Connecticut

Our Wedding ~ Vendor Reviews

Hi Ladies!  So, I finally have a few seconds to write up vendor reviews for our wedding.  Hope they are helpful!

The Lounsbury House, Ridgefield, CT (A-):  Our venue was a really beautiful georgian mansion.  Perfect for picture and an intimate setting.  It really was the perfect venue for us.  It's one of those places that you just get the venue rental and have to provide all your other vendors, so it's definitely a bit of work.  The person in charge of booking events there (Val) is a nice lady and very accommodating, but the week of the wedding there seemed to be some miscommunication... she was communicating with my coordinator and there became an issue as to when we could bring our supplies to the venue and have access to the building... long story short, it was all solved, and Val was fine, but it caused a little extra stress.  There is another woman there named Diane Masters that was an utterly unhelpful and rude b!@tch, but luckily DH only dealt with her on the periphery.  On the phone she was totally rude and nasty, but the minute DH showed up on her doorstep she was ready to kiss his butt... one of those types.  All in all, it was a wonderful venue for us and perfect for our wedding, and luckily we did it all ourselves, and didn't have to work hand in hand with the actual Lounsbury staff through the whole thing.

Ciao! Catering: (A++):  The food was amazing.  Everyone is still raving about how wonderful the food and staff were.  We also had our rehearsal dinner at their restaurant Two Steps Downtown Grille and had a great experience there.  For the reception we got better food and larger amounts and variety than any other caterer we met with AND their per person price included the labor charges and tax.  Everyone else had those in addition to the per person price, so they all came in about $3000 - $4000 more than Ciao!  They also did all the set up and break down  (along with our coordinator) and within the 2hr setup & 1 hr breakdown timetable we had with the Lounsbury.  The place was spotless by the end.  Talk to Tom Devine at Two Steps if you're looking for a caterer.  He's wonderful.

Flore (A++): Flore out of Southbury did our flowers.  Lori (the owner) and her staff made our bouquets, bouts and corsages and she also ordered all my flowers, vases and other supplies for my DIY centerpieces.  She also helped me create a mockup of our centerpiece and taught me tons about flower arranging so that I could do them myself.  The wholesaler providing the orchids for my centerpieces messed up and didn't send enough orchids and the wrong leaves for the arrangements, and Lori totally took care of the whole situation and fixed it.  She's so creative and quite affordable.  I literally saved $1000's of dollars by working with her and she didn't poo poo the fact that I wanted to do my own centerpieces.  She even matched the prices that I found online for my orchids so that I didn't have to go through another vendor on my own.

Kelly's Sweet Rewards (A): Kelly made the cupcakes for our rehearsal dinner and our wedding cake.  The cupcakes were seriously some of the best cupcakes I've ever had!  That's saying a lot because I'm a huge cupcake addict and search out places that bake them fresh.  Kelly also created a custom flavor for our cake because we wanted to incorporate an asian flavor into it.  The cake was moist and flavorful.  People loved it so much that DH didn't get any except for the bite I fed him during the cake cutting!  I luckily sat down at a friend's table, saw a half eaten piece and asked him if I could have some... lol!!! Yes, I actually stole someone's half eaten cake!  Kelly also did a great job decorating the cake and the cake table.  Her pricing was very affordable too.

HK Photography (A+ & TBD):  We haven't gotten our pro pics back from Hubert and Alka, but our engagement photos were amazing.  I was able to make the most beautiful guest book with the pictures and also made copies for all of our parents.  They loved the gift.  Hubert and Alka were non-intrusive at the wedding and made sure to get the pictures in that we wanted.  The came to both venues, our AM ceremony in Kent and the Lounsbury House in Ridgefield.  Our original location at Bulls Bridge had downed trees on the path, so we had to go to a different spot which included climbing down on rocks in the middle of the river.  They were totally happy and excited to get some really beautiful and creative shots there... AND they were happy to accommodate the two locations even though they were a hour's drive apart from each other.  All the other photographers I interivewed wanted to charge an additiona $500-$1000 for that considering they started at 10:30am and finished at 9:00pm.  They knew we didn't have a ton of time for pictures, so they were very flexible with us sneaking away to take more pictures when we had a few seconds.  I have no doubt that our pictures will look amazing and have that creative photo journalistic feel that I love.  Their personalities meshed perfectly with ours, and they were totally happy to hop to when I had a moment I wanted to capture on film.

