I wasn't a big poster, but wanted to share my experiences. I really appreciated all the help I got here when I was planning, so I want to pass it on! Feel free to add my reviews to the review site.
Ceremony/Reception
The Atrium, West Orange, NJ, A+
We worked with Bill from the start. He was very knowledgeable and easy to get in contact with. They were very flexible with a guest who has numerous food allergies and keeps Kosher. The maitre d’ Sean kept everything running smoothly all night and was responsive to any requests we made. Anita, the bridal attendant, was absolutely amazing. She had to re-bustle my dress 3-4 times and kept me calm throughout it all. She continuously checked in with us and our parents to see if we needed anything. The cocktail hour food was great and there was plenty of space for the 200 guests. They have seating for 150 and a huge bar where people can stand to put plates down. Dinner was absolutely delicious, especially the Chilean sea bass and filet mignon. I am not a cake person, but the chocolate hazelnut filling was delicious. (The Atrium uses Palermo’s.) I never actually ate dessert (I wouldn’t leave the dance floor) but the Venetian hour looked amazing and our friends devoured the plate left at our sweetheart table when the reception ended. The Atrium doesn’t have a beautiful outdoor space, but we took pictures at Verona Park and they came out fabulous. I couldn’t be happier that we booked with The Atrium and would highly recommend them.
Officiant
Mitch Maged, www.mitchtheminister.com, A+
Mitch was recommended to us by friends. My husband is Jewish and I am Catholic, but we are not religious. We wanted to incorporate some traditions from both religions, but not have a religious ceremony. We really clicked with Mitch when we first met him and he has an interfaith marriage. He really customizes the ceremony for each couple and we laid out a game plan at our first meeting. We elected not to have a rehearsal since there wasn’t much for anybody to do. The day of the wedding Mitch showed up on time, dressed nicely and with all the necessary paperwork. Our ceremony was absolutely perfect for us; it was fun, romantic and full of love. Many of our guests said it was the most fun ceremony that they had ever seen and we are very happy with the service that Mitch provided to us.
Flowers
Lily of the Valley Floral Arrangements, Verona, NJ- A
We worked with Rebecca through the planning process. She was able to work within our budget and give us really beautiful centerpieces, bouquets and arrangements for the ceremony. They are the house florist for the Atrium and decorate their cocktail hour room and foyer every weekend, so we didn’t have to worry about anything except the ballroom. They delivered the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres to our hotel on time for pictures and went over our list and what they brought twice to make sure nothing had been forgotten. Rebecca was pretty responsive but did cancel my mock-up when I called the day before to verify the time. She said she had a family emergency, but I feel that I should have been called ASAP instead of having to find out when I called myself, so for that they don’t get the plus.
Bridal Gown
Bijou Bridal- Paramus, NJ, A
I had a lot of difficulty finding the perfect dress for me. Bijou lets you look through the gowns and pick out things you want to try on as well as recommends some dresses based on your ideas and budget. I worked with Farrah and she was a great help in picking dresses and getting me in them. I worked with Farzan for alterations. My gown fit perfectly and she was great with my very particular mother. I know this happens a lot, but my bustle got pulled out during our first dance and maybe 2-3 times after. We ended up pinning it very high up with safety pins so I didn’t have to keep leaving the reception to fix it, but it did not look as beautiful with the bustle that Farzan originally made. I wish she had reinforced the bustle more or put a spare button for the bustle knowing this is a common occurrence, so I didn’t have to keep running out of the reception to get fixed up.
Bridesmaid Dresses
David’s Bridal, various locations along East Coast, A, NYC location-B
I chose David’s Bridal because my bridesmaids live all over the East coast and I wanted to make it easy for everyone to get their dress. My girls are a variety of shapes and sizes so I let them choose whatever dress they wanted in a color/fabric. A group of us went to the store in NYC to try on dresses because I had had a good experience there as a bridesmaid 2 years ago, but it was a mad house. They had one fitting room for 5 of my bridesmaids and once they realized that we wouldn’t be ordering from them that day, their customer service dropped significantly. Our information was not stored in their computer system properly, so the girls had to re-search for their dress style and size when they ordered from their own store. As far as I know, nobody had any major issues at their home stores with ordering or their dresses.
Band
Phase One, Craig Scott Entertainment, A+
My husband really wanted a band, but I wasn’t sure it was worth the extra money and would have happily had a DJ. Friends of ours used a different band through Craig Scott and they were fantastic but out of our price range. The owner offered us alternative bands and we met with Rich, the band leader of Phase One. I was hooked and we booked on the spot after listening to some of their CDs and watching video from other weddings. We also booked an acoustic guitar for our ceremony and piano for our cocktail hour. Phase One was beyond amazing. They really made the reception. Everyone, from my teenage cousins to my 80-something grandfather, were on the dance floor all night. They interact a lot with the guests and there are hilarious pictures of my husband and I singing with them towards the end of the night. I can’t recommend them enough!
