This update is a little late, but we got married on a perfect day on Friday, August 7th. The weather gods were definitely smiling down on us, pretty much everyone commented on how this was one of the nicest days of the summer by far - sun shining, mid 70s, no humidity. I didn't post too often, but I took a lot of advice and recommencations from you guys. We really didn't have any disasters with our vendors, and were overall very happy. Apologies in advance for the lengthy message, but I wanted to be sure I captured everything. Some of the comments may seem minor, but I'm just trying to go for full disclosure! You can check out the full album of pictures here:
http://tinyurl.com/ydgdzs7 Central Park Boathouse: A+Ceremony and ReceptionWe were so pleased with the venue. The food was amazing, and everybody kept raving about it. The space is so beautiful and the staff really know how to run a smooth event. They worked with me to get my tasting in very early, since I was moving to London. The personal attendant I had on the day of was so sweet and helpful, and the maitre'd was awesome - and I felt he went above and beyond when at the end of the night, after we had forgot to order a car to come pick DH and I up, he walked out to 5th Ave and brought a taxi back in for us (keep in mind that Central Park is closed to vehicles at that point, so it wasn't a simple task). Negative: For the most part, our event manager James was very good. However, in the lull between contracting and the event, he was a little unresponsive to questions. But when it came down to crunch time, he was there every little step of the way. Also, I was a little disappointed when I saw that our wish bowl (in lieu of guestbook) hardly had anything in it - I discovered later that it wasn't really set up properly the way I had instructed and that it had been put away right after the cocktail hour, so most people didn't have a chance.Christine from Exquisite Affairs Productions: A+Day of CoordinatorChristine was an absolute pleasure to work with, from our first point of contact all the way through the day. She was extremely professional and helpful, and made my day run smoother than I could have imagined. She even calmed my mom down after she had spilled red nail polish on the hem of her white pants, and performed some alterations on the spot so nobody would notice.Negative: none. Stefans Flowers (formerly Fleurs de Florissima): AFlowers, decoration, and chairsEven though the company went through a hard year of changes due to a death, there were no issues at all with our wedding. I loved my bouquet, and was thrilled that they used a pretty untraditional flower for that. And the centerpieces were what we envisioned. They were on time, and everything was set up perfectly.Negative: Possibly due to the circumstances, but the customer service was a little lacking, with slow and abrupt responses to emails. I also didn't love the bridesmaids bouquets, although they were fine. And the ceremony arrangements weren't really what was discussed - although since we didn't even notice that until looking at our pictures, it obviously wasn't that important! Some of that could have been avoided if I had been in town and able to do a follow up sample session. Jerry Kravat - New York Dream Band and DJ: B+Ceremony/cocktail hour/ reception musicThe band is really incredible, and they had people out dancing all night. A lot of people commented how good they were, especially the singers. We also had them bring in a dj for the last hour to keep the party going. Negative: We paid extra for additional latin pieces so that they could play some good salsa music, since we wanted a mix to appeal to DH's Puerto Rican family. However, they didn't really play that much latin, and instead used the DJ to play the latin stuff at the end, which was not what we wanted at all. Also, even though we emailed them MP3s of our first dance song and a few must plays, the DJ came looking for us on the day of for our first dance song. So we found my ipod and handed it over, at the spot ready to play. We were very annoyed when we went to start our choreographed dance, only to realize that he started the song about 15-20 seconds into the song - so we missed the whole entrance and then had to find our place to catch up. Also, he didn't play some of the must-play songs that we had sent.The negatives may seem lengthy, but I want to be sure to point out that what the band did play was fantastic!Agaton Strom: A+PhotographerWe loved working with him. He did great e-pics with us, and we were very comfortable around him. He really let us do our own thing, which made the pics all turn out pretty natural, rather than posed. At the wedding, we hardly knew he was there, and shocked to see that he was still there taking pics when the lights came on at the end of the night! His pricing is very reasonable, and his turnaround time was incredible - we were delighted to have the online album ready for us when we got back from the honeymoon. Negative: only thing I would say, and this is more our fault, is that we didn't have enough time to really get all the bride/groom shots that we had wanted.Kaipo at 15 Minutes of Frame: tbdVideographyWe haven't seen the results yet, but I was very happy with him on the day of. We were a little unsure about having video since we didn't want it to be obtrusive, but I didn't even notice him. We only hired him for 3 hours to do the ceremony and first dances and speeches, and when the schedule ran a bit late, he very willingly stayed a little later to make sure that the speeches were captured. I can't wait to see the results! Lulu Cake Boutique: AWe went with two simple flavors, just a white with vanilla buttercream, and chocolate with