Vendor suggestions please!

Dot825

I also forgot -- try Lauren Carroll for the photos, I remember she was extremely reasonably priced (around $1500) and I liked her portfolio.

We also had guests use VRBO as well and so far it's working out.

I'm also in the market for hair makeup folks so I'll keep checking this board out!

littledarlingnikki

ok so here is an update what I think I've decided. And THANK YOU for everyone who has offered suggestions.  I'd still love to hear reviews on the vendors I've chosen though:)

Flowers- Iris.  LOVE Nicole and they are reasonably priced. 
Backup- Beth's flowers, really liked them too, but Iris had better pricing.

Hair & Makeup- Two Sisters Hair & Makeup.  From their portfolio they seem to do very good work and they are very reasonably priced $60 hair and $60 airbrush makeup.
Backup- Verde, but pricey; Kiss & Makeup again great, but pricey

Photographer-  I am still really struggling with this as my budget is pretty tight.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Rita Frelich, love her work, but hesitant to shell out the cash.  But all-in-all she's very reasonable.  5hr package for $1250
Backup- Summerford Photography, good work but as mentioned before she was a bit abrasive.

Cake- Pure Cake, their flavor options are great and since we just want a basic buttercream cake without any frills they are being so accommodating and patient with me.  2 tier cake (56 servings) $275-no delivery though.
Backup- none, love them.

Hotels- this one is still the bane of my existence.  Since our wedding is 1st wknd of JazzFest (I know I'm crazy) the rates are through the roof.  I used hotelplanner.com and they have been great.  I have: Hotel Modern- $209/nt; Maison Hotel & Suites-$239/nt; Sleep Inn at the airport- $109/nt; and Hotel St. Pierre- $269/nt.   I may cancel St. Pierre as none of my guests are using it cause it's so expensive.  I'm still encouraging my guests to use VRBO (I think it's better than airbnb) and a lot are actually do this. 

Rehersal Dinner- Antoine's.  Expensive but it's really nice, and since I don't have a wedding party it'll work.
Backup- ????? suggestions?

After-Party- Dragon's Den.  A little dive bar off Frenchman St.that was renovated and bought over by Maison.  They gave us the space for the 1st Sat. of JazzFest for just the bar!!! I'm still in shock as we have loved this place for years, and can't wait to see the renovations (hopefully they did the bathrooms).  We're holding a private concert here which is going to be the coolest thing ever!!!!
Backup- none, love this place.

Honestly, thank you all for helping out with this and giving suggestions!  It really has eased this process for me.  A destination wedding is no joke!!!  Glad I won't have to plan this again!

edenisle

Thanks for reviewing all your vendors @littledarlingnikki !  I'm also talking with Nicole from Iris!  And I feel your pain about the hotels.  Our wedding is on Halloween this year, so with Voodoo fest and the holiday, it's gotten to be a little crazy with hotel pricing.  Thankfully, I've found a couple with rates between $179- $239.  The only one I booked at $269 was the Bienville House because they allow dogs and they are about a block from my venue.  Good luck with all of the planning!  Sounds like you have a great event planned!  Excited to hear about your concert!

onefootinthebayou

littledarlingnikki said:

Honestly, thank you all for helping out with this and giving suggestions!  It really has eased this process for me.  A destination wedding is no joke!!!  Glad I won't have to plan this again!

Hey!

Honestly, reading this was really helpful to me as well, I'm having my wedding in May and there's a gigantic conference in town (besides being peak season) and I also had trouble getting room blocks.  I went with the Westin & LeMeridien but my lowest rate was $229/night.  

I saw that you may do a block by the airport as well so I thought I'd mention The New Orleans Marriott Metarie Lakeway.  It's not downtown but is probably only a 10-15 minute drive to downtown depending on traffic.  It's actually a really nice property (I went there do do some work while our car was being serviced and was shocked at how nice it was).  This might be another alternative if you are entertaining hotels close but outside of New Orleans proper.  Also, you can get LOTS of awards points when you book a block at a major chain.  Good luck!

littledarlingnikki

thank you onefootinthebayou!  Great idea.  I'll have to give them a call.  And edenisle, one of my blocks which I am in LOVE with is at the Maison Hotel and Suites (also a quality inn) and they accept dogs.  I got a block of 10 rms for $239, expensive but cheaper than a lot of places.  It's not in the quarter but it is across from the streetcar.  Just a thought if you need a backup:)

whodatbride

I'm using Rita Frelich and I am so excited to see what she can do! I think she is worth it and really reasonably priced compared to others in New Orleans!

alyrey89

I just wanted to jump in and let you all know who I'm using so far! I'm also getting married on a busy weekend! 10/30/15. I'm getting married at the Degas House on Esplanade. We're using Lauren Carroll for our photographer. I haven't figured out make up yet, but should I be booking that this early too??

Our hotel block is going to be at the Blake Hotel ($189) or the Drury Inn ($219). That's the best I could find for this busy weekend!

