Warning - I really liked all of my vendors, but I am naming those that really stood out to me below. Vendor reviews played a HUGE part in who I selected, so I hope this information helps you as well. Sorry so long!
Dress: Wilshire Bridal, Los Angeles - I was a stubborn bride...I saw two dresses online that were older styles, so I made a few phone calls to find out which stores had them to try on. Of course, L.A. had them both. (They have everything down there, don't they?) So my sister and I booked a weekend trip to try them on. Long story short, I hated both dresses! But the sales woman at Wilshire suggested a try on a newer style, something so unique and different from what I would have ever thought to try on my own. But I loved it! They shipped my dress to me for free, plus it was cheaper than what I would have paid had I ordered from other local stores (I called around). So, yes, I had to pay to get down to L.A., but we had a fun weekend and I wouldn't have been able to find this dress otherwise! Moral of the story: step outside of your comfort zone when dress shopping. You'll be surprised what you discover! www.wilshirewedding.com
Bridesmaid dresses: TJformal.com – Deal alert!! Don’t look any further! Well, actually, go find your bridesmaid dresses, have the girls try them on in the stores and get their sizes, and then check online to see if the brides can order from TJ!! Trust me, I did all of my investigating, and they have a glowing rating w/ the Better Business Bureau. Their prices are WAY cheaper than ordering in the store, and shipping is free! They order directly from the dress vendors, just as the local stores would. These are the REAL name brand dresses, people! We ordered all Bill Levkoff dresses, and then got them altered locally. Love, love, love! www.TJformal.com
Officiate: Ray Van Winkle – Ray has had such great reviews on this board, so I was excited to hear he had my wedding day available. FI and I went to meet him and felt very comfortable with him right away. He told us that he performs all types of weddings, and has no trouble incorporating any religious aspects if we chose to do so (which we did). He has a template of the ceremony which allows you to pick and choose each aspect, or even alter things to your liking. During our rehearsal, I was sooo nervous, but Ray told me certain queues to look for for me to stay on track during the actual ceremony. Plus, FI reminded me that all I have to do is repeat everything he does, so that made me feel better! The wedding ceremony went perfectly and Ray did a wonderful job. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous AT ALL the day of the wedding, and I’m sure Ray’s preparation had a lot to do with it. www.reverendray.com
DOC: Laura Gram – Awesome, awesome, awesome!! Laura is hands-down the best. Worth every single penny, and then some! We scheduled an initial meeting for us to go over her services, and to make sure we “clicked,” and afterwards I found that she is a great person and couldn’t wait to work with her! She even gave me vendor suggestions and handy spreadsheets to help me w/ planning along the way. She has all of the tips/tricks to make sure that your vision runs smoothly, and that you are able to enjoy experiencing your wedding rather than running around like a crazy person. Brides, there are cheaper options out there, but I can reassure you that Laura is the BEST! And for those considering hiring/using a family member as your DOC, it won’t be the same. They will not anticipate the little things that can occur; they won’t be there to bring you food and make sure you stay hydrated; they won’t be able to distract guests who are arguing…I can go on and on and on. A family member or friend will also be a guest at your wedding, so it’s nice to have an objective person who is there actually working. It literally felt like Laura was everywhere, always, and both FI and I were very pleased with her. She is irreplaceable and our wedding day would not have been a success without her! Contact her for peace of mind: laura.gram@yahoo.com
DJ: Jeff Hill, Jay Productions – I honestly booked Jay based off of vendor reviews, and his great prices. He is an awesome DJ and you get the most bang for your buck with him. I looked into Bamboo Beats, and a few other places, and they charged twice as much as Jeff. I just wanted good music, and felt that I could give any DJ a list of the songs I wanted, so why pay more for that? In fact, I went a little crazy and provided Jeff with a “do not play list” as well (Chicken Dance, YMCA, This is How We Do It, etc. Trust me, do this!!) Anyways, he followed all of my cray cray bridezilla details to a tee. He even has an online form that allows you to upload the ‘must play’ and other songs of significance right into his database. Jeff also would talk to me during the reception to ask if I was ok, or to see if I needed anything. How sweet! He is somewhat soft-spoken, but when he got on the mic he was excellent! In fact, I received several complements that he was an excellent DJ J www.jproductionsonline.com
