Florida-Central Florida — The Knot Community

I can't catch a break! Second hair trial gone wrong PIP

thedrval — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:26:21 +0000

Is it really that hard to do a half up half down style? No, it's not! This is my usual formal hair style and I've had it done countless times unfortunately not in the area of my venue.

I went to the salon that I thought was my second choice today. My appointment was at 2:30 so I arrived at 2:20. The hairstylist, Gloria, took me back and started working on my hair after I showed her pictures of what I wanted. Then she moves me to another chair so she can finish working on another client!! So I was kind of annoyed by this but thought I would give her a chance because this was my next best option after all. So then she starts working on my hair again.

We went round and round with me trying to explain what I wanted done and I kept having to re-explain myself because she wouldn't listen to what I wanted. Next thing I know we are two hours into this appointment and I am completely unhappy with her work but was so fed up I just said it was fine so I could leave.

If you cannot tell my the pictures, she left countless bobbypins showing and very frizzy curls. Not shown in the picture is the front where it looks like I have horns coming out my head. Honestly I do not know how you can mess up that bad.

Probably the worst part (actually it is what I am most upset about) is they charged my $65! I feel that it was a completely unacceptable performance for that amount of money. I am writing a letter to the manager of both salons I visited explaining my frustrations.

I hope that no one else is going through this! I wouldn't wish this upon anyone, not even an enemy.

Patricia Lejeune

2010Bride2B — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:30:24 +0000

I need reviews prices, anything on her! My regular hair girl cancelled on me yesterday...6days before my wedding. LONG STORY! My DOC Tracy Marini hooked me up and called Patricia and she will help me. Just want reviews!!! HELP!

Update on the Hair Trial situation

thedrval — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:56:41 +0000

I can see why you would want to get a hair trial done now! The place I was scheduled to go to was a complete joke and I highly advise no one ever going there!! Read below...

http://www.villagespaandsalon.com/page1.aspx is the link to the salon that I thought was going to be great because it was close to my venue and had good reviews...

To start, as many of you know, I called yesterday to make an appointment for today to get my hair trial done. I told the receptionist that my wedding day was May 22 on a Saturday and I would like to book an appointment with someone who could do my hair along with my three bridesmaids on that morning. She said that would be no problem and set me up with a girl named Whitney at 11:30 for my trial. So today I drive an hour and a half to get there, rushing so I would be on time after my morning class in Gainesville. I amazingly arrived on time only to wait to be helped for 15 minutes. Then Whitney finally came around to acknowledging my existence. She asked me what I was here for as I had my veil in hand and wedding books for ideas... (first wtf) So I told her that I was here for my hair trial for my May 22 wedding. She then preceded to ask me if I was getting married today... (second wtf) So I explained again that it was Saturday May 22. Then she looked at me confused and said "Well I don't work on Saturdays." At this point I am really shocked at how bad this experience was going. So I asked her why would the receptionist schedule me with her today if I told them that I was getting married Saturday May 22 in the first place. Then she comes out that there is another Whitney that also does up dos and works on Saturdays but is completely booked for the day and wont be able to take me until tomorrow. So then I explained to her again that I have to drive over an hour to get to the salon and tomorrow would not be an option as I already had previous commitments. So we walked up to the receptionists computer to look at the schedule where they again wanted me to come in tomorrow for the trial. By this point I am so angry with their stupidity I just said "I'll have to reschedule." and walked out with no intention on ever going back to that place. I plan on calling the manager of the salon to make a formal complaint on Monday.

UGH!!! Needless to say, I went to my second (now first) choice salon and scheduled an appointment for a hair trial with them.

Wish me luck! I am pretty sure anything would be better then what happened today.

Place Cards

kenzie.lee.85 — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:41:23 +0000

How did everyone else do their place cards? My mom was going to hand write ours bc shes the only one with good handwriting. My MIL wants to use sticky tabs like the kind you would use to address a envelope, and then we could type them. I wasn't looking forward to handwriting them, but I think the tabs might look a little funny I can't find any that match the shade of cream for the postcard. The place cards are also too small for me to type directly on.

I also would like to take this opportunity to further rant, I can no longer fit in my dress! I stupidly bought my dress 6 months ago bc I fell in love with it and the store was closing, I also got a amazing deal. Well I thought I wouldnt gain any weight so it would be fine. I went to try it on a couple of weeks go and it doesn't zip all the way! I'm trying to work out more but I can't cut anymore calories bc I feel like I dont eat that much as it is! Thank you for listening I feel better

epics outdoor locations?

amyers321 — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 23:08:07 +0000

Helping out my newly engaged friend. She is having her photos done on Monday and the place she wanted to do them would charge for them to have a photographer.
She just wants something outdoor in the local central florida area.
I suggested downtown winter park(park ave...rollins area)
Any other suggestions?

