**Vendor Cost/Location/Reviews Here!**

keepsawaythenargles

Ceremony
Ceremony Site: White House Wedding Chapel -- Warren MI -- $800 for the largest package they had which included the most time allowed at the site. - A

This place is gorgeous and requires NO decorations. The staff was super friendly and accessible. They include an officiant in the cost, but we ended up having a friend do the ceremony. 

Officiant: Lauren Elias -- Clarkston, MI - $100 - A+

Friend of mine who is an ordained minister. She does amazing work and will meet with you via Skype if you're far away. She completely customized our ceremony for us and she was very professional and very willing to help out!

Ceremony Music : We used a CD that the chapel played for us.

Reception

Reception Site: The Gazebo -- Warren, MI -- $40/person that included a buffet with three meal options, all of the other buffet items, open bar, cocktail hour with apps, midnight snack, and champagne toast for the head table. (This included sales tax and gratuity) - A+

I loved it here. The food was AMAZING! It was not typical bland wedding food. The staff was a joy and so helpful and kind. The room was very banquet hall, but was easily transformed into a lovely space.

Caterer: Provided by the reception hall

Chair Covers/Linens: Provided by the reception hall for $2/chair with 100 chair minimum.

Bakery: Gigi's Cupcakes of Macomb -- Macomb, MI -- was a gift from a friend -- A

Gigi's is a chain, but the staff at the Macomb store are great! They are friendly and helpful and their cupcakes are DELICIOUS. I loved that they would customize any of their flavors to match our colors and we could get mini and full size cupcakes. They were a HIT!

DJ: Fairytale Productions -- Monroe, MI -- $1000 included photobooth -- A-

Email communication was great! They have a wonderful software to request songs and do all of the pre-planning. I was a little nervous on the day of because I had to text my DJ the address of the reception, but he was there (on time) and he was great! Kept people dancing all night and kept checking in to make sure we were all good all night

Other
Florist: Cassie w/Posh Studios -- Etsy -- $160 for a bouquet and 2 bouts -- A+

I am not a real flower fan... I ordered an origami bouquet and 2 origami bouts. Cassie was very professional and sent me paper samples that I got to pick from. Then she sent me a picture of the final product before she shipped. It arrived in perfect condition and everyone LOVED them. It was very sturdy and I never felt like it would be destroyed. 

Photography
Photographer: Lemonade Photos -- Warren, MI -- $600-$1200 -- A+

These ladies are friends of ours, so it's hard to not be biased. They are professional, good at what they do, and willing to go above and beyond to make sure they get a great shot. 

Picture Locations: We used the grounds at the White House Wedding Chapel for our "First Looks" and all of our photos afterward. 

Engagement Pictures: The ladies from Lemonade Photos did these as well. We drove around Downtown Detroit and got some AMAZING shots

Photobooth: Fairytale Productions provided this as well! It included unlimited photos, unlimited prints, a memory book, online access to the photos, and a CD of all of the photos from the night!

Beauty / Attire
Wedding dress: Bombshell Bridal Boutique -- St Clair Shores -- $300 -- A+

Amy, Amanda, and Pam are AMAZING! They are so helpful and make the wedding dress shopping process PAINLESS! It specializes in Plus Size brides, but they are capable of making ANYONE look amazing. The turn around time was less than a month for my dress

Alterations: Marianne who works out of Bombshell did all of my alterations. She's quick, reasonably priced, and will work until it's PERFECT. She sewed my bra into my dress and created a sweetheart neckline. A+

Tuxes: Bombshell works with Jim's Tuxedo and that's who we went through. It was meh...they ended up sending the wrong color & size shirt for my DW and we panicked, but Pam from Bombshell found us a shirt (albeit not the EXACT same) for DW and did not charge us for the tux. Wouldn't recommend Jim's on its own, but LOVE LOVE LOVE Bombshell for making it right! D

 
Hair & Makeup: Heather Christian -- Sterling Heights, MI -- A++++

Heather is a dear dear friend of mine. She came to the hotel where we were getting ready and did 4 ladies hair & makeup in 4 hours. She is a rockstar and I LOVED my hair. I was so worried about it falling and my makeup being ruined by the heat and crying and dancing, but I looked amazing at midnight when I took a shower. She's VERY professional and knows her stuff!

Paper
Save the Dates: Vistaprint -- $70 for 100 -- A

I had the Save the Dates designed on Etsy for $10 and had the magnets printed via Vistaprint. They turned out AMAZING and came SUPER quick. Everyone loved them and I loved seeing them on everyone's fridge for a year

Invites: Wedding Paper Divas -- $160 for 50 -- A+

Holy cow I love this site! I worked with a designer to get the colors, wording, and fonts PERFECT. It was a great experience and everyone loved the invites because they looked SO different than typical invites!

kellemichelle

How much would you say you paid for the mariott? how many people did you host? were there any minimums?

dalywill

Hi Everyone! My wedding is 8/24/13 so I will update w/grades then!

Ceremony
Ceremony Site: White House Wedding Chapel Warren, MI, most expensive package: $1100 for 1 hr 45 min which includes site, officiant, music changes, bridal suite, grooms suite, wedding coordinators day of, and rehearsal prior to wedding. 
Officiant: see above
Ceremony Music: see above

Reception
Reception Site: Gazebo Banquet Centre Warren, MI: $42.95/pp which includes chair covers, champagne cocktail hour w/premium bar with two hot apps and cheese and crackers, buffet dinner with 3 meats, 1 pasta, 2 veggies, 1 potato dish also two salads, chocolate covered strawberries, fruit tray and veggie tray
Caterer see above.
Chair Covers/Linens see above
Bakery: Holiday Market Royal Oak, MI roughly $530 for a 4 -tier cake with real flowers
DJ: Metro Music Entertainment $1399 which includes six hours of DJing and 12-14 uplights for the entire room (this was a special deal they were offering)
Favors: Vintner's Canton Winery $530 (incl. tax) for 100 bottles of wine (2.5 glasses/bottle) which we made from scratch and includes labels and bottling at $5/pp
Lighting: Metro Music Entertainment see above

Other
Limo N/A
Florist Christie's Creations (met her through my coordinator) for $1400 she is doing all bouquets (1 bride, 4 bridesmaids), boutineers, corsages, centerpieces, and decor for the ceremony site
DOC: Gina with Events to Remember she is incredible and for $585 she has done an amazing job!
Miscellaneous equipment N/A

Photography
Photographer La Roche Photography Warren, MI $1000 w/25% discount
Videographer N/A
Photobooth N/A
Picture Locations: Park across from White House Wedding Chapel and White House Wedding Chapel
Engagement Pictures we used our 5 year anniversary pics where we had done a shoot in Central Park, NYC

Beauty / Attire
Rings: we were on a tight budget: $215 for both from the Jewelery Exchange in Livonia
Wedding dress: $620 Allure Bridal in Livonia.  The dress was my size so I bought the sample which had never been worn at a 15% discount and they offer a payment plan if you can't pay all at once
Alterations Allure Bridal Livonia
Tuxes Men's Warehouse $220/pp
Bridesmaid Dresses: Jordan Fashions online website $200/pp
Hair: $65 for my normal hair which my normal hairdresser will be doing
Makeup Cassandra (recommended by my coordinator) $85 for bridal airbrush and $65 for bridesmaids

Paper
Save the Dates N/A
Invites: around $200 through my coordinator from Events to Remember b/c she gets a 30% discount
Programs/Menus: made myself for $40

leanaann2

Ceremony
Ceremony Site:  Grosse Pointe War Memorial- $900. Overall it was lovely and the weather was spectacular but they were training a new wedding cordinator the day of my wedding so I had to deal with that. The cordinators were very nice and helpful though. A

Officiant: a friend. There were so many issues with this that if you go this route i strongly recommend you go over every single thing step by step with him/her. In my case my friend didn't feel that he should have to turn on the mic and never told me such so you can't hear anything on my video. If I was grading him I'd give him a D/F for that and other things.

 

Ceremony Music: La Corda String trio. They sounded great, though I was so wrapped up in my own actions/thoughts I barely heard them. They did take a long time to go from song to song during cocktail hour though. $575 for ceremony and cocktail hour -A

 

Reception:

Grosse Pointe War Memorial: food was $30/pp, alcohol added another $6.75 pp for bartender fee and you have to bring in your own alcohol. There is also a 20% service fee and tax, in addition to the room rental fee. The food was outstanding, the service was impeccable, the room looked amazing. Everything you could wish for. I was extremely pleased. A+

 

Pink Elephant Cupcakes: there was a slight misunderstanding about the price but overall the cupcakes were excellent, looked wonderful and were everything I could have wanted. I ordered 4 dozen large and 4 dozen mini, all mixed flavors. It also came with a small, cute cutting cake. It was $220 for all that plus delivery and rental of the stands. There were 3 big round stands and 3 small flat stands.

 

Linens: Ship to Shore. The room looked amazing and I had no complaints. The fees are typical (unsure of exact numbers) A

 

Flowers: I did them myself and they looked AMAZING. I got the flowers from Vivianos. They were running a special in June for 2 dozen roses for $9.99 so I was able to do my bouquet, my MoH bouquet, the men's and other party's flowers, and centerpieces for $120!

