Zena was my make-up artist for our wedding on June 6, 2009. She also did make-up for my mom and three bridesmaids (my sisters), as well as recommended a wonderful hair stylist.

From the first moment we met, I could tell Zena is extremely detail-oriented and has amazing technical skill. She is a full-time make-up artist, and it really shows. She has a long list of work on her resume, and has even won an Emmy for her work on Dancing with the Stars! But, from first hand experience, I can say that her make-up technique is impeccable. She really puts purpose into every stroke of her brush. I had multiple make-up trials and she really stood out with regards to how careful, even, and symmetrical all her make-up application was. No caking whatsoever. She applied individual eyelashes during my make-up trial and on the day-of, and not only did the lashes look beautiful, they stayed on, and came off when needed. At my other trials, the lashes sometimes stuck to my natural eyelashes and were absolutely painful to take off. Considering she used individual lashes, on both eyes, on two separate occasions, and NONE of the eyelashes stuck when it came time to take them off, I can say with confidence that she knows what she is doing! I thought my mom and bridesmaids (three sisters) all looked absolutely stunning. I was amazed that even without a trial, Zena was able to apply varied colors and styles on them with such ease. Everyone's make-up was different, yet worked well as a group, and all smooth and spotless. My sisters were also impressed with the amount of time she spent time on them, not rushing through them as they had experienced as a part of other wedding parties. All of our make-up lasted all day, until the very last minute of dancing.

After my make-up trial with Zena I asked for some changes, and even had some last minute changes, and not only was she accommodating, she also gave her input. I really appreciated that she wasn't so eager to please that she simply did everything I wanted, even if she knew better (and she does). It was refreshing to have someone share their expertise and give honest opinions that could be trusted. My final look, how I felt about it, the compliments I received, and our wedding pictures are all a testament of how often she was correct and the quality of her work and experience. Another asset of her being a full-time make-up artist is that she works with many professionals and thus was able to recommend hair stylists. She was there for my hair trials (I had more than one), and each time even though she wasn't doing my hair herself, I felt she understood what I wanted and what would look good on me. She shared her opinion and took charge as needed, making suggestions to the hair stylist. She was great at interpreting and communicating my not-so-clear vision!

Zena was the consummate professional, patient, and organized. She knew exactly how much time was needed, showed up on time, and got her work done. During emails and phone calls, she was prompt and efficient, and on top of all that, she is very sweet. I highly recommend Zena and would work with her again in a heartbeat.

Allen was an absolute gem, one of the best wedding decisions we made! He MC'd/DJ'd our wedding on June 6, 2009, provided the mic/system for the ceremony and the screen and projector for our reception, and was also a pseudo-coordinator, to complement our actual day-of-coordinator. Many hats, and he wore them all perfectly. The best thing about Allen is the absolute confidence he was able to instill in us that he would make our wedding a successful one. We didn't need to manage him at all - he used his skill and experience to manage us and our wedding, which, for two people who are new to this whole wedding planning thing, was a breath of fresh air! :)

During the planning process, he was very organized and pro-active. He contacted us when the time came without our ever prompting him too. He was the only vendor that I can say we never once had to push for information or wonder what type of information he'd need from us. He was ahead of us the whole time, and when I was inundated with emails and things to do, he kept politely emailing me to remind me to send him the details he needed. Whenever I emailed him, he responded immediately (I think he sits by the computer all day!). He went to our venue to scout it out, helped us personalize our event as needed, practiced the names that were to be announced, and gave helpful suggestions to keep things flowing and exciting. He really made us feel like we were his only clients - not once did we feel that he was too busy for us, was mixing us up with another wedding, or had other clients that were more important. That takes skill, especially since we know he is VERY experienced and in fact has many many clients!

On the day of, he played the music we wanted while transitioning perfectly from dinner to a party mood. Even before the dancing started, our guests came to us to say that they were tapping their feet the entire time - exactly as Allen explained to us he would try to achieve (the build/ramp-up). It seemed they were almost begging us to start the dancing! When the dancing started, to be honest I cannot recall the exact songs that were played, and that is a good thing, because at absolutely no moment did we or any of the guests pause to say "Huh? What happened, why is he playing this?" I've experienced that many many times at other people's weddings...but not even once with Allen! Instead, the party kept going and once we started there was never a moment when the dance floor was not full.

When things got overwhelming, Allen grabbed my hand and led us away from the path of our guests so we could keep things moving. When we wanted the itinerary changed at the last minute, he accommodated. When the mic was not perfectly responding to our guest giving their toast, he was on it. People told us our wedding was "seamless" - as the bride, knowing how things in reality had to be rearranged, ran late, etc at the last minute, as happens with any event - hearing this from our guests meant that Allen deserved a lot of credit! He has that perfect MC voice and attitude - professional, smooth, and not cheesy. He got the job done and let the party carry itself without intervening with cheesy comments or jokes. Exactly what we wanted.

I cannot speak for the technical aspects, except to say that the sound was crisp and clear, the music and mic volumes were perfect, the cables and areas were kept clear, the projector screen was set up with lightning speed and taken down with lightning speed, and the equipment worked just as it should.

Overall, Allen is organized, experienced, professional, and very kind and sweet to boot! He even played weatherman; he reassured me that the hail we had a few days prior to our wedding would not be there on our wedding day, and it wasn't. In fact, it was an absolutely gorgeous day and evening. Thank you so much Allen, you really were instrumental to making our day happy and memorable, we both recommend you whole-heartedly!