For flowers I'm talking to poppy and mint and they said they could work with my budget ($500-600). So we'll see. I'll probably still contact IRIS and see what they think too. I know nothing about flowers so I need someone that will hold my hand a lot!

littledarlingnikki

alyrey89 I'm in the same boat with flowers.  I know nothing, even though my mom is a floral designer!  I tried Poppy and Mint first but they were booked on my day.  Nicole at Iris has been so helpful and she's working really well for my budget.  I was hoping to stay within the 5-600 range but no matter which way I sliced it, it would have left me without anything that I wanted.  I had to up it to 1500 which is still ridiculous to me.  I don't have a wedding party so this is just bouquet's for myself and MOH, 7 bouts, 2 corsage's,  baby's breath chair markers, 2 pillar arrangements, and very minimal centerpieces.  But...I'm also getting her for production of the whole thing.  I did my due diligence and checked on ordering the flowers myself and she is right on with the pricing so I know she's not taking me for a ride.  It is what it is I guess.  The thing that's killing me is that since this destination, I don't know what I'm going to do with the flowers after!  I guess my guests can enjoy the flowers in their hotel rooms...

I'm not sure if I had to book my hair and makeup this early but I'm such an over planner and wanted to just get all my pieces in place. 

Also, has anyone done their reception with just an ipod and those bose/jawbox speaker things instead of renting a whole PA system?  Does anyone think that it would work?

alyrey89

I know you checked into Poppy and Mint quick but they have something on their website that says if you allow them to donate the flowers to a hospital or nursing home, then they'll waive the break down/set up fee.  Maybe IRIS has something similar since you don't want to take them home.  I'll probably do something similar (except with my bouquet) since I'm also from out of town.  

littledarlingnikki

that is such an INCREDIBLE idea!!!

stopcollaborate&listen

I have about the same budget for photography, I recently found Bach Imaging on facebook. His work is also in the winter 2014 NOLA wedding guide. He is very reasonable priced. I would love to know if any one has experience working with him or any opinions? 

njgirlinnola

good luck with all of this!  I got married a little while ago and can highly recommend Sabree Hill - a few of my co-workers used her too and we all loved her.  

Flowers - I used Fabulous Flowers and Ken was really nice to work with and  worked with my budget.  

Makeup/hair was with Two Sisters.  They had a 40-something bride and MOH, our 70-y.o. mom, and my 2 nieces to do - and we all looked great!  My younger niece wanted them to come to the wedding because they were so nice to work with!  

onefootinthebayou

littledarlingnikki said:

thank you onefootinthebayou!  Great idea.  I'll have to give them a call.  And edenisle, one of my blocks which I am in LOVE with is at the Maison Hotel and Suites (also a quality inn) and they accept dogs.  I got a block of 10 rms for $239, expensive but cheaper than a lot of places.  It's not in the quarter but it is across from the streetcar.  Just a thought if you need a backup:)

One more idea for you:  My blocks at Le Meridien, and Westin have both sold out.  I did a block at the Roosevelt as well but it's a little pricey.  I wound up booking a block of 20 rooms at the La Quinta (right in CBD, has received awards for cleanliness, tourist-friendly) for $140/night on a very busy weekend where major chains outside of my blocks are $450/night and up.  The best thing about La Quinta is there is NO attrition.  Any rooms that don't book 3 weeks before my wedding date are just released back to the hotel.  I have not yet visited the property but the reviews were excellent and I really needed a more budget friendly block than the Roosevelt.  You might check into it, it's certainly closer than the Marriott in Metarie I suggested earlier.  Hope all is well.

whodatbride

I used the LaQuinta on Camp as my lower budget hotel. It is really nice for a LaQuinta and it includes breakfast. I viewed the hotel and felt really good about blocking it for my guests.

edenisle

I second the LaQuinta as a lower budget backup, @whodatbride !

littledarlingnikki

Thanks for all the hotel suggestions.  I tried LaQuinta but they quoted me at $400/nt!!!! Went with Hotel Modern and super psyched.

Also FYI on Chateau LeMoyne.  They have decided to close their courtyard for hotel renovations from May-Sept so if anyone is looking for a fall location they can accommodate you.

Knottie59783736

I was just at a wedding where the cake was by the Cupcake Factory in Kenner.  The cake was just amazing and delicious.  Crazy with a name like that but was amazing.

Knottie1436288025

just a question for you.  We went with Rita, and I'm getting very worried because we have not heard from her since the day of the wedding!  In April!  Did you actually get your photos?  How long past your contracted delivery date did you get them?  I have emailed, texted, called, everything.  As well as my mom.  And she hasn't said a word!   I'm starting to get very worried that all my photographic memories are lost:(

Knottie1436288025

It's been forever since I've looked at this thread!  I was waiting to review all my vendors till I got my photos but that hasn't happened yet (after 6 months!)  But here it goes with he rest.

A+: Iris Floral Design Flowers-  Nicole was great and our flowers were incredible! She stayed completely with my budget, showed up on time, and did an incredible job.  Especially since I gave her a tall order.  We ended up doing arrangements in cigar boxes and vintage/antique bud glasses. She then arranged all my tables (only 8) with the cigar box, crotchet doilies, bud vases, and sheet music paper heart confetti.  If you can hire her!

