Here are my reviews from my July 18th wedding. The day was absolutely beautiful and I am happy to say that all vendors showed up on time and were extremely professional. As the bride, I was never asked to worry about a thing. All of my vendors worked together BEAUTIFULLY. Hope that these reviews help some new brides in their planning
The Manor: My wedding was in the Virginia Room and George was my Maitre D. George had everything set up just as we asked and was extremely attentive. I never used the bridal suite (just to go to the bathroom once, but the second I left the room, my attendant was there to help me down the stairs and lead me to the room). The cocktail hour was delicious! We were able to add on many items to the cocktail hour (including an extra chafing dish and carving station). We also asked that the pasta station be slightly changed from what they typically do (sautéing pasta in sauce instead of having it sit in the sauce) and it was executed beautifully. Everyone was totally overwhelmed by the amount of food and everything that I tasted was incredible! Dinner was served in a timely manner and my guests told me that all of the food was fantastic. The wait staff was very attentive- filling water glasses and noticing when guests needed a new drink. They even wrapped some food up for guests who wanted to take it home. At the end of the night, we had a Vienesse table that far surpassed my expectations. The cocktail hour room was set up again full of cakes, ice cream, sorbet, and other pastries! I always wanted to have my wedding at The Manor and it was everything I imagined it would be and more!
Mirka Photography- Mirka Psak: I feel like I took a chance on this vendor because she is not that well known yet in Northern NJ, but something about her pictures really spoke to me! Mirka arrived on time and started shooting immediately! Overall, she was unobtrusive and did not stop us once during any important dances to look at her or try to recreate too many moments (a few things she had me hold longer so she could get the shot, but it was worth it!) Mirka went above and beyond to get the shots- from standing on the bed, to laying on the ground outside and jumping seemingly out of nowhere! She took pictures quickly and stuck to my time table so that I could enjoy my cocktail hour. She also coordinated with the photographer to take us out during the appetizer and salad course (we only “missed” the appetizer course!) for pictures. The only thing that I did not take into consideration when booking her is that her longest time table is 8 hours…. I needed more than that and wish that it was for 9. At the end of the night, she stayed an extra half hour as per my request and charged us 75$. Some pictures can be found on her blog. Final review is pending albums and proofs
Your Cinematic Wedding (videographer)- Michael Hammond: Michael was the only videographer I met with and booked him because his videos made me cry! On our final phone call meeting, he made me feel very at ease by explaining how he would use still cameras and microphones during the ceremony as well as a moving camera. Like Mirka, he got to work immediately and was very unobtrusive. Most of the time, I never noticed that he was there! Michael was very easy to work with and stayed with us from getting ready til the end of the night. I’m excited to get the video and will complete the review then.
Your Wedding Entertainment (DJ)- Wayde West: This is one vendor that I can say REALLY went ABOVE AND BEYOND. Wayde met with us 3 times to discuss the wedding and worked with us to really personalize the night. He was an excellent Emcee and worked very well with all of the vendors. He played just about all of our “must play” songs and the dance floor was full all night long, just as I imagined. I was very impressed by the fact that he went outside of the room right before our parent dances when he noticed that my bridal party was missing (They were outside taking pics on their own). He made sure that everyone who was not in the room came back in time. He also helped me one night when I needed a pictures of DH photoshopped! Talk about a full service DJ!
Floral Expressions- Stephanie Lonsdale: Stephanie was so sweet and her prices are incredible. She did a trial for me in which the roses were hot pink--- my vision was a lighter pink so she had me give her the straps off of one of my girl’s dresses and matched the flowers perfectly. We had a few minor hiccups finding certain flowers but she made very appropriate substitutions and contacted me before changing anything. Some of the more delicate flowers (lilies and gerbera daisies in my girls’ flowers) did start falling apart by the end of the night, but I don’t think that had to do with Stephanie. She definitely made my vision come to life.
Kathleen McAuliiffe (Harpist): I originally hired Violetta Nori as my harpist, but she had a family emergency the week of my wedding. Her mother (Violetta is in hs and her mom is her manager) contacted me and told me she had a replacement lined up as long as I agreed (which of course, I did). I spoke once on the phone with Kathleen just to touch base and then met her for the first time on my wedding. She played continuously throughout the 1hr 15 min. cocktail hour and added a lot of class and beauty to the event!
Hair Ambitions- Crystal: I was referred to Crystal by my normal hair stylist when I walked in to my color appointment a few months ago to find out that she was VERY pregnant and due the week after my wedding. W e didn’t want to take the chance that she would be in labor on my wedding day, so I went to Crystal at her new salon in Nutley. I had two trials with her after not really being sure about the first trial. Day of, I asked her to mix both styles up and she did a BETTER job the day of than on the trial. My hair looked beautiful and lasted all night long (and I even kept it in the next day!!) She also did my bridesmaids’ and mom’s hair and they were all happy with the way it turned out. Crystal will come to you on your wedding day, but she is not cheap. For my hair updo, 3 bridesmaids and my mom’s style it cost about $565. It was worth it to have someone come to the room though!
