margaret's reviews

4 stars for the finished product. The quality was pretty good, however I took off one star because the video did not come until 9 months after the wedding. Also, I specified all the songs that were used in the video which was nice. You have to be pro-active in choosing the music though, because they won't go out of their way to ask you for your selections.


Pre-wedding Customer Service breakdown:
* 1 star for setting up a consultation with me and then cancelling on me less than 24 hours before because he couldn't drive down that far. If you can't come then why did you set up the consultation?
* 1 star for the cameraman who cancelled last minute but did not bother to email/phone to apologize or explain that it was an emergency.
* 5 stars for the communication and responsiveness from the sales managers, who apologized for the cameraman
* 5 stars for Anita Hughes
* 5 stars for the salespeople for honoring the march promotion (free edited 10-12 minute video) when I had booked in February. The February promotion was kind of crappy (two extra copies of DVDs) and we asked for the march instead and they sent us an updated contract right away.

Interesting things to note:
I watched 4 demos, and two were absolutely amazing while one was downright horrible. Thomas Hughes is a group of videographers while I prefer to know *who* I'm getting when I pay $$$ for someone. The demo quality is hit and miss.

We just got the proofs and wow they look amazing!!! We are so lucky to have Lisa photograph our wedding... the proof album is truly fabulous and we can't thank her enough. =) Every shot was gorgeous and I can't wait to show it to my friends and family. =) And I love the look and feel of the proof cover! It look so classy and of the highest quality, and these are just the proofs! =) We'll have a lot of trouble choosing our favorites for the album... they are all so beautiful!

I just wrote this on the boards and I thought I should share it here as well.

1. What was the timing for proofs to be delivered
Proofs were delivered about 2 months later, in the form of two albums that came to my doorstep.
2. Once the you chose your album photos, how long did it take to get your first proof of the album?
After we chose our album photos, the proof was ready in 1-2 weeks. The album was ready in 1-2 months.
3. how were your proofs and digital photos delivered? If by website did you feel that it was manageable/user friendly?
They were delivered via website, and also two proof albums that were bound by silk.
4. How many photos did you have to go through?
The proof album had 700 photos I think. That was A LOT of photos to go through. I think my photographer may have edited down a bit before sending it to us.
5. Did you feel service dropped off at all after the big day?
Nope. My photographer was awesome the whole time.

5 stars for the amazing view
5 stars for the affordability
3 stars for the catering/wedding manager, who is not very responsive and is sometimes rude
3 stars for inside decor

I eventually went with another venue because I needed to invite more than 150 people. I really love this place though, and I'm thinking about having a cocktail rehearsal dinner at the Carnelian Room.

Claudine and her associates are a joy to work with! They are very quick to respond to emails and are very proactive in communicating with you over the phone. I met her in person and she gavae me a very detailed tour of the site, and gave recommendations based on my budget and my guestlist size. She is willing to negotiate with certain rooms. The Garden Court was my favorite with the golden domed ceilings and foliage made me feel like I was in a royal palace.

I went to Glamour Closet twice and my experiences were very different. The best thing about Glamour Closet is they have designer dresses like Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, and Carolina Herrera, for 50-75% off! The dresses are all in sample sizes of 8 and 10 so it's good if you're a sample size. Also, the dresses are "what you see is what you get."

The first visit was a 5-star experience. I came around 4:30pm on a Saturday afternoon and was the last girl in the store. I selected about 10 dresses during the 15 minute wait. Afterwards, the salesperson helped me in and out of dresses, helped arrange the dresses, and did not rush me at all and allowed me to take tons of pictures.

The second visit was a 3-star experience. The day I came was very busy and we had to wait 30 minutes to try it on. I worked with some different, who helped me in and out of dresses, but since there was another girl there we pretty much had to share a mirror. Plus, there was someone waiting so the salesperson kind of rushed me through it and I didn't get a chance to take pictures of some dresses.

Overall, if you are a sample size then definitely check this place out!

I came to Trudy's because they are the only store in the South bay that carries Jim Hjelm. I worked with Mariko who was really nice and very helpful in helping me in and out of the dresses. I ended up loving one of the Pronovias dresses here.

The dress is very private and only books two brides at a time, so you feel like you have the entire place to yourself. There is also a bridesmaids store and a tux store nearby, which is very convenient for brides in the South Bay.

I like how you can browse all the dresses and choose the ones you want to try on. Most also have the picture on the bag so you can envision what it looks like.

The person I worked with was really sweet. She gave me a lot of great advice and didn't pressure me at all. I ended really loving a Casablanca dress here.

The store and dressing room isn't the nicest-looking. It's kind of open and reminds me a lot of David's Bridal.

I worked mainly with Jean who was super sweet and very helpful when picking out dresses. I went here three times, once for the normal dresses, and a second and third time for a Monique Lhuillier trunk show. If you buy your wedding dress on your first visit, you get a free tuxedo!

The normal try-on with Jean was not the most pleasant dress shopping experience. She was very sweet, though there was a lot of time spent inbetween dresses and I was waiting around. I didn't like how I wasn't able to see what dresses they had to offer.

The Monique Lhuillier trunk show was a much nicer experience. All the dresses were laid out and I was able to browse and select the ones I wanted to try on. Jean and the Monique representative were very helpful in figuring out what I like and what looks good.

I have heard that the service is hit or miss, but I had a wonderful experience with Jean and everything in my dress order went smoothly.

5 stars for Jean
5 stars for Monique trunk show
5 stars for the overall experience

Amy Kuschel is the ultimate bridal experience! The people there are so sweet and make you feel like a princess.

The airy studio with clean hard wood floors is located in a fifth floor loft in Union Square. I was immediately greeted by a very sweet (and fashioinable!) employee who immediately offered me and my sister some water. I chose about 8 that I liked, which were noted by my representative and her assistant.

Amy Kuschel's dresses start at around $1000 and is more affordable than a lot of bridal salons I've been to for the quality of fabric you get, and of course the couture experience!