Do you guys do wedding reviews here?

wldktz10 · September 2010

Hey,

I've already been married (in Westchester) and I'm wondering if you guys do reviews so I could share my experiences with my vendors.

Thanks.

Lila

JadziaDax · September 2010

Yes, people always post reviews of their vendors on the boards. Post yours if you can 'cause now i'm curious!

wldktz10 · September 2010

Haha, ok. Sorry if this is way long, it covers EVERYTHING! (I'm going to split it into a couple posts).

Church & Minister: A+
Christ Episcopal Church, Tarrytown NY & Rev. Susan Copley
When DH and I decided to get married we also decided to convert religions. We both grew up Catholic and hated the restrictions and how close-minded they are so we set out to find a place that was more inline with our liberal beliefs. Susan immediately made us feel comfortable and it was really obvious from the first time we met her she was really open and welcoming. We did a kind of informal pre-cana with her where we met once a month for 6 months before the wedding. It was more like couples counseling where we got to talk about our relationship, both good and bad things about it. It was really great to be able to do that before we married. I think it really helped us to grow closer and it made getting married by Susan that much more special because she knew us. We still continue to go to church ever week, and I think we found the church for us for a long time!

Ceremony Music: A+
TZHS String Quartet, Orangeburg NY
My brother graduated from high school last year and we went to see him play his last school concert in May. DH and I had talked about getting string musicians so when we saw the Chamber Orchestra play I decided why get professionals when we could get AMAZING teenagers to play for less. Plus it would be a special touch that my old orchestra teacher would be involved. Big gamble, but it totally paid off. We worked together to pick out music that DH and I liked. People couldn’t believe that they weren’t pros. I was so impressed with their talent (I mean, they were like 4 prodigies)! And they had a really good time too.

Limousine: A+
Silver Star, Yonkers NY
I really didn’t care about limos at all. I left that up to DH. They were courteous, on time. Didn’t have any issues with them. Originally we had paid to get a Porsche limo and we were super excited about riding in such a classy vehicle, but then it snowed and they wouldn’t let the driver take it out because they were afraid of what the roads would be like. So we ended up with an SUV. I didn’t want one, I think they are hideous gas guzzlers, but due to safety precautions it was the only thing we were allowed. It was about $300 more than what we paid for, but we didn’t get charged extra. In addition we also got a ride to the hotel after the reception (we could have had one to the airport instead, but we asked his brother).

Hotel Block: B+
Westchester Marriot, Tarrytown NY
The whole booking process was really easy. The hotel was really big, had lots of restaurant options, and other amenities, which was why we picked them. Any time we needed something from the front desk (Tylenol, a cab, etc.) they were prompt and helpful. My BMs and I ordered breakfast which came right on time and was sooo good. Everyone else who stayed there said it was a really great place as well. DH and I even got an upgrade on our room to the honeymoon suite, it's too bad we didn't get to stay there longer. As far as the negatives go, I don't think we got the best discount on the rooms. And the room the BMs and I were in the night before was freezing. We told them the heater was broken and asked for extra blankets and they gave us two little flimsy blankets. We were all shivering and wearing a million layers. You would have thought they would have offered to switch the room for us. I think the room also smelled like mold. One of my BMs had the worst allergies all night. But no one else had this problem, so we probably just got the bad room. Haha.

Candle holders: A+
Candles4less.com
I wanted a lot of candles for the hall but my florist was charging me WAAAAY too much so I opted to buy them from elsewhere. I was really afraid they would break in transit, but they all arrived save and sound and they looked great. They were 1x1inch clear glass cubes. Now we have 200 of them! Haha, we decided to keep a couple dozen and now we’re just giving them out to people bit by bit.

Favors, Ribbon, & Bubbles: A+
The Knot
Got them on sale. Came on time. Some people have said bubbles from other vendors have smelled, we didn’t have a problem. Everything came out great and our pictures looked awesome.

Incidently, we also made our own programs in Microsoft Publisher with supplies from Kate's Paperie.

