Hi everyone. I was not super active on this board, but I was on here from time to time. Thank you to all who helped me select vendors for our big day.
Courtyard at Lake Lucerne A++ - I loved my venue. We got married in the Dr. Phillips house and I think it was perfect. We had exactly 100 guests and it made it intimate enough that it didn't seem that large. We rented out all the rooms in the house, and had wedding party stay after the wedding with us. If you choose to have your wedding here, I strongly recommend doing this. Otherwise, there are strange people staying with you in a house. The service I received while booking and day before and day of was stellar.
Sherri Rinker - Day of Coordinator A++-Sherri came recommended by the venue and a friend of mine. Sherri is amazing. She was going through a very tough time personally with the loss of a family member, which broke my heart but she remained professional and attentive to my needs. As selfish as that may seem, I needed her. Sherri is friendly, easy to get along with and extremely professional. She put out a few fires day of, but I noticed nothing and everything went smoothly.
Flowers - Lee Forrest Designs- A++-I have a huge crush on Lee now that I have worked with him for so long. My flowers were absolutely beautiful! Lee and I worked on a customized centerpiece which came out better than I could have ever imagined. Lee's passion for what he does shows. We did spend a good chunk of change on flowers, but were prepared to do so, and I think it made all the difference.
Catering - Arthur's, Charlie Putney, A++- I work on events for my job, so I work with Charlie and Arthur's all the time. Charlie always knows what I am looking for, and comes up with wonderful customized menus. My dad passed away last November, and I wanted to honor him in a fun way. Charlie suggested we serve his fav drink as my signature drink during the cocktail hour. Dave's Rum Punch was a hit! We also had shot glasses of tomato bisque with asiago bread wedges, bruchetta, and crab cakes for appetizers. Main course was chardonnay chicken w/mushrooms, beef tenderloin and 3 pepper tortellini for our vegetarian friends. The food is ALWAYS outstanding, and the service is even better. You can't beat Arthurs catering.
Hair & Make up - Meghann Davis A++-Meghann is great to work with. I am so thankful that I got her information from you all here on the knot. Meghann did my mom, sister and MOH's make up as well as my hair and make up. Time didn't allow her to do anyone else's hair, so Tracy who works with her came and did a nice job on them as well. I loved my make up so much, it photographed well (as far as I can tell) so far. I just love Meghann's personality and her excitement for you on your big day. I will be calling her again for other special occasions.
DJ - Fun Factory Entertainment, Darrin Schiffel - A++, Darrin is a great DJ. He has done a few of my friend's weddings, so naturally I called him for mine. He was great to work with, very professional but fun at the same time. We didn't want any sort of "cheesy" things at our wedding, and he listed to everything we needed. I never had to request any songs because he stuck to the list for the most part and I hear everything I wanted to hear. He got everyone on the dance floor and it turned into a great dance party after all the formalities. I strongly recommend Darrin also because at the last minute a cold front hit, and he called to let me know he had heaters for rent at half the price of the caterer. He was a life saver!
Cake, Bake Me a Cake - B - I gave them a B because of their service. The cake was absolutely gorgeous. However, I was never 100% comfortable with them that they were sure about what I wanted. I never got a follow up call from them until the night before my wedding. That freaked me out. I also never received a contract from them, and had to call and hunt it down for more than a month. The end product was great, but I really would have preferred they be a little more detail oriented. The cake was also pricey, but delicious.
Photographer - Randy Chapman -? I haven't received my proofs yet, since its only been a week, but I will let you know when I get them. Overall experience with Randy was great, and he was there for 7 hours clicking away. I look forward to seeing the finished product.
Dress - Alfred Angelo - D - I loved my dress, but the service was horrible. When I went to try on dresses, the lady seemed a little put out. I am plus size (18) and was nervous enough to try on dresses in the first place. She then convinced me to order a dress a size bigger than the one I tried on because that was "streched out". Well when I got my dress back, it was about 3 sizes too big, because I had lost a little bit of weight. I didnt go to them for alterations because when I wen to pick up my dress, I asked it I could try it on. They said sure go over there, and sent me in a room by myself out of the way. My dress was a ball gown and I needed help to get it on. I called my friend to come help me because the ladies there couldn't be bothered. I also thought the bridesmaid's dresses were not very good. I went to David's Bridal for those, mostly because I never wanted to go back to AA.
David's Bridal A (Millenia), I had no problems with them. I only went once to register my wedding party and my girls picked out their own dresses. They were happy with the service and everything came in on time. The dresses were very nice quality as well.
That's about it. Thanks again for all the help, and if I can be of any assistance, let me know!
Melissa