 

DJ: Elite Entertainment. Very professional and exactly what we wanted. We were very happy. $900 A+

 

Photographer: Angela Gerber. She was recommended by a friend who is a photographer. She was super nice, does amazing work, and very helpful. She did our engagement photos as well and did an AMAZING job. We just love her. I cannot recommend her enough. $2000 for wedding and engagement photos A+

 

Beauty/Attire:

David's Bridal: I went there because it's so well known and I knew they would have my size and they had a good website, etc and so I went there alone one day just to look and felt extremely pressured to buy a dress and so I put it on "layaway" and then went back to show my MoH and pretty much hated it. I tried to cancel the layaway but had to pay 10% of the dress ($110) anyways because "they already ordered it." It's in thier policy and so it's my fault but it just left a bad taste in my mouth. F

 

Bombshell Bridal: I found the dress of my dreams here for a great price ($700). There was an issue with the ribbon belt on my dress though. I ordered a silver belt and it came with a white and when I went in to try it it was white. I don't understand why they never checked the dress when it came in so they could correct this. Then they ordered another belt and it was the wrong size. Then one week before my wedding the right belt came in. They never called me to tell me not to worry, that the belt will be in on time. So, I have mixed feelings. I like the ladies who work there and there are amazing dresses there but their customer service skills aren't impressive in my view. B

 

Alterations: Mary Ann at Bombshell Bridal. She met with me several times to get the dress exactly right and I couldn't have been happier. $120 A+

 

Veil: Once Again Bridal: Amazing veil. Sort of pricey for a used veil ($160) but worth it. A+

 

Makeup: a makeup artist at MotorCity casino Spa did it and I forgot her name but she did an incredible job and I loved it. ($80) A+

 

Tuxes: Men's Warehouse in Roseville: The tuxes looked outstanding (Vera Wang) and they even rush shipped a new jacket for my husband because his jacket was too small because he apparently gained weight (too many buffets..lol). ($220) A+

 

Rings: Zales at Partridge Creek. My engagement ring is absolutely spectacular and was pretty expensive (don't feel comfortable sharing) but they did give me an amazing deal and the employees there are so friendly and nice and remember me every time I go back to get it cleaned, even if it's months later. I cannot recommend them enough. A+

Amazon for my fiance's wedding ring. I refuse to pay $200 for a tungsten ring I can buy off Amazon for $20 and he absolutely loves it. He compliments it several times a day.

 

Paper:

I was able to get a Groupon for Pear tree greetings that made 40 invites in a pocket envelope with everything in it for $119. I got so many compliments from people saying they were the prettiest invites they have ever seen. A+

 

Other:

Guest book/Engagement book: Shutterfly. They came out absolutely gorgeous and truly unique. I strongly recommend them and I plan on using them for my wedding photo books.

Rehersal dinner: Fishbones of St. Clair Shores. The food was plain, prices expensive for what you get, they did not make us feel special in any way and overall just a disappointment. D

Hotel: Motorcity Casino Hotel. They were so nice and upgraded our room to a suite for free and gave us chocolate covered strawberries for free. I give Greektown Casino Hotel a F. I am a "VIP" there and asked if there is any way I could get an upgraded suite there cause I already had a free room and they said they only give VIPs from other casinos free suite upgrades (even though I've been a VIP there for two years and have never asked for anything ever). I mean, come on. One upgrade on my wedding night? So, I give them a solid F.

 

 

christelm

Fern Hill Golf Club - Clinton Township

Has anyone heard anything about Fern Hill Golf Club in Clinton Township?  All of the reviews I've seen are old and I'm thinking of booking there.

sarahblais

Ceremony

Ceremony Site - Livingston County Courthouse Amphitheater in Howell, MI - A - was easy to book the site and very inexpensive $25.00

Officiant - Rev. Kirk Haas from secularceremony.com, based in Inkster, MI - A+, Kirk was great! He was just a really great laid back guy.  Kirk made us very comfortable on our wedding day.  Basically let us write our own ceremony, but gave us a packet filled with ideas that we could mix and match. $275.00

Ceremony Music - Mobile Rhythm DJs in Howell, MI - A - the owner, DJ Joe, was a really great guy and easy to get along with. $100.00

Ceremony Chair rental - Borrowed and Blue in Howell, MI - A - Jen made it easy to rent chairs and even provided a photo of what they'd look like all set-up in the ceremony space.  They came and set them up before the ceremony and took them back down afterwards.  No problems. Prompt return of my security deposit too. $335.00 for 150 white chairs

Reception
Reception Site - The Opera House in Howell, MI - A - Sharon was great! She opened up on Friday to let us come in and decorate the day before the ceremony and she let us in early before the ceremony to get some photos upstairs in the old Opera House - A - $1,188.00 including all set-up of tables/chairs, table linens and clean-up

Caterer - Gerard's Catering based in Howell, MI - A+++ for food, C for communication - Joe is an amazing chef and his staff was great!  However, he never had us sign any contracts, which made me nervous.  The final payment was due the day of the wedding and although he had verbally told us how much it would be based on the number attending, the final bill was higher the day of and I wasn't in any shape to be arguing with him on my wedding day! I wish he would have communicated better throughout the process and I had a signed contract so we would not have been overcharged! - about $3,500 for 105 guests including all service, tax and gratuity

Chair Covers/Linens - through the Opera House

Bakery - Gwen's Cake Decorating in Saline, MI - The cake was so good!  I just wish I would have gotten to have a slice of all three flavors and not just the one slice when we were cutting the cake! But we get a free small cake on our one year anniversary - so I'm looking forward to getting to try another flavor! - A - $427.50 for a three tier cake with butter cream icing 

DJ - Mobile Rhythm DJs - see comments under Ceremony above - $895.00 for 6 hours at reception

Favors - DIY candy buffet, candy from Doc Sweet's Candy Company in Clawson, MI - this store was fun, but a little pricey.  Wish I would have planned ahead a bit more and ordered online where it was less expensive. 

Lighting - n/a

Beverage Catering - Jonna's Market in Howell, MI - great selection. They delivered everything before the reception and let us return unopened bottles the next day for a refund! - A - about $700 for a full bar including beer, wine, sodas/mixers, and spirits 

Bartender - provided by Opera House - very attentive and friendly! - A - $15/hr plus tip jar on the bar

Other

Limo - n/a, shuttle transportation provided by hotel

Florist - family friend based in Charlotte, MI, Julie did a great job with the flowers and this was just about the only thing that came in under budget for our wedding, she's no longer a florist full-time but does events occasionally, so message me for details if interested

DOC - n/a

Miscellaneous equipment - DIY centerpieces and decor

Hotel - Baymont Inn and Suites in Howell, MI - great prices, but rooms could have been nicer though... they let us use the breakfast room for our rehearsal since the ceremony venue had another event the night before the wedding.  Surprised that they didn't complain about noise when we had an impromptu party out on the patio outside the night before the wedding and after the wedding reception too! - B - $80.00/night, honeymoon suite free with 10 booked rooms

Rehearsal dinner - Cleary's Pub in Howell, MI - rented a private room with all you can eat pizza, salad, and breadsticks, they gave drink tickets for alcoholic drinks to make it easy at the end of the night when it was time to pay the bill and to make sure that everyone didn't go overboard on ordering drinks! - A - $12.99/person + drinks + gratuity

Photography

Photographer - Heather from Infinti Photography based in Grand Ledge, MI online at irememberforever.com - Heather is awesome!  She was actually the first vendor we booked after finding our reception location!  Heather provided such a comfortable environment for our wedding day.  She even brought a second shooter with her at no extra charge since she hadn't been feeling well and was worried that she might miss something.  She seemed to be having a great time at the reception and ended up staying later than our contract too!  I can't wait to get back our images from the day! - A+++ - $1,800 for 6 hours, DVD with printing rights, and an engagement session (Looks like her prices have went up since we booked her but I think she's totally worth it!)

Videographer - n/a

Photobooth - n/a

Picture Locations - The Opera House, Howell train depot museum, Livingston Country Courthouse in Howell

Engagement Pictures - included in our photographer's package

Beauty / Attire

Rings - engagement and his wedding band are from JB Robinson in Lansing, MI and my wedding band is from Helzberg Diamonds in Troy, MI

Wedding dress - Arabella by Maggie Sottero from Dior Bridal Salon in Dearborn, MI - Great service and selection. reasonable prices. more attentive than other bridal salons that I visited - A - $1,271.00

Alterations - Dior Bridal Salon in Dearborn, MI - prices seemed a bit high to me, but they were the most convenient. Quality work in taking in and letting out my dress, but my bustle did not hold throughout the night and ended up having to use safety pins to hold up my train. - B - $381.50

Veil - Simple Blue Bridal on Etsy - easy to order, realized they were local and let me pick-up at their home to avoid shipping costs - A - $37.00

Shoes - Zappos.com - love Zappos! ended up ordering 3 different options and picked one. returns are so easy! - around $50.00

Jewelry and accessories - Icing by Claire's in Novi, MI - got lucky and it ended up being prom season and got some great deals! - about $20.00 for earrings and hair accessory

Tuxes - Brighton Tux Shop in Brighton, MI - Rick was great at explaining different types of tuxedos in helping the guys pick out what they wanted! - A - $150 per tux with groom's tux free

Bridesmaid Dresses - David's Bridal in Lansing, MI - Style F14867 in Pool - Actually better service than other times that I've been in David's Bridal!  One of my girls got her alterations done there and thought they were a bit expensive though. - B - $160.00

Hair - Penny Irish from Charlotte, MI - traveled to my hotel room in Howell to do my hair and hair for the bridesmaids. Very reasonably priced! Took a bit more time than we were expecting though. - B - $60 for gas and $25.00 per up-do

Makeup - n/a, did my own

Paper
Save the Dates - designed myself, printed via Moo and VistaPrint - used a VistaPrint Groupon and felt like this helped a lot! - B - about $70.00 for 60 STDs, 50 thank you cards, and a poster that I used as a fingerprint guestbook

