How Absolute Entertainment almost ruined my wedding…read more So, I should start by saying how I was lured in by the personable phone conversation I had with Gordon Thorn in May. My fiancé and I went to the building in Hanover and were so impressed by his demeanor and sound test. He told us that he had availability for our wedding date and we signed a contract with Absolute the same day! He even gave us a discount because we were both teachers. Then the nightmares started. About two months later, we received a phone call from Gordon notifying us that he was not going to be able to play our reception, but he assured us that he had another DJ who was available. Once again, we drove out to Hanover to hear the other DJ. We got another contract for the same price and were finally content that everything would work out. We were told that we had until August 29th to pay to receive the "pay in full" discount. We sent our check in on August 24th and noticed that it had not been deducted from our account by Sept 1. We called to make sure that they had received our check; they had. Apparently, they were waiting to deposit the check because THE DJ HAD BACKED OUT. ONCE AGAIN, WE WERE WITHOUT A DJ FROM ABSOLUTE. By this point, my ceremony date was fewer than 30 days away. My biggest concern is not that we were without a DJ but that no one from the company had bothered to call us. We called to inquire about our check and were given this information. Absolute told us that they would have the problem resolved by the end of the week. Labor Day weekend came and went with no response from them. I called and left messages last week and received no call backs at all. Finally, this evening, we received a call from them. I have no idea what they wanted. The $1300 check we sent them has long been cancelled. My wedding is in 19 days, and I can't imagine what they could have had to say. This could have been a nightmare. They obviously didn't want my business. Don't give them yours.

We had Chris Uhl DJ our Nov. 11th wedding- seriously, he's as good as DJs get. He had DJ'd a…read morewedding we attended last year, and we knew we just had to have him at ours (we prepared to be teased that we were sweating our friends' style :-) My husband and I have a pretty ecclectic taste in music. We wanted to transition from jazz to modern lounge music at dinner (ala Thievery Corporation), which isn't really all that common at weddings. We also wanted a DJ who could seamlessly transition from typical Top-40s to Colombian music while keeping the dance floor packed, given my husband's many Colombian relatives who were there. I have NEVER been to a wedding where the dance floor remained so packed all night long, and I don't think I'm being biased. Chris took a lot of time to get a feel for our tastes, and more importantly, took note of what we did NOT want (cheesy slow songs and line dances were a no-no for us). He also provided some great suggestions, all of which wound up being hits with the crowd. Chris really kept the party going. He knew just what songs to play, and happened to find a way to interrupt the dancing (for cake cutting, etc) without killing the mood. I can honestly say that none of our friends wanted the night to end- and so many people (friends and family alike) commented that Chris was the best DJ they had ever seen/heard! Chris, if you're reading this, THANK YOU. We are your #1 fans!

I'm working on a project and need a professional photographer. But not just any photographer, a…read morecreative one. A good friend of mine, swooped in with a recommendation, him. She worked with him 10+ years ago when she modeled. She raved to me about how great he was and said his were the best photos she ever took. I had seen her model photos years before, but it had been some years. She sends me a sample of her past work with him to prove his skill, I'm impressed. So, I look him up on both Facebook and Instagram. I do a glance over of his work posted and also view his studio. I like. I really like. I then go to his website and schedule my consult. At the telephone consult, I briefly explain my project. I fear my request is out of his scope. It's not, he reassures me there's more to his portfolio than what's posted. He is very clear and business focused. We discuss his rate and services offered. I decline the need for hair & makeup assistance. Given the goals of the project, I opt to handle both on my own. We text a bit after the consult and that's what solidified things. My project would require professionalism, comfort, transparency and positive energy. The call & text convo confirmed that's exactly what he projects and I was in good hands. Within 48hrs of the consult, we schedule the shoot. 50% of the session rate is due prior and the final 50% due the day of the shoot. He emailed me an invoice that allows credit card and pay pal transactions. He suggests that we create a private post so that we can communicate ideas. The night before the shoot, he inquired of my preferences so that he can further personalize my session. He reinforces that he wants it to be fun. (NOTE: I'm dedacting specific details of his prep. I feel these are keys to his greatness and for you to know the specifics to his methods, you should just hire him and see for yourself). Our remote interactions ease my nervousness & assist in establishing a baseline of rapport & comfort. I'm now excited. Day of shoot, we both arrive and it's all smiles. No awkwardness. He meets me at my car and walks me to his studio on the 2nd floor. As he sets up the studio, I apply my make up. We are now in person, and it is clear our interaction is organic. I watch him as he perfects the setting, lighting & angles in prep for the shoot. The shoot itself was no pressure & fun. It was interesting watching him because once behind the camera, regardless of distraction, his face loses all emotion & he falls quiet. He's in artist mode. It's almost like a puzzle or a formula and he's trying to come up with the best way to execute to get the desired result. Similar to that of a mastermind. I found it fascinating to personally witness. I may have gawked. In fact, I'm almost certain I did. After the shoot concludes, he discusses the follow up process and expectations. Again, I'm impressed by his presentation of things. Fancy & very professional. He allows me to take pics of the studio as I previously explained how I Yelp everything. Upon review of my lil rinkydink iphone pics vs his online pics of the studio, his are far better and photography is meant for the professionals. Him, definitely not me. I thank him for taking on my project, and he thanks me for choosing him to execute it. It says a lot for my friend to trust me enough to refer me to someone she regards so highly and it says a lot when, 10+ yrs later he made such an impression that she would choose to refer him over all others she worked with. We part with nothing less than respect. Given my personality, I hop on flights for food so I would most definitely travel to another state for a photographer who is mastery with a friendly professional demeanor. It goes without saying, and without having received the final product that yes, I would, hands down work with him again in the future.

