Okay, despite the fact that I didn't have that many vendors, I decided I'd make a mini-review. Let me start off by saying that our wedding was a very small, intimate affair. We are still going to have a larger reception at the Swan Club in May for the rest of our family and friends, but this was just immediate family. We had it in my Aunt's home in New Jersey and it was perfect. Well, here goes:
Let me say that I LOVE Ebay! I dealt with some wonderful sellers:
UNITY CANDLE AND TAPERS (ebay)- Unitycandles A: As you can tell from the name, this seller's specialty is unity candles. They have a beautiful selection and I received my candles very quickly and in perfect condition.
SHOES (ebay)- Daddyskiki A+: I wore a pair of very comfortable ballet slippers that had butterflies on them. The seller Daddyskiki custom makes them and they're absolutely gorgeous and they were shipped out very quickly.
VEIL(ebay)- Honeymooneve A+++: This seller custom makes veils to your liking. She has a website where she sells her veils from, she sells them from ebay, or if you want something specific, she'll make it and charge you accordingly. My veil was incredibly beautiful and it was great quality and the best part of all, was the price. I'd highly recommend using this vendor if you're thinking of buying a veil off of ebay.
GOWN (ebay)- Heiphy A++++: Yes, I ended up getting my gown from ebay. The gown I originally bought ended up being WAY too small and there wasn't enough material to let it out as much as I needed. I didn't really have enough time to get it from a store, so I turned to ebay and let me say, it was totally worth it. I ended up liking this dress even more than my original one. The price was amazing and the seller was great to work with. I got this dress in only 5 days from HONG KONG. Yes, shipping was a little extra, but it was definately worth it.
FLOWERS- Towers Flowers A+: I went to them about two weeks before the wedding and they were very patient with me, especially because I still had no clue what I wanted. They sat with me and looked through books to pick out the perfect bouquet. I only got a bouquet, one boutennier (sp?), 4 single roses for the parents (which was part of the ceremony), and a bouquet of yellow roses as a thank you for my Aunt. Everything was beautiful and very fresh and exactly what I wanted.
HAIR/MAKEUP- Dea Salon A++++: This was another last minute thing. I booked the appointment a little over a week ahead of time and they were more than accomodating. Diane did my hair and Dana did my make-up. My hair and make-up ended up being exactly what I wanted, despite the fact that we never had the time to do a trial. They took their time with me to make sure everything was perfect and it was. I got it done at 10 am and the ceremony didn't start until 6 and everything remained in tact (except for reapplying some lipstick).
ALTERATIONS- Rita Conrad A++++: Obviously when you get a dress at the last minute, you're most likely going to need some last minute alterations. I had went to her with the original dress and she really sympathized, but simply could not do anything. She actually offered to make me an entire new top (because it wouldn't close on top), but I didn't want her to go to all that trouble. The new dress needed to be hemmed and the sleeves needed to be tightened a bit and she did it within a few days. She works right out of her home and she's very pleasant to work with. I highly recommend her if you're looking for a seamstress.
TUX- VIP tuxes A ++++: The service here was amazing. DH and I were in and out of there literally with 30 mins. They made it very easy for us and they were very attentive. We got the tux within a few days and everything was perfect. We couldn't have asked for a better experience with them.
OFFICIANT- Betty Coram (creative wedding ceremonies) A: Betty works with a New Jersey based company called Creative wedding ceremonies (www.yourweddingyourway.com). They mainly do weddings in NJ, but are willing to travel to NY for your day. These people are wonderful, they will work at any day of the week, any time, any location, no matter what your religion or what kind of ceremony you desire. I was given sample ceremonies and got to choose exactly what I wanted said and done. Betty was incredibly kind and despite the fact that we couldn't get out to New Jersey to meet with her, we constantly communicated via e-mail so she knew exactly what I wanted. My ceremony was perfect and I was glad that I went through this company.
MINI-RECEPTION- Grille 82 A+: When we stopped in New Jersey to get our marriage liscence, we also stopped at local restaurants to see where we could eat. A lot of the places were nice, but made it seem like our small wedding celebration would be treated just like any other occasion and not at all special. Grill 82 was different. From the name, I thought it was going to be some burger joint, but it was actually a small, very elegant restaurant. Even though they weren't used to doing large parties, they were very eager to cater our wedding dinner. The chef came up with a very nice menu with choices from either two chicken dishes or two fish dishes and they even had a pastry chef on board who was very excited to make a small wedding cake for us. When we got there, I have to admit, we were ignored a little bit in the beginning, mainly because it was a Saturday night and they had other tables, but after we got our soups/ salads, everything calmed down and their main focus was on us. The food was delicious and the cake was BEAUTIFUL and remarkably for a wedding cake, quite delicious. If you're ever in Martinsville, NJ, I recommend eating here!
We didn't have a photographer. Various family members took pictures and video taped our ceremony. I'm sure everybody wants to see pictures and I will get them up here ASAP!
Not sure if this will work, here's the link:
Forgive me, they're very disorganized right now!
PICTURES