Invites - designed myself, printed via VistaPrint, pocketfolds and envelopes from Cards and Pockets - used another Groupon, but it didn't seem to make as much of a difference in price this time. Also wish that VistaPrint had standard sizes.  For example their 5x7" isn't actually 5x7" so I had to cut everything with a paper trimmer to fit into standard envelopes. Wish I would have just ordered invitations instead of DIYing as I think it was actually more expensive to do them myself. -  C - about $400.00 for 100 invitations including all insert cards and envelopes

Programs/Menus - designed myself, printed menus and table number at home and printed programs and all signs via FedEx Kinkos in Dearborn, MI - took forever and only have two cardstock choices in matte cream or coated white - C - $45.00 for 100 programs and 3 signs

bridget4mcg

Ceremony
Ceremony Site- Grosse Pointe War Memorial, outside on the back lawn. It's an absolutely beautiful location, and all of the people I dealt with were expertly organized and great. $$$ A+

Officiant-Rev. Terry Robinson, family friend. He has known my husband for over twenty years and performed a lovely service. He also had us for premarital counseling, which was very important to all of us. Donation to the church. A+

Ceremony Music- DJ Derrick Castenholz also played for the cocktail hour and the reception. It was only $200 more to have him set up outside and play for the ceremony. He was completely open to our song choices and a consummate professional. A+

Reception
Reception Site- Grosse Pointe War Memorial Crystal Ballroom provided a beautiful backdrop, good food and excellent service. They were also flexible when our count ended up being quite a bit lower than previously thought. $$$$ A+

Chair Covers/Linens- Stephanie's Wedding Creations was very quick to respond, had great pricing and delivered exactly the shade of tablecloth I desired. $$$ A

Bakery- Josef's in Grosse Pointe Woods. AMAZING! I love the owner, after a snafu with our tasting he corrected it by shipping cakes all the way to Boston. The cake was fantastic, and I bake so I have a discriminatory palate when it comes to buttercream. I would recommend Josef's to anyone for any occasion. $$$  A++

DJ- Derrick Castenholz, see above in ceremony. I will say that the party took a little while to ramp up, but that is moreso because we had an open bar that everyone was very eager to visit multiple times. Once it got going, it was fantastic and music choice was great. $$$$ A-

Favors- Macarons from Coquette Patisserie near Cleveland. Delicious and perfect. http://www.coquettepatisserie.com/french-macarons.html  $$$ A++

Lighting- provided by DJ

Other
Limo - National Trails. We had a large charter bus instead of a private limo and everyone used it. It was great as a large contingent of the group was from out-of-state. This also meant no drunk driving, and everyone could enjoy themselves. Worth every dollar. National Trails was very accommodating, worked in idle time during the ceremony at a lower cost. Very reasonably priced. $$$ A

Florist- Fifty Flowers for the bouquets, bouts, corsages, etc. Sam's Club for bulk for centerpieces. FF is amazing how they ship everything, all I did was remove their sponges or test tubes to add some water when they first arrived. Everything looked marvelous- orchids for far less than something far less spectacular from florist. Myself and two of the bridesmaids put together the centerpieces with bulk roses and hydrangea. The ballroom at GPWM has such beautiful views that anything too tall would be silly. The flowers from SC were perfect and in excellent condition. FF- A. SC- A. $$$$

DOC-Tammara Kane from Grand Jour. She is amazing and so organized. I never knew if any problems occurred because she handled them. She is very keen on ironing out details ahead of time and contacting vendors to confirm everything- this was especially important to me as an out-of-state bride. I would refer her every day of the week. $$$ A+

Photography
Photographer- Amy Pruder. She is very nice and cooperative. She is very well priced. She turned around the pictures in a few weeks and they turned out well. My husband was disappointed that she missed one small moment, but overall she did a lovely job and never interfered with the ceremony or reception which was very important to me. $$$ B

Photobooth- Oh Snap! Booths. I actually won their services through an online auction, which was a bit of a gamble. I paid a little extra for some additional time, and they did something that was important to my husband. He wanted the scrapbook of photos to also be the guest book with enough space so that people could leave notes too. It's a nice momento. The ladies that worked the booth were delightful and encouraging to everyone. $$$ B+

Picture Locations- Westin Book Cadillac and GPWM. The wedding party and many of the guests stayed at the Westin, it is also where we had our first look. Both of these locations were great for pictures, with the far majority being taken at the venue. We used all of the garden, the lawn, the rooms where we were held prior to the ceremony. GPWM has some gorgeous spots for pictures. A+++

Beauty / Attire
Rings- Lester Doulis LLC on West Big Beaver in Troy, in particular Stan Belczak. He made my custom designed engagement and wedding ring (all-in-one) and he also was able to get my husband's Triton tungsten carbide ring. He is amazing and has done tons of work with my husband's uncles and father over the years. He is the kind of jeweler that becomes the family jeweler and everyone recommends to their friends. $$$$ A++

Wedding dress- Tiffany's in Richmond, Virginia. They're great women and can work with a tall, curvy girl. So thankful for this bunch. $$$$ A

Alterations- in Richmond. $$$ B

Tuxes- Men's Wearhouse, pick up in Dearborn mostly. The wedding party was from all over the country and Men's Wearhouse is used to that and makes it work. Everything was seamless. One of the jackets was starting to look a little beaten in the shoulder, but it didn't even show in pictures. $$$ B

Bridesmaid Dresses- various locations- I honestly have no clue. I let my girls pick their own dresses with some guidelines. They looked great in their dark blue knee length dresses, and everyone had gotten something that suited their personalities and body types. They ranged from 4'11" to 5'11", and size 2 to 20. They ended up matching perfectly- it was great. High fives to them for great taste..

Hair-DYI

Makeup-DYI

Paper
Save the Dates- Wedding Paper Divas postcards. I loved their designs and they had reasonable pricing for what I wanted. $$$ A

Invites- WPD, with inserts from Vistaprint. Looked great, and I saved a few dollars using VP for the inserts (using a very simple, traditional black and white design). $$$ A

Programs/Menus- DYI

Hotel- Westin Book Cadillac. Spectacular redesign of the hotel and they like to work with  groups. They have great people in the group sales department that were a pleasure to work with. We had well over twenty rooms booked there, many for multiple nights and they treated us very well. Motorbar is a nice quiet lounge to enjoy a martini. Roast is Chef Michael Symon knocking it out of the park. We had a slight issue here or there but everything was remedied quickly and handled fairly well. A-

Rehearsal Dinner- Andiamo in Grosse Pointe Woods. Lovely meal. Everyone ordered off of the regular menu, but Andiamo does have other options available which was a nice option. Well priced too. They set us up in a side room, which although not private was away from most of the other patrons. B+

ezza671

Ceremony Site - Waldenwoods Hartland MI  A++
$800 We used WW outdoor ceremony site by the lake, it was beautiful. There were plenty of chairs set up and from what I could tell the staff did a great job guiding everyone

Officiant - Wayne Byrum  A+

$270 http://www.dreamweddingceremonies.com/

Wayne was amazing! His fee included a meeting prior to the wedding, a rehearsal and the actual ceremony. He was very flexible in catering to our needs/wants.

Ceremony Music - Our DJ, Sound Horizons, see later review

Reception Site - Waldenwoods, Hartland MI A++
$aprox 22,000 (220 guests) for full open bar with small upgrades, plated meal, outdoor cocktail hour

From start to finish WW was amazing to work with. Emails and phone calls were returned very promptly. They were more than happy work with us on lots of special requests. The staff was all very knowledgeable of our event every time I reached out, I have to guess that their tracking of events is very detailed so whoever answered when I called was able help as soon as they opened our file. 

Caterer - Waldenwoods A
Food was great. For tastings they have one large "sweetheart" dance in February for all upcoming couples rather than a small personal tastings. I love the idea, as you are able to see the venue all dressed up and full of people, however I wasn't able to attend so I had to send DH, SIL and BIL. All turned out great. DH didn't LOVE the beef, but others said it was great. 

Linens - Waldenwoods preferred vendor B+
The good thing was WW handled the coordination of linens, chair covers and sashes. I was able to make choices on site at WW and they handled the rest. Bad news was the wrong color sashes (blue instead of purple) were on the chairs about 3 hours prior to the wedding. I was willing to let it go since I figured it was too late, but Mom said something and they were actually able to have the vendor come out and change them out quickly. 

Bakery - Roberto's Bakery, Taylor, MI 
$aprox 750 for a crazy big dessert table, will be eating leftovers for years  
I put Dad in charge of dessert. I'm not a big cake fan and neither is DH. So Dad enlisted a family friends bakery to rock out a ton of mini desserts. Everyone raved about them. 

Dad also got us a cake shaped (and sized) pinata filled with candy and mini booze bottles which we broke open instead of cutting a cake. I hated the idea at first but it was a huge hit! HERE is a photo from my photographers page.

DJ/Band - Sound Horizons - A+
$750 DJ Brad was fantastic! Our speeches/toasts went a little long, but he did a great job of turning up the party as soon as all of the organized stuff was out of the way. He also took a ton of pictures which we loved pouring over, and were able to see a day or two after, quicker than our photographer could edit  

Florist - Ribar Floral, Plymouth MI - A+
About $1000 for 2 bouquets, 24 centers, 3 corsages, 6 bouts, and 12 special flowers for my "special girls" ( I did not have bridesmaids) 

Miss Lori and team are fantastic. I've been going to Lori for all of our floral needs for.. always so there was no place else for my wedding flowers. Even DH who doesn't like flowers, or the color purple was raving about my gorgeous purple bouquet! 

