It's a little late but I was waiting to see my pictures before actually posting the review.
Weather by Mother Nature: A+…I was nervous because our ceremony was scheduled to start at 8 PM and the forcast called for a low of 48 degrees! Our ceremony was outside and I didn't want our guests (or myself) to freeze. But it was absolutely perfect. And there weren't even any mosquitos. Thanks Mother Nature!
Tuxedos by John's Tudexos: A+…John's was awesome with every question or concern that I had (and the Lord knows I have a lot of questions.) Their pick-up time for a Saturday wedding is the Thursday before the event so that they can make any adjustments if needed. I had to call and let them know that my brother wouldn't be able to make it until early Saturday morning to pick up his tux. They were very accommodating and told me that my dad could pick up my brother’s tux, he could try it on as soon as he got in, and that if it needed any adjusting he could bring it in early Saturday morning. And the tuxes all looked great and fit very well. Very professional.
Flowers by Christina O'Malley-Beagle: A-…Christina was awesome. She sent a questionnaire asking me all about my vision for our wedding and specifically what I wanted for flowers. After returning the questionnaire she sent me a rough estimate. About a month later I sent her a deposit in the mail...well about three weeks later it came back to my house because the address was written incorrectly. I called her in a panic and told her what happened. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to have flowers for my wedding, but Christina made it happen. She also worked with any changes I requested. I’m not sure how reasonably priced she is because I didn’t price any other florists, but I hear she is pretty reasonable compared to other florists. When the flowers were delivered I cried. They were absolutely beautiful. Her assistant knock on the door and brought in the flowers. She even helped me pin on my something borrowed (a gold locket my husband had given to his mom when he was 5 years old with his picture inside). The only reason I am giving her an A- is because of this: she doesn’t have a studio or office that you can visit. I had to go to her house to give her my final payment. I called her and her assistant to see when they would be at the house her assistant told me to leave my check under the doormat. I told her that I did NOT feel comfortable leaving my money under a doormat. She told me that that day was the last day to make the payment and that I would have to leave it. When I went to the house her son was home so I gave him the check (which I felt comfortable with doing.) That is really the only thing I had a problem with. She doesn’t have a website, but she can be contacted by phone or email. Let me know if you’d like her phone number or email address.
Transportation by Nicoll's Limousines: A…We were a little late booking limos and we were getting really frustrated because hardly no one had limos available as our wedding was during prom weekend. Not only was Nicoll's available, they gave us a great price. We only wanted limos to take the ladies and men to the wedding (they'd have to find their own way home) so Nicoll's set us up for a transport instead of a wedding service, which was about $1000 cheaper. They wanted to advertise their brand new limo bus (which is BALLER) so they upgraded the guys from a super stretch limo to the limo bus for free! They loved it. My only complaint is about the limo driver for the ladies and myself. First he took the wrong turn and my mom had to get him back on track so we'd make it to the venue in time. Then for some unknown reason he tried to bring our limo into the large parking lot next to our venue instead of actually under the canopy at our venue (I have no clue what he was thinking.) I would have had to walk all the way to the inside of the venue with all of the guests standing outside and risking the groom seeing me (which was a really big deal because he's very traditional.) THEN he took off with my flowers still in the trunk of the car! Instead of actually holding our bouquets and all of the corsages, we put them in the box holder in the trunk of the limo for safe keeping. The limo driver even suggested putting them in there and opened the trunk for us. One of my bridesmaids quickly called the limo company and they made him come back...thank goodness!
Wedding cake by Chez RuRene Bakery: A+…I can be pretty detail oriented, so I made a very exact sketch for the cake artists of what exactly I wanted the cake to look like. The cake was delicious and it was exactly how I drew it in the sketch. The bakery is in River Ridge.
Favors by Lolli’s Chocolates: A+…We ordered chocolate covered Oreos which were decorated like brides and grooms. They were too cute and they were delicious. I’m glad we had some left over because I didn’t get any at the wedding.
Music by Darkside Entertainment (specifically DJ White Chocolate): A…I loved that he had a contract with our venue, so he already had a separate DJ booth set up. It was out of the way in its own little open room. There were no wires to worry about guests tripping over. He was also very reasonably priced. He kept our younger guests dancing all night, but because the music was so modern a lot of the older guests weren’t dancing. I think he was playing a lot of the requests. I was fine with that because I had fun.
