I'll start by saying I would absolutely recommend each one of my vendors to anyone getting married!
Ceremony: St. Joseph Church - A+ This church is so beautiful and impressive and I felt like it was just such an amazing privilege that I got to be married there. The coordinator was included in the fee and she did a good job organizing our rehearsal and then conducting the wedding party on the wedding day. Was also very prompt at returning emails, making phone calls just to check in, etc., made me feel very at ease. There's an elevator on the opposite side of where everyone parked and it went straight back into a room where the girls hung out til it was time (so no guests could see me beforehand). Everything was perfect.
Priest: Father Mike Mitchell from OLDP in Metairie - A+ He is a fairly new priest and is very easy-going but thorough in our marriage preparation. We even had the privilege of attending the engagement encounter weekend on his weekend to work it, so it was really nice getting to know him that much better (he's the priest where we regularly attend mass but it was just really nice to have that close time with him). He delivered a homily that was so touching and so perfect and appropriate to us that I was just about sobbing by the time he was finished. He gave us a truly beautiful ceremony.
Reception: Southern Oaks - A+ Everything was perfect and taken care of. They thought of things I didn't even imagine and helped me plan throughout my engagement. We got rave reviews of the food (we love it ourselves which was one big reason we picked this place), the property is immaculate, and it's just a perfect layout - plenty of room for people to dance, for people to sit at tables and eat, or to escape to one of the side rooms for quieter conversation but still close by. They are the nicest, most helpful, prompt, etc. I just can't say enough about how incredible they made us feel during our reception.
Hotel: Hotel Provincial - A+ I worked with Margie on getting rooms for the wedding. All other hotels in the city required 2 night minimums, but when I called her to ask her if we could just reserve one night for our guests, she was more than accomodating. Hotel Provincial is a quaint boutique hotel that still has a very historic feel to it. The staff were friendly, helpful, and accomodating. It was in the quarter and walking distance to everything but far enough not to be in the crowds. We got ready in the suite and it was plenty of room for 7 of us to get dressed and do hair/makeup.
Dress: Bridal Boutique by MaeMe - B The girls that work there are so helpful and sweet and I loved picking out my dress and veil. I received it earlier than expected and thought the pricing to be very affordable. I'm not giving them an A because their seamstress is just awful. My dress was too big, so she took it in way too tight so I asked her to let it back out just a little bit (so that it could be zipped!) and she looked at me funny and said well you're getting married, aren't you trying to lose weight? (My BMI is healthy and I had no ideas of trying to lose any weight). One of the owners was standing right there, seemed absolutely mortified and very commandingly told her that that is not how we resolve this and that she would fix it. It was about 6 visits total for all fittings and it wasn't a complicated dress; it really was just a hassle but was perfect on my wedding day.
Hair/Makeup: Two Sisters Hair and Makeup - A+ I loved my and my bridesmaids' hair and makeup. I wanted my hair down and curly but it really doesn't stay well but they did a great job and it stayed all night. They were on time, very friendly, did a great job, and were quick. Very professional and I love how we all looked.
Flowers: Crystal Vase - A+ She was really easy to talk to about what I wanted and made everything look more beautiful than I could have even imagined. I was so happy with the bouquets and the centerpieces and even better was how affordable she was. I got a lot of quotes from a lot of florists, many florists I spoke with over the phone seemed hurried and borderline rude and were more expensive. Crystal was friendly, professional, always had time to answer my questions, and was the most affordable option. She was also on time with delivery of the flowers the day of.
Transportation: Celebrity - A+ I was probably most worried about this because of poor reviews I had not seen at the time I booked them, but I was very pleasantly surprised. They were scheduled to arrive at 6:30pm; they arrived at 6:15pm as they stated "because traffic was bad and they didn't want to be late getting there or be late getting us to the church." I had ordered 3 limos but one of them ended up being a stretch navigator (didn't charge me any extra), which was a fun treat. The only thing that wasn't perfect was that they were late picking us up after the reception was over, but it was just by a few minutes and it really gave me a chance to talk to more guests as they were leaving so really, it ended up being better. Limos were clean, drivers were professional and polite. It was all perfect and very affordable.
Reception Band: Harvey Jesus and Fire - A+ I just adore those guys. They put on the most fantastic show and everyone was dancing the entire night. Easy to work with, professional, fun, amazing, and entertaining.
Ceremony Musicians: Sarah Leight Spratt (vocals), Fine Arts Ensemble - A+ The music for the wedding was perfect. I had a cello, piano, and violin and they all sounded wonderful together. I worked primarily with Dimitri who basically laid everything out for me. I found it considerably difficult choosing my wedding music but he broke it all down for me and made a daunting task very simple. Sarah was a little bit more difficult to get in touch with at times but I think it's my personality that I want people to get back to me asap. She performed beautifully and I couldn't have asked for better musicians.
Photographer: Sabree Hill - A+ She was wonderful to work with, was very good with directing us what to do, was quick, and gave us very wonderful engagement photos. I will write an updated review when I get my wedding photos back. She was also super affordable
(That always seems to make things even better
Videographer: Danielle Marks (All About You Videography) - A+ Danielle was very friendly, easy to get in touch with, easy to work with, and affordable. I will write an updated review after we get our wedding video.
These next 2 are somewhat special; I'm a bit of a foodie and I go around town eating at different restaurants and write (unpublished) reviews.
Rehearsal Dinner: Tommy's Cuisine - A+ AMAZING. The room was beautiful, the service was better than outstanding, and every bite of food was one of those "omg this is sooo good" moments. This was no surprise to me because they are one of my "go-to's" for a great meal, but I really was just so delighted at how affordable it was for such a great evening.
Bridal Brunch the Morning of the Wedding: Stanley - A+ AMAZING. We had a wonderful time here and just lounged and enjoyed ourselves. We all had a big breakfast with coffee and bloody mary's. The service was great, I was nervous because they don't take reservations but we were seated after only waiting about 15 minutes. They made it a big deal that it was my wedding day (which always makes a girl feel special). I will definitely be eating there on the regular.
I had a dream wedding that I still can't believe; it was the most fun I've ever had in my entire life and it was because of these vendors that I was able to have and do everything I wanted. If anyone has any questions, just ask