Photographer - Michael Shuster Photography A+++++++++++
$1800 My Michael My Michael! HE IS THE BEST. A dear friend as well as an amazing photog. Even the sneaks he has posted are to die for! He is so talented. Everyone commented on how great he and his second were at getting the shot, but also being so unobtrusive you hardly knew they were there. I never had to look long to find him for a special shot of me and any particular guest. Worth every penny and more. 

Photobooth - Simply photo booths  A+
$550
I feel bad that our venue didn't really have a great spot for them. I was so caught up in the guests that I forgot they were there till late. I had the DJ announce them at that time, but guest's really weren't able to take advantage like I had hoped they would due to the size of the venue/main space. Waldenwoods is very cozy and intimate. 

Rings -Tapper at 12 Oaks Mall B

My e ring and wedding band are great! 

DH's band came with a chip, when we took it in to be fixed we weren't really given a timeline as to when we would get it back (at 6 weeks from wedding date) when we called a few weeks later no one knew anything about it and it took a bit of hunting to solve the mystery. All is well that ends well and it came in time, but now we are realizing DH's band is way too big, and will need it re sized. 

Wedding dress/tuxes - Cynthia Bond (dressmaker) A++++++++++++++
$900 inc. alterations  

Miss Cynthia custom made my gown, and it was the best experience. She was so knowledgeable and sweet and comfortable. My dress is amazing, and different, and fit so so so well. 

Suits were a different story- we bought 6 suits from Men's warehouse in Novi. Our sales person was a disaster. After many months and a lot of effort from the manager and corporate, we have 6 great looking suits.  

Hair and Makeup - Leslie Robinson - Stephen Michael's Salon Canton, MI A+++++

Leslie and her team were amazing!! The 4 of them came on site to WW and took care of a ton of hair and makeup! Leslie has been doing my hair for a while now, but watching her direct and team and create such different and fantastic looks for each person was a thing of beauty. Leslie is so talented, and exudes professionalism in hair and makeup that I have never seen before.  I would rather have dealt directly with Leslie in the planning and coordination leading up to the day rather than the salon's bridal coordinator, but it wasn't a big deal. 

Save the Dates -  International Minute Press, Farmington Hills, B. They did ok. The magnet's have a faint line down the center that you don't notice until its pointed out. They also misprinted the envelopes and had to redo them (unfortunately this caused a delay at the same time postage went up in cost so I had to add penny stamps) They are prob great for business printing, but would not recommend for wedding, not enough attention to detail. 

Invites -Invitationsbydawn.com - A- I took a huge risk ordering online. They sent me a free sample that I loved and the invites were wonderful. Better quality than I expected for the price! 

Cocktail hour entertainment: State of Fifths A capella group from MSU B

I'm told they were awesome (we were taking pictures during cocktail hour) but the communication leading up to the event was TERRIBLE I honestly didn't expect them to show up. 

mmiller0923

Ceremony
Ceremony Site- Canterbury Village outdoor gazebo in Lake Orion (A)
Cost: $600
This was a beautiful outdoor gazebo and Canterbury Village is just so charming. The only problem is that the area around the gazebo is slightly hilly and sloped, so I was not able to have enough chairs to accommodate all of my guests.

Officiant- My step-dad (A+++)
No charge
It was so remarkable to have someone close to my hubby and I perform our wedding. I highly recommend!

Ceremony Music- Cinderella’s Wedding DJs of Waterford (A+)
Cost: $200
Our DJ was Brett Baines and he did an amazing job. Incredibly attentive!


Reception
Reception Site, Caterer, Chair Covers/Linens, Lighting- The Lafayette Grande in Pontiac (A-)
Cost: $17,000 or so
Greg, the manager, was always very helpful from the day we first toured this venue. The venue is in Pontiac but it is so unique and the most incredible ballroom is the second floor, which we used. We had about 220 people at our wedding. We used the third floor for cocktail hour and our guests loved looking over the balcony to the lower level. Everyone was in awe by the food and the enchanting and romantic venue. The only negative is their ran out of one meal choice and had to make a substitution. The also did not cut the cake very quickly and my guests had to keep cutting it themselves.

Bakery- The Cake Lady Zondra Eller in Flint (A)
Cost: $650
The cake was beautiful and tasted even better. Also came in under budget.

DJ- Cinderella’s DJ Brett Baines (A++)
Cost: $700
Brett was absolutely amazing. He kept me on schedule and always had his eye on me to see if I needed anything. Most of our guests danced the entire night—both young and old! He REALLY knew how to get the party going.


Other
Limo- Gen-X Limo and shuttle service (D)
Cost: $150
The shuttle was provided by our hotel at no charge. We did have a couple of extra trips, hence the small fee. I was told before our event that if we wanted our last return trip to be later because we extended the time we had the venue, then this was no big deal. We tried to arrange this on the day of the event, and the driver said they would not do it. Then the female shuttle driver said she had to leave, and I was not even aware the shuttle was there or leaving. She gave my groom 5 minutes to find me and get me on the shuttle. She then threatened him and said that she didn’t care who I was, she was leaving me there. INCREDIBLY RUDE. The other drivers were great, but this witch ruining it for us.

Florist- The Parsonage Events in Clarkston (A-)
Cost: $4,000
I worked with Sara from the Parsonage. She was amazing that she provided a full-service evening. I did a few DIY décor projects, and she did the rest. There were a few times where I was slightly frustrated with her slower communication responses but this was rare. Typically she was prompt, informative, and always by my side. She was, in a way, my event planner. It was expensive, and I think that I got a decent value for my money. I would highly recommend if you are willing to spend the money for a more extravagant look.


Photography
Photographer- LAs Photography in Grand Blanc (A+++)
Cost: $1250
*NOTE: I have yet to see pictures. I used LouAnn and Cara. LouAnn was so amazing I can’t even begin to praise her enough. She is a small, feisty girl who can scare just about anyone into shape! She was prompt and got everything I wanted done in my time frame. Dozens of my guests were complimenting her picture ideas, leadership, etc.

Videographer- Videotaped on our GoPro camera

Photobooth- Qwik Picz photobooth (A)
Cost: $650
I never got to use the photobooth because my venue had them set up on the wrong floor. I didn’t have time to go up there. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and got a lot of pictures.


Beauty / Attire
Rings- Kay Jewelers in Great Lakes Crossing (B+)
Cost: $9,000
My fiancé took a diamond of my grandmother’s in to have custom set into a band. The manager of the store spent a great deal of time with him and was very helpful. The store in Flint in the Genesee Valley mall; however, was very rude. I’d never shop there.

Wedding dress- David’s Bridal in Flint (B)
Cost: $1,500<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I bought a Vera Wang dress from David’s bridal. The store manager, Sheila I think, is great. My initial consultant Megan was also good, but she transferred stores. Everyone else in the store sucks.

Alterations- My grandmother

Tuxes- Men’s Wearhouse in Flint (B+)
Everyone was nice, but at least 4-5 of the 15-20 tuxes came in wrong when it was time for them to be picked up. Most were quick fixes.

Bridesmaid Dresses- David’s Bridal (C-)
Cost: $100/each
The dresses were great. The consultant was awful.

Hair & Makeup- My mother-in-law

jsrosewedding

Wedding May, 2013, 75 guests

Ceremony
Ceremony Site- Goldner Walsh Garden & Nursery, Pontiac A-
Venue was a perfect setting for us, totally unique and lots of filtered light which made for perfect pictures.  We used the Landscape Office area and they were very accommodating with bringing in potted plants/bushes to dress up the space, which saved on paying for decorations.  Wonderful to have the ceremony and reception at the same venue but in different spaces. Communication could have been a little more organized, but we rolled with it.

Officiant- Friend, ordained on-line, allowed for Oakland County A
We wrote the ceremony and he executed it perfectly.

Ceremony Music- James Tyler Vess, guitar A
Totally professional and well prepared.  Gave suggestions for ceremony music and was easy to work with and willing to learn a specific song.  We requested Spanish guitar style music and it was beautiful.

Reception
Reception Site- Goldner Walsh Garden & Nursery A-
Reception was in Tropical Greenhouse and was perfect.  The space is very unique we received many compliments on the space.  GW set up our tables and chairs and we just had to put up our decorations and personal touches.  They were very accommodating to our requests and easy to work with.  No restrictions on outside vendors was a huge plus.  I would have felt more comfortable if there was better communication overall and gave a more organized feeling, but everything went well and I have no complaints on how the night went.

Caterer- Chariots of Fire Pizza A
We wanted a unique food idea and found Chariots of Fire pizza, a mobile pizza oven.  They set up their station just outside a door and made the pizza in the oven.  We had a menu of pizza combinations, but were very willing to accommodate specific requests.  We also had them set up a buffet inside with BBQ pork and baked chicken, pastas and salads.  Everything was delicious and our guests thought the pizza oven was pretty cool.  John, owner, was amazing to work with and was over the top in making sure we were happy with the night.  The waitstaff did an excellent job and I feel went above and beyond.  For our bar, we provided the alcohol and the caterer provided a bartender.  Our friend made two homebrews that we served as well.

Chairs/Tables- Perry's Tent Rental, Pontiac A
They were very easy to work with and accommodated my order revision.  Pricing was comparable to other vendors.  Pick-up and delivery for the tables and chairs went smoothly as far as I know.  We used white roll paper for the table covers and it worked great.

Bakery- I made our small wedding cake (6" round), and pieces from a sheet cake version.  My aunts made tons of cookies, per family tradition.  The caterer had the option for a dessert pizza, but I am not sure that any were made since we had so many other desserts.

DJ- self made playlist A-
We have a dislike for DJs, so we made our own playlist and played the music on an iPod nano through our sound system we brought to the venue.  For our size of space, it worked great.  Getting the songs, making the playlist and figuring out the right order for the flow of the night took a large amount of time, but I feel worth it.  Eventually our guests changed up the songs from the playlist, but it was fine and people danced and had fun. 

