Hi guys! Here are my reviews from my wedding November 9th:
Makeup - Jennifer Stringer A++
Jennifer
was amazing. She came to the hotel where we were getting ready. She
was so warm and funny that it really calmed my nerves having her in the
room. My makeup was beautiful and stayed perfectly all night! She is
opening a new salon on Freret street in the coming months. Keep an eye
out!
Flowers - Fabulous Flowers A++
Ken from Fabulous Flowers
was one of my very favorite people to work with for the wedding. I am a
type A personality. If I call or email a vendor I want a response
within the next few days. Not all of my vendors seemed to respond that
fast. But Ken gets it. If I called or emailed, he responded that day.
I really, really appreciated how attentive he was. I also did not have
the world's biggest floral budget. But Ken gets it. He was able to
work within my budget and still get me gorgeous flowers. Finally, I
don't know much about flowers, I didn't have a set idea of what I wanted
the ceremony or reception decorations to look like. I was kinda
stumbling around trying to figure out what would look best. Ken was on
it! The ceremony set up in particular took my breath away. The ceremony
was outside and at night and Ken put together a lovely display of an
arch made out of curly willow lit up with Christmas lights that we stood
under during the ceremony. The aisle was also decorated with lovely
lanterns. It gave the area such a romantic feel. I can't say enough
good things. Call Ken!
Egg Yolk Jubilee (second line band) - A++
Egg Yolk Jubilee is one of my very favorite New Orleans brass bands. I have been a fan ever since I saw one of their shows my freshmen year of college 14 years ago. When I emailed them asking if they would consider doing a 2nd line for my wedding, I really thought it was shot in the dark that they would do it. But much to my delight they said they would love to come show my out of town family how a real New Orleans wedding throws down!!! We had them for a half hour for a more than reasonable fee, seeing as we got 7 Egg Yolks to parade us around lol. They were wonderful and certainly a highlight of the evening. I don't think they do a lot of weddings, but if you can get them, snatch them up!! If you can't, go catch one of their shows around town. They are at the Bayou Beer Garden fairly regularly.
Debbie Does Doberge - A+++++
What can I say? I am a fool for Debbie Does Doberge cake. In fact, if they were unavailable the day of my wedding, I really might have had to think about changing the date. My wedding cake was....unconventional. I had an 8 tier cake with 7 different flavors. The flavors were king cake, turtle, Blueberry lemon, S'mores, Sweet Potato (w/cream cheese icing), peanutbutterscotch and red velvet Elvis (peanutbutter banana filling and cream cheese icing). The cake was amazing as I knew it would be. My guests tried many flavors each, if not all of them and they all said how great the cake was. We took the leftover cakes home and we are in the process of getting fat and happy eating the rest of it. Just as a head-up, they do not have a traditional store front. They work out of the 12 mile limit in Midcity.
Omega Sound and Entertainment (DJ) - A++
We had Kevin as our DJ and he was really great. I am a music fanatic and I appreciated that they have a website where you can specify all of the songs that should be played during the key events of the night (bouquet toss, cake cutting etc) as well as "must play" and "do NOT play" songs for the rest of the evening. My dad and I couldn't decide on just one song for our father-daughter dance and so they made a mash up of the two songs just for us! We had our reception at Audubon Clubhouse and the evening was so gorgeous that many guests opted to mingle outside instead of dancing inside but I hope Kevin didn't think that was a reflection on his talents. Those of us on the dance floor had an excellent night of booty shaking. I danced enough to work off at least 2 of my 7 slices of cake!
American Luxury Limo - A+
We used a limo to transport me and my husband to the ceremony as well as a shuttle to get the guests from the hotels to the shuttle (and make trips throughout the night if the guests wanted to leave early). They were prompt and the limo driver was extremely personable and courteous to me and my husband on the way to the ceremony. If I have any criticisms, it was a little stressful getting all of the guests on shuttle at the end of the night. Last pickup was midnight and they meant it! But we got everyone on and made it back to the hotels. They also had the best prices for the services we needed.
New Orleans Finest Musicians (ceremony musicians) - A++
Harry Hardin's Finest Musicians really made our outdoor ceremony at the Newman Bandstand at Audubon Park special and romantic. We requested a few songs that are non-traditional to be played and they were able to accommodate every request. As the bride, I only got to hear a few of the songs that they played (lovely) but I hear from the guests that the rest of the music was really beautiful too. Harry himself is very easy to work with too.
G. Chapin Studios (photographer) - A++
Gabby is such an amazing person. I have been involved with weddings where the photographers can really stress you out; demanding that people be quiet and still and stand a certain way throughout the day of getting ready and whatnot. Gabby is the opposite of that. Her personality can really put you at ease if you are stressed. You can tell by talking to her and by looking at her photos that she has a real joy for life. That was the sort of person I wanted to be surrounded by on my wedding day. We also got a 2nd photographer and Eddie Marroquin was the same way. Very calm and personable. We were having an outdoor wedding and I think that Gabby really has an eye for capturing nature in a very special and meaningful way. We gave Gabby an extensive list of formal photos that we wanted to capture and she was able to get all of them without it feeling labor intensive (I get really antsy after too many photos). We haven't gotten our photos back yet but I can't wait to share some with you guys when we do. Her prices were very reasonable too.
Geauxmuse Productions (videographer) - TBD
John Muse was our videographer. He was very easy to work with and prompt in responding to my emails. When we get the video back I'll update this review.
Town and Country - A+
I did not have a huge budget for my gown. I
wanted to spend more on the food for the guests. I went in to Town and
Country expecting that there would be nothing in my price range ( Less
than 1,000). But Sue was able to show me multiple gowns that were
gorgeous! She was very sweet to work with and very respectful of my
budget. Also, the gowns there were very well made. Mine had a lot of
boning in it, which I appreciated. I was afraid that the alterations
would cost an arm and a leg but they were extremely reasonable and my
gown fit me like a glove. It was strapless and I was afraid I'd be
pulling it up all night. But it was like it was made for my body. I
can't imagine why anyone would deal with the madhouse that is Pearl's
Place since there are reasonably priced gowns at Town and Country.
Audubon Clubhouse - A+++
Before our wedding I had attended a couple of weddings here and they were the best weddings I have been to. If you are having a medium size wedding (no more than 150 guests) and its during pleasant months in New Orleans, you can't pick a better place to have your wedding. You get the Clubhouse, which is modeled after a southern plantation with a wraparound porch as well as the sprawling oak tree lined grounds of Audubon. With the trees lit up at night it doesn't get anymore beautiful in my opinion. Also, we had our ceremony at the Newman Bandstand, overlooking the pond; another beautiful area. But none of that would matter to me if the food was bad. I am a food and beverage kinda bride! Luckily, Audubon's catering is some of the best in the city in my opinion. We got the following: Praline stuffed baked bries, Fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade, oysters Audubon (their take on Rockefeller), an oriental stir fry station (came in a take out container with chopsticks, v. cute), a mashed potato bar which has both garlic mashed and sweet potato mashed, a filet mignon carving station, pasta atchafalaya (penne with chicken and sausage in a creole cream sauce), and the sleeper hit of the evening, individual chicken pot pies. Guests continue to rave about those pot pies. Pot Pie! Who knew?? We also got an open bar but added on the specialty martini bar. I highly recommend that martini bar. It was definitely more popular than the regular bar. The attendants that were provided to the bride, groom and immediate family were fantastic. I was never without a cocktail in my hand and they made sure to sit us down at the beginning of the evening and stuff us full of food so we were fed and able to mingle thereafter. Our wedding coordinator was Bernadette. Early in the year I was worried because I am a type A personality. If I email, I want an email back that day preferably, but I'll accept up to later in the week. Bernadette would habitually take longer than that to respond. But, as we got closer to the day of the wedding she was on top of things and would be very responsive. Ultimately, all of my requests were honored and everything was as beautiful and wonderful as the other weddings I had attended there. It was a perfect wedding, if such a thing is possible.