chocolate mousse frosting, but they were soooo good. And their prices were very reasonable. One weird thing, though, which I'm not really sure if it's a negative, was that we had a TON of leftover - basically two full tiers of the cake. So it was basically twice as much cake as we needed. Which wouldn't have been too bad if I lived in the area, but since we couldn't bring it back to London with us, we had to give it all away. It just made me feel that I overpaid.Negative: While the cake was good, I was slightly disappointed with the design. We had a simple design with stripes to match our paper products, but I thought that the outcome was a little sloppy, with some of the stripes not really straight. But the overall look was what we wanted, so not a big deal. Double Diamond Limo: A+No problems at all with them. They were on time, and the driver was very pleasant and helpful in getting me in and out of the limo. We weren't going too far - just from 77th and Broadway to Central Park Boathouse - but it was a nice ride.La Rosa Cubana: A+Cigar RollersWe loved this, and so did our guests! They made little labels for us with our name and date, which is so cute, and we now have some little keepsakes.Negative: only that we should have hired them for longer (only did 1 hour), because I pretty much missed them entirely. By the time I got over to say hello, they were already gone, so unfortunatley no cute pics with the cigar rollers
Stacy Pitt from Styles on B: A+HairHad her come to do my hair and all of the BMs and moms. She is so easy to work with, and did beautiful (and quick!) work of everybody's hair. I had had my trial with her a while ago, and couldn't decide between two styles, so we went with a combination of the two, and it turned out perfectly.Negative: none Stacey from Fresh Face Forward: A+Make upSame as Stacy Pitt, she did me and all the BMs and moms. Very personable and easy to work with and I loved the outcome on everybody. Mine in particular was fantastic and felt so good the whole day. Even at the end of the night, my skin still felt light and smooth.Negative: she didn't provide me with an extra copy of the lipstick as we had discussed at the trial - but I also forgot to ask, so party my fault. The lipstick lasted pretty long anyways.Junko Yoshioka: A+Wedding DressLove my dress so much, and loved working with Junko Yoshioka. The store is beautiful and intimate, as you're the only one there so you get full attention. I dealt with Samantha throughout, and she was great and so patient everytime I stopped by to 'visit' my dress :-) Even Junko herself would also come out and say hello most times - and it's nice to see how much she loves all of her designs. They were also very flexible with my schedule. Since I was living in London, most of the fittings had to be done just a few days before the wedding. But it was never an issue, and it all turned out perfect!Baldwin Formals: A+Tux rentalThought they had great service and great quality tuxes. They delivered and picked-up all the tuxes, even thought we were outside their standard delivery zone (I think!). Not one issue from any of the guys, and they all looked great!Vespa: A+Rehearsal DinnerThis was one of our local favorites since we had lived around the corner, so we were really happy we could do the RD there. They have an outdoor space in back which we took advantage of. We had a miscommunication on how the food would be served (I had thought individual orders), but it worked out much better when they brought it out family style. The food was very good, and there was soooo much of it! And the price was super reasonable.Negative: because our group wasn't large enough (only 24), we didn't have a completely private area. But in the end, this didn't bother us like we thought it would.Laurie from Exquisite Affairs Productions: AAll things paperWe used her to design and print all of our paper items, from the save-the-date through to the menus, programs and thank you cards. We were really happy to have a common theme carried throughout, and we were very pleased with all of the designs that she provided. I thought her prices were reasonable, and she was so awesome in putting up with all of my nit picky questions and constant requests for different versions!Negative: I wish she was able to provide live samples of the designs, instead of digital versions. This sometimes made it difficult to really make a decision since we couldn't see the real thing. Calligraphy by Michele: A+Quick, reasonable price, and beautiful outcome - one of the easieset vendors to work with and loved the result. We just had her do the inner and outer envelopes, but she offered to squeeze us in to do our escort cards too.Negative: none Margorie at Joseph Blank, Inc.: AEngagement and wedding ringsDH went to Margorie, a wholesaler in the diamond district, when he bought my e-ring, and she provided him with an incredible stone. We went back to her to help with our wedding rings, and through her contacts had my diamond eternity band and his platinum band made to our specifications. I think we saved a lot by going through a wholesaler. And she also had our rings cleaned right before the wedding so they were super sparkly!Negative: Lack of convenience. It's wholesale, so you don't really get the retail experience - you have to know what you want first. Also, not open on weekends.Mia from Go2 Africa: A+Honeymoon in South Africa and BotswanaI'll just throw this out there in case anyone is looking to go on safari in Southern Africa. She put together an incredible itinerary for us, and we had the best honeymoon we could have imagined. If you're interested, here are some pics -
http://tinyurl.com/y9ba4aj If you've made it this far, thanks for reading!