Back to the idea of this post: kudos to some really hard-working wedding folks. Our wedding was superb and the people we worked with were similarly awesome. I have written most of the vendors from our wedding one or more positive reviews online, but I think they deserve more than that, so here goes.
Venue and Catering: Bird & Bottle Inn was our venue for the entire event and also did the food. I could not have been happier with them. Elaine, the owner, is accommodating, experienced, and kind. The staff is super friendly and the food is delicious. Their Sunday brunch is really good.
Hair: Deb's Hair Design is where I've had my hair done for the last decade. I loved my hair and what she did with the girls' hair. She is always great for haircuts, color, and special events. She was wonderful throughout the morning, helping us set up a bridesmaids' brunch right in the salon. I'll continue to go to her for as long as she'll have me! Call 845-265-7663 to make an appointment.
Makeup: Pretty Bird Bridal, run by Brooklynite-turned-Cold Springer Dorothy makes getting your makeup done a breeze. I am pretty sure I will never look like this again! She also did a great job on some of the maids and both the moms, making us look nice but not trying too hard. She'll travel to you up to a certain distance and has all the tools and gear to beautiful the whole crew.
Photography: Carlos Thomas Photography, based in Brooklyn, is an up-and-comer with a whole lot to offer. Carlos and Michele are knowledgable, smart, and professional at every turn. The picture above is of my nearly 200-year old veil resting on an old lampshade covered in a grocery bag to help keep its shape, and he made that look fancy in a photograph. If you saw us storing and carrying around this thing on the aforementioned setup, you'd understand a bit more about why I was so impressed by this. :) PS All the photos you see here are taken by Carlos and Michele.
Dress: Got my dress at J.Crew (big surprise, I know) and had it altered at Sew Elegance in the garment district. Esin, the expert seamstress, took my dress in perfectly and proved to me that I could wear a strapless dress without having to tug at it all night. She is not inexpensive, but she's reliable, experienced, and really nice!
Flowers: Carolyn of Carolyn's Flower Shoppe in Cold Spring is so easy to work with, and she is really laid-back. The bouquets and centerpieces were perfectly simple, unpretentious, and gorgeous. To be honest, flowers were one of those (many) wedding-y things I didn't care about at all, but when I saw these babies I was amazed at how pretty they were and how much I really loved them. Call her at 845-265-9242 for beautiful arrangements on any occasion, or order select items here.
Ceremony music: Scarsdale's Devonshire Players, an all-female string quartet, are fantastic! They have a very extensive rep and seem to have the wedding business down pretty well. When it began to rain during our ceremony (!) they made it under an awning without me even noticing and played the recessional and postlude without skipping a beat!
Officiant: Not a vendor, but a grandpa! One of the best parts of the day was having someone so special and important to us perform a truly personalized ceremony.
Bakery: Eat Sweets made us a small cutting cake and three different flavors of cupcakes. We devoured the leftover cake the week after the wedding. Abigail and Melissa, the girls at Eat Sweet are super eager to please and offer a lot of other customizable goodies besides wedding cake, all at reasonable prices.
Stationary: I literally don't even remember where I bought our actual invites, but the day-of stationary (menus, programs, table numbers) was all done by Graphic Nature LLC in Fishkill. Another pair of great girls runs this local shop. Their turnover time is fast and their designs are custom, ranging from hip to pretty to old-fashioned.
Entertainment: Perhaps the biggest kudos go to Party Time Productions based in Highland Falls. Patrick and John Flynn run a pretty smooth operation there. John was our DJ and he was spot on with each and every song as well as all of the transitions. He was super flexible and stayed totally calm through a few minor snags. The knack this guy had for feeling out the crowd was nothing short of amazing. These guys do more than just DJ; they offer all kinds of party necessities. Seriously, don't bother with any other area entertainment source, these are the dudes to call.
There we have it. A run down of some pretty cool local businesses from a supremely happy customer.
