My wedding was so much fun, the weather was absolutely perfect, everything seemed to fall in place and I enjoyed the whole day so much! Below are my vendor reviews (I loved reading these). If I give someone an "A" it means they were exceptional.
Stylish Impressions (Bridal gown, flower girl dress, and bridesmaid dresses): B+
The shop had a huge selection, and the staff was always very nice and accommodating. Everything came in on time and they were really easy to schedule fittings with. I would definitely recommend this bridal salon.
Men's Wearhouse (Groom, groomsmen, ring bearer, and father tuxes): C-
I was happy in the end but they caused me some stress. We went to the West Hartford store (near the mall) to get fitted. Most everyone else went to the Meriden mall. The tuxes didn't come in until 2 days before the wedding but I guess that's probably standard for all companies. My brother's (groomsmen) pants were extremely too small, thankfully, they had another pair that was a bit larger in the store that they hemmed quickly for us. My nephew's (ring bearer) tux jacket was an entire size too big and looked ridiculous. This was an error on the west hartford store, apparently when he got measured, they never made him actually try on a jacket. My poor DH had to rush to the store on the day of the wedding to pick up the correct size jacket (that had to be ordered). Lastly, my brother (not in the wedding party) had the wrong colored vest and tie (he matched the groomsmen and was not supposed to) but that could have been my fault because I didn't specify what I wanted him to wear, but told my mom to tell them when she went in (and she probably didn't and they probably assumed it should match the groomsmen). Anyway, in the end, everyone looked great, they were very nice and whatnot, just caused me a little bit of stress that I didn't need.
Asian Bistro (Rocky Hill, Rehearsal Dinner): A
We wanted something a little different, so we did Hibaci for our rehearsal dinner and everyone loved it! The restaurant is new and is beautiful inside, and everyone was SO nice. They put on a great show, we had a lot of fun, and they took our picture and made up a little sign that said Congratulations for us to take home.
Jane Just For You (Flowers, Middlefield Ct): A
The flowers came out absolutely amazing. Jane is SO easy and nice to work with and totally got exactly what I wanted.
Cards & Pockets (Invitations - Do it yourself): A
The quality and selection are great, and the price was good too. Customer service was really easy to work with and everyone loved the invitations I had printed and made myself with pocketfolds.
J Cakes (Wedding Cake, Branford, CT): A
Cake looked and tasted just as I wanted it to, and it was delicious! We chose the chocolate cake with mixed berries and for our middle tier the white cake with canoli filling...so yummy. This cake was part of our package and I only paid a little bit extra to rent the stand and for fresh flowers.
The Woodwinds (reception venue): A+++++++++
First and foremost, Scott really IS as amazing as everyone says. Holy cow, he was ALWAYS right there when we needed him. I can't even tell you how helpful he was. When we arrived, there were already hor'derves and drinks set up outside where we were taking photos. He got me the drink I wanted without me even asking. He was constantly organizing everything and totally kept me calm. He explained everything that was going on and I was never in the dark with anything. Him and a woman who work there even helped me get a huge stain out of my dress (my mom spilled our purple signature drink all over me) and it actually came out! As for the Woodwinds, it was beautiful, the lighting was great, and the food was excellent! Everyone keeps talking about how big the portions were, how many hor'derves there were and how amazing the food tasted. I'm SO happy we chose this as our reception venue!
Dj Melee: A+
Communication was great, I never had a problem with it. I emailed him at 8:30pm the night before the wedding after not talking for about a week to confirm everything and he emailed back within the hour. He was very nice to everyone, did the announcements perfectly and played *exactly* the type of music I was envisioning. We had a great time dancing and he truly nailed the feeling I was going for!
Scott Perham Photography (Scott and an Assistant, Brian): A+++
I haven't seen any pictures yet but everyone in my wedding party commented on how they thought Scott truly knew what he was doing. He was getting ALL sorts of shots, he's very artistic and that is why I hired him and he creates beautiful photos! He is also SO down to Earth and great to work with. He brought an assistant with him (even though my package was for one photographer) so in essence I got 2 photographers at no extra charge. Both of them were super nice. DH and I were done eating dinner and wanted to dash outside for some photos before dancing started and Scott was still eating dinner when we approached him. WIthout so much as a complaint he got up to go outside with us (even after we insisted he finish his diner - he said he was done anyway, which I thought was really nice that he was so eager to do whatever we wanted and was really professional). He might just be my favorite vendor from the day!
The Pro's - Richard D. (Videography): A
We used the pros for videography because of the price and because we had a previous deposit down and I believe he did a great job! He got all the shots I wanted, was super nice and friendly to everyone and was never in the way! I have no doubt that the video will come out great!
Larissa Lake Makeup Artist: A+
Besides from being the nicest person I've ever met, Larissa and her team were extremely professional, on time, and made all my girls look GORGEOUS! Everyone's look came out exactly as we wanted. Even my daughter looked adorable as ever (which isn't hard to begin with hehe) and they even helped me clean up my house before the photographer and videographer arrived to shoot video and take pictures. Definitely go with them for hair and make up!!
Beverly Hills Limosine: A+
I booked them for an 8 passanger limo for a great price at the Hartford Bridal Expo, and I'm SO glad I did! I never heard of them but they did a great job! My driver (forgot his name!) was 30 minutes early, the limo was spotless, beautiful, and looked brand new inside and out. The driver was SO attentive to me and my bridal party. He held my dress for me, helped me in and out of the limo, ran to put tissues in the pew at the front of the church when we got there, blocked me so that no one could see me when I walked into the church, and just totally made me feel like he was there to help me. He never got lost, knew exactly where everything was (and my reception was a good 40 minutes backroads from the church) and overall did a GREAT job!
I think that's it and hopefully I'm not forgetting anyone!! I'm so glad everything went so smoothly and had a blast!