Below are our vendor reviews. I am writing them now before I forget. We did not go on a honeymoon as my husband (yeah!) is in medical school residency with very little time off. If you have any questions please feel free to email drlcbthomas@yahoo.com. Enjoy the wedding planning process!
The Club at Sonterra - A+++++: Too many good things to say about this place. Mickie Moore the event coordinator was awesome as well as the entire staff. The place is beautiful with lovely scenery and the reception rooms are fabulous - very little needed for decoration. Our ceremony was located outside. Allthough, it was hot we were under a shadeo of beautiful trees and had a beautiful view of the golf coarse. We decided to have a buffet style dinner which was amazing. Everyone said the food was delicious. We also had an ice cream bar - amount of topping choices was like being at a Marble Slab creamery. At the time when we signed a contract they offered a free coffee-bar station as well as chocolate covered strawberries (yummo). The bar service was also amazing. We had a cocktail hour with signature drinks that were fabulous lemon martini's. Sonterra alo took the time to give me and the hubby a few minutes alone to taste the o'dourves and sig cocktail. The day of the wedding they also provided the bridal party appetizers, drinks, and a bottle of champagne. Free valet parking too! So much more to say...I HIGHLY recommended them for a wedding.
Event Coordinator
Celebrate: B I don't want to say completely horrible things about our coordinator online. She was extremely nice and professional but nice doesn't always get the job done. I will say that in the end she did help relieve some stress the day of the wedding.
Bridal Shop
David's Bridal - off 410 near Ingram Park Mall - (A+). I decided early on in the wedding planning process that I did not want to spend a fortune on a wedding dress. I knew I could find something just as beautiful for less. Guests at the wedding marveled over the dress I choose. The manager at this location actually was a friend of one of the BMs. They were amazing with ordering dresses for myself, MIL, and flower girls. Everyone looked amazing at the wedding.
Bridal Galleria - San Pedro - B - I hate to base my opinion on two encounters because I believe it may have just been a bad day. The first time I went I did have an appointment - I waited almost 30 minutes for someone to help me. By that time I was annoyed with the wait time I decided to go home. BTW they were not busy helping other brides. Second time I went I did purchase a second hair piece for the reception. The lady was very helpful.
J.Crew - A+++++ I had literally stocked the website in hopes of the BM dresses going on sale. Once again, I didn't want BMs spending tons of money of dresses. We got ours for less than $80.00. They shipped in less than a week. If you are patient and have the planning time J Crew has awesome BM dresses which always go on sale. They also provide a free emailing consultations with their fashion designers. They were helpful with choosing the wedding colors, shoes, flowers, etc. I also asked them for advice with my wedding dress. Excellent service.
Alterations and dry cleaning
Joan's Alterations: A. Recommended by fellow knotties. Wonderful job with the alterations. I wanted her to add clips to the back of the dress to hide the zipper better but she said this would be impossible. In the end I took it to Five Star cleaners a few weeks before the wedding and they added them on.
Five Star Cleaners (off Heubner): A+. Recommended by fellow knotties. They customer service was excellent. They are a little more expensive than most but totally worth it. My dress looked awesome for the wedding. Like I said they added clips to the back of the dress (for free). They also gave me a free garment bag.
Shoes:
Nordstrom: I basically new what I was looking for so not much to review about but I must say they have awesome shoes!
David's bridal: A+ I ordered yellow dyeables for my bridals. Super cute
Cool Shoes MD (ebay store): A+ : I searched all over the place for yellow patent leather peep toe shoes and finally found them at a reasonable price. The contact person with this company was very helpful as I had never ordered anything off ebay. S&H was quick too.
Target - no review but once again great place to find affordable shoes for Jr. BMs and flower girls.
Jewelry
Americus Diamonds: A+ Awesome selection of rings and awesome customer service.
Cache, Charming Charlie: no review for customer service. Fabulous fashion jewerly for bride and bridal party.
James Avery: A+ Awesome customer service. We bought the hubby a second ring to wear to work since he constantly has to remove it during surgical procedures - its not such a bid deal if he loses a much more affordable ring. Just a thought.
Fiz Wiz - A: For ring engraving. Customer service ok but turn around time is less than a day (awesome).
Tux
Men's Wearhouse: A++++ Excellent customer service and very nice affordable suits. My father needed to pick up his tux in Austin just a few days before the wedding and they made it happen. I will say the salesman at the store in Austin was extremely rude but made up for it after he apologized for his behavior. I won't let this count against them as they were awesome overall.
Hair and make-up
Mary Coop: A+++++ Mary is just super awesome. She was recommended by a fellow knottie. She had 2 other girls come to the house the morning of the wedding to help. They were all awesome. Although, Mary only has formal training in make-up you would never know by the amazing hairstyles she creates. We did several trials before the wedding. A few days before the actual day I decided to change the makeup colors and hairstyle. I trusted Mary and she did an AWESOME job. Another plus is she comes to your location and is extremely affordable. Everyone loved their hair and make-up. She is a must have.
Officiant
Pastor Don Somerville A++++ Our wedding coordinator found him for us. He is absolutely precious and was a perfect fit for our wedding as his personality is just as spunky and vibrant as ours.
Photography
Caitlin's Creations....Caitlins Creations!!!! A+++++ . Many knotties have used Caitlin so I don't think I need to add to their reviews. She is absolutely a charm to work with and a talented photographer. Check out her blog for examples of her work. She also created an awesome sign in photobook.
Flowers:
Eden's Echo...Eden's Echo!!!! A++++++. Many knotties have used Erin. I don't think I need to add much to their reviews. She is absolutely awesome and talented as well. I stocked her blog various times and was pretty confident with her work. I pretty much gave her free reign to do what she does best and create wonderful flower arrangements, bouquets, etc. I was more than amazed with the end results. Please visit her blog to see pics from our wedding. "Lucy and Darnell".
Cake:
Cakes by Cathy Young: A+: As many knotties have said her tastings are a little disappointing as she only brings out two different cakes to taste. I was sold with what I did get to taste. The wedding cake was delicious. One of our guests even said it was better than theirs. I was surprised at how reasonable her price was too.