I decided not to book the Carriage House for our wedding, but I don't have much negative to say about it.
It is a very nice place with a decorated ballroom and plenty of parking. They have a patio with a fountain and a gazebo. The ballroom staircase is very beautiful! The bar is located in a separate area, not at the end of the buffet line. We really liked that.
It just lacks pizzazz. There was no "wow factor." It's a nice place, but the grounds are very plain. It sits next to a swamp so we worried about mosquitoes. There also didn't seem to be much open space in the ballroom for moving around and dancing.
Julie was very pleasant to me, but when my mom called her to ask some questions, Julie seemed to get frustrated easily. That was a big turn-off to me because a) my mom is paying, and b) my mom is talkative, but just about the nicest person in the world. I don't see any reason to get short with her.
All in all, the Gatehouse was just better for us and that is why we didn't choose the Carriage House. I see no reason not to check it out for yourself, it may meet your needs perfectly.
Aimee responded to all of my emails (and trust me, I can shoot out a serious number of emails) quickly and answered all of my questions with a positive and energetic attitude. I scheduled a free consultation with her, and she did a very good job. I really liked it. She even let me try out bright red lipstick at the end, which was fun because I'd never done that.
She was on the phone a lot during my consultation, which I tried to excuse her for since I wasn't paying for her time. However, I overheard about another bride's problem and heard Aimee trying to make things right, and that stood out in my mind later when I also had an issue that needed to be worked out. She probably should have kept that conversation private. In fact, she really shouldn't have been talking on the phone for such a large portion of my consultation. It made me feel like I was inconveniencing her.
When I was ready to book, we had a misunderstanding about the price. The way she had first emailed me about the price seemed to mean something different to her than it did to me. She tried to explain it to me by telling me about the mathematics she was using, but that didn't help me shake the feeling that this had suddenly become very weird and confusing. How can you type, in black and white, one thing and then change the story later? Had she handled it differently and offered a solution sooner, I may have booked her. However, she didn't offer a compromise until I was already very frustrated and had begun looking at other makeup artists.
I just felt like she was disorganized and had trouble being straightforward. Every time she emailed me she talked about another kind of discount, and it became difficult to understand which discounts were being combined and which were not. The problem was from a business-to-consumer standpoint, not with her talent. You may have a perfect experience with her. I did not.
The Photography Shoppe-- did not book
http://www.photographyshoppe.net We met with Ken (the owner) and he seems to be very professional and knowledgeable. The photos he showed us are beautiful, and they have all their proofs on the website for everyone to see. That is very impressive and shows pride, I think.
The albums look fantastic and the package prices are just amazing.
However, there are also no guarantees you will have the same photographer for your engagements, bridal, and the wedding. So I feel there could be a lack of rapport, which is important to me.
Also, I have read mixed reviews. It seems some brides have wonderful experiences (especially those who have Kristen as a photographer) while others have terrible experiences (especially with the videography and customer service).
I did not choose Photography Shoppe because I just didn't feel confident about them. I saw as many negative reviews as positive, and all the positive reviews were for Kristen, who is not available on my wedding date.
In the end, I just didn't feel that we would have very personalized service. We would probably have a different photographer each shoot, and there was no telling who would cover our wedding.
Men's Wearhouse (tux rentals)
Near Mall of LA
Sales associate was helpful but not pushy. He let us make our decisions and gave us the information we needed and answered our questions.
Alfred Angelo- complete
Towne Center Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA
I ordered my wedding dress at Alfred Angelo. I had a really great time working with my consultant, Monte. She was very laid back, calm, and gave me honest advice without being pushy at all.
I tried on a bunch of dresses and it was my first time shopping, so she put me at ease and assured me there was NO PRESSURE to buy anything-- she knew I'd be looking at other places and it wasn't awkward.
Nothing I tried lived up to my favorite at Alfred Angelo, so I went back for one last try to make sure that was IT.
And it was! Monte measured me and suggested I order a size smaller than the sample (which was a 14) and consider ordering a petite since I am short and will be wearing flats. She even asked her manager if it would be cheaper to order the petite or for me to have it hemmed, so I could make the decision myself.
