So, here are my reviews from my 10.10.10 wedding. If you need more info or have questions let me know.
Venue: East Wind, Wading River, NY -- B-
Pros: We got married on site at East Wind and our reception was in the Southampton Ballroom. Our day went flawlessly and we really didn't have to think about or do much. Our Matire D, John, took care of everything and made sure all the key points went down at the correct time and whatnot. Our Bridal Attendant Mary Sue was AMAZING, we had drinks all afternoon, she brought us whatever food we needed, and wherever there was an issue she ran and fixed it. The food was amazing, from the cocktail hour to the Viennese platters for dessert.
Cons: the staff forgot to hand out our children's favors and move our bathroom baskets and our guests had to ask about them. We also found out after the fact that wait staff stole most of the contents from our bathroom baskets. They started clearing the tables before people were gone, which I find rude after working in the restaurant industry for many years, and in the process threw out my sisters (MOH) earrings that were stuck to her placecard. We also never got our purchased napkins back. My major issue was with the valet, who was a third party vendor hired by EW, they gave out the keys to our car and let someone TRASH it inside and out with wedding crap. They wrote ALL over it, put stickers on it, stained out seats with paint and left the car unlocked. (FWIW, NONE of my issues were ever resolved or discussed by EW.)
DJ: Tommy's Tunes, Selden, NY - A
Pros: We got a package from Tommy's Tunes that included ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, lighting, TVs, handouts, etc. It was all worth it. The MC was great, kept the evening flowing and everyone dancing. The zap shots were amazing and our photo montage was a huge hit with out guests.
Cons: None really, they forgot a few of our "must play" songs, but everyone was happy so it didn't matter.
Photographer: Cariss Donarummo Weddings, Port Jeff, NY - A++
Pros: We booked Carissa at the last minute after someone else bailed on us and it was the best decision. She had such a great eye for detail and got all the shots we wanted. Our pictures are STUNNING, and better then I could've imagined. She also did our thank you cards which turned out awesome. She met us for our first look pics, and captured it perfectly, and had great ideas for shots we didn't think of.
Cons: Took awhile longer to get our discs then we'd expected, but we had them in time to do all our Christmas gifts, so it didn't matter.
Flowers: Ivy League Flowers, Southold, NY - A++
Pros: Ginger was AMAZING to work with, she understood all my babbling and incoherent ideas and turned them into the most beautiful flowers. She helped us work with our budget, and even helped us cut a lot when our budget was decreased. She also suggested the chocolate leaves for our favors when I was scrambling to figure something out.
Cons: None, she took my vision and brought it to life PERFECTLY!
Officiant: Dawn Shedrick/Abundant Bliss Ceremonies - A++++++
Pros: I cannot tell you how happy we were with Dawn, she was amazing and our favorite vendor. She took our dreams and visions of our perfect ceremony and took them above and beyond, and made them perfect for us. She also became a great friend and advisor during the whole process and beyond.
Cons: None!
Dress #1/ BM dresses: Paradise Bridals, Patchoge, NY - F-
Pros: none
Cons: This place was a nightmare from the start, they had a crap selection of plus sized dresses and the only reason we purchased from them was the price. Long story short, they lied to me when I bought the dress with custom measurements, telling me they could do something they couldn't. When it came in wrong the lied and told me they could fix it, and when they couldn't they blamed me. I was called fat during my first fitting, and the seamstress bled all over the back of my dress. 4 weeks before my wedding I had to go find a new dress.
As for the BM dresses, they ordered them WAYY too big, they were all at least a size larger then they should've been and when they did the alterations they did a crappy job, didn't complete all the work they were supposed to and charged us a fortune.
Dress #2: David's Bridal, Centreach, NY - A+
Pros: A month before the wedding we had to go find an off-the-rack dress because there was no time to order a dress. In an hour I got better customer service and support and kindness from our consultant and the staff at DB then I had gotten in a year of dealing with the other bridal salon. I found my perfect dress and they worked with me to make sure I could get it fitted.
Cons: None really, the fitting was a PITA b/c it was such a time crunch, but the made it work and did a beautiful job.
Paper products: MagnetStreet.com and Michales by Brides - A+
Pros: We did a photobooth magnet STD from Magnet Street, and it was perfect, the price, quality and time were all great and well worth it. Our invites and paper products for the wedding were all the Brides line available at Michaels and they turned out awesome. You get a really good bang for your buck and it was an easy DIY project. (I also got extra paper from LCI Paper online.)
Cons: You can waste a lot of the paper trying to get the layout right... buy extra.
Other good vendors:
Zales Outlet, Tanger, Riverhead - Rings, bridal party jewelry.
Linentablecloth.com - napkins, table cloths
Desmond's, Wading River - Rehearsal dinner
Fantasia Bridal, Rocky Point - MOB dress, Flower girl dress
Men's Wearhouse - Suits