Vendor reviews always helped me when I was planning so here's the reviews from our wedding. It might seem like I just love giving out A's to vendors, but we just really had great vendors all around. I credit that to the fact that all of the vendors we used had been recommended here on theknot by fellow chicago brides!
Flowers: Kimberose A+
From start to finish Kim was great! She worked with our budget and gave us amazing results! The bouquets still looked great the next morning. She was quick to respond and always very helpful. She's also very professional...she was on time, called a few weeks before the wedding to confirm everything, and stayed to help my friends set up the reception hall even after her work was done. She goes above and beyond and it's clear she loves her job.
Hair & Make-Up: Brides By Kelly A+
Kelly is amazing! She had a great personality that made the 4hrs worth of hair/make-up super fun. She also does amazing work. My hair never stays up, but by the end of the night is still looked perfect. My makeup still looked great too! She did a great job of listening to what each girl wanted/envisioned and delivered flawlessly. She was also very quick to respond to any question I had.
Gown/Alterations: The Crystal Bride A+
Heather was a great consultant. She listened to what I wanted, looked at pictures I brought in, stuck to my budget, and helped me find my dream dress after only 7 dresses. Every fitting I had went very smooth, they were always ready to go with my dress, and made the process very fun/ stress-free.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Davids Bridal B
The gowns were great for the price. We had made an appointment since I had 6 girls, and when we showed up we still had to wait 30min to see anyone. Even then we had to share that consultant with 3 other groups. Despite that day, I still give them a B since the price can't be beat and the customer service after that was great. Even the day before the wedding they steamed 2 of the girls dresses for no charge and got them back to us that same day.
Tuxes: Men's Wharehouse A+
The price was great and the customer service was really good as well.
DJ: An Enchanted Evening A
We had Larry from Enchanted Evening and he kept the dance floor going all night. Their package is really reasonable and they have a good online planning site. The only reason I didn't give them an A+ is that it was a week before the wedding and we still hadn't been told who our DJ was. They apologized and told us right away. Also, other than that one incident they were extremely attentive. Any e-mail I sent was replied within 1-2days. They let you watch videos of their DJs and then pick your top 3. That was really helpful because then we knew we were getting someone who's style would match ours.
Engagement Pics: Kathleen Thame A+
We took our engagement pictures over a year before the wedding. Kathleen was awesome! She picked a beautiful location for our pictures. She also had saved pictures I had sent her of poses I liked on her phone and pulled it up to make sure I had gotten all of the shots that I wanted. She is really flexible, professional, and personable. We were really bummed that she wasn't available for our wedding...she's fabulous!
Wedding Pics: George Street (Thomas K) A
We met with them on a whim and were totally impressed. They let you chose a photographer from their portfolios. They also have wedding coordinators that are available to help you every step of the way. When I didn't know where to get ready/take pictures before the wedding they suggested a great place. They also have a great online planning site. We had Thomas K and he was great! He came up with so many great pose ideas and was willing to do any poses we wanted as well. He was on time, professional, non-obtrusive, and even checked with us when his time was up to make sure there weren't any pictures we still wanted. George Street made me nervous at first since you don't actually talk to your photographer until the week of your wedding, but it turned out great since you have contact to the coordinators throughout the process. We couldn't be happier with our pictures!
Reception: Fountain Blue Banquets A
We first met with Bill and fell in love with the Fountain Blue's rooms and their customer service. We also met a lot with Connie throughout the process and she was so helpful. They do such a great job at making you feel like their number 1 priority. The food was amazing. The next day we had people asking us what kind of chicken we had because they loved it so much. Their package includes so much and is a great value for the quality of service they provide. Also, the day of we had a coordinator who checked in on us throughout the night to make sure we didn't need anything. They made the entire night go smooth as silk.
Limo: Luxus Limos: A
We got the Escalade limo. It was clean, and the stocked bar was great! Our driver was early, knew how to get to all of the locations, and very professional. Also, their prices were some of the best I found.
Getting Ready Hotel: Intercontinental O'Hare B
They have great rooms for getting ready the morning of. They also have a great art gallery wing that was great for indoor pictures before the ceremony. There was no one around so our pictures were really easy to take and we had as much time as we wanted. We booked 2 rooms for the night before and then the changing room for the day of. Even with only those 3 rooms, they upgraded one of them to an executive suite. The rooms are awesome for the price. The morning of every staff we came into contact with was so attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. The only reason I gave them a B was that the sales lady was sometimes hard to get ahold of, but she was still extremely helpful and friendly and made sure our day went off without a hitch. I'd still highly recommend them!
