we are approaching 5 months after the big day (10/2/10), so this is a bit deliquent... I was waiting for the video to give a complete review but as of now I still don't have that, but I didn't want to wait any longer. I confess while I was planning I was more of a "lurker" on here but I found the vendor reviews very helpful so wanted to help out future brides and share my experiences...
DJ: Larry Mulligan/ Much Music: A++ We chose Larry based upon reviews on this site, meeting him at a bridal expo, and at the recommendation of a frriend who used him in her wedding. Before the wedding Larry sent us a detailed list of questions - covering music we wanted and music we did not. He also verified how to pronounce every name (and nailed each one - even with a few last minute switches and some rather challenging names). He was super organized and also did a great job making a crowd that was not particularly inclined to dance get out onto the dance floor and have fun. He kept the music volume at the right balance throughout the cocktail hour and reception. We recieved many compliments on his music choices, the tone he set, and his over presentation.
bottom line: Highly, highly recommend.
Transportation: we used a friend of the family's Model A cars - awesome experience, but not so helpful to all of you out there.
Reception: Falkirk Estate: B+ I have mixed feelings on them. The day of was beautiful and they have done tons of renovations, which we benefitted from. Everyone has told us how good and how abundant the food was. So as a setting it was great. However, we did have some cash stolen from some of my bridesmaids bags
(to their credit when it was discovered my girls were reimbursed; and they quickly identified the culprit) Also, in the preparation process, because I was out of town, my father did most of the communications with them and quite frankly Jennifer was very moody - one time friendly, the next rude. We had also requested a sparkling cider toast rather than champagne - and had verified this only days before the wedding, yet we had champagne on the day of. Disappointing. However, it is beautiful and we had a good price and all the guests were pleased. I understand their prices have been significantly raised from what we booked them at, not sure if I'd pay the higher price.
Bottom line: NeutralPhotography: Mark and Kat from Majestic Studios (Hopewell Junction): A We chose them after reading recommendations on theKnot and after speaking with Mark at his studio. His turn around time on our pictures was amazing (I think we had our proofs within 2 or 3 weeks of our wedding, and our prints and album before Christmas). He was quick to respond to emails during the planning process. He was very nice and willing to adjust to our budget when we were booking with him. However day of he was a bit short with us and left early (he said he was not feeling well, so that may explain the difference in demeanor). Our wedding party viewed him as very effecient and I will say they had their shots preplanned and organized us well to do a large number of shots in a short amount of time without too much shuffling of people. Kat was with us the whole day and she was great - very friendly and helped us relax. Both Mark and Kat were not distracting in their style - we hardly knew they were there but they got great shots. We are very happy with the pictures we got and overall happy with the experience.
Bottom line: recommendFlowers: Gina from A Studio in Flowers (Washingtonville):
A++ Gina is a lovely woman who works out of her private floral studio in a converted barn on her property. We found her almost by accident, but what a gem! She was so sweet and helped me figure out what I really wanted, and showed us so many options and had great suggestions. Definitely not just a run of the mill arrangement. Her arrangements were beautiful and they lasted 3 weeks past the wedding. (The friends and family who got the centerpieces were amazed). She achieved the elegant look I wanted within my budget. I loved working with her and her floral arrangements speak for themselves.
Bottom line: highly highly recommendVideo: Best of Times Video (New Windsor): pending.... currently A....We chose them after we won a coupon from them at a bridal show. We hadn't planned on video, but with the big discount from the coupon, it didn't end up costing us that much, so we went for it. John did the filming - he wasn't at all in the way, in fact I didn't really notice him that often throughout the day. Unfortunately, we do not yet have our video so I can't comment on the quality of their work, but thus far we have a favorable view of them.
Bottom line: pending final productDress: Say "I Do" Bridal Boutique (Caldwell, NJ): A+ Another seemingly random find on my part - I was looking for a dress shop in NJ (why pay tax on the dress?) and found this shop. Mother/daughter owners, Karen and Samantha, are knowledgeable, friendly, and take pride in finding you the right dress. They carry a wide variety of sizes in their samples so you get a really good sene of how the dress will look on (rather than having a dress many sizes too large or small and guessing). They were conscious of my budget and when I was between 2 dresses, offered to reduce the price on the higher of the 2 if that was what I needed. Their seamstress who did the alterations was wonderful - and Karen has a great eye for the smallest details and will make the seamstress adjust the hem a quarter of an inch if needed to make the dress flow. Oh and I was a bit late in ordering my dress but they not only guided me to a dress that would come in, they also were able to get the alterations done in a short time too. Working with them was a dream! I couldn't have asked for a better experience. They also carry dresses for the rest of the wedding party, but since my mom already had her dress and I needed to accommodate BMs from all over the country I didn't get other dresses here.
Bottom line: highly highly recommendBridesmaid dresses: David's Bridal: A I guess I give them the A because it was what I expected from a chain store, we had no hassles, dresses came in plenty of time, and everyone was happy with her dress. The dresses ended up being very cute on all my girls and since they were cocktail length they didn't need to have any alterations. We chose David's Bridal for the convenience of having the dress available for all the girls who were spread out from Texas to Rhode Island. The dress was
Style 83690 in the Lapis (dark purple). That color looks great in our photographs in case anyone was wondering.Rehearsal Dinner: Torches on the Hudson (Newburgh): A My in-laws threw a lovely party in a beautiful setting. From what they have told me, the restauarant was very helpful and accommodating, despite a few time changes. We were not rushed during our meal and despite there being other patrons in the restaurant, they seated in a section that made it feel more intimate. Food was delicious - portions almost too big for most. It was a little trickier for some of the out of towners to find, but GPS saved most of them from too much hassle.
Bottom line: Recommend