The wedding went down so beautifully. I only wish I could have absorbed it more because it went by so fast and my husband and I were so busy. Here are my reviews below:
Ceremony/Reception: Minnesota Zoo (Tropics Trail / Discover Bay) A + A lot of compliments on food, how unique and romantic the venue was, how speedy the service was. Animals were active! The sales manager and caterer answered my questions throughout and were accomadating to my requests. They even helped me out with coordinating my other vendors. The DOC at the actual event (different from the sales manager and caterer) seemed a little cranky but worked to keep us on track and did a great job gathering all our vases and misc. afterwards for us.
Photography: Elite Photography: Pending pics, but Sara was on time and a sweetheart as well as our second photographer. She coordinated us well since we had no clue how to pose for pics. She helped my bridesmaids with the bustle and putting on my dress which was above and beyond her call of duty. She showed some of the pics on the camera and they look like they will be beautiful. Can't wait to see them.
DJ: Instant Request: A. Received lots of compliments on the music and how the DJ kept people up there. Played a lot of songs from our playlist. Managed the music behind our choreography well. Flexible. Minor kink during dinner music when it stopped playing for a little while but otherwise it went smoothly.
Florist: Simply Stated Elegance: A +. THe flowers were incredibly beautiful and beyond my expectations. She gave us a fantastic deal. She was hard to get a hold of at times since she works other jobs but what mattered to me the most was the end result and boy did she deliver!
Cake: Buttercream: A+. Cake was the most unque and beautiful cake I have ever seen not to mention tasty. Had marble seashells, and white chocolate coral reefs.
Alterations: Sodara Ung A. The alterations fit me like a glove and she did what I asked. If you want to make 100% sure your dress doesn't get messed up, go to her, she does beautiful work. However, her prices are a lot higher than your average independent seamstress.
Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn - Eagan: A - . The hotel was 5 mins from the zoo. Great customer hospitality day of, good breakfast. There was a hitch with coordinating the shuttles at first and customer service in the beginning but they more than made up for it with the gestures they made upon checkout. It got a little noisy while sleeping due to the bar across the street, but nothing to cry over. The rooms were nice and clean.
Officiant: Tom Armstrong: A. Showed up on time, had a resonating and clear voice, and helped us with all the questions we had. The delivery of the convoction could have been slightly better but I still liked it overall
Hair/Makeup: Smart and Chic A. Everyone was on time. I had Amber B. SHe convinced me to do airbrush becuase I get oily real fast and that was good advice. They did a great job with everyone's hair and makeup. Some of us were a little picky and asked for a few changes to our looks but they were more than accomadating.
Any questions, PM me.