So I have been putting off my wedding reviews for WAAAAAAY too long (2 months hehe) but between the holidays and starting a new job I haven't had time!! Finally things have slowed down (phew) so I sat myself down with a beer to write these out for you ladies. Good luck planning and let me know if you want any vendor's contact info
I will post pics in a seperate thread...
Macayos (rehearsal dinner) A
We just wanted some delish food and a laid back venue. Macayo's our in Mesa was awesome. They arranged the patio that overlooked the lake for us with tableclothes and centerpieces at no charge. It was happy hour so drinks were cheap and the food was yummy. Simple and perfect!
Tre Bella (venue for ceremony/reception) A+++
I had literally the wedding of my dreams thanks to Tre Bella. Everything was so wonderful wcKim (the coordinator) and her crew at Tre Bella. We did an all inclusive package that was beyond resonable pricewise and included everything we wanted and more. The planning stage was so easy with Kim and since she has been doing this for so long she made fantastic referrals and suggestions. The day of our wedding she was always there to take care of our every need before we even asked for anything. All her little hospitality touches were so appreciated and her staff was so wonderful to our guests. I am so happy that we chose Tre Bella and would go with them again in a heart beat!
Tre Bella Vendor (catering) A
We had an all inclusive package so I am not sure who Kim contracted her catering out to, but it was exactly as we ordered and expected. Everyone told us they enjoyed it and the few bites I managed to eat were wonderful! We didn't do anything too fancy, just a basic pasta dinner with salad and sides. I was happy with it.
Tre Bella Vendor (DJ) A+
Our DJ, Mike I think, was also included in our Tre Bella package and he was FANTASTIC! We met with him 1 week before our wedding with our song selections in hand and he made sure every one was played the night of our wedding. He also coordinated the music before our ceremony and it was beautifully timed out and cued up. Once the ceremony started he continued to do an amazing job. We told him at our meeting that we wanted to dance party and that is what he gave us. We danced all night with our guests and everyone had so much fun. He kept the crowd going and made sure we stayed on schedule with our bouquet toss/cake cutting/etc. He was great (sorry I don't have his name)
Stephanie Nault (make-up) A++++
I don't often wear much make-up so I was SOOO thankful for Stephanie. I was a budget bride and didn't think I could afford to have someone come to me to do my make-up the day of my wedding but thankfully a friend's recommendation made it possible. She was extememly affordable (yay budget brides) and just so dang good!! Stephanie did a trial the day of my e-pics which I loved, but I loved my wedding day make-up even more. I felt so glam like a hollywood starlett! She ended up doing my mom and bridesmaids' make-up too and everyone looked beautiful without looking like they had on heavy make-up. She does a lot of photoshoots so she knew exactly how to do my make-up so it came out flawless in my wedding photos. Love, love, love her! 2nd fave vendor of the day (a tie with Kim I'd say)
Butterfly Petals (flowers) A+
Our flowers were exactly what I dreamed they would look like. We used peacock feathers with white and blue flowers of the bouquets and peacock feathers with succulents for the guys. The girl's bouquets were huge (like we wanted) and the flowers were beautiful and fresh. The guys succulents looked so cool and the peacock feathers look amazing against their tux's in pictures. She even made a "customized" purple coursage for my mother-in-law since her favorite color is purple (it matched my mom's blue and white one perfectly except it was purple). The only thing that wasn't perfect was the fact that the ribbon on my bouquet wasn't the right color, but I take blame for that one. I was supposed to send her a swatch to match it up with. I recommend taking time to do that with whoever does your flowers.
The Pic Chick - Ivy (Photography) A++++++++We used Ivy - The Pic Chick - and she was AMAZING. I have no words how to describe how wonderful Ivy was and how much we love her work. She was the most affodable photographer I could find and she fit perfectly in our budget. The day of our wedding she was EVERYWHERE and caught everything on film but I hardly noticed her. A few guests even thought we had 2 photographers! She has a great eye and caught some beautiful shots - both candid and set-up. My husband's tux button fell off and before we could even ask, Ivy whipped out a sewing kit, fixed it, and hung it back on the chair before the ceremony started. Lifesaver!!! She was such a sweetheart and even got me drinks when I was trying to get over to the bar but stopped by guests. I love Ivy and will definitely call her when we do family pictures. She is probably my favorite vendor of the day.
