Alright ladies, we're back from our mini-moon, which was SO RELAXING!! So I thought I'd get my recap & reviews post out of the way! It'll probably be long, so there's your fair warning! = )
The day started out REALLY early for me... I woke up, wide awake at 4:30 in the morning & couldn't fall back asleep. Awesome. I laid there a bit, just resting & eventually got up around 6 or so. Got dressed & ready for my hair stylist to come to the house! My girls showed up & we did hair & makeup all morning & afternoon.
During that time, DH...AHHH!...Was at the reception site with my parents, the IL's & a bunch of other family & friends, setting it up! They did an AMAZING job & it was exactly what I envisioned!
Then we all headed to the church, to get pictures before the ceremony. There were a few hiccups with the flowers, which I'll talk about below. But other then that, the ceremony went smoothly & if anything did go wrong, my great WP, family & H, didn't let me know about it until the next day! (Such smart people!) = )
We were then married & headed to our reception! We did some more outdoor pictures at the reception site & got some great shots! Then inside to greet our guests, eat & dance the night away!
It was amazing & we had such a great time! = )
Now onto reviews! Links to all these vendors are in my bio on the Vendors page!
Three Rivers Park District, Elm Creek Chalet - A+ - We had a great experience with our reception venue! They were very nice & helpful & were gushing over our decorations, which was very flattering for us! = ) The only area that we had a little issue was that the Chalet is a green gathering site. Which means you need to have biodegradable everything & what not. Not an issue for us, but we were never informed of that when we met with then last year, & it wasn't in our contract that we signed in August 2010. We found out 3 weeks before the wedding & had to switch up a few things. It all worked out in the end, but was an unexpected headache, we shouldn't have had to deal with right before the wedding. When we talked to the Chalet about this info not being in our contract, we got an apology & they did work with us on a few aspects, but still had to make some changes.
Barb's Bridal - A+ - The ladies here are great & very helpful! I loved the fact that we didn't have to make an appointment & that there was always enough workers there to help us. It was a very relaxed feeling & we never felt rushed to make a purchase at any of our visits. When we had an issue when we ordered & a price difference that came up, the owner Barb, handled it very well. Since I had the quoted prices, she honored those prices for my dress & all the girls. So glad I went with this shop!
Angelicjewel Photography - A+++ - Simply amazing! Erin went above & beyond our expectations on our wedding day. She even got us some updated pictures up on FB, the NIGHT OF THE WEDDING! Does it get any better then that?! So happy with what we've seen so far & looking forward to seeing all the pictures! = )
Forever Floral - TBD - When H went to pick up the flowers at 1:30 on the wedding day, there was a bit of an issue. The girl, we'll call her "R", that we had worked with, to set everything up, was there & knew who Michael was. The flowers were guaranteed to be ready by 1 pm. "R" went to the back room & asked if the shot gun shell wedding was ready. Michael then heard the owner say, that wedding is tomorrow. Then "R" & the owner walked into the back & started going through paperwork. He heard "R" say maybe she wrote the wrong date down... Not the issue. When they came back, they asked H what time pictures were at. He told them 2:30 & they said, they'll have them there by then, no problem. At this time, they also told him that they were really behind, due to several funerals.
H then had to let me know about this issue. He was smart & didn't tell me the whole story until the next day! He just told me they were running a little behind & delivering the flowers to us at no charge.
So at 2:45, my bouquet, the girls' & the WP bouts showed up. I looked at my bouquet & right away noticed an issue. I was missing the black bacarra roses, we had ordered. They also got my grandpa's memorial pendant wet & it was streaking the picture. H & I, don't know when the rest of the flowers came, as we were busy with pictures, but we did receive them all before 4:30.
We went in the next day to talk to the owner about all this & she was immediately very defensive. She said that she wanted us to talk to "R", as she was the one who helped us. Pretty much took no ownership & pawned it off on her employee... That was frusterating. I told her that we weren't necessarily mad, but very disappointed that they forgot about our wedding. (My family has been going to this shop for YEARS & have always had great service). She immediately said that they didn't forget & that in 26 years of business, this has never happened to her.
We left it at this... I'm going to talk to "R" this week & her, the owner, H & I are going to meet & they are going to "work with us however they can". Well see how that goes & I'll do an updated review, at a later date.
Even with all of this, our flowers were BEAUTIFUL & we were happy with how they turned out, even though we were missing some things.
Kay Jewelers - B - We had a great experience with Kay Jewelers, in the selection of our wedding bands. The only issue I had with them was when I sent my e-ring & wedding bands in to be redipped, & soldered. They left the vertical bands on the bottom, which hold the two wedding bands together, before purchase. I was told they would be taken off & even made a point of asking that they would be & they're still there. Also, the soldering is pretty bad & looks like it was completed way to quickly. And the e-band is a smidge off center... Not the end of the world, but it's my wedding band & I want it perfect. I could have sent everything back in before the wedding, but after hearing Ashlee's horror story of lost rings, I didn't want to risk it, 2 weeks before the wedding. I will be sending it in again eventually, just not sure when yet!
Complete Beverage Service - A - No complaints for us here! They came through with some Mike's Hard Lemonade for me, which was great! When we had asked for it initially, they told us it was a seasonal item & was out of season. Melissa got it for us though & all was well! Our bartender was great & always there to get people what they needed! = )
Midwest Sound - A- Our DJ, was Rachel, who is also the office manager at Midwest Sound. She did a great job & kept the dancing going & got more people out on the floor. She was there, but not overly talkative, which was exactly what we wanted out of our DJ! = )
MUA - Ana Martignetti - A+ - Ana is so great & does an amazing job! My makeup was perfect & stayed on ALL day & night, even though I was sweating like crazy! Will defiantly be using her again, for any upcoming events! = )
Amazing Alterations - A+ - Brenda is such a doll & great to work with! She made me feel amazing in my dress & gave me a beautiful bustle! My mom picked up my dress & I noticed that there was still beading on the underside of my straps. I called Brenda & she had me come in & she took care of it right away, no problem. Things have been a little crazy for her, with the move to the new studio, so it just got forgotten in the craziness! No worries, it was done in time & looked & felt beautiful! = )
Cianna Johnson Hair Designs - A+- Cianna did an amazing job on all the hair! The girls & I all looked great & were very happy with our hair. I was especially impressed with one of my BM's hair & want it for a wedding I'm in next year! = ) Cianna worked on all 5 of us from 7am to 1:15 pm & was like a machine! I love her, she's amazing! = )
I think that's all my vendors... And I apologize it's so long! Hope it's helpful to someone! = )