Since I'm not going on my honeymoon until the end of May I figured I would work on my reviews...bare with me as they are extra long.
Venue – Florentine Gardens A++++
First off, the venue itself is beautiful…the garden and the ballroom are just breathtaking. But what really impressed me the most was the staff at the Florentine Gardens who were beyond amazing!! They truly went far beyond my expectations with their food and service. We got so many compliments on the venue and food, and we couldn’t be happier with the selection we made at picking the Florentine Gardens. I cannot say enough good things about how helpful the venue coordinator (Denise), Maitre’D (Josh) and Bridal Attendant (Nadia) were the day of the wedding. They communicated well among each other and especially with my other vendors. I lost 2 of my bouquet flowers when taking pictures before the ceremony and Nadia was quick to get my florist who was still around to fix my bouquet, she also steamed parts of my dress that needed some retouch, cleaned my dress from all the branches that the tulle had picked up and was very attentive and kept me calmed before the ceremony. Denise also made the whole planning process easy as she seemed genuinely excited for us. She is very friendly and I really felt that she did everything she could to keep us happy. She was also very easy to communicate with and I really enjoyed working with her. She even got us bagels the morning of since we had to be there bright and early. Josh was just as amazing, he constantly checked on my fiancé and I and made sure that we had everything we needed and even made sure I had coffee ice-cream which wasn’t one of our flavors. It’s funny how they all had earpieces and whatever we said we needed they made sure that whoever was the closest was getting it for us, I heard them say many times…bride needs this…groom needs this..it kind of reminded me of Jennifer Lopez in the wedding planner.
We also worked with Sal (who was great. He worked with our budget and really helped us personalize our package as we both felt that we wanted only certain things) The in-house vendors we used were for videography, lighting, and photobooth and we were very happy with their work. We got 4 copies of the wrap up video the same day and they showed it to everyone towards the end of the reception. Everyone loved to see a recap of the wedding and a lot of my family members asked for copies of the video because they thought it was beautiful. I cannot wait to actually see the full wedding video.
Florist – AW Flowers A+
Adam did an awesome job with the flowers. We got so many compliments on our flower arrangements and they honestly look beautiful. He also coordinated well with the venue and he was there bright and early. I really did not have to do much but he did get in touch with me the night before just to let me know what was going on. I also like the fact that he did a trial for me which gave me an idea of what he was doing and also gave me a chance to make a few changes.
Hair – Jeanine LaMacchia A++
I loooooved how my hair looked!! Jeanine also brought an assistant at no extra cost, she was quick and friendly and got there really early. She was at the venue even before I arrived and started with one of the bridesmaids. I would recommend Jeanine to anyone, I feel that her prices are really good for her work. I also did two trials with her and she was very accommodating to me and allowed me to try different styles.
Make up – Jeanine Mangan A+
I got so many compliments on my make up! It looked beautiful, I also really like the bridesmaids make up. Jeanine really knows what she is doing, my only problem was that Jeanine was there half an hour after the time we had agreed due to a speeding ticket and also that I had to pay for an assistant which come to think about it I don’t think was needed because everyone was done on time and we even had time to spare. Aside from that, I did like her work and my make up lasted all day even after all the tears and sweat.
Music – CraigScott musicians and DJ A++
DJ Christian was exactly what we had asked for, he knew how to read the crowd and he created a good atmosphere. He did not try to steal the show as we both did not want someone who was going to be on the mic the whole night and DJ Christian knew perfectly what to say and how to say it. He also kept on checking in with us which I really like because he kept us involved.
Stan Gilbert (singer)- Ever since I heard Stan Gilbert sing I knew I had to have him at my wedding and of course he did an amazing job. He sounds just like Sinatra!!!
We also got 3 other musicians to play along the music and which really got the crowd into it. Although we had an early Sunday wedding everyone was on the dance floor!! That’s how good the entertainment was!
Photographer – Jason Rhee A+
Jason was on point and made it easy for us to feel comfortable taking the pictures. He was quick and communicated well with the other vendors. I will give him a full review after we get our pictures but I can say that Jason was a pleasure to work with and he was quick to answer any of the questions we had during the planning process.
Officiant – Father Richard Nelson A++
Father Nelson was referred to us by our venue and he really did a good job in personalizing the ceremony. He was lively, funny and even spoke some Spanish which really helped since we both had a few Spanish speaking people in the crowd. I also did like that he suggested we did a Rose give away to our mothers to honored them for helping us become who we are which I thought was very sentimental and unique since we didn’t want to do the unity candle or sand ceremony.
Bakery - Palermo’s A+
Although the wedding cake was part of the venue package we paid extra because I wanted a specific look. They really gave me what I wanted; the cake looked and tasted delicious!!! We also got a lot of compliments on the cake. They also coordinated well with the venue and I didn’t feel that I had to be on top of anyone as they only call me to confirm that the cake would be delivered and that the venue was aware of the timing.
Calligraphy – Dani Writes Calligraphy A++
www.daniwritescalligraphy.wordpress.com
I honestly did not think I could afford calligraphy ‘til I ran into someone’s vendor review and I was able to check Dani’s website. Then I contacted Dani who was very fast with her replies and even faster with her work. I could not recommend Dani enough, no one could beat her awesome and low prices and of course her work was also beautiful. She worked on my invitations and also on my escort cards, she also send me pictures of the escort cards since I was concerned that the space was not enough but she was able to calm me down and reassure that it was going to be fine.
Invitations – Wedding Paper Divas A
Great and fast service. I really didn’t care much for the invitations, I just didn’t want to spend too much or have to do any of the work in putting them together. My invitations were cute, simple and elegant and I got a lot of compliments on them. I believe that for the price, turn around and quality it was a good buy.
Bridal boutique – Jaehee Bridals A-
I had an awesome experience picking up my dress at this boutique. Sarah, the sales lady, sat me down asked a lot of questions and showed me pictures to really understand what my style was and what I was looking for. I felt that she really listened to what I was looking for instead of just picking up dresses from the back. I rated them an A- because they were not active in reaching out to me when my dress was delivered or when I had to make appointments for my alterations. They also did not reach out to my bridesmaids when their dresses were delivered to the store which really annoyed me as I had to call them to let them know that they had to call to arrange their fittings. Aside from that, their alterations and their in-store service was really good. I just wish that they would appoint individuals to accounts as I feel that’s why I was never informed that my dressed had been delivered to the store.
Tuxedos – Sarno’s and Sons A
We had no problems with any of the tuxes. We got exactly what we asked for and there were no issues with sizing or missing bottoms. I think that overall we got a good deal; they were prompt with calling everyone to pick up their tuxedos. I was even able to pick up some of them since one of our groomsman got hurt and couldn’t pick it up himself.
Etsy Vendors
Guestbook – ArtByChapin A++
Debbie, made a beautiful custom photo album. The detail in the book and uniqueness in her work is exquisite. She was also quick with answering my questions and worked with me in getting exactly what I wanted.
Cardbox, favor box and guestbook pens - LoveNotes1122 A++
Amanda worked with me to exactly match my guestbook to her work…she dyed so many different fabrics until she got the exact color I wanted. She was also very detailed with her work and sent me a lot of pictures for me to approve which I really enjoyed because I felt really heard.
Save the date tiles – TerrilsTiles A++
I did go a little over the top with my Save the dates and got these cute magnet tiles. I got so many compliments because they were so unique. I would def recommend these to anyone who is not planning on sending out that many save the dates as postage was a little pricey but then again I only sent out a few to the out of towners and handed out most of them.
Feel free to ask any questions.