If anyone has any specific questions feel free to PM me ! All the vendor's I worked with were great and not really any negatives. I can send pictures for anyone interested.
Venue: Heinz History Center
Everything was wonderful at the Heinz History Center. Lori McElhattan is the Events Manager we worked with. From the first time we went to check out the space she was so warm and welcoming. The space alone is awesome and to have someone who is there for whatever you need is also great. I did not have a wedding planner , but Lori handled everything with the outside Vendors the week of. She called to give them directions, where to load in , what time needed to be out , and etc. Lori also is very helpful with any ideas and photos from past events. We were able to come in the morning of a wedding to see the space set up to get an idea for how it would look. Lori is very efficient with returning email and phone calls. All the staff the day of were amazing as well ! The Common Plea is the exclusive caterer for the Heinz History Center and wonderful food choices !
Alterations/Accessories - Clarissa's Boutique
I purchased my dress out of state and due to Hurricane Sandy and time crunch with the wedding I was unable to get back for a second/final fitting. When my dress arrived I had a few bustle issues that needed fixed. Clarissa got me in right away ( the week before the wedding ! ) and made the changes and it was perfect ! There was also some stitching coming loose on the bodice which they noticed ( not me ) and fixed that as well. I also purchased my jewelry from them during a Trunk Show. I was having trouble deciding on veil/flower for my hair. After playing around with a few looks I cancelled the viel and went for a larger flower. They put 2 different flowers together and added some netting to give it a birdcage feel and it was perfect ! Everyone was very friendly ! They have great accessories for bridesmaids as well.
Florist - Neubauer's Flowers
Neubauer's is located in Uniontown, PA. I am not very big into flowers , I love them but just could not tell you the names of them. I wanted to keep the flowers inseason and wintery but not all drab and muted colors. I found an image on Pinterest of a bouquet I loved. I showed Bill James, our florist designer , and he ran with it. It was hard for me to zero in on a certain idea - I was a little all over the place. Bill was wonderful with helping me focus in on what would work the best. I am very open to creativity and Bill was the perfect match.I told him the color palette , what I wanted and didn't want , and he pulled it all together. We didn't meet that much but he knew exactly what my vision was. We met 2 weeks before the wedding when they have the Market House all set up for Christmas. He went through the shop and he pointed out the tones of things he thought I liked ( which I did ! ) . We did order alot through Neubauer's and when we were down for our final meeting he still hadn't arrived. But Bill showed me the colors , similar items , and textures so I could get a feel. When I walked into the reception I was blown away. What the reception looked like was so much better than what I had envisioned. Steve Neubauer is the owner and the shop has been in his family since 1921. I don't even know if my review will do the service justice - but they are amazing !
Nails/Makeup/Beauty - Onyx Salon/ Sasha Randle El
I began going to Onyx Salon before the wedding. This is the ONLY place where I can get a Shellac Manicure and it lasts as long as they say it will. Great color selection and Ida, the owner, is so sweet ! Took me along to find a nail salon where I felt comfortable and got my $ worth. The pricing is great there as well ! Carrie did my pedicure ( that was my something blue ) and it lasted all of December. Went back to get one before our honeymoon to Florida and the polish still looks great ! If you like going to a salon with great prices , warm atmosphere, and great service than Onyx is it.
Sasha Randle El works at the MAC Counter at South Hills and did my makeup along with my MOH . 2 other makeup artists , Danielle & Sarah , also did 3 of my bridesmaids. I wanted some drama but still looking like myself. My makeup stayed on all day only thing I had to reapply was my lip liner and lipstick throughout the day. In the pictures I love the way my skin looks ! The girls at the MAC counter at South Hills never dissapoint.
2 months prior to the wedding( once in October and once in November) I went to Hurwitz Center in Oakland for microdermabrasions. I have been going to Jody for facials ( due to my ever stubborn acne) but never had a micro before. One of the best investments before the wedding. My face felt so smooth and looked fresh the day of. She also is a killer eyebrow waxer.
Fallon's Photography Studios - Ashley Craker
I decided to use Fallon's Photography Studios because a high-school friend of mine was college roommates with Fallon. I saw some of her shots from a wedding through Facebook. I decided to have the studio do our Engagement Pictures to see how they turned out. We were so pleased with Ashley that we booked her for the wedding. She is super professional but laid back at the same time. After meeting with her and seeing some of the weddings she shot I knew it would be a good fit. During our engagement pics my then FI and I had a hard time being serious and not laughing during the pics - Ashley was great about keeping us focused. The day of Ashley and the second shooter Christie, were great. Both professionally dressed and put together. There were so many shots going back and looking that I thought " I didn't even know they were there for this ! ". Which I think is great because you don't want to constantly be bothered by look here and look there. Great communication and organized. Weeks before the wedding I filled out a form to communicate the different family shots we wanted. Other thing I love is all the great detail shots of the wedding that they captured. Little things that I wouldn't have even thought about they got ! Also have great packages and turn around time on images.
Entertainment Unlimited - DJ Jammin' Jesse
Super professional!!! Spoke with Jesse on the phone 2 times before the wedding , didn't need to meet. Received a form from Entertainment Unlimited to fill out with any song requests , first dance , pronunciations , and etc. I booked Jesse through Michelle Mundy - anytime I had a question she would respond immediately. My FI ( now husband ! ) and I were torn between 2 dj's and after speaking with Michelle she was super helpful in our decision to go with Jesse. We had planned on doing the garter toss , flower toss, and money dance- but by the time we got through all the first dances we decided to cancel and go straight into dancing. Jesse was great with judging what people were dancing to and what they weren't and changing the music accordingly. He took requests , great speaking voice , and all around easy to work with. The other great touch is that 2 days after our wedding we received a Thank You card in the mail from Jesse . That to me showed great professionalism !
Pittsburgh Candy Buffet
Instead of small favors for our guests we went with a Candy and Cookie Buffet with boxes for people to take home. I didn't want anything too flashy or too Christmasy for the candy table. We were having gold accents throughout the wedding so during our meeting Chris had suggested gold picture frames behind both the cookie and candy table at different angles. Turned out amazing ! When meeting with Chris we gave him a list of all the candies we wanted - some I was worried would be hard to find ( Chupa Chups for example) but he got them ! The only thing is that I think I picked too big of a bag for candy because it seemed to be gone quick. Also recommendations to brides - make sure you assign someone to get YOU a bag of candy to take home. I didn't and missed out on all my favs.
Cake- Vanilla Pastry Studio
Vanilla Pastry Studio is the ONLY bakery I go to. Once I had their cupcakes I was hooked. April, The Sugar Fairy , was so great to work with. The weekend prior to our first meeting we had a family incident that by the time our meeting came around that Tuesday my mother and I were both so mentally exhausted it was hard to focus. We got the basics of how many people , date ,and very rough draft design. As phone calls and meetings to discuss continued April would always ask about our family member that was in the accident. The shop is so busy everytime I am in and for to her remember to ask was great. We tasted 5 ( I believe different cakes) and the one we picked was the one that April through in during one of our meetings. We ended up going with a Spiced Chai cake. It had chai syrup and so many great flavors. We also had mini cupcakes on our cookie table . So many guests came up to us and said how typically they are not fans of wedding cakes but loved ours. I spoke with April over the phone about the final design and when I saw it at the reception it was exactly right. There was a gold ribbon separating each tier and real flowers ( provided by the florist) cascading down. April truly is a Sugar Fairy !