting them to hold onto it for that long. I wound up bringing it to a local jeweler who did it and cleaned it within a couple hours. My business with Helzberg is now done.

Then Til Now DJ, Lindenhurst, NY - A+
Then Til now is also contracted with the Riviera. We worked with Steve, and he was fantastic. We got a great rate including up lighting and cocktail hour music. Music is such a crucial aspect of any wedding and setting the mood. Our guests love to dance and have a great time, but with Steves music selection and the MCing, everyone had a wonderful night!! He really nailed it!

Campbell's Bakery, Brentwood, NY - A-
This bakery is also contracted with the Riviera. The cake was WONDERFUL!!! And absolutely beautiful. My only gripes are that they will charge you extra for pretty much anything you want for your cake, so while the cake is covered by Riviera for the most part, expect that you will be spending extra when you go there for your tasting.....unless you literally just want a plain white cake with no design. Also, it was a little frustrating that when we went for our tasting, we were crammed into a tiny corner on the edge of the bakery counter with no seats, just standing and tasting different mini cakes, as well as the fact that the girl assisting us barely spoke English. Regardless, the cake came out wonderfully, so aside from those few small complaints, I would recommend them and if I lived locally, I'd probably use them for other special occasions!

Riviera at Massapequa, Massapequa, NY - A+
Last but not least....though I could go on and on about other smaller vendors that played a roll in our day.....is where the celebrations happened....the Riviera! We worked with Michelle throughout the whole process until the day of, as she went on vacation, so we had Paul as our maitre'd. I don't know where to start! This place is gorgeous, and so unique compared to other venues, which is why we fell in love with the Riviera! They were very accommodating and responsive throughout the whole planning process, and even the day of! Our guests cannot stop raving about EVERYTHING!....Just the look of the place, the incredible food, the unbelievable dessert hour, the location on the water, how wonderful the wait staff were! The bridal attendant was magnificent and always made sure the husband and I were comfortable, happy, had a drink, whatever we needed! For all brides still searching for the perfect venue, you have to go see the Riviera, and you will not be disappointed!!! HIGHLY recommend!

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Tim's Florist

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All Star Limos

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Farmingdale State College Gardens

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Wedding Bands

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Campbell's Bakery

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Riviera

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APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

wow everything looked beautiful! glad you had an amazing day! congrats

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Everything looked beautiful...I am getting married at the Riviera as well and I am so happy too hear so many good things!! Congratulations!

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Congratulations!! Great review! So glad you had such a great day! =)

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Fantastic review everything looked amazing. I also got married at the riviera and will be putting rave reviews for them as well as tims and then till now.

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Fantastic review everything looked amazing. I also got married at the riviera and will be putting rave reviews for them as well as tims and then till now.

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Fantastic review everything looked amazing. I also got married at the riviera and will be putting rave reviews for them as well as tims and then till now.

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Fantastic review everything looked amazing. I also got married at the riviera and will be putting rave reviews for them as well as tims and then till now.

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Everything looked fantastic!! I'm thinking doing my bridal shower at sidestracks. good to know they were good

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

I'm a Riviera bride too. Thanks for the great review! Beautiful!!

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Love Sidetracks!! I'm from the Woodside/Sunnyside area. Had my wedding at St. Sebastian's :)

Re: APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Hi,

I am new to this board. I am searching for a venue for my son and fiance. They live in North Carolina.

I love the look of the Rivera. They originally wanted a barn type wedding, but the final prices are too high.

Wondering what is the minimum for the Rivera venue? I only have about 85 people. They are on a budget as well, and wondering what the per person rate starts at. Any information will be appreciated.

I went to a Chateau Briand, the price was very good, but the place was a little too modern. We are limited by the little head count as well. A few places I called had minimums that were higher.

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Congratulations to you on your wedding day. Your review in detail was great. I am happy that you gave the Rivera a good review. I was worried about the food, as I read some not so good reviews about the food.

I made an appointment to see the Rivera on Saturday. They only have a daytime wedding date available. I am hoping that the daylight does not spoil the mood inside of the reception.

APRIL 10, 2015 - My SPECIAL day at the Riviera at Massapequa!!!

Congratulations to you on your wedding day. Your review in detail was great. I am happy that you gave the Rivera a good review. I was worried about the food, as I read some not so good reviews about the food.

I made an appointment to see the Rivera on Saturday. They only have a daytime wedding date available. I am hoping that the daylight does not spoil the mood inside of the reception.

Sorry for the double post! I don't know how to delete it.