Hey there!
We just got married on November 9th and I wanted to rave about my amazing vendors for anyone still looking in the Philly/Philly suburbs area.
Reception Hall/Caterer- A+++
La Luna Banquet Hall- Bensalem, PA
Mark and Karen are the catering directors at La Luna and they were absolutely wonderful. Our guests raved about the food and beauty of the ballroom. We had the time of our lives thanks to them. They were professional and attentive throughout our planning process and allowed us to customize certain aspects of our day including linen colors, decor, food selection, etc. My husband and I didn't have to worry about a thing that day except for having a great time because Karen and Mark took the lead and directed the entire evening. People are still telling me how much fun they had and how amazing the food was at our reception (even some of our other vendors are raving about it!). They also include fresh floral centerpieces and the wedding cake in the package. Our flower centerpieces are still alive and beautiful more than a week later and the wedding cake was delicious!
Bakery- A
Hornberger's Bakery- Bensalem, PA
Hornberger's did a beautiful job on the cake that we wanted. They listened thoughtfully and designed the cake according to my wishes. This is the bakery that our catering hall uses and includes in their package. As far as the taste goes, the cake was absolutely delicious and the buttercream icing was fantastic. The only complaint I have about this vendor is that everything seems to be an additional charge unless you literally want a plain white frosted cake with nothing else on it. For example, we wanted shimmer sugar spray on the cake to give it a little sparkle, rhinestone cake banding, and some flowers on it with a swirl design on two of the four tiers. I understand paying extra for cake banding and the rhinestone brooches in the flowers, maybe even the shimmer spray, but I don't necessarily agree that you should have to pay for a small swirl design and a few (literally 3) gumpaste flowers to add slight decoration to your cake. This is just my opinion and I would still use this vendor again because I paid the additional charges and the cake was beautiful and tasted great.
Florist- A+++++
Infinitely Yours Flowers- Bensalem, PA
I truly cannot say enough kind words about our florist, Cindy. We were on a tight budget for flowers as most people probably are and I was shocked at how much people wanted to charge me for something that would die a week later. Cindy took my ideas and made them 10x better with her creative flair. Our flowers were beautiful, VERY reasonably priced, and are still holding up more than a week after our event. Cindy was constantly making sure that I was happy with her thoughts, responsive to all communications in a swift manner, and even wrote a kind word to me just to say she couldn't wait to create our flowers for our big day. She did a fabulous job!
Photography- A+
Reiner Photography- West Chester, PA
Wil and Gen are excellent photographers. We clicked right away when we interviewed them for our wedding photos and it has been a pleasant experience ever since. I haven't received my photos back yet so I can't comment on those, but they were professional and pleasant to work with during our engagement session and wedding day. Our engagement photos were beautiful and they gave us so many to choose from, both creative and traditional. We did receive a preview of our wedding photos as a sneak peek and so far, they look gorgeous. I'm sure the rest will be just as incredible and I am so unbelievably excited to see them!
Videography- A
Noah Dickenson- Philadelphia, PA
It is difficult to comment on Noah's editing skills because he is not editing my wedding video. I edit wedding videos part-time and I will be doing mine, but Noah did do an excellent job on our raw footage. He gave me so much material to work with and I know if he had done the editing, he would use the same dedication that he did while filming our wedding. He was also quick to respond to my communications and very kind when answering questions. This is one area where I was probably really difficult to deal with because I do this as a side job and was probably very picky. He handled the situation wonderfully and was gracious throughout the process.
