Vendor Reviews - May 30, 2014<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Overall, I was incredibly pleased with all of my vendors
(mostly thanks to fellow knottie recommendations!)
Reception Venue: Pittsburgh
Athletic Association – A+. I fell in
love with this venue as soon as I saw it.
It is classic, elegant, and surprisingly affordable (of course that is a relatively speaking word in wedding land). When I first looked at it, I thought there
was no way it would be in our price range.
It was actually comparable to a lot of other venues. Mike, the event coordinator, is really easy
to work with and they have a reception guide that will easily help you through
the process. We really enjoyed our
food. You also have the option to rent
the bowling alley for an after party.
This was a huge hit with my friends and family!
Ceremony: Heinz
Chapel – A+ . The chapel is just
stunning and if you are lucky enough to get through, book it! I was leery because I have heard that the time
slots are tight and you don’t have a lot of time reserved, but I never felt
like that on my wedding day. Wendy, my
contact, was awesome. She was super easy
to work with and made you feel like your wedding was the only one that day.
Photographer: Lady of
the Lens Photography – A+. Stephanie is
awesome and incredibly talented! She brings
along an assistant and a second shooter for the day which is a huge plus. Both were fantastic! Her packages were more reasonable than several
others I had looked at and are quite inclusive.
I am very self-conscious and she made me feel very comfortable. I just got the proofs and they are amazing! My husband loved her, and that says a lot
because he hates having his picture taken and basically was dreading having to
take time out for pictures. J
DJ/ Uplighting / Videographer: Modern Era Weddings – A+. Bill Bara is the best in the business. He has created an inclusive package that
offers dj, uplighting, videography, and a photo booth that is quite impressive. Modern Era’s website is easy to navigate and
you can tailor any songs you want played and any songs you do not want
played.
Photobooth – Shutterbooth via Modern Era Contract – A+ Everyone had a great time with the
photobooth. They had props and allowed
for black and white or color photo options.
We were provided with a guest book with photos at the end of the night. The quality of the photos were very good. (I
have seen some that kind of blur or smear… ShutterBooth’s do not.
Cake / Cookies – Bethel Bakery –
A+. Yummy and easy to work with. Loved cake tasting! Delivered cookies for table same day as cake
which was very convenient for me.
Hair – Brooke Rockwell A+. I was so pleased with Brooke and her
sister. They come to you, which is
awesome and convenient and one less thing you have to worry about. I LOVED my hair. My girls LOVED their hair. My mom loved her
hair! (She was concerned and said, “What can you even do with this hair??? (it’s
short)”. Brooke knew exactly what to do
and my mom looked beautiful! Our trial really
helped her and I to get a better idea of what I wanted and I couldn’t have been
more pleased.
Makeup – Rachel Hutchinson. A+ I
was AMAZED at how Rachel made me look! I
am a Chapstick kind of girl and was concerned I wouldn’t look like myself. I was also totally paranoid because my skin
decided to look like a 14 year old going through puberty the week before my
wedding! She was perfection! She uses airbrush foundation which I thought
held up so nicely throughout the day, as did my eye makeup and lips as well! People kept telling me, “You really need to
wear makeup more! You look so pretty.”
This was both a great compliment for Rachel and left me thinking… hmmmm
I must look kind of rough on the day-to-day lol.
Day-of-Coordinator – Ashley Douglas
@ Offbeat Occassions. A+ Ashley was a HUGE help on my big day. Several people asked me what I needed a “day
of” coordinator for… Well, she saved the day several times! We worked together leading up to the event and
she helped me figure out who needs to be where, and when. There are so so many details that go into the
wedding day. I am not an event oriented
planner AT ALL and my head spun during most of wedding planning. She was great to have as a point person. I randomly got ill the morning of my wedding
and she went and got me peppermint tea and anti-nausea medicine. The groom was running late, she took care of
it and I had no idea. We needed to
exchange rings with the best man, she took care of it. Stuff needed to be at Heinz before me, she took care of it. I realized walking past the reception room
that I didn’t like the way the frame was laid out, she fixed it immediately. Oh, and there was an 8-top table that was
supposed to be a 10 top (could be my mistake… no idea if it was me or PAA) but
she fixed that immediately and no one even knew what happened. Someone needed to keep eye of all of our
belongings at Heinz and get them out of the bridal suite, she was there. She was pivotal in ironing out all of the
little details and “what-if’s” that I would have never thought about. I mean, who knew that spraying your favorite
perfume in baby powder a few days before the wedding would help you not sweat while
still giving off a subtle version of your favorite sent??? A little tidbit from
Ashley!
Flowers – Budget Blossoms by
Jillian. A+ Jill was awesome and I feel like I lucked out
because with her talent, she books quickly and I truly think she should charge
more than she does. Her rates are
UNREAL. I heard horror stories about the
cost of flowers and she made 6 beautiful bouquets, rose centerpieces (half of
the 20 were high, half low) and even pew bows with roses. We did all of our consults via email which
had me a little nervous, but she was flawless!
Oh and I didn’t request pew bows until about 2 weeks prior and it wasn’t
a problem at all! She’s great!