cms2006's reviews

Bridal Expo in the Boston area was very helpful. We ended up using several vendors that we found through the expo - most notably our reception site. Very helpful if you're just checking things out and if you have time, beneficial for most brides.

9 Beaches in Bermuda is a great honeymoon location, particularly from Boston or other east coast cities. Really quick flight - 1.5 hours from Logan - and you're there. Perfect if you don't have a lot of time to spend traveling. The cabanas at 9 Beaches are adorable and so private - much better than a hotel room in a long corridor of rooms. Would highly recommend the restaurant as well - even if you're not staying there.

Ordered a bridal bouquet from Brasco Florist in Waltham. Great selection of flowers, everything very fresh and well kept. The bouquet didn't end up looking quite like what I had wanted, but we were able to fix it on the spot with some adjustments. It was very well assembled and didn't fall apart even in the slightest. We used off season flowers and they were able to meet those requests too. All in all I'd recommend them, though brides would probably have better luck working off a photo of a designed bouquet rather than working from a description like I did.

Sach's did a great job working with my husband for a custom-designed engagement ring - they were very patient and helpful and the end result was perfect. We went back to buy our wedding bands from them later and they even offered a small discount for the repeat business. Great selection and great customer service!

Camilla's Bridal in Arlington is a great place to go look for a dress. Though a smaller shop, they carried all of the latest styles as well as a large selection of more traditional gowns. Their shopkeepers were really helpful in selecting a dress - when going in I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted and they worked carefully with me to find something that looked wonderful and ended up being perfect - even though it wasn't what I originally envisioned. Highly recommend them!

Frederick's Pastries is an excellent place to go for cakes if your venue is in the north-west of Boston or southern NH area! Their staff was very professional and I was able to sample several kinds of cake before choosing one. Their buttercream is excellent, very smooth and rich - nothing light or whipped about it. They worked easily with me to suit my tastes (extra frosting on the cake) and though they have MANY great looking designs to choose from, they still had no problem doing a freehand custom design on the cake for us. It was delicious, even one year later!

The Barn at Gibbet Hill was a perfect reception site! Classic New England without being near the city. A lovely scenic drive and lots of parking, and fabulously professional white gloved service. The event manager could not have been more helpful in working with us - even to meet some of our "less traditional" desires for the wedding day. We were able to have a completely customized menu and all sorts of small interesting touches that people still remember and talk about. It's definitely on the pricey side for a venue so far from Boston, but worth every penny. The grounds are beautiful in the fall (and probably other seasons too) and the great photos we have make the venue worth it all on their own.

Schubert and Co. made for an excellent string trio (or quartet) in the Boston area. The musicians were highly skilled, professional, and prompt. They learned a short song at our request to accompany the congregation in singing. They were very prompt and cordial in communicating by email and phone and made sure to iron out all details beforehand. For 1 hour of music, their price was very fair. The music from the string trio made for a wonderful "extra touch" in the ceremony. We contacted them on fairly short notice, as well. I would recommend them without hesitation for weddings and other events.

Unique Simchas in Brookline is the best place to in the Boston area for invitations. They seem to have an unparalleled selection and their staff spent a great deal of time catering to our needs. We ended up designing just perfect invitations and carrying that theme over into all our decor. They have thousands of designs to choose from in several styles - pocket invitations, unique shapes and folds, traditional cards, etc. Once ordered, they were printed very quickly. We had a chance to review proof so there were no mistakes. The service there was excellent and the price fair, I would recommend them to any couple shopping for invitations to any event.

Lisa Tilley and her assistant did an amazing job with our photography. They both went out of their way to get the most creative and interesting shots and no aspect of the ceremony or reception went uncovered. There was a great mix of traditional photos and photojournalism style photos, black and white and color shots. Finally, Lisa did a beautiful job arranging the photos for the albums - those albums are wonderful! We went back and placed a second order for extra albums because they were so coveted by family members. I would recommend Lisa Tilley Photography without hesitation to anyone seeking wedding or engagement photos.