Venice Plaza, Berlin, NJ: A+++++++
Mike Olivieri is THE BEST! He is soooo accommodating. Anything you want you can have. The food there is sooo good and they give you a lot of it too. We had 8 different types of passed hor d'eouves (however you spell that) and I have a good handful of vegetarians so he threw in 3-4 more and didn't charge us extra or take away the existing ones. We also had 6 or 7 stations and this was just the cocktail hour. For dinner you get soup, salad, entree, miniature pastries, and a wedding cake. What I liked about it, is that it's a dollar minimum not a head count minimum. So if your head count didn't reach your dollar minimum then you can upgrade to dessert bars, ice sculptures, etc. Anyways, the day of the wedding the staff was phenomenal! Everyone knew what they were doing and were sooooo nice. Our personal server was always there making sure we had everything we needed. We got to see our reception room before our guests entered and they even gave us and the bridal party our own appetizer platter because they knew we weren't getting a chance to eat. There was a problem with one server (which DH and I didn't know about until the next day) who was serving DH's sister's table. It was her first day and we told our BP that they can have filet and so when SIL ordered a filet the server said she couldn't have it but if she wanted it then DH would be charged extra. But the server was being really b*tchy about it. So the head server manager person came and apologized and gave SIL's table a free bottle of champagne to take home. I guess the new server wasn't aware that the BP could have filet and we had already paid for it.
I love this venue and I love working with Mike. It was a great experience and I hope someone has their wedding there so I can relax and enjoy the food, although, we got to eat a decent amount.
Jordan Brian Photography, Mt. Laurel: A+++++++
Jordan is absolutely amazing!!!! I don't even have to see proofs to give him that many pluses. He really has an eye for things and takes different angles and lights and he also uses an IR camera which makes pictures look really cool. I also saw how our e-pics came out and I loved them as well. Jordan is so much fun and has a great personality. He's so energetic and keeps you smiling naturally. I have lots of pics on my facebook if you’d like to see them.
Kenneth Stillman Video, Levittown, PA: A+
Ken was a little late but that was because of traffic (a lot of guests were late for the ceremony). We received the Big Show Video and he showed it during dinner and it was awesome!! It was sooo good. EVERYONE loved it! There was a bit of drama between him and my venue coordinator and Ken came directly to me with the problem, which wasn't something I wanted to deal with but I just brushed it off and told him to do what he needed to do and I was back to just enjoying the night. He also wrote on his blog that he is now all caught up with his work so all 2010 weddings will receive their video in 6 months. I'm crossing my fingers!!
DJ Your Way with Chris, Robbinsville: A++++
I LOVED Chris!!! He was soooo good. He mixes songs like DJs you would hear in a club and he really feels the crowd to know which song to play next. He stuck to my playlist and didn't play anything on my do not play list even when people requested line dances. He has a really strong, clear voice, great presence and personality to get your guests excited, especially during the grand entrance. We also had a gobo that he never worked with before and he still managed to get it up on his T-bar and get it projected onto the dance floor. Our guests keep telling us how much they loved him and that he was a really good DJ.
Mums the Word, Marlton – Flowers: A+++++++
Maria is amazing. She really understood our vision and executed beyond what I could imagine. We met with her multiple times because DH was making the centerpieces and she was provide the floral arrangements so we had to make sure everything would work out. She put sooo many more flowers than I had expected. When I was cleaning up the day after the wedding I felt bad for how much I was throwing away. Maria put sooo many floating orchids and lilies for our centerpieces. Our bouquets were GORGEOUS!!! I loved it! It was sooo beautiful. We loved Maria, she ended up being more like a friend than a vendor.
Miel Patisserie, Marlton - Cake: F
I honestly wish I could make that F bigger. They were the biggest PITAs in the world to deal with. When we originally met with them the PR person was amazing. He was so nice and understood what I wanted. For some reason he had left and no one cared to inform me. I just happened to find out when I called to get a quote for my groom's cake. So from then on I was dealing with the owner who is an airhead. She just didn't understand or could grasp what I wanted. It took her a whole month for her to give me a quote for my groom's cake and when she emailed it to me she had the groom's cake being delivered to a different venue!! So from then on out I didn't trust her at all. I called her 8 days before the wedding to see when I could come in to finalize the details of the cake and she kept asking me why I wanted to come in and I said to make sure everything is what I wanted. And she kept saying but everything looks good to her. How would she know everything looks good when she never once sat down with me to talk to me about my cake??? So she agreed to have me come in Wed before the wedding. Then she calls me Mon. two days before I'm supposed to come in and asks where my cake topper is and she needs my payment. I'm like I told you I'm coming in on Wed to do all of this and she says well she needs to my cake on the board. Then she says and you have a groom’s cake and I said no I wanted a quote but I never said I wanted one. And she says well you never said you didn’t!! She acted like I had to pay for this nonexistent cake that I never ordered. So I still come in on Wed to finalize details and I was worried my cake wouldn't show up at all but it did however I was not happy with the way it looked at all. The pattern was supposed to be in white chocolate dipped in a burgundy color, they ended up piping it. The gold was not gold it was a weird yellow color and the orchids were supposed to be tipped in gold which didn't happened either. The cake as also catty cornered when it should have been faced straight on. But it did taste amazing. Though for what I paid I was not happy at all and I don't recommend them to anyone.
