Now that my wedding is done (2/16/13), I thought that I would take a few minutes to share my experiences. Sorry it is so long, but I wanted to share as much info as possible since other peopes reviews helped me during my planning process.
Venue: Reflections at the Buttes: They were great! They were always easy to get a hold of, always nice and helpful, and had lots of options. The grounds and hall are beautiful and allowed for many different picture opportunities. There were many things included with the price as well-DJ, caterer, wedding coordinator, linens and plates, decorations, center pieces, fake flowers and such, etc. The food was delicious and there were tons of options that came standard plus tons more for upgrade. They did great setting up and our DJ, Jon, was great. We started exactly on time too!
Bakery: Busy B's Bakery. Our cake was AWESOME! It was exactly what we wanted. It was a three tiered, squared cake. They also had many different options and did a great job customizing our cake to exactly what we wanted. The Groom's cake turned out perfect too. It was a Simpson's themed square cake. They have tons of options for flavors too and every one said the cake was delicious.
We had a bad experience at Nadine's bakery. They were not ready for us when we went to our appointment and we had to set up the table and chairs ourselves. They complained heavily about scheduling the appointment in the morning since my husband I were, at the time, working afternoons and evenings. The cake tasted okay, but the pricing was very high. They basically told us they weren't willing to work with what we wanted. They said that some of the details we wanted they "guess they could do" but it would cost a ton more money. They also complained a lot about how far the location was, even though they said they have delivered there before. Basically the overall experience was not good and I would not recommend them.
Flowers: Inglis Flowers. My husband and I went with Inglis Flowers because they were able to give us what we wanted, and they were fairly inexpensive. The woman we originally met with (I think her name was Christine) was great and was able to come up with some great ideas and helped me clarify what I wanted since I was a little uneducated on flowers. We did have a huge problem with them-They sent too many boutonnieres and one less corsage and bouquet. When I went to pay for everything about 8 months after my initial meeting, I had to make some changes. We went from having 6 boutonnieres to 4, and we added one additional bouquet. The woman said everything was taken care of and I paid for the changes. The day of the wedding the numbers were off. My mom and called and they were able to get another bouquet to us very quickly, although it was different from the other bridesmaids'. They said that the girl who I paid with messed up the order.
We also talked to Petra at Focus on Flowers after speaking with Petra and the bridal expo . The location is hard to find a they have a place where they meet and the offices next door. We met in the office area because the AC was out in the meeting room. The place reeked of smoke, which caused me problems with my allergies. I was worried that this may mean my flowers would show up laced with the smell of smoke. She was also limited as to what she would offer in the colors I wanted. Then I received the estimate-It was extremely high.
We also talked to Sav-On Flowers after a friend recommended them. They cancelled my first appointment less than an hour prior because they said they were too busy. I rescheduled. I showed up 15 minutes early to our next appointment and then waited 45 minutes before the man showed up. I was literally walking out the door when he came in. Then he told me there were only three flowers I could have. He said that no one could offer me anymore (which I had already been to the two other florists, so I know this was a lie). Then he said he would send me an estimate and never did, but maybe he figured out by the end that there was no chance I was going to go with him.
Dresses: Alfred Angelo: I got my dress, my three bridesmaids' dresses, and my mom's dress at Alfred Angelo. They were so great! Trying on dresses was great and they had me in so many different types. I'm plus size and my dress fit perfectly. I only had to bring the hem up slightly and have them do the bustle. My seamstress was Elza. She order the exact fabric from my dress to make an amazing jacket to go with my dress when I couldn't find one that matched. She also altered my mom's dress in one week without paying a rush fee because that was the only time my mom could come down from Phoenix. I was also able to find a great bridesmaid dress that fit all of my girls perfectly. They were very different sizes and heights and they all looked great.
Hotel Accommodations: Fairfield Inn and Suites on Oracle and El Conquistador Way. Bill the manager was able to give us a great deal and most o our family and other guest stayed here. The rooms were very large and had a sitting area. The hotel was very clean and the staff was very nice. the continental breakfast had many options. We also had our rehearsal dinner on the patio. We used the large grill and they were kind enough to let us use the adjoining breakfast area since it ended up being a pretty cold night. For the wedding night, Bill upgraded our room to this huge suite. It had a roman bath in the bedroom, a kitchen, a sitting room, and a large balcony.
Hair and Makeup: Heat, a blowdry lounge. They were very nice. The did a pretty good job on my hair and my makeup was great. My bridesmaids' and flowergirls hair was great as well as the makeup. Danielle did my hair and makeup. I ony had two issues. I did a partial updo and she did not pull it back very smoothly. I looked like a conehead to begin with. I asked her to fix it, but it still was a bit messy. My makeup was great and I got fake lashes, but she put my lashes on poorly, so that they were very uneven and made me look funny. I ended up pulling them off 10 minutes after I left, becaue I had trouble trying to fix them and didn't really have the time to mess with them.
I tried Tricia Bruzina before Heat. I was lured in by the fact that she travels to you for a reasonable price. I saw on her website that she had been doing hair and makeup for weddngs and print work for a long time. My hair looked awful after and fell down completely 30 miutes after leaving the salon. My makeup made me look orange, she put 80s blue eyeshadow on me, and no mascara/eyeliner. I tried to explain to her that I wear eyeliner on a daily basis. She said that I was supposed to look natural. I tried to explain that no eyeliner made me look unnatural. She disagreed. I went to show my bridesmaids after and they, my husband, and everyone else said I looked awful and my hair looked awful. The makeup was heavy and looked like I was sweating even though I wasn't. DO NOT be fulled by her as I was.