We booked Edge Entertainment for our reception and Joe was our DJ. The company was responsive and easy to deal with. Joe really did a great job MC'ing the event and getting everyone on the dance floor. We opted for the slide-show montage, which was wonderful. Joe checked in with us throughout the night and adapted the schedule we created together as needed on the night. He is so friendly and not hard on the eyes either. One of my bridesmaids almost passed out when she saw him.
Several people commented on how great he was. I would definitely recommend Joe and Edge Entertainment to anyone for there reception or other event.
He and the photographer were Rockstar Vendors!!!!
Ion Hartunian is a Rockstar!
After the dress, photography was the most important thing to us. I'm a graphic artist and my husband is a musician with an artistic eye himself, so I knew I needed to find someone that would fulfill the unique and romantic aesthetic I had envisioned in my head, not an easy task ; ). We interviewed several different photographers, and Ion's work really spoke to us. He has an interesting and artistic perspective that takes a picture from a snapshot to an atmospheric story.
Ion is high energy and a total fanatic when it comes to getting the shot. He made my shy husband and I feel like models. Everyone who has seen our photos cannot stop talking about how great they look! And people were commenting on how he was like a ninja at the wedding and reception when it came to getting the shot.
We really feel like we nailed it by hiring Ion. I couldn't recommend him more!
P.S. I know this sounds super gushy, but trust me we are very discerning. I am sensitive to how difficult it is to find the right vendor and an honest review really helps. We did not give all of our vendors such positive reviews.
Mary is a very nice person and very friendly...when she answers the phone. Through out the course of our planning it would take multiple phone calls, emails and texts to get a hold of her and she would never call me back. I had to call her and if she happened to answer I could talk to her. Granted she was receptive when I did get a chance to talk to her. However, she seemed to forget the things we discussed and my bouquet was not the right color on the day of the wedding.
The flowers were pretty on the day of the wedding. The unnecessary stress leading up to the wedding made it very difficult for me though. I would have preferred to pay a little more and have a professional who would call me back and talk to me. It was not cheap though.
It is possible that if you go for one of her standard packages you would have less need to interact with her, and less headache. But, we did have custom selections that required more correspondence, which was not a positive experience.
We had our reception at the Portofino in the large ballroom. Rosanna Harrison was our wedding planner there. She was very friendly and helpful with her advice. Even when I was changing my mind at the last minute. When those week-of-nerves were flaring, she was right there with good advice to calm me down.
The view is stunning at this place. We had a plated sit-down dinner and the food was amazing. A selection of Chicken Cordon Blue or New York Strip with Scallops. A strawberry, red onion and raspberry vinaigrette salad to start and I think there was a sorbet intermezzo, but I missed that and even our cake because I was talking with guests.
They let us handle the bar in a very specific way. We did the cocktail hour with tray past and plated hourderves, open bar of beer and wine and cash for liquor. Then we closed the open bar during dinner as there was a champagne toast and then opened it up for another hour after dinner. It remained open for cash after that.
It was beautiful. The only small complaint was that as the night wore on there was no more servers or any staff. It was really hot in there during the dance set and no one was available to ask to open the big beautiful windows. That was really not a huge issue, but I would recommend to have them open the windows for you in advance ; )
This location is absolutely beautiful. It is an oceanfront mansion on a bluff with breath taking views of the water that had been converted into a church. Dr. Karl Johnson was our minister and he was wonderful. He tailored our vows to information we gave about ourselves during our pre-marital counseling. Barbara Johnson was the church coordinator the day of and walked us through everything for the rehearsal.
It was simply stunning and everybody loved Dr. Karl's, perfect blend of humor, seriousness and his love of love. That combined with the floor to ceiling organ and the view of the ocean made our ceremony the most magical experience!
One note, the office worker is a little grumpy and will not accommodate, be sure to talk to Barbara Johnson ; )