Had an early morning photo shoot with photographer extraordinaire, Derrel Todd in his fabulous…read morestudio! This review is really about how talented Derrel is, as a seasoned photographer who shoots for celebrities in local nobody's like me. He truly makes magic with his creative eye and high powered lenses. I am so grateful and honored that Derrel wanted to shoot little ole me to include in his next major project. Check him out !

You can't go wrong when you partner with Chris, the owner of Ultimate Occasions. Chris and his…read morecrew are simply amazing. They did an amazing job at my hubby 50th birthday celebration. Looking for a DJ, camera crew, or much more....call Chris. I promise you won't be disappointed. His prices are wonderful too.

They were extremely responsive and helpful. The level of professionalism was highly recognizable…read moreand appreciated. They arrived early than expected to give us plenty of time to set up for my son's surprise birthday party! I would definitely use them again for other events.

AMAZING. I ABSOLUTELY love them. Dynamic duo. They did our maternity shoot and the pictures were A+…read morethey will definitely be doing our newborn shoot as well.

It's frankly a delight to offer a review of Night and Day, a jazz combo led by Mike Suser. See:…read morehttp://www.nightanddaymusic.com/ Night and Day performed at my wife's birthday party (a significant date), providing a high degree of musicianship in their rendition of "standards" and songs from the Great American Songbook. We engaged Night and Day for a private party at a lovely Capitol Hill restaurant (Ninella) and wanted an ensemble that would amplify the elegance we hoped to achieve for our party. Throughout the evening, Night and Day furnished that elegant touch, understated and balanced, and demonstrated why hiring professionals (who know each other and have worked together) makes a real difference. We were treated to vocals from Renée Tannenbaum, who certainly charmed our guests and helped create the atmosphere we hoped to achieve for our friends. I note that Night and Day also rehearsed with one member of our party a song (As Time Goes By) and troubled themselves to get a copy of the song in advance, arranged as our party member intended to sing it. We would recommend Night and Day to others, would certainly engage them again if the occasion arose, and would welcome hearing them perform at one of DC's local venues.

Brandi and her entire team with Charming Grace Events are AMAZING. Their personalities are very…read moresweet, fun, calm and motivated. They are all genuinely interested in making your event flow smoothly and be the BEST it can be. Brandi helped us plan our own wedding last year in November on a beautiful B&B horse farm. She shared so many creative ideas and ways to make our day even more special. Our priorities were all about gathering our people and Brandi helped us with seating charts and the flow of the day so we could spend as much time with our favorite people on our wedding day. She's more than just an amazing planner, she's also an amazing human. As a wedding photographer in my full-time career, I have also worked hands-on with Brandi and her entire team at other weddings from LondonTown to the Westin. She is a pivotal reason to why the wedding day flows so effortlessly. She is stealth and always appears when you need her. I can't wait to travel to Colorado and capture weddings and see her Colorado community grow. If you need a planner for ANY event Hire her and her team, you will not regret it!

