Hey Ladies! My FI and I were married on Saturday, August 27, 2011. The wedding went off without a hitch (for the most part!). We had about 7 or 8 guests who weren't able to make it to the wedding because of the weather, but hopefully we'll be able to share are wedding video with them and relive the day! Our biggest issue due to the weather so far, has been delaying our honeymoon. SO, since we're just hanging around for a few days, I thought I'd do some reviews!
Photo: Alisonmarie Photography (alisonmariephotography.com, and/or search for Alisonmarie Photography on Facebook), Westfield, MA. A++++++++
My favorite vendor. Alison is AMAZING. Throughout the process, she was quick to get back to emails and calls, she's friendly, professional, and her work is FANTASTIC. And the fact that her pricing is reasonable, is even better (I locked in my pricing over a year ago). By the time I'd woken up on Sunday, she already had 6 teaser pics up (see below). Her husband was her assistant, and FI said he was very friendly. I can't wait to see more of our pics!
Venue: Crestview Country Club (crestviewcc.org), Agawam, MA A++++++
We found Crestview when I started my new job in Agawam last June, and when our first venue called (after having our deposit for a year) and said they double-booked us (it's true!). Luckily, CCC had our date open, and I have to say, this was a blessing in disguise. The service was amazing, the food was fantastic, the bartenders were wonderful. We received so many compliments on the food and service from our guests! Everything was PERFECT! Also, the price was reasonable for what we wanted. Nathan (the coordinator) worked with us to make the evening what we needed and wanted. Nathan even went above and beyond for us - if you want chair covers, you can rent them from a woman they work with regularly. But when I looked at the price, it was significantly less expensive for me to buy the chair covers and sashes myself. When I asked Nathan, he said he would set up the chair covers and sashes if I bought them instead of renting them. His flexibility saved us about $400 on linens!
DJ: Entertainment Unlimited of New England (djnewengland.com) (David Robinson, main DJ for our wedding) A+++++++
The music was KICKIN!!! David was great to work with - not over the top, not intrusive or corny, very friendly, great mixing, overall FANTASTIC! He listened to what FI and I wanted, and even took a CD of polish dance music from my FI and mixed it in during the evening. People were dancing ALL night long! There were a few songs that people weren't as interested in dancing to, and he mixed them right out and kept people going. AWESOME!!!! Our friends even booked them on the spot for their wedding next year.
Video: Jamie Podworski, JPodproductions (jpodproductions.com), Agawam, MA - A++++ (contingent on final video)
Jamie has been, thus far, great to work with. Professional and freindly. Seemed to have all of his ducks in a row for the wedding day. He worked seamlessly with our photographer. He wasn't in our faces or our guests. FI's stepfather even said "did you have a videographer?!" which, IMO, is the point - a great video without being in the way.
Hair & Makeup: Headlines, East Windsor, CT (Krista did my hair, Bonnie did my makeup). A
This is my regular salon and I've gone here for years. All the stylists did a wonderful job on the girls' hair (all my BMs got their hair done here) and I thought my makeup and my mom's looked fantastic. Love! My only semi-complaint is that I wish they'd have given me a little bit of a price break, since I paid for all of my girls' hair as well as my own, and my makeup, and my highlights 2 days before the wedding. C'est la vie! But I'll keep going there - Krista's too awesome! She even came in on her day off just to do my hair!
Church: St. Mary Church, Windsor Locks, CT. Priest: Father George. A
Our rehearsal and wedding went well. I wonder if this was the priest's first wedding, since at the rehearsal he had the wedding party recess before me and FI. Father was very kind, though, and the ceremony itself was great.
Rehearsal Dinner: Tunxis Grill, Windsor, CT (
www.tunxisgrill.com) A-
Our rehearsal dinner was very good. We used the lounge area of restaurant for our party. The seating was a little akward since it was around the perimeter of the room, but it all worked out. The food was great (as usual), and the waitstaff was very nice. I just think dinner could have come out more at the same time, where the pizzas were out before the hot dinners, and the space they provided for teh hot dinners was a little squished. But dinner was good, and FI and I will still go there regularly.
Limo: Royal Coach - Chicopee, MA. A+++++ (Driver: Kevin) (royalcoach.net)
Oh My Goodness - can I tell you - Kevin was an AMAZING driver. He was ready to move the girls from my parents house to the car, umbrella in hand. He was so sweet in the church - talking to me about how he'd just come back from Hawaii (where we will be honeymooning) - I'm sure to try and make me less nervous. FI said Kevin was great with them as well. The car was awesome (stretch 2-tone Chrysler 300). I would recommend the company and the driver to anyone!
