I always find these to be very helpful, so if anyone has any questions, please let me know! We were very fortunate that our vendors turned out to be pretty great. I would fully recommend any of them! Also, I did not hire a Day of Coordinator or a wedding planner at all-- this was just my mom and I booking vendors and coordinating, luckily with some great help from the church wedding coordinator and the hotel coordinator. For perspective, our wedding had 123 guests attending. We invited 159.
Venue/Food: Doubletree Hotel Campbell Centre: A+++
CHECK THEM OUT! This place was fabulous. They offer a full service wedding package that is amazingly reasonable, and includes so many extras I think we saved thousands of dollars. We opted for a full service dinner buffet (We did not do sit down plated dinner because I did not want to do a seating chart for personal reasons, but they offer this as well). The food was raved about! Their package also includes: Linens from Bebe's Linens (which turned out beautifully, including the chair covers), centerpieces from Sahana Floral (a dozen roses per table and then you can add on if you wish), and a cake from Elena's cakes. The room rates for guests were reasonable, their bar selections great, service was great, and I cannot rave enough about Mayra their wedding coordinator, who made everything go flawlessly. I cannot recommend this place enough.
Cake: Elena's Cakes: A+++
We decided we'd taste the cake included in the package before we looked at other cake places. After the tasting we didn't need to go anywhere else! Think society bakery cakes with a little less sugary frosting, and that is Elena's Cakes. She executed a lovely wedding cake and grooms' cake (the grooms' cake was not in the package) that our guests raved about. We're eating the top tier now (why wait!?) and it is still delicious almost 3 weeks later (it's been frozen, don't worry!).
DJ: Jason Barnes from iEntertainment: A+++
Everyone loved our DJ! He did a great job and was so receptive, and met with us twice prior to the wedding. Their price is great too, I cannot recommend him enough. He emceed our entire event as well. Lots of people danced, including the over 70 set! I heartily recommend. They also did our gobo on the wall, a light of our monogrammed initials. It looked wonderful!
Photography: Kelly Alexander: A++
I cannot yet vouch for all of the photos, as I have not received them yet. I've seen 5 so far (I posted them on Tuesday), and they are GREAT! They were great to work with, and we had 2 shooters for 8 hours that day. They were cheerful and always around to take photos, and were very patient as well. I have a special needs little brother who was a groomsman, so they were always mindful of that to make sure he looked at their camera. We recommended them to another couple who used them for their wedding in August, and they said their photos were awesome.
Dress/Bridesmaid Dresses: Davids Bridal on Preston: A+++
I LOVED MY DRESS!! I have written on here before that the boutiques just didn't appeal to me. I didn't really like suddenly having to undress in front of someone at the boutiques, and they were not receptive to my wish for a non-strapless dress. The lady at Lulu's insisted they only had 2 non-strapless, and instead I should take a strapless and customize it. Um, no. If I could design wedding dresses, I would have! David's had something for every figure, and this location at least had excellent customer service. We even needed a last minute bridesmaid's dress (less than 1 month before the wedding!) and they got it to us in plenty of time. Their alterations also were great. If you want to look like a million dollars without spending it, I'd at least give David's a look (I wouldn't have initially, but my mom made me!).
Flowers: Sahana Floral: B+
I can't decide how I want to rate Sahana. This was the florist included in the Doubletree package; we went to see her and decided her prices were reasonable and her work lovely. Judy Berry was very receptive and the flowers were BEAUTIFUL. However, we mentioned multiple times we did not want tall centerpieces at the reception, but that was what we got. One of the tables even put theirs on the floor so they could talk, which is not what you want from a centerpiece. I'm not sure if we were as clear as we thought we were, so I kind of want to give them the benefit of the doubt. She delivered the bouquets early to the church, and they were gorgeous and exactly what I wanted. Everyone raved about how lovely the church looked (I feel the church flowers, including the bouquets, are more important as they are in more pictures). We just clearly had a miscommunication about the height of the centerpieces. Frankly I don't remember much what they looked like because they were so tall, and that's kind of a bummer.
Hair and Makeup: Michelle at Avalon Salon Snider Plaza: A++++
How I loved what Michelle did at Avalon Salon! I did a trial too, but I didn't need to--she got it right on the first try! On the day of the wedding, she spent over 2 hours on me, painstakingly making sure it was exactly how she/I wanted! It looked great and lasted for hours and hours! Unfortunately it cost a lot to have her on location, so I went into the salon. Still, she did such a great job I didn't mind! Definitely recommend.
Videographer: Lenicam Productions: ?
We haven't seen the video yet (it's still way too soon!). But their previous products looked great, and both videographers were on time, courteous, and stayed throughout the event.
Rehearsal Dinner: Cantina Laredo on Lovers: A++
We organized our own rehearsal dinner, so we used the Salon de Arriba upstairs at the Cantina Laredo on Lovers. We provided a fajita buffet, plus guacamole/chips/salsa/queso, and a bar with beer, wine, margaritas. Their prices were great and everyone raved about the food. People said they had the best time, which was reflected by the fact 50 people had 19 pitchers of margaritas! (plus beer and wine!). They were also easy to work with and were prompt in responding to emails and calls.
And there you have it! Let me know if you have any questions.
