Let me start off by saying that I was a pretty laid back bride. I had my lists of everything that needed to get done and my budget ready. I had a list of questions ready prior to each meeting and read every contract carefully. I probably only had to contact each vendor once throughout the planning process and again at the end to confirm everything for the big day. We had a very small bridal party with just a maid of honor and a best man. We wanted the reception to be just a fun dinner party and did not include most of the traditional wedding activities, i.e. no bouquet toss, no garter removal and no conga line.
My wedding day was everything I could have hoped for and more. I think there were probably a couple of things that did not go exactly as I had planned but who cares. My guests, DH, and I had a blast and I have fantastic pictures and video of the day.
Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church - Ceremony/Officiant/Organist
There was no doubt that this was the church I would get married at. I received all my sacraments there and went to the school. The assistant at the rectory was great to work with. She was very clear about all the requirements and followed up with me to make sure I had all my paperwork in order. Father Lopez was the officiant and I also brought in a former teacher of the school to co-officiate. Both were wonderful to work with and very laid back. I had a full mass which they held in Spanglish. I love the look of this church as well. It has a very long aisle which is something I really wanted. The aisle is also carpeted which is great because I did not want to hear the sound of heals while I walked down the aisle. Note for people with large bridal parties/families: you only get 15 minutes after the ceremony to take formal portraits. You need to be organized and let everyone know that they have to stay in the church for the pictures. I gave my photographers a list of the portraits I wanted. I included people's name so they would pay attention when their name was called out loud. Overall my experience was great and I recommend this church.
Doubletree Grand Hotel Biscayne Bay - Reception
When I started planning my wedding I had already been to 2 weddings at this location. I was pretty much set on this hotel because it had everything I was looking for. I did go to several different hotels in the downtown, grove, and airport area but none had what I was looking for. I knew that I was going to have a small guest list and that I would have small centerpieces so I did not want the room to look empty. I was basically looking for something that was not too big and had a great view. The Doubletree was perfect; the view at night is fantastic. The ceilings in the ballroom are not as high as say the Rusty Pelican (another location with a great view). I also liked that the reception area was right next to the ballroom making it easy to transition my guest from cocktail hour to reception. The DJ was also able to pump music into the balcony during the cocktail hour. Another plus was that the balcony was accessible during the reception so I knew I would not lose my friends that needed to get fresh air during the party. I also wanted the reception to be at a hotel. I have a very crazy worklife and really liked the convenience of having a lot of things taken care of with just one vendor. I did not want to worry about hiring caterers or renting chairs and linens. I also got ready at the hotel and stayed there the night of the wedding.
The planning process was very smooth. Adriana was extremely helpful throughout the whole planning process. The night of the wedding, she was there along with an assistant. When we arrived at the hotel, they took us into a separate room for us to wait for everyone to come in from cocktail hour. They gave us a platter of the appetizers and drinks while we waited. They were always making sure that DH and I had everything we needed throughout the duration of the reception. My guest all said the service and food was great as well. They never ran low on food during cocktail hour. We had one of the chicken entrees and it was great. Most people expect dry chicken at a wedding but the food was fresh, warm and juicy. The week of the wedding I had some guests let me know that they would not be able to attend. Adriana was very helpful in helping reallocate the funds to upgrade some of my food and beverage options. Overall my experience was great and I recommend this location.
We had a great experience and I recommend this hotel.
Divine Delicacies - Cake
Out of all the bakeries that were included in my package this was by far our favorite. They do not have many upgrades included in their basic hotel package, but they make up for it in the flavor of the cake. The most important this for me was to not have a cake that was overly sweet. The cake was awesome!!! It was a marble cake with vanilla filling and buttercream frosting. I also used Divine Delicacies for the Groom's Cake. That cake was chocolate with chocolate filling. It had a buttercream frosting with the Oakland Raiders shield made out of fondant. Everyone raved about both cakes. I highly recommend them.
