Michael Russo of Roses-n-Lollipops.

Southampton - Have you heard of Michael Russo of the event planning and design firm Roses-n-Lollipops? Russo, who is based here on Long Island, is in high demand in Manhattan, the West Coast, and abroad. It was Russo who created the spectacular Kevin Jonas wedding décor at Oheka Castle.

"The Jonas wedding was pretty amazing. We decided to go with a classic fairy-tale theme with a twist of a romantic, winter wonderland. Everything was in shades of cream, white and ivory. We set up 20-foot trees with cascading crystals and breathtaking florals," he says.

Wonderland, indeed. The wedding took place in the middle of winter. "The best part was that it was able to still go on! Hello, we had a blizzard! On the day of the wedding, Long Island was hit with 20-plus inches of snow. Being that the ceremony was being held in a tent, I needed to order more heaters and the tent company was so AMAZING - they had men on the top of the tent shoveling the snow off," he exclaims.

Maybe this is why Russo plans many weddings in California. And he's worked with tons of celebrities. In addition to Jonas, he also designed Joey Fatone's Oheka wedding back in 2004, and he's worked with Shaquille O'Neal, Emmanuelle Chriqui ("Sloane" on HBO's "Entourage"), Kathy Griffin, Major League Baseball player Paul LoDuca and others.

Twenty-foot trees with cascading crystals and florals set the theme at Kevin Jonas' Oheka Castle wedding.

So I gave him a call and asked him to give us his top 10 wedding planning tips for Long Island brides-to-be who are currently in the midst of organizing their weddings:

 • Set a BUDGET!
 • Give your guests plenty of notice of the date, especially if they are out of the state/country.
 • Send out STD's - Save The Date cards (this will set the tone for your event so pick paper/design to fit theme) .
 • Pick a theme; either a color theme or something as magical as a fairy-tale setting. Make it your own and bring your personalities into the event.
 • Find a wedding venue that suits you and your mate. You'll know it once you see it or walk into the space.
 • The best events are ones that aren't forced and/or are made to impress anyone. Impress yourselves and it's sure to be a huge success.
 • Limit your bridal party! Most times the bridal party provides way more tension then help.
 • Don't try and do everything yourself; when family members offer, take them up on it.
 • Take time to enjoy every step and remember you're planning a marriage, not a wedding.
 • Hire a wedding planner!