I don't post here too often but the local reviews helped me to find all of my vendors when I was newly engaged. I just hope this can help Brides future and present.
Happy Planning!!
Ceremony
Ceremony Site
$1,100 - Milford Presbyterian Church A- for day of, C- for communication beforehand.
My Mom booked the church for us as H and I live out of state. The wedding coordinator and I e-mailed back and forth several times making the process of my Mom reserving the church for our wedding very simple and easy. They also have a premarital counselor who was amazing to work with. Very prompt with getting us the information we needed and setting up (and keeping) meeting times. Everything after that wasn't so great.
I was in town before the wedding in May, July and September. I tired e-mailing to set up a time to meet the church coordinator once in May and once in July with no response. Finally we were able to set up a date and time to meet on the Saturday before the wedding. My Mom, H and I showed up and the church was closed. A day later I received an e-mail "Can you believe I forgot to double check my calendar!? Since you both are in town can we meet another day this week?" Sure. We set up another date and time. When we arrived, she had forgotten again. We called her and set up a time to meet later that day. Once we finally got together we had a chance to meet their new pastor. In our 5 minute meeting with him because he "had somewhere to be" he asked expressed his issue with the wedding being at 4:30p instead of 4p because "your wedding date is also my birthday and I have plans". We then went on to meet with the organist who was overwhelmed because she had no idea we were coming in that week to meet with her. We left very concerned.
Our rehearsal went smoothly and honestly so did the day of. The pastor ended up being very friendly with our family and friends and our wedding started on time which made him quite happy. The coordinator took my bouquet ahead of time to hand me once I started down the aisle. It wasn't until I had almost reached the end of the aisle that I realized no one was there to hand me my bouquet and it was still sitting at the back of the church. It wasn't a big deal though, when I look back at our wedding video (which the church provided and was done very well) the whole thing was kind of funny. They let us stay and take photos for as long as we wanted and they had the grooms brother ring the church bells as we made our exit which was pretty cool.
Ceremony Music/Sound System
Bag Piper -Kim Johnson $200 A+
Kim was amazing! I found her doing a search online. She was very prompt will all e-mails and made sure to check in with me to confirm all final details the day prior. She played both the processional and recessional and then played for about a 1/2 hour as our guests hung around outside after the ceremony. She was amazing and friendly and even took photos with us in the church after the ceremony. The church organist also played for the unity candle ceremony and the bridesmaids in the processional she was very sweet to work with and did a wonderful job.
Reception
Reception Site
Lyon Oaks in South Lyon (Oak Management) A+
$18,000 for 210 guests
Appetizers, premium open bar, plated meal, late night snack for a 6 1/2 hour reception
I am still getting compliments on the food and service from our wedding. Everything was absolutely fantastic. Tanya was the coordinator for the day and did our final spec appointment with us and was so easy to work with. Dan, the head chef was beyond amazing and even came out to check on us after the food was delivered. The staff was excellent, especially the bar staff who were busy but not overwhelmed all night. I can't say enough about the fabulous job they did! The food was amazing! So happy we decided to go with an Oak Management property.
Linens
$1,800 - The Parsonage of Clarkston - A+
We went with ivory rouched and fitted chair covers and textured antique gold floor-length tablecloths. They covered 21 tables, a gift table, cake table and our 16 person head table. The linens were exactly what we had discussed, we were very happy.
Bakery
$450 - Milford Bakery - B+
They were awesome to work with and had great communication beforehand. However, after giving them a photo of what I wanted for the cake they did not even come close. I don't put 100% blame on them though as the cake was not exactly a priority for me and I wasn't too particular. The taste was amazing - I knew that wouldn't be a problem. I feel bad giving them this "score" because it doesn't really bother me that the cake didn't turn out how I wanted. But if you're someone who has a very specific idea in mind, keep in mind that they do not do use fondant and seemed less than thrilled about doing a more intricate design.
DJ
$995 Mike Staff Productions - Josh Baker A+
I was pretty confident about booking Mike Staff since they always receive such positive reviews and we were not disappointed. Communication ahead of time was excellent and their level of professionalism went above and beyond what we expected. Our DJ, Josh called us the Monday prior to the wedding to go over every detail. The dance floor was full all night and he took all of the fun requests from our family and friends. He made sure to play every song on the "must play" list and avoided the few "do not plays" we had. We were very happy with our choice. Booking with them also got us 20% off a booking at Shutterbooth.
