Vendor reviews

I think the fact that it has been weeks since I felt like blogging about the wedding stuff is a good thing. I think it means I am moving out of wedding world and back into the real world. :) (In fact, I started writing this post 3 months before I finished! Yikes.)

I did want to post my vendor reviews though, because I think they can be really helpful. I have to say that I was overall very pleased with all my vendors. I consider myself lucky to have had no real problems with anyone. I will try to post a few additional photos here of things I didn't blog specifically about earlier.

Church--St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Yardley, PA--A+
What can I say? Our church, our priest. We loved being married there. :)
http://www.standrews-yardley.org/

Reception Venue--The Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ--A
Really loved the uniqueness of this venue. The historic aspect of it provided a few challenges (only 2 bathrooms and they were across the driveway, we had to rent a special tent for the caterer, we literally had to bring in EVERYTHING, etc.). However, it really was exactly what we wanted for the feel of our reception, so the minor inconveniences were just that--minor.
http://home2.netcarrier.com/~drms/

Rentals--Brillman's Rental Barn, Newtown, PA--A-
We didn't actually have any choice for our rental company because the PM has a contract with Brillman's. Overall, everything was fine with them. The owner who we worked with primarily was very nice, although she was occasionally challenging to get in touch with (I think she is stretched very thin). In the end, we got exactly what we ordered, and there were no complications or drama, so they get a decent grade. :)
http://www.brillmansrentalbarn.com/

Caterer--Max Hansen Caterer, Bucks County, PA--A+
Wonderful food! Truly delicious, great quality food. All of our guests claim it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. (Maybe people are told this all the time, but I happen to agree!) The day of service was great, as was the communication leading up to the day. They even accommodated my last minute special request for fresh Mojitos at the reception--they were the best I have ever had!
http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/

Cake--J. Scones, Doylestown, PA (Jodi Schad)--A+
Jodi's cakes are phenomenal. We knew from the start that we wanted a cake that was simple in appearance but big on taste, and Jodi provided just that. The cake was simple, beautiful, and delicious, and Jodi was great to work with! We can't wait to order a small one for our one year anniversary!

Florist--Hairy Mary's, Upper Black Eddy, PA (Mark Bryan)--A+
Mark did a beautiful job with the flowers--just check out all the photos throughout the rest of the blog! He really took my ideas and brought them to life in a way that was natural and unique. He was a great choice for us.
http://www.hairymarysbuckscounty.com/

Photographer--Laura Billingham Photography, Frenchtown, PA (Laura Billingham)--A++
I love Laura as a person, I really do. On top of that, she is a spectacular photographer. I am so pleased that we picked someone that we really like, because I continue to be in touch with her 6 months after the wedding, and we still need to sit down and design our album! (Yes, we are procrastinators.) I cannot say enough good things about her talent, her professionalism, and her personality. :) I'll post my favorite portraits next.
http://www.laurabillingham.com/

Day of Coordinator--Jean Louise Design, West Chester, PA (Jeannine McKnight)--A++
I also love Jeannine! She was a last-minute addition 2 months before the wedding when we realized we needed a DOC whether we thought we could afford one or not. It turned out that Jeannine's prices were very reasonable, and that she herself was indespensable! She gave me such peace of mind for the last few months leading up to the wedding as well as on the day of. I was really worried about a non-traditional venue like the PM because there was no one to oversee all the bits and pieces, but I honestly did not have to worry about anything on my wedding day thanks to Jeannine. I would recommend her to other brides in a heartbeat.

