We chose Ricky's crew because of their awesome artistic style and because Ricky is a friend of the groom. Jason was our photographer and he captured the day well. In hindsight, we should've taken the family shots before it got dark out, but the pictures came out well nevertheless. Everyone remarked how beautiful our pictures came out!
We chose Big Apple because, like MeMe's, they have done business with the bride's father for years (and consequently gave a great discount). They followed us around and seemed to capture the day well (although we haven't gotten the actual video back because we have yet to submit our honeymoon pics to them to incorporate into the final video). When we needed one part of the filming (our first dance, since we wanted to put it on YouTube), they were able to give it to us so we could upload it.
We chose Georgia because she's the girlfriend of the bride's friend. She was great with the makeup, both with the trial and on the day of the wedding. She gave different options to the bride/bridesmaids and everyone had makeup that looked natural and amazing. Her prices are reasonable sa well.
She's the normal hairstylist for the bride, and she was really accomodating with the hair trial and actual wedding day hairstyles. She got along great with all the girls and everyone remarked how awesome all the hairstyles looked! Her prices are reasonable and she was great with final touch-ups to the hair as needed.
Two days after we got engaged, we made two important booking phone calls: one for the church, and the other for Joe C. – we wanted to book him before it was too late! Being that he has been a long-time college friend of Liz’s and is John’s fraternity brother, we couldn’t have thought of anyone more meaningful to do the DJing for our reception. Aside from knowing him as an awesome person who could always get the crowd going (long before he started Big Town Productions), we knew that he was good at entertaining from seeing him DJ at Buffalo Wild Wings and various Iona events.
When it came time to work out the details, Joe and his team were extremely organized and helped us make the event to run smoothly and be personalized. Since we created a medley of songs for our surprise first dance, Joe was very willing to help us execute it just like we imagined! (Check it out at www.youtube.com/lizandjohnd) In addition, everyone was (and still is) talking about the very well-thought-out plan for the centerpiece giveaway – it totally WOWED everyone and even inspired the shyest of people to voluntarily participate in the fun! Friends and family were dancing all throughout the night, and many of them said that the entertainment was better than any entertainment that they had seen at other weddings. Joe and his team didn’t just play great music (and appropriate music at the right times), but created a very entertaining atmosphere, from the lights to the favors to the way that he got the crowd involved. It was such an incredible event, and it wouldn’t have been so awesome if it wasn’t for Joe and the Big Town Productions team! We can’t thank them enough!
We went with Momo upon a recommendation from a friend (who said they had fresh flowers at a great price). Momo was really helpful in helping us pick out awesome flowers that fit our price range. The flowers were incredibly fresh, and everyone (ranging from our maid of honor to the pastor at our church) remarked how great they looked... DAYS AFTER THE WEDDING! You really can't get better flowers for a great price!
The cake was actually a gift from one of our friends, since he had a connection to this bakery. They were great in helping us pick out a cake that fit the theme of our wedding (which included incorporating our wacky ideas). They were really knowledgeable about the cakes and gave us some great alternatives when our ideas were just a little too wacky. The communication was great, and most of all... the cake was delicious!!
This is great for DIY invitations -- they're quick in getting out what you ordered, and the products were great quality (linen paper = just like normal invitations)!
They were really courteous in helping us pick out every detail for each of the tuxedos needed for the wedding. Can't beat how the groom's tux is free when you rent 4 (I think) tuxes! Definitely make sure you pick up your tux 2 days beforehand, in case something is missing or needs to be altered (that was the case for our ringbearer).
They were able to give us a great discount because they have done business with the bride's father for years. They were really great in helping to pick out a bridesmaid dress and offered several options that were both flattering and in our price range. They have connections to many other bridal shops, so if they don't carry the designer of the dress you want, they can contact other stores to get it for you. The alterations were done professionally, although like most bridal shops, they were finished juuust in time. (That's probably why there's the general tip of saying that your wedding is the week before it actually is.)