Skin Bar and Paint- Jillyan Scarpa: I’m so happy that I went with Jillyan for makeup ! Once again, my trial doesn’t even compare to the wonderful job that she did day of! My makeup lasted all night (aside from lipstick, of course). We all got airbrush makeup done and false eyelashes. My bridesmaids and I had no problem with the eyelashes, but my mom’s started to fall off at the end of the night. Overall, everyone looked beautiful and she had no problem taking some direction from us (using our lipstick or changing something) unlike some other makeup artists I have heard of.
America’s Best Limo Co.: I booked 2 limos with America’s best—an Excalibur and an 8 passenger Lincoln. The Excalibur took my dad to the hotel where the 8 passenger also met us. When my dad came up, he told me that the Excalibur was very old and the air conditioner wasn’t the best in it. When we came down, the Excalibur had it’s hood up and the driver had changed into t a t-shirt. Apparently the battery died outside of the hotel. I took it in stride, however, and we all got into the 8 passenger (plenty of room and the air conditioner worked great). The driver of the car told us that he would have it up and running by the end of the ceremony. On the way to the ceremony I suddenly had the urge to pee, so the driver made a stop at my grandma’s house (right by the church)! By the time I got back in the car, we had word that the other car had a battery change and was up and running. The drivers of both cars were so wonderful! They took pics for us, helped me with my dress and held many doors open for us. The ride back in the car with my new husband was very nice and not too hot. Even though they had a minor issue, I was very glad that they made good on their promise and as a result, we were not charged any overtime!
The Brownstone: We had the rehearsal dinner at the Brownstone. The staff was great, the food was great, and they even gave out boxes so that my family and friends could take home lots of leftovers. My only problem was that it took a while for the food to come out, and everyone was hungry! I actually think that they forgot to make my cake for us (I think most rehearsals don’t have cake, but I wanted one) and were stretching so they could decorate it. They didn’t tell me this, but I have this feeling because in the beginning the staff seemed surprised that we asked for a cake table and then the cake came out in the middle of the dinner. It was a big round cake, like the bottoms of wedding cakes and it was supposed to be a sheet cake (I didn’t care at all… but the rounds are usually pre baked and frozen). Anyway, it all worked out great anyway!
Bijou Bridal: I got my dress and my Bridesmaid’s dresses done at Bijou Bridal. Farzana did a great job with my alterations, but my girls had a few issues with dresses--- my MOH’s hook and eye popped before we even made it out of the hotel! Overall, their dresses looked great. My bustle was one easy button that was up and down all night. It did not pop until I stupidly jumped up on a barstool at the after party!!
Cozy Love Lane Tuxedos: They did a great job measuring the guys, even though some of them felt a bit uncomfortable. I am told that picking up the tuxes was a little more tense. DH said that when they went in, they didn’t remember any of them AT ALL even though they were the same guys that measured them. He also said that they made NO effort to remember any of their names or refer to the list that said who was who…. At one point, they handed DH his father’s tux (Clearly, he is not the father of the groom!) My mom was also annoyed that my step-dad’s tux bag had a big hole in it and one of the shoes fell out (thankfully in her back seat). Everything fit well for all of the guys, but they need work on their customer service!
Jenerations (B-Pics)- Jen: DH loved his present and I would recommend doing them to everyone! Jen was very easy to work with and took great pictures (which most of you have seen!!!)
Red Carpet Pageant and Prom: I had to write another review for this place because I don’t want anyone getting screwed the way my mom did. My mom found her dress here. They measured her and said they ordered it, but truthfully they were more interested in fawning over a miss NJ America Prelm. Winner and her coach than us (And as a pageant contestant I can tell you that she was nothing to fawn over! Hahaha). After 2 months, my mom called and asked about the dress to which they promptly responded, oh yes, it’s on order. We will call you. She still got a bad feeling, but hung up and called the next week. This time, they told her that they were unable to order the dress because it no longer came in that size/color combinations (pure BS!). I think that they forgot to order the dress. They wanted my mom to come in and buy the one off the rack that was raggy and tried on. No thank you! I found the dress off of an internet site called BestBridalPrices.com which I review below. DO NOT GO TO RED CARPET PAGEANT AND PROM! If this happened closer to the wedding, my mom would not have had a dress!
BestBridalPrices.com- When my mom called to tell me the issue, I immediately went online and started calling different brick and mortar stores to see if they carried the line. Then, I came across the dress on this website. Nervous from my prior experience, I did not want to order the dress online only to find out that it was not in stock/would not make it in time, so I called their 800 number. I explained what happened to me and the operator had no problem in directly contacting the manufacturer to find out if what Red Carpet said was true while I was on hold. When she got back on the phone I was told that they had that size and color IN STOCK and I would get it in 2 weeks! I was so excited when it came to my door even FASTER than promised. Highly recommend!