The Brownstone, Paterson, NJ: B+
http://www.thebrownstone.com/
I am not giving them an A or A+ because they really were a pita to get a hold of when I had questions months prior to the wedding. However, the price is absolutely fantastic for what you get. The food was so great that I have had multiple people tell me or my husband that it was one of the best dining experiences they have ever had in their lives. Plus, we ended up having a lot of extra food. They packed it all up and gave it to us. We fed like 15 people on New Year’s Day which was perfect since we were leaving for our honeymoon on Jan 2 very early. The service the day of was impeccable. My ceremony was at the Brownstone as well which was finished early. They opened the Bar ½ hour before it was scheduled to and kept it open all night long without extra charge. My Maitre D and head waiter were really great, m plate was always full and I always had a fresh drink in my hand. They guided us through every part of the evening. I had brought most of the centerpiece items; the next day they were packed up all nice and neat in their boxes ready for me to pick up. I highly recommend The Brownstone. My guests were impressed and my FI and I have never been so satisfied.
Primetime Entertainers, Somerset, NJ: A
www.primetimenj.com/">
We had DJ Vinnie and Lighting expert Kevin at our wedding. They were great. They played what we liked and everyone was up dancing. They did have a technical difficulty during the evening, but they bounced back in seconds and everyone was happy. You get to pick your own DJ out of many and they are all great. The prices were negotiable and the service was great.
Somerset Hills Florist, Basking Ridge, NJ: A
www.41063700.telefloristonline.com/">
Catherine is wonderful to work with. The bouquets looked beautiful and so did my centerpieces. She charged us a nominal fee and she would set them up. She has a very modern style which I love. Her ideas are fresh. She didn’t try to up sell me when I told her we were on a flower budget and she even came in $200 less than we were quoted. I can’t wait for my friends to get married so they can use her!
Ramada, Wayne, NJ: B
http://wayneramada.net/
I selected the Ramada Wayne because I needed a lot of rooms and none of the other hotels in the area were willing to do this. Marilyn was great to work with, the rate was great, and the shuttles were free. They were suppose to bring me to meet FI for pictures before. Well the driver didn’t know where he was going and we got lost. I was 40 minutes late to meet FI and he was getting nervous. I did get there and get the pictures we wanted. The rooms which were nice were SOO stuffy. I felt like my nose was dry the two days I stayed there. I think if they keep the doors open while cleaning the problem can be rectified with no problem. They gave us free shuttles to and from the wedding for all of my guests. I would rec them and Marilyn for sure.
Merchant House Tavern, Fairfield, NJ (Rehearsal Dinner): A
www.merchanthousetavern.com/index.html">
The place was beautiful and the food was awesome. I contacted them pretty early in the game and got all the information. I called back a few months later and decided to book. I pretty much picked my own menu and everyone enjoyed it. They allowed me to bring the grooms cake and took money off the package. The owner was so happy I booked there he was giving everyone free drinks. Definitely a classy place and a great choice. Thank you to the Knot for the recommendation.
Bridals by Sandra, Nazareth, PA (my gown): A
www.bridalsbysandra.com/">
My mom found this place near her house because they were having a Maggie Sottero trunk show. So we went. I worked with a great sales person and found my dress. I got 10% off for buying during the show and my dress was an amazing price to begin with. Alterations were a breeze. I also got my headpiece and my mom got her dress from there. They gave us discounts on both items. They were a pleasure to work with.
Alfred Angelo Store, Whitehall, PA (bm dresses): A
www.alfredangelo.com/index.aspx">
Made an appointment took my girls and they all found dresses they liked. AA has so many to choose from and I know all my girls were happy to pick what they liked and happy with the prices. They go $20 each off their dress since there were so many of them. My MOH ordered a dress and when she got it she wasn’t happy with it bc she felt it didn’t look like the picture. The store let her pick a new dress, returned the old dress and didn’t charge her a rush fee. If you have a lot of girls, I would go here for sure.