For cocktail hour, we had our ceremony musician play and added to the ambiance.

Favors- We didn't have favors per se, but we did write a personal note addressed to each guest thanking them for coming that we had at the ceremony.

Lighting- N/A

Other
Limo- N/A
Florist- Boutonnieres, Golder Walsh A
GW provided boutonnieres for the groomsmen and were simple and lovely.

Bouquets- Trader Joe's
I made the bouquets for the day for myself and my bridesmaids.  I did a sample run a couple weeks before so I was confident it would work.  I bought flowers the day before at Trader Joe's and arranged them that morning.

DOC- N/A
Miscellaneous equipment- N/A

Hotel- Marriott Centerpoint, Pontiac A+
We got a great rate for our room block and they were more than happy to handle the welcome bags for the guests.  We worked with Rebecca and she was great with communication and follow-up.  The hotel is recently renovated and was nice for our guests.

Photography
Photographer- Pure Amour, Amy Schrodt A+
Amy was wonderful to work with, very talented and we have amazing pictures to show for it.  It helped that she had shot at our venue before, so she had the locations scouted out.  I provided reference photos and a full shot list and she nailed it.  We received a CD with edited photos, some with filters and full photo release.  She did an expert job at capturing the day and our personalities.  I can not praise her enough for doing such a great job!

Videographer- N/A My uncle ran the video just so we had it captured and gave me a DVD.  Maybe someday I will get around to editing it together with some of our pictures.  I appreciate that the ceremony was recorded, but paying for a videographer seemed over the top for us.

Photobooth- N/A

Picture Locations- Around the grounds of Golder Walsh, Pontiac

Engagement Pictures- N/A

Beauty / Attire
Rings- Brent & Jess A+
For my husband's ring, I did a custom ring through Brent & Jess brentjess.com They imprint your fingerprint into the band through a special process.  They were great to work with and met my tight timeframe.  Highly recommend for adding that personal touch.

My rings were purchased by my husband and I have no details on it, though I love them.

Wedding dress- Bellissima Bridal, Rochester, MI A
I bought my Eddy K dress at their sample sale for $600.  The ladies were great to work with and had a good eye for picking out dresses that would look good on me.  I loved my dress and even better that it was a deal.  For being in downtown Rochester, they are a very affordable salon.  I made my hair clip and bird cage veil.

Alterations- N/A
My dress fit pretty well and had a corset back, so my MIL and I just had to take up the underlayers a little bit and do the bustle ties.  We used a Youtube video for reference on how to do it- super easy!

Tuxes- Kohls, JC Penney A
The guys wore vests with button down shirts and khakis.  It was a good look for our garden wedding.

Bridesmaid Dresses- White House/Black Market A
My two sisters were my bridesmaids, and I wanted to avoid the unwearable bridesmaid dress.  They found a lace dress at WHBM and the sales woman there was very helpful.  We bought the accessories there as well.  No alterations were required.

Hair- Amy at Shirley Berney Salon, Pontiac A+
Amy was so great and used my reference images to create the perfect updo.  I made my hair clip and bird cage veil and she got it just right.  I really had a great time when I was there for my practice session and the day of.  The ladies at the salon are so nice and accommodating.  On the wedding morning we brought in some snacks and had a great time.  Highly recommend this salon for other brides.  I forget the actual price, but they were more affordable than other places I considered, I think about $55 + tip.  She will also travel to your location, but would need to set that up with her directly.

Makeup- Mandy at Shirley Berney Salon, Pontiac A+
Mandy did a great job on everyone's make-up.  We looked great without looking over done.  I learned some great tips from her too during the practice run.  Affordable, I think about $50 + tip.

Paper
Save the Dates- self-designed
Invites- self designed
Programs/Menus- self designed

dmefom

At the last poster I am curious about what the fees were to host the ceremony and reception at Goldner Walsh Nursery. It's one of the venues I wanted to look into.

jsrosewedding

GW had a sliding scale for cost based on day of week and # guests.  When we signed our contract in November, 2012, we were quoted $950 for a Saturday wedding and reception for 75 guests.  We felt they were pretty reasonable since we had total flexibility on what vendors we wanted.

For a weekend wedding + reception, 76-124 guests was $1475, 125-199 was $3250, 200-275 was $3950.  Ceremony only (3 hours) was less.  Rates have probably changed since last year, but it gives you an idea.  PM me if you would like more detailed info.

TheFutureMrsB81

Ceremony Site - White House Wedding Chapel - Warren A+ / B (Day of)
$950 - Chris, the lady who ran the show was great BEFORE the day of the wedding. She answered all of my dumb questions and was AMAZING at rehearsal. We told her that we wanted NO photos taken during the ceremony, because we wanted our photographer to take them, since we were paying him a crap ton to do so. She informed us rehearsal night that she would not be at our actual ceremony due to a death in the family and that her staff would be the ones taking over. We figured everything would be just fine, but when we got there, the 2 girls she had were.... not what we expected. 1 girl was down right rude. The other was very attentive. The rude girl kept telling us that we needed to bring our things with us DOWN THE AISLE. Really lady? No. I didn't listen to a word she said. I just did my thing and left my stuff in the room. The other girl was amazing. Told me not to worry about it and she would help with our stuff after, and she did.

Officiant - Included with Chapel - A+
Darrin was great to work with. We incorporated our children into the vows by giving them gifts right after we took our vows. He was great with helping with all the changes.

Ceremony Music - Free - brought our own

Reception Site - Pasquales, Royal Oak - $17.50/pp buffet and then open bar package for 4 hours - A
Yvonne at Pasquales was a dream to work with. She answered ALL of my silly questions for weeks. She was so helpful in regards to us bringing our centerpieces in and showing her what we wanted and letting us know that their servers would help our people set up. She was so great as well was her staff. The staff during the reception was AMAZING. I don't drink, but I'll tell ya, they kept my champagne glass FULL all night as well as a glass of water full all night too. The only issue that happened was they cut my cake up instead of wrapping it up for my husband and I and started to serve that instead of the cupcakes we had. The head waitress apologized like crazy and I didn't make a big deal of it. They were still so great to work with!


Bakery - Julian Brothers - Clawson A++
$280 - 2 layer cake and 60 cupcakes + the stands - Mr Julian did an amazing job listening to what I wanted. I requested a layer cake with ribbon like details around the outisde of it. I also asked that the coloring go from light (top) to dark (bottom of cake) with the Sangria color (wedding color) with roses on top. Also, asked for the same sangria color on the cupcakes with roses on top. The cake/cupcakes were DELICIOUS and it was honestly beyond what I had expected or imagined.

DJ - Dan at Party to Go LLC - A+
$500 for 4 hours - Dan was amazing to work with. We met twice total before the wedding. Once just as a get to know you type thing and to let me know all the details. The 2nd time was a week or so before to make the final payment and go over all the details of the day of. At the first meeting, Dan told me he would be emailing me a link for his website where we could go and pick out our music as well as make a DO NOT REQUEST list for the reception. On the day of, he totally followed the list, with of course, some additions that we were totally fine with. He did a remarkable job especially since our wedding had less than 50 people. Our kids LOVED him and they loved the songs he played and loved that they could request songs as well.


Florist - Costco - A
$60 - 3 boquet of roses and 1 other boquet - DIY for the girls and all the bouts.


Photographer - AAVA - $995 - 5 hours- D+
After meeting with Craig, a photographer from AAVA, I was super excited about getting our photos done by them. When we recieved the photos last week, I cried. The lighting sucked that our specific photographer used (not craig). ALL the images are tilted. 90% of them are blurry. I asked for the after ceremony photos to be done in Detroit, he refused to go there and said "We're going to 12 and woodward. Beautiful spot". When we got there, with not much time left between, he took us to Shrine, the Catholic church. We're not Catholic. My family is Jewish. My dad was so pissed because he has bad blood with the former Father of Shrine who was an Anti-Semite when my dad was growing up. Last thing he wants to do is look at photos with Shrine in the background. Plus, it looks like we got married then. Almost all the pictures have Jesus or Mary in the background. So upsetting. Not like I can get a damn re-do on this. We're still trying to figure something out about this. Harry, the photographer, also missed key shots I wanted. Missed key people in the photos. Didn't listen to a word we said about not wanting a boquet in ALL the photos. Wanted natural. We didn't get that. Also, during the reception, he was hitting on 2 of my bridesmaids, my cousin and my 78 year old aunt. Super. Pissed.


Rings - Kay Jewelers - A


Wedding dress - Davids Bridal - A

Suits - Macys - A

Tailor - Charlotte in Clawson - A+++
She was so great to work with. Great prices. Great service.

Hair - Eric at Premier salon at Macys, Somerset Mall - A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ - I guess I'm pretty biased. He's been my hairstylist for years. I didn't have to tell him what I wanted. He already knew. Made me look amazing. The rest of the bridal party had their hair done at Premier by 4 other ladies. All amazing work. They looked so beautiful! I think for 5 of us it was around $400 with tip included (I could be wrong, still haven't gotten the credit card statement lol)

Makeup - Myself! FREE!

Save the Dates - Vistaprint A - DIY.

Invites - Vistaprint - A+ - Was able to find the design we wanted in the sangria color. We were so excited. I had an issue on the website with the groupon and pricing, but called customer service, and they took care of it in about 5 minutes. Super helpful!

