Oyepooh's Reviews 06.13.08

Blessed Trinity Catholic Church - A+
We had a little trouble booking our date when we first got engaged because the Pastor was on vacation and they wouldn't write us in the calendar officially until we had met with him. However, since my cousin works there, she penciled us in and set up the appointment so we could sit down with him upon his return. This was easy and painless. We met with the Deacon and his wife to take our FOCCUS test and then went to the Marriage Retreat on a Saturday in November. They allowed us to bring in our own priest because he is a good friend and it was important to us to have a priest that was bilingual so Ray's mom and my dad (and some other guests) could understand the ceremony. On the day of, everything went perfectly and since my cousin works there, we were not rushed during our pictures.
Contact Information - (305)871-5780

Ceremony Music - A+
Our organist was Sal Rendina. He is the Church's organist so he was easy to reach. He does work at other venues.
Contact Information - (305)652-7282

Our vocalist was Sara Andreu (my cousin). She also works at the Church so this was a no brainer. Her voice gives us chills and we worked directly with her to choose all of our music. She does sing at other Churches/venues as well.
Contact Information - syandreu@hotmail.com

Jungle Island - A+++
Our contact person there was Jannette Alix. She was easy to work with and made us feel like we were her only event. She remembered details from previous conversations and her years of experience made us feel at ease. Unfortunately, she no longer works there. Their packages were the best we could find anywhere and included lots of extras. We used the Prime Card and received a 25% discount on our food and beverage bill. On the day of, we were assigned our own staff member from the moment we arrived. They prepared and served us a tray with all the yummy food from the cocktail hour and brought us drinks right away. Our guests raved about the variety of food during the cocktail hour and most were so stuffed that they couldn't finish their entrees. That was music to our ears! We also heard a lot of good things in relation to the staff and our guests liked that they could park their own cars and didn't have to wait (and pay) for valet. Believe it or not, that was a factor in our decision to begin with. Our guests also loved the parrots that visited during the cocktail hour. We would recommend JI for any event.
Contact Information - (305)400-7239

Video - Digital Video Concepts - A
We booked them before I knew about the knot and didn't meet with any other vendors because I felt very comfortable around Luciano and Jesus. They do the filming of many of the events at my school and although they are a small company, I felt I could trust them. We had 2 cameras and the footage is wonderful. He was great at working with us after the wedding as we chose our songs and did the final editing. He understood my desire to have the whole Mass be a part of the video - I didn't want any of it cut out. Ray felt his work was a little cheesy and I can see that but it's a WEDDING video. They're all cheesy, aren't they?? Anyway, now that I know the variety of videographers and styles that exist, I might have made a different decision but I love our video nonetheless.
Contact Information - (305)207-0722

Photography - Gort & Sandor - D
Where do I begin??? We hired Sandor Glez of Gort & Sandor nearly 10 months out because we liked his style and clicked with him. We knew of a couple of people who had used him for other events. His album designs were done by his wife, Martha, and we really liked her work. She even sat and let us watch her work on someone else's album so we could see different options, etc. We were scheduled to take our first engagement pictures a few days after Thanksgiving. We received an email a few days prior to the shoot saying that Sandor would not be able to shoot our pictures but that another photographer would be there. She included his name (Polo) and number. We thought this was weird but went along with it (see review below). That same night there was a link in my email to the online gallery and we were very happy. Ray and I chose the picture we wanted to enlarge and emailed and called Martha multiple times. Days and days went by with no response. We eventually got a reply telling us that Polo would be handling our package from now on. We really liked working with Polo but that's not who we hired. I was miserable!! We met with Polo and he explained that Martha and Sandor were actually moving in a new direction career-wise. We were also told that apparently Sandor never backed up the high-resolution images from our engagement pictures so we would need to re-shoot them. At this point, we chose to move forward with Polo because we were only 4 months away from our wedding. Polo helped us out by making sure that Sandor compensated us - he paid for the Vizcaya fee the second time, the framing for our enlargement, etc. This is the only reason he gets a D and not an F.

