Makeup and Hair - Sachiko Yanase
Sachiko was one of my favorite vendors. Her trial is not free however I felt it was so worth it. We were there for full 3 hours and she did 4 variations of an bun for me to select as well as several makeup ideas including using airbrush on me for me to think about. On the wedding day, she was early before her scheduled arrival time. She was right on schedule throughout the morning. I am asian and my bridesmaids are white and african americans and Sachiko showed she is very experienced in working with various complexions as well as different hair length and textures. She used airbrush makeup on all of us and all of our makeup looked very natural and smooth and little touch up needed throughout the day and enhanced each person's assets. All of the updo hair stayed up and looked great in a soft romantic bun even though it was 100% humidity that day and I may even had gotten a few drops when trying to get some outdoor photos in during a break in the rainstorm. Sachiko is absolutely wonderful and very fast in respondinging e-mails through my months of planning and questions came up. She lives in queen but def travels since we were in Staten Island for our wedding preparation. I would recommend her to all brides to book her. She is a wonderful/lovely person to work with and very good at what she does. She is so nice to work with and willing to make sure your day goes smoothly. The last thing you want to worry about on your wedding day is your stylist being late or not prepared or not professional or you don't like the way you or your bridesmaid look.
DJ - Colorblind Productions
I used Rob for my ceremony music, cocktail hour as well as for the reception. Rob was very easy to work with and all of the set up and music went smoothly on our wedding day. The ceremony music was what we requested and same as cocktail hour. I would say that the reception music was a pretty good mix for the mixed crowd we had. For the price we paid, I thought it was great especially for the length of time and the three set ups required. I would say that because it was during the summer and they were busier than usual, the communication was a bit bumpy. I had to call and e-mail couple of times before speaking to Rob about 2-3 weeks before my wedding to set up a meeting and go over the music selection and then had to contact once or twice to ask him to send me the form so I can complete it before the meeting since we had to think about what types of music we wanted or our first dance song. However when I spoke to him Rob was always very helpful and quick to respond. Overall we would recommend Rob to other couples for their wedding music needs and think he would do a great job helping them with their day.
Ceremony & Reception & Rehearsal Lunch- Nicotra's Ballroom/Hilton Garden Inn/Lorenzo's Restaurant Staten Island NY
We had a small wedding of approx 60 ppl. Everyone at Nicotra's ballroom were very helpful. We had our rehearsal on Saturday and they knew exactly what they are doing. Rehearsal lunch was at Lorenzo's restaurant which is also part of the Hilton Garden Inn. There was a small mix up with the rehearsal lunch menu and at first they wanted me to take what they provided. I had to push back a bit hard to get them to correct their mistake since I personally don't eat what they were providing and wouldn't expect my guests to and I spoke to both of their managers in the two weeks before the wedding and confirmed the menu twice. The people working for Nicotra's ballroom which is where the ceremony and reception were held are great at what they do and are very experienced. There was a slight chance of rain that turned into a storm on the day of my wedding. Even though the ceremony was inside, the location was even more beautfiul than their outdoor gazebo. The bridal attendant was super helpful with making sure we took as many pictures outside as possible during breaks in the storms. Cocktail hour's food was amazing according to our guests and we had plenty for the two of us at the bridal suite and all of it was part of their standard menu and not a paid upgrade. Our reception was at the Tea House room and the room was perfect for a small - medium reception. The food was great with the appetizer, entree and the dessert trio plate. The cake was free and it was beautiful and tasted delicious. We even got a free night at the bridal suite for our wedding night and the suite was more like a large apartment. They decorated the room and even left us a nice gift. I def understand now why people are repeat customers at Nicotra's first having weddings, then baby shower then major life celebrations because I can't wait to use them again. They are very professional and know what they are doing. The event space is beautfiul and the ground is great for pictures. I would say that they are not going to be your cheapest place in SI but theya re willing to work within your budget and you will def get amazing service, overflowing food and drinks and a great environment for your big day.
Cake Topper - Etsy Sophias Workshop
Sophia was another one of my favorite vendors. Her prices are very reasonable for a cake topper and was one of my pleasant surprises when I got it. We sent her our pictures and she did our drawings and we had very few edits to make and thought they were super cute. When I got the package, it was beautifully wrapped. Even though I saw the drawing, the actual topper was even cuter than the drawing. I love our cake topper which was of us in tux and my wedding dress. Our guests thought it was very cute and noticed the resemblance :-) Sophia is very nice to work with and very fast to respond to e-mails with any questions or edits.
Florist - Rose Petals and Lace in NJ
When we met with Jill, she was very pleasant and professional. We were able to let her know what our ideas were, budget and what we needed in terms of bouquets and centerpieces. She was able to provide us with feedback on the flowers that would fit within our budget and provide us with suggestions on what would look good. From the pictures of previous work she did, I was very impressed and def felt her flowers and design were similar to what I had in mind which is contemporary yet classic. Our centerpieces were beautfiul and really made the room look great. My bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquet were even more beautiful than what I thought they would be even though I knew the color scheme as well as the flowers she was going to use. I would also say that after meeting with other florsts Jill was great at specifying what flowers she would use which is important since some brides working with other florsts got carnations or cheaper flowers that they didn't specifically say they don't want or to include. I would def love to use Jill for other events. Their prices were great for what they were providing which was my bouquet, 3 bm bouquet, 8 centerpieces, etc.
Invitations - evenstarpaperie.com
Tessa is great at what she does. We ordered our invitations from her and her prices are very competitive. Although she is online, Tessa has a great system set up where you still get a great idea of what your invites will look like and proof. We loved our invitations that we even ordered our program fans and place cards from her. I had a small number for invites and most print shop was going to charge alot for a small order especially for the pocket invites I wanted.
Photographer - Chi from Manhattan Bridal
So I haven't found a lot of reviews for Manhattan Bridal or positive reviews for the store. However I took a chance because the price they were offering for the length of time 9 hours as well as a full album cannot be beat. Chi was great on the wedding day. very easy to work with and blend in with the crowd to take candid photos so well that I sometimes forgot he was there. I can't wait to see the photos and final products. working with Chi on our wedding day was great. Everyone in our wedding party thought he was great too!