Community› Local Wedding Boards› Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh
New Discussion

Vendor Reviews...LONG!

JenandJarradJenandJarrad
First Comment
in Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh
September 17, 2011 was the best day of my life!  I couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather.  And the day went so smoothly, I was shocked there were not issues/problems.  At least none that were brought to my attention! 

Here are my reviews...email me at ferndoggle@yahoo.com for more info/details  
Rehearsal Dinner
Mallorca
www.mallorcarestaurant.com/
I can’t say enough good things about Mallorca.  We had 65 people attendance (I know…insane!) and we had our own dining room with 4 servers.  They served 5 appetizers family style for the table and the quantities were unlimited.  Stuffed Portabellos, roasted peppers, garlic shrimp, chorizo and calamari.  All were delicious!  They served a salad and then we had our choice of stuffed salmon, a 20 oz porterhouse, stuffed chicken, lobster ravioli & paella.  Steamed veggies, rice & roasted potatoes were sides.  The portions were huge and everything was really outstanding.  Dessert was flan or cheesecake but I was WAY too stuffed to try anything.  Included in the price pp was domestic beer, house wine and sangria.  Everyone was raving about the food.   

Hair/Makeup
Pretty Hair Salon – Heather & Erica
www.prettyinpittsburgh.com
Heather was my stylist for 8+ years and she had done my hair as a bridesmaid before.  I love her style and knew she would be perfect for my wedding.  She came to my house where we all got ready and finished 7 of us in about 4 ½ hours.  Most of my girls had no idea what they wanted and she did an outstanding job creating something that was very flattering for everyone.  Erica did a great job on the make up as well.  A couple of the girls thought it was a bit heavy but it photographed beautifully and softened as the night went on.   

Venue
J Verno Studios
www.jvsevents.com

When I walked into the Studio, I was floored.  I knew I wanted something unconventional for our wedding and this space was perfect!!!  It is a hidden gem on the Southside.  It’s not cheap & you have to provide everything.  They have tables, chairs and ambiance…that’s it.  But it allowed us to be creative and gave us flexibility in tailoring the vendors to our own tastes.  I did receive complaints from some of our vendors that Jay is a little hard to get a hold of.  He is a typical artist, very laid back, very relaxed & not in a big rush to do anything.  Emailing is pointless.  He will answer the Studio phone during the day and encouraged us to visit as often as we liked.  I personally like his style but I’m pretty laid back too.  To say our guests loved the place is an understatement.  Everyone was just amazed.  He encourages you to “crash” a couple of weddings at the Studio so you can see how things run and it’s very helpful. 

Catering
The Boulevard - Delmont PA

Our caterer was at a slight disadvantage b/c you cannot do any of the cooking at the Studio.  But boy they really came through!  We had tasting stations….antipasta, a carving station & pasta sauté.   The food was DELICIOUS!  The manager, Bobbi Lynn Frye is extremely easy to work with.  She was really patient with my 1,000,000 questions and concerns and was constantly assuring me everything would be perfect.  And it was.  I also had my bridal shower at the restaurant in Delmont and after tasting the food, I knew I would be in good hands.   

Day of Coordinator
Karla Pushic from The Boulevard

This was Karla’s first big wedding but you would never have known it.  I gave her an outline for the day and everything went so smoothly, I couldn’t believe it! She handled every detail perfectly and if there were any problems (which I’m sure there were), I would never have known.  (If anyone would like a copy of the 19 page wedding day timeline I whipped up, I’d be happy to share J….email me at ferndoggle@yahoo.com) 

Photographer
JCL Photography
www.jclphotographydesign.com/?p=3860

I have known Jeremy since high school.  I’ve always admired the pictures he’s taken so when it came time to choose our photographer, it was a no brainer for me.  He captured every moment perfectly, even getting our dog to look at the camera (which is a small miracle).  He gave me some great ideas for shoot locations and was willing to go anywhere I wanted.  We met several times before the wedding and he was always willing to drive to the city to go over all of my plans.  He has a second shooter, Alexa & she was great also!  They both blended into the background & I didn’t even know they were there during the ceremony & reception!!  I am in LOVE with our pictures! 

Engagement pics
Marla Kress Photography
www.marlakressphotography.com/">www.marlakressphotography.com
I used to work with Marla’s sister and had seen some pictures on her Facebook page.  She does a lot of children’s pictures and I love her style.  She has an amazing eye and I was thrilled when she agreed to do some Engagement pics for us.  We shot them in the Strip and they have a real urban feel to them.  She is very easy to work with and while Jarrad was really nervous at the start of our shoot, she quickly put him at ease.  I love how our pictures turned out! 



 
Photobooth
J. Verno Studios
This was such a huge hit!  Jay streamed the pictures onto a large wall during the reception and it was hilarious!!  They print 2 sets of pictures, one for the guests and one for us.  They placed our strip in a leather photo album and the guests could sign it.   

Florist
KS Kennedy
http://kskennedy.bravehost.com/
Kerry is amazing!  I know a lot of people recommended him here but now I can really see why.  The flowers were all gorgeous and he captured my vision beautifully.  He is so good at communicating via emails or calls.  He was such a joy to work with!   

Sam’s Club
To save $$, I decided to DIY my centerpieces.  I ordered white hydrangeas & gerber daisies from Sam’s.  The flowers arrived on Friday @ 11 & it took me about an hour to throw together 12 centerpieces and 6 other arrangements.  They definitely need a day to rest and puff up.  But they were flawless.  I didn’t have a damaged or crappy flower in the whole order. 

DJ
Harold Purdy
http://www.moderneraweddings.com/djs/haroldpurdy/
Harold was awesome!  He was really easy to work with, kept everything extremely organized, very prompt in responding to emails/phone calls.  I had a lot of quirky song requests and if he didn't have the song, he downloaded it.  I thought he played a great mix of music and kept the dance floor full the entire wedding.  Honestly, I’ve never been to a wedding where the dance floor was that packed.  He offered to stay and keep playing at no cost if we could have stayed at the studio.   

Bridal Salon
Michael’s Galleria
They were great to work with.  I loved Yolanda, the salon owner.  I decided to order my dress in a size smaller than she recommended, she wagged her finger at me & said “You need to lose 3 inches in your waist to fit into that size.  So get to the gym!”.  Tough love, yes, but I heard that voice in my head every time I wanted to blow off the gym!   

Tuxedo
Jack’s
Jarrad handled the tuxes but had no complaints.  The tuxes they wore were brand new and everyone looked dashing!!  

Cupcakes/Cake
Oakmont Bakery
We had tiramisu, carrot cake and red velvet.  DELICIOUS!!  I don’t even really like cakes and they were so yummy!   

Late night snack
Southside Pretzels
$.35/pretzel…and such a great idea.  We had cheddar cheese and mustard for dippers and everyone loved them. 
Report Reply to Post

Re: Vendor Reviews...LONG!

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards