Here are some more vendor reviews from my wedding that was on October 3rd. I will also be posting them in my bio soon. I will eventually get around to creating a married bio.... Christina Burns (Makeup Artist on location): LOVED her… I found Christina at a bridal show. We did several trial runs at the makeup stand she currently works at (Laura Mercier) for various events I was attending (showers, engagement parties, etc) to make sure I was comfortable with her. The makeup always turned out beautifully and lasted through each event. She came on site the day of the wedding, was very professional, gave each girl 2 travel sized lip glosses and in addition to that gave me a lipstick and powder at no extra charge. I would definitely recommend her to anyone. She is a great value for what I paid. (bellaatthebeach@hotmail.com or 904-465-3220) Jason – Rio Hair Studio (Hair Stylist on location): Jason is definitely a little quirky, but he did a great job. We had a trial run that didn’t go as smoothly as I had wanted, but he assured me the wedding day hair would be perfect AND it was… It turned out to be exactly what I wanted and more. Since the ceremony was outside the heat got to my hair a little bit and it started to frizz towards the end, but all in all he did a great job. (
www.riohairstudio.com or 904-733-8495) The Long Farewell (photographers): BY FAR MY FAVORITE WEDDING VENDOR EVER!!! This husband/wife photography team is based in Atlanta. My friend had seen their work and suggested them to me and I am so thankful she did. We paid for their hotel room for the weekend of our wedding and they were still worth every penny and more! They were so professional and just seemed to get exactly what we wanted. They were never in the way, but yet captured every special moment we could have hoped for. PLEASE do not overlook these photographers just because they are out of town. They are very responsive, very kind, and extremely talented people. (
www.thelongfarewell.com or 770-654-7637) Wilson’s Limited (Florist): We did not want to spend a fortune on flowers that would just die within the next few days following the wedding. We went in with a budget of XXX and told them what we wanted and not to go over that $$ amount we set. They did a fantastic job at getting what our vision was and calming all fears. UNTIL the day of the wedding… They were the only vendors we had an issue with. The girls were supposed to start pictures by 4:00pm, but the florist was no where to be found and not answering their phones. When they did arrive, they brought corsage pin-ons instead of wristlets for the Grandmothers. There was a brown stain on my bouquet b/c they used brown glue to hold it together (stupid). When they delivered the flowers to us, they knocked on the door, put the flowers on the floor and just walked out. They didn’t even give me a chance to look at them or anything. I had to chase them down the hotel hallway and stop them before they jumped on the elevator. She was very rude and said she would get it fixed. Needless to say they put a wrench in our picture taking plans for the day. NOT to mention the fact that one of my only criteria was no purple anywhere (for some reason I hate that color) and my bouquet had purple calla lilies in it… So upset, I almost cried. When we spoke with them in the weeks following the wedding, they apologized and reimbursed us for my bouquet, but that will not take back the stress they caused on our wedding day. They are a good value for what you pay, but not sure they are worth the headache. (
www.wilsonslimited.com or 904-475-0003) David’s Bridal – The Avenues (Dress): I found my dress on the sale rack, so that was a score, but when it came time to have it altered I was very disappointed with their alteration department. What they told me originally they could do (alter the neckline and hemline) they were then saying they could not do it. I was very upset and they charged a ridiculous amount of money for simple alterations. There were extra threads and strings hanging off that I kept having to point out to the seamstress as she cut. I also had to have 4 fittings, because they could not get it right. Finally I just took the dress and steamed it myself and cut off the extra threads myself. I paid almost as much for the alterations as I did the dress. If you have it in your budget, go to a different store all together. In the end I was pleased, but only because I couldn’t deal with it anymore. (
www.davidsbridal.com or 904-519-8933) Zale’s (Bride’s Rings): They were very easy to work with and helped us out. There was some confusion around my wedding band, but they fixed the issue right away. I definitely recommend them to anyone looking for beautiful rings on a budget. FYI, their jeweler is no longer on site, so what used to take less than a week for sizing, now takes up to 21 days since they have to send it off site now. (St. Johns Towncenter or 904-620-0453) Chardonnay’s Catering (Rehearsal Dinner): They provided a great presentation of food at our rehearsal dinner held at my mom’s residence. During the planning process, they were very honest in giving their opinions and suggesting alternatives that would work better for our setting. Everything turned out beautiful and delicious; however, it took the one woman so long to set up that she was still setting up when guests were arriving. They also did not provide enough eating utensils for everyone. Other than that, we had no complaints and would use them again in the future. (
www.chardonnayscatering.com or 904-730-8081) River City Brewing Company (Reception): They were so awesome to work with; extremely responsive. They understood our vision and concerns. It is such a lovely view from their second floor and we are very happy with our decision to have our reception here. The food was AMAZING!!! We are still hearing great things about it! They also catered to our vegetarians and children with no problem. If we should ever need to hold an event w/ great food, staff, and ambiance, we will definitely use River City. Jennifer and Rebecca in the event office are great! (
www.rivercitybrew.com or 904-398-2299) Men’s Wearhouse (St. John’s Towncenter): We got all our tuxes here; they were extremely easy to work with. All tuxes came in early, which allowed plenty of time for alterations on my escort and ring bearer’s tux. Fairly priced, very professional and everything turned out perfectly. I would definitely recommend them. (
www.menswearhouse.com or 904-565-9252) MyGatsby.com (Invitations): If I should have to order stationary in the future, I will definitely use them. They were very affordable and provided a great quality product. They had exactly what we were looking for, provided fast shipping and great customer service. (
www.mygatsby.com ) Etsy.com: We got a few things off of here such as my BM bracelet/earring sets (ghoulie), my garter (creativebridal), makeup bags (sweetsugarbeet), etc. Such a great site, that I recommend anyone check it out. DIY resources: We made a lot of signs and other things ourselves. Here is a list of the places/sites we used to assist in saving us some money: · Dollar Tree: inexpensive vases, bubbles, thank you cards, frames, etc · Vistaprint.com: RD invites, share picture cards, pens, STD postcards, magnets, etc · Michael’s Craft Store: Program Paper, Sand Ceremony Vases, Colored Sand, Kid coloring books, gift bags, frames, ribbons, rhinestones, paper cutters, glue, sandal baskets, etc Things Remembered: Guestbook Photo Mat, Cake cutting set, GM gifts, etc