Ambrosio Photography - Photography
By far my favorite vendor! Craig and Stacey Ambrosio are the sweetest people I have ever met. Both of them are professional photographers and are unbelievable talented. They have a photojournalism style. Their pictures are very natural and look great without touchup. They shot our wedding day as well as our engagement pictures. I decided with a little over a month left to go that I wanted engagement pictures and that I wanted to use those pictures for a guest sign in book. I selected the images I wanted for the book but because we were cutting close on time I did not see the layout before it went into processing. I trusted their artistic abilities to just run with it. It turned out beautifully and everyone was raving about it.
The day of the wedding Stacey was with me from the moment I started getting ready at the hotel. Craig was with DH and the bestman while they got ready. They arranged a private meeting for me and DH before the ceremony. They took us to a park next to the hotel to take pictures and then over to the Venetian Causeway to get shots with the Miami skyline in the background.
I had printed proofs as part of my package, but I was able to first see them online. I fell in love with them and upgraded to receive my printed proofs all in 4X6. For the album I opted for a coffee table style from Graphistudios. It has a black leather cover with our names and wedding date embossed on the cover. I do not remember what type of paper I used, but I remember that it was a cross between glossy and matte paper. I think that the paper we used made the colors stand out even more.
I am planning on doing a post wedding/trash the dress shoot. DH and I are also planning and doing a first anniversary shoot with them. I highly recommend these guys with my eyes closed! No joke, their work is flawless.
Artistry Wedding Films - Videography
Videography was a completely last minute decision. I hired them the week before the wedding. Luckily I had done my research many months before and there were only 2 vendors I really liked. Artistry came highly recommended by a friend of mine. Alan is very professional and always responded to my emails. There were two shooters but I barely noticed them there. They were very unobtrusive but still captured all the moments that I wanted on video.
The final product is fantastic. It is perfectly edited to a mix of songs we selected and Alan suggested. The camara work is great and very steady. It is more than just a video, it is a little movie. I would say it is the video equivalent of photojournalism. Overall I had a great experience with this vendor and I highly recommend them.
Party Players - DJ
I did not do any shopping around for the DJ. I was looking for two things, reliability and experience. I had hired the Party Players several years ago for another event so I new they had the experience I was looking for. Since I knew I would hire them I just told my mom to please call and get the contract for me. That day one of the co-owners happen to take the call, DJ Andy. My mom had a great feeling about him and wanted him to be our DJ. He was very polite, professional and honest. He told my mom that since we were having a small g I wanted a fun party atmosphere. I wanted my guest to have fun from the moment they walked through the doors. We hired them to start playing music during cocktail hour all the way through the end of the reception at 2 AM. We requested DJ Andy, one of the co-owners, and that's who we got for the wedding. He did an amazing job. I had submitted my play list but most importantly I wanted him to read the crowd and work with that. That is exactly what he did. He took my friend's requests as well. Everyone had a great time and we danced the entire night. You can't go wrong with the party players. I highly recommend them.
Vivian Colls - Flowers
Wonderful lady! She came highly recommenced by a friend of mine. I actually first met with a couple of the highly recommened florists from the knot, but I came out of those meetings disappointed. It seems like they took a look at my modest budget and did not really care to do business with me. They did not offer much creative input either. All they were offering was the same design done in most of their weddings. In fact I told them of them the one thing my DH did not want and this person responded that I should not listen to him. I found this to be extremely unprofessional. Vivian on the other hand treated me like I was her one and only client. She looked at my magazine clippings, listened to what we like and even asked DH if there was anything in particular that he wanted. She was the one and only florist willing to meet with me on the weekend. She hand delivered the final proposal to my house bringing along with her the vases she thought would work. I loved loved loved my vases. I wanted something elegant and simple and that is what she gave me. My one and only must have request was to have a bouquet with mini black callas. I have seen mini black callas bloom in different shades from deep burgandy to deep purple. I wanted the deep purples. She assured me that she will do what it takes to get those to me even if she has soak them a few days before. This happens to be common practice if you need to achieve a particular shade. I bring this up because she is the only one that gave me this option. Another florist said sorry I can't promise anything and don't believe anything another florist tells you. So on my wedding day I had my bouquet of dark purple callas! I also hired Vivian to set up the guest sign in table and the favors. She even came back to the hotel after the reception was over to clear out the flowers. Fantastic and sweet lady. I highly recommend her.
