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| My Community Bio | ||
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| Knot Name: suzebride | ||
| Wedding Role: Bride | ||
| Location: Ridgewood, NJ | ||
| Age: 38 | ||
| What I do when I'm not on The Knot (occupation): teacher | ||
| Where you'll find me on The Knot (favorite board): Advice from Recent Brides | ||
| About our wedding:
Oh So Fabulous Tina LaMorte and her team of fab femme fatales Allyson, Christy & Kristina!!!
A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What can I say except this day NEVER would have taken place if it weren’t for Tina and her amazing staff. Ladies, I am not lying when I say I had no intention whatsoever of having any kind of elaborate wedding. I wanted to just elope and be done with it. I hired Oh So Fab and well, the rest is history. Not only did they plan my ENTIRE wedding in less than 5 months from start to finish, but they did the most gorgeous job ever. My wedding was my dream come true, no detail was left to chance. Every single second of that day was spent making sure that the reception/ceremony was perfect….from the flowers to the food it was top knotch and I know that Oh So Fab is to thank for it all. They hand picked every vendor I hired, and now I know why b/c they were all amazing. The creativity and genius that was put into planning this event was priceless, every guest at the wedding was amazed and beyond impressed with these girls. And let me tell you, I am no oil painting, I am a royal pain in the ass. Any picture you see in my bio, anything that makes you gasp or say OH MY GOD WHERE DID SHE GET THAT, OR HOW DID SHE THINK OF THAT…I take NO credit. Tina LaMorte is the wizard behind every gorgeous element of my wedding day. TJ and I could have NEVER ever done it without her style, elegance and dogged work ethic. I am telling you, this woman is going to be famous, and I can tell everyone that I had TINA LAMORTE as my wedding planner…mark my words girls, she will be famous. She is THAT good!
www.ohsofab.com
The Women’s Club of Ridgewood A+
This place is simply elegant and classic. Just beautiful. The rooms are warm and cozy, and the staff was pleasant and easy going. The town of Ridegwood is beautiful, and it made the perfect backdrop for our reception site. The ceremony was gorgeous, and the fireplaces added such a great touch, especially for a winter wedding. I definitely will recommend investing in Valet parking though, b/c there is very limited parking and it’s just annoying to ask guests to park their own cars on the street. The church across the street allows you to utilize their lot for a “donation” of $50, that is where the Valet parked all the cars. I highly recommend this site, it is unique and warm. And you really really can create a mood that is totally your own, if you are up to the task of bringing in caterers, rentals etc. (or hire a wedding planner like we did he he he)
Sterling Affair
A+++
I am still pissed that I was dancing too much to stuff my face. What I ate and what I sampled at the tasting was superb. Peter Fazio runs a very impressive show. WHAT A PERFECTIONIST!! The staff was amazing, and the food was the best ever, both the taste and the presentation. I was blown away, everything was fresh and delicious. I already hired Peter for my father’s 60th B-day party and for my house warming party..he is THAT good. IF you are going to get married at a venue where you bring in your own caterer, I can not recommend Sterling Affair enough. Simply the best
www.sterlingaffair.com
A Starry Night A++
Gabriela is fantastic. Not only is she so right in tune with what you need musically, she is so sweet (and did I mention a knockout???) She had the party dancing, and she kept it going smoothly all night. She played all of my special songs, and I sent her a list longer than my reviews lol! She was a perfectionist and I am SO happy we chose A Starry Night. They are truly a classy classy DJ company, it’s nothing like other weddings, you felt like
you were in a cabaret
www.astarrynight.com
Swingadelic A++
WOW! I was so PISSED I only got to catch like 10 minutes of the cocktail hour, but let me tell you, this band rocked. My guests were blown away and did not want to leave cocktail hour. They were amazing, and I was so obsessed with the sax player lol he serenaded me my own special song when I went up and I was so excited. They were really amazing and I was so glad we hired them b/c they brought a live musical element to the wedding. They are REAL jazz musicians, not like some cheesy company that hires out people for your wedding…they are really into the whole jazz scene so if you want pros to play at your wedding I highly recommend them…they have a full 12 piece orchestra too…WISH we had that at the wedding
www.swingadelic.com
Heavenly Harps, Patty Turse A+++
Patty was amazing, she played exactly what we wanted, and the harp was such an amazing addition to the ceremony. It was so unique, so elegant. I am SO happy we used her. And she learned a new song just for the ceremony, which I thought was such a nice touch
http://harpsound.home.att.net
Photography By Rebecca A+++
