A lot of our vendors were booked on recommendations by fellow knotties and things were awesome. I highly recommend everyone we used. Silver Spring Golf Club, Menomonee Falls - Ceremony, Reception, rehearsal dinner - A+ We wanted to have our ceremony and reception at the same venue, this is how we happened to find SSGC. Their minimums were lower than most places and they have ethnic food options. The rooftop patio and gardens for pictures were gorgeous, everyone loved it. Our reception was in the La Par restaurant and we did the hors d'eouvres stations with the Mexican and New Orleans options. It was perfect, people raved about the nacho/taco/fajita bar. Service was great, Kelsey is the new wedding coordinator, she was very easy to work with. She did a phenomenal job setting up and coordinating the wedding day. The only bad thing was they forgot to charge us for the rooftop rental. Very minor, it was just annoying to get a phone call after the wedding. We booked them from a bridal fair and got our rehearsal dinner for free. They have one of the best fish frys in the Milwaukee area; people loved it. For both the wedding and rehearsal, there was so much food, I thought the value was incredible. Portions were extremly generous. Officiant - Bishop Craig Bergland - A Bishop Craig was great, he definitely worked with us to provide the spiritual, non-religious ceremony we wanted. He is a lot of fun, and we enjoyed working with him. The only negative is that there were a few times I didn't get a response via email, but I think it was just peak wedding time and he was super busy. A little follow up fixed this. Our guests really liked him too. Photographer - Cara Zimmerman with Expressive Photography Cara - A+++, Expressive - B/C Cara did an amazing job, she is very talented and really captured the emotions of the day. She was so easy to work with and really wowed us and our families. She is now booking on her own, I recommend booking her through her own business instead of Expressive. She wasn't this far along when we booked. Expressive did their job and we have amazing pictures with all the rights, but I found Patrick somewhat unprofessional. I actually got yelled at for sharing price information with fellow knotties. We negotiated a lower than advertised price, and even though he kept saying not to tell anyone, I assumed he tells everyone this. After this, I tried to avoid working directly with him. Caitlyn in the office is great. All of the photographers at Expressive are very talented, but this just left a negative impression with us. I highly recommend booking Cara directly as she is now branching out on her own. If you are in the Fond du Lac, Fox Cities area, she may even be willing to travel that way. Check her out at
www.carazimages.com She also did our e-pics in the 3rd ward and they were amazing. Flowers - Petals by Carrie Kroening - A I had a very specfic desire to use all dark red, gerbera daisies for our flowers and Carrie excecuted this beautifully. Great job for a great price. She was very easy to work with and quick to return emails. I had a few add-ons at the last minute and she was very accommodating. Ceremony/Reception Music - Complete Music (Bill V.) - A Bill did a great job. We only met with him two days before the wedding, but he did an awesome job. The ceremony music was exactly as we discussed and the dance floor was packed all night. Very laidback, yet provided awesome service. Phil Hall is the owner, and he was very easy to work with also. Cake - Cakes by Stephanie - A My experience with Stephanie felt as though I had hired an aunt or old family friend. Sometimes opinions were unsolicited, but she is very honest and I appreciated her input. Her prices are unbeatable and cakes are very tasty. We ordered the white almond cake with raspberry fill and butter cream frosting. People are still talking about how yummy it was. Wedding Gown - Savvy Bride - A+ One of my favorite vendors, I loved every experience at Savvy. I went to several other bridal shops and the experiences were nowhere near as good. I never felt rushed, all of the girls are very knowledgeable. Kate actually responed to numerous emails about designer styles, prices, etc. I found my dress elsewhere, but ordered through Savvy because they were that much better. They can find any dress and match prices. Alterations - Caron's Bridal Alterations (by Savvy Bride) - A Caron has gotten some negative reviews on this board, but I had a wonderful experience with her. I tried calling Becky's Custom Sewing and another recommended place multiple times and never heard back from either. It was getting close to the wedding and I took a chance on Caron. My bustle held all night and the alterations were perfect. Bridesmaid Dresses - David's Bridal - B Since the BMs are all over the country and different sizes/ages this was the most convenient. I picked a color and the girls chose their own dresses. I didn't have high expectations for David's, but nothing went wrong, all the dresses arrived on time, in the correct sizes and in new condition. Service itself was not great, but I just ran dresses in for the girls as they tried them on. We pretty much waited on ourselves, which is what we expected. It was Saturday, it was busy, but it was the only day we could shop together. Everything worked out fine. Hair/Make up - Neroli Brookfield - A My wedding was the first one that I have been in that all women loved their hairstyles. We had an age range of 11-65 and everyone was very happy with the results. They even accommodated my niece who decided she wanted to have her hair done at last minute. I called the morning of and they fit her in. I did my hair trial and day of style with Mya, she is great. Make-up was beautiful and held up all night. The only minor annoyance was that I ordered food trays that they forgot to charge us for. I got a call three days later about the error. Otherwise, I have nothing but positive things to say. Rings - Kesslers - A We bought my e-ring and our wedding bands at Kesslers in Brookfield. Our experience both times was great. No pressure to buy or upgrade, and they have a great selection. Their warranty is better than most places too. Hair Fascinator - Etsy Seller Butterfly Enchantress - A I ordered a larger magnolia flower for my hair, and was a little nervous ordering online. It was so absolutely gorgeous and so life-like, I received a ton of compliments. The Etsy seller actually sent a pair of pearl/crystal earrings with it. Invitation supplies - Office Max and cardsandpockets.com - A I made our invitations, menus, signs etc on my own. The cardstock I received from cardsandpockets.com was high quality, reasonably priced and shipped quickly. Photo Guest Book - Shutterfly - A Turned out awesome, I plan to order wedding albums also. Hotel - Hyatt Place Milwaukee West - B The hotel was recently renovated, it is a very nice place. We had a few problems with the shuttle service that I thought could have been avoided. The hotel would not include military-rate rooms in the wedding block and thus underestimated the number of guests that would be using the shuttle service. We have a large number of military people in our family and offered to pay to increase the shuttle time. The hotel assured me it would not be a problem. In the end, a lot of guests ended up just driving to the venue because it was late and the shuttles were just too full. I definitely recommend this hotel, the shuttle service is free. However, for my situation, I probably should have just booked alternative transportation. I just didn't know the military rooms wouldn't be included until about two weeks before the wedding. If you have any questions about vendors, email me at chenny555@gmail.com, I am happy to provide more feedback.