Bellisima Bridal (in Coral Gables) - Wedding Dress
I purchased a Cassablanca dress from them. I am in love with my dress! The service was good. Although I did not use them for alterations, I recommend them due to the variety of styles that I saw in the store.
Occansey Designs (obridal.com) - Veil
This was the best decision I made. I wanted the most simple one tiered layer. For some reason simple means expensive. I could not deal with a $300 price tag for a veil so I too my chances and ordered from an online vendor. They were very helpful in helping me figure out which dimensions would work best for what I was wanted. It was great quality, great service, and great prices. I highly recommend them.
Rey's Cleaners (in Coral Gables) - Alterations and dress preservation
I was not really happy with the seamstress they had at the bridal store so I decided to take the dress somewhere else. Reina (a knottie favorite) was just too far from me that I would end up spending money on gas just to save money on alterations. One day while I was bridal shoe shopping I stopped at a bridal store in the grove. I asked them if they knew of a place for me to take my dress for alterations and they told me that they usually send their bridesmaids to Rey's Cleaners. So I was off to Rey's Cleaners. By the time I had gone to get the dress altered I had lost a good amount of weight so the bodice had to be fixed up a bit. The seamstress did a great job and the dress was delivered on time as promised. I also plan on taking my dress there to get cleaned and preserved. They don't use chemicals to preserve the dress, the preservation comes from the fabric it is wrapped in and the type of packaging. I highly recommend them.
DSW.com - Shoes
I ordered my shoes from DSW.com I had already tried on a pair of shoes from the same brand but in a different style at the store so I knew what size I needed to order. They fit perfectly and were comfy. They were gorgeous and matched the sash on my dress perfectly.
Symphony Jewelers - Bridal Jewelry
I discovered this boutique a few years ago. I love love love their selection. The pieces they carry are very unique. The only thing I purchased new for the wedding were my earings and the wedding band they custom made for me. My bracelet, my other ring (my something blue) and my necklace were purchased there a few years ago. I highly recommend them. They are really great people and I love their service.
Genesis - Hair comb
It was probably two weeks before the wedding and I still didn't have a comb for my hair. My plan was to remove the veil for th reception and just have a nice comb decorating my hair. I had almost given up because everything at the bridal stores were too pricey. Then one day a knottie mentions that she got her comb from a kiosk at the mall. I was curious so I went over to international mall to find this place. When I found it I could not believe that I hadn't thought about them before. They had a great selection of combs at reasonable prices. I wanted something simple and elegant. I bought 2 combs from them. The price can't be beat and the girl is really nice too! I highly recommend them.
Daisy Tarsi - Maid of Honor Dress
I did not care too much for the service there. However if you are looking for certain designers that only they may carry on the mile, you have to go there. My maid of honor picked her own gown and purchased it there. She was not interested in shopping around for a cheaper place. They also did not have the alterations done at the time they promised. They kept messing up as well. The dress was finally delivered on Oct. 30th. For service I don't recommend them, but for selection I do.
Manny's Formal Wear - Tuxes
Great service! DH, the bestman and our brothers got their tuxes there. I highly recommend them.
Syms - Dads' tuxes
Both our dads felt they needed to purchases tuxes. Syms has great prices and a good selection. Both were happy with their purchases.
