Ok, as promised here are my vendor reviews. Let me know if anyone has questions..
Regency GardenI can't tell you how many compliments I received about this venue from my guests. The perfect choice for a romantic and elegant wedding. The owners go out of their way to make sure everything goes exactly right and using their vendors made it hassle free. (you don't have to use their vendors, but it makes the process so much easier when you do) The only negative I heard was that some people couldn't hear the soloists. I would recommend that if you have soloists, that they either stand right under the wireless mic, or that they each have their own microphone. (other than that the sound was fantastic) But that was a minor glitch, and I would recommend Regency Garden to anyone. Here are a few benefits:
1. Can either use your own vendors or theirs. Regency only uses the top vendors in the Valley.
2. Beautiful garden and many trees which provides alot of shade if its warm - can have your wedding/reception in the day or night
3. Day of coordinator to make sure everything runs smoothly
4. Owned by a husband and wife team, so you get personalized service.
5. Location is convenient to the freeway and hotels
6. Reception area is intimate and beautiful - perfect for under 200 guests.
7. Financially stable. Alot of these wedding venues are in deep trouble financially. Regency Garden manages their business wisely which to me, is a huge plus.
So glad I found Regency Garden. May not be perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for us!
Still Life Studios Even though our engagement photos were good, I was concerned that our photographer wasn't going to be 'creative' enough on our wedding day. Matt the owner wanted to make sure we were happy, so he gave us an additional photographer for free! We were quite pleased with our wedding photos and the professionalism of this company. Of course, there is always going to be a couple of shots that were missed, but overall I loved the angles that the shots were taken at and the creative ideas of the photographers. It was hotter than hell when we had our photos taken, so the fact that you couldn't see sweat running down our faces in the pics is an added bonus.
I would recommend Still Life Studios to anyone. Nice job and super to work with. You can view some of their photos at:
http://stilllifestudios.com/blog/?p=3816A Savory AffairWell what can I say? The chocolate fountain, gelato bar and fruit bonanza were a huge hit! I was able to taste the gelato and it was delicious. Wish I could have tasted all of the food but I heard nothing but good things about what was offered. So glad we did the dessert reception.
A Piece of Cake Cake was EXACTLY what we thought it would look like. Absoutely beautiful. Our 4th tier was carrot cake and ironically, my husband didn't like it, but I think it was because he really hadn't eaten anything and it was pretty rich. (I personally liked it) Our flavors were raspberry vanilla, raspberry lemon, raspberry chocolate and then the carrot cake. I really wish I had been able to taste all the flavors, but I have no doubt it was delicious. Now, my Mom really prefers buttercreme over fondant, but to each his own. A Piece of Cake was great to work with, very professional and fulfilled my vision.
Crimsons FlowersThey are located right behind Regency Garden which was super convenient. Did a wonderful job. Nothing way over the top or out of the box, but created some classic bouquets which I received many compliments on. Everything was on time, with the correct colors and correct placement. Couldn't ask for anything more.
Dragon Fire StudiosDragon Fire Studios offered to videotape our wedding and reception for free if they could use the videotape in their portfolio. Professional and easy to work with. They used 3 HD cameras for the event. I haven't seen the video yet, so I can't give a final review but hopefully it looks great.
Aloha Limo I don't have any major complaints with Aloha Limo. They arrived at the venue with a beautiful limo and got us to our hotel. I had paid extra to have "just Married" signs, flags and a red carpet rolled out, but the only thing they did was the red carpet which was a bit disappointing. (I ended up not having to pay because the driver didn't do what he was supposed to do) Aloha had good communication with me, but internally, they need to improve. However, I would recommend them in the future.
NY Precieux DesignsRaquel does a beautiful job at designing custom jewelry and her prices are very reasonable. However,she is a bit slow, so if you have a custom order, be sure to give yourself at least 3 months to order. Otherwise, you could be stressing out. Very sweet girl and does aim to please.
Mei Wan at Signature Salon StudiosMei Wan did my hair and she did a wonderful job. She has a passion for hair and really aims to give you what you want. Really took her time and is a pleasure to work with. Her experience with bridal hair is evident. She is now my regular hairdresser!
Christy of Colours MakeupChristy is so sweet and did an amazing job with my makeup. I also had the faux eyelashes done which I highly recommend. (they don't last that long, but sooo worth it) She airbrushed my makeup and I am SO GLAD I did that because of the heat. Makeup lasted all day and looked natural. (well except for the lips and that never does..lol) Christy also did my eyebrows and my facial. (one of the best facials I have had by the way) Christy's prices are reasonable and she does a top notch job.
Michelle Lee of Organic GlowAnother great person to work with who did my faux tan the day before my wedding. I love that she is mobile and can come to you! Only faux tan I have had that doesn't blotch when it comes off. Tan looked natural and I had a healthy glow. Highly recommend.
Jazz Poets
The Jazz Poets are friends of mine so I guess I am biased, but my guests from young to old said they loved the music. They can play just about anything and are extremely talented. You can hear them play on Friday's at Winfield's Cafe in Scottsdale. If you are looking for a jazz or Big Band quartet, these guys are great.
Suzanne's Bridal What I love about Suzanne's is that they have beautiful dresses at reasonable prices, ($500 - $2500) and Suzanne is a master seamstress. She is so personable and really wants you to look like a million dollars. Now this place can be crazy busy at times, but don't let that prevent you from exploring their dresses. I received great customer service from them and would recommend them to any future bride. (and my dress was one that my bridal consultant chose--not me!)
David's BridalOk, so I got my bridesmaids dresses here simply because my bridesmaids were scattered all over the country and it was just easier. I personally can't stand the place, but the dresses we got looked fabulous.
Men's WearhouseConsultants weren't that knowledgeable and they had to reorder my husband's jacket because it was too big; however, the men looked great, the tuxes came in on time, and there were no holes, rips, tears or major catastrophes. And they are inexpensive and convenient, so no major complaints.
Picture Perfect InvitationsGreat to work with--even when we had to have them resend the invitations because the black foiled edging was messed up. (that was the printer's fault of course) Received many compliments on our invitations. No complaints.
Not everything was perfect, (it never is) but overall we had a wonderful day, and our vendors helped make it possible. No regrets!!