The Rockleigh Country Club {NJ} ~ A ~ From the moment we first arrived over a year ago to check out the hall I fell in love with the feel of the venue. It's simply stunning and walking around the beautiful grounds makes you just feel amazing. They were beyond accommodating with all our menu change requests and any other special instructions we had on the day of. The wedding day was executed perfectly. They really know how to run an event there. We felt so taken care of by the Maitre'D and the bridal attendant, and the two banquet managers that have been with us along the way. You do NOT need a DOC at the Rockleigh. All the food we ate was spectacular and they put a nice spread for us in the bridal suite. Guests were raving about the Viennese. NY Edge Band {NYC} ~B+ ~ Communication with them leading up to the wedding was amazing. I loved working with the band leader and owner, Rich. He accommodated learning a new song for us and guided us towards other song choices for the day. He mixed together three Israeli songs per my mom's requests and found a great time in the night to play them. The dance floor was packed most of the night. The only reason for the B+ not an A was because I really wanted some Shakira played and I didn't hear any and I also wanted "What a wonderful world" and they knew that and that specific singer wasn't there on my wedding day. They also did a trio for the ceremony and cocktail hour which I thought was very nicely done. Overall though, they were fantastic they came out and sang and danced with the crowd and got the energy up. Dance Lessons, Ann-Marie of Wedding Day Dance {NYC} ~ A+~ Ann-Marie is patient and kind. She is the best teacher ever! After 8 private lessons we did a dance that our guests raved about. She has a very technical way to teach and DH really liked working with her. We actually REALLY enjoyed our dance lessons and looked forward to them. Highly recommend her for a dance that will WOW your guests. Photographer, Millie from The Studio Weddings {NJ} ~ A+ ~ After meeting with Millie for the first time I knew I wanted her around me all day on the wedding day. She just makes you feel beautiful and at ease. I loved her organization and creating a timeline prior to the event. Day of she was FANTASTIC, she moved along at a very fast pace and knew how to line people up for formals quickly. I was very impressed that she was authoritative when needed and also invisible during the event. I barely noticed her after the formals were done and yet she sent me like 70 teaser pics that (IMO) are amazing. I am BEYOND thrilled with her work and highly highly recommend her. Videographer, Kenneth Stillman Video {PA} ~ pending ~ Communication wasn't the best prior to the wedding, but it sufficed. Review is pending final product. The two women that worked that day were a joy to be around and unobtrusive. They worked well with the photographer. Photostation, Ron from SR Photographers {NJ} ~A ~ He was one of the best vendors prior to with communication. He would always get back to me ASAP. Day of I didn't know he was there!!! Seriously, the best man couldn't find him to deliver final payment so I assumed he just didn't show. I didn't care and brushed it off. THEN at the end of the evening I saw everyone holding these great pictures in black folios and they were all raving. The guests loved the photos he took and many people said this is the best pic they have of themselves and are going to frame it! A lot of my friends even scanned their photo onto facebook. I still owe him the final payment and emailed him from my honeymoon. He was very understanding and I plan to give him an extra tip. I would highly recommend this special touch to your event. Lighting, Jim from JB Lighting {NJ} ~ A ~ To our first meeting Jim came early and set up a lighting demo at the Rockleigh. He managed to deal with my demanding mother and create the perfect vision for the day. Day of, it wasn't Jim working but someone else and I didn't expect that. Regardless, IMO, our lighting was freaking amazing. I seriously think lighting makes the event and is worth every penny. A few of the women told me they thought they were in a fairytale room and it was so magical. You can see how it looked in the pics. Florist, Nathan from Avenue Florists {NJ} ~A+ ~ Nathan loves what he does. The man knows the name of every single flower in the world, its origin, and whether it will be a good or bad week for it. I was blown away by his creativity and passion. Using him was carefree and a joy. On the wedding day he personally delivered the bouquets to the hotel and for some reason I started tearing up...they were so so beautiful. He surprised me and upgraded some of my orchids to these gorgeous deeper purple ones and added peonies to the centerpieces. I LOVE him L-O-V-E. Any girl using him has nothing to