Nordstrom - MOB dress, MIL dress, and SILs dresses
What can I say I love this store. The service is exceptional. Many people think that it is a very expensive store but you'd be surprise how many deals you can find if you just look. They are much more affordable than a bridal store. Alterations were also done at the store. Very clean work and delivered on the date promised. I highly recommend them.
Meilan - Bridal Car
This is a family run business. They are very professional and honest business people. The driver was super duper nice. He arrived on time. The car was beautiful, clean, and well air conditioned antique silver Bently. I highly recommend them!
Madeleine - Makeup
I have said it a bunch of times, I highly recommend this girl!!!! She is amazing at what she does. The makeup stayed on all night, I did not look or feel cakey, I felt fantastic! Madeleine also did the makeup for my e-pics
Zorayda - Hair
She did a great job on my hair. My hair was looking thinned out but I did not want to use extensions. She managed to make it look like I had a lot more hair than I really do. My hair has never ever stayed put from an updo or any type of styling, but my hair did not fall the entire night, yet it felt so soft! I was so amazed. I highly recommend her as well.
Palomilla Grill - Rehearsal Dinner
The rehearsal dinner was held at the Palomilla Grill, cuban restaurant. The service was great and the food was yummy! Can't beat the price.
We DIY'd the invitations, the place cards, the card box and the favors. We bought the supplies at Michaels, Office Max, Party City, Papermart.com, Walmart, and Jo-Ann's. I'd like to give DH an A++++ on this. He put all of this stuff together.
Tracy Ahrendt Photography - Bridal Shower photographer
Hiring a professional photographer for the bridal shower was the best decision I made. She understood that I wanted to capture all the moments of my party without having to stop to pose at every moment. She also had a little portrait session for DH and I. Tracey was an absolute pleasure to work with. The pictures were amazing and captured all the fun moments of the day. I highly recommend her.
Diana Carvajal Event Planner
We hired Diana to cater the meal for my bridal shower. I had a mashed potato martini bar. The food was a hit. It was set up buffet style, and we purchased large plastic martini glasses at party city to serve the food. There was shrimp, shredded chicken, and ground beef, mashed potato and mashed malanga. Additional toppings were also served. It was a small party for 25 people so we only needed one server. She stayed until it was time to serve the cake. She cut the cake (not provided by them) and served to the guests. I highly recommend Diana.
Showing posts with label OBridal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OBridal. Show all posts
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
GatorNicole's Reviews 02.21.09
Officiant - page for info - A+
He made the ceremony perfect. He knew the right thing to say and everyone loved him. He got to know DH and I and everything he said came from the heart. We wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have married us! (it was a Jewish ceremony)
Deering Estate (ceremony on lawn)- A/B-
A - The place is beautiful!! ; We had a huge flock of white birds pass over right before the ceremony began, there were manatees in the water behind us, the weather and lighting was also perfect!
B- - There was trash everywhere on the lawn. My DH was picking up trash when we were having the rehearsal the day before. Then when we had some family setting up our chuppah/arbor the day of, they were picking up trash as well. (Everything from plastic eating utensils, straws, cigarettes, etc). When I was walking down the lawn (on my way to getting married), I was avoiding trash. There also were boats docked near the water they said they would have moved, after persisting over two days an several times, they finally moved them. Security guards wandered aimlessly talking on their cell phones.
I still recommend Deering Estate. The place was beautiful. Despite the hiccups on the road, I would still get married there.
Photographer - Lux Images - A++
Andy and Oscar were there to capture our day. Amazing doesn't begin to describe them. They were our favorite vendor to work with since day one. DH who was apprehensive about taking photos now wants to do photo sessions with them in the future. We cannot recommend them enough!! EVERYONE who has seen the photos they put on their blog love them! (Also, Andy noticed the waiters at the reception taking our cake away before we cut it, thanks to him, DH and I were able to have our cake cutting!)
Videographer - George Y. - A
George and his son were great. They were there but we barely noticed them. They were waiting for us at the ceremony and stayed the entire reception. They worked great alongside the photographers and were reasonably priced. They also shoot in HD! I can't wait to see the final product! We are supposed to have the video in just 2 weeks! UPDATE: Video looks great!
