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I know I was looking for recomendations and reviews when I was going through the process so hopefully this helps other planning bees too. Our wedding was a fantastic party.  I had the time of my life, largely because of the following people:

Hair and Makeup: Hair Espirit (Erisa)- that's the salon I usually go get my cuts, etc from. It was nice going through the trials, etc with people who knew me and my style so I came out of it feeling like me still - just enhanced. I didn't want to be a total doll.  They were responsive to concerns, booked me in advance so I didn't have to worry about conflicting appointments and ensured I had ample time so I wasn't rushed. In fact, I was early! She also gave me lip gloss and blush to take with me for touchups.

Gown: Wedding Atelier - these ladies are a pleasure to deal with. I've always felt calm, not rushed there.  We spent over an hour for my 1st fitting because I wanted to try different accessories and lipsticks with my dress - they took it all in stride. Great, warm, friendly environment, a wide selection of gowns, although not the cheapest. That said, they were willing to work with my budget (on the low end of their typical sales) and kept me to it instead of upselling me like most places tried to do.

Veil: Margaret at Bridal Falls Veil.  She helped me create a veil and hairpiece that I loved. When the original veil didn't come out as expected, she redid it. Much more affordable than the bridal salons, a little more human contact than etsy and online stores since there's an actual human being and store involved.

Caterer / Location: Astra. I can't say enough about Gavin, Roy and the rest of their team. The food and service were fantastic. They thought of things before I even did.  At the end of the night, all the things used for the ceremony, etc were put in the bridal room, ready for us to take back, including the cake topper (which we hadn't expected!) They kept glasses full, tables cleared throughout the night and were responsive to requests. e.g. I asked for more of certain hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour as I hadn't seen one of the selections - they responded immediately and kept it coming! They were professional throughout the whole planning process - very responsive by email - great for those who are planning on the job. We had the ceremony, cocktail and reception there. It was smoothly coordinated (we didn't have a DOC though I did have a friend help oversee the setup)

Florist: Forever in Bloom.  I've posted about them separately before this.  Dean is realistic and helpful with his suggestions. The flowers were gorgeous that day and lasted well until we had to leave for our honeymoon 3 days later. The centerpieces were nice and large as were the ceremony pieces. He actually did 2 drop offs - one for the bridal bouquet and boutonniere and then for the rest of the flowers - without charging extra.  They were more affordable than other florists I checked out in Manhattan.  He was listened to my very rough ideas and thoughts, flipping them into actual creations. Very punctual

Music/DJ: Scratch Academy (DJay Jung).  Very professional and responsive to emails, voicemails and calls. They provided all the equipment for the location and coordinated directly with Astra. Our cds that we had provided for the ceremony music got messengered back to us so we didn't even have to pick them up. DJay Jung get the mood popping all night - no cheesy announcements and voiceovers, just great music that was well blended.

Invites: G&P Printers. I'm not as DIYing as the rest of the bees. We created our own invites on ppt and took it down to G&P to print. They helped us finetune the layout a little. Fantastic pricing (better quality and pricing than vistaprint) and they have all the papers / colors that you could want - thermo and flat printing, no engraving / embossing though or fancy cut outs.

Photographer: Patricia Kantzos. We still haven't seen final prints yet but it should be due in a couple of weeks. She was very responsive throughout - emails, voicemails and even had a conference call or 2 w/ my husband and I. Very methodical about making sure all the required shots got taken. Very punctual.

can't think of any other vendors that we may have forgotten.. but any questions, pls let me know.

Thanks for the review of Bridal Falls Veil!  I always walk past there and wonder what their service is like.  What kind of veil did you get, and how much did it cost?  Feel free to message me if you want. :)  Thanks!

forgot to note a few things:

hair espirit: because of our existing relationship, the trials and actual day of costs were much cheaper than others that are typically cited on weddingbee, etc, plus no deposit required.

patricia kantzos: is willing to do less than 8 hours if you need / can afford less.