TheFutureMrsB81

Ceremony Site - White House Wedding Chapel - Warren A+ / B (Day of)
$950 - Chris, the lady who ran the show was great BEFORE the day of the wedding. She answered all of my dumb questions and was AMAZING at rehearsal. We told her that we wanted NO photos taken during the ceremony, because we wanted our photographer to take them, since we were paying him a crap ton to do so. She informed us rehearsal night that she would not be at our actual ceremony due to a death in the family and that her staff would be the ones taking over. We figured everything would be just fine, but when we got there, the 2 girls she had were.... not what we expected. 1 girl was down right rude. The other was very attentive. The rude girl kept telling us that we needed to bring our things with us DOWN THE AISLE. Really lady? No. I didn't listen to a word she said. I just did my thing and left my stuff in the room. The other girl was amazing. Told me not to worry about it and she would help with our stuff after, and she did.

Officiant - Included with Chapel - A+
Darrin was great to work with. We incorporated our children into the vows by giving them gifts right after we took our vows. He was great with helping with all the changes.

Ceremony Music - Free - brought our own

Reception Site - Pasquales, Royal Oak - $17.50/pp buffet and then open bar package for 4 hours - A
Yvonne at Pasquales was a dream to work with. She answered ALL of my silly questions for weeks. She was so helpful in regards to us bringing our centerpieces in and showing her what we wanted and letting us know that their servers would help our people set up. She was so great as well was her staff. The staff during the reception was AMAZING. I don't drink, but I'll tell ya, they kept my champagne glass FULL all night as well as a glass of water full all night too. The only issue that happened was they cut my cake up instead of wrapping it up for my husband and I and started to serve that instead of the cupcakes we had. The head waitress apologized like crazy and I didn't make a big deal of it. They were still so great to work with!


Bakery - Julian Brothers - Clawson A++
$280 - 2 layer cake and 60 cupcakes + the stands - Mr Julian did an amazing job listening to what I wanted. I requested a layer cake with ribbon like details around the outisde of it. I also asked that the coloring go from light (top) to dark (bottom of cake) with the Sangria color (wedding color) with roses on top. Also, asked for the same sangria color on the cupcakes with roses on top. The cake/cupcakes were DELICIOUS and it was honestly beyond what I had expected or imagined.

DJ - Dan at Party to Go LLC - A+
$500 for 4 hours - Dan was amazing to work with. We met twice total before the wedding. Once just as a get to know you type thing and to let me know all the details. The 2nd time was a week or so before to make the final payment and go over all the details of the day of. At the first meeting, Dan told me he would be emailing me a link for his website where we could go and pick out our music as well as make a DO NOT REQUEST list for the reception. On the day of, he totally followed the list, with of course, some additions that we were totally fine with. He did a remarkable job especially since our wedding had less than 50 people. Our kids LOVED him and they loved the songs he played and loved that they could request songs as well.


Florist - Costco - A
$60 - 3 boquet of roses and 1 other boquet - DIY for the girls and all the bouts.


Photographer - AAVA - $995 - 5 hours- D+
After meeting with Craig, a photographer from AAVA, I was super excited about getting our photos done by them. When we recieved the photos last week, I cried. The lighting sucked that our specific photographer used (not craig). ALL the images are tilted. 90% of them are blurry. I asked for the after ceremony photos to be done in Detroit, he refused to go there and said "We're going to 12 and woodward. Beautiful spot". When we got there, with not much time left between, he took us to Shrine, the Catholic church. We're not Catholic. My family is Jewish. My dad was so pissed because he has bad blood with the former Father of Shrine who was an Anti-Semite when my dad was growing up. Last thing he wants to do is look at photos with Shrine in the background. Plus, it looks like we got married then. Almost all the pictures have Jesus or Mary in the background. So upsetting. Not like I can get a damn re-do on this. We're still trying to figure something out about this. Harry, the photographer, also missed key shots I wanted. Missed key people in the photos. Didn't listen to a word we said about not wanting a boquet in ALL the photos. Wanted natural. We didn't get that. Also, during the reception, he was hitting on 2 of my bridesmaids, my cousin and my 78 year old aunt. Super. Pissed.


Rings - Kay Jewelers - A


Wedding dress - Davids Bridal - A

Suits - Macys - A

Tailor - Charlotte in Clawson - A+++
She was so great to work with. Great prices. Great service.

Hair - Eric at Premier salon at Macys, Somerset Mall - A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ - I guess I'm pretty biased. He's been my hairstylist for years. I didn't have to tell him what I wanted. He already knew. Made me look amazing. The rest of the bridal party had their hair done at Premier by 4 other ladies. All amazing work. They looked so beautiful! I think for 5 of us it was around $400 with tip included (I could be wrong, still haven't gotten the credit card statement lol)

Makeup - Myself! FREE!

Save the Dates - Vistaprint A - DIY.

Invites - Vistaprint - A+ - Was able to find the design we wanted in the sangria color. We were so excited. I had an issue on the website with the groupon and pricing, but called customer service, and they took care of it in about 5 minutes. Super helpful!

kirstenashlee

Ceremony
Ceremony Site - Ann Arbor City Club - $1700 (Includes membership) A

The City Club was a beautiful venue and very easy to work with. We had an outdoor wedding and the setting was just perfect, tree lined, green and intimate. Exactly what we wanted. 
Officiant - Reverend Fred Jolicoeur - $850 - A+++

Reverend Fred was absolutely amazing. He was incredible to work with, revised our wedding plans every time we asked or wanted something changed and was just genuinely enjoyable to be around. We are both catholic and it was a big deal to our families that we weren't getting married in our church but after the ceremony everyone, including our family, commented on what a wonderful job Rev. Fred had done and how much they enjoyed his work. We absolutely loved him and would recommend him to anyone!


Reception
Reception Site - Ann Arbor City Club - $ 35/person - A

Again the City Club was great and helped to take care of everything we needed the day of our wedding. Our food was great and all of our expectations were met. We were very happy with our choice to have our reception there!

Bakery - Jefferson Bakery, Ann Arbor - approx. $200 for small wedding cake and sheet cakes - A+

Jefferson Bakery was great! We loved our cakes and everything was done on time and professionally. Overall great experience.
DJ - Dorian Deaver -  approx. $1200 for 7 hours - A+++

Dorian was FANTASTIC! He has such a great and fun energy and got everyone up and out of their seats. Everyone commented that they had never been to a wedding where literally everyone was on the dance floor the entire time, and it was all thanks to Dorian! We gave him a general idea of what kind of music we wanted played and he ended up playing everything we would have chosen ourselves. He was also very easy to work with and was great at communicating. If you look him up online he also teaches ballroom dancing, perfect for any couple who wants to brush up on their moves for their wedding!
Favors - DIY Homemade Jam

Other
Florist - Sweet Pea Floral Design - B

 We had a fairly good experience with Sweet Pea Floral Design, however we found that communication wasn't great and it took a while and a lot of prompting on our part to get the information that we were looking. Our flowers themselves were beautiful, especially my bridal bouquet, but I was a little bit disappointed in the size of our centerpieces as well as the bridesmaid bouquets. 

Photography
Photographer & Videographer - The Compass Points Here - A++++++

We truly can't say enough great things about Courtney and Mike from The Compass Points Here. They were fantastic to work with, so easy to communicate with, worked tirelessly throughout the day, and delivered absolutely amazing pictures and video. We're so happy that we chose them to capture our day, we wouldn't have changed a thing!

Beauty / Attire
Rings - Lewis Jewelers - A+++

From the engagement ring to both of our wedding rings, Lewis was so helpful and accommodating, they even stayed open late for my husband when he went in to buy the engagement ring! Plus we love that it is a family owned company, we were so happy to support such a great local business!
Wedding Dress - Elizabeth's Bridal - $1400 - B+

My initial opinion of Elizabeth's was great. I had heard great things and had a great experience picking out my dress, however our customer service after my dress had been ordered wasn't the best. On more than one occasion one of my bridesmaids (who also got their dresses through Elizabeth's)  told me that a salesperson they spoke with on the phone was rude or unhelpful. I also had a negative interaction with a salesperson on the phone myself after a miscommunication about my dress. In the end, though, my dress was beautiful, arrived on time, fit perfectly and I was still happy with my choice to buy my dress from Elizabeth's.
Alterations - Elizabeth's Bridal - A 

The seamstress at Elizabeth's was great, my dress fit perfectly and I was very happy with her work!

aeowyn81

Would love to have my Wedding here but seems very hard to book being a non-resident. She told me I should just think of doing a Sunday wedding! Who wants that?

racheylynn

Ceremony
Ceremony Site - Old St. Mary's - A

They are very strict and old catholic.  So sometimes you didn't have the flexibility to have different songs or readings and such.  But I loved it.  It was beautiful and completely worth it!
Officiant- Father Epperley
Ceremony Music - Evelyn Everhart

Reception
Reception Site - 707 East - A +

707 East was amazing.  In a basement, I was worried I would feel underground.  But I never did!  As a matter of fact, no one did!  We lined the stairs with lanterns to get everyone in the mood of wedding and then did gorgeous bouquets high and low to make it feel bigger since we had 21 tables in an area that usually doesn't.  Ann was amazing to work with.  I highly recommend 707 East mostly because of their staff.  Anytime I had a question, it was responded to in a quick and efficient manner.  She let us in to the venue on several occasions to check it out with different people.  So my sister, my wedding planner, and my mom were able to see it when it was convenient to them.
Caterer - Club Venetian - A +

The only thing people raved about more than our first dance was our food!  People loved it.  We had a family style dinner which made it so people could eat as much as they want!  Bill was easy to work with and replied to all of my e-mails of concern or question.  We also were able to have our sample food on our schedule.  They made a to go plate and we went and picked it up.  That was perfect for our busy schedule and gave us leftovers. 
Chair Covers/Linens - 

Chairs provided by 707
Bakery - Whole Foods - A +

Whole Foods made our cake.  It was only for the two of us.  Two layers on a cake stand with a cake topper off of Etsy.  They were great.  My planner went and picked it up the day of and it was delicious!
DJ - Cuttin The Rug DJ - B+

Day of, they were great.  But as a bride I have a lot of questions and waiting over a week for an answer isn't the most relaxing thing.  So I really would get irritated when I had to e-mail them repeatedly and then call and say hello please let me know if we are still on for the wedding.  
Favors - A +

We made little heart boxes that said hugs and kisses from the Mr. and Mrs.
Lighting - None

Other
Limo - Rickshaw Detroit Pedicab - A +

We had a pedicab instead of a limo to save on cost and because we were in downtown Detroit.  It was the best decision of the entire day!  It was fabulous and everyone loved it.  I was a little chilly but it was completely worth it.  We had a separate one for the photographer and videographer.  It gave us some time alone to reflect and slow down between wedding and reception.