Makeup - M./Bobbi Brown - A
Bobbi Brown in Miami
M. has worked there a while and done lots of weddings. She did me, my mom and grandmother. She basically gave me a free trial the day before the wedding and gave my mom a quick one when she went in. Typically you have to spend 50-60 dollars to get the makeover. We bought a TON of stuff from her on Saturday. She is SUPER nice. Extremely patient. I got TONS of compliments too. The makeup lasted all night! I definitely recommend her!
Crowne Plaza (reception) - B+
The event manager/coordinator was very easy to work with. However the guy who was in charge of the event didn't seem to care. When I initially met him the week before he seemed to be in a rush and annoyed with the meeting (IMO). I had forgotten about vendor meals and told the main event manager I wanted to feed four people. Soon the other guy who was overseeing everything that night came up to me and told me I had one meal left and he already fed another vendor who I did not want fed and never told them to feed. Then I was getting a hard time on them cooking something for them! There was also some miscommunication and they forgot to ask/I forgot to give, a credit card for them to charge the rest of the payment on and I didn't feel it was appropriate to be telling me this at the reception that I'm supposed to be enjoying. My MOH took care of everything, but they are lucky I had my wallet on me! Then my MOH told them we would be cutting the cake in 15 minutes and I have my photographer coming up to me and telling me they took the cake away! I had to run and find someone and explain to them not to cut the cake because DH and I hadn't cut it yet. That was a huge mistake that was avoided thanks because of Andy and my MOH who had also noticed. Most people said the food was good. I guess I wasn't a fan.
When everything was setup it looked beautiful, but I don't know how much that was my people or them. I would still have another event there. Gigi was fabulous to work with.
Cake - Edible Creations - A
Lily was great to work with. We sampled a few cakes and liked hers the best. We had vanilla rum (I have a piece to try in my fridge) and red velvet. We got the vanilla rum and red velvet. The cake didn't look exactly like the picture that we were expecting (there were supposed to be more swirls and not many of the "c's" and the top half was supposed to look like the bottom and be half blank, the ribbon, then the bottom half swirls... BUT it was still very pretty, very yummy, and a great price! I highly recommend Lily!
Millenium Limo - B
Everything was great in the beginning. Our driver was patient and nice. He didn't need a lot of directions as far as where to go/how to get to our places. I was unhappy when we told him that we were going to use him for additional hours so he'd be able to drive us to our hotel at the end of the evening, he told us he had another party to transport. This was annoying because when I signed the contract I said I was going to be using the limo for extra hours and now the driver was telling us when we had to leave our reception by and we suddenly left ourselves trying to find a ride to our hotel that night.
Flowers - J. Morgan Flowers - D (photo's on ProjectWedding.com)
Based on my experience, I did not enjoy working with this vendor and do not recommend them.
The reception was simple. I paid over $ 45 each centerpiece. Assorted colors of 'stock' were placed into our vases. (The $ 45 were for only for the flowers -- the centerpieces and candle holders were provided by me)
The bouts were simple. I paid over $ 40 for four single flower boutonnieres with green floral tape around the stem and a pin stuck through them.
I paid over $ 60 for three usherette corsages, each with three roses in them. One of them began falling apart before it was put on.
Below is a photo of the bouquet that I wanted and had discussed with Jacqueline from J Morgan Flowers (as well as emailed to her). However, I wanted the reverse of colors (more light pink with touches of off white, with a few added mini calla lilies that are the pale pink to off white color).
Below are photos of my bouquet. Their were no pale pink roses (which were stated in my contract), the calla lilies were hot pink and the roses looked yellow. I paid over $ 200 for my bouquet.
It was about the size (in width) of a roll of paper towels. Also, it was supposed to be tied in all satin (again, as stated in the contract), instead it was tied in satin and organza (and the organza was fraying).