Digital Media Odyssey (A+ & TBD): Matt Fink of Digital Media Odyssey was our videographer.  We don't have the video back yet, but after seeing many of his videos, I'm sure it'll be great.  Matt did a great job on the day of our wedding.  He was always there for the important moment but in a non-intrusive way.  He always had me smiling and laughing.  He's just a fun loving guy and totally professional at the same time.  He gave us a great deal, and we're so excited to see how he edits the video.  He's really got a gift for it.  FYI, he shoots in HD and we opted to get both DVDs and Blue Ray discs.

Ummmm... I know there are more vendors, but I'm gonna take a second to look through my planning stuff.  Will add more in a sec!
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Re: Our Wedding ~ Vendor Reviews

  • edited December 2011

    I just remembered more! :-)

    Dana Bartone (A): Amy came to my hotel suite and did the makeup for my BMs and FMIL while I was away at our AM ceremony.  She did a fabulous job.  The makeup photographed well, and I think my girls were happy.  Dana came to the Lounsbury House and did my makeup.  It looked awesome.  I will say that in the non-pro pics that I have, I'm a bit shiny toward the end of the night after all the dancing and a bit of sweating, but that's TOTALLY not Dana's fault.  I was so wrapped up in the moment that I didn't think to go touch up my makeup.  I had blotting papers and powder, but forgot to use them and no one reminded me to.  We were all having too much fun!  Dana did my makeup perfectly though.  It really looked stunning.  I still looked like myself, but a really beautiful version of myself. lol.

    Stacy Pitt, Styles On B (A+): Stacy did my hair for the wedding (including a cut and highlight the week before).  She arrived super early so that she could put extensions in my hair and do a down style for my AM ceremony.  It looked fab and so natural.  I had so much hair!  Ha ha ha!  Then she did the hair for all my BMs and my FMIL.  Seriously... un-freaking-believable.  AMAZING.  She then redid my hair for the PM ceremony/reception with a low updo.  We did that at the hotel, and then she traveled with us to the Lounsbury where she touched up everyone's hair along with touching mine up after I put on my dress.  I don't know if my memory is serving me correctly, but I think she also stayed through the ceremony to touch up my hair AGAIN after I changed into my chinese dress. 99% sure that that's what I remember.   Her studio is in NYC, so she may not be the most economical choice for most CT girls.  She's my regular hair stylist, and the sister of one of my good friends, so she barely charged me anything.  I was lucky!

    The Fitting Solution (A-):  Let me preface this by saying, the actually workmanship was an A+.  Leila from The Fitting Solution in New Milford did the alternations on all three of my dresses (AM sundress, PM wedding gown, Chinese dress) and my undergarment.  Her work is impeccible.  We had some confusion toward the end where she thought she had more time to work on my dress than she really did, so she caused a bit of a panic, but everything worked out fine.  I had all my dresses.  They were beautiful and fit perfectly.  She was also ridiculously inexpensive.  She did extensive alterations on my gown (bodice work, shortening boning, tacking down the whole lining, hemming and bustle) and only charged me about $150 for it all.  With all three dresses and her altering my torsolette, the cost came in under $250.  I will definitely continue to use her for all my alteration needs.

    Simply Elegant Occasions (A-):  Andrea from Simply Elegant Occasions was our day of coordinator.  During the planning process she was great.  She accompanied me to vendor meetings, reminded me of stuff that I needed to get done, etc.  These were all things that were way above and beyond a day coordinator's responsibilities.  I was really impressed.  She also said that running the rehearsal was included in our day coordinator package, so we opted to let her do that because we thought she was the professional and it was a friend of mine officiating the wedding.  A couple weeks before the wedding, communication with Andrea became a bit more difficult.  I had a hard time scheduling our final meeting, and that got on my nerves.  I think she was a bit preoccupied with other things going on in her schedule and life, so I tried to be understanding, but it was annoying.  Our rehearsal was pretty unorganized and I felt like I had to jump in and really run things myself because she wasn't doing it.  I will say that on the day of, she got the job done. She definitely was on her toes to keep us on schedule during the reception and was integral on getting everything packed up at the end.  Her husband came to assist (in place of her assistant who was doing another event) and he was great.  I also had a good friend of mine watching the whole situation and basically playing 'backup' in case she didn't get something done or done the way I wanted.  If I didn't have him there, I think I would have been a bit more nervous.  I really want to give her a rave review, but I don't know that it's giving the full picture.  I'm an extreme perfectionist, so someone else that's more laid back probably would have been totally fine with everything.

