****QOTD 12/20****

Brides of LIW, what was one thing a vendor said or did that sent you immediately running out the door? On the flip side, what was one thing a vendor said or did that had you immediately whip out your check book for the deposit?


The thing that sent FH and I running out the door was the 'Wedding factory' feeling, as we have come to call it. When they start telling ME how MY wedding is going to be, there is no impressing me. This happened with a venue, a limo company, and a DJ. I much preferred vendors who seemed excited for me, wanted to hear my vision, and then went on to explain how they could accommodate that vision.

I think upfront, fair, honest prices gets me to write the check. I HATE when vendors pull the line 'but just for you, I'll make it...' Do they really expect me to believe that? Vendors go to the top of my list when their packages and prices are on their website, because I know there will be no questions about that.

I also totally fall for vendors when they compliment or agree with my vision-- I know its part of their job, but it gets me every time!

Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

i agree - FH and I hated the wedding factory feel. I also hated when I felt rushed when seeing venues, or like the manager/whoever wasn't prepared for our appointment. I nixed a lot of venues because of this.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

Every single Photo/Video company had me screeching!
My Florist was my one vendor that conviced me to leave a deposit on the spot.. 50 dollars down cash.. I walked in there ready to DIY my centerpieces but through a phone conversation I told the owner of the florist what I had in mind that I wanted to do(candles not flowers) when I walked in the florist shop there on the counter was my vision and he was not charging me an arm and a leg.. I got all my centerpieces and all my personables and I am only paying 200 dollars more than I thought I would be paying for personables alone!. Loved my florist experience!

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

We left a RH because they laid on the 'heres what ill do for you...' stuff pretty hard. They also gave us a start time for the cocktail hour that was much later than we were hoping for and there was 0% flexibility. It just wasn't a good match. We've been learning the last few days about trusting instinct with some of our vendors. Some of this stuff can feel like very expensive mistakes. We are hopeful things will work out, but my anxiety jumped off the charts.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

I was immediately turned off from a limo company when we showed up and the woman says 'do you have an appointment?' I said yes, at 8:00 pm, I made it on Wednesday last week with the owner. She says 'Oh well you're not in the book.' I'm like... okkkk great first impression. The way to answer that question is 'Oh ok, thanks for joining us, I'll be right with you..' or something like that. Anyway so then I request to see the Mercedes and BMW limos that are on their website, and she says 'oh honey we don't have a Mercedes or BMW limo.' I said but I saw it on your website. She says 'yea the owner is looking to sell those, he took them off the road.' Ok great. I just wanted to run away after all this. Best part is they have been calling me non-stop since, leaving messages that 'we already gave you a great price, but we are willing to come down even more!' I think they missed the point that I was totally turned off by them and did not find them to be reliable at all.

Vendors who we booked on the spot after only seeing one: Gina Esposito (photo), Bilski (video), my dress! (Wedding Salon of Manhasset), Oksana for Makeup and Angela's Hair Design for Hair.

Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

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Posted by StephanieXO

I was immediately turned off from a limo company when we showed up and the woman says 'do you have an appointment?' I said yes, at 8:00 pm, I made it on Wednesday last week with the owner. She says 'Oh well you're not in the book.' I'm like... okkkk great first impression.

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HATE THIS!!!! mansion at west sayville did this to me.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

At a wedding hall, the person helping us was just SHOVING his services in my face. SO unbelievably pushy and cocky that we would 'never find a place better than this!' LAME!

Photographer... booked him on the spot... great video presentation, very funny, great at explaining everything and the price was SO right!

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

i also didn't like how when i went to a venue, the woman who was showing us around was super pushy and kept asking where else we've been looking and then being negative, that nothing could compare to the way they do a wedding.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

Great question! I agree with the wedding factory feeling - don't sell us your vision, help make our vision a reality!

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

I was actually really turned off by the wedding center. I went there just to check stuff out, it has such bad reviews I HAD to see it for myself. lol. Needless to say, the reviews aren't wrong.

I was actually sold on the spot with the venue, the photographer, and the DJ. We went to the East Wind specifically to check out the pricing and look at the Cottage. We knew about what our budget would be and knew that this was prob the way to go. We were both worried that they would try and talk us out of the cottage and into a more expensive room but the woman we met with (Penny) was wonderful. She never once mentioned another room, was very personable, and was actually very like, TOTALLY go all inclusive it's so much easier. She's in the right line of work. LOL.
The photographer was about the same. When we walked in for the appointment the woman we met with was like, you must be Allison. Well played, Helen, well played. Second, she knew exactly what was included in our package, recommended some upgrades but not pushy and KIND of did the 'this is what i'll do for you...' thing, but not in a cheesy/salesman-y kind of way. She also, I suppose because they do so many weddings at the East Wind, went over what our timeline would look like, based on before ceremony coverage, etc. We booked them on the spot without even meeting with the other photographer we had to choose from.
Same with the DJ. We met with Tommy (Tommy's Tunes, obvs) and talked with him for like, an hour, before we even talked about money or packages or anything like that. It was such a good vibe. Just talking about it makes me so excited for my wedding. LOL.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

I met with a DJ who showed me video footage of him doing a wedding at Bridgeview and he was standing on a speaker fist pumping. Really!!! Needless to say I cut that meeting short.

Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

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Posted by cconaty94

Vendors go to the top of my list when their packages and prices are on their website, because I know there will be no questions about that.

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YES! THIS! I'm a big fan of 'self service' customer service. I prefer to research on my own than speak to someone on the phone.

Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

the first limo company we went to I wanted to see the pink limo they had and was only reason we went there. they didn't have a pink limo though it was on website, and were $$$$$$. like really double the price of anywhere else. I don't even know if they ever had it. like shouldn't these people keep up with their own websites? never went back.. no idea how they are still in business considering they are double the price of everyone else. my girl who had just gotten engaged came with me and never went back either because of the $$$$.

the second we walked into Fox Hollow we knew our wedding would be there. we came back a few days later to actually book but it was basically on the spot. same thing with photographer I knew we'd book her as soon as we got in the car and both were like omg we loved her. dj we actually booked right on the spot too but that was because we were left alone for a minute to both agree and be like lets book lol. and cheeky girls the second I got home lol.

Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

I remember with one venue (it wasn't even on LI but in the boroughs), the banquet manager showing us the reception space said 'If you stand in this corner, the room looks bigger than it is.' Knew it would be too small for us the minute we walked in, but when he said that, we were outta there, haha.

For the most part, every major vendor we chose was through word of mouth, not through my research. The florist, the DJ and the photographer/videographer are all Brooklyn based and we heard of them/ trusted them because FH's sister used them when she got married years ago. The photographer ended up marrying FH's BIL's cousin, so I knew him on a personal level before a professional level. Since everyone had raved about my FSIL's wedding, I figured why not use them? That and I genuinely liked what I saw.

But, agreed on upfront, fair prices. When did the venue hunting, we asked each banquet manager of each place we saw, to give us the prices per plate with the tax included, since they won't offer that right away usually.

Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

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Posted by emmac

I met with a DJ who showed me video footage of him doing a wedding at Bridgeview and he was standing on a speaker fist pumping. Really!!! Needless to say I cut that meeting short.

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Re: ****QOTD 12/20****

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Posted by guitarstikibars

i also didn't like how when i went to a venue, the woman who was showing us around was super pushy and kept asking where else we've been looking and then being negative, that nothing could compare to the way they do a wedding.

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This! There were two places that were particularly jerky about asking where else we've looked and how many other venues we were going to see. I dont understand why places would make a bride feel uncomfortable shopping around for one of the biggest days of her life.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

One of the venues we looked at sent me running when the BM who had booked and confirmed the appointment with me failed to show up for the meeting. It didn't matter that I liked the look and feel of the place. If they clearly don't value my time or potential business, it's over.

The vendors I booked on the spot had the best personalities and put me at ease. They asked questions about what I wanted and answered the many questions I had for them. Best examples of this: Lorena at Westbury Manor (venue), Jacqueline Nicole Cosmetics (makeup), Scott from Red Sweatshirt (photography), and Jeanne from Afresh Approach (favors).

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

I didn't really have too many of those but the closest I came was with a photographer. I knew who I wanted without even meeting with anyone else, but figured I should just to compare prices. I was immediately turned off because they just kept pushing and pushing. After I left, they called me non-stop for about a month until I had officially booked with another company. I couldn't take it! It was such a turn off.

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

One venue I looked at that is very popular the BM was completely unprofessional. She brought me in to show me the room set up and bashed the wedding that was set up saying ehhh I don't like that DJ or these centerpieces, these people didn't do it good. The second venue I had my heart set on the woman didn't give me the time of day, didn't care for any flexibility and she lead me right into the arms of my venue that took such good care of me after leaving in tears!

People who sold me right away. AJ Ingolia hands down without even meeting him and Jay Lim I left knowing I loved his work and I never make one the spot decisions!

****QOTD 12/20**** - Long Island Weddings

I went to one photographer who said something derogatory about gay people at the end of our meeting. I was with my mom, and almost immediately stood up and walked out. At that point we were talking casually, but he's still a businessman, and that was COMPLETELY inappropriate and unacceptable.

I also went to a venue where the banquet manager told me 'this is the kind of place that people who have much bigger budgets have their weddings at', and 'this is the oheka castle of (their catering company)'. This turned me off, because she didn't know who I was or what my budget was, she just assumed I wasn't exclusive enough to have my wedding there. I went so far as to write a letter of complaint to her boss, which was handled in a wonderful way and erased most of the sour taste from my memory.

I didn't book anyone on the spot besides my makeup artist, but what sold me right away was honesty. I'm a salesperson and I've also worked in the food service industry for 10 years. So I can tell when someone is selling and when they're giving me a good deal. If they were honest, it helped me make my decision easier.