Vendor Reviews, Pt 1: pre-ceremony

slbriz34

The best compliment you can pay is provide positive reviews of your vendors to help other brides decipher through the endless list of options.  I didn't rate any, but just described my experience with each vendor I used, which is a lot.  Because of the volume, I thought it would be best to break them up, so this review will be all the vendors that served its function before the wedding (ie. rings, invitations, etc.).  I also listed the names using the websites, so the info would be at your disposal.  If you are interested in any and would like more info, feel free to PM me.


PAPER

Invitations:  My invites was a diy project, these vendors were my suppliers...

EnvelopperInc.com (NJ) - I wanted a particular pocketfold size, and the few places that carried them were charging way too much.  I got all my pocketfolds, as well as envelopes and corner trimmer.   Shipping was free (order over $150), my order came in very quickly, and the final results of the invitations were exactly what we wanted. 

PaperPresentation.com (NYC) - I can be really lazy so I resisted going to the store, even though I live in the city.  Finally made it there and there's so much more that's not on the website.  Some things are a bit pricey, but they are a specialty shop focusing on a certain segment, so you are going to pay for that.  I wouldn't get, say, a pen there when you can get the same one somewhere else for less, but ribbon, invites, etc., yes.  It's a fun store and you can buy a lot of things and also have services done - I got paper cut which only cost me $2 per cut.


JUDAIC ITEMS

Ketubah:

MPArtworks.com - What can I say - I love, love my ketubah and have already given recommendations to anyone needing one to go to MPArtworks.  Proofs and corrections were done and sent right away; any questions I had were promptly answered.  The final product was exactly what I wanted and looked exactly as shown online.  And sales happen very frequently, which will save you even more than you'll already save compared to most other ketubah sites.  It also has various sales, to I happened to get my ketubah at a discount, and ordered it with a pen and protective envelope.  After order was finalized, we got it within a week. 

Kiddush cup/Hubby's tallit:

JewishBazaar.com - I prefer doing as much of my shopping online as possible, because I just don't have the time to go to stores with my busy schedule.  Of all the sites I checked out, Jewish Bazaar had good items at great prices and the pictures were very true to reality.  DH's tallit was exactly what I wanted and we loved out kiddush cup.  The price was right and my order shipped out super fast.

(I ordered the same from another place and was totally disappointed; I even returned the cup and they cannot find it and I'm having a hard time finding my confirmation amongst all the wedding mess, so the store essentially got both my money and cup; will never do business with that place again).

Kippot:

MazelTops.com - It was between Mazel Tops and another competitor - the price difference being so slim.  In the end I chose Mazel Tops because of the customer service and niceness of Chaykah.  My emails were answered promptly; I was provided proofs and tripled confirmed what the interior of the kippot would read; and shipping was super fast.  All this only four weeks before my wedding!  The kippot looked great and we were so very pleased.  I highly recommend and would order from MT again.

Benchers:

Yarmulkes.com (Brooklyn) – Jacob worked on and completed our benchers in about 3 ½ weeks.  We did all our communication via email and telephone and he sent me a final proof before printing.  We even got a discount by paying in cash.  I felt the site offered a lot of varieties; we chose the simple Ashkenazic Hebrew/English one that was budget friendly and made a nice favor for those of our guests who were interested.  


CLOTHING

Wedding Gowns:

DorisFashions.com (Brooklyn) - I purchased what I thought at the time would be my wedding dress (wedding was subsequently postponed and I got another).  Being from and living in Brooklyn, I didn't want the hype of the big bridal shops and also thought the attention I could get and cost of would be occur is I stayed closer to home. Lana was a nice associate.  I had emailed ahead of time to schedule an appointment and I indicated the type of dresses I was looking for and provided styles.  She had a few dresses for me to try and I like the second one I put on.  No high pressure sales, got a great deal.  We also purchased my MOH's dress; she was super helpful in listening to what I wanted and giving us options that was close.  MOH's dress looked great and the price was excellent.  I found out later a friend also got her dress there as well; definitely would recommend. 

ManhattanBridalUSA.com (NYC) - The dress that I got married in was purchased here.  Because I already had a Maggie Sottero dress (dress purhased a Sottero Midgley), I already knew the size to order.  It did have a sample on hand to show me, so that was enough for me to purchase without trying on.  I went after work to purchase and picked up early on a Sunday morning.  I mention that because a few brides have complained of customer service; if you go when it's super busy, it's obviously tougher than when you go and the store is calm.  It was pretty much a cash and carry transaction, but the dress came in on time without any issues and that's all I needed. 