Zazzle.com Review!

frozenxthoughts — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:12:49 +0000

I just want everyone to know that I love zazzle.com :) I ordered my save-the-date postcards a week ago, and they came in yesterday. They looked amazing! And it was only $35 plus shipping for 50 postcards =D I highly recommend them! I'm sure my family and friends will love them.

Need Some votes for photog contest!

Deanna8394 — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:53:17 +0000

Hello Everyone!!

My fiance and I are in a contest with a great photographer from the Orlando area. We are competing for a chance to win a package for our wedding! We are in 2nd place and need help gaining some more votes, there is no registration required and This guy (SMD Photos) does really beautiful work.. any help would be so wonderful, The site is :

http://smdphoto.wordpress.com

we are couple #1.. Again, Thank you for your help, its so appreciated!

Diana

AW: My DIY invitations are finally done!!! Pics!

stardust21587 — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:01:23 +0000

So I've been working on these boogers for a couple of months now...on and off in my spare time. Today, I FINALLY got the first complete one finished. Everything is set and ready for printing!

We are sending them in 5x7" kraft paper boxes (below)
(the shipping cost is around $1.50 each) The guest's address will be printed onto the ivory rectangle in the middle in chocolate brown font. and the box is held closed by a strip of brown paper around the middle (we will use a small glue dot or two under the lip of the box as well...just in case!)

The invitations are "book" style and the cover is of an old FL/GA railway map, to tie in with our theme. It is bound with a chocolate brown ribbon.

Inside the cover is a little quote "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (as recommended by MrsWhitneyAmanda! THANKS!) And the other page is the formal invitation. (too lazy to blur out names...oh well!)

The next page is our wedding map (made by me, just today!) and directions from both airports...(everyone is from out of state.) and the right side is an envelope with an RSVP card held in place by a strip of paper with "response card" printed on it...it can be slipped out from the strip or you can "unwrap" it (its just closed with a little dot of glue.)

Yay! I hope our families like them! =)

Bachorlette Party...HELP?

GRITS86 — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:01:13 +0000

My MOH hasn't planned anything for the bachorlette party and the others girls and I have taken time off from work, for the weekend of April 24. Everyone keeps asking me what the plans are. Do I plan something myself or just sit back let it go by and nothing happen? Not sure what to do...oh and MOH is my older sister.

New to the board -OOT Bride to be

happe2gether — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:50:59 +0000

Hello Everyone! My name is Lela and I have been a part of the Florida-Northeast Brides board but recently got the idea to possibly move my wedding to Orlando. Since my date isn't until 2012, I have plenty of time. I know NOTHING about Orlando so hopefully posting on ths board will help me out a bit.

My first question is has anyone been to or plan to have a wedding at the Shades of Green? Secondly, is there another local board with vendor reviews and other info?

Thanks!

flowers Vintage Vines!!!!

honeybun2006 — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:59:47 +0000

what do u think about vintage vines i REALLY want to know !!!!!!!!! is she any good HELP

stationery...

therockisblinding05 — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:51:44 +0000

I dunno if I posted this earlier but a week and a half ago, I got my invites, thank you notes, table numbers, and aisle runner in the mail. The response card envelopes had my city spelled wrong, my thank you notes had my maiden name (for notes sent AFTER the wedding) and my table numbers were the wrong color (the item name was "colorful table numbers" and you could specify a color- they sent them in black and white, which was not what I ordered. The B and W ones were half the price so I was def. paying for them to be in color.) They nicely agreed to fix the errors when I called. I get the new order today and AGAIN my table numbers are the wrong color! They didn't even change them- they just sent me more black and white ones! I have told them the color I want 4 times now- 1st in my original order, an email, and now 2 customer service calls.They promised up and down that it would be fixed now. I'm not stressed out or anything because I know I have a ton of time but I think someone is not paying attention there haha! As soon as I get my correct ones, I'm posting these for sale...they are numbered 1-36 and I now have 2 sets! :)

DIY Invitations

k+t2315 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:31:06 +0000

Ladies,
I need some help on my invitations. I am attempting to do them myself saves mega dollars! But i was wondering first of all whats the best program to use for invitations and also any advice or tips on how to make them look the best? I am getting the invitations at Michaels. Colors for inviations are chocolate and cream.
PS-Michaels has a coupon floating around 50% off!!
Thank you in advance!!

