I got married Friday, August 6th and here are my reviews! Please e-mail me if you have any questions about anything! There is a link to my pictures do you can see lots of things there! amylee4835 at yahoo.com
I had to give A+'s because people really went above and beyond.
VenueLakeview Pavilion, Foxborough: A+ (www.lakeviewpavilion.com/">
www.lakeviewpavilion.com/) Perfect. They have weddings down to a science! I don't feel like I was nickel and dimed, and their estimate came in right around other places I looked at (Indian Pond (Kingston), White Cliffs (Plymouth). I can't say enough about how great and accommodating they were. A guest at the wedding had her reception at Lakeview 2 years prior and my event planners made a point to seek her out and made sure her and her husband had free drinks all night. The grounds and the inside are beautiful. It makes for unbelievable pictures. They really went above and beyond - worth every penny.
PhotographerKeith Berry: A+ (www.berryphotos.com/">
http://www.berryphotos.com/) Link to my pictures http://berryphotos.smugmug.com/2010-Weddings-1/Amy-and-Patrick-Cullinan/13251549_4qJYD#962558763_NwMFcAmazing! He is the nicest man you will ever meet and so easy to work with. He took over 1,400 pictures and had a good chunk of them posted on facebook the next day, and all of them on his website 2 days after the wedding - they are incredible!! You forget he is there. I swear I never saw him, so I don't know how he took so many pictures! I didn't give him any list of pictures to take, he just did his thing. We had 196 guests and there are pictures of just about all of them. 6 days before the wedding I was having a meltdown. Should I have hired a second photographer?!? As always, when you send Keith an e-mail, he sends one right back - he didn't think I needed one, we talked out the logistics and he was absolutely right. He is exactly the type of person you want shadowing you on your wedding day nice, laid back and excellent at what he does - You really can't go wrong with him.
MakeupBrea: A+ (www.makeupbybrea.com/">
http://www.makeupbybrea.com/) Brea does an incredible job and is such a sweet girl. I had 3 makeup trials before I went to her and no one else even came close to what she did. I swear she is a miracle worker! There really isn't anything to say other then to go for a trial - you will not be disappointed and her prices are way to low for the final product!
DJAaron Topfer: A (www.1877yourmusic.com/">
http://www.1877yourmusic.com/) Aaron knows how to pack a dance floor! Everyone from my 5 year old cousin to my 50 year old aunts/uncles were on the dance floor for most of the night - I couldn't believe it. He is very much "behind the scenes". I didn't want anyone who was going to try to get people to dance, lead some dumb line dance or make asinine jokes/comments. I wanted someone that would play great music and that is exactly what he did. I did have a couple of people mention to me that you couldn't hear him well, so maybe mention that he make sure he talks nice and loud or turn the music down a little when he is going to announce something (i.e. - who gets the centerpiece, that the ice cream bar is set up, that the photobooth would be leaving in an hour, etc.). However, I heard everything he said and had no problems. Just something to note. He also played the piano during the cocktail hour and I have heard great things about that.
VideographerCody Bisnett: A+ (Cody Bisnett, Bisnett Videography, 603.770.9449, codybisnett@gmail.com)Although I haven't seen the video yet, I can't imagine it will be anything short of perfect. I didn't book him until a week before the wedding and am so glad I did. Cody was all over the place and even quietly coached us through the cake cutting!!! It also didn't go unnoticed how good looking he is! My bridesmaids, some guests and even my mother commented on his looks. Sure, that doesn't mean a whole lot, but it certainly helps!! We also paid him to be there from 4-10 and he was there from about 3-11. He made sure he got there early so he could get set up and comfortable and he even stayed late. He has a great personality and appears to be very good at what he does.
PhotoboothVMC Services: A+ (http://vmcservices.com/Photo_Booth2.html) Everyone LOVED this!!! I have to admit I started off a little shaky with this vendor. Again, it was a week before the wedding and I was wondering if I should have booked this. I e-mail Michael after seeing a recommendation somewhere and long story short, he agreed to not get paid until he showed up at the wedding. His price was significantly lower then a lot of the quotes I was getting but the final product is the same. If you are on the fence, DO IT!! He has really in-expensive packages, and we ended up just under $700 for 3 hours with a book that he brought and made and we took home.
AlterationsThe Bridal Secret: A+ (www.thebridalsecret.com/">
www.thebridalsecret.com/) Judy is a miracle worker!! In just 3 fitings she did wonders! She did a great bustle that was so easy for the girls to do and looked amazing. She is confident and knows exactly what she is doing. Take your dress to her pronto!! She is also VERY responsive via e-mail (even at 6:00am) and that is perfect.
HairCaitlin Murphy: F (http://caitlinmurphystylist.com/default2.asp) Although my hair turned out fine, I had a big issue with her. TWO DAYS before my wedding, I get AN E-MAIL from her saying she has decided to take on something else for the morning of my wedding, will send someone else to do everyone's hair, but that she should be there in time to do mine. WTF?!? I will leave it at that, but let me know if you want more details and I'd be happy to elaborate.