Veil:

OBridal.com / OccanseyDesigns.com - I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars for something I'd only use once, however, I also wanted to look good.  Saw a bride review on a post and decided to check it out and glad I did.  I emailed a few times to ask questions and my emails were promptly answered.  My drop veil was exactly what I wanted - simple yet elegant - and looked as good if not better than the expensive veils you'd get suckered into buying at the bridal store, and it was super budget friendly.  Big plus, it came in the mail super fast.  

Gown Alterations:

The Wedding Dresser (Brooklyn/NYC) - My husband couldn't believe how I looked in my dress.  Susan Ruddie did such an amazing job.  There was a lot of lace appliqué on the hem that had to be tended to in order to raise the line; you couldn't even tell it was sewn back wonderfully.  I also needed to have some kind of jacket or sleeves, as modesty was a factor for the ceremony.  Susan created and designed the perfect top that seamlessly fit with my sleeveless dress and then easily could be taken off to allow me to have fun at the reception. 

And so many brides also want a lovely bustle; mine was great in that it not only kept the dress off the ground and didn't fall or come apart once (like some others), it was done in such a lovely way that you could still see the lace at the back of the dress.  I got nothing but compliments on my dress and her hard work showed.  It's definitely not cheap, but it’s comparable to bridal salons except with much more flexibility – and you do in fact get what you pay for.  Plus, she does house calls - which was great so I never had to worry about dragging around my dress to get done.  www.yelp.com/biz/the-wedding-dresser-brooklyn">http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-wedding-dresser-brooklyn 


Pressing: 

BridgeCleaners.com (Brooklyn) – DO NOT USE!  The woman told me and put on my receipt that the dress would be ready on Saturday at 5:30pm; we went there at 5pm since it was near the hotel and I wasn’t going to go out afterwards.  We get there and the store was closed.  Fortunately, there was tailors there and after much yelling and convincing, they got me my dress.  I’d have busted through the doors if needed to.  And the irony is that the tag that was on my dress said Friday at 5:30pm – don’t ask me how she created two different tags with two different days.  I will never, ever go here again for anything – who needs that kind of stress before their wedding?!

Tuxedos:

EisenbergandEisenberg.com (NYC) – I accompanied my Hubby to get his tuxedo.  We placed an order for him and also picked out the color vest and tie for his best man (brother) who wasn’t yet state side from serving overseas.  We were told to call the info in as soon as we could in order to get the vest and tie combo.  We did so about 2 weeks later; it took awhile for him to find the receipt but he did and made the notation.   DH called the day before the pick up to verify it would be at the store and initially, they didn’t have the order for his brother.  DH didn’t know what to do but he was called back by the store a few minutes later and was told his BM's tux order was found. The day they tried it own, BM just needed his hem done and everything seemed like it went well (I wasn’t there). 

Turns out, DH’s vest was way to big for him; isn’t that the point of taking measurements?  He found a way to pin the vest but didn’t want to take his jacket off all night, so I wasn’t very happy about that.   I chose these place because of the reviews (on yelp); the price was good but I felt they were a bit unorganized with how they keep their records and I wasn’t happy that despite taking measurements, the vest just did not fit.  We had a nice day so in that sense, it all worked out, but I’d probably try another place (though not Men’s Warehouse) if we ever need to rent a tux in the future.   


JEWELRY

E-Ring:

PhilmarJewelers.com (NYC) - This review is based on what my husband told me. He was referred to this place by his step-father. He checked it out, then also checked out other jewelers in the area, but came back here because he felt the guy was the most honest/trustworthy sort of everyone he spoke to. He knew what ring I wanted and worked with the salesman to put it together. He was shown a lot of good quality diamonds and got the setting hubby desired. The salesman even was able to save hubby some money on it, so it was a pretty good deal. The ring is amazing and I love it. Hubby and salesman really got the ring design down, and the price, compared to comparable rings we've seen elsewhere for comparable rings, it was a great deal.

Wedding Bands:

DanielaDiamonds.com (NYC) - We wanted to go back to Philmar to get our wedding rings, however it, and many stores in the area, are closed on Sundays.  We stopped into this one and it seemed okay.  They had plain 14k white gold bands, which we wanted.  The salesman had his calculator and did his thing to make it seem like we got a great deal - we weren't overcharged but I don't really feel like we got a super price/deal.  Had it been up to me, I'd have gotten our rings for a lot less at Amazon, but hubby was okay paying to have them in hand and not have to worry about anything - so I guess we paid for comfort. All the jewelers use a person down the block to size up/down rings, so we got our rings resized on the spot (included in price).  He was great and I'd go back with any jewelry issues in the future.   

In all, okay experience, nothing to write home about...