Bridal Gowns- B
Ashley's Bridal- Warminster, PA
The truth is that I absolutely loved my dress and my girls looked gorgeous. Ashley's ordered my dress and the bridesmaids' dresses for me (my dress was not originally carried in their shop but they carried the designer and ordered that way). We did not get alterations done there because I have two family friends who are seamstresses (who did a fantastic job!) so I can only comment on the sales and communication experience. At first, it was great. They ordered my dress and were always kind and helpful. Things got a bit trickier as we got closer to the delivery date for my dress and the BM dresses. All of them were a decent amount of time later than we were originally promised. The girls received their dresses about 2-3 weeks after they were supposed to and luckily, all came in the sizes we ordered. Once delivered, they were fine, but I was calling and emailing several times a week until we got them in... this brings me to the next problem. My dress was two months late! I was told that this was due to a hold up in the overseas office where my dress was made. That may be true but the lack of communication was frustrating. There were several instances where I called and left messages with no response 4 days later. I stopped leaving messages and kept calling until I reached someone in person. That fixed that problem, but it shouldn't be like that in my opinion. When I did get in touch with them, it felt like they were just trying to get me off the phone so they would tell me whatever they thought I wanted to hear (it's on the way, I left the designer a message, they haven't responded but we're trying, we got a shipment in and it might be in there, we'll let you know, etc.). When my dress finally arrived, it was beautiful and in the correct size that I ordered. The ordering seems to be fine, but the communication needs work here.
DJ- A+++
Dance Party DJs- Blackwood, NJ
Our DJs were AMAZING! My sister used them for her wedding 14 years ago and they are still just as great as they were then. The dance floor was packed the entire night and they even did a game in the beginning to get literally every single person on the dance floor. They played a good mix of music to keep everyone happy and kept the flow of the evening smooth and flawless. Our DJ was Matt and our MC was Justin. They were courteous and communicated perfectly throughout the night. Justin even looked out for me and my husband when my husband stepped outside to hang with his groomsmen for about 10 minutes while they smoked a cigar and I had to run to the bathroom in my giant ballgown with the assistance of a few BMs. He wanted to make sure we were comfortable and present for everything possible and adjusted the evening accordingly. They took my song selections and integrated them as well. I have absolutely no complaints about them.
Photobooth- A
A Plus Photobooths- Philadelphia, PA
Our guests loved the idea of a photobooth and we have some amazing photos because of it. We don't regret this investment one bit and we are overall very happy with our photobooth company. We received a scrapbook at the end of the evening with copies of all the photos taken throughout the night and we also received an additional set of photos in case we wanted to use them elsewhere. Our attendant, Josh, was such a sweet guy and he did an excellent job. He laid out and kept props organized, printed extra photos for everyone, and answered any questions we had that night. Our guests had a blast and we actually got to go in our booth several times to take photos with different people. The only small issue we had was that we ordered a purple backdrop and they sent us hot pink instead. It was too late to fix it and it didn't go with our color scheme for the evening, but people still had a truly great time. The color wasn't bad, but it didn't match our purple wedding. Otherwise, it was a great experience and I would hire them again for sure.
Tuxes- A+
Domenico's- Philadelphia, PA
My family has used this tux shop for literally two decades. My sisters used them for their weddings 14 and 16 years ago, we've gone there with prom dates over the years, etc. Dominic is wonderful and his staff is great. They were make sure you find exactly what you are looking for at a reasonable price. They are flexible with your appointments, tux pick up and return, and even offer discounts and a free tux for the groom. Our guys looked great and it was a very pleasant experience.
Limo- B+
An Affair to Remember Limo- Williamstown, NJ
Our limo was really nice and our driver was very helpful. We had a huge bridal party and needed the biggest limo we could find for the best price. The price was very reasonable compared to other companies we contacted and the very large limo was clean, updated, and comfortable. It may have been a little tight for our bridal party unfortunately, but we made it work. Our driver was really great. He held my dress up so that my train wouldn't drag outside the church and fluffed my train and opened the church doors before my grand entrance. He laid out a red carpet for us getting in and out of the limo and was safe while transporting us. He also had ice water ready for me and my husband as soon as walked out of the church and the timing was perfect because we were so thirsty! The only reason they get a B+ instead of an A was because we were about 20 minutes for the ceremony and I think it was probably because we had a far travel and they may not have appreciated the length of the drive (though I did make that known throughout the planning process). We still made everything work and it was fine. We had a great time in the limo!
Hope this is helpful for anyone in need of vendors in the area! Happy planning!