katie000's reviews

Our wedding reception was held at Toftrees Golf Resort last summer (2008), and while we were very pleased with the beautiful grounds, the hotel itself needs renovations, and the guest rooms are out-dated. We were happy with the services provided overall - the wait staff and the food were great - we were able to select our entrees in advance, and we were assigned an on-site reception coordinator who was great in taking care of all the details of our reception events on the actual day (though she was rather erratic in responding to emails in the months preceding the wedding which was occasionally very stressful!). I didn't even hire a wedding planner because Toftrees took care of so many things for us, and I was able to relax and enjoy myself on the actual day! One thing we were disappointed in was how we were overcharged in various small ways on our final bill. Many things were resolved with Toftrees because I caught them on the bill and complained to the manager, but I would rather have not had to do this at all.

DVS handled the videography for our wedding. We decided fairly late in the process to get a wedding video, and many (more expensive) nvideographers were already booked for our date. DVS charged less than many others, but their finished product, while passable, was also less than stellar. They only used one camera, and their finished editing was not up to par. The biggest problem with our finished video was with the soundtrack and not being able to hear the speakers at the church service very clearly, or during the toasts at the reception. The owner was good about being prompt in delivery of the finished product, and he was always good about responding to emails and any queries.

We held our rehearsal dinner at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State's campus last summer (2008), and highly recommend this hotel and their restaurants for any catered event! The staff were wonderful and handled our dinner in very professional and smooth manner. All our guests loved the food, and really enjoyed the setting (we got married at the Eisenhower Chapel on campus which was conveniently located just a couple of blocks away!).

Mr. Tux in State College handled all the men's attire for our wedding last summer (2008). They offered a special promotion which worked very well for us - if 5 tuxedos were ordered, the groom's was free!
The only issue was that none of the groomsmen's tuxedos actually fit them the day before the wedding even though measurements were sent in well in advance - however, it seems like this is fairly standard since alterations were taken care of on the spot, and all the guys looked wonderful on the actual wedding day! The store also offered a large selection of styles and colors to choose from, and this allowed us to coordinate really well with the colors of the bridesmaids' gowns too. A good experience overall!

We were very happy with DJ Eric from Nittany Entertainment who provided DJ and MC services for our entire wedding reception (5 hours service!). He was extremely professional, courteous, and took our taste into account (we got to select the songs we wanted to be included, and the order of various dance tracks). He also included our selection of ethnic music songs, and kept the guests dancing past midnight!

All 3 of my bridesmaids got their gowns from Alfred Angelo. I had purchased my wedding gown here so they received a discount as part of the package. Overall, it was a great experience. The sales associates were friendly, professional, and very helpful at every step of the process. The bridal party all wore the same color but in different styles (so they could pick out whatever style was most flattering). I was impressed with the variety of styles available, the access to stores in every state (all my bridesmaids were from out of town and all in different states), and the ability to do much of the work via internet. Finally, Alfred Angelo is incredibly affordable so we didn't have to pay an arm and a leg! It was great for me, and also made me feel good about not burdening my bridesmaids financially to pay for dresses they may not get to wear regularly!

Very professional service. They were prompt, courteous, and handled all the details of our wedding needs in a professional manner. We were very happy with their cars and their drivers, and their reasonable costs.

Kim is a genius with cake decorations! She has won several national cake decoration awards and has even been on the food network! Kim met with my fiance and me twice before we placed our order so that we could go through her (extensive) portfolio, and look at all her different cake designs. She designed a delicious 3 tier cake in different shapes for us and used fresh flowers to decorate... unlike wedding cakes that can taste like eating plaster, Kim's cakes are as exquisite to taste as they are to look at! We got very lucky with finding her (and finding her available for our wedding date!). She's easily the best in the region (and that's no exaggeration).

Avant Garden are the best florists in town! They did a beautiful job with my wedding flowers - I met with Allen (the owner) on two occasions before the wedding to consult on budget, colors, types of flowers and bouquets, as well as logistics of decorating the chapel space and moving all the church flowers to the reception site later. They took care of everything for me on the day! Everybody praised the flowers and the arrangements, and Avant Garden was incredibly professional throughout the process! I didn't feel any pressure to go above my budget, and their flowers were perfect!

I had a wonderful experience with the Eisenhower Chapel on the Penn State campus. It is a non-denominational site, and they will also provide you with an on-site coordinator to help organize your rehearsal and the activities on your actual wedding day. You do have to book several months in advance to secure this location because it is so popular with alumni and visitors. The chapel itself is beautiful and very simply decorated which allows brides and their florists to add their own style and color scheme...