Vendor Reviews - Lehigh Valley

Hey girls - FI (oops, H!) and I got hitched on Saturday and it was a great day - for anyone interested, reviews of vendors are posted below.

Venue - The Beethoven Waldheim Club, Hellertown, PA.  The weather was great, so we got married down by the stream, just as planned.  We had no problems getting into our space on Friday to set up, everything was clean & set up pretty much as promised.  This place was definitely a great deal for the money - rental was $250 for the pavilion, and we paid an extra $200 for use of the ceremony space and chair set-up.  Everybody complimented us on the feeling of the grove, and Kim, the coordinator, was always helpful.  Grade:  A

Caterer - Grumpy's Roadhouse, Allentown (Mechanicsville), PA.  The smoker was already set up when we got to the venue on Saturday and everyone kept talking about how good it smelled!  The pricing was very reasonable, they were prompt and friendly, and the food was fantastic.  If you want to go more casual (bbq style - ribs, chicken, pulled pork, all the fixings) I would absolutely recommend Grumpy's.  Grade:  A++

Photography - Nina Lily Photography, Philadelphia, PA.  I absolutley loved our photographer.  She has the greatest personality, and even though I hate having my picture taken, she totally made me feel at ease.  We got lots of great shots, and she really took advantage of the venue by using many different areas for family, BP and B&G shots.  I have to admit she's on the pricey side, but we loved her work and her vibe, and I can't wait to see our pics - I have no doubt they'll be worth every penny.  Grade:  A++

DJ - Creative Sounds, Easton, PA.  We really loved our DJ when we met with him, and he did a great job during the reception.  I was frustrated with a couple of things though.  First, even though I was explicit about our requests and the set-up from our first meeting, he wanted to add additional fees as we neared the wedding date because he 'forgot' to charge us for certain things.  Eventually he waived the charges, but it was still one more thing to deal with.  Also, the sound during the ceremony wasn't the greatest - not sure if it was feedback from the multiple microphones or just glitches in his equipment, but the officiant's mic kept cutting out during our sand ceremony and when she did the last reading of our ceremony.  He was very attentive during the reception, though, and changed the music based on who was doing the most dancing.  He also paid attention to the crowd and when it started clearing out, we opted to skip the bouquet toss since there just wasn't too much of a crowd anymore.  Despite the glitches and frustrations, he still did do a bang-up job.  Grade:  B+

Flowers:  Nicole @ Valley Farm Market, Stefko Blvd, Bethlehem, PA.  Was pretty much happy with the final product that came out.  Nicole definitely listened to what I asked for as far as flower preferences.  I noticed in the reception that the centerpieces weren't what I wanted - I wanted monochromatic centerpieces - a different flower (from our bouquets) at each table, alternating.  The centerpieces ended up being a smaller version of what my girls were carrying.  Not the end of the world.  Overall, flowers were on-time and generally still look pretty good (4 days post-wedding).  Grade:  A-

Cake/Desserts:  Easton Bakery, Easton PA.  Everything tasted delicious - the guests loved the cupcakes and we hardly had any cookies or pastries to take home.  Was super reasonable too.  Only complaint:  Cupcakes were still boxed when we got to the reception - they didn't set them out, which really took away from the presentation.  Luckily a good friend helped out and set everything out for the guests - I am so greatful to her.  Grade:  B+

Thanks for listening/reading, and good luck with your own planning!