Photography - Polo Sivori - A+++
So Polo was the photographer we never actually hired but ended up working with. We LOVE him to pieces! It's extremely funny how life twists and turns things on you and in the end, it's all okay. He is extremely laid back but full of energy. He isn't afraid to lay down on the floor or climb some rocks to get the right shot. He shot our engagement pictures both times and we met with him so many times before the wedding that we were already convinced he was like family by the time the wedding day came. As a result of everything that happened with our first engagement pictures, he agreed to give us the high-resolution images right away. So after leaving the 2nd shoot for our e-pics, we went to his office and downloaded all the images onto a portable drive. We had a friend do this for us with the wedding pictures while we were on our honeymoon and the day after the Bridal Portraits, I was at his office again. He wanted us to feel confident that it wouldn't happen again. We were compensated in a few other ways as well because Polo stuck his neck out for us and made sure Sandor took care of us (read above). He was incredibly good at keeping me calm (which takes a lot) and helping both of us relax in front of the camera. He even called me the day of the wedding to check on me. Seriously, he is our photographer for life!!! When we eventually chose all the pictures for our album, he and another designer worked on our album design. He then called us in to review it and make changes before sending it off to print. He kept telling us that he just wanted us to be happy and we definitely are.
Contact Information - email me for his phone #

DOC - Justine of Fabulous Fetes & Events - A+++
I never knew what a DOC was but as we got closer and closer to the wedding, I kept wondering who would pick things up after the Ceremony and Reception, etc. I didn't want my mom to worry about all of this on the day of so I suggested a DOC to Ray and my mom. They both thought it was worth looking into. My mom and I met with Justine about a month before the wedding and my only regret was not having hired her sooner in the process. After signing with her, I literally felt 500 pounds lighter. She called me the morning of and a few other times throughout the day to be sure I was okay and give me updates. She set everything up perfectly and packed things up for my mom to take home as well. She was on top of things yet very calm. She even helped me go to the bathroom. LOL I'm convinced my mom enjoyed the reception as much as she did because she knew Justine would take care of everything. I have to mention that we asked her to pack up a slice of wedding cake for my aunt who was hospitalized the week of the wedding and couldn't make it at the last minute - she even brought a little container from home. And to top it all off, my guests accidentally started a fire during our sparkler send-off and her husband, Alexis, put out the fire right away. We thought it was hilarious but he had a bucket of water ready to go and kept things under control. She is great at communication and I'd recommend her with my eyes closed.
Contact Information - info@fabulousfetesandevents.com

DJ - The Party Players - A+
Again, another vendor I went straight to and booked without looking elsewhere. They had DJd events for my school in the past and the parties they worked had always been the best ones. I called, went in to meet, signed the contract and wrote a check. Our MC was Johnny Caride and our DJ was Andy. They even brought a third guy on the day of. Their online system for song selection was easy to use. They were VERY responsive to emails and phone calls. We chose songs for introductions, first dance, garter removal, etc. and then left a lot of the music selection to them. We asked for a few songs but asked them to read the crowd for the most part. They did a great job at keeping everyone dancing all night!
Contact Information - (305)225-5267

Transportation - Meilan - A+
They seem to be the go-to company and now we know why. They were easy to work with before the wedding and excellent on the day of. We hired a Town Car to take Ray's mom to the ceremony and back home, the Rolls Royce Phantom for my dad and I to go to the Church and for us to go to the reception, and another Town Car to take us to our hotel after the reception. Humberto was our driver in the Phantom and he was wonderful. He helped me with my dress and was very sweet.
Contact Information - (305)665-7284

Flowers - Lazarus Flowers - A+++
Benny was awesome to work with!! When I first told him I was thinking of going "tropical," he was in heaven. He told me that sometimes brides forget to take their venue into consideration. I think he was excited to do something a little different. I even called him the day after the wedding and left hm a message thanking him for my beautiful flowers. He took my ideas and went 100 times beyond. I was sold on using Benny when I saw his wrought iron bases for our centerpieces and the columns that coordinated with them. We used those behind the cake and sweetheart tables. He was also able to bring in the areca palms to liven up the ballroom. All the flowers were very fresh and lasted for days after the wedding. I'd use him again without hesitation!!
Contact Information - (305)860-4203

Linens - Leyani Linens - A+
I kept things pretty simple as far as linens. I used JI's tablecloths for the guest tables but used Leyani for chair covers/sashes, brown napkins for the guests, brown linens for the cake and sweetheart tables, and ivory napkins for us. As far as I know, everything was on time and ready to go.
Contact Information - (305)668-0208

Espresso Station - Aroma Espresso - A+
Ray wanted to add this after seeing another wedding set up at JI. Their station looked great (others we saw looked kind of cheap) and they gave us a great deal. They were easy to book and showed up according to plan on the day of. The guests loved it!
Contact Information - (786)546-8173

Cake - Artistic Cakes - B+
We went to meet with Cilly because they were the only cake vendor on the JI list that included fondant. I wanted the clean look of fondant and a fairly simple design. We chose the orange flavored cake. On the day of, the cake was great but not exactly what we had designed with her. The piece we ate on the wedding day tasted great to us but when we ate it again on our 1st anniversary, not so good. Oh well.
Contact Information - (305)229-1005 or (305)262-5273

