When this board was a bit busier, I got a lot of great vendor recommendations here. My wedding was on 8/6, so here are my reviews. Hopefully, they will help someone out! If you have any particular questions about a vendor, just ask.
Christ The King Episcopal Church, Willingboro,NJ-D
I'll keep this one short. I grew up in this church and my family has attended for years. Due to AC issues that WERE in the church's control and the fact that the pastor decided to go into a 10 minute speech about how gay marriage is not recognized by the church, I give the church a D. However, the service itself was beautiful which is keeping me from giving them an F.
Maria, Mums The Word Florist-A++++
I received the recommendation to contact Maria from the SJ board on The Knot. And thank God I did!! Maria got my vision right away and I couldnt have asked for anything more the day of the ceremony. Everything was BEAUTIFUL! Maria was also very accomodating with last minute changes and additional floral requests. Myself and my family will definitely use Maria again for upcoming events/orders.
Dress-David's Bridal-A
I honestly never saw myself getting my gown from David's. However, I found 'the dress' there and ordered it. It came in on time. No alterations were done there.
BM Dresses-Alfred Angelo-C
Alfred Angelo was extremely difficult to work with. We used their stores in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Maryland. It seemed as if every store had a different policy regarding ordering the gowns. Also, they quoted 10 weeks for the gowns to come in. Most of the gowns came in within 3 weeks. While this was fine, they basically harrassed my bridesmaids by telephone to come pick up their gowns. I had to make a few phone calls to the different stores to sort things out.
The gowns however were beautiful. Unfortunately, their customer service brings their grade down.
Tuxes-Mens Wearhouse-B
Tuxes were the easiest choice throughout the entire wedding planning process. The only issue we had was that 2 groomsmen did not have their shoes until the morning of the ceremony. They were due to pick up tuxes in Maryland. The Maryland store had the shoes sent to the Cherry Hill, NJ store and they were avaialble first thing Saturday morning.
Harpist-Barbara Gallagher-A
I didn't have much contact with Barbara because my mom booked her and went to hear her play initially. I also basically gave her the option of what she wanted to play throughout the ceremony, I only told her where music is required. She played Cannon in D when my father and I walked in, that was my only request.
Her price was affordable and right in line with other harpists in the area.
Alterations-Yeon @ Fashion Stitch-A++
I had a mini crisis with my gown and went right to Yeon based on recommendations from The Knot. She was FABULOUS to work with and her prices were beyond reasonable. My mother and grandmother ended up taking their gowns to her as well.
Transportation-Albert's Limo-A
We reserved a Rolls Royce, Hummer, and 14 passenger limo. The prices were reasonable, they were on time and so nice. The Rolls Royce did get a flat tire after we arrived to the ceremony, but it was fixed by the time the ceremony was over.
Invitations, seating chart, custom cardbox-For The Modern Bride-A+
I had all the above designed and created by Stella at www.ForTheModernBride.com. I couldn't have asked for more unique, beautiful items.
Makeup- Natalie from D'Nicole Salon & Spa in Sewell, NJ-A++
I found Natalie by chance. I had been looking for a make-up artist who wouldn't charge an arm and a leg. However, everyone I contacted basically wanted me to guarantee them at least 6 girls for the day of. I couldn't do that at the time. I found Natalie's facebook page through a mutual friend (we all went to highschool together). I sent her a FB message and told her what I needed. She gave me the salon info and I called right away to set up a trial. I booked her with myself and 3 bridesmaids. Turns out, in the end, she ended up doing 9 girls all together. So, TAKE THAT uppity, overpriced salons with requirements!
Cakes-Diane from LaPatisserie Bakery, A+
I was skeptical about Diane. My venue started using her a few months before my wedding. There were issues with the flavors we originally chose so there was a lot of back and forth. However, I trusted her and even ordered a 2 tiered anniversary cake for my parent's wedding anniversary to be presented to them at our reception. The cakes were beautiful and SO YUMMY!
Coordinator, Kathleen Medley, Premier Events, A+
We first met with Kathleen several months back when we realized that this wedding was becoming a bit of a beast. Initially, she was only supposed to meet with us once before the wedding. Kathleen met with us numerous times, was always available via telephone or email. She recognized my need for detail and made sure that everything was done beyond our satisfaction for our big day. She was very reasonably priced for all of the work that she did.
DJ, Ty Chapell, Events Unlimited, A+
Ty kept the dancefloor packed all night! He went from the playlist we provided and was able to quickly improvise when certain situations occurred (ex: 2 children caught the bouquet and garter).
Photographer, Inger from Keepsake Studios, A++
What can I say about Inger. Inger was the first photographer I met with and I then cancelled all other appointments I had set up for that day. Her prices were right in our range, she offered an awesome E-Pic session and used those photos for our guestbook. She was also very patient with me the day of. I hate posed pictures and get irritated very quickly. She always told me how many pics she had and allowed me to make the choice if I wanted to keep going or not.
Her second shooter, Doug was also very nice. He caught alot of shots from different angles and of things that I never even knew he was there for. We've already received our proofs online and should receive the book of proofs in a week or so.
Cocktail Hour & Reception, The Westin Hotel, A++
Our relationship with The Westin started out rocky to say the least. I left many meetings with Melanie (banquet manager) fuming and in tears. I honestly did not feel as if Melanie listened to my wants/needs or even cared about our wedding. I felt very rushed when meeting with her. Her answer to everything was 'I do this every day'. Whatever. However....all those things that I told her that I thought she wasn't listening to? PERFECT. The food, the service, everything was fabulous. I couldnt have asked for anything more. Guests are still raving about the food and their hotel rooms. We had no issues whatsoever. I could go on and on about how great our reception was.
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