She did not press me about accessories, she just made notes about the items I liked so that there is no confusion should I decide to purchase them later.
Now, here's the downside: My dress came in, and it was TOO SMALL. She had disregarded my hip measurement (which would have been fine if I wasn't ordering a hip-hugging style) and the dress wouldn't fit over my giant ghetto booty.
She immediately re-measured me, had me try on a 14 again... the 14 fit, but she realized the seam in the back of the sample was torn. I tried on a new 14 and it was snug. No wonder the 12 didn't fit! So, she had the manager rush-order a 16 at no extra cost to me.
She even let me try on 2 different size 16 sample dresses (in other styles) to ease my fears about it being huge. HOWEVER, she didn't offer to do that when I expressed concern about whether the 16 would be too big, she just said it would be fine. I left for the afternoon, worried about it, and then came back before the store closed and asked to try on other dresses to make sure a 16 wouldn't be crazy-huge.
The dress arrived in 2 weeks and fit my hips perfectly. It needs some alterations at the top (sleeves and bust), but otherwise it is perfect. It all ended well, but the stress of my dress not fitting and having to wait for another really put a damper on the experience.
**UPDATE**
When you purchase a dress from Alfred Angelo, they will steam it for free before your wedding day. So, I called to see how to go about doing that. Monte answered, and I asked her about it.
She was a little short with me and said a) I need an appointment, b) I have to call at least a month and a half before I want it steamed, and c) I have to stay in the store the whole time (about 30 minutes). That was all fine with me (although it's a darn good thing I happened to call, because she never said anythign about calling so far in advance), so I said "I'll be picking up my dress from the seamstress on Saturday..." at which point she INTERRUPTED me (while I was trying to give information and ask a question!) to say "Did you use OUR seamstress?" No, I did not. "Since someone else altered the dress we can't touch it."
I was surprised, because she didn't tell me that when she told me I could get my dress steamed. So, I was trying to remain calm (even though it seemed like this dress has been the most stressful thing ever) and asked if she knew of anywhere else I could get it steamed. She put me on hold for a moment, then said "No, ma'am, we don't have any recommendations."
I was so mad! Not only had she ordered the wrong dress size (after I questioned her about why she was ordering smaller than my hip measurement), ignored my FSIL when we went to choose her BM dress (*I* had to run around asking for clips and *I* clipped the samples that were too large on her so we could see what they looked like), and wasted my time looking for a bra size for 45 minutes that she eventually found out they didn't even carry, but NOW I find out she didn't give me all the information I needed about having the dress pressed, AND she had the "It's not my problem" attitude about it.
I called my mom to vent, and mom called the store manager and told her everything that has gone wrong. She explained that we are very patient, forgiving people and understand stuff happens, but this was just the last straw and she'd be calling the corporate office to complain.
I'm getting my dress steamed on Monday, and I am to ask for the manager if anyone gives me a problem. So, although I love my dress... I do not love my consultant. I'd suggest IF you go there, do NOT use Monte, and speak with a manager anytime you have the tiniest question or concern. Apparently Monte's laid-back attitude isn't always a good thing.
But I really don't think I'd recommend this store at all after all of that drama.
Bridal Boutique-- did not book
Florida Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA
I had a not-very-good experience at Bridal Boutique. My consultant did not measure me or ask my size before pulling samples for me, and it seemed every sample they had was too small. I heard "I'm going to need some help getting this zipped up" far too many times. I am a very confident person, but that made me feel a bit like a fat cow. Not cool.
The consultant also brought in a dress that was $500 over the budget that we discussed very clearly. She did not tell me it was over budget until after I tried it on, liked it a lot, and talked about possible alterations. I was really annoyed about that, and when she realized I couldn't be pushed into over-spending she seemed to lose interest in me.
She then sent me off to look at bridesmaid dresses and more or less ignored me until I left.
I would not recommend this shop to anyone. Maybe someone thinner with a bigger budget would be the customer they prefer.
PENDING REVIEWS
Designs by Peterene (custom garter)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PetereneDesign
Awaiting arrival of product-- good service so far. Answered all questions quickly and customized my order.