Florist - Linnaea Floral - A ++

Amazing.  I don't think I need to say much more.  She was amazing.  She made everything a dream and gorgeous.  I didn't stress at all with her and she let me constantly change things without getting frustrated. 

DOC - Heather Todero Events A ++

Heather Todero Events is a newer business but I have heard great things so I went with it.  She was fabulous!  She made the day easy and I didn't stress at all.  She had everything under control and constantly reassured me of it.  She had all the gifts back at my place before I even could worry about it and went back to my apartment to find other shoes because my feet hurt.  It was the best.  And I am so glad I was able to have this extra service!  
Miscellaneous equipment

Photography
Photographer - O'Photography - A +

The pictures are amazing.  She was wonderful and just has a great eye for wedding photos!
Videographer - KRR Videography

Still waiting
Photobooth - NA
Picture Locations
Engagement Pictures

Beauty / Attire
Rings
Wedding dress - Wedding Shoppe - A

The only complaint I have is they don't call you to confirm appointments or remind you to get alterations.  I know it should be my thing to remember but theres a little bit of confusion in my head as everyone is flying in and its a month before the wedding.  The seamstress Michelle is splendid.  My dress fit perfectly and felt like it was made for me. 
Alterations - Look above - A +

Tuxes - President Tuxedo - A

The guys looked good.  That was my only need and they did it.  So I'm happy
Bridesmaid Dresses - Aria - A

The girls had some problems with the neckline they kept saying.  But it was a boat neck so it just fit weird.  Other than that.  They liked them.  We had a catholic wedding so we did long dresses with high necks.  I think it was amazing.  They were classy.
Hair - Randolphs Salon - A
Makeup - Makeup by Jamie - A

I loved how all of our makeup turned out.  But the time was a little crunched because she said 30 minutes per bridesmaid but she needed more and we were a little behind because of it.  But it all worked out and I wasn't late.

Paper
Save the Dates - Courtney Cate Designs - A+

I loved everything she made.  She was very flexible and able to make exactly what I wanted and what I sketched out in my free time.  

Invites - Courtney Cate Designs - A+

Once again, she was fabulous everything looked great and it was perfect.  I really loved them!  Also they were the perfect weight so they didn't cost extra in stamps. 
Programs/Menus

sjames5689

Ceremony
Ceremony Site -The Grecian Center, Southgate, MI -$650- It is absolutely amazing in their outdoor area. The ceremony site is covered by a wooden pavilion, but is open on 3 sides so you still feel like your outdoor but you still have protection from the sun/rain. They have a coordinator that works with you and sets everything up too. A+ 
Officiant- My cousin, a minister - FREE - She did an amazing job, and it felt so comfortable having it be family. We gave her a $100 GC for a restaurant but she didn't' ask for anything. A+
Ceremony Music-See DJ

Reception
Reception Site-The Grecian Center, Southgate, MI - $4,550 for 120 people. It was roughly $28/person for 3 entree buffet and open bar.They did an excellent job. The food was amazing, the room was beautiful. Everyone you work with there was very nice and helpful. They also through in a complimentary pizza bar at the end. They set up the room for you too which is very helpful. A+
Caterer-See Reception
Chair Covers/Linens-The Grecian Center charged 3 dollars per chair I believe, but table covers were included. I purchased my own table runners for about 3 dollars each online.
Bakery-Family friend made our cake- FREE A+
DJ-Brendan Pfaff, Best DJ Service - $700 for unlimited hours - Brendan was awesome to work with. He is a goofy guy and has the right personality to be doing what he does. He knows a ton, and is soo helpful when trying to plan. He did a great job with our ceremony music too. He played good music, and was great with introductions. He was even on the dance floor with us at one point teaching us how to do the Wobble. A+
Favors-I made my own bookmark sleeves for the photobooth.
Lighting-Brendan did our uplighting, about 15 lights for $75. It was the best decision though, it made the room look even more amazing. A+

Other
Limo-None
Florist- I bought my bouquet off Etsy for $73, MOH bouquet was from Hobby Lobby for $20. Everyone loved them. A+
DOC-Christine from Grand Jour Events - $400 for 8 hours - Christine was very nice and helpful. She was great with communication and kept me on track with her timeline and tips. We didn't use her to her full potential because the grecian center set everything up for us, but it was very nice to have her at the end of the night to clean everything up and pack it up in my MOH's car, and just knowing she was there and if there were any issues she would handle them.  A
Miscellaneous equipment

Photography
Photographer-A Mae Zing Productions, Tim Peterson - $1400, which included pre ceremony pictures, ceremony and reception(about 8 hours). This also included our engagement shoot. Tim was referred to me by my cousin, and he was great to work with. He includes an engagement shoot to get you comfortable in front of the camera. At first it feels weird, but after a few poses you feel right at home. Tim makes you forget he is even there. He was crawling on the ground and almost climbing into trees trying to get the best shot. He was quick to get our engagement pictures back to us, and gives you a ton of pictures on a disc. We havent gotten our wedding pics back(Our wedding was just on 6-6-14) but I feel confident in giving him an A+
Videographer None
Photobooth Infinity Photobooth- $700 for 4 hours - The photobooth was a huge hit! I read so many reviews about photobooths and how even the older people enjoyed it and I really was skeptical, but really....My Husbands Grandparents were in there having a ball! Infinity photobooth was amazing, their booth is very big, great props, nice attendants and they made such a nice memory book. It is something we will look back at forever and laugh. They also give you a disc with each individual picture on it. I absolutely recommend them to anyone, there were people in the booth all night! I couldn't find my dad at one point, but he was in the lobby watching people on the external monitor! A+
Picture Locations Engagement pictures were at Lower Huron Metro Park, and French Landing in Belleville, MI
Engagement Pictures- See Photography

Beauty / Attire
Rings- Kay Jewelers, Engagement Ring-$2800, Wedding band-$500, Husbands band-$275. I love my rings so much, We got the warranty on my rings, so far my only issue was that it looks almost 3 weeks to get my engagement ring back after sending it to be sized. But they were helpful and notched out my wedding band to fit right up against my engagement ring. A-
Wedding dress - David's Bridal - $675 - I love my dress, it is so pretty, and everyone that helped me was very friendly. I did not want to buy their expensive slip and corset because I found them cheaper elsewhere. I thought it was a little ridiculous  I spent over $800 at their store and they couldn't even throw in a garment bag, they wanted like 20 dollars. B+
Alterations - Gaby's Perfect Fit Alterations, Canton, MI - $422 - This included a garment bag, slip, she took in my dress quite a bit, had to redesign the zipper, hem, pressed my dress and veil and did a bustle. Gaby was very nice to work with...she feels like a part of your family from the get go and she definitely knows her stuff! A
Tuxes-Men's Warehouse, Taylor, MI - $400 - This was for Husband and BM's tuxes. It was nice that they were able to match the cornflower blue to my MOH's dress, and the tuxes fit well but their customer service and atmosphere wasn't very good. B
Bridesmaid Dresses- David's Bridal - $85 - My MOH's dress came in on time and fit well, it just needed to be pressed. They had her dress for over a week though and she finally called and they said they had it for a while and they called, but she never received the call. B+
Hair Family Friend - $55 - She did a great job. my hair still had curls the next morning. A
Makeup - Christin Hanson - $75 - included her traveling to me, fake eye lashes, and airbrushing. It was $65 for the trial because we went to her place. She was very comfortable to work with, super nice and did a great job. I loved my makeup and it stayed on the whole night. She even covered up my tan lines so I looked flawless. A+

Paper
Save the Dates None
Invites - VistaPrint - $100 for 70 invitations and RSVP cards. They messed up a few of the invites, but then sent 10 free ones. A-
Programs/Menus None

jrklein85

Ceremony and Reception: The Greystone Golf Club and Banquet Center in Washington Township, MI A+++++  I HIGHLY recommend getting married here, it was perfect!