Hotel: Alexis Hotel – I booked a suite as part of a special they were running, and it was perfect! My bridesmaids and I got ready in the very large room, and then FI (well, DH at this point!) and I stayed there for our wedding night. It was perfect! Huge rooms, wonderful customer service, great location downtown. Plus, we took some gorgeous bridal party pictures in the lobby and bar areas. Can’t wait to stay there again. www.alexishotel.com
Limo: Rare Form Limousine – I seriously obsessed over booking a reliable limo service for our wedding night. So many websites out there look like they were made by preschoolers (which says a lot to me), or if you searched for company reviews, you’d see complaints about drivers being really late or not showing up at all! Someone recommended Rare Form to me, and I’m so glad I followed up with them! The owner, Eli, takes his business very seriously and you can tell right away that you are in good hands. If I ever need a limo or chauffer again, I will ONLY consider Rare Form. www.rareformlimo.com
Photographer: Alex Photography – I’m so glad we booked with them! Their packages are very reasonable for what you get. We had two wonderful photographers during our wedding, and I totally had that paparazzi feeling which I loved! (In a good way, obviously I wasn’t annoyed like the celebs get b/c it never happens to us regular folk!) We just got the pictures back this week, and here are two things that I especially love: 1. having two photographers gave us two different vantage points, and 2. they took a picture of almost every single guest in way or another. The pictures are amazing and I can’t wait to order our albums! www.alexphotography.com
Videographer: Edit1Media – Videography is the one thing that I always hear brides and grooms say that they “wished they had included” in their budget in retrospect, but it should seriously be a no-brainer! This is how you’ll be able to remember all the little things. I’m telling you, there are so many things going on the day/night of your wedding, there’s no way you’re going to be able to take it all in and remember all of the little things that you spent so much time planning for. It’s a very important day, and for most of us a huge investment, so I think it’s a great idea to capture it on video. We ordered the same-day edit package w/ Edit1, which is when they record your ceremony, and in 3 hrs have a fun video w/ music to play during your reception. It’s amazing how they can come up w/ such quality so quickly! I also can’t wait to see our full video. I am not the kind of bride that’s going to watch it every day, but I think it will be wonderful to watch on our anniversary for many years to come. Even if you don’t book Edit1, PLEASE find another reliable videographer (not your Uncle Joe). You won’t regret it! www.edit1media.com
Hair/Makeup: Pacific Artistry – I’m so glad that I followed my instincts and didn’t settle for less! I waited until the last minute to worry about my hair and makeup because I had trials booked with some people and figured we’d work until we got it right. WRONG. I have brown skin and curly hair, so unfortunately some people just don’t get how to work with either of those. It was difficult to cancel, but I did not book w/ my original hair and makeup vendors. It just didn’t feel right. I found a review on TK for Pacific Artistry, and decided to book a trial w/ the owner, Shanelle. She comes to you for the trial, and if you book w/ her she’ll come to where you are getting ready the day of your wedding. Shanelle has an amazing personality and completely listens to what you are looking for. She’ll do her interpretation, and then ask you what you like/don’t like. She did this in a way where you didn’t feel like you needed to be educated about makeup at all. And the best part is, she does hair too!! We were working on my selected updo, and along the way we both decided it looked really pretty just leaving it down. Never thought I’d go that route, but I’m really glad I did!! She even teaches you how to recreate good makeup/hair techniques at home. I can’t say enough good things about her. I want to roll her up and put her in my pocket so that I can look that good everyday! www.pacificartistry.com
Please feel free to message or page me with any questions you may have. Happy planning!