I paid over $ 100 for petals to be in the aisle-way. The contract states a "heavy sprinkle." Below is a photo of the aisle-way with the petals I received.
I paid over $ 80 for the two bridesmaid bouquets you see below.
--- see my photos in my profile ---
Rings - Rogers Findings and Castings (Seybold Building) - A+
Lucy is great. The quality was amazing. Turnaround time was super fast. Prices were great too! DH and I love our rings! Mine was custom made and DH's was found at another store and they managed to get it. They also did a great job engraving our rings and dipping my e-ring. I DEFINITELY recommend them!
Dress - Pearl's Place - A
Everyone who answers the phone is VERY nice. There were a few very minor hiccups along the way which is why they are getting an A over the A+. After I left my deposit, I never received a copy of my receipt. After a short phone call, another one was sent out very quickly. I was told I should have my dress by Nov. 22nd, when I called them that day, they said it wasn't expected in until mid December. The dress showed up the second week of December. It was still packaged by the designer, Pearls Place seemed to be just a pit-stop in the shipping. Overall, I got my dress exactly the way I wanted (no ordering glitches) and saved some money.
Dress Alterations - Alterations by Reina - A
The dress came out beautiful and everyone loved it. She does quality work in a short amount of time. She is reasonably priced. I would definitely make a long drive to reach her!
Groom/Groomsmen - Mr. Tux (Kendall) - B-/C+
We went in there and called several times to make sure they had the groom's tux jacket pockets sewn in like they suggested when we picked the tux. Everytime we went in or called they kept "making a note." Of course, the day the tux was picked up the pockets weren't done and they didn't want to change them. After DH persisted, he got them to fix them. Also, my brothers tux was missing a button. They took it away from him and said they would fix it and ultimately shoved it back into a garment bag and wouldn't let him open it up in the store. The missing button made his tie crooked all night.
Veil - Occansey Designs/Obridal.com - A+
Great quality, fast service. I definitely recommend custom ordering your veil!
Rumor Has It Party Rentals - A+
Best prices, great furniture. Everyone was very nice to deal with. They setup everything how I wanted and did a great job. They also were prompt in picking everything up and even picked up our arbor/arch to temporarily store in their warehouse! I would definitely recommend them.
DJ Ubi - A-/B+
We had AJ for our ceremony and Lionel for our reception. Both did a great job and exactly what we wanted. We left a few parts of our song list blank, Lionel chose some good songs to fill in. They both were on time, easy to work with, and very nice. My only complaint is Lionel disappeared some for parts of the reception, leaving my brother and one of the photogs to figure out how to lower the volume because people couldn't talk during dinner. He disappeared periodically, but was there when the main dancing was going on. Otherwise, everything was good.
Hair - Gina - A
The hair looked great and lasted all night! Gina is sweet and patient and will do exactly what you want.
Invitation Design - Michelle Vega (page for info)/ Bella Michi/DIY - A+
Michelle designed the most gorgeous invites and put up with all the little revisions and tweaks. I give myself a B cause it took me longer than I had planned to get them assembled and mailed out.
He made the ceremony perfect. He knew the right thing to say and everyone loved him. He got to know DH and I and everything he said came from the heart. We wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have married us! (it was a Jewish ceremony)
Deering Estate (ceremony on lawn)- A/B-
A - The place is beautiful!! ; We had a huge flock of white birds pass over right before the ceremony began, there were manatees in the water behind us, the weather and lighting was also perfect!
B- - There was trash everywhere on the lawn. My DH was picking up trash when we were having the rehearsal the day before. Then when we had some family setting up our chuppah/arbor the day of, they were picking up trash as well. (Everything from plastic eating utensils, straws, cigarettes, etc). When I was walking down the lawn (on my way to getting married), I was avoiding trash. There also were boats docked near the water they said they would have moved, after persisting over two days an several times, they finally moved them. Security guards wandered aimlessly talking on their cell phones.
