This review is based on what my husband told me. He was referred to this place by his step-father. He checked it out, then also checked out other jewelers in the area, but came back here because he felt the guy was the most honest/trustworthy sort of everyone he spoke to. He knew what ring I wanted and worked with the salesman to put it together. He was shown a lot of good quality diamonds and got the setting hubby desired. The salesman even was able to save hubby some money on it, so it was a pretty good deal. The ring is amazing and I love it. Hubby and salesman really got the ring design down, and the price, compared to comparable rings we've seen elsewhere for comparable rings, it was a great deal.
We wanted to go back to Philmar to get our wedding rings, however it, and many stores in the area, are closed on Sundays. We stopped into this one and it seemed okay. They had plain 14k white gold bands, which we wanted. The salesman had his calculator and did his thing to make it seem like we got a great deal - we weren't overcharged but I don't really feel like we got a super price/deal. Had it been up to me, I'd have gotten our rings for a lot less at Amazon, but hubby was okay paying to have them in hand and not have to worry about anything - so I guess we paid for comfort. All the jewelers use a person down the block to size up/down rings, so we got our rings resized on the spot (included in price). He was great and I'd go back with any jewelry issues in the future.
In all, okay experience, nothing to write home about...
My personal feeling is that many companies want to charge more for weddings than should be the case. Be that as it may, I needed one way transport only, which was less than 40 minutes of work and while this was the best I could find that didn’t break the budget.
After several confirmations and making a note that the driver needed to be on time the day of, and having a contract with both the pick-up and drop-off locations, the driver was late the day of - she got lost (hello, map out your trip ahead of time). She was also erratic on the roads and then she initially took my guests to the wrong spot. After chastising them for not having the exact info on hand, once provided, she instead left them on the bus as she went to speak to some random person on the street - who btw wasn't helpful. One of my guests, having had enough, took the reigns and told her what turns to take to get them to the destination. They were late but I'm happy they got there to enjoy a good portion of the cocktail hour, and did so in one piece.
I did contact the company and a week later – nothing. Doesn't surprise me, they were paid and simply could care less that consumers now have to worry that they may or may not get someone to show up on time (especially if time is of the essence). This is why I have a problem with vendors that put the tip in the price, because she certainly would have gotten a small one (if she got any) after her incompetent service. Word to the wise - I'd skip Express Bus Services and pay a little more for competence and reliability.
Bill Walsh, owner/proprietor, and I clicked right away when we spoke. He listened to what I wanted and had to say, made some suggestions and observations, and always discussed options with me so that we were always on the same page. On the day of, he did not disappoint. He made us feel super comfortable and there were many times we even forgot he was around (like all those kissing shots).
He is super personable and made us laugh; my husband couldn't believe I found someone so cool. We got all our pre-ceremony done timely and he was very good at navigating the families during the formals (we, essentially, had three families to deal with). He definitely has the personality for shooting weddings – some photographers could learn a thing or two from him. And he was totally within budget; he was a great find - past brides spoke highly of him and I’m happy to do the same. I certainly will keep him on my list for any future events that I’d like shot.
Only 4 stars now because still waiting for proofs that are a bit late - but he's certainly 5 stars in professionalism.
Mirror Image Studio was a great find; someone posted their sporty cake topper, which is what I was looking for, and after viewing the website, I was hooked. We were able to customize the look of the toppers, so everything from our skin tones to hair color looked very much like us. I was even able to personalize the look of the dress and tux, and add accessories. Love it and we got kudos for having something different. And the order was fulfilled and completed fairly quickly. I’d highly recommend.
While I had a limo company in mind that I was going to use, I just couldn't wrap my head around the cost and I waited. Less than 3 weeks out, I needed a limo; I somehow didn't see the review for NY Exec here before but when I did, I thought I might be saved. Got a fairly fast response, great price, and contracted for my date. And the day of? Awesome! Limo was amazing - perfect condition, even bigger than we though for an 8 passenger, and our driver was amazing. Unlike horror stories, he was timely, he knew where he was going, and his driving was impeccable. He always opened and closed our doors (I've heard stories of drivers that don't), and he was just a very nice, polite guy. I'd recommend in a heartbeat and plan to keep their info on hand for any future need.
The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is that I was charged tax when I was told it was already included in the price.
One word - fabulous! I knew exactly what I wanted my flowers to look like. I went through several sites and really liked the samples of Richard's. I emailed him introducing myself, what I wanted, and sent him a few samples. We set up an appointment not too long after that and he knew exactly what I wanted. We met up one final time a few days before the wedding just to finalize matters and to get a sneak peak of the centerpieces. The day of... I was floored. Loved, loved my chuppah, how the entire sanctuary of our synagogue looked. And I was just as pleased went we went to the venue - the cocktail flowers were cute and he did an amazing job on the petals on the cake table, and setting up the centerpieces. I'd recommend Richard in a heartbeat; super nice, excellent skills, super flexible!
When I decided that I did in fact want to have our event taped, I did lots of searching and just didn’t see anything that suited my taste or budget. Every person I spoke to just didn't under how I wanted my day to be recorded and made it seem as if I didn't know what I was talking about. I finally asked my photographer (Bill Walsh, owner/proprietor of Stellaview Studios) for a few recommendations; he gave me three and Khach Turabian (owner/proprietor) by far was my favorite. I told him want I wanted and he sent me some samples and we were exactly on the same page. Plus, he has a good working relationship with my photographer, which I think having that rapport is a great thing.
The day of they both worked seamlessly; and he didn’t have a bunch of bulky equipment like many do and he was able to get around and get footage without being in the way. I highly recommend Khach and very much looking forward to seeing the final product.
4 out of 5 only because I haven't gotten final product yet.
My MOH and I needed a place to stay the night before and would look nice enough to get ready the day of. This is a relatively new hotel. It’s small, but quaint and centrally located (close to Bklyn Heights, DUMBO, NYC). The room itself, which was two doubles, was small but cozy. Nice flat screen TV, beds were super comfy, and the room was nice for some good photos. Room service is pricey though, but there is a McDonalds and Burger King, as well as an IHOP, near by for take-out or eat-in service.
I'm not one that likes to delegate; but having the ceremony and reception in two separate locations (Brooklyn and NYC respectively), I knew I needed some help and wanted to do it at a reasonable cost. Fouzia and her staff did not disappoint. She is very, very detailed oriented and made sure that we touched upon each and every portion of the day so that she and her staff knew what to do and where things should go. I was stressed because of family issues (ie. rsvps, other drama) and just worrying about everything/everyone running on time, etc., but she assured me everything would work out and it did.
Her staff picked up all the items for both locations days before the wedding; they got everything set up exactly as I'd hoped, and the day of things ran smoothly and efficiently. She even kept on the charter bus driver, who was running late, and made sure all my guests got to the reception. Whether you need a full planner or DOC, and especially if your wedding involves multiple locations or a very large guest list, I'd highly recommend Fouzia and her staff at My Bridal Budget.