Ceremony:  At the Greystone $700
 The ceremony location is next to the banquet hall.  It's a beautiful archway in front of a pond with a long, red, brick paver aisle.  It was beautiful, and they set up white folding chairs for the guests.  You don't feel like you are at a hall or a golf course, you feel like you are in a beautiful park.  The banquet coordinator helps run the ceremony and directs guests. A+

Officiant: Wishing Well Weddings-Reverend Tab Martin $300
 Cost included rehearsal and Ceremony.  Not only is Reverend Tab super affordable, he is super amazing.  My husband and I wanted a light Christian ceremony and nothing too cutesy or too religious and also not super rigid or serious.  Reverend Tab got it right, my guests loved him and said it was the most intimate ceremony they had ever been to.  I loved every minute of it!  A+

Ceremony Music: Steel Sound $500
Steel Sound is a 3 person steel drum band and the cost was for 2 hours.  We had them play from 5-7: as the guests arrived, during the ceremony, and during cocktail hour.  My guests LOVED it!  No one had ever seen it at a wedding before and our guests just raved about what a good idea it was.  Steel Sound was super easy to work with and they know a ton of songs.  They followed up on emails and kept me from stressing about how it would flow.  They know what they are doing and they sound amazing!  Highly Highly recommend them, they were amazing!  A+

Reception: The Greystone: about $79 per person.  150 person minimum for a Saturday night
GET MARRIED HERE!  I loved my venue so so so much!  The coordinator Maggie is fantastic, the staff is fantastic, the food is fantastic and it's just a beautiful venue.  They only do 1 wedding a night and have huge windows overlooking the pond.  I love this venue so much because I didn't feel like they were nickel and diming us.  So much is included.  We went with the premiere wedding package which included 2 hot and 2 cold appetizers, premium bar, sit down plated meal with a salad course, pasta course, choice of a duo entree with a vegetable and potato and late night pizza snacks.  We chose filet mignon and bacon gouda chicken and it was amazing!  My guests loved the food and kept telling us that it wasn't typical wedding food but so much better!  The chef is also super nice, and the servers and bartenders were great!  They were quick and efficient but not at all rude, I was super impressed!  They set up most of the hall for me and did an amazing job!  Also included at no extra cost are charger plates and your choice of colored napkins.  There's also a decent sized patio with tables and chairs outside so you can sit and look at the water.  My guests loved being able to go outside.  The per person price also includes the taxes and service fees.  I could go on and on, it's a great venue and a great place to get married! A++++++++++

Linens/ Chairs:  We ordered table runners through the Greystone, they were 6 dollars per table.  The Chairs were the venues and they were light colored so they worked with my color scheme.  Chairs and linens were not high priority for us.

Centerpieces  I DIYed these.  Bought 2 different type of vases from Christmas Tree Shoppe and Discount Floral place in Warren.  Filled one with colored sea glass and a big candle.  Filled the other with water and floating candle.  Put 4 small votive candles around it and called it a day.  I think they cost me around $300 for all of the supplies and took no time to put them together.

Cake: Edita's Bakery about $300
Cost included a small 2 tier cake to feed 50 people and large sheet cake to feed 100 people.  Edita is a lovely woman who just opened her bakery in warren after working out of her home.  Good tasting cake was super important to us and she did a phenomenal job, we loved our cake!  I brought in a picture of a simple cake with 2 huge flowers on it and she recreated it perfectly and in perfect colors!  We chose vanilla and chocolate and they were both delicious!  She also delivered the cake for only $25.  We thought we got a great deal with edita, super delicious cake and very reasonably priced! A+

Photography:  Amy Pruder Photography $850
Cost includes engagement session, unlimited hours, unlimited locations
Amy is a wonderful photographer and I've only seen a sneak peak of my photos but I LOVE them!  She is so nice and so quick and did everything we asked and more!  We did a first look and she captured it perfectly!  She has adorable poses and gets great shots, but still does traditional photos as well.  I wouldn't be surprised if she starts charging more money, she deserves it! A+

DJ Ultimate Entertainment-Joe Spiteri $900
DJ Joe did a great job, he is super charismatic and tried his hardest to get my non dancing family to dance!  I had a great time and he kept the wedding flowing perfectly.  He played anything we asked and had a good mix of old and new songs.  A+

Dress: Alessandra's Bridal dress $800, alterations $375
I loved loved loved my dress!  They have great selection and the staff is amazing!  I didn't even have an appointment, just walked in to only browse, and they had an opening and let me try some on.  Alessandra herself is always there and makes sure everything is perfect before you leave!  My consultant Angie was super nice and helpful and the alterations ladies were wonderful as well!  The alterations were a little pricey because I lost quite a bit of weight after ordering the dress and they had to take it in a ton.  But they took it in 2 times and only charged me once.  I was very impressed! A+

Bridesmaids Dresses- I only had 2 so I told them to wear whatever they wanted, one got a dress at H and M and the other at Target.  They both looked great!

Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse-various branches I think they were around $150 per tux
Guys looked great, they were super easy to work with, there were problems with my Dad's tux the day of but they stepped in and took care of it.  Overall very pleased A+

Hair and Makeup- Bridesmaid Beautiful $70 per service
Cost includes, airbrush, lashes, and lip gloss
I was obsessed with my hair and make up, it looked AMAZING!  Julia is an amazing make up artist and managed to make us look natural yet done at the same time.  And Chrissy did my hair and it looked perfect!  Everything stayed in place all night and my girls and mom looked fantastic as well!  They travel to you and were super fast.  We got 5 girls done in about 2 and half hours, it was incredible.  A+

Rings: Golden Nugget  Not sure on prices
I recommend going to a small privately owned jeweler as I feel those chain stores are much more expensive for the same products.  We had my husband's great grandmothers stone set into a different ring and we ordered simple wedding bands.  They were super helpful and everything came in very fast!  A+

Flowers: Costco, Meijer about $150 for 3 bouquets, 1 bout, and hydrangeas for the tables
We ordered a hydrangea package from costco for about $100.  3 huge packages of hydrangeas and they were beautiful.  Then I picked up some bouquets of colored flowers at meijer and a family friend helped me put the bouquets together the day before, it was actually very easy!  A+

Invites: Vistaprint about $90 for 100 invites and response cards
I couldn't fathom spending a lot of money on something that ends up in the trash.  Vistaprint has a ton of styles and is very easy to put together.  We waited for a 50% off sale and got free shipping.  Shipped really fast as well.  Overall got the job done A+

Transportation: AllStar Transportation about $180 (2 hours)  for a 14 person van to drive bridal party and guests to the hotel after the wedding.  I booked this kind of last minute so they didn't have a lot of choices in vehicles but they were great at communicating, showed up on time, and were very professional.  A+

mstack86

Ceremony
Ceremony Site--St. Joseph Parish, South Lyon (hometown church)
Officiant--Father Stan K. (parents paid for donation) A
Ceremony Music--Aaron K. (about $200) A

Reception
Reception Site--Wixom Community Center--$1,100 A
Caterer--Tangerine Lobster Catering--$3,700 (extremely flexible with our budget--our whole wedding budget was $8,000, and though we went a bit over on other things, the ladies at Tangerine gave us everything we wanted for this low price, including a fantastic cocktail hour that did NOT include stupid cheese cubes, an awesome s'mores bar, and a mashed potato and pasta bar) A
Chair Covers/Linens--Affair to Remember--$1,400 (my splurge, because I paid for gold chiavari chairs in addition to linens) A- (hard to get a hold of through email)
Bakery--Lakes Cakes--$400ish A
DJ--Jason Schrock (Eden Designs)--$800 B+ (NICEST guy, but I was disappointed he didn't play the groom's favorite dance song and that he didn't announce our reception line clearly, which meant I didn't see half our guests)
Favors--favors are lame!
Lighting--the community center had dimmers, so no extra lighting

Other
Limo--Bozzo's--$700, I think (husband took care of) B (that limo was freaking hot)
Florist--Emily Ryers--$420 B- (didn't turn out like the photos I'd shown her and the bmaid's bouquets were PINK pink instead of a dusky mauve)
DOC--the ladies at Tangerine Lobster Catering did a great deal of coordinating before and the day of--they do everything! A
Miscellaneous equipment--built our own photo backdrop for less than $50

Photography
Photographer--Emily Ruby Photography--$1,500 (included a free engagement sessions, and we're doing an afterglow session, so I get to wear my dress again and be a lot less formal) A++ (so sweet, so funny, and she told us we were the nicest wedding party she's ever dealt with--so people, tell your wedding parties to be nicer)

(see our pics from June 2014 on her Facebook page)
Videographer--none
Photobooth--we made ourselves!
Picture Locations--McHattie Park, South Lyon, and the fountain in front of Wixom Community Center A (they're nothing special, but Emily's photos made them extraordinary)
Engagement Pictures--Maybury State Park with Emily Ruby A (most likes on her photography page from our photos--until the wedding photos!)

Beauty / Attire
Rings--my wedding band: $800 through a private jeweler; his was $250 through same guy (Harris Gems, but I think it's by referral only) A (I wear a size 3 ring and he did the impossible by making both my e-ring and wedding band with skinny bands and tiny diamonds all the way around--chain stores told us it couldn't be done)
Wedding dress--Moni's--$1,250ish plus $380 in alterations (yikes!) B (Moni is temperamental--you have to butter her up every time and then she loves you)
Tuxes--Men's Wearhouse, the Vera Wang line--I can't remember the price, sorry! B (I never got to see my fiance/husband in the whole tux. They had him try on pieces at a time--weird)
Bridesmaid Dresses--I let the girls choose their own black cocktail dresses so it fit their budget and style. Can't go wrong with a black dress!
Hair--Scappare's in South Lyon--$65 A (Emily did my hair; she was great)
Makeup--Scappare's--free because of how many bridesmaids had their hair done there B (while it lasted all night and looked pretty good, she was slow applying it and dawdling over colors. My ceremony was at 2 and she didn't finished till 1:15)

Paper
Save the Dates--I can't remember where, but it was under $90 for 100.
Invites--Invitations Made to Order--$400ish (I had designed my own and Andrea was great to work with and got me the embossed gold font I wanted--the printer and Andrea ended telling us they were the most beautiful invitations they'd seen in a long time, so worth it!) A+
Programs/Menus--programs were a gift designed by a friend

--I also bought gold glitter liners from an Etsy shop for $120, which really made the invitations pop, since my colors were ivory and champagne gold.