Photography
Jason Rhee, A+
We found Jason through all the rave reviews on here and from a friend’s wedding thank you card, it was gorgeous! We really clicked with Jason when we met him at his in-home office and were extremely happy with his price for everything that he offers. We did our engagement shoot in Brooklyn and the photos came out fantastic. He showed up on time and was very easy to work with the day of the wedding. He is funny and complimentary and even fixes your hair if anything is out of place. I am really happy with the photos already up on his blog and I cannot wait to see more!
Videography
Daniel Lee, pending video
My husband found Daniel Lee on a different wedding site and we were really happy with the samples he showed us. After hearing some bad reviews on here, I was really nervous about working with him and considered forfeiting the deposit and finding someone else. My husband contacted him with our concerns and he explained that he had made some mistakes in the past with his business model but has fixed them all. My husband was convinced that he was being honest, so we stuck with him. He was the one vendor I worried about up until the wedding day, but he showed up right on time with the asst. shooter that he promised us. He worked really well with Jason working in the tight quarters of the hotel rooms. He seemed to work really hard to get great angles of everything and did everything promised to us in the contract. I am really looking forward to seeing the video and hoping I can give him a great rating too!
Hair and Make-up
Jillyan and Jamie from Skin Bar and Paint, Little Falls, NJ, B+
I booked Jillyan based on the trial I had with her and booked Jamie based on reviews because I wanted my hair to grow longer before any hair trials. When I eventually went for my trial with Jamie I was very happy with her work. My mother also went for both hair and make-up trials and was happy as well. Jillyan was very responsive throughout the process. My mother had an allergic reaction to one of the products that she used and called my mother back right away to figure out what it could have been and worked around it. The morning of the wedding I thought Jillyan and Jamie were going to show up at 9:30. At 9:45 I was nervous and called and left a voicemail. I got a text back saying she thought it was 10:30 and they would be there ASAP. They showed up closer to 10:45 with an assistant to help with hair. They worked efficiently but we were running about an hour behind my original schedule and I was nervous about getting some outdoor photos. The work they did was great. Everyone was happy with their hair and make-up and it lasted all night. I did have to put a few bobby pins into my hair towards the end of the night, but I can blame that on spending the entire night on the dance floor. All in all, Jillyan and Jamie do great work and everything worked out, but their lateness was definitely the biggest stressor of my wedding day.
Limo
Santos, A+
We booked a 28 person party bus since we had a large bridal party. We had 21 people total and fit very comfortably. 2-3 more people could have fit easily and comfortably. The limo was clean. It took us from the hotel to Verona Park to The Atrium. Our driver, Steven, arrived on time to the hotel. We were running late, due to hair/make-up, but it was no problem. He knew how to get everywhere without asking us any questions. He helped everyone in and out of the bus and champagne was provided for everyone. I have no complaints.
Hotel
Hilton, Parsippany, NJ, B
The Hilton was a little further away from The Atrium than other hotels, but the rates were great and included shuttle service and breakfast for 2 per room. When I checked in prior to our rehearsal dinner and a few hours after check-in time they weren’t even sure my room was ready which was a little stressful considering I was running late from a flat tire and needed to shower and get ready in 45 minutes. I booked a suite and the room was clean and spacious enough for me and 5 of my bridesmaids to get ready in. We had a mini-fridge, 2 bathrooms, lots of seating space and a dining room table. We ordered room service for lunch (salads, sandwiches) and everyone said it was good. There was a mix-up about the breakfast tickets which was settled but some people had to go back to the front desk to get them. We were promised a section for just our wedding at breakfast and it did not happen. The servers did not inform people to give them their tickets, so the servers kept hounding us to pay for them when they were in fact already paid. We haven’t been charged anything extra on our credit card, but it was a hassle I didn’t need the morning after our wedding.
Rehearsal Dinner
Due Amici, West Orange, NJ, A+
We wanted a more casual rehearsal dinner and were hoping not to spend a lot of money. My husband found them on the internet, don’t judge them on their website, and we went in for dinner one night. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but the food was delicious and it is BYOB so it was perfect. Their party menu is family style and has quite a few options. They allow you to bring in your own dessert and will cut cake at no additional fee. Parking can be a little tough in their lot but there is another lot right across the street. I will definitely be going back there for dinners in the future.
Tuxedos
Men’s Warehouse, various locations, B
We used Men’s Warehouse for convenience since the groomsmen lived all over NJ. They have a great selection. When we set the account up at the downtown NYC location a few mistakes were made and my husband had to go in and change a few things. When my husband went in to pick his tux up two days before the wedding, the pants were too short and had to be re-hemmed. When he was checking the account to make sure everyone was going to pick up that day, the salesman said my grandfather never put his order in. My mother had gone with him and done it herself and we ended up having a few stressful phone calls between stores. It ended up that his tux was actually at the store and ready to be picked up. Everything worked out and all the guys looked great, but I definitely wouldn’t set up an account at the downtown NYC location.
Invitations
www.magnetstreet.com, A+
IMagnetstreet has lots of designs and can be customized using your colors. They were easy to work with, reasonably priced and always have coupon codes. I wasn’t big into the paper stuff, so they worked perfectly for me.