Gina Brozon (makeup): A+
www.ginabrozon.com/">
Gina is one of 2 people I am giving an A+ to and if I could give her more than that I would. She was the best vendor I had. She was totally professional and did an amazing job on my makeup as well as my bm and mom’s. Her prices are awesome and I literally wish that I could get my makeup done by her all the time. She is so friendly and nice as well, even when my sister complained about her eyes being too dark she was like ok no problem and fixed them in a snap. I also want to say that I got my makeup done at 2pm and the next morning at 10am, you couldn’t notice I had cried during the ceremony or slept at all. It was perfect. She uses all Mac and Bobby Brown products. If you are looking for a great artist go with Gina.
Cake Fiction, West Orange, NJ (grooms cake): A+
www.cakefiction.com/">
I found her online. One of my BM and I went to check out this place and it ended up being a house hold business. We met with Paula who is the owner and baker. Her house and kitchen were awesome with fake cakes displayed as well as serious mixers, ovens, the works. This was no rinky dink operation. I wanted a poker table cake for 30 people with my husband and I sitting at the table. She did this for $300 and it looked amazing. I was quoted $800 from other bakeries. This cake looked like a Cake Boss cake but tasted amazing. If you are looking for your wedding cake or a specialty cake for something call Paula at Cake Fiction. I know I will be calling her again.
Semenick Photography, Somerset, NJ: will rate later when pics come back
www.semenickphotography.com/">
I originally picked them because they were a husband a wife team. Since I booked they ended up getting separated. At first I was upset until Peter (owner) called me and assured me everything would be fine and it was more than fine. He had a new assistant and she was great. I am so glad I picked them. The prices were great and I just know that the pictures are going to be great. They were on time, took every picture I asked for and were so nice the whole time. They weren’t intrusive at all, half the time I didn’t even know where they were, but I noticed them in a lot of pictures that others took on FB. They made me feel so comfortable, not staged. When I get pics back I will def post.
Vista Travel, Colonia, NJ: A+
www.travelwithvista.com/">
I was recommended to this Travel agency by a friend of mine. I ended up working with Nadine Matthews and she was really great. I called very very early in the game. Just because I wasn’t sure how much a honeymoon would cost and I needed to make sure that we had enough money. I gave her my budget and she immediately sent me a huge fed ex package with places that were both in our budget and also was a good spot weather wise for January. We ended up booking the Sandals Grande St Lucia and got a great discount. She stayed in contact with me after we booked and about 9 months out she called me to book the flights. The whole experience was great and I did all of this over e-mail and phone. I never met her in person. I spoke to her the week before my trip and she assured me we would have a great time and we did. We are looking to plan an Italy trip and I will be calling her for sure.
Sandals Grand St Lucian, St Lucia British Virgin Islands: A
www.sandals.com/main/grande/gl-home.cfm">
All in all my husband and I had a great trip. The staff was really friendly, which we really liked a lot. No matter who it was they were saying hello and smiling, which I have heard other islands people aren’t so nice. We were a bit disappointed with the Ocean view room that we had chosen, because the ocean view was covered in palm trees. But we figured that we wouldn’t be in the room all that much and left it at that. The restaurants at our resort were really great. But the best part about Sandals in St Lucia is they own 2 others, so you can resort hop with a free shuttle. We ate at both the other properties and found the food and service there to be impeccable as well. We booked two excursions which were zip lining through the rain forest and the speed boat island tour. Both were really great and def worth the $100 per person price tag. We got a couples massage which was awesome and I thought the prices at the spa were pretty reasonable compared to here in NJ. We also met some great couples that we are thinking about vacationing with again. We had a good time and once we get all our other wish trips out of the way we will be going back to a Sandals property.
Hair and invitations are not included in this review bc I used my local hair person and my cousin who is a gd. She doesn’t typically do invites. I will have more pics when the pro ones come back. Any questions PM me.