Rebecca is fantastic, she was on top of it the day of the wedding. She actually brought on another extra photographer for us (really for Tina b/c NJ Bride Magazine was there and Tina asked for some shots of her setting up and doing her planner thing, and Rebecca was so helpful and understanding and actually assigned another photographger to just Tina and her staff for the day!) She was SO patient with us and our family and got us in and out of picture taking time quickly (and we were so annoying I know) She was great, I hardly knew she was there b/c she is so non-obtrusive. We just got back a few pics that are here in the bio, and let me tell you if this is any thing close to what the rest of them look like I am in awe. She got these pics done for Tina really fast b/c they are going to be featured in NJ Bride magazine in June. Rebecca her team are SO talented...Special thanks to Pam for getting all of these amazing shots of all the great details that Tina & her team put so much time and effort into creating for our wedding day. We are SO pleased! www.photography-by-rebecca.com
The End Video Productoins A+
Mike was a doll, I haven’t seen the video yet but I am sure it is great
I will post reviews after I get the DVD, but in all he was a pleasure to work with and he was (from what Tina told me) right on top of it all night long and didn’t miss a beat
www.theendproductions.com
Bella-Dia A++++
My my my…it’s amazing what a little paper can do. Carolyn was fantastic. She custom designed my invites, programs, candy bag stickers, petal cones, lucky in love stickers, oot guest bag stickers, my FAVORITE champagne bottle stickers & “cheers” straw tags (soon pics to come) and table reservation cards for my family, and oh my god, the PERFECT PAIR signs that Tina surprised me with and tied to the backs of our chairs at the reception.
Her work is second to none, she takes such care in designing everything perfectly for her customers. She was a pleasure to work with, and the price was right. She is fantastic and I would recommend her to anyone. A true artist
Cookies: Robin K Design A+++++
This could have been one of the most favorite things about the wedding. We had a ton of family & friends on the West Coast that we just couldn’t invite (our wedding would have been over 400 people!) so I really wanted to do something special for all of them and send a lovely Wedding Announcement. Well Robin dreamed up some incredible boxed cookie idea complete with tags, labels and even heart shaped Styrofoam hearts inside. It was amazing..the response we got from our friends & family was out of control. She was so amazing and so easy to work with. She had this HUGE project done (we sent out 200) within 2 weeks from start to finish! She is an amazing designer and I am so glad I had the chance to work with her!!! Oh and one more thing….she (and her adorable husband) actually MAILED OUT all my announcements for me. She bought the postage and everything, and her and Lauren worked stuffing and sealing all the boxes. Now that is above and beyond!
Customized Cookies for announcement and candy buffet: Anything Cookies A+++++ Lauren out did her self. She made the most delicious and gorgeous cookies for my wedding announcements. She customized the colors, size, and even copied the monogram from Robin’s design perfectly . Not only were they beautiful, but they tasted delicious, I mean I literally ate every leftover scrap! And she made adorable pear cookies (another surprise from Tina) for my candy buffet. They were so amazing, she even brushed them with gold flecks to match my ballroom chairs.. I was blown away at not only her service (hand delivery) and kindness, but her product is fantastic. And let me tell you, I have seen cookies like hers for $15 a cookie, and they don’t even compare! lauren.vitkovsky@gmail.com
J Special Occassion, Westwood NJ A+++++++. I had some "issues" with my gown...not because of the salon but b/c the designer made some mistakes. Jennifer was amazing, not only did she get my gown RE MADE for me by Amy Michelson herself, but she made me a matching wrap for the wedding day and she and a fitter came to my hotel the day of the wedding and helped to dress me and tie the knot in the back of the gown perfectly..and they did it all for free. I was blown away with the service and the amazing attitudes of all the people who worked in that salon Not to mention the salon is gorgeous, and it makes your gown buying experience very elegant and classy. " 201-666-6669
Petals & Sweets OH MY GOD my flowers were to die for. TO DIE FOR. I mean seriously, Karin is so talented. There wer SO many freaking flowers at my wedding I was in heaven. I had no idea what t hey were even doing, Tina and Karin concocted the floral scheme….She had flowers in all shades of white & green throughout the rooms, and the fruit! It was out of this world. She actually sprayed PAM on each individual piece of fruit that she used in each arrangement to make it shiny! I was floored. When I saw the ceremony room for the first time when I walked down the aisle it actually took my breath away. Karin is an artist, and she was so sweet to me, even when I was a total nightmare and was freaking out for no reason about one of the bouquets that she made for my dad’s future wife. I was stressing out for nothing, and she did all she could to make me happy. She is super sweet, she came to one of my fittings before the wedding (2 hours away!) to bring me a sample bouquet. RUN don’t walk to the phone and book her for your wedding petalsandsweets@hotmail.com
Le Gateau Suisse My cake was gorgeous. Rolf did exactly what we wanted, right down to the colors that matched our invitations and the monogram matched exactly. The cake tasted amazing as well, and let me tell you their cakes are the best bargain in town!