Photo Booth
$800 (after 20% Mike Staff discount) Shutterbooth - B-
I had been to so many weddings that used Shutterbooth for their photo booths that I expected much better service and attention to detail from them. The booking process was very easy and they communicated with me very well leading up to the wedding. Our attendant called to introduce herself to me a few days prior. We discussed the specifics including the fact that before she closed down for the evening that we make sure to get the bridal party members in for a few photos together. This was their suggestion - not mine. I thought it was a perfect idea and I told her yes, definitely.
The DJ announced several times throughout the evening for guests to make sure to stop by the Photo Booth and then alerted the guests 15 minutes prior to it closing down. H and I had taken 1 set of photos together earlier in the night so I was excited to get some good photos of us all together. When the attendant hadn't come to us moments later for pictures we made our way over and discovered that she had completely broken down the entire Photo Booth. We had plenty of professional photos taken of all of us but at the end of the night our parents and half of our bridal party had not made it into the booth because we were waiting for us to all get in together. Today I received a disc in the mail containing the photos from our wedding. It was address to Melissa & Patrick (that's not my name) and the disc has errors so we're unable to view anything on it. I logged onto their "Shutter You" cloud site that posts all photos from each wedding. It turns out my subscription to view our wedding photos expired on our wedding date. To view anything online I have to pay $19.95. Did all of our guests enjoy it and have fun? Yes and that's really what matters. I just expected better service and more attention to detail especially from such an established (and somewhat pricey) company.
Lighting
$0 - None
Other
Limo
$0 - None
Florist
$3,500 - The Parsonage of Clarkston - B-
The initial communication and booking with The Parsonage wasn't the best. I waited and waited for responses to my initial inquiries. Once we were finally able to set up a meeting with an events manager things really started to look up. They put together several examples of centerpieces they would do for us based on the photos I brought in for them. They were amazing and beautiful! We had decided on 7 different centerpieces for the room, picked the linens, signed the contract and paid deposits. Then, I didn't hear from them for over a year. I came into town in July for some appointments with other vendors. As an out of state bride I started to get nervous not having heard from them so I called and they set up my final appointment for me. We went back over all of the photos of centerpieces they put together for us a year prior. We made some color choice changes and confirmed all of our final decisions. Communication the week of was a little odd. I was getting random e-mails at 1am confirming last minute things and such. It didn't bother me, I just found it to be a little unorganized. On the day of everything was gorgeous! My bouquet was beautiful. The intricate chalkboard and frame they used to handwrite the seating chart was adorable and charming. It was excellent except for the fact that they only did 1 or 2 of the centerpieces we had planned. I had told them from day one that I had no flower preferences they could use whatever they wanted as long as it felt full when you walked into the room. I wanted a good mix of high and low centerpieces. We decided on 7-10 high and the rest low. There was not a single high centerpiece in the room. We are still getting compliments from others on how beautiful it all was, because it was. It just wasn't what we had discussed and we were underwhelmed. I am happy with their work as it was very unique and beautiful I'm just sad when I think about wasting my time with sending pictures and making visits to their studio when they just did what they wanted in the end.
DOC
$0 - None
Dance Instruction
$60 Arthur Murray of Raleigh, NC (Living Social Deal) A+
Awesome staff, very fun and a great deal.
Photography
Photographer
$200/hr + $900 for rights to all images (includes engagement session)
Mary and Bill of Church Street Studios A+
Hands down our favorite vendors. These two came very highly recommended from some friends who were married the year before we got engaged. After our first meeting with Mary (who we worked primarily with) we were sold. After booking and taking our engagement pictures (which were fantastic) Mary kept up with me through e-mail throughout the entire planning process. I've never met someone who loves what they do so much. Every month or two she'd send a quick e-mail asking how wedding planning was going, how life was, how our move to NC was, etc. By the time we met with her for our final pre-wedding appointment it felt like I was chatting with a friend.