Invitations: A+
Invites by Pattie, Westchester NY
Pattie has a HUGE selection. Not only does she have like 15 books worth of invites, she also has a website which has a ton of things as well. We were at her house for two hours trying to pick something out. In the end, we picked our invite and it came out perfect. She was always so nice and since we always came after work she always gave us drinks and treats to tide us over until we left and had dinner. No complaints!

DOJ:
Regina B: A+ New York City
Tiffany's: A+ Shops at Riverside, NJ
I got my necklace and earrings and my mom got her necklace and earrings from Regina B. My dad and I made an appointment and Regina was really great. The earrings I picked out I wanted to change a little bit and because they weren’t from her line, but stuff she had picked up from elsewhere she gave them to me for free because she wasn’t sure they would turn out right. (They hand make all of the jewelry in their workshop so things can be custom made and changed). They ended up being perfect. And I LOVED my necklace. It made me feel like royalty and I will definitely be saving it for future special occasions. It seems like such good quality, who knows, maybe even my daughter will wear it one day. Regina also had them rush make my mom’s jewelry because my dad wanted to give it to her for Christmas. She was really nice, and helpful making decisions and her prices were really reasonable. I can’t say enough good things about her!

DH and I got our wedding rings from Tiffany's at the Shops at Riverside in NJ. I can't remember the name of the guy who helped us, but he was great. You're supposed to buy a minimum amount to get a certain payment plan (10 months, no interest) and even though we didn't buy enough he got us on the plan anyway. The rings are gorgeous. And he even sent us thank you afterwards for buying stuff from him!

Dress:
Blue by Enzoani A+++
RK Bridal: B+ New York City
I loved my dress. I felt like such a princess and so glamorous. I hated taking it off at the end of the night. I loved all the dresses by Enzoani so even if I hadn’t of gone with mine I would have gone with another one of his. I’ve heard on here complain about RK Bridal, but I didn’t really have any problems with them. My dress came in when it was supposed to. The people I worked with were really nice and one of the guys who works there lives around the block from where my parents live so he even offered to drop the dress off after my alterations were done. The only issue I had with them is trying to schedule appointments around my schedule. They are a warehouse so they don’t have personalized service and not a lot of appointment times that are convenient. I would have either had to go in the middle of a work day, or Saturday morning. Most people take the Saturday morning appointments so in the long run I had to wait another month to get my dress (they wouldn’t let me take it home without trying it on and making sure everything was ok). I was really pissed off about that because after waiting 6 months, I just wanted my dress. But at the end of the day I didn’t have a choice.

PS. If you're wondering where my wonderful bolero came from, my MOH made it from California. And it fit PERFECTLY.

Alterations: A+++
Fay S. Bergen County, NJ
My bridal shop (where I got my BM dresses) closed but they gave me the contact info of their seamstress. She welcomed me into her home and she and her DIL did the alterations, bustle, and fixed some of the beadwork on my dress. Everything was done in about two and a half weeks (I had two fittings total). They were so lovely and always complimented me. She is like your sweet old grandma! I felt so special being there. I got a good price on everything too. She has been a seamstress for 30+ years and now that the shop closed she doesn’t have as much work, so she said anything I need done she’ll do it for me. I have gone back with BM dresses I've had to wear and DH's jackets and she always does a great job.

Bridesmaid Dresses:
After Six by Dessy: A
Jay Special Occasion and Bridal: A+
I found the BM dress online after searching through HUNDREDS and never getting the BMs to agree on anything I gave up and gave them a choice of a few dresses and they magically all chose this one. Figures, right? I never saw the dress until it arrived (the store I went to just carried the line but the dress was too new and they didn’t have a sample yet). So when it arrived it didn’t look exactly like I had pictured, but when the alterations were done (we had people shorten the dresses and the overlay and take it in too) everyone looked perfect. I loved the bridal shop so much. They were really helpful trying to figure out what the dress would look like and my mom tried to get a dress there, although she didn’t find anything she liked. I was going to get my alterations done there too, but they closed due to the recession. It’s really a shame, everyone there was so wonderful.