I still recommend Deering Estate. The place was beautiful. Despite the hiccups on the road, I would still get married there.
Photographer - Lux Images - A++
Andy and Oscar were there to capture our day. Amazing doesn't begin to describe them. They were our favorite vendor to work with since day one. DH who was apprehensive about taking photos now wants to do photo sessions with them in the future. We cannot recommend them enough!! EVERYONE who has seen the photos they put on their blog love them! (Also, Andy noticed the waiters at the reception taking our cake away before we cut it, thanks to him, DH and I were able to have our cake cutting!)
Videographer - George Y. - A
George and his son were great. They were there but we barely noticed them. They were waiting for us at the ceremony and stayed the entire reception. They worked great alongside the photographers and were reasonably priced. They also shoot in HD! I can't wait to see the final product! We are supposed to have the video in just 2 weeks! UPDATE: Video looks great!
Makeup - M./Bobbi Brown - A
Bobbi Brown in Miami
M. has worked there a while and done lots of weddings. She did me, my mom and grandmother. She basically gave me a free trial the day before the wedding and gave my mom a quick one when she went in. Typically you have to spend 50-60 dollars to get the makeover. We bought a TON of stuff from her on Saturday. She is SUPER nice. Extremely patient. I got TONS of compliments too. The makeup lasted all night! I definitely recommend her!
Crowne Plaza (reception) - B+
The event manager/coordinator was very easy to work with. However the guy who was in charge of the event didn't seem to care. When I initially met him the week before he seemed to be in a rush and annoyed with the meeting (IMO). I had forgotten about vendor meals and told the main event manager I wanted to feed four people. Soon the other guy who was overseeing everything that night came up to me and told me I had one meal left and he already fed another vendor who I did not want fed and never told them to feed. Then I was getting a hard time on them cooking something for them! There was also some miscommunication and they forgot to ask/I forgot to give, a credit card for them to charge the rest of the payment on and I didn't feel it was appropriate to be telling me this at the reception that I'm supposed to be enjoying. My MOH took care of everything, but they are lucky I had my wallet on me! Then my MOH told them we would be cutting the cake in 15 minutes and I have my photographer coming up to me and telling me they took the cake away! I had to run and find someone and explain to them not to cut the cake because DH and I hadn't cut it yet. That was a huge mistake that was avoided thanks because of Andy and my MOH who had also noticed. Most people said the food was good. I guess I wasn't a fan.
When everything was setup it looked beautiful, but I don't know how much that was my people or them. I would still have another event there. Gigi was fabulous to work with.
Cake - Edible Creations - A
Lily was great to work with. We sampled a few cakes and liked hers the best. We had vanilla rum (I have a piece to try in my fridge) and red velvet. We got the vanilla rum and red velvet. The cake didn't look exactly like the picture that we were expecting (there were supposed to be more swirls and not many of the "c's" and the top half was supposed to look like the bottom and be half blank, the ribbon, then the bottom half swirls... BUT it was still very pretty, very yummy, and a great price! I highly recommend Lily!
Millenium Limo - B
Everything was great in the beginning. Our driver was patient and nice. He didn't need a lot of directions as far as where to go/how to get to our places. I was unhappy when we told him that we were going to use him for additional hours so he'd be able to drive us to our hotel at the end of the evening, he told us he had another party to transport. This was annoying because when I signed the contract I said I was going to be using the limo for extra hours and now the driver was telling us when we had to leave our reception by and we suddenly left ourselves trying to find a ride to our hotel that night.
Flowers - J. Morgan Flowers - D (photo's on ProjectWedding.com)
Based on my experience, I did not enjoy working with this vendor and do not recommend them.
The reception was simple. I paid over $ 45 each centerpiece. Assorted colors of 'stock' were placed into our vases. (The $ 45 were for only for the flowers -- the centerpieces and candle holders were provided by me)
The bouts were simple. I paid over $ 40 for four single flower boutonnieres with green floral tape around the stem and a pin stuck through them.
