Who did You pick and WHY

Hey to be

I was wondering who are you using

For videographer and why
For photopher and why
Dj and why
Limo and why

And what kind of downpayment did you have to put down for there services

Thank You gals

Patken for photography.....they are the best! So nice and open to your ideas and their price is pretty decent too. I have Vinnie.

Unlimited Entertainment....sight unseen because I just really liked talking with the owner. He was a nice guy and didnt push anything. I hope I don't regret it.

Photo and Video - IMAGINE STUDIOS I saw Lias work and was blown away. Im so happy with my choice. $500


DJ - Get In Tune - After meeting with Glen I am confident with my choice. He knew his sh*t. I think his deposit was 40%

No limo yet

I work in the catering business and do weddings all the time for about 9 yrs know and i've seen all these peoples work

Photo-Vivid Image www.smilesformemories.com

D.J. BPN the are great ! YOu can also use absolute there a vendor on this site they are very good too

For dj we are using Perfect Parties, i have seen them at work at Southward Ho CC many times and loved them. Half down
For photographer we are using Creative Photography by Carol, she did a friends wedding a few years ago and i love her work, plus she works out of her home so she is a little less expensive for quality stuff. $400 down
Caterer is The Vineyard, we just fell in love when we walked in the place. $1000 down, three payments of $1000 each.
And we haven't picked the flower or limo yet.
So far we aren't doing a video, but that may change.

For Photos: Spellman Studios. We chose them after meeting with almost a dozen photographers. We thought their pictures were beautiful and we felt that Christine was very organized and took pride in her work. We wanted 2 photographers and that is included in all of her packages. She was also willing to work with us as far as what we wanted and what we didn't. She is very easy to talk to and I felt that was very important since she will be with me all day. I gave her a deposit of $ 1,000 but I think she required less than that.

For Video: North Shore Video. Mike the owner filmed my friend's wedding and we loved her video. When we met with him he was very nice and explained everything he does. His price was reasonable too. Since he shoots and edits all his videos we feel that he is going to know what footage he needs to make it great. After meeting with other video companies we feel that Mike does an excellent job editing. Our deposit was $ 500.00

For DJ: High Energy Entertainment. We met with a lot of companies and finally decided to use Ralph. Basically he was everything that we wanted. We know that he is going to be able to get the party going without turning our reception into a dance club. For our photo montage he gave us a lot of flexibility for the number of pictures where some companies limited us. We feel that Ralph has been doing this many years and is a reputable DJ. Our deposit was $ 300.00

My vendors are all listed in my profile. Right away I felt at ease with all of them. We all clicked then booked.

Wild Rose for video because simply put they are the best. There is no cheese or 80s effects in their videos, their work is classic, elegant, artistic and makes me emotional everytime I watch. I also really like Bill and Marie as people which is always very important.

B rett M atthews for photography because I loved their work, felt confident with their reputation and I got a great package for my budget.

Music by Michael for DJ, he was one of the only non-guido, non-cheesy DJs we met with (and we met with alot of DJs). He doesn't wear anything metallic or electric blue, his customer service is outstanding, his prices were reasonable, the set-up of his equipment is all wrapped in skirting (it was the most attractive looking of any we have seen and this was really important to me. I can't stand the look of shabby equipment, exposed wiring or even worse a big sign advertising the company) and I just really liked him. He also offers an online database of music that makes it really simple to customize a song list.

I have not selected limos yet.

Photographer- North Island Photography . Michael Rosengard is the owner and main photographer and does absolutely breathtaking work. Debbie is his assistant and takes the most incredible candids. Together they make a great team! I highly suggest meeting with them.

DJ - J&P Entertainment. The owners (James and Pat) are childhood friends of my brother and are the greatest guys. They are extremely professional and will customize their services to whatever you desire. I wanted just music - no props, no lights, etc. - and they created a package just for me. Also their packages are extremely reasonable.

No video or limo so I can't help you there. Feel free to FM me if you want more info on either of these vendors.

For videographer I am using Bellarino. They were recommended by my hall (Manor East) and as soon as we met with Phil, we knew right away that we wanted them.

For photography I am using Marcy Studios. We met with a few photographers but as soon as we sat down with Chuck (the owner) we knew right away that we wanted them. He was willing to work with us in taking pictures in a certain order that I wanted, have us e-pics (for free), Chuck was coming to photograph us himself and I have known the studio for many years.

