BEAUTY
Sara Ungino - Make-up
http://www.sara-ugino-makeup.com/ she was amazing. She was so calm and relaxed the day of the wedding and she made everyone look beautiful. The make-up looked natural.
Stacy Pitt - Hair
She was FANTASTIC. I couldn't have asked for someone better to do my hair. I loved how at the trial she let me try a bunch of different looks and we were able to refine the one that I picked in the end. I used extensions (clip ins) that I bought from Lugos (1st ave and 12th street) that were amazing and she worked with them really well. I also got my hair cut by her right before the wedding so that it would be length and style that she could work with and I think that was a great decision.
The Fountain -Ramsey NJ - Mani/Pedis -
I treated the girls to manicures before the rehearsal at the church and we were very happy with their service. Some of the girls opted to get pedicures as well and it was great. Very relaxing and they let us get dressed for the rehearsal in the locker room of the spa.
Lugos - 1st Ave and 12th Street NYC - Hair Extensions
I went in and felt very out of place, but I had some coworkers who wear extensions/weaves normally and they highly recommended them. I was thrilled with the way they matched my hair. They used two different colors and mixed them together perfectly. So many people had no idea I had them in. I decided to sew them onto clips and turn them into clip-ons rather then sewing them into my hair. I can re-use them now!
ATTIRE and ACCESSORIES and JEWELERY
Priscilla of Boston - Short Hills - My Dress, Veil, Tiara
They were great I had no complaints my sales person was very sweet and took her time with me and my alterations person was fabulous. She paid attention to any move I made checking to see what needed to be adjusted. She was very willing to do a third fitting with me and even made an adjustment or two at that fitting. She put in so many bustle (french bustle) points that even though one or two tore the dress stayed bustled because she had so many others. My one complaint with my dress was that it was nice and tight at the beginning of the day but by the end it had stretched which I suppose is natural but some of the photos of late in the evening you can see it falling a bit. I bought my veil and hair piece here and I was thrilled with both!
Devon Fine Jewelers - Wyckoff - Wedding Band
Because my Engagement ring was MIL's Husband we were starting fresh looking for wedding bands. They were SO helpful and patient. We must have stopped there like 5 times before we purchased it. They custom made my ring and it came out beautiful. They also re-dipped my e-ring and made that look brand new. Its a family owned place and DH, my family, and I go there whenever we need anything repaired or purchased.
The Engle Shop - Englewood NJ - Jewelry
My mom looked here for dresses and while we didn't find a dress here we found the nicest jewelery. I bought my earrings and my bracelet here. My mom also bought her necklace and her earrings here. The ladies who worked there were very helpful in choosing styles that went nicely with our dresses.
Bride's Best Friend - Englewood - Bridesmaid Dresses
My sister had purchased from here before and was happy with the service but was not thrilled with the alterations. So we decided to purchase from them and they made it very easy. Bonus for having 5+ girls they all got a 10% discount on their dresses. Everything was ordered in October and was in by January for an April wedding. So we were very happy that things came in so quickly! They also ordered me swatches of the fabric when I chose the dress and the colors so that we could use them for some of the other wedding details.
Nordstrom - Garden State Plaza - Shoes - BM Jewelery
I got my shoes and jewelery for the girls there. I was thrilled to find silver bangle bracelet and earrings for the girls that were not typical wedding jewelery. Most of them will wear the style again and I even bought myself the earrings.
Toni Conti - Hawthorne - MOB Dress
We were SO happy with the service and the selection here. We shopped at quite a few places for my mom's dress but everywhere we went tried to put my mom who is hardly 5ft tall and weighs about 105lbs in these massive dresses no matter how many times she said it wasn't what she wanted. We got here and she totally understood my mom and what she was looking for. We found a beautiful dress and they did a lot of alterations on the length and it was perfect.
Jackie -Wyckoff - Alterations (bridesmaids)
I had three of my 6 bridesmaids go there for alterations (the other 3 were out of state) One bridesmaid was 4-5 months pregnant for the wedding so Jackie did her alterations the week of the wedding to be sure it would still fit her. She was amazing. She also did my dress for my bridal shower. Page me on the NNJ board for her info.
The Tie Bar -
We ordered 3 ties from them that we liked online then Jon and I matched them to the girls colors and we picked one. We returned two and bought the rest for the boys. I've already seen 3 of the boys wear them in other situations which is a nice compliment! We picked one that has a light lilac and silver pattern. Very simple but elegant. The ties were $15 and they had great customer service.
Biltmore Tuxedo -Ridgewood NJ - Boys Tuxes -
Jon, my dad, and the groomsmen all ordered tuxes from there the service was great and they took care of any nips and tucks and changes on the Friday before the wedding and they all looked very handsome!
MUSIC and PHOTO and VIDEO
The Projekt - Band
http://www.theprojekt.com/ The dance floor was packed all night! They played a great mix of music and everyone was dancing even the pickiest music snobs (and I had quite a few of those!) There are a few people who will be calling them very soon!
