We got married about an hour away from Tampa (Anna Maria Island) and tried to keep all the vendors on the island. I will add the internet vendors later on my bio.
A-F scale
Sandbar- A
Everything that is said about how great the Sandbar is, is true. Patti was awesome. She made sure we were having a good time and everything went smoothly. We did order a couple of things, like 2 fruit trees and we only saw one, but I figured it was because we didn't have as many people as we thought. We also decided on only whiskey and vodka, but they put out a whole bar. Nothing wrong with that. I would add the rum punch to the bar, it was a big hit with everyone. The set up and take down was great. If you are looking into the Sandbar, you should do it. They did centerpieces, linens, lights, food and flowers.
The Cinematic Moment- A
http://www.thecinematicmoment.com/Ryan was a last minute decision (two weeks before the wedding). He came over in the morning and didn't leave till the end of the night. He stayed out of the way and after awhile I didn't even notice him. He was running around and having fun. I am so happy that we decided to hire him to do the wedding. He was very professional and easy going. He has a great attitude and very fun! He had our video done on Monday and our wedding was Saturday. Our video is the newest one from his homepage. I have watched a million times already!
Matt and Dom's Cakes: B
I changed my cake from one design to a different. They said that they couldn't do the silver coral and the piping would be silver, but the day of, they had sloppy coral painting. It still tasted good. Also when I went to pay they weren't ready at the time I requested and had to wait 30 minutes.
DJ Chris Grumley: A
We met Chris at the Wedding Festival and knew right away that we wanted him to do our wedding! He is a great person all around and helped me pick out music. DH's family are not dancers, but Chris did the best he could to get people on the floor. Not only did Chris work with us over email we also met him in person a couple of times and became friends.
Notary to Go: A
Patti recommended Jennifer to us to perform our wedding. Needless to say, she was excellent. I had no idea what I wanted our ceremony to sound like. I told the little info I knew what I wanted and she did it! Our ceremony was outside and she didn't even need a mic. She already sent us a copy of the ceremony and what was said. We met with her and she replied to all my emails right away, even when she was sick.
Event Photography: B- Pending photos
Todd was recommended by co-workers that used him and he was the right price. He was very nice when we first met him. He emailed a price menu, but when we met him he gave me a different one. I pulled out the one I had and he honored those prices. When I emailed him, he didn't get back right away. After I didn't hear from him, I called him. He called me back the next night at 9 pm. I was unable to answer and he left a message and said he would call the next day. He did, but it wasn't until 7 pm. I was out on the boat with family and friends and had to go over the details that I emailed him. He got right to work when he arrived the day of. He did our first look and then did DH family pictures. He complained that it was too bright on the beach. We wanted a group picture and he was a bit pushy with people. He took us to a different area in pine needles on the beach to take pictures because once again it was too bright. During the dancing, I noticed he was sitting a lot and not taking pictures of guests. We didn't have a big wedding and many were not dancing, but many were moving around. I think he should have been taking pictures of that too. ETA: He also cornered the BM at the end of the night to get paid as BM was trying to round up his kids.
I will let you know more after I get the pictures back.
Richard Ottis: A
Transportation. He did a great job. Our time went over and he didn't charge us for it. I have his email and phone number if you want it.
Marcie from Kylelynn Weddings: A
Marcie was great. She was one time and did everyone's hair and make-up great. She was done early. Cari who I worked through the details was great. People kept wanting make-up and then not. She worked through it all.
Kathleen
A
We charted the boat up to 20 people the Thursday before the wedding. We ended up with 13 people and it was worth every penny. Everyone was very happy with the boat ride and they wanted to go out again. We got there early and the boat left early. You can bring what you need on the boat. It was too rough to go into the Gulf, but it was still beautiful.
If you have any questions just let me know.