Bridal shower questions...

Blonde407 — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:14:19 +0000

What the heck are you suppose to wear to one? lol. I wore jeans to mine but mine was also suppose to be a "surprise" so had I woren a dress or something my mom would have known that I knew and since she was so excited I didn't want her to know I knew... even to this day she doesn't know I knew about it lol. I would usually wear nice dark jeans, heels, and dressy/cute/pretty shirt... is that too casual for a bridal shower? What would you or do you hope your guests will wear to your bridal shower? Or do you even care? lol

Also... should I shop off the registry or get something for the bride like lingerie or something nice for her to do before or after the wedding? Since I didn't register everyone got me lingerie and 98% of still has the tags on it which makes me kind of want to stay away from that.
Thanks ladies !!!

Fitting update

steverani — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:57:25 +0000

So, I had posted about my dress fitting woes on a previous post and I wanted to update you on the fitting on Monday. It went really well...it is a corset and you could see some skin before but now it closes completly...the only area that it is still tight is around my butt (go figure) it bunches up a bit...so I am really concentrating on my legs, hips, and butt at the gym. If you guys know of any good excercises out there for that area, let me know! But since mid March I have lost about 15lbs and went down 4 in just in my hips...I think if I can get another 3 in. off in hip area by next (and LAST!) fitting (4-26) it will be a beautiful thing! But I feel proud that I have been able to do this without them having to alter the dress at all! I keep thinking of that line from Bride Wars "You don't change Vera to fit your body, you change your body to fit Vera!" lol! I don't have Vera...so just put Maggie in there...
If any newly engaged girls are reading this...when you buy your dress..don't worry about the number, buy the size the salon tells you!!!! UGH!!!

For Sale

aingealmaryn — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:48:03 +0000

Here's a link to my stuff for sale:

http://kevinandmarisa.weebly.com/

If you have any questions, shoot me an email at aingealmaryn@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Need to pick your brain...

tickledpinkrain — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:22:16 +0000

Ok, girls, You always come through!!!

My new dilemma...guestbook! FI and I are NOT traditional and neither is our wedding. Therefore, the guestbook needs some additional flavor as well. I don't want to do the origianl guest book, and I've heard of the wishing tree, but that doesn't seem us either. I was thinking of having something framed and have guest sign it and I can hang it in the house. But I'm not sure. Another alternative would be to have several one-time use cameras on a table at the reception with a sign that explains that they should take a candid picture of themselves and then have little sheets of paper for them to sign their name and well wishes or thoughts. All the guest are close friends and family, so I would recognize who is who, then I could make a scrapbook post wedding with the pictures and notes!?! Too complicated? Any other ideas? I'm open to options!

HAPPY Wednesday!

P.S. Say a prayer and cross your fingers...I have an interview tomorrow...finally!

~CONFESSION FRIDAY~

Blonde407 — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:37:19 +0000

Happy wedding day Alyssa !!!!

Portofino Bay Food Tasting Experience Blog

Theresa626 — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:38:21 +0000

We just got finished with our food tasting at the Portofino Bay and it was the most incredible experience ever and most definitely the best part of the wedding planning process. I wrote a blog about the experience with pictures of the presentation of each dish. If you guys are interested in hearing about it, here is the link to the blog:

http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/blogs/theresa626/archive/2010/04/05/food-tasting-experience-at-the-portofina-bay.aspx

Honeymoon Registry

[Deleted User] — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:40:07 +0000

The user and all related content has been deleted.

What's the name?

cjbwifey2010 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:06:13 +0000

Of the place to lose inches again? I am trying to set up an appointment for next week.

Vendor Reviews!!!!

MCO100 — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:23:31 +0000

I have to thank everyone here that has offered great advice, reviews, etc. I picked almost all of my vendors based off of reviews on the knot, and they were fantastic!

Venue: Courtyard at Lake Lucerne Dr. Phillips House-A
This was the perfect venue for us. We wanted something different than a hotel ballroom. The contact person, Angie, is very helpful and gets back to e-mails, etc. in a timely manner.

The only down side is it is close to 408 and people do stay at the house b/c it is a bed and breakfast. We didn't really hear the noise of the highway (just have a mic at the ceremony) but we did have two guests staying at the house invite themselves to dance at the end of the reception. They were super WT, so I think this was a fluke-BUT they did take it upon themselves to sign our guest book and voice their opposition when asked to wait until the wedding was over to use the back courtyard. Not a HUGE thing, but you might see random people coming and going.