John Arcara - Photography
He did our engagement and wedding photos. Jon and John are very similar in personality and in their interests so it was a great fit and DH was so happy to have someone who was so chill. Our entire BP was thrilled with how fast he was taking the formals and he made everyone feel so comfortable and laugh. It was a great fit! Our photos came back amazing and we haven't seen our album yet but we love the photos we have! I highly recommend him!!
Michael Simmons Video -
We got him through our contract w/ John Arcara but they were wonderful. He seemed to be getting everything important and the guy we worked with was really friendly and fun. I highly recommend them. We haven't seen the video yet but we are getting an edited video, plus the raw footage. I cant' wait!
Angela Pilat - Photography
I did an album with Angela and she was amazing. She came to my house in December and we chatted about my likes/hobbies and we went from there. She took a ton in my kitchen because I love to cook/bake and DH loves to enjoy whatever I cook/bake. We also took a bunch on my bed because I made our duvet cover and pillows. So that made it very special. The album she put together was great and I had a really hard time picking which ones to use. DH loved it!
CHURCH and VENUE and HOTEL BLOCK and RD
St. Paul's Church - Ramsey -
This has been my church my entire life. I received all of my other sacraments there so it was fitting that we get married there. They were easy to work with and our priest Fr. Nigel was SO funny. Everyone has been commenting on how funny and light the service was.
Ridgewood Woman's Club - Reception Venue
They were easy to work with even though they transitioned from one person running it to another. Both were very nice women and were accommodating in allowing me to drop things off on Friday and pick up on Sunday since they were not having any events before/after mine. If they had some events I wouldn't have been able to but it was a nice perk.
Aldo's - Wyckoff NJ - Rehearsal Dinner -
I would have loved to do something really casual and at home but my parents and Jon's mom decided a restaurant was the way to go so no one had to host everyone in their house. The food was great and my family eats here very often. We had one of the private rooms in the back and it was perfect!
Marriot Residence Inn - Saddle River NJ - Hotel Room Block
This is where we had our room block. They were great to work with. They had a brunch the next morning for all hotel guests so we ate there with our family and friends.
CATERING and RENTALS and FLOWERS
Sterling Affair - Catering
http://www.sterlingaffair.com/ I LOVED working with them. The food was amazing and everyone is still complimenting the food. They have an in house pastry chef who did a beautiful cake! Their staff was on top of everything. The went over and above to make everything perfect! The brought Jon and I a platter of all of the cocktail hour food to the Bridal Suite so we could eat in peace for a few min before we went out to cocktail hour then while at cocktail hour we wouldn't feel pressured to try to eat everything because we had already tasted it. I also loved that they served us first every time so that we could eat and then still have time to do a few tables during each course. They even made a small cake with a candle for us to present to my grandma for her 90th b-day!
Flowers - Private Receptions - Nerissa
Our flowers were amazing. I had Cherry Blossoms on each table the centerpieces were so tall and so great! I carried Dark Purple Calla Lillis w/ Stephanotis and they were stunning. The girls carried Jade Green Roses. The boys all had corresponding bouts and everything lasted and looked fantastic.
Pink Cake Box - Denville NJ - Groom's Cake -
I got Jon a cake in the shape of a glass of Guiness. He was SHOCKED and he loved it.The cake tasted FANTASTIC! I couldn't have been happier with how it came out and the whole surprise went so great. All of our guests thought it was so neat!
Cloth Connection - Linnens
Beautiful Linens and a great selection! My florist dealt with them directly but they were beautiful. I ordered Pintuck Linens and they were more then worth it they really helped make the room!
Party Rental Ltd. (Pink Hippo) - Chairs, Linens, Chargers
They were easy to work with and all of the rentals looked fantastic. The Woman's Club would have provided chairs and tables but I wanted larger tables and Chivari Chairs so I had to rent those in.
Cloth Connection - Table linens
www.clothconnection.com/ We rented all of our linens from them. They were beautiful!
OTHER SERVICES
Invitations/programs/all things paper -
were designed by Jon he is a graphic designer and did a beautiful job. Kinkos printed our programs and they looked fantastic! Some stuff we printed at home and the rest was printed in Chicago by a work contact of Jons.
First Class Limo - Bently, Stretch Limo, Shuttle (25ppl)
They were fantastic! The cars were spotless and they were right on time and we had no issues with them. Our driver was friendly but quiet when Jon and I wanted to talk on our own. He was also helpful and carried my clutch/shawl (it was FREEZING) the whole time we took pictures.
DOC - Nerissa - Private Receptions
As someone who plans weddings and events for a living the idea of being in charge of my wedding day was something I knew I didn't want. I wanted to relax, I wanted my mom to relax, and I wanted my bridesmaids to party! The PR girls were great she had 3 girls (one was an intern) supporting her. Her paperwork and time lines were fantastic. Everything was so organized and the day moved along on schedule and without incident. They were really great to work with!