Tuxedo: C+
Men’s Wearhouse, Nanuet NY
The guys looked great and DH’s tuxes were free. Signing up was really easy. And any issues with the tuxes were fixed before the wedding (they were able to over night shirts or pants that didn’t fit, etc.). But I don’t know if that’s enough more me to recommend them. DH broke out in a horrible allergic reaction (hives or something) all over his upper body and two of our GMs got rashes on their necks from the shirts. Not sure if it was dirty, the detergent they used or whatever, but it really sucked for DH. He had them for weeks and it almost ruined the HM for him. Plus when we called about two weeks before the tuxes came in and when my dad and brother went to get measured they actually couldn’t even find our info in the computer system. They almost had to redo everything, TWICE. And I was really upset when we initially went to sign up, DH and I had picked out a tux for him on their website but they didn’t have it. It was only available on the West Coast, but it doesn’t say that on the website so how would we know!?! If given the chance to do it over again, I would have gone to a smaller place and been able to get better service, a better tux, and DH and company would not have gotten skin issues from

Florist: A++
Forever in Bloom, Mount Kisco NY
I love Dean. Period. We were forced to choose one of the hall vendors and I was really pissed off about that. Especially after my first appointment with House of Flowers in Mamaronek went so bad. The guy was really condescending and made me feel like a moron. He did not get my style or the kind of vibe I wanted and forced his ideas on me. Plus his price was outrageous. On the flip side Dean could tell what we wanted right away. He was really nice and honest about my flower choices (how practical things were, what would look good, etc.) We were still early on the planning process when we met with him and he actually gave a label to the ideas I had which described everything perfect. That made me want to book him, and his work did not disappoint. I wanted to keep the budget down for the flowers and he really worked with us. We wounded up being several hundred lower than the original price and I didn’t feel like we got cheated out of anything. We’ve had people ask for his contact info, and I know we will definitely be using him for future events.

DJ: A
DJ Bri Swatek, Spinning with Style, Orange County NY
I am the biggest music nerd ever and getting the right DJ gave me a lot of anxiety. Brian was the last vendor we booked and I looked all over for a DJ I felt comfortable with and who could gauge the kind of music we wanted (not your typical wedding music with lots of indie stuff thrown in). When I first talked to him on the phone and expressed my concerns he had me name a bunch of bands I had been listening to and he actually knew who I was talking about. When we met with him and threw around ideas with him he was a really happy guy who was clearly so into his job and music in general. It was exactly what we were looking for and he definitely delivered. Everyone danced all night. My dad is in a wedding band (who are phenomenal, I’m not being biased) and so I had a lot of people very angry with me that we didn’t book them (they obviously would have had a substitute for him), but at the end of the night everyone had such a good time that they actually apologized for bitching at me for months. The only thing that bothered me was that not all of his transitions in between songs were seamless, but I used to be a college DJ so I’m sure I’m the only person who noticed it.

Hair: A++++++++++
Jillian Balanovsky, Miami Florida
My cousin, who unfortunately lives in Florida, did the hair for every single person in the bridal party, and my mom, two of the guests, and cut DH’s hair two days before the wedding. And she cut my hair and styled it for the rehearsal dinner. She really knows her stuff, and I know she’s my cousin, but she does such a great job. Just look at the pictures! If you’re in the Miami area, look her up!

wldktz10 · September 2010

Reception Location: A+
Tappan Hill Mansion, Tarrytown NY
The moment we walked into Tappan Hill we knew we had found the place for us. We did not want to go to a place that was a cookie cutter hall. The building itself is actually a Victorian mansion which once belonged to Mark Twain. So it had a really great imperial feel to it. Very classy, and the spaces were all different from what we had previously seen. Plus we had an amazing view of the Hudson River. The food was a really nice juxtoposition and was presented in a modern and sleek way (and was AMAZING). We had so many people tell us it was the best wedding they ever went to, and it was in huge thanks to the wonderful food (and how it was not just your typical steak and potatoes. It was creative and different) and flawless service. That being said I do have a couple gripes. First we were forced to use one of their florists. Don’t get me wrong, I love our florist, but the other one we met was a total pr*ck, and my mother knows someone in the business so we could have gotten them done for half the price. The other thing I didn’t like was that I asked to meet with our event manager early because I was finishing up my MA around the time we were supposed to meet with them and it never happened. I ended up having to call him to make the meeting (which was really stressful the week before my test), and then he kept thinking my mother was the bride. But those things were really minor and didn’t affect how much we loved them or how wonderful the day was at all.