Pretty Sweet Bakery, Haddonfield – Groom’s Cake: A+
I got a half sheet cake that looks like the University of Arizona football field. It was AWESOME!!! DH LOVED IT!! It was a pumpkin cake with marshmallow cream cheese filling. OMG it was delicious!! Krista is really nice and very talented. Hello Gorgeous, Deptford - Hair and Make up: A++++ Lisa G did an amazing job with my hair. I absolutely loved it!! It was exactly what I wanted. Tina also did an amazing job with my make up. It was perfect! She did a really great job with my eye make up which I know isn't easy because one I have Asian eyes and two, my one eye is slightly smaller than the other. She was able to compensate it and make it look like my eyes were the same size. Also for my trial, she was very good at explaining everything, so that I knew exactly what was going on and why she was doing what she was doing. I loved that. She made you feel very comfortable to tell whether or not you liked or didn't like something she did. All of my BMs had their hair done by various girls (Nina, Gina, Heather..) and they all LOVED their hair and make up. SIL even wished she had that hairstyle for her wedding instead. Wedding Belles, Northfield – Wedding Dress: A++++ Tina and Terry are soooo nice and patient. My first two times there I was in the store for 2 hours each time and they never once got even the slighted irritated. They have a big selection and have reasonable prices. They even give you a free pressing too. Oh and the day I picked up my dress they have me earrings and money pouch as a wedding gift. It was so sweet of them! Macy’s Bridal Salon, Cherry Hill – Bridesmaids: A- For the most part I had a good experience there. The manager was really nice and so were a few associates. However, there were a few other associates that weren’t so nice. They got really annoyed that I didn’t make an appointment but every time I went they weren’t even busy. I didn’t even need their help. I went multiple times to get my girls in so they can try on the dress to make sure they liked it. They told me the dress would be in by end of March/beginning of April but it didn’t come in until June. Not sure if that was the salon’s fault or the manufacturing company’s fault. One of my BMs also wanted extra length, paid for it, but didn’t get it. Aside from that, the dresses came in exactly how I wanted it and in the correct sizes. Fashion Stitch, Mt. Laurel – Seamstress: A++++ Yeon works miracles!! I needed at least 1.5 on each side taken in and I had all this beading up top, a hem, and a bustle. She put cups in for me too. I went back for my second fitting and the dress fit like a glove. I had to reschedule my appointment a few times and it was no problem. Formal Dimensions, Egg Harbor Twp - Tuxes: A They were really nice there and accommodating. I had called a month before the wedding to see if any of the guys called in their measurements yet and none of them did (typical guys) and the guy working there was telling me little tricks on how to get the GMs to get their measurements in ASAP. One problem we did have was when some guys submitting their measurements online, I would call to confirm and they wouldn't get it. But it was an easy fix. Also they didn't have any tuxes smaller than a 4T for the RBs and mine are 2T or 3T, so that was a little inconvenient too. Lifestyle Tuxedos, Turnersville: F I cannot stand Mary!! She calls way too much and either doesn't listen to you or just has a really bad memory. DH wanted to rent a vest from them because Formal Dimensions didn't have the same color. We also wanted to rent RB tuxes from Lifestyles too since they had sizes for 3T. Well when I tried to call and tell Mary that we wanted to do some business (get one vest and two RB tuxes) all she kept doing was asking why Formal Dimensions couldn't do it. Who cares why they can't do it, I'm trying to do business with you! Anyways, she said that the RBs have to come in to get measured because different designers vary in different sizes so the parents can't call and just be like I need a 3T because it's all different. I said okay, but one RB is from TX they can't come until a few days before the wedding. Well she made a big deal how he shouldn't do that and I said well what else can we do? So I said forget it. I'll just have them find him a tux down in TX since it'll be easier. For an entire month she kept calling me at least twice a week to remind me that the GMs and RBs have to come in for their tuxes. I told her already that we are getting tuxes from somewhere else for the GMs and only one RB is coming in since the other one is in TX. In the end, only DH got his vest there and the RBs bought their tuxes elsewhere. Also, they told DH that the vest rental would only be 40 and it ended up being $75 because apparently the vest and tie have to go together even though he didn't want the tie. Bernie Robbins, Marlton: A++++++ Robbin is the sweetest person ever!!!! She is sooo nice and made sure we got exactly what we wanted for our rings. DH had his ring custom made by John their jeweler and Robin made sure DH’s ring was getting processed on time because John can be very slow. Even though John is slow, he is very meticulous! DH’s ring came in early but John didn’t like the way it came out so they remade it again. We told John what our budget was and he stayed with in it and did not go over, even though DH’s ring was very complex. We also didn’t have to haggle/negotiate a price for my band. Robbin just gave us the lowest price she can do which was very stress-free (since there’s a retail price and then the price you actually pay). We also told her we found my ring for a cheaper price in Delaware without tax. We will definitely be getting future jewelry from there. Vicki Palaganas, Sewell – Calligrapher: A++++ Vicki works miracles too! I loved the calligraphy for my invitations and I asked her to do my escort cards as well. Not only did she do it beautifully but she did it in a font I wanted that she never did before and she wrote in Vietnamese for me. She also did the escort cards in record time. I gave it to her the Sat. before the wedding and she was done by Tuesday. She is amazing. Bits and Pieces, Philadelphia – Invitations: B+ Meghann is really nice and can basically do whatever you want. I had a specific design that I wanted and she was able to make it happen. There was a bump in the road with the invitations because once I had given her the okay to get it printed she told me a few days later that the color burgundy isn’t available for the pocketfold yet and I had to pick a new one. Well she does everything electronically so you don’t meet with her and I told her I don’t feel comfortable picking out a color online since the color on a computer is different than in person. So I picked out what colors I wanted and she sent me the swatches which cost $2 a piece (in the end I wasn’t charged). I’m glad I asked for the swatches because they look COMPLETELY different than on a computer screen. So I told her which color I wanted the very next day after I got the swatches. I didn’t receive invitations until 3 weeks later! Apparently something happened with the printers and there was a glitch in their system which hindered production but my guest only had 2 weeks to respond to the invitation because I had received everything else and I was just waiting on the pocketfold. Due to the inconvenience, she didn’t charge me for the swatches or the shipping charges, which was nice since a lot of it was over-nighted. Maxximus Limos, Lawnside: A Darryl was on time for the multiple pick ups that he had to do and the limo was clean. I think my only complaint would be that he called me Wed. before the wedding to confirm the details and the timeline had changed because I had just talked to my photographer and he was annoyed. He is very meticulous and wanted to know every detail about what was going on which is good but at the same time I didn’t think it mattered. I just didn’t think it’d be a big deal to tell him to be here at this time and for the rest of the day just say okay I need to go here or you need to go there and pick up so and so. But in the end he got us to where we needed to go and was on time. Don Allen and Joan Patterson, Philadelphia – Violinist and Harpist: A+ From what I can remember they sounded really good. I was so busy focusing on DH and looking at him while walking down the aisle that I don’t remember hearing the music. I was gone for the cocktail hour for a little bit to take pictures and when I was in there for the 10 mins to talk to people, I was so busy and focused talking to people that I wasn’t paying attention to how good they were. Though I did meet with them before I booked them and they were really good. Every traditional song I asked, they played from memory and they were cheapest professionals I could find in the area.
Woodcrest Country Club, Cherry Hill - Rehearsal Dinner/Bridal Shower: B+
The place is really nice and has amazing food! Things were a little confusing at times...they aren't the most organized there but it wasn't anything too serious. For my bridal shower we ended up having two cakes some how... some miscommunication there. For the RD we had to go find them to pay the bill. Then the week after the wedding FIL got an invoice saying the bill wasn't paid yet and not only was it not paid but they were charging us for an extra 6 people. So we had to call and straighten that out and I still don't think they charged us. Lorraine Duffy, Westmont - Bootcamp: A++++++ Lorraine is so intense! She is THE HARDEST instructor ever. If you want a real life P-90x quality workout, definitely go to her. I love her because she always mixes it up. She even has an outdoor bootcamp that's even more intense. Her classes are sooo worth it. You not only burn calories because she does a lot of cardio but you'll build a lot of muscle too from all the kettle bells, resistant bands, and plyometrics which are all in circuits so you burn even more calories.
Etsy Sellers, BlossomStamps and nnichols - Stamp and BM Gifts: A+++
Martina from Blossom Stamps is awesome! She worked with me on my stamp to make sure it was the right size, that it was clear, etc. We had a lot of back and forth emails to make sure it was exactly what I wanted and she was very patient. She makes the stamps soooo quickly too! You'll get it in a matter of days!
I ordered BM bags from nnichols and they are adorable! I love them. They were really reasonable to! Only $12 bucks, she took of a dollar since I had a lot ordered. I ordered one for myself and she was able to use ribbon that I had bought since I wanted yellow. I got the bags in a reasonable amount of time.
Select Event Rentals, Pennsauken: C
I had no problems with them until after the wedding. They were fine up until the wedding. They have great deals too. I was able to get chivari chairs for $5 each, and linens for $11 when they were originally $22. I even added last minute chairs and it was no problem. After the wedding they charged me $130 ($1 per chair) because I didn't stack them. No one ever told me about this otherwise I would have done so since I was at the venue the next day to get my stuff. I'm still trying to contact them and get my money back.
Hillman's Bus Service - For Guests: B
It was really easy to book with them. One quick phone call and that was it. You pay that day for them. The only problem is that they went to the wrong hotel and so idk if a lot of people even got to use the bus which irks me since I paid for it. I think they were on time though.