We had our wedding this past weekend in Chattanooga and I just wanted to post our vendor reviews.
Venue: The Mill-A+
They were affordable, very accomodating, flexible. Perfect venue. Only issue was the hired security officer who showed up with a K9 and was harrassing guests. Obviously not the venue's fault, but annoying.
Wedding Planner: A DIY Affairs Weddings and Events-Shaun Cox-A+++++
She was incredible. Helped with everything! Has affordable rates and travels. Very positive. Never seemed stressed. Would recommend to anyone having a wedding. Find a way to fit her in your budget : )
Photographer: Goldygates Photography-Bridget Gates-A+
Bridget was great! She posted 6 preview pictures hours after the wedding that were simply phenomenal. My husband HATES getting his picture taken and she found a way to get even him to participate. I am very excited to see the rest of the photos.
Caterer: Oakwood Cafe (Dalton, GA)-A+
Food was awesome! Huge pieces of chicken. They made a vegetarian lasagna that everyone was talking about. Very affordable. Very accomodating. They can make anything you want happen! Stayed way later helping clean up than expected. Awesome service.
Invitations: Cards and Pockets-A+
I got my pocketfolds when they had a sale and had a coupon code. Great quality.
Anchor Paper-A+
Responsive. I ordered the wrong color and the return process was flawless. Great quality and great price.
Class Act Band (Suwanee, GA)-A+
We got so many compliments. They also provided the music for the ceremony. A phenomenal band. No problems! They sent me a list of songs and told me to note which ones I wanted and write in which ones that weren't listed. They learned so many songs that weren't part of the list as well as the music for the ceremony. Highly recommended.
Rentals: Showtime Event Rentals-A
Easy service. We arranged to pick up the rentals friday and they picked them up the following Monday with no issues. Perfect.
Bartenders: A Black Tie Affair-C
Bartending service was great. However, the day of, I was charged almost $40 more per bartender than I was quoted. Also, I was promised that the second bartender would help clean up the tables when the bartending slowed down and they would pack up all the alcohol in the car at the end of the night. This didn't happen. They also put out a tip jar without asking. Some of my guests thought we had a cash bar because of this.
Cupcakes #1: Whipped Cupcakes-F
Terrible. I placed an order with them over a month before the wedding. They wrote down all the information and said that I would need to call and let them know if I needed to use their rental stand ($60 to rent!) and what the final numbers were. I mentioned that I had gotten groupon deals for a bridal gift for $50 worth of cupcakes and they said they would check to make sure I could use multiple deals. The week before the event the wedding planner called them and the manager said I needed to bring in a deposit. I called multiple times and left messages and never got return calls. Finally the monday before my wedding, the manager finally calls back and confirms that using the groupons are fine and confirms the numer of cupcake needed (info I provided every time I left a message). She tells me I don't need to bring in a deposit because I am using the groupon. I assume all is well until I get a call 48 hours before my wedding from the owner. She accuses me of placing a last minute order and not telling anyone I wanted to use a groupon. I told her that I told the manager over a month ago and she said, "No she would have told me that." Basically she said it wasn't in the spirit of groupon to use them for a wedding and demanded double the amount in order to make the cupcakes. So I cancelled the order and scrambled last minute to find a new company. Worst customer service of any wedding vendor I used and really one of the worst companies I've encountered.
Cupcakes #2: Chattanooga Cupcakes-B+
Had no problem filling a last minute order. Packed everything in travel bins. Cupcakes were great. Just a little too much frosting and the cupcakes were decorated standard and unrelated to my wedding colors. I don't know if they would have done more if I had more time to deal with it.