My husband and I was married in July...Yes I know...why the wait??! I had to take my boards shortly (2-3wks) after the wedding. Inaddition I started my new career shortly after passing my boards. So being a wife in addition to all of the above took up my time!
Venue-Aqua Turf- A
I love the Aqua Turf. I know many will oppose but hubby and I were not born or raised in CT so this was our second time at the Aqua Turf (1st time was at a friends wedding). Our coordinator was Don. He was very nice and professional. He also made sure that things ran smoothly! The food was superb! We loved everything from the dry ice during our first dance to the vienesse table/added on show. I gave them an A and not an A+++ because at one point they allowed everyone to go in without checking their names (I later found out that hubby made a new seating chart and arranged the guests by table numbers where they were assigned to sit instead of their last names- so I guess this caused confusion but I just wish he couldv'e run this by me/hubby first especially since we had to pay for extra people who were not on the guest list).
Photographer- King Vincent Storm-->A++
Love love love Vinny and Ann Marie! They were soooo patient (we were late- hubby finished last minute errands on the morning of the wedding grrr
) Vinny and Ann Marie kept me calm when things seemed like they couldn't get possibly worse. They stayed a little longer than our contracted time. They worked with our budget Hubby and I didn't feel rushed or bossed around. Pictures were superb..we recently received our proofs so I will add some of the proofs to this review soon.
Videographer- Joe Multimedia productions-->F---
If I could give him a score lower than an F- I would! I wish we wouldv'e used Vinny and Ann Marie for video as well but the videographer was a present from our parents as a result they wanted to use someone whom they knew. Big mistake! The video is shaky, transitions are very poor from one scene to another, sound quality is extremely poor(no soundtracks were used anywhere on the video) and there were so much more--email me for an extended review for this vendor.
Florist- Perfect Princess events--A
Helena did a great job with our wedding! I'm not a big flower person--I love roses and lilys- thats about it. But she opened my eyes to a different array of flowers within my budget. Gave me discounts here and there, she gave me suggestions for reception (such as chair cover/sash colors and materials that would work best with my center pieces). She was very organized!!!! Initally I told her that I would bring the rented items to her inorder to eliminate the fees for rental pick up but I called her the night before and asked her to pickup the rented items and she did so withkout making a big fuss about it. The only reason why I didnt add a + is because I noticed that she was a little upset when she came to pick up the rental items (so did my MOH and other guests). I'm not sure why but I just wish she would've been a little bit happier. However all in all, she has a great personality- never seemed upset on the numerous occasions that I met with her. She ls also a wedding coordinator- If I had the extra money I would have hired her to coordinate my wedding!
Gateway Limo- A/B
They were on the expensive side but they were ok. We only used them for drop off service so I can't really comment on the quality of their service.
Modern Formals (mens tuxedos) in plantsville CT- A+++
I loved them! They were so patient with hubby and I. Showed us pictures of previous weddings so it gave us an idea on which colors would not be washed out by the camera etc. They also gave us a great deal on the tux, shoes, shirt, and pocket cloth. Great service!
Mariella Creations- B+
I gave them a B+ because of one sales associate who always helped my girls and I every time we went into the store(I don't remember her name- I believe it starts with an "S") otherwise I would've given them a "C" due to their customer service. Unfortunately if you are shopping for bridesmaids dresses they will not give you and your girls the same treatment that they give to brides who are shopping for bridal gowns. You basically have to look for the bridesmaids dresses by yourself, pick them off of the rack and try them on without getting feedback from the sales associates. However the sales associate that I mentioned above was the complete opposite. She was very nice. Made us feel important and thus we purchased the bridesmaids dresses from there because of the great customer service she gave us.
Klienfelds- A+++++
I said yes to my wedding dress at Klienfelds! This was the first wedding shop that I went to and I went to several others afterwards because I wanted to make sure that the dress that we chose was the one. Our sales associate Allison was a doll! Very patient, nice, bubbly and she stayed within my $1500 or less budget (she got me a dress that was less)! Loved her and loved Maria who altered my dress! Maria was the best! She was always happy and she actually cared about you as a person not just a bride. Overall great experience!
Make up- Signature studios- A
"Lady" was extremely down to earth. Gave me a great deal! She was supposed to stay with me for approx 2-3hrs but ended up staying with me for the entire ceremony and reception. She made sure hubby(yes hubby too..even though he was not included in the package), myself and the girls looked our best throughout the day. She also touched up my hair(which was not included in the package as well). She held/fixed the train of my dress when it was needed etc. I gave her an A because she was a little late getting to the hotel but she made up for it by staying with us until the end of the reception.
Cake- Cakes by Donna- C
I was not happy with my cake nor was I happy with the service. First off hubby and I met with her a year prior to our wedding- she had someone going to her house to fix the plumbing system so our appt felt a little rushed. We were very understanding with her situation but I wish she wouldv'e made up for that with her service. Hubby and I agreed on a cake and met with her a few months before the wedding (1yr after our initial meeting). Unfortunatley, we did not remember the flavor of the cake and we were not sure if we wanted to continue on with that flavor. As a result we wanted to meet with her again for another tasting of the cake that we chose. She declined and stated that we chose that cake 1yr ago and most of the time couples usually go with a cake that they already chose. I was a little annoyed but I remained calm and took her word for it. Inaddition, hubby and I chose a cake that we found in a magazine. I sent a copy of the cake to her and she stated over and over again that she would be able to design the cake just like the picture. Unfortunately when I got to the wedding I noticed that one of the cake tiers was not decorated like the cake in the picture.