It feels like I've been MIA for a while - can't believe the day has come and gone already. Nor can I believe that it has taken me this long to write/post reviews (it was actually a lot more work than I thought!). In any case, here's the run down.
Originally we were going for the full kit-and-caboodle hotel wedding, that was until FI lost his job due to a lengthy illness. We ended up cutting down on a lot of things and having a tented wedding at a family members' place of residence. We could not have asked for a better day and we are so grateful to our family, that helped us out and pitched in on things we were going to have to forego.
RUNNING OF THE BRIDES (GOWN) - A+ (Gown)/B- (Experience)
I went last February as a team member for another friend and ended up finding a dress I adored for myself (even though I already had a gown). So I bought the one off the rack at ROB, sold the first one, and am still in love with my gown even now. The whole ROB experience was a bit much for me (I did not like all of the chaos and yelling), but I am happy that I went, because I was able to support my friend and find a fab gown all at the same time. If you are going to one of the upcoming ones, I'd say skip the initial rush in and show up later (at around Noon?) when everything is back in order. According to one of the salespeople there are still plenty of gowns on the rack by that time and everything is much neater.
Perhaps the best part was the new dress not need a single alteration. The hem was perfect and the overall fit was perfect too. If I could find somewhere else to where that gown I totally would.
CARDS & POCKETS (INVITATIONS - DIY) - A
My husband's sister got married last year and used this company to buy her cardstock. She ended up gifting us all of our invitation cardstock and my dad printed them out at work on his laser printer. We loved the cardstock and the vast selection of colors we had to choose from. It was a bit of a task assembling them all (one major drawback to DIYing) and we made quite a few mistakes on envelopes, etc. However it was easy to order more supplies ourselves and they always arrived soon after the order was placed.
ORCHIDS N' BLOOMS (FLOWERS) & LINENS - A+++
We came across O&B after seeing their work at a mutual friend's wedding. We booked them for our own wedding soon thereafter and they were, by far, our most favorite vendor to work with. They will work with any budget and any concept, which was comforting considering our style/taste was not traditional by any means.
Tbeir service was always very personal and they did not make us feel like we were just another couple of a million others. Erica, the owner, took a great deal of time working with us to hone in floral designs that were unique and that fit our vision to a "T". Both she and Scott (another of the designers) were always easy to reach and usually got back to our calls/e-mails within a day's time.
Our floral budget wasn't huge, but we still could not believe the quality and lushness of the flowers that we did get. Guests are still commenting on how beautiful the tables looked, to the point where there was only one left at the end of the night (all others had been taken home).
Something else I liked was that they do not substitute anything without checking first. If what we originally agreed couldn't be obtained, they would call us and let us know so that we could choose something else.
All in all, both the quality of the flowers and their service was excellent. I would highly recommend them to other brides.
KONDITOR MEISTER - CAKE B+
My husband and I are not big on sweets in general and were going to forgo a cake altogether in lieu of other desserts. However my aunt, who has sworn by KM for years, surprised us with a cake as a gift. She has always loved their pastries, so I assume that they were great in the areas of responsiveness, professionalism, value, and flexibility.
The only thing I can truly comment on is the quality, which was actually quite good. The Strawberry Grand Marnieer flavor was excellent - the only one I actually got to taste. My husband got a brief taste of the chocolate and thought it was a little dry.
The design of the cake was pretty basic, but it was special to us nonetheless because it was a gift and my aunt went through so much trouble to get it for us.
TENT, TABLES, CHAIRS, DANCE FLOOR - A
My grandparents took care of all of this through a rental company out of Hudson I think. As far as I know, we had no issues with any of those things and it was super nice that my husband and I did not have to set any of it up!
WHOLE FOODS (CATERING) - A+
This was one of the gifts from our parents...mainly because they agreed with us about keeping this informal and fun (no plated meals or long buffet lines). Instead
We ended a few "stations" and tons of heavy apps throughout the night. Everything was delicious and my mom had paid a few of her former workmates (she used to manage a restaurant) to come and make sure that everything was served hot and had a nice presentation.
I wish I had gotten more to eat that night! All I remember is the Asparagus Quiche being amazing and wanting more (but being so caught up in the music/dancing).
That's it for most of the major items, I think. We used a NESOP alum for the photos and my 18 year-old brother did all of the music and AV stuff. It was definitely a simpler wedding than many I've been to before, but it was ours and we loved every moment of it.
Thanks so much for all of the amazing advice and suggestions from these boards ladies. Keep up the awesome work!
"If I were your wedding, I'd be sleeping with one eye open... " - Bride Wars