Spirit and Light - Jody (officiant) A
We met with Jody and explained what we wanted. Within a few days she emailed us a draft of our vows and it was exactly what we describe but beautifully written. The day of she was prompt and officiated our wedding beautifully. We got many compliments on our wedding ceremony and a few people even told us that as she read they cried. She even made us a booklet that contains our vows that she used during the ceremony. She also gave us a couple tips in regards to the marriage license that were helpful. She is great!
The Phoenix Cake Company (cupcakes/cake) A-
Kim from Tre Bella recommended Christy with Phoenix Cake Company and we are so greatful for the recommendation. I had my heart set on a cupcake tower and I was beyond happy with the result. Our tasting was quick and simple but we already had in mind what flavors we wanted so it was fine with us. Her cupcake prices were 1/2 the prices of other companies and tasted even better! She made the cupcakes and used Tre Bella's tower to arrange them beautifully! It looked so cool and was like a little work of art. I also surprised my husband with a grooms cake in the shape of a Notre Dame football and Christy exceeded my expectations. The cake was so detailed and was a big hit with my hubby - when he saw it for the first time he almost cried!! The only reason I give an A- instead of an A+ is that there were supposed to be red velvet cupcakes (we had 3 flavors of cupcakes and a red velvet cake topper) and I think there were only 2 flavors of cupcakes and our red velvet topper. But in the end it wasn't a big deal because all the flavors were delish!!!
David's Bridal (dress)
I had in mind what I wanted - a mermaid dress with little to no detail but I couldn't find it. Everything had a ton of beading or detial to it. I went to David's Bridal to check out some BM dressed with one of my bridesmaids and tried on a few dresses myself. They weren't busy so all the girls were pretty laid back and nice to us. When I explained what I wanted the sales woman told us they had just gotten a dress in that day that was exactly how I described but it was still in the box and hadn't been steamed. I told her I didn't mind so she went and pulled it our, wrinkles and all, for me to try on and I surprisingly loved it!! I ended up sleeping on it but went the next day and ordered it. I loved it and it was 1/2 my budget so no complaints!!!
Men's Warehouse (tuxes)
Everything was fine with the guys tuxes overall. My husband's button fell off his tux (Ivy fixed it quickly tho) and I thought they all looked great. The guys didn't like the way the pants fit initially (said they felt like hammer pants) but I thought that they looked fine. I think they wanted them to fit like jeans...
GlamItUpToppers (Etsy veil vendor)
I wanted a bird cage veil but unfortunately I couldn't find one I liked that wasn't outrageously priced in town. I ended up waiting till the last minute and thought i was going to have to spend a lot to get what I wanted. I decided to try esty before I spent too much and messaged a few people to see if they could rush my order without charging too much extra. GlamItUpToppers was the first to reply and was great to work with! She had a posting for one I liked and I made a few customizations to it and she had it shipped in 48 hours. It arrived quickly and was prefect. I am so happy (and thankful) I found her!!
