I know I have not been very active on this board lately, as things got crazy with wedding planning, but I wanted to update and thank you! We got married on Friday night, and it was amazing. Everything I was hoping for and more. Towards the end, I was starting to regret all the millions of details, planning, etc and wishing we had just eloped. But it was SO worth it, and I am so glad we stuck with everything!
I was 100% happy with all of our vendors. Here are some quick reviews...I am going to post them on project wedding, too, so hopefully they will help those of you who are still planning. I found all of my vendors from knottie and PW recommendations, and couldn't be happier. Look out for my wedding pic teasers on the Hazelnut Photography blog...I know I will be stalking it this week!
Venue: The Athenaeum at Caltech- A+
This is a gorgeous venue, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it is where I wanted to get married. You have to be a member or sponsored by a member, but luckily huband (!!) is a grad student at Caltech, so we are members. We got married on the front walk, cocktail hour inside, and reception on the terrace. The food was incredible (as it always is, there) and our guests commented on it all night. Very gourmet. The service was impeccable, everyone's glasses were always refilled and the food came out at the exact same time for each table, because they had plenty of waitstaff working. The coordinator at the venue is a little flighty, but when it came down to it, everything worked out perfectly and she did her job fine. I can't speak enough about how great the service and food was.
Day of Coordinator- Just Chic Events- A++
Paola and her assistant were miracle workers and true professionals. The day absolutely could not have occurred without her. If you are on the fence about hiring a DOC- do it and don't look back. And pick Just Chic Evenets! My husband was skeptical about spending the money, but admitted that it was the best money spent on the whole wedding, because without it, nothing else would have been the same. She has an extreme attention to detail and her timelines and checklists kept me on track during planning and the day of. She ran a beautiful ceremony, took care of all of the decor setup, coordinated with vendors, etc (including confirming them for me, the week of), and cleaned everything up at the end of the night. She was more than a DOC because she met with me throughout the process and was always just an email away. There were a few last minute issues on the day of, and I didn't even find out about them until much later because she handled them on her own. I HIGHLY recommend Just Chic Events.
Photography- Hazelnut Photography- Final grade when pics are back
Of course we don't have our pictures yet, so I can't give a final review. But Jordana was awesome to work with. She was so easy to communicate with- responding to emails almost instantly. She was so professional and efficient, but also a lot of fun. The wedding party really connected with her, and she was great at herding family members for the formal pictures. She made sure to really get in the middle of the action at the reception. I can't wait to see the pictures! She also did my boudoir pictures, which were amazing, so I can vouch for the quality of her work.
Videography- Today's the Day Weddings- Final grade when we have footage
We did a raw footage only package, since my brother edits video for a living and offered to do ours as a wedding gift. Joe was so pleasant to work with and completely non-intrusive. My husband was not thrilled about the idea of being followed around by a video camera all day, and having it get in the way- but he said he didn't even notice it! Joe stayed behind the scenes, but I could tell he was capturing all of the important stuff. Can't wait to get the raw footage in the mail!
Florist- Flora by Fauna- A++
The flowers were absolutely beautiful. My bouquet and the wedding party bouquets were perfect. I didn't have specific flowers in mind- I wanted soft and pink- like peonies, which aren't in season in July. She promised soft and pink with other flowers that were similar. I was pleasantly surprised to get my bouquet and see that it had several big peonies in it! She really got my vision and ran with it. She threw in many little extra touches throughout the day and the altar decoration that she made (for a well that is a permanent fixture) was gorgeous. I received compliments all night on the florals, and everyone was fighting to take home the centerpieces.
String Quartet- Fiddlestix- A+
They did a great job. I have to admit I wasn't really focusing on the music during the ceremony, but it added to the feeling of the wedding, and it was definitely worth it to have live musicians. At the cocktail hour they played a nice mix of songs and it really enhanced the atmosphere. Margaret, their leader, was always so easy to reach during planning. She made a point to come up and introduce herself to me before they left at the end of cocktails. Their price can't be beat for the excellent quality you receive! Snap them up before they are booked on your day!
DJ- Tom Chandler of California Sounds- A++
Tom totally made the wedding. Absolutely nothing cheesy or emcee-ish, which is what I'd heard and why I booked him. He did not disappoint. He asked for a few ideas on what to play, and ran from there. His music was a great mix and kept the dance floor packed all night- with young people and old. Everyone commented on how good he was- people were asking me for my playlist! It was all Tom, though. He even respected my do-not-play list....a friend requested the Cha-Cha Slide (on my list), and he nicely told them that he didn't have it (rather than saying that I didn't want it to be played!). Thanks for not making me look like the bad guy!
His prices are good and you will NOT be disappointed!
Favors- The Dotted Apron- A-
For our favors, we had Natalie creat 4-inch mini pies (peach and cherry) wrapped in cellophane. Since booking, she moved out of the LA area, but still honored her contract with me. The pies were delicious and everyone thought it was such a cute idea. The only things that I wasn't totally satisfied with- they were supposed to be delivered to our venue at 4:00 the day before, but since no one from the venue could receive or store them, I arranged for a family member to be there. They came an hour early, at 3:00, and the family member just happened to be checking in to their room and was able to receive them. If they hadn't happened to be in the room, I'm not sure what would have happened- and no one called me to let me know that the delivery was an hour early. It worked out fine, but you never know. Also, the cherry pies were over-filled- their juices bubbled out and the crust was all red. They tasted wonderful and looked rustic/homemade but weren't as picture-perfect as I hoped (and how the peach pies looked). Overall, though, they were great.
Paper- emDOTzee Designs- A++
Melody is not local, but we communicated through email and she would send me PDF proofs. She was amazing. She sent me 9 or 10 custom choices after we talked about the kinds of invitations I liked. Once I picked my favorite, she designed everything around it. Her prices are great and it is nice to get personal service. Everyone commented on the invitations and the programs, menus, etc. She also did our table names. Check her out!
Calligraphy- Calligraphy Katrina- A+
Beautiful work. The envelopes she did were a huge hit and looked too perfect to be handwritten! She matched the perfect shade of blue and even did some on the spot when I had a few additional addresses. She asks for extra envelopes in case of mistakes, but didn't need a single one of them! Turn around time was so quick, and I was able up pick them up in person since she also lives in Pasadena.
Alterations- Reene- In Stitches- A+
She told me exactly what type of bra to get for muy dress and suggested a change in the neckline which really enhanced the dress. She took it in when I lost weight since purchasing it, and it was beautiful.
Veil- Candi Merle- Crowning Glory-A+
Beautiful veil at SUCH a good price. She matched my dress perfectly and was so easy to work with. So much cheaper than buying a veil at a salon!