Travel Agent: A+
Liberty Travel, Denise Costello, Nanuet NY
We inititally didn't think we would be able to afford to go away for an HM. Through a fluke we had extra airline tickets and I went to meet with Denise. Picture your Italian aunt on crack. That's how she is, so overly nice and manic. She worked within our budget, got us a great deal on our room and then got us first class tickets flying to Antigua and got us an upgrade when we got there. I will use her for everything travel related from now on.

Honeymoon: B
Grande Antigua - Sandals
Overall DH and I had a really great time. We were able to detox from the most stressful year of our life (DH lost his job twice, his dad got cancer, and I was finishing up my MA, plus the wedding). All we did was sleep, eat and drink. By far the most relaxing vacation ever. And all the people there were so nice and really tried hard to give us whatever we needed. By the time we left we made friends with some guests and half the staff knew us. It was a really great atmosphere. However, we were really annoyed with how the beach was public and you couldn’t go more than two minutes (literally) without having a vendor come up to you, “Do you want to go horseback riding? Do you want to buy my jewelry?” Holy cr@p it was so annoying. As far as the hotel itself goes, we were upgraded upon check in and the area we were in was nice, but had there been one more thing wrong with the room I would have asked to switch rooms. The lamps had rust on them, the floor had a sand spot where there had once been a rug underneath the bed, and the bathtub had rust in it as well. The curtains were also dirty, and I couldn’t be sure, but I thought it smelled a little bit of mold. The building was about to be redone, so I’m sure if we went back next year it would be totally different, but it was still a little gross. Plus we tried to get breakfast in bed three days in a row (by hanging the thing on the door) and we never got it. In the end, though, the restaurants were really great and everyone was so nice we would probably come back here again, I would just speak up if I didn’t like the room.

Photographer: A+++
Cinematic by David M, New City NY
I found David on The Knot and he was the first vendor (after Tappan Hill) that we booked. When I went to his website (http://www.cinematicbydavidm.com) I was blown away by his portfolio. I didn’t want pictures that were the typical, stand here in a corner and look nice portraits. His work is pure art. Fashiony, bright colors, sexy-fun poses. I knew immediately he was the one I wanted, and when we met him we were blown away by his down to earth personality and we signed him on the spot. His pictures are better than I was expecting. I wish we could have him follow us around take pictures of everything! And on top of all of this, included in our package was 1180 loose prints of every shot he took and 2 parent albums (which we are keeping for ourselves because no one expressed interest in them). I cannot recommend him highly enough!

wldktz10 · September 2010

Isn't looking at wedding pictures like looking at wedding porn? Too bad these are so tiny!

dushyjey · September 2010

Hey wldktz10

!!!!!! CONGRATS! on your wedding....... YOU look gorgeous and and loved the colours and the Pictures!

Thank you for the Detailed review. Its much help for all of us scratching our heads... here... sply meeeee...

!! lol

My big day is in Feb and I have the same wedding colors .... so it was good to go through your picturs.

HAVE A BLESSED MARRIED LIFE!~!~!~

JadziaDax · September 2010

You look so beautiful in your pics! It looks like you're wearing two different wedding dresses because of the top part...
Thanks for posting- and yes, it is like looking at wedding porn lol...

wldktz10 · September 2010

Thanks ladies! I'm glad I could help out a little bit.

TerriandJoe · October 2010

Glad you had a great day!

Do you guys do wedding reviews here?

Re: Do you guys do wedding reviews here?

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