MyCreativeSideKG (Etsy seller for paper mustashes)We had a photobooth and wanted mustashes on a stick for props. We ordered them off etsy and they were perfect. Everyone had fun with them and we got a really cute mix of colors and shapes
DGEvents (photobooth)We wanted a photobooth, but again our budget wouldn't allow it. I came across DGEvents at on of the bridal expo and they were having a special, 3 hours for $400. We ended up going with them and overall I am happy with them, but they did have some hiccups. The booth itself was a HUGE hit at our wedding. Everyone loved it and when we go to people's houses they all have their photos from the booth on their fridges. The booth came with an attendant who was very nice and kept things running smoothly. They designed a logo for our photobooth paper that was customized to our colors and theme which was really nice. The only problem is their communication. I am not sure if it was just our rep or what, but the communication was poor coming from them. I had to reach out to them to confirm details or to check on status of things. They replied quickly once I reached out, but I was a little annoyed that there was little effort on their part to reach out to me first, the customer, to arrange things like a start time. Kim from Tre Bella ended up calling them for me to get the ball rolling (again loved Kim). After the event we were waiting for our jump drive of photos to arrive (our contact stated they would mail us a jump drive with all the photobooth photos on it) and it never arrived. I finally emailed our rep and she replied, "oh yeah, you can just download them online. We don't mail zip drives anymore." Well jeez, you should've communicated that to me lady!!! I can't give a horrible review thought because the booth and attendant were great. If you decide to check them out, call the Phoenix office and see if you can get a local sales rep. My rep was located in LA or Vegas and was focused on her little Phx client. I called a Phoenix office a few times to get in touch with my rep and they were helpful there...
Nevertheless, we got a good deal and some cute pics. And a small headache lol
Hilton Mesa (hotel)My husband got a nice little suite at the Hilton. The guys got ready in it and then we spent the night. Nothing fancy, but the for comfy bed EVER. After the long day it was exactly what we needed. I wanted to take the bed home! lol
Kay (my rings)We got my rings at Kay in the PV mall and we are very happy. My husband got my engagement ring customized with them and it is beautiful. There was not a "matching" wedding band and nothing really looked right but our sales guy took a ton of time with me until I found the perfect ring. He then put it on hold until I could go back with my mom/sisters to show them. It was sized quickly and I love it
Overstock (hubby's ring)My husband is Irish and we found the coolest celtic knot ring on overstock. It is made of tungsten carbide and literally doesn't scratch. He loves it and it was such a good price we ordered a "spare" just in case. Arrive quickly and fit well. So nice my aunt bought my uncle a new wedding band on overstock for Christmas!
Zappos (my shoes)I looked everywhere for royal blue shoes that were decently priced and couldn't find any I liked. Ended up finding them on Zappos in a brand called Me Too. They were highly rated and Zappos offers free return shipping so I bought them. Received them quickly and loved them instantly. The sole was rubber so I didn't slide on Tre Bella's wooden floors and they had memory foam in the padding so I literally wore them ALL DAY and my feet did not hurt until about 11:30pm as we packed up our stuff. I remember looking at my hubby and asking him was time it was because I couldn't believe my feet barely started to hurt. Ivy got some really cute shoe pics too!! Great website and great shoes brand
Janet Kirkman (alterations)
So please read this whole review before judging Janet; I had an issue but overall everything was wonderful that she did. She did a nice job with my bridemaid's dresses and overall mine was very nicely done, but there was one issue. She left a little rip on the inside of my dress's lining. Nobody else could see it, but I knew it was there and it bugged me a little throughout the night. I had tried it on after she altered it and pointed it out, she checked it out and said it was just some extra fabric that needed to be trimmed. It wasn't until I got hom that I realized it was really an inside layer that was ripped. Since nobody else could notice it I didn't worry about it, though I wish I had because the day of my wedding I could feel the tear inside my dress. My fault for not speaking up and looking back a minor detail considering how small it really was. I wish I spoke up though considering how much I spent. Janet was extemely nice and the rest of my alterations that everyone could see were fabulous. She made my dress fit my body like a glove, just perfectly. I am sure if I had pointed out the tear on the lining she would've fixed it promptly. Please take note that no matter who you use, speak up if you are happy while you have time!!
Looking back the day was truely flawless on everything that really mattered. My DH and I had a fabulous time with our friends and family and it was exactly the night we envisioned. Our budget wedding looked and felt like a million bucks to us and I am SOOO thankful that it all worked out. To all you budget brides, it can be done on small budget if you just research and ask for referrals!! Happy planning ladies