    Durant's (A): Durant's provided our rentals.  We rented chairs, red pillows for the tea ceremony and a few specialty linens for the escort card table, cake table and sweetheart table.  All in all, I have no complaint about them.  The rentals were all in tip top shape and delivered on schedule... and they were willing to accommodate the weird delivery schedule that the Lounsbury required that week (delivery by 9AM on Thursday for a Sunday wedding). They don't respond promptly to emails, so if you use them, call them on the phone.

    Just thought of another vendor I missed!

    Twilight Cones (A+): Twilight Cones is the Ben & Jerry's vendor that did our sundae station.  Aside from the great food, everyone is still talking about the Ben & Jerry's sundaes (thanks Sandra!).  They set up a station with 6 kinds of ice cream (that we chose) along with caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream and about 10-12 other toppings.  Each person got their own B&J pint container and got to make a sundae.  Such a cute touch and everyone loved it.

    Woa, just realized I forgot to mention our DJ!

    Dance to the Music (A+): Jimmy Nuzzo from Dance to the Music was our DJ and he was absolutely amazing.  He even gave us a ton of Top 200 lists to help us choose songs, and gave us CDs of all the music he played for the reception afterwards.  He also did all the announcing/MCing and was fabulous.  Very professional and fun guy.  We were originally just renting equipment from him, since a friend (and pro DJ) was going to DJ the wedding, but she backed out in December.  Jimmy immediately came to the rescue and let us switch our contract to a full DJ service one. Can't thank him enough.

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  • kls114kls114 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Yum Kelly's is delish!!!!!

    Glad you had such great vendors!!! That makes all the difference!!!!
    ~Miss.~
    ~Mrs.~
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  • Vanessa630Vanessa630 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the reviews! And now I want to go make cupcakes :)
  • edited December 2011
    No problem ladies!  Hope the info comes in handy for those of you still planning!
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  • Vikki2payVikki2pay member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sounds like everything went well and all the vendors were wonderful!!

    Glad you had a great day!!!
  • edited December 2011

    Wonderful!  Glad to hear your day went so well.  This is so helpful!

  • edited December 2011
    Wow- these are great! I've left a few messages for HK Photography, but haven't heard back yet, but I'm excited to talk to them considering all the great reviews!

    Thanks for the honest feedback!
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_wedding-vendor-reviews?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:55a068b9-6e7a-4dc6-abe4-5e05a3031596Post:8166a199-de60-4efd-a24e-556cfb5fd889">Re: Our Wedding ~ Vendor Reviews</a>:
    [QUOTE]Wow- these are great! I've left a few messages for HK Photography, but haven't heard back yet, but I'm excited to talk to them considering all the great reviews! Thanks for the honest feedback!
    Posted by katter10[/QUOTE]

    Glad that the review was helpful to you katter10!  FYI, I know HK is very busy this month.  Hubert is usually very prompt with returning emails, so my guess is that they're swamped right now out shooting wedding, etc.  Hopefully he will get back to you soon.  They're definitely worth the wait!  The email addy I reach them at is <a href="mailto:info@hk-photography.com">info@hk-photography.com</a> and the phone # is 203.906.7722.
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  • edited December 2011
    Thanks for the reviews! Really helpful! :o) Glad you had such great experiences!

    05.21.11
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_connecticut_wedding-vendor-reviews?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:65Discussion:55a068b9-6e7a-4dc6-abe4-5e05a3031596Post:b958cc42-82f3-4df4-ac65-395c0457bb88">Re: Our Wedding ~ Vendor Reviews</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Our Wedding ~ Vendor Reviews : Glad that the review was helpful to you katter10!  FYI, I know HK is very busy this month.  Hubert is usually very prompt with returning emails, so my guess is that they're swamped right now out shooting wedding, etc.  Hopefully he will get back to you soon.  They're definitely worth the wait!  The email addy I reach them at is info@hk-photography.com  and the phone # is 203.906.7722.
    Posted by akulaji[/QUOTE]

    Just a follow-up to Carrie's post...I'm using HK too, and I know Hubert is on vacation this week, so that may be why he hasn't gotten back to you yet katter10.
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  • edited December 2011

    Can't wait to see pictures!! Looks like you had a great time!

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