Vendor Reviews- Michigan Union 9/22/12

AriesAngel86 · September 2012

Hi, Ladies! I just got married this past Saturday and thought I'd share my reviews. I may edit later to put in costs

If you have any questions about any of the vendors please let me know. I added some pictures at the end just for the heck of it!!
Ceremony
Ceremony Site: Michigan League A - The Michigan League was great to work with. Our ceremony was going to be in the courtyard, but due to rain it was moved into the Vandenburg room. The backup space was gorgeous, and staff set the room up beautifully.
Officiant A+ - Reverened Kirk Haas (Secular Ceremonies). Kirk was fantastic to work with. He has such a laid back/humorous personality which fit perfectly with our vision of our ceremony- non-stuffy. He provided a booklet in which we chose our selections. The ceremony was really easy to construct and make our own.
Ceremony Music A - Rondo String Quartet. I am so happy we hired the Rondo String Quartet- they sounded great and were really accomodating with requests. We had one of my husband's friends sing 'All I Ask of You' during the ceremony, and it went off without a hitch with only a couple of run throughs right before the ceremony.

Reception
Reception Site A+ Michigan Union, Pendleton Room- I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Union. Ken Knell was very knowlegable and was helpful in making suggestions. The Pendleton Room itself is breathaking- fireplace, ornate windows, colorful sconces- I can't think of a more beautiful place for a wedding.
Caterer A Food was cathered by the Michigan Union. On the day of, service was so smooth. The food tasted great (I didn't eat too much during the reception because I was so busy!) and they had lots of options. It was kind of a bummer that they charge for tastings, but I think it's worth it to know ahead of time what the food tastes like. Another plus, my husband really wanted a "special" dessert off menu- so they were able to execute a crepe station!
Chair Covers/Linens A - The Union coordinated linens/chairs for me, so I'm not even sure what company was used. It was nice to have that taken care of.
Bakery- A+ Jefferson Cake Market made our traditional wedding cake and a surprise groom's cake (Shaped like a football with Michigan written on it). We chose the tiramisu, lemon/berry and chocolate/raspberry flavors. All the flavors were delicious- very moist! The cakes looked exactly like I wanted them as well.
DJ - A- Mike Staff productions: Sometimes communication with Mike Staff was difficult only because you can only talk to your specific DJ the week of. Otherwise, they did a good job of keeping people on the dance floor. I wish I would have picked some songs specifically that I wanted to hear, but that's no fault of the DJ's.
Favors- B+ Gayle's chocolates in Royal Oak. My mother made the order in person (Navy boxes with ivory ribbon) and when we got the chocolates at home we realized the boxes were clear with baby blue ribbon (We have no baby blue so it would not have worked well). One of the managers went out of her way to make things right- she picked up the incorrect order at my parent's home, and brought us an "I'm sorry" chocolate bar. She was very apologetic. The chocolates were delicious!
Lighting - My dad hired the lighting guy, so I don't even know who he is!

Other
Limo- Again, my dad took care of this part
Florist A+ Passionflower- Susan was great to work with. I sent her countless emails, and she was always prompt. The day of, the flowers exceeded my expectations. I absolutely loved them.
DOC- A For leading up to the wedding I used Staci Kennedy from Who's got the time. She was wonderful and helped tremendously with tedious details and logistics. For the reception, Nancy Silver who works for Staci coordinated. Everything ran flawlessly.
Miscellaneous equipment

Photography
Photographer A++ Chelsea Brown from Chelsea Brown photography was our favorite vendor by far! She was efficient and organized. She is also very familiar with Michigan's Campus, (she worked in the League) so she had lots of picture location ideas. Her personality was also great: very laid back and funny. It really added to the experience. Her assistant Sunny was also great- they were a good team. We don't have the pictures back yet, but I have no doubt that they will turn out beautiful.
Videographer- My father knew him through work
Photobooth- N/A
Picture Locations- We took pictures in multiple locations around U of M's campus- infront of the art museum, Michigan League's courtyard, and Angel Hall. My husband also got some pictures infront of Michigan Stadium. We had originally planned on pictures in the Arb (it would have been too muddy) and the law quad (it's under construction).
Engagement Pictures- N/A

Beauty / Attire
Rings- Shaftel Diamonds in Houston, TX
Wedding dress- Ventura's Bridal in Houston, TX
Alterations- Same as above
Tuxes- C Jos A Banks- I know being a chain, every location is different but our experience was frustrating. I was told that suits were being ordered, and a week later I called and they hadn't made the order yet. They also did measurements on one of the groomsmen incorrectly (1 1/2 weeks before the wedding we were scrambling to get him the correct suit size).
Bridesmaid Dresses A- Brides of Demetrios, Royal Oak. I had a good experience here. They had a good selection and the staff was helpful.
Hair C Bridal Beauty on Location. I don't know where to start- this vendor was the one we had the biggest issue with. I went for a hair trial with Melanie, and she could not get my updo (simple low updo) to stay (it would no have even made it down the aisle). It was clear she was getting frustrated. We ended up running out of time, and I walked out of the salon paying the full price for hair/make up trial even though my hair was never done (I walked out of there with my hair down, just as when I walked in). Later, I spoke with Sylvia the owner about requesting a new stylist- I didn't feel comfortable going with Melanie (She said she would look at Youtube videos in order to know how to do my hair). Sylvia was resistant. My mom basically had to threaten that we would go with another provider before she was willing to give us someone else. Day of, my hair turned out well.
Makeup A- Through Bridal Beauty on Location, I had Elizabeth for the day of. I was nervous because I didn't have a trial with her- but it turned out great.

Paper My mom works at a printing company so we did all the paper items DYI
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