Partial Vendor Reviews - More to come...

WestLoopJenni

Vendor Reviews 

Tampa Bay Watch Community Center – A+ 

I couldn't have asked for a better experience with Tampa Bay Watch. I originally booked with a different coordinator there and when there was a personnel change, I have to admit I was a little nervous. I was so foolish to think that there would be any loss in quality or customer service because Laura McMurdock was the best! She had suggestions and tips that were extremely helpful and was always accessible should I need to speak to her. She suggested vendors that were amazing and even saved me hundreds of dollars on transportation costs alone! The night before at rehearsal, she even took over some tasks to help me set up for the reception (including running to the hardware store for something I forgot). As far as the venue goes, my wedding was on November 7, 2009 and the weather was perfect, the sunset beautiful and my guests could not stop talking about the view and location. This place spoke to me and my now husband and we knew it was the perfect place for our wedding and were on cloud nine on our day when it exceeding our expectations. My advice would be to take advantage of the classic Florida feel of the location and play up on its best features. You don't need to over do it at a place like this because the venue does all the talking for itself. We used the colors of the beach, left by boat instead of limo, had a steel drummer for cocktail hour on the beautiful lawn and ate dinner by sunset looking out the huge windows. I look forward to returning here year after year to visit and relive the memories. Thanks TBW! 




Olympia Catering – A+

This is totally going to sound like a vendor post but hopefully, my three years on this board will shed a different light on it.  I love love love love love Olympia!!  They were so perfect the day of the wedding, everything went off without a snag.  I had been dealing with Sherri from the beginning and she was such a professional and incredibly sweet person throughout the whole process.  I had several tastings, took many guests there to sample the food, she accommodated last minute meetings for me as I was from Chicago and even posted comments on my facebook page to calm and alleviate stresses I was having during the planning process.  We did a buffet and ladies when I say buffet, I mean my guests got up for seconds and thirds, there was so much food!  My guests and I have never attended a wedding where you could keep eating like that.  Our entrees were the signature chicken (such a huge hit and chicken usually never is a highlight of reception food) and the mojo pork quesadillas with mango papaya salsa.  The guests raved all night about the food, including forcing my husband and I to sit and eat our meal to enjoy it with them.  Our to-go box to take back to our room was trying to be won by guests in a bidding war! J The wedding cake was perfectly made to match the picture and the red velvet was sooo tasty!  Food aside, the also were extremely helpful with setting up my centerpieces and just making the whole scene of the reception come together.  They nailed my circular ceremony set-up and the gazebo type apparatus I rented through them was so beautifully decorated and installed it took my breath away.  If you are looking for a caterer that is a one-stop shop for food, rentals and bar services, this is your vendor!  I cannot stress enough that I was not bothered by a single thing the entire wedding, their staff had it all under control!  Their wait staff was impeccable and so friendly!  My only regret was losing my purse the day before and having to cancel all my credit cards and bank accounts and I could not properly reward them for all their hard work!  From this point forward, they will be my vendor of choice for any catering services! PS – My reception site vendor is such a huge fan of theirs because they completely take care of all clean up and leave nothing behind.  They really take this part seriously and that is a huge help, especially if you have a damages or clean-up clause in your contract!  




Kellie Day Photography – A+ 



Kellie and Clint were wonderful!  They were very sweet from the beginning!  I had been wanting Kellie since I got engaged 3 years ago and saw her website because a girl on the West Coast Florida Message Board on theknot.com recommended her.  She was just starting out and now is very popular.  I feel very fortunate that we were able to secure her and Clint for our wedding and seeing the pictures meets every one of my expectations.  During the day they were so patient and so unimposing.  My guests could not stop complimenting how they really never impeded anyone’s view of the ceremony or reception.  In fact, they set up so many good shots, that I found out just how tacky my family could be by them trying to get the same shots!  They had great relationships with my other vendors before working with them at our wedding and that was a plus!  If you are looking for people who are as sweet as pie, professional and have a great talent in photography then they are for you!  You can see an example of the pictures they took at our wedding if you go to http://kellieday.blogspot.com/2009/11/jennirobertwedding.html , judge for yourself!  I couldn’t be happier with the results!  Every picture captures the mood I wanted for our wedding day!  Thank you!

dogluver315

Congrats!  You both look fantastic!

Roltide75

from the reviews, sounds like your day was near perfect

Congrats!

jet2paris85

I am so happy for you!!! I might look into the caterer as we have not chose ours yet- yikes : ) I cannot wait to get married at TBW in March!!!! Your pictures were gorgeous!!!

homecookin81

Ooh I was just looking at your pictures the other day on Kellie's blog!  Everything turned out beautifully - Congrats!

WestLoopJenni

Thanks everyone!

Jet2Paris- Laura loves Olympia!  They have a good relationship with TBW and always leave the place spotless afterwards!  The food it good too!  Call Sherri at Olympia and see if they are available for a tasting!