worry about. He is hands down the best value for what you get. He came at the end of the night with Mom to get the pieces and it was like seeing and old friend. The centerpieces lasted great and we used them the next day at the brunch. Invitations&Other Paper, Kelly from Uncommon Affair {WI} ~ A+ ~ I cannot say enough good things about Kelly. She is a design genius! She managed a way to combine all the unique elements we wanted a create a perfect invitation for us. She then managed to create our menus, ceremony programs, and table numbers and have them shipped to me all one week before my wedding! Last minute, she also designed the sign for the Signature drinks. She is super fast via e-mail and working with her has been a dream. I would highly recommend her to anyone I know who needs any paper products in the future. She is also very competitively priced. Hair, Magda from The Studio Weddings {NJ/NYC} ~ C- ~ I am really disappointed to have to give Magda anything but an A since her work on hair was very nice. My hair lasted most of the night and so did the girls but unfortunately, her attitude and demeanor to the bridesmaids and especially my mother on the wedding day was unacceptable. I was in tears because my mom hated her hair and Magda was being really harsh to her. She really shouldn't speak to her clients like that. She was great to me, but my mom also matters. She was very snippy and all of my bridesmaids commented on her attitude. I would not recommend having her around the morning of your wedding day, there are other people that do great work. Though she did a very nice job on all our hair and eventually re-did my mom's hair after even the photographer commented that it was not "done" enough. Make-up, Gina Brozon {NJ} ~ A+ ~ GINA ROCKS! Look at my make-up! I loved loved loved it! She was an absolute joy to have around in the morning and really made our day. She fits right in with the girls and makes everyone comfortable and laughing. Thank g-d she was around to lighten up the morning. I would definitely recommend her! My make-up lasted all night long even as I was wiping the sweat off my face LOL. Travel Agent, Irene from Travel Dreams {NJ} ~ A ~ She was great in giving us the best deal for the trip of a lifetime. Irene is super patient and deserves an award for dealing with DH and I, we are sooo annoying! I would rec her for any honeymoon/trip booking. Shuttle, TBT Limo {NY} ~ B ~ They did what they had to do no problems but nothing above and beyond. Tuxedos, Dante Zeller {NJ/NYC} ~ B ~ They were a little annoying to deal with and luckily DH has no problem calling senior management until he gets his way but we had issues with different locations honoring the initial price quoted, issues with sizes when it was picked up. A store manager actually drove to the hotel on the day of our wedding to deliver the proper size. So they get a decent grade for customer service but they are not too organized! Dress, RK Bridal {NYC} ~ B ~ I ordered my dress from here and did not receive any communication that the order was received. Luckily, 4 months later the dress arrived! Also ordered all the bridesmaids dresses through the No-Frills program and was very pleased. Alterations, Sew&Show {NJ} ~ B+ ~ The receptionist was a little harsh to do with (yelling at me not to lose weight, etc) but the alterations lady Maria was a miracle worker! As you can see my dress was SUPER intricate with all the lace and beading and she worked wonders. Alterations ended up costing more than she quoted me and a day before my wedding I wasn't about to start a fight but that's the only reason she didn't get an A. B-pics, Jen from Jenerations {NYC} ~ A+ ~ Working with Jen was amazing. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my album and so does my husband! According to him it's "the best book I ever read" LOL. She put me right as ease and was so creative in the poses she put me in and the shots she set up. I also thought she was reasonably priced. $450 for the shoot and a small hardcover album. I did my own hair and makeup. OOT Hotel, Pearl River Hilton {NY} ~ A+~ It was worth it to choose this hotel versus the ones that offer free shuttle, rooms, breakfast etc. We overpaid and I know it but we were treated like ROYALTY. The hospitality room was amazing to get ready in, so spacious and we all had room to sit and eat lunch as opposed to being in a cramped bridal suite. The rooms are gorgeous. The hotel itself is amazing. The brunch was fantastic, the room was gorgeous and the spread was delicious. I loved it there and wanted to hang out there for days! Weightloss thanks to weightwatchers.com online and Physique 57 {NYC} ~ seriously the two combined were AMAZING. I wish I started Physique program earlier.Link to pics again:
http://picasaweb.google.com/teamAandE/OurWeddingTeasers?feat=email