Ashlie Hampton-Weddings in the City (Day of Coordinator)
A+++++
Everything you hear about her is correct; she is awesome. She is organized, calm and collected on the day of, and does a fantastic job. I was so calm on my wedding day because I knew she was in charge. My husband stepped on my
bustle minutes after it being done, and she was right there to pin me up.
She is such an awesome person, and I miss planning with her already!
I HIGHLY recommend her! She is worth every penny you invest!!

Puff n Stuff-Catering and Cake-A
Great job with both food and cake. Heid Brice was our contact person and overall she did a great job. The end communication was a little slow to finalize #s, but everything else was great.
They also do a wonderful job at cakes. They were able to duplicate the wedding cake design and a groom's cake (Boston Red Sox hat).

Lee Forrest-Florist A++++++
Lee is a freakin rockstar with flowers! He looked at my example bouquet pics once and made them perfectly! He is also such a warm and funny person too. I will miss meeting with him. HE ROCKS!

Joey Wright-Photography A++
Joey has been doing model photography for awhile and is branching out into wedding photography. Because of this, he has ridiculously reasonable prices for the work he does. Joey and I have mutual friends, and he shot their wedding, and I was sold on him immediately.
My pics are outstanding!!! He is also a blast to work with. If you are on a budget, you should check him out-your pics will definintely NOT look like budget photos.
www.joeywrightphotography.com
Click under portfolio and go to Weddings
If you want to see my photos, send me a private message :)

Patricia LeJeune-Hair and Make up-A+++++++
Patricia knows her stuff. Not only did she make me look amazing, but she does it with such ease! Her staff is also just as professional and talented. She also is such a warm and caring person, and I had such a great time chatting with her during my trial and the day of. Again, I HIGHLY recommend her!! She is worth every penny!

Tagas Events-Bryan Taylor (DJ)
I have two ratings for Tagas-A for Bryan himself as a DJ, C for contract

A-Bryan and I had a great meeting before the wedding, He is super chill and really listens to what you want. He played everything I wanted, made sure to not play what I wanted to avoid, and took guest requests. He did a great job with my specific ceremony requirements and did a good job MCing. He also shut down my friend trying to request NKOTB..yikes! He also does a great mixes for the more modern feel. Our guests kept commenting how great the music was!

C-When I signed my contract, I was at a bridal show. I thought that when I signed the contract, I was signing with Bryan as my DJ. I later found out that Bryan is $300 extra in order to guarantee him for your wedding. It was really stressful for me because I went to a wedding with one of his other DJs that wasn't the best fit for us. Everything was worked out, but just know that you need to specify that you want to book him and pay the extra $$.

Gary Davids-Officiant B
Gary is both a photographer and an officiant. Some of our first picks were already booked, but when we met with Gary, he was very honest and open. He did good job with the ceremony, but he did some improv during our ceremony (trying to be funny) and we really didn't find that necessary. It was fine, but just wished he would have stuck to the script. I think if I would have been more specific with ceremony, he would have left it out.

David's Bridal-A (Millenia and Tampa)
Yes, David's is big and can be busy, but I always was greated with a smile and received great service. My dress came in within two weeks, and so did the bridesmaids dresses.

Judi-The Seamstress-Winter Park A+
She knows her stuff, does it quickily, and doesn't bs you-she is awesome! I definitely will see her again for any alterations I need.

Men's Warehouse-C ( Waterford)
The initial meeting went fine. Fitting was a pain b/c they were measuring DH wrong and wouldn't listen to him when he said the measurements wouldn't be correct. SO of course when he picked up his tux, he had to get a new shirt, the sleeves were too long, and the pants were too short. I would suggest picking up the tuxes at least three days before the wedding in case something like this happens.
The GM and father tuxes ended up fine.

Other vendors that are A for quality of product and fast delivery:
Wedding Paper Divas
Cudge.net (cheap votives)
Picaboo (photo guest book)
Vistaprint (Menus, OOT brochures)

Booked our venue- FINALLY! :)

x3Harmony534 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:52:49 +0000

Just had to share the good news! Technically it's not "booked" yet, we have a courtesy hold... but it is absolutely the place we want. We are getting married at the Lake Mary Events Center Sunday March 6, 2011! We have looked at and considered sooo many places (the venue was the most important thing to me) Orlando Science Center, Orlando Museum of Arts, Courtyard at Lake Lucerne, Bella Collina, Leu Gardens, Highland Manor... I'm sure there's some I'm missing. At any rate every one of those places didn't have EVERYTHING I was looking for. Just when I thought I'd have to settle for something I decided to take a last minute look @ the LMEC- and I'm so glad I did! There hours for touring were inconvenient with my work schedule, but I managed to stop in today & it was everything I could possibly want for a wedding venue!