DC - MARYLAND - VIRGINIA areas BEWARE!! I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business…read moreBureau. With so many Wedding Planner services in the DMV, I STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND Charming Grace Events. This review is coming from a Naval Officer with 12+ years in the Navy, and someone that is familiar with the wedding industry having my own wedding videography company. I say this, because I'm not just some "angry" social media person writing a negative review because I'm disappointed with the service I received, but rather to provide credibility to those that reads this review and provide awareness to those wanting a smooth wedding planning experience. We signed a contract for FULL SERVICE Wedding Planning Services for $6,000. She did provide us with a 10% military discount, even after we had signed the contract which was very nice of her. We paid a $1,200 retainer agreement. However, our experience was overall POOR as Brandi presented us with limited options, and expects you to sign whatever she presents to you. Brandi QUIT after we asked for multiple quotes from vendors, and kept the retainer citing: "Between the questionnaire from your initial consult, to the design board, I created based on those conversations, I do not feel that things are realistically matching up." Using the blurb in the contract: "may be terminated at any time by either the Client or the Consultant for such reason as, but not solely limited to: dissatisfaction, inability to maintain a civil Client/Consultant relationship, personality differences, etc. The liability is then limited to those funds already paid and received." She never tried to sync up with us to verify if things were realistically not matching up. She delayed things by not responding to our emails, then responding to our emails that she is busy and will respond later to our emails, to eventually flat out quitting. Here's more of the backstory: Brandi was certainly delightful to work with in the beginning. She was charming, and full of life. She came off as very organized, and delightful to work with us and meeting our wedding planning needs. We on our own found the photographer, videographer, DJ, and venue. My fiance still wanted to have a full-service planner for piece of mind. We do well for ourselves, and was by no means trying to find a low budget wedding. However, we are smart with our money, and seek to find optimal value in a business market that can be plagued with over inflated pricing, especially if you aren't familiar with the industry. The trouble began of when I started poking at what we were getting with Charming Grace Events. I'll start off by saying when I would text Brandi, she never responded. When I would email Brandi, she took 3+ days to respond. When my fiance would receive quotes from Brandi, I did some digging. My fiance informed Brandi that we would like to have catering around $15,000. What she presented to us were 2 caterers over $21,000 and that's before taxes and gratuity. I find it very hard to believe that in the entire DMV, there aren't caterers for the budget range we were looking for. Nonetheless, I called the caterer myself, and was able to work the price down without sacrificing food options or quality by about $3-4k, basically through getting a greater discount and optimizing staffing. This should've been Brandi's job, not mine. We received 1 quote for a florists. $5500, of which 30% was for a delivery, design, and setup fee. We asked for another quote. Never got one. I did some digging and found a florist with high ratings for about 25% cheaper. We were VERY, VERY appreciative and friendly in our emails. We even said if she is receiving a commission on her "preferred vendors" that is fine, but we would like to receive MULTIPLE options - not just ONE, or TWO. She will probably that she provided the following services: You stated you provided the following services: Venue research and scheduled tours Booking your venue/Choosing wedding date Aisle Planner Account - wedding management program Customized wedding design board Catering & florist research and proposals 1 in person meeting to discuss overall vision 1. We had already found our venue when we reached out to her. 2. She provided us with 2 Catering proposals, and 1 Florist proposals. All of which were extremely overpriced. 3. She did meet with us in person to discuss overall vision. 4. The other stuff was partially used. In summary, Brandi quit and stole our $1,200 retainer more than likely because we asked her to do her job. Yes, we tried to find some lower price options, but by no means nothing unreasonable. Like I said, we have no problem paying for a really good wedding that my fiance and I both want. What we have a problem is OVERPAYING because we didn't do our homework, or in this case overpay because our wedding planner just not to do hers.

My fiance and I were very impressed with Andrew's work on our engagement photos. The pictures came…read moreout beautifully, and we received many compliments about how great they looked. Despite being slightly apprehensive about being in front of the camera, Andrew made the shoot a lot of fun for us. He dealt with the added challenge of having our dog tag along like a true professional, and he took some great pictures of our pup as well. I greatly appreciated his skill in taking both posed and candid shots in the outdoor setting. I would highly recommend him for his ability to truly capture personalities in people and pets!!