I meant to do this sooner after I got married but lost track of time, anyway I wanted to post this for everyone that is getting married! Good luck with planning!!
~Caterer: Christiani's
A+ the food was AMAZING!! So delicious, and they were all really great to work with! I had a hard time getting a hold of them the week before the wedding, but aside from that one week the communication was really great with them, and they answered all the questions I had for them and did a beautiful job of setting up the table linens!
~Cake: Indulgent Moments
A+ I have never had wedding cake that tasted so delicious!! I was honestly a little disappointed that there wasn't much cake left over to take home haha I wanted more of it!! Kristin was awesome to work with, and she made our cake exactly like the picture we brought in to her to a T! It was so beautiful!
~Wedding Planner: Cynthia Betts
A+++++++ I can't say enough good things about Cynthia! We used her for our florist, and also did a day of wedding coordinating package through her. I would have been soo lost if it wasn't for her! She great at answering all of the questions that I had, and was so awesome working with me with our budget over the course of planning as we hit a few road bumps with that. Our reception was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't have pictured it more beautiful if I tried! She really outdid herself! I loved all the centerpieces, and my bouquet was so pretty too! I don't have pictures yet from the photographers but if you want to see them just let me know! (animalgal717@gmail.com)
~Photographers: Blindphotography
A+++ these guys were such a blast to work with! We had So much fun, and they really got us laughing so none of the smiles in the pictures looked fake or forced! Their prices are really reasonable and their pictures are so fantastic! I can't wait to get the cd of them so I can order prints of them all!
I would DEFINITELY recommend them to everyone!
~DJ: Complete Music DJ
A+ We had two different djs from Complete Music, one for the ceremony outside and another for the reception. Both were really great, and did a good job of keeping the music flowing the entire time. Our reception dj was so fun, and he did a great job of keeping the dance floor packed the whole night!
~Ceremony Location: Clare & Miles Mills Rose Garden in DSM
Even though it was soo hot that day, I am so glad we chose to have an outdoor wedding, and the rose garden was such a beautiful setting for it! You rent it through the parks and rec of DSM and you pretty much get free choice of where you want to have your ceremony at so it was really nice being able to choose the spot that worked the best for us!
~Videographer: Cheshire Moon Films
we were referred to Tom through Cynthia, and I'm so glad that she recommended him to us! Tom does a wedding day rewind where he films everything at the ceremony and then puts together a ceremony and pre-ceremony hi light video which he plays at the reception. Theres other things you can add on to it like a photo slide show of you growing up, bride/groom interviews, ect. He was super nice, and really good at getting back to me with my questions!
~Dress: Perry Bridal Boutique
A++++++ Tanya was fantastic to work with! Its a smaller boutique, but they have such a huge selection of dresses there! I loved them so much better than the bigger stores like David's or Skeffingtons. I don't have a single negative thing to say about the Bridal Boutique, all of the staff were wonderful to work with, and were so great at helping us with whatever we needed to have done. Tanya delivered the dress to my house the day before the rehearsal freshly steamed, and they even offer being there Saturday morning to help you get everything with your dress ready to go before you walk down the aisle if you choose for them too. It may be a little ways from Des Moines, but it is DEFINITELY worth the drive out there! I love the Perry Bridal Boutique!
~Wedding Accessories: Betts Bridal Shop in Valley Junction
A+ This little store in Valley Junction has EVERYTHING! The ladies that run it are great to work with, and they were sooo helpful with everything! The owner even let us take a few of the necklace displays with us to Perry to try on with my dress so I could see how it looked actually with the dress instead of trying to picture it in my head. No deposit or anything, just let us take them there! They are both SO sweet, and they have everything from veils to shoes to rose petals to unity candle/sand sets, wedding party gifts, cake toppers, and they are great about ordering in anything from the magazines that they have.
If you have any questions about anything or want contact info just email me at animalgal717@gmail.com
Happy Planning!!