For DJ we chose Let Us Entertain You. I thought I had a DJ (a friend of my mom's that we have known for over 20 years) but when I got engaged he told me that he had stopped DJing, so I needed to find someone. Bill (the owner and MC) came recommended by a friend of mine so we went to go see him. We spent two hours with him in his home and just knew that he was going to be great for our wedding. After I book him, I found out that Bill is a friend of a LIW bride's mom (right Chippa )

For Limos we got them through our photographer. We thought that if for any possible reason anything should go wrong that day, the owner of the company will be there to take care of it right away. Also, we knew that we would have excellent service because the owner was there.

For videographer, we had to give half of our total amount. For photography, we had to give a $200 deposit. For the DJ, we also had to give a $200 deposit. For our limos, we did not need to give a deposit but we gave a $100 deposit.

We're using North Island Photography because Michael Rosengard takes amazing pics. His assistant takes amazing candids and they are SO nice.

My dad is a sem-retired club date musician, so he will be contracting my band.

No video yet

photographer - Visual Concepts (very comfortable with them and all their work is digital)
videographer - Magic Moments (video was fun and touching to watch)
dj - Dancejock (affiliated with Magic Moment video and understood what we were looking for during the reception...also had the steel drums we wanted and they are doing some interesting concepts during the reception)

I booked Vivid Video and Photography. They are wonderful. I love them. They are a husband and wife team. Kathy is such a 'mommy' and dotes on her brides. John, her husband, has such an eye!!!

Everytime I meet with them or talk to them I just fall in love with them!!! She was also very helpful with ideas for the wedding whenever I asked her opinion.

I highly recommend them!!

I booked Imagine for photo/video. I loved what I saw from the pics posted here and when we went to see them, FH and I were drooling all over their couch! They were the first photographer we saw, we went to see one other the same day and realized we didn't want to look anymore because we found exactly what we wanted. $500 deposit.

No dj yet, but possibly a friend of FBIL...he's cheap, and he came highly recommended, we'll see what happens.

No limos.

Photography-ADA Studio I did lots of my research online, so the companies website and what they had to show was a big factor. I narrowed it down to about 3 photographers, and after getting the feedback from these great women her on LIWeddings, my FH and I settled on ADA. They gave me a great price, and we put a personalized package together to fit my needs, since we have 3 sets of parents, and a huge bridal party. Then I met my actual photographer at a showcase, and saw his personal work and now I don't doubt my decision one bit. Deposit was 1/3 price of package.

Videography-Couped-Up Productions I chose couped up because, Rob, is a family friend for years. He does magnificent work, and I wouldn't work with anyone but him. He gave me a great deal. My brother got married about 5 years ago, and Rob was in the wedding party and just brought along his camera for the heck of it. Let me tell you, his video was 1000 times better than the one that they paid for. And that wasn't even on his professional camera, and he didn't have it running for 5 hours. Just when he felt he could catch something great. My brother doesn't even watch the other video that they paid for. So I am exstatic(sp?) about my wedding video because I know he will do an awesome job. Deposit was 1/3 price of package

DJ- Get In Tune If you listen to them at a showcase, you will know why I picked them One think I did NOT want is a loud obnoxious DJ that will pull my 70 year old grandma onto the dance floor. I wanted a DJ that plays great music, and an MC that will shut the heck up and let everyone have a good time. I saw them at a showcase, and knew they were for me. When I met with them in person, Glen was great. He is a very nice guy and knows his business! Deposit was 40% of package.

I don't have limo's yet.

For our videographer we are using Riccardo Productions. First of all I think they are the best. Thye have been in business for over 30 years. They are just wonderful. Second, they are very close friends of the family. We put 50% down

For our photopher we are using Mantione Studios. He also has been in the business for over 20 years. We have used them for every occasion and the results are great. My sister used him for her wedding and the pictures are breathtaking.
We put about 20% down

For music, we booked Opera 3000. They are basedin NJ, We found out about them from my best friend. She saw them perform at a wedding and they were just wonderful. No need for a DJ when they play like the CD...Unbelievable. we put about 30% down

Limo...oops haven't booked them yet ...

video: motion pictures
why: we wanted a documentary feel to our video
down payment: 1200
total: 4000

photography: duet photography
why: i liked what i saw more so then
anywhere else
and you got alot for your $$
they came to my e-party also
down payment: 1000
total 3000

band: body heat
why: all around band with 4 singers
then give me the chilles when i hear
them play
down payment: 750
total: 7000

limo: Alexis (scotto bros)
why: they are really nice with all new stuff
they are also in carle place so i can walk
there if something happens
we didn't book them yet i'm waiting to see the new mini caddy escalade
in july