Weston Lakes Country Club – A+ We loved this venue. It has a very intimate feel with windows surrounding the entire ballroom. We had approximately 100 guests at our wedding and the size was perfect. Susan, the coordinator, was absolutely fantastic to work with. As a bit (ok maybe a big) micromanager, I never had to worry about any of the details during the planning process, or during the actual reception, because she was always on top of it. The food was wonderful and the service was fantastic. When we initially met with Susan to tour the country club, we intended for it to take maybe 20 minutes. We ended up staying close to two hours just chatting about the wedding and our vision. After receiving a sales pitch from several other venues and feeling like we were in an assembly line as they rushed us through the venue and gave us their cookie cutter packages, this was certainly a breath of fresh air. Our wedding party also got ready and took our pictures at the country club before the ceremony and everything was seamless.
Thomas & Penelope Photography – A+++ Thomas and Penelope were absolutely amazing. Not only were the photos beyond what we expected, they are both very professional and truly genuine people. Thomas takes a photojournalistic approach to his photography, which is exactly what we were looking for. He was able to capture special moments that we missed in the hustle and bustle of everything. They were one of our vendors we never had to worry about because we knew we could trust them. To top everything off, we were finishing dinner on the first day of our honeymoon when we saw that they had posted some of our wedding photos. We were able to relive our special day via photos 24 hours after the wedding! What a nice treat.
Francisco Perez with Elegante Entertainment - F BEWARE! I should have known something was wrong from the start when it took Francisco a while to respond to my emails or return my phone calls, but he had good reviews and came recommended from a few vendors, so I let the small things slide. Big mistake.
Let me back track: we paid the deposit more than six months in advance. We paid the balance more than once month before the wedding. We had exchanged 43 email communications (many of them began with, “per my previous email, please confirm receipt of [payment, email, song list, names, etc].)” I had reason to believe that everything was set for the wedding, but hadn’t received a response to a couple emails, and it was getting close to the wedding, so I called him the Friday (8 days) before our wedding to confirm that he had everything he needed. I was expecting to hear, “yep, I’ve got the time, location, directions, song list, how to pronounce everyone’s names, etc.” Instead I was met with, “Um, yeah. I meant to tell you, I got a new job and can’t make your wedding.”
Further discussions confirmed that he had known about this for some time and failed to communicate this to me. I understand things happen, and yes, there was a clause in the contract that said if he couldn’t make it he would “try” to find a replacement. Well he “tried”, but only after my phone call. It makes me wonder what would have happened if I didn’t call one week before the wedding. My guess is that I would have arrived at my reception with no DJ. So, after a few legal discussions back and forth with Francisco, which entailed commitment from him that he would sit down with me, my then fiancé, the replacement DJ (who it turns out he didn’t have lined up), I finally got him to connect me with a replacement DJ. However, he did not share any of our playlists, venue details, etc. with the new DJ. My then fiancé and I had very specific music instructions (which were communicated to Francisco via email and in-person conversations). We mainly wanted Texas country and classic rock. The replacement DJ he suggested specializes in rap and hip hop. To top it off, we later found out via a third party that his replacement was already booked for our date. Again, I likely would have shown up to my reception to find no DJ.
I have never worked with such an unprofessional, dishonest vendor with such limited communication skills. I could go on, but I will end this by saying we ended up scrambling last minute to find a replacement DJ on our own (after Francisco begrudgingly agreed to refund our money amidst the threat of legal action) and our new DJ did more for us in 5 days than Francisco did during the entire 6 months we had him booked.
Sound Connections – A+ We used Koert Knights with Sound Connections and he was AMAZING. Our original DJ canceled eight days before our wedding and we were scrambling to find a replacement. I called all around Houston trying to find someone, but I had high standards and most places were booked. Several places I called, plus one friend, referred us to Sound Connections, so we met with Paul, the owner, and Koert, our DJ, five days before our wedding. Our meeting lasted less than one hour, but in that hour we received better service and more information than we did during the entire 6 months we had been with our original DJ. We booked them on the spot.
Koert called me two days before the wedding to confirm the schedule and verify the correct pronunciations of the wedding party’s names, and that was all he needed. At the reception, everything was perfect. With just a little direction, he played songs that were perfect for us and our guests. My assessment of a good DJ is usually based on whether you notice him/her or not. If you notice the DJ, it’s bad, if you don’t it’s good. Koert was seamless and went without being noticed, but was integral to the flow and ambiance of our reception.
Ooh La La Dessert Boutique – A+ Ooh La La has been our go-to place for delicious desserts for several years. However, they don’t heavily advertise the fact that they also make amazingly beautiful and tasty wedding cakes! I searched all over Houston for a reasonably priced bakery with good reviews, and then my fiancé suggested we try Ooh La La. We were pleasantly surprised to discover they do make wedding cakes, and their prices were extremely reasonable. We went in for a tasting and were not disappointed. Vanessa, the owner, was great to work with. The cake was beautiful and exactly as I had described. We had numerous guests comment (multiple times) about the cake, particularly that they have attended many weddings and had never tasted a wedding cake this good. I also think the portion sizes are pretty generous. We had 100 guests and our cake served 140. Several went back for seconds and we still had about half of the middle layer and the entire top layer at the end of the night.
Carmen’s Floral Designs – A+ Carmen is such a sweetheart. Being a perfectionist, I met with numerous florists, read countless reviews, and even considered doing my own flowers after several disappointing meetings. Then I met with Carmen. She took the time to thoroughly understand the look I wanted to achieve on our wedding day, and gave me peace of mind that everything would be perfect. After meeting with several others, I can easily say that the value for the quality of service is wonderful. I never had to worry about anything with Carmen. The day of our wedding, I received a call from her saying that there was a major accident and she was forced to take an alternative route. As a result, she would be maybe 10 minutes late. She was extremely apologetic and wanted to make sure this did not cause me any stress. She certainly did not have call, and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have known if she was a few minutes late, but it just showed me that she truly strives to give her clients the best service and make her portion of her client’s special day as seamless as possible.
Blush & Co. – A+ Jeannie did my makeup for my engagement photos as well as my makeup and my mom’s makeup for the wedding. We looked flawless. I received countless compliments and I can attribute them all to Jeannie. Caroline did the wedding party’s hair and again, everything was perfect. They both have an amazing eye for what they do, so with just a little direction, they were able to achieve a perfect look for everyone. The two were also so calming the day of the wedding. I can honestly say that hair and makeup was the most relaxing part of our day J
Misora Bridal – A+++ I honestly don’t know where to begin. Misora did my dress, alterations, mom’s alterations, and tuxes. I had initially found “the dress” at another store, but after visiting Misora and discovering that they carried the same dress, it was a no-brainer to go with Misora. The quality of service from the start was better than I had received at any of the other stores I visited (and I visited several). I never once felt rushed during the dress selection process, and everyone on staff was always so polite, genuine, and calm (a characteristic that I think is vital for any bride during the stressful wedding planning process). Misora also did my alterations and they were wonderful. As a perfectionist, I requested a few adjustments that were probably pickier than most, and they accommodated without skipping a beat. We also ordered all of our tuxes through Misora and everything was perfect. I worked mainly with Jeannie, but everyone on staff was great.