My husband(!) Eric and I got married September 4. We had absolutely perfect weather, and an amazing day with family and friends. I don't post much, but really enjoyed reading vendor reviews. So, here they are. If you have any questions, please let me know. To all of you brides-to-be, GOOD LUCK PLANNING! The day really does go by extremely fast. So, take some deep breaths, pick out a few moments that you would like take in, and HAVE FUN!
)
Church: St. Robert's, Omaha, NE - A+++
Officiant: Father Donald Shane
I cannot say enough good things about the church, and about Father Shane. I am not Catholic, and come from a Lutheran family, so we decided to do a ceremony without mass. My entire family raved about Father Shane, and what a nice ceremony it was. The church is huge, and was such a nice place to get married.
Reception: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Omaha, NE - B+
We booked Crowne Plaza 15 months before we got married. At that time, they were between coordinators, but their manager was willing to do whatever necessary to make sure our day was perfect. We ended up working with a different manager, and two coordinators, Kristina and Darko. They were very willing to answer questions, and make sure that everything was in order and how we wanted it. The only reason for the B+, was there was a lot of confusion (whether it was from the front desk or central booking, I don't know) about rooms in the wedding block, and telling guests that they could not get the rate, etc. Everything worked out, but it was kind of a hassle. The venue itself is very nice. The hotel just redecorated its' entrance, and bar/restaurant area. It is a very nice hotel!
Photographer: Bradley Jensen, Bradley Jensen Photography, Algona, IA - A++++++++
Bradley is AMAZING. Although I haven't seen our wedding photos, I have no doubt that they will be everything we hoped for. Our engagement pictures were beautiful, and unlike any other engagement pictures that I have seen. He is also terrific to work with, and both of our families, plus our wedding party were impressed with his ability to remember everyone's names and come up with such unique photo opportunities. I am SUPER excited to get our pictures back.
)
Flowers: Kyle Robino, Old Market Habitat, Omaha, NE - A+++
Kyle is AMAZING to work with. She is willing to work with your budget and has a huge variety of unbelievable flowers. This was one of the things that I did not worry about AT ALL. Kyle dropped off my bouquet, bridesmaids' bouquets, all other flowers at the church the morning of the wedding and set up the flowers for our guestbook table and for our pews. She then moved all of those to the Crowne Plaza after the ceremony, and before guests arrived at the hotel. Her centerpieces at the reception were incredible to say the least. We got so many compliments on all of our flowers.
Music: DJ - Mark Kirlin, Banstand Music, Omaha, NE - A
Mark lives up to his reputation! He is charming, helpful, and thorough. We had our entire playlist picked out, but Mark contacted me prior to our wedding day to make sure everything was how it needed to be. He also consulted with me before doing almost anything, which I appreciated. Mark kept the reception moving, and was such a great coordinator of events. I did have a few guests complain about him, but in all fairness, it was a fairly rowdy wedding party, and I'm sure Mark had to keep his cool more than once.
) My brother-in-law sings, and Mark graciously allowed him to sing a few songs at the reception, which was SO special for my husband and I. The dance floor was full all night long! It was everything a bride could have asked for music-wise!
Transportation: Ollie the Trolley, Omaha, NE - A+
We had the 47 passenger trolley, and it was terrific! We were all comfortable, and our driver was terrific. He was at the church early to pick us up, and dropped us off as planned! We had a couple of stops in the middle, and he was so kind and patient with our large party!
Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid Dresses: Black Tie White Satin, Fremont, NE - A+++
I'm from Fremont, and had purchased every prom/special occasion dress from Black Tie. The service is spectacular! The ladies are very attentive and patient, and have a lot of knowledge regarding dress fit and styles. They carry a wide variety of brands and styles, and are so willing to work with you. I ended up getting mine in July of 2009, and at the time there was a sale, where we got 15% off of everything that we purchased. They also have a discounted sale rack of dresses that do NOT look like they should be on sale.
) Alterations are a set price, and Susan (owner/seamstress) does a fantastic job with those. I think that Black Tie White Satin is definitely worth the 30 minute drive from Omaha to Fremont.
Tuxes: Tip Top Tux, Omaha, NE - A
They were really reasonable to work with. 5 of our 6 groomsmen were from out-of-state, so they just sent their measurements. This made me nervous, but the tuxes looked GREAT! My husband says that they had no problems with them at all. I know that one of the coats came in and was too small, but they got it in the next day and all was well.
Shoes - Von Maur, Omaha, NE
So, this was the only thing I took forever to get. I looked at a lot of sites online and couldn't find anything I liked. I ended up finding a pair of Nina heels at Von Maur that had just come in. They were absolutely perfect and I got so many compliments on them. Definitely worth my shoe hunt.
Erika is the wife of our photographer. We basically think we hit the jackpot when we found out our photographer was married to a chocolatier. She makes all kinds of yummy desserts and candies, and her cheesecake lived up to our expectations! My husband and I decided we would like to choose a different route than cake, so we had a variety of cheesecakes on a buffet-style table that people could choose from. We had 5 different flavors, and they were a HUGE hit! They were not only delicious, they looked fabulous, too!
)
Cake & Cookies - Market Basket, Omaha, NE - A+
For traditions' sake, we cut into a cake. We ordered a white chocolate curl cake from Market Basket that was beautiful. We had a 6 inch round cake atop a 9 inch round cake. White chocolate curls adorned it. It tasted as good as it looked, too!
Market Basket also did our wedding favors, which were frosted square cookies with an "S" also in frosting. They were also super tasty!
Market Basket was super easy to work with, and delivered the cake and cookies to the hotel at a scheduled time. Everything went as planned.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Like I said, if you have any questions, let me know. Happy, happy planning! Enjoy!
*Jena