Invitations - Stylish Invitation Designs - A+
A friend of mine that has worked with Chantal and Aledia in the past sent us their way. My mom and I first got quoted on pocketfolds and they added up to more than we wanted to spend. I called them and they suggested we come up with a different design. They worked very diligently to come up with something simple and elegant. I was in love with the final product - they were awesome to work with!!
Contact Information - (954)237-7694

Suits - Manny's Formalwear - A-
We went with Manny's because they had the brown suits we wanted and we would be the first to wear them. He was also able to get the orange ties I wanted for the boys and Best Man. He let me come in a few times and play with different shirt and tie combinations without complaining. I also appreciated the fact that their store is very clean and everything seems much more organized than other places I went. They get an A- because two of the boys didn't fit very well into their jackets on the day of despite having been fitted. One of the boys' mom's called the shop a few hours before the wedding and they scrambled and got him a new jacket in time. The other mom didn't call but I'm sure if she had, they would have resolved the issue for him as well. We've already been back to get tuxes for Ray for other events.
Contact Information - (305)264-5516

Dress - Alfred Angelo - A
We had been to the shop in the Gables but there was a specific dress I wanted to see and since they didn't have it, we went to the store in Deerfield. The service was excellent from the moment we got there. They found the dress I wanted to see but when I tried it on, I was not happy. They kept pulling dresses and we found the one - my mom and godmother both started crying so that's it, decision made. We left the deposit and expected to get a call in a few months but I got a call 3 days later. They were about to ship the dress to another store when my order came in. We headed back up to Deerfield the next weekend and took the dress home. We took it to the Gables store for alterations because it was a lot closer for us. Thankfully, I didn't need many and the process was easy. They had the dress ready to go when promised and steamed it (and the veil) really well. I also purchased my head piece and veil from them.
Contact Information - (305)529-5822

Hair & Make-Up - Dina Acle - A+++
After a trial with someone else, Dina was an angel! Dina is the sweetest person I've ever met. She did my hair and make-up and also did my mom's make-up. She had a wonderfully calm demeanor. She came to my home for my trial, the day of the wedding, and the day of my Bridal Portraits. She was on time each time. She was very patient and listened to my concerns. My hair lasted all night looking great and so did my make-up despite all the dancing. I felt like a princess thanks to her. If I ever need professional hair/make-up again, I'd call her in an instant.
Contact Information - (786)514-1678

Wedding Rings - Rotunda Jewelers (mine) - A+ . . . and Sam's Club (Ray's) - A+
Ray had my engagement ring and wedding band custom made by Dana at Rotunda. Flawless work!!
Contact Information - (305)255-6162

I shopped around for Ray's ring with him and he finally decided that he wanted Tungsten. We had a problem finding a place that could order his ring in his size (he's a big guy - LOL). My mom spotted a Tungsten ring at Sam's Club (of all places) so we went to check it out. They had exactly what he had wanted and could order it. The best part was that if it didn't fit properly, we wouldn't have to take it. They called about 2 weeks later, it fit perfectly, and was a great price.

Parent gifts - My Publisher - A+
We ordered books with our engagement pictures to give to our parents at the RD. The books came out awesome and were a huge hit. I found the software easy to use. Although I don't remember exactly what we paid, I know we found coupon codes online. After the wedding, we used My Publisher again to create books with our wedding pictures while waiting for our real album to be ready. All of my aunts and uncles even ordered a copy for themselves.

Fabric for Bridesmaid Dresses - Rex Fabrics - A
Since we couldn't find dresses we liked, we opted to have them made. We bought the raw silk for the dresses at Rex Fabrics. Their selection is like none other and their service was good but they aren't cheap. The FG dress was made by her great-aunt who only sews for family. The MOH and Jr. BM dresses were made by a lady my MOH had used before (I don't have her information) but this time around, she was a total disaster so I could never recommend her.
Contact Information for Rex Fabrics - (305)448-7651

Registry - Bed, Bath & Beyond - A+
We only set up one registry and found it to be enough variety. I felt that they had a lot to choose from and liked the idea that the guests could use coupons. They also wrap the gifts for free. On our first day setting up the registry in the store, one of the associates walked through the store with us and made some suggestions. We went back another day to finish up and then did the rest of the changes from home. Their website was very easy to use. They were WONDERFUL about shipping gifts for those who chose that option. We did opt to take some things back when we realized what we really needed and had space for. They didn't give us a hard time about it. When you return items from your registry, you get cash. Overall, a great experience.

Signature Platter - Say Anything Ceramics - A+
I REALLY wanted a platter as our guestbook but couldn't find what I wanted locally. I searched the Internet and compared prices, options, etc. I called Say Anything a couple of times with questions and they were very responsive. It wasn't cheap but we loved the end result.
Contact Information - www.sayanythingceramics.com