Now we just have to decide on the specifics, all of our vendors, etc. I know a TON of you ladies are getting married there also, so if anyone has any recommendations for caterers from there (We are on a fairly tight budget, so the cheaper the better lol) I would love to hear from you. :) Just had to share with people who would understand my excitement!

I need help finding a venue!

nathach — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:09:05 +0000

Hi ladies. I am getting married January 15, 2011 and need help finding a reception hall big enough for 260 guests. Anywhere around central Florida is fine. The problem is, I need a place that will let me bring my own caterers. Any suggestions?? Thanks a lot in advance!

~* APRIL 24th GTG *~

Blonde407 — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:05:40 +0000

Here is the facebook invite... http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104845626216169

The location is... HOT OLIVES... nom nom nom :-)

If you are coming and don't have facebook I need to know by April 22nd by 5pm if you are coming or not since I need to make reservations :-) I'm sure i'll post a reminder a couple days before though.

If you are a newbie... don't be scared ! Pictures of all of our gtgs are in the CFL knottie bio that is in my siggy :-)

Guest list so far:
Me
Erica (ericak)
Jessica (cjbwifey)
Aileene (aileeneg)

Cute wedding quote?

stardust21587 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:38:26 +0000

Hey! I'm working on my invitations and I have a blank area where I was thinking about adding a wedding quote of some sort. I cant really find any that arent the cheesiest thing ive ever heard...lol. any ideas?

Furniture Rentals

kobe013 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:01:18 +0000

Does any one have any recommendations for furniture rentals companies...on the cheaper side?

I'm just looking to have a few couches and chairs inside the hotel convention room for a little 'VIP feel' area and to give people other places to sit and mingle and not be stuck at their table. Thanks!

ashbosity

MCO100 — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:45:33 +0000

YGM :)

Guest List Rant

frozenxthoughts — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 19:00:28 +0000

We're having a very small wedding (55 people max not including us) with close friends and family. I put together a preliminary guest list a few months ago, went over it with my FI and parents, gathered addresses from everyone via Facebook or email and now my Maid of Honor is engaged and I know it would mean the world to her to have her FI there (he wasn't on the original list) so I'll have to cut another person or two to account for him and a relative my mom added (which I should have had on the guest list to begin with).

I'm so stressed out. I'm one of those people who doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings but it's almost unavoidable since a lot of people just assume they'll be invited or I had to explain that we are over our head count and while we'll do the best to invite them...we can't promise anything. It sucks. Truly. It isn't anything personal, but I didn't realize how hard it would be to do this. There are about 3 people I don't think will be able to come so I'll probably be able to go ahead and send invites to the guests on my B List...but this is tough especially after I've collected some addresses. It's about $90 a person if we go over 55 so these people will just have to understand. I really wish I had waited to collect addresses , but it's amazing how things change and evolve (that you really can't plan) so I'm hoping for pure understanding because we really and truly can't go over. Period. I was so excited when I got engaged I just wanted to tell everyone and now...I kind of regret that lol. Eeep!

Venues, Venues, Venues!!!

jmucheech21 — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:45:50 +0000

I have had the BEST wedding planning weekend yet!!! As you've all probably read before, I am IN LOVE with Harmony Golf Preserve, but am not so in love with the amount that they quoted us. I kept looking and looking and nothing compared..

Two days ago we went to Celebration Golf Club because a friend HIGHLY recommended it. She kept saying "I know they seem expensive, but they will work with you.." I went and they worked!!! Cassie asked me what I was looking for and my price situation. I told her I really was just looking to beat Harmony at this point, because I know I have a lot of guests and a food and alcohol filled vision for my wedding, but I off hand mentioned my ideal number that I'd LOVE to have (but knew how unrealistic it was). She went to make a quote, came back with it, and had offered me EVERYTHING I wanted for the price my "fantasy price!!!!" UNBELIEVABLE!!!! They were amazing!!!

The next day I had a similar experience at Lakeside Inn!!!! WOW!!!!! And then later that day we went to Lake Mary Events Center and LOVED THAT TOO!!!

Its been SO awesome and I am so excited!! So, we now have a top 4 that I want to fly my mom down to see and make a final decision!! =D Any comments or suggestions about those venues? (Harmony, Celebration, Lakeside Inn, and Lake Mary Events Center?)