I paid over $ 60 for three usherette corsages, each with three roses in them. One of them began falling apart before it was put on.
Below is a photo of the bouquet that I wanted and had discussed with Jacqueline from J Morgan Flowers (as well as emailed to her). However, I wanted the reverse of colors (more light pink with touches of off white, with a few added mini calla lilies that are the pale pink to off white color).
Below are photos of my bouquet. Their were no pale pink roses (which were stated in my contract), the calla lilies were hot pink and the roses looked yellow. I paid over $ 200 for my bouquet.
It was about the size (in width) of a roll of paper towels. Also, it was supposed to be tied in all satin (again, as stated in the contract), instead it was tied in satin and organza (and the organza was fraying).
I paid over $ 100 for petals to be in the aisle-way. The contract states a "heavy sprinkle." Below is a photo of the aisle-way with the petals I received.
I paid over $ 80 for the two bridesmaid bouquets you see below.
--- see my photos in my profile ---
Rings - Rogers Findings and Castings (Seybold Building) - A+
Lucy is great. The quality was amazing. Turnaround time was super fast. Prices were great too! DH and I love our rings! Mine was custom made and DH's was found at another store and they managed to get it. They also did a great job engraving our rings and dipping my e-ring. I DEFINITELY recommend them!
Dress - Pearl's Place - A
Everyone who answers the phone is VERY nice. There were a few very minor hiccups along the way which is why they are getting an A over the A+. After I left my deposit, I never received a copy of my receipt. After a short phone call, another one was sent out very quickly. I was told I should have my dress by Nov. 22nd, when I called them that day, they said it wasn't expected in until mid December. The dress showed up the second week of December. It was still packaged by the designer, Pearls Place seemed to be just a pit-stop in the shipping. Overall, I got my dress exactly the way I wanted (no ordering glitches) and saved some money.
Dress Alterations - Alterations by Reina - A
The dress came out beautiful and everyone loved it. She does quality work in a short amount of time. She is reasonably priced. I would definitely make a long drive to reach her!
Groom/Groomsmen - Mr. Tux (Kendall) - B-/C+
We went in there and called several times to make sure they had the groom's tux jacket pockets sewn in like they suggested when we picked the tux. Everytime we went in or called they kept "making a note." Of course, the day the tux was picked up the pockets weren't done and they didn't want to change them. After DH persisted, he got them to fix them. Also, my brothers tux was missing a button. They took it away from him and said they would fix it and ultimately shoved it back into a garment bag and wouldn't let him open it up in the store. The missing button made his tie crooked all night.
Veil - Occansey Designs/Obridal.com - A+
Great quality, fast service. I definitely recommend custom ordering your veil!
Rumor Has It Party Rentals - A+
Best prices, great furniture. Everyone was very nice to deal with. They setup everything how I wanted and did a great job. They also were prompt in picking everything up and even picked up our arbor/arch to temporarily store in their warehouse! I would definitely recommend them.
DJ Ubi - A-/B+
We had AJ for our ceremony and Lionel for our reception. Both did a great job and exactly what we wanted. We left a few parts of our song list blank, Lionel chose some good songs to fill in. They both were on time, easy to work with, and very nice. My only complaint is Lionel disappeared some for parts of the reception, leaving my brother and one of the photogs to figure out how to lower the volume because people couldn't talk during dinner. He disappeared periodically, but was there when the main dancing was going on. Otherwise, everything was good.
Hair - Gina - A
The hair looked great and lasted all night! Gina is sweet and patient and will do exactly what you want.
Invitation Design - Michelle Vega (page for info)/ Bella Michi/DIY - A+
Michelle designed the most gorgeous invites and put up with all the little revisions and tweaks. I give myself a B cause it took me longer than I had planned to get them assembled and mailed out.
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