Flowers: RuthL Flowers (ruthl.com), Suffield, CT - A+
Ruth did our AMAZING flowers! I had a bouquet of orange calla lillies (what I've ALWAYS dreamed of - see below) and the girls had cream roses and terra cotta roses, and my flower girl had a white rose pomerander. Ruth was great to work with - she's professional, and to the point, and she knows what will look great and modern go well together. She was even able to find ribbon that exactly matched the colors of my bridesmaids dresses after I gave her a swatch. Here's a few (non-pro) pics
The bridesmaid's flowers, and in the upper left, the flower girl's rose pomerander.
The Happy Couple and my beautiful callas!
Cake: Mary Sagendorf (
http://marysagendorf.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html - to see my cake!)
Mary is such a sweet woman! She does cakes out of her house, and it looked wonderful. The one bite I got (from the cake cutting) was delish, and we did get compliments on it as well! It looked just as I'd hoped. Below is (first) my cake inspirations) and (second) our cake!
Wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses: Mariella Creations, Rocky Hill (Sales consultant: Nella; Alterations consultant: Marta) A++++
I couldn't have been happier with my dress, including alterations, and the girls loved their dresses! Nella was my initial salesperson, and she was fantastic - very nice, professional, and knows how to dress a girl! I told her what I'd tried on, and that I was willing to try anything. She found my dress for me - Maggie Sottero Karena Royale, Ivory lace over gold - and I loved it! I got a ton of compliments on my dress, and it fit great. Marta was my alterations consultant, and she was the sweetest woman. She had my dress fitting like a glove, and showed my mom and bridesmaid how to do the corset and bustle. I couldn't have been happier. Below is all the girls in their dresses.
Tuxes: Mr. Tuxedo (corner of Sisson and Park Ave in Hartford) A+++
My DH has used this shop since his HS proms. The owner is straightforward, honest, and the tuxes were great. He explained that if we went elsewhere, we could get DH's tux for free, but those other shops just mark up the price of the tuxes you pay for. I did the math, and he was right. For the GM gifts, we paid for their tuxes, so it all worked out. Tuxes looked great and fit great. They had to do some special work on one for my nephew, and he looked so grown up! And, this is the kicker - The shop has shoes to fit my DH's size 18 foot. BEAT THAT!
Honeymoon (special thanks to NYQuinn for the recommendation!)- Beachdestinations.com / Liberty Travel Fairfield (Jennifer Grecco) A (so far)
We found our awesome price for our Hawaiian vacation on Beachdestinations.com, and Liberty matched the price. I've been working w/ Liberty all day today to get my flights/hotel/etc rebooked so we can still get to Hawaii after all the weather issues over the past few days. Since fairfield is out of power, the Stamford branch (Sal!) is helping me out. I'll update you ladies on the honeymoon once we get back! If you're thinking Hawaii, DEFINATELY look at beachdesintations.com to get a great price for lodging and flight.
Bridesmaids Alterations: Ann Jackobek, Agawam, MA A+
This is a family friend who did the alterations for 3/4 of my girls, as well as my mom. She had to do a lot of alterations for my neice, and her dress looked great. Contact me if you're interested in contact info.
Favor flowers: Costco A+
For our favors, I'd collected various antique glass bottles and put one bicolor yellow/orange rose in per person (i.e., one vase with 2 flowers per couple). We got 2 dozen roses for $16.99 (7 bunches of 24), and every flower was perfect and beautiful. We picked them up from the Enfield Costco, and there were no complaints! Lots of compliments on these as well - when I get a good pic, I'll be sure to post!
Online vendors:
tableclothsfactory.com - A - We got our chair covers and sashes from this website (thanks to the input from some ladies on the CTknot!) My bridesmaids and I did take 8 hours or more to iron them all, but my money was worth it to me (sorry, paying for this all ourselves!) Linens came in on time, and the price was right.
Etsy seller: Have2haveit - cake topper (thanks KLS!) - Came out beautiful and was shipped quickly!
Ebay: seasonal-decorator (aisle runner) - The guys had a tough time unrolling the aisler runner, but I guess it was a little comic relief at the ceremony. The aisle runner served its purpose.
couplesoncakes (toasting flutes) - I loved my flutes! simple and elegant.
enchantment4all (veil) - I got my veil for $19.99 and it looked just like the one that was $200 at the bridal shop. Love!
Bride_diva2be (Erica Koesler bridal headband) - I saw the headband I wanted at a bridal shop, but didn't want to pay the $200 they were asking. I found the same headband on ebay for $80. My girlfriends loved it and so did I. Perfect!