I got married May 21 and it was a great day! I feel like I had awesome vendors and everything went smoothly.
Bridal Gown/Bridemaids Dresses- Black Tie White Satin, Fremont, NE: A- I love it there, their staff is great, minus one person, and they have a great selection! They also offer discounts on BM dresses a couple times a year. They have flat rates for alterations, which were very affordable. I tell everyone to go there, it's totally worth the drive.
Tuxes- Men's Warehouse: A- We had no issues with them. All of the guys got their tuxes in various places around the country, and we had no problems. A couple of the shirts didn't fit right during the try-ons, but they got them new ones before the wedding. They make the men do a try-on, which most places, or men, don't do!
Flowers- Afloral and Kathy Goolsby: A+!: We ordered all faux flowers from Afloral. I love that website. They're afordable, come quickly, and no one knew they were fake. Kathy is my husband's aunt and she is starting to do events on the side. She did all of our flowers and decor and she was AWESOME! I didn't have to worry about anything. Even our florist friends at the wedding had great things to say.
Cake- Omaha Cake Gallery: B- The cake tasted and looked great the day of, we just had issues when meeting with them. But in the end, the cake ended up the exact way we wanted it, and we had tons of compliments! Our grooms cake was done by a neighbor who does cakes on the side, and we also had oodles of compliments on it! Plus she made it a hockey rink for the hubs.
Candy for Candy buffet- Hollywood Candy: B+ - The only reason I downgraded them a little is because they waited a little too long to order the candy so it didn't come in until two days before the wedding. But otherwise they were great to work with! I had a feeling they don't get orders like ours often, but our huge order turned out great. They ordered everything we wanted in the our colors and we got a lot of compliments on it. Kathy and my MIL set up the whole thing and it looked great. We used different family crystal for the bowls which turned out awesome!
Ceremony- Magnolia Hotel Courtyard: A - They were great! They went through some management changes from the time we booked until our wedding day which sent me reeling, but in the end I realized it was totally for the best! Ron, their coordinator, is the best person to have around on your wedding day. He is so relaxed and easy-going, but gets stuff done. I emailed him constantly and he always answered all of my questions and worked out some deals with us. We stayed in one of their suites and it was great! The boys also had a room the night before, so it was nice to know everyone was there. Not to mention, it is a GORGEOUS place to get married!
Reception- Mid America Center: B - All of the way leading up to the wedding, the staff was great. They communicated well, got things done, and I had no worries. The day of was a little different. There was another wedding in the ballroom next to us and one of the women working kept telling our DJ that we were too loud and it was bothering the other wedding. He went over there and made sure our "loudness" was OK with the bride and their DJ- they couldn't even hear us! And she kept coming up to me asking questions, even though I had designated other people to field questions throughout the night. All in all a great place to have your reception, she just bugged me. We also had a lot of family and WP stay at the hotel right next to it-highly recommended!
DJ- Mark with Bandstand Music A+ - I don't think Mark's even gotten a bad review! He is awesome to work with and is great at his job. He carried my plate for me, popped and poured our champagne for us, and played great music! Our dance floor was going all night, and we had no complaints-at all. I would highly recommend Mark, but make sure you get him quick! He usually is picked up pretty quickly.
Photographer- Photography by Farrah: A+ - I haven't even seen the pictures, but I don't need to. She did our Epics do and did a great job! She was constantly all over the place and I didn't even know she was there. She came to us at the salon and she even went on the bus with us for a little bit! She has great ideas for shots and is just awesome to work with, and very budget friendly! She also did our guest book and save the dates which turned out more amazing than I ever thought. And we got a lot of compliments on them too! She stayed all night and was sure to let me know when she was leaving. Great at her job!
Videographer- Wedding Memories of Omaha: A - Again, haven't seen the footage, but I know they got plenty of great shots. Mark and his crew were all around us, yet unnoticable. They went on the whole bus ride with us too, poor thing! Haha. Lord knows what footage we'll get out of that. They were with us all day long and also let us know before they left at the end of the night. Can't wait to see what they've done!
Hair/Makeup- Sirens at the Loft: B - They did a great job, I just had to do a lot of confirming appointments because they kept getting them mixed up! I was hesitant at first because I just assumed they were pretty expensive, not the case. Very reasonable! Plus they do great work. Nicole did my hair and she remembered everything from the trial, she also takes notes and pictures during the trial. And my hair was great and held all night. All of my girls' hair also turned out beautiful! The make up was amazing! Amy did airbrush on mine and I loved it. I don't usually wear a lot but I didn't feel weighed down at all. They did mineral on the rest of the girls and everyone looked the part for sure. Highly recommend them! Fun environment and great at what they do!
Bus- Omaha Fiesta Bus: B - They also went through some management changes and pretty much lost our reservation- and my deposit. But luckily I had my check copy and got it to the new manager and she accepted it and then gave us a discount on our other hours of service. That was my only complaint. Otherwise we took the Stars and Stripes bus which was very nice and plenty of room for us, and the driver was great- minus a few large bumps in the road! Literally. Haha
Nails- La Dolce off of S. 72: A - They did a great job! It just took longer than I thought since we made an appt. I got the Shellac on my nails and I highly recommend it for brides who don't like fake nails. It's almost been 3 weeks and it hasn't chipped or cracked at all! It has grown out so I have to go get it taken off today though. I love it and would get it again in a heart beat!
Invites/Thank Yous - Exclusively Weddings: A - No problems, got our order in decent time and everything was great after that!
Rehearsal Dinner- Tish's in CB - A - Also no problems here. My in-laws dealt with most of it but their party room was great and we got a lot of compliments on the food!
I think that is it!! Whew! If I forgot anything- don't hesitate to ask! It was an amazing day and I wouldn't have changed anything. I felt like the day went way too fast, but I can't wait to see pictures and video!
Happy Planning!!