These are my reviews from my 8/13/11 wedding. I would be happy to answer questions! Sorry it's so long...
Rehearsal Dinner: Hotel Hershey Mountain Laurel Cottage, A
We held our Rehearsal Dinner at the Hotel Hershey Mountain Laurel Cottage.The whole evening was fabulous and I could not have been happier. It was great to have the whole cottage/deck to ourselves for the evening. They also allowed us to customize our menu and bar options, which I really appreciated. We even made s'mores at the fire pit for dessert. The staff was great- very attentive and accommodating. Sometimes during the planning process it took a bit to hear back, or the emails were sort of confusing. But it was a great relaxing evening.
Photographers: Elizabeth Ryan Photography, A+
Hiring Elizabeth Ryan Photography was probably the best decision we made when hiring our vendors. They are helpful, flexible, accommodating, friendly, and so passionate about what they do- not to mention being great photographers! We got our online gallery quickly (and then flash drives with all the images) and the pictures are amazing. We also already got our album. They beautifully captured the mood and feelings of the day. We also used their photobooth, which was a huge hit. I cannot recommend them enough! (Based out of Baltimore)
Reception: Hershey Country Club, Planning: D, Day of: A+
We had such a mixed experience that I wish I could write two different reviews for the HCC- one from before Mary started and one for after. I'll do my best to briefly summarize our experience. We booked the HCC in November, while Angie was still working there. Shortly afterwards we received word that she was leaving. Everything then went down hill. There was no one officially in the new role yet, therefore no one really knew what was going on with our wedding. Our quotes were wrong MULTIPLE times (it was ridiculous actually). Taxes, member discounts, etc were consistently incorrect. It caused us so much stress that I wished we had booked elsewhere. Then Mary was hired and came in to save the day! She was fabulous, even while new and learning the ropes. She was great to work with and especially flexible since we live out of state. Our actual wedding day was amazing and much of that is due to Mary's effort. The food, ambiance, staff, etc. were great and guests raved about them. I would work with her again in a heart beat (just make sure you triple check your bill!)
Flowers: Flowers by Cherylann, B+
They did our wedding bouquets, boutonnieres, and center pieces. We showed them pictures and communicated with them several times about what we were looking for in regards to colors, style, flower choices, and size. They allowed us to bring in our own vases which was great, and special ordered garden roses for us. A day before the wedding Shawn called to let us know the flowers were done and we could come check them out (which I appreciated). The bouquets were not really what I was hoping for, in regards to color and size. This was frustrating since we had communicated about this several times. However Shawn and his team changed them for me, even going to a flower market Saturday morning to get additional flowers. They were beautiful for the wedding and I loved the flowers, it was just a little additional stress that I did not need a day before the wedding. However I am very appreciative of everything they did to make corrections.
Cake: Monkey & Me Sweets, B-
I have mixed reviews of M&M. They made our wedding cupcakes and a cutting cake. Let me start by saying the display was beautiful, the cake was delicious, and in the end I could not have been happier with how it turned out. They went out of their way to get the cake stands and cupcake wrappers that we wanted, and I am very appreciative of that. However, getting in touch with them was very difficult. Sometimes weeks would go by without a response, even if I emailed her multiple times. This became stressful at times. Their cakes are great, they just need to figure out a way to communicate more quickly and efficiently.
Dress Shop: Taylored For You, A+
The shop is great, Taylor is great, I loved my dress. She also did a fabulous job on all my alterations (I changed the bottom of the dress quite a bit).
DJ: Top Hat Entertainment, A+
We had a great experience with Kent Wissinger (Rog was not available) from Top Hat. He was very professional and helpful at our first meeting. He called a few days before the wedding to check in and go over the timeline. And at the actual reception the music was awesome! The dance floor was packed all night and we got lots of compliments on the music. He did a great job of keeping things flowing and making an occasional announcement without calling attention to himself or being cheesey. Highly recommended!
Make Up, Rikki Smith Beauty, A
Rikki is awesome! She is so sweet and helpful, and she does beautiful work. Her prices are great as well. She did my wedding makeup, along with my bridesmaids and mother of the groom. We all looked great! She doesn't always respond to emails quickly, but I found that she is much quicker to respond to a Facebook message or a call/text.
Transportation, Hershey Trolley, A+
We used the Trolley to transport the bridal party to and from the ceremony, and to take some pictures around Hershey. It was so fun to have everyone ride together. It also provided some great photo ops! I would highly recommend working with them. They were easy to get a hold of, helpful, and flexible. The driver was also great.