Brace yoursefl... this is a long post of various vendors:
Trumbull Marriott (Venue & Hotel) -- B+ Overall, we were satisfied with the Trumbull Marriott. We got a good room rate and Joni Yale (our sales representative) was a pleasure to work with. She is definitely a people-person and does a great job at listening and customer service. We couldn't say the same for our assigned banquet manager, Oscar Alvarado. We had communication issues and did not enjoy working with him. Overall, the experience was positive. The negatives were that the cake was brought out backwards on the dance floor, an expensive silk floral arrangement went missing, and working with Oscar was not the best experience. Regarding the positives, it was nice to consolidate things with the Marriott, we were able to get a good room rate, we didn't have to worry about transportation for guests/drinking and driving, and the food was delicious.
Beachwood Florist (Flowers) -- B+ Beachwood Florists in Milford was by far the cheapest quote we got from a florist --- and trust me we went to a whole bunch! We loved Linda's work on the bouquets and centerpieces but were little disappointed with the boutineers and corsages. Linda was very accommodating and seemed to have a very creative eye. We were disappointed with the boutineers and corsages as they were not what we had expected and described to Linda. We had asked for rustic boutineers with a curled twig with a carnation and even provided pictures. The result was a carnation with a leaf. Regarding the groom's his also lacked a rustic feel and the orchid was in my opinion way too big to be a boutineer. When we had asked for orchids for the boutineer and bridal bouquet, we expected the delicate orchids but instead, these orchids appeared to be on steroids. Overall we did love the way everything came out, we were just a little surprised at the things we mentioned. I did have to call Linda when I noticed we were missing an item, she was already on it and informed me that her husband had forgotten it and it was already on the way; it arrived 10 minutes later so it was not an issue. Overall, we were very satisfied and happy with our flowers.
Great Cakes of Westport (Cake) -- A+ Great Cakes of Westport was out cake provider. The cake was beautiful. Their cakes are delicious and if you go for a tasting, be prepared to bring some home. We chose a carrot cake with apricot mousse and alternated layers with a yellow cake with fresh strawberries and white chocolate mousse. They were one of the few who did not charge extra for cake design or fresh strawberries. I should note that the cake was included in our Trumbull Marriott package and we were allowed to choose from several other providers. Also, Rick lets you choose between getting a top layer to freeze or coming in the next year to get one made fresh.
Salon 210 (Hair & Make-Up) -- A+ Salon 210 in Stratford was awesome! Jessica (owner) met with me before the event and was very helpful. Their rates are very reasonable (deposit is required). I opted not to do a trial run of make-up or hair. When we arrived day of the wedding, they let us set up breakfast on a side table and were very accommodating. The stylists were amazing --- very talented and friendly. I had Eva who did wonders. She looked over a few hair styles and did an amazing job. My hair felt light but stayed in all night long (even into the morning). She also did my make-up. Eva was very patient with us as my sisters' looked on and suggested lightening the eye shadow. I left feeling like a princess. Hands down one of my favorite vendor experiences.
Finger Nail Salon (Nails) -- B I worked with Juney at Finger Nail Salon to arrange for manicures at the salon (located in Monroe near Big Y). She was a pleasure to work with; however, I did end up paying a higher rate than originally stated (she charged for the floral design on the kids' nails when originally that was included). Overall, the experience was enjoyable and they were very accommodating. They included a brief back massage for everyone who had their nails done. There were 6 adults and 5 kids. Juney was extremely good with the kids and made sure that they were having fun.
Sound Solutions Entertainment (DJ) -- B- Sound Solutions Entertainment provided our DJ/MCee services. Tom (owner) was booked for our date, so we worked with Ivan. Ivan did a fine job, I wouldn't rave about his performance, but also no real complaints. One complaint about the company is that they are not very proactive. We never heard from them so a week before our wedding, I had to call them to line up a meeting to discuss music selection, introductions, final payment, etc. I was told from Tom that they would be contacting us to set up this final meeting two weeks before our wedding. Everything ended up fine but you can tell that you are not a priority until your event is here. Nothing spectacular but no disaster.
Will Duchon (Pianist) -- A Will Duchon (local Monroe pianist) is an extremely talented musician. He played the organ at our wedding (which was disappointing as I had requested the piano -- I'm not a fan of the organ) and the piano at our cocktail hour. He was extremely helpful during wedding planning. He sat down with us and helped guide us through various selections. He even sent us some links to youtube videos of wedding songs that would be used as processionals, etc. Our guests loved his playing at the cocktail hour.
Benny Ng Photography/Java Bros Films (Photography/Videography) -- A+ Benny Ng Photography was a pleasure to work with. He and his team have a very creative eye. We worked with them as videographer and photographer team as well as photo booth operator. We did an entire package with them. Our package included engagement photos (electronic on CD with rights --- no prints), engagement video, wedding video (not yet seen), wedding photos (edited electronic on CD with rights --- no prints), wedding album, and wedding video. We just received our wedding photos (about 2 months after the wedding) -- we told him to take his time and the Hurricane Sandy was likely a set back as well. We have seen a sneak-peak of the wedding videos and are very happy with the quality of the pictures and creative eye --- we liked the photo journalistic work. The wedding party commented on the teams ability to be everywhere but no where at the same time. You could tell that the team is very serious about making sure the client (wedding couple/party) are happy. Guests liked the photo booth and we loved seeing the pictures. They set-up the photo booth in a corner and supplied props (not my favorite props but everyone still had fun).
Monroe Congregational Church (Ceremony) -- A Monroe Congregational Church's wedding fees are a bit higher than most churches, I believe. However, as a member of the church, I wanted to get married here so we spent more on the ceremony/pastoral fees. Rev. Jenn Gingras married us. It was a pleasure working with her. Included in pastoral fees were two counseling sessions. The first was not overly helpful, but the second was better and more insightful. Jenn is very clearly spoken and does a nice job at personalizing the wedding ceremony.