Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I really loved working with all of the vendors and my day was stress free due to them J
Venue: Lakeway Resort and Spa = A+From the moment we went to Lakeway for an onsite visit, we knew it was for us. We worked Melanie Richardson the entire time and she is awesome. I booked this venue about over a year out and she responded to all my emails and phone calls in a timely manner. We married and had our ceremony in the Vista Ballroom and the flip went off without a hitch. The staff treated our guests with respect and took care of all of our requests with a smile on their face. It was really nice having everything in one place. Kristi and Melanie worked great together and I didn’t have to worry about any details. My friends and family raved about the hotel and several are planning on returning for a small getaway.
Lighting: VAE (Lakeway’s in-house lighting) = A+I worked with Mike Heyse and he was really patient and worked with me on my budget. We met in person the Thursday before my wedding went through all of the gels he thought I would like for the uplighting. I, of course, picked the only gel that he doesn’t have enough to cover all of the columns. He ended up calling the manufacturer and had them overnight the gels in time for the wedding. He really went above and beyond!
Wedding Coordinator: Joyful Details = A+We hired Kristi Treadwell for day of wedding coordination (really it is so much more than day of) and to assist with hiring our florist. I was impressed with Kristi from the first time we met. She is very professional, organized and has a great personality. Also, Kristi's response time is stellar - we kept in contact the entire year and to be honest I am going to miss our correspondence!! Kristi confirmed all of the vendor arrival times and worked with the venue to hammer out all of the details leading up to the wedding. The schedule she created for the day was perfect and we kept to it. People kept commenting on how relaxed I was throughout the day and I have to give credit to Kristi and my awesome vendors.
Officiant: Mike Rinehart = A+Mike is such a genuine and caring guy. He really took to time to get to know us. Once we met, he created our ceremony and I felt like we really had a hand in all of the details. Several people commented on how great he was and how long we have known him…they couldn’t believe that we just met him a year ago!
Invitations: Pink Tulip = A+Invitations were really important to me and I do have to admit I did not make it easy for Lauren (the owner). I went to meet with her and I found a custom invitation that I loved. Unfortunately it was over $12 an invite!! She was able to scale it down and create exactly what I wanted and in my price range. She has a ton of great ideas and really knows what she is doing!
Calligraphy: Rachel Carl & Co on Etsy = AIf you want calligraphy on a budget, then I recommend Rachel. I found her on Etsy and she happens to be located in Galveston, so shipping time was minimal. She is very quick to respond and I was very happy with the product. I had a hard time deciding which font to use so I ordered a sample and she sent her favorite fonts to me for review. She has a shop on Etsy and a website.
Flowers: Last Petal = A+Melanie Tipton is extremely talented and took my "Anthropologie, not too vintage, not too overdone, but not too sparse" idea and created the most beautiful centerpieces. I showed her one picture of a bouquet and she took it and ran with it. I met with her several times and she always was very considerate of my budget and my vision. I felt like she really listened to me and didn’t try to fit me in a box (like other florists did).
Cake: Polkadots Cupcake Factory = A+Olga, the owner, is great! She is quick to respond and even responded to my email while vacationing out of the country. We set up a tasting with her and had such a hard time deciding which flavor was our favorite, so we decided to do 6 smaller cakes and mini-cupcakes. The cakes were delicious and our guests raved about the how delicious they were. She even had a few cake balls delivered to our room with a sweet note. I will continue to use her bakery in the future!
Ceremony Music = Barton Strings = A+They were perfect! We played pretty traditional music during the ceremony, but we walked out to "All we need is love" by the Beatles. Then they play more contemporary music during the flip. They have a huge song list and it was hard to narrow down what we wanted during the ceremony. They arrived on time and were VERY timely with responses - this was a huge deal for me as several other string groups did not get back to me for several weeks.
Band: Blind Date Austin = A+Freaking. Amazing. This band is beyond awesome! I will admit they are expensive, but I they are totally worth it. During dinner they played Sinatra and other jazz music. Then after dinner the party started J . They played all of the new hits like Lady Gaga, Usher and even a little 50 cent. Plus they sprinkled in songs like Thriller and Don’t Stop Believing. They pulled guests on stage and really interacted with everyone on the dance floor. The night ended with the band playing Purple Rain on top of the tables with a full dance floor. My guests still talk about Blind Date and how much fun they had. Several said they forgot they were listening to a cover band because they sounded just like the artist.
Videographer: Altared Wedding Productions = A+I haven’t seen the final product yet, but they were great leading up to the wedding and the day of (I will update as soon as I see the video). I really liked their pricing structure…a flat rate for the entire day. They had 2 -3 guys onsite at all times, but we never really noticed them – this was a huge plus in my book. My main request was to capture the reception and they used some really fun gadgets like a beer cam and guitar cam (small cameras were attached to the band guitar and on beer bottles throughout the crowd) to do so. I am really excited to see what they captured J
Photographer: Four Creative Studio = A+ Catherine Lopez is amazing and makes you feel completely comfortable in about 2 seconds. She is based out of Orange County, but she totally worth it! Her work is amazing and she really takes the time to get to know you as a couple and made sure she captured our vision…either artsy or more traditional. We requested a mixture and she really captured exactly what we were looking for. Bottom line she is awesome!!
Make-up & Hair: Angela with Lucie Marie = A+Angela is amazing…I am sure you guys are getting tired of me saying this, but it is true!! She and I clicked during my trial and I booked her that day without meeting with anyone else. She really took the time to make sure I loved my hair and makeup. She arrived early on our wedding day and they finished right on time (which I loved). She made me feel pretty and natural at the same time. Love her.
I know I rated everyone with an A+, but they were all just that great!