Transportation--Advanced Limousine Services, Newtown, PA--B+/A-
We had to rent an entire limo bus for our ginormous wedding party. Not exactly our style, but what can you do. The bus was in pristine condition, and it was prompt. The prices were fair (not as negotiable as I wanted for the fact that they were only driving us from the church to the reception, but that seems to be standard for the industry). The driver himself was not my favorite (he thought it was funny to swerve the bus as a joke--not dangerous, but kind of annoying) and he did make a few wrong turns.
http://www.advancedlimos.com/

DJ--Silver Sound, Philadelphia, PA (Dan Breslin)--A+
Dan was great. We hired him right away after hearing him DJ at our best friends' wedding. At both events, he kept the dance floor full all night. He was very accomodating when we sent him a CD with our somewhat non-standard cocktail hour and special dance songs, and he was helpful in keeping the evening on schedule. Definitely a good choice.
http://www.silversound.com/resume.asp?djcode=DJB&resume_type=

Dress, tuxes--The Country Bride and Gent, Bensalem, PA--A
(groom's and groomsmen's ties by Brooks Brothers, argyle socks by J.Crew)
Very nice, low pressure little shop. Their prices for Casablanca were on par with the companies that allow you to order online, and their alterations were reasonable (they don't even require you to use their seamstresses). They also had the khaki tuxes we were looking for for the guys and at decent prices, so that was great. The only negative point was that they measured me incorrectly as a size 8 when I first ordered. I was suspicious of the size, so I double checked the Casablanca size chart when I got home, and it was definitely off. They had the manager re-measure me and then ordered a 6, which worked out okay, but I think a 4 was probably the right call in the end. Not the end of the world, and I would recommend them to other brides even so.
http://www.countrybrideandgent.com/

Veil--veilshop.com--A+
Since I wasn't even sure I wanted a veil to begin with, $200 at a boutique was definitely too much for me to spend. Veilshop will send swatches so you can match the color of your dress perfectly, and their website is great for getting a good idea of what each veil looks like. For about $50, I got a chapel length single layer cut-edge veil of very nice quality. Score.

(I don't have any real pics of the veil. You can kind of get the idea here. Plus gown. :) )

Bridesmaid dresses and sashes--anntaylor.com--A+
When I found these on sale for less than $60 each, I called my girls for sizes and ordered them on the spot. They were a great deal, and they could possibly be worn again. Even if they aren't though, can you beat $60? AT has great customer service, also.

(You can see the two different styles we picked, plus the cute sashes.)

Hair--Natalie & Co., Yardley, PA--A+
Kirsten just started cutting my hair about 6 months before the wedding. She did an awesome job right off the bat at the trial we scheduled--she just seemed to know exactly what I wanted--soft and natural. I had no anxiety at all about the hair, which was great. Most of the girls got their wedding-day hair done at Natalie & Co. and they were all very happy with it. There was a mix of all up, part-up, and completely down styles, and everyone looked great and really natural.

Makeup--The Face and Body Spa, Yardley, PA--A
Makeup is hard for me to guage because I wear little to none on a regular basis. Yes, this makeup seemed a little heavy, but I did feel very pretty, and it did look good in pictures. Ashley picked great colors for me (I am very fair), and the Youngblood products they use at the FBSpa are great quality mineral products, so I was very happy with those aspects. Overall, I would recommend FBSpa for special occasion makeup.
http://www.fbspa.com/home

(For pre-makeup, see the hair photos above. This was everything but lipstick, I believe.)

Rings--Hamilton Jewelers, Princeton, NJ--A+
We are simple jewelry people. I like that Hamilton is a smaller upscale company and mostly local. They set my husband's family diamond very simply and prettily for us and were very helpful with band selection. Overall great experience.
http://www.hamiltonjewelers.com/

Liquor & Beer--Phillips Fine Wines, Stockton, NJ--A
For any of the potential caterers, we were going to have to buy liquor separately (must be a NJ law or something). Phillips was very helpful in estimating what types and amounts of booze we would need, they were super-close to the PM and delivered for free, and they had a good selection of beer and liquor. They also gave a bulk discount, and they let my father-in-law return anything unopened up to like 10% of the bill or something.
http://www.phillipsfinewines.com/

Wine--Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing, PA--A+
Wonderful family-run local winery. Their wine is delicious and great quality, and they were very helpful selecting and purchasing. Great place!
http://www.crossingvineyards.com/

Etsy vendors-->
Paloma's Nest (ring bowl)
Pavoreal (hair pins)
Annie Howes (bouquet charm)
All Etsy vendors A+, previously blogged