Everyone else's reviews helped me SO much, so here are mine:
Reception Venue- Elite Catering at the Coliseum: B/C
Here’s the thing with my venue, if I were grading them just on the job they did at my reception, it would be an A. They truly did a beautiful job with my event, and the food was terrific. However, if I was grading them on the customer service, and all the stuff leading up to the wedding, it would be more like a D. The venue changed ownership in January, and I had to find out through a third party. As well, I heard some horrible things about the new owners. I had a very hard time getting a hold of people, dealt with numerous “coordinators.” Even had an appt scheduled that they “forgot about.” With that said, they did really deliver on my final product, so I had to up their grade a bit.
Photographer- Marc Anthony Photography: A+
I LOVED Marc! We already got our disc of pictures (over 1500 to go through) and he had his favorites on Facebook two days after the wedding! He does outstanding work. I can’t even count how many friends and family members have told me that they are the most beautiful wedding pics they have seen. And he was so fun and easy to work with on our wedding day. My family loved him!
Videographer- Alliance Video Productions: A+
Tom Johnson was also wonderful to work with. It was neat for us to use him, because he happens to be our neighbor. But he was really, really pleasant to have around, and totally non-intrusive. There was only one time all day that he actually asked my husband and I to do something so he could film it (and that was putting on the rings, so he could get a tight shot). He got some AWESOME footage, and he is great at editing. In our highlight tape, he included lots of little clips that he knew my husband and I would enjoy. He “got” us and our style. Check it out here.
Florist- Mums the Word, Marlton: A+
Maria was awesome, one of my favorite vendors. From our first meeting she “got” my vision and ran with it. Our flowers were gorgeous. She even did the flowers for the girls’ hair, and the arbor and petals on the beach. Loved her!
DJ- John Strout from DiNardo Bros: A
John did a great job. We had a pretty extensive “must play” list, and he did his best to get everything in.
Hair and Makeup- Karen Capcino: A+
She really does do AMAZING work. I am so glad that I booked her off of other Knottie rec’s. Everyone’s hair and makeup looked wonderful and lasted all day and night. I got TONS of compliments on my hair, and I loved the way that everyone’s makeup looked very classy and not overdone, but was dramatic enough to photograph well. And I loved the fact that she came to us. Made for such a relaxing day.
Dresses- Irma’s Bridal: A
I had no problems with the staff at Irma’s. Yes they are a bit busy on the weekends, but the staff was always nice and helpful to me and my bridesmaids. I also loved the fact that my dress was about $300 cheaper there than I had seen it at another salon. I wore Maggie Sottero’s Martina. I loved my dress, and got so many compliments on it.
Alterations- Fashion Stitch: A+
Yeon was fantastic (another Knottie rec). She was also much cheaper than the bridal salons would be. I will definitely go back to her.
Cake- DiBartolo’s: B
Cake was included in my package. Tasted good, looked good. Not a whole lot of options though.
Chair rentals for Beach: Jersey Shore Rentals: D
Good prices, easy to use, but they set up on the WRONG BEACH!! Luckily some of my guests found them and ran down, gathered them, and set them up for me!
Invitations- Wedding Paper Divas: A
I loved my invites. I really liked this company because they have so many cool, modern designs, and release new ones all the time. They were reasonably priced, and very, very easy to use. See my invite here.