Ceremony and reception venue by Taravella Manor: A+…From the very moment we set foot through the doors of Taravella Manor it was everything we hoped it would be. We had A LOT of trouble finding a beautiful venue that was reasonably priced. I actually heard about this place at a dinner party where one of the guests was going to be married there within two weeks. My fiancé and I made an appointment (which wasn’t necessary because they’re always open) and went for a visit. Right away we were in love. The owners and the manager were an absolute dream to work with. They basically act as wedding coordinators. We were married in the courtyard garden (which is small – perfect for 150-200 guests – but beautiful). It’s lighted at night. Seating is bench seating just like in a park. There is a small room with a mantle and a large gilded floor length mirror just off of the reception area where the bride can get ready and wait for the ceremony to begin, and where formal pictures can be taken. This was perfect for us as my groom was very adamant about not seeing me before the ceremony. ALL of the food is prepared fresh at the venue…and it is all delicious. And all of the leftover food goes home with the bride and groom and their family members. Not only did I and my groom have personal attendants who never let our glasses get more than half empty, but they attended to our parents as well. Anything we asked for was done. There was reserved seating for the bridal party and our immediate family members. As for the price Taravella Manor can’t be beat. One of the main reasons we booked the venue were the beautiful chandeliers in the reception area. This venue has ceilings which have to be 15 feet tall. There are at least 10 chandeliers which do not have even one single speck of dust on them. This place is immaculate! I didn’t have to decorate a thing because all I had to do was bring our decorations to the venue during the week before the wedding and they were set up just as I had expected. I can’t express how pleased we are.
Photographer by Jessica Brenner Photography: A+…This photographer is a husband and wife team that we booked for our engagement session and our wedding day. Because the wife (Jessica) already had another even booked on our day, the husband (Nathan) took care of all of our sessions. The engagement session was a blast. Nathan is very creative and makes you feel really comfortable. He even took us to an open field in City Park right when the sun was setting. We got some amazing shots and the lighting was perfect…like in an art magazine. Our wedding day pictures were great, too. There was a second photographer from another company who captured the getting ready process for the men and some of the actual wedding stuff as well. I can’t say how happy I am that we booked this company. For our engagement session and our wedding day we paid about $2000, which is more than half of the price of several well-known NOLA wedding photographers who are only capturing your wedding day. I’m so glad we chose Jessica and Nathan.
Invitations and response cards by Some friends and myself: A+…I cannot express how happy I am that we DIY’d our invitations. I bought a really pretty box kit at Michael’s and set to work with some friends to play around with fonts, colors, and wording before we even started printing on the actual invitations. About three weeks later we got together for a dinner party and some red wine and set to work. One person typed up addresses, one person tied a ribbon around the invite, one person stuffed envelopes, and two people addressed, stamped, and sealed the envelopes. It ended up costing at least half the price of having invitations printed professionally and they turned out beautifully. And it was really fun!
Bridesmaid dresses by Linda Lee Bridal: A+…Although the dresses were a little pricey for my taste (about $180 each), they were absolutely beautiful. My MOH had just moved to another state when her dress came in and she didn’t know of a reputable tailor in her area to take her dress to. Linda Lee told me that since my MOH was going to be arriving the week before the wedding, she could bring it to the store Tuesday before the wedding and it would be ready by Thursday! Luckily it fit like a glove, so alterations weren’t needed. But they all looked absolutely beautiful.
Bridal gown by David’s Bridal: A+…I bought my gown at the Veteran’s Blvd. store and I couldn’t wait for it to come in. My gown had to be altered pretty dramatically because I have large hips, a very small waist, a smaller bust, and narrow shoulders. The seamstress/tailor, Tomasa, made it fit like a glove. It took about 2 hours for her to pin my dress to fit my shape, to adjust the hem, and to pin the spots for the bustle. I’m telling you this woman has magic in her fingertips! When I put the dress on on my wedding day it was absolutely perfect. If you are getting your gown at this store make absolutely sure that Tomasa is the one who takes care of your alterations appointment.