A: Two Sisters Hair & Makeup-  Again, these girls were great, especially with how hectic and "not as planned" the morning of my wedding went.  My trial the day before went very smoothly, and they were on time, and did a great job creating exactly what I wanted.  My advice though, is to do the makeup trial.  I didn't to save money.  Wish I had.  It came out beautiful but at first was a bit much, if we had done a trial it would've saved time.

A+: Pure Cake-  Incredible is all I have to say.  I decided on a very simple, small 2 tiered cake with the bottom chocolate w/ caramel and the top was vanilla w? caramel.  Everyone said it was the BEST wedding cake they ever tasted, and they still say that! Unfortunately, there was a bit of communication problem with the venue and the cake got tossed (or the staff ate it) so I never tasted it.

B: Hotels- Hotel Modern & Maison St. Charles Hotel and Suites (quality Inn)  Hotel Modern was ok, and they were great with our guests but the rooms were pretty small, and the location was a bit far from the quarter.  However, it was easy for everyone to get the streetcar.  Maison was great from what hear.  But most of our guests did their own thing, after MONTHS of trying to secure these blocks!

A++: Antoine's rehearsal dinner-  Now I was never a big fan of this restaurant but we were able to get a private room with balcony.  And it was AMAZING!  We had such an incredible time.  The food was fabulous and the atmosphere even better.  The endless champagne, the impeccable service and the whole baked alaska ceremony was so special. 

A-: After Party, The Dragon's Den-  This was soo much fun.  It's a music venue slightly off Frenchman that has been our favorite dive for a long time. The renovations were great and the show we put on with accomplished jazz musicians Skerik, Brian Coogan, and Simon Lott was beyond our expectations (although my family isn't too into free-form punk jazz).  We did have issues with the sound system and had to scramble to rent our own when the venue promised to provide it (also owned by Maison who our gear was reappropriated to).  But we got it done with the help of the NOLA muscians co-op.  And our bar was able to be upgraded to adequate options without a problem. 

C: Rentals- Event Rental- I did get everything I needed at the best price I could.  After LOTS of research they really are the cheapest.  But.... they are impossible to get in touch with.  They also delivered our sound system not set up for an ipod/computer which was supposed to be done.  Thank god for my brother-in-law being a sound engineer and saved the day.   The chairs and the cake stand were of good quality though.  If you're going pretty simple and can deal with their lack of communication they are a cheap bet.

Photographer- Rita Frelisch:  This is a tough one to review because I haven't seen a single photo!!!  She is incredibly difficult to get in touch with.  When I asked her to meet me at the venue to scope it out for photos a few days before the wedding, I got not response. So I assumed she was familiar with it.  She was not.  We spent waaay too much time trying to find proper places for photos which ate into my time with the venue which was what I was trying to avoid.  I had made it known that I don't like posed cheesy shots, and I'm afraid that is all I got.  But I don't know cause I haven't seen anything 6 mos. later!!!  The few shots I saw during the wedding were great however, so I'm still holding out hope that they were not lost.  She was also very professional in that you didn't even know she was there.  But we'll see, the jury is still out.

B+: Venue- Chateau LeMoyne-  The courtyard was beautiful and would have been decorated better had it not rained.  The fountain was really nice and along with the greenery worked really well for us aesthetically.  The ballroom really needed help to look nice.  The light fixtures were beautiful, and the color of the walls were neutral which made it easy, but that rug!! Ugh... it was ugly, so you have to plan your decorations to take away from it.  The banquet chairs were also horrid, so I reused the ceremony chairs.  The food however was A+++.  Sooo good, so you can't go wrong with whatever option you choose.  Andrew, the manager of Richard Fiske's who catered, was incredibly helpful and available for anything you needed.  And Emily, who I also employed as my Day of Coordinator was good as well.  We stayed on time, I had only wished she was able to get to the venue earlier to have helped coordinate the deliveries, and that we all had better communication overall.  Especially since I was planning on keeping my cake and the topper I made which was thrown away.  I also wished the staff of the hotel was more helpful in guiding my guests to the ceremony/reception spot.  A few were late because they had to wonder the hotel looking for it.  I also had wished they had helped me out  by storing and handing out my welcome bags.  I had guests staying all over the city and was hoping that ppl could just swing by the hotel and pick them up.  They refused to hold them which caused a LOT of stress.
From what it seems to me, Richard Fiskes is who really throws the wedding and the hotel is just a space.  So for the hotel, they don't really care all that much, which was disappointing. 
****Word of Advice:  If you are not staying that the hotel (which we didn't) don't hesitate to use the board room for getting ready.  I did not, and really wish I did.  It's a large room with a bathroom and really nothing else.  But if you ask them to move some furniture in there (if they would) and hang some curtains it would be perfect. 

I hope all this helps future destination brides.  Our wedding was incredible, and I was surprised I got 45 ppl down there during JazzFest to celebrate with us.  I'm so glad we decided to do our wedding the way we did, as we were able to do it fairly cheap ($12000 total) and still had an amazing day.  Now hopefully I can get some photos to show!!!

jesccas82

Photographer: Sam Gregory or Jillian Marie Photography

Makeup: Fairy Tales and Brides, very affordable!

Florist: Le grand florist