On the wedding day she came to my parent's home to get photos of us girls getting ready and pre-wedding pictures of the Bridesmaids and I while her husband, Bill went over to H's parent's house for pre-wedding pics with the groomsmen. They communicated together all day to prevent us from running into each other as we took photos in the downtown Milford area.
They both have such fantastic senses of humor and were very fun to work with. Mary helped relieve the stress of the day for me (and my Mom) and came up with some really cool photo ideas for us. In all fairness I haven't receive the images from our wedding yet so I will post some once I do. This "score" has been given based off of how our engagement photos turned out and how wonderful the two were to work with before and on the day of our wedding.
Videographer
$0 - None
Picture Locations
Milford Presbyterian Church
Downtown Milford (Main Street)
The Palate (Restaurant in Milford) this was the place H and I met and where he proposed. It has now re-opened as something different under new ownership. The owner, Joe was super cool and let us take photos inside and out. They have a great craft beer selection if anyone's interested .
Engagement Pictures
Church Street Studio (included in final payment) A+
Sean O'Callaghan's of Plymouth
Downtown Plymouth & Kellogg Park
Beauty / Attire
His Ring
$30 Amazon, A+
Simple, exactly what he wanted.
My Ring
Engagement ($7,500) and Wedding Rings ($1,400) - Blue Nile, A+
Wedding dress
Casablanca 1881 $850 - Gina's Bridal of Milford A+
LOVE! Gina, her Mother and all of their staff were beyond welcoming and amazing. I made an appointment the week after Christmas when we were visiting. I felt so at home! They didn't rush us, they let me try on as many dresses as I wanted and were willing to alter any dress to make it perfect for me. Every single visit to the store for a fitting felt like we were visiting friends. I'm so happy we went looking there, I would recommend this place to any bride I know.
Alterations
$255 - Alterations by Paulita (works with Gina's Bridal in Milford) A+
Paulita was splendid! She did the alterations for mine and my Mother's dresses. Both were perfect, I couldn't have been happier! She was very friendly and easy to work with. She even put up with some pushy family members at one of my fittings. I would definitely recommend her.
Groom & Groomsmen Tuxes
$150 (Groom's was free) Tony's Tuxedos, A+
Exactly what we were looking for - Black Ralph Lauren Tux - no vest, black tie.
Tony (works out of Gina's salon as well) was super cool and laid back. We had a few problem groomsmen who took forever to get fitted and return their tuxedos. They were so understanding and easy to work with. Everyone that works out of Gina's is super friendly.
Bridesmaid Dresses
Alfred Sung - Four Different Styles Ranging from $110 - $120
Pearls Place (New Orleans, LA) - B+
They had the best pricing for the dresses that I could find. They do over the phone ordering only, and they mail you receipts (no e-mail). The first two girls who ordered had everything go smoothly. The last two waiting until the absolute last minute and one received the wrong dress. They offered to fix it at no additional cost but since they waited too long they had no other choice but to keep the wrong style. Shipping was a little expensive. We had two dresses sent to the same address and they charged $20 per dress and sent them in the same box. Other than that they were excellent and easy to work with.
Hair & Make-up
$350 + $50 for Travel (for Bride Hair/Make-up) $75/pp for Bridesmaids (Airbrush Make-up) Posh Studio of Milford - A+
Bridesmaids Hair - $0 (family friend) A+
Laura did my hair and make-up and the make-up for the Bridesmaids. She traveled to my Parent's home the morning of. She did such a fabulous job! I had a hair and make-up trial in July and I wasn't 100% happy with it. I set up another meeting with Laura the week of the wedding to show her more pictures of what I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. She promised to not leave until I was happy and she meant it. She was so fun to have around the morning of. She had a wonderful sense of humor and was very quick with each maid doing exactly what they wanted. It's true what they say about airbrush make-up it truly does last all night long. I touched up once before we left for the reception and I didn't have to think about it at all afterwards.
Paper
Save the Dates
$200 for 155 Magnets from Etsy, Card Candy - A+
Prompt responses and willing to make any specific changes we wanted. Quick shipping too.
Invites
$35 for Design from Yellow Brick Graphics (Etsy) A+
$160 for printing Barefoot Press (in Raleigh, NC) A+
I loved Barefoot press in Raleigh because all of the paper they use is from a Michigan company (: