Bridgewater Manor - Ceremony and Reception A+
They were absolutely amazing every step of the way from the moment we first stepped foot in there. They answered all of our questions and always responded in a timely manner. The day of, our maitre'd, Malik, was always there to get us anything or tell us what needed to be done. We had alot of DIY items including out centerpieces. We were thinking of hiring a DOC to take care of the last minute details that would normally be handled by a florists. The coordinators there had no problems jumping in and taking care of decorating for us! After I arrived, the took me to see how it was comign along and everything looked amazing!! The food was absolutely amazing. All of our guests were raving about it. I just wish I was able to attend the cocktail hour. Pictures took up most of the time. By the time we were done, they were starting to move everyone. Malik, instead brought in a tray of all of the passed hor'deuvers and anything from the displays or stations that we wanted. Overall, I could not ask for a better experience.
Ronald Chicken Photography A+
I have never seen him used on here but he is pretty much our "family photographer" He was first used by my aunt 10 years ago and then by my cousin 3 years ago. He did a great job for a great price at both weddings so it was a no brainer to meet with him. He completely remembered both of the couples and gave us a great deal. He even had a second photographer come at no additional charge. We had a 400 picture minimum and he told us that he went way over that. The day of, he was even showing me some of the pictures. We haven't gotten the proofs yet, but I have no doubt that they will be great
John Graf - Officiant A-
He was great to work with. I really liked how we could write our own ceremony so it was customized to exactly what we wanted. He was easy to talk to and answered any question about any part of the process. The reason for the "-" is the rehearsal. There was some sort of miscommunication and he did not show. We were trying to call his cell phone but it was off due to a family emergency. When he got the message, he apologized many times. Day of, he was amazing and made a small joke about the mistake.
Sounds of Music DJs - B
The owners were great and easy to work with before the wedding. A week before, our DJ, Bill, called us. He seemed to understand what we wanted and we were confident after our meetings with the owners. The day of, we didn't hear about half of our playlist and he played songs that we have never even heard. He didn't play some of the songs that we wanted to hear most.
Davids Bridal - Bridesmaid dresses - D
We had problems with them every step of the way. I went in pretty much knowing what dress I wanted. I justed wanted to see it on the girls and make sure they liked it. The consultant showed us where the dress was and I did the rest. I had to help the girls get them on and pull different sizes. When I asked for help witht he junior bridesmaids she just pointed over to where to look. my MOH lives across the country and told our consultant this. When she went to order the dress, it was discontinued!! They ended up finding one for her but I should have been told this when ordering. We ordered 2 other bridesmaid dresses and 2 jr bridesmaids. One of the Bridesmaid dresses was lost. I had to pull teeth to get answers for them to find one. The second dress again got lost!! At this point it was a big game of one sided phone tag. No one answered or returned my calls. Getting a manager on the phone was near impossible. DH ended up taking over. He couldnt even get a hold of someone at corporate but ended up dealing with the store and getting a resolution. They found one that was 4 sizes too large (because the dress was discontinued!) and altered it for free. The second bridesmaid dress came in too small yet the sample size fit perfectly and one of the jr bridesmaids dresses came in too small. After this, I found an email for corporate online. This is the only reason why they got as high as a D. The woman at corporate, Nancy Fenn, was amazing to work with. She found a larger size for the bridesmaid since it could not be taken out enough. She provided me with shipping numbers and kept me posted with updates daily. For the jr bridesmaid, she waived the fees for alterations. In the end the girls looked great but it was a huge headache.
Jefre Bridal - My dress - B
It was a small store but I loved their dresses. Everything looked great on me so it was hard to choose. I decided and ordered in MArch, The dress came in at the end of August and I went in for a fitting right away. The dress was waaay too small. It was a 4 and I should have gotten a 8. They remeasured me and accused me of gaining 3 inches in my bust!! I have been the same size since I was 10, there is no way I gained that much and could fit into my clothes. They told me that they would look for another one but it would be a few days till they know. My mom and I left upset and called my dad. He called and spoke with the owner who assured him that I would be taken care of. A few days later, I called and they found one!! It would take about 2 weeks to come in. It would be cutting it close but atleast I have my dress. Two weeks pass and still no call. I called and it was shipped but still not here!! I got my dress with under 2 weeks left until the wedding!! I was extremely nervous about the alterations but they had no problems having me come in atleast once a week until the wedding. The dress ended up looking trememndous!!
A1 Limo - C
I went with them because of the price. I just wanted a limo for 2-3 hours for pictures and to get us to the venue. Most packages were 5-8 hours. the 3 hour package was garage to garage so I ended up having to pay for an extra hour, no biggie. The day of, the limo showed up an hour early and was rude to my aunt. We were at my grandmas house who has a long and windy driveway. Since he was so early, there were alot of people coming and going. He tried to back into the driveway but my aunt told him to park across the st at the church. He then refused to back in there again. When we went to leave, he got stuck turning around in the driveway, ripped up alot of grass. Anyone with any driving experience can turn around at the top of the driveway. We have done it with trucks with boats attached to it yet a 6 person limo couldnt. He gave my uncle atttitude for trying to help he then almost took out my grandmas mailbox!! After the ceremony he was rushing us for the pictures so he could leave. He was very unprofessional.
Palermo Bakery - A
The bridgewater Manor uses this bakery for their cakes included in their pakagages. The cake was soo much nicer than I had imagined and tasted great too.
http://www.weddingflowers-silk.com/ - corsages/boutineers A+
I was a DIY bride. I made all of the bouquets and centerpieces. I had alot of trouble finding the flowers we wanted for the boutineers and corsages. We talked to a few florists and their prices were alot higher than we were willing to pay. My dad found this site with only 1 month to go till the wedding. They custom made the boutineers and corsages and rushed it with no extra charge. The pictures on the site do not do them justice. When they were ready to ship, the owner sent me pictures of them and tracking numbers. They looked amazing and you couldn't tell that they were fake!