Minister Donnald Dindinger from Creative Wedding Ceremonies A.
Don was so sick the night of my wedding, I felt so sorry for him. He had like a 102 fever and a bad flu, it may have even been pneumonia, but he still came, did the ceremony like a gentleman and made it very sweet for both TJ and I. I highly recommend him if you are looking for a non-denominational officiant
Kim at Bellula A++++++ Kim used to work at Panico in Ridgewood and recently started her own salon in Glen Rock. She has been doing my hair for years. My hair was exactly what I wanted, she had extensions in my hair, you would NEVER know. Also we put in white orchids all over and it looked amazing. I highly recommend her!
Leslie at Panico in Ridgewood. A+++ Again, I have been going to Leslie forever, so it was a no-brainer for her to do my wedding make up. It was perfect, flawless and stayed on all night and day
The Park Ridge Marriot D- This is the only bad review I have for my entire wedding. They messed up royally and I really was not happy. First they screwed up the shuttle and never bothered to show up at the end of the night to pick up our guests. Second they didn't bother to hand out my oot guest bags (which REALLY made me mad b/c I reminded them like 300 times as did my wedding planners). The manager Frank was super nice and unfortunately this all happened while he was not working (which is why it probably happened in the first place!). So I was not a happy camper, BUT they did comp my suite and they didn't charge us for the shuttle so at least they tried to make good..But I would definitely recommend another North NJ hotel if you get married up in Bergen County.
The Original Runner Company A+++
This was another one of Tina's famous surprises that she gave us on the wedding day. We had NO idea, I had never even heard of hand painted aisle runners..WHAT??? Tina had it customized to match our "h" monogram that was on everything at the wedding....and also they hand painted calla lillies & casablanca lillies on the corners of the runner, This was so beautiful we are having it framed and put up in our living room as a keepsake. It made the ceremony come alive, it was the centerpiece of the room. I can not wait to show you guys pictures! Beware of the impersonators, these runners are expensive for a reason..they do not move off the floor! They are non-skid and then will not tear (even with like a scissor) so they lay flat and look gorgeous through the entire ceremony. Obviusly a splurge, but if you have the money and want something really special....I highly recommend the original runner company, I was thrilled and SO surprised!
www.originalrunners.com
All I can say is this was the highlight of the evening. I recommend the following vendors for all the elemenst of your own candy buffet:
Candy supplier:
Economy Candy 212-254-1531
They had every single candy you could imagine, and we managed to color code to match our reception theme! Plus they were super nice and helpful when we were there, I highly recommend this store.
Glass containers & urns for lollipops:
IKEA, Targe, Home Goods & Michaels Crafts had great options for good prices
Customized cookies at buffet:
Anything Cookies (see above for review)
Scoops for candy jars:
http://www.lemelange.com/
White candy bags:
www.papermart.com
Customized stickers for candy bags:
Bella-Dia www.bella-dia.com (see above for review
Any other questions, please page me The one thing I will recommend it getting an abundance of containers. My planners had to run out last minute on the wedding day and purchase more b/c there was SO much candy!
From Photography By Rebecca
that we sent out in time for Valentine's day to all our friends and family made by Robin K Design & customized cookies baked with love by Anything Cookies
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