Finally getting around to this! It's been a busy few weeks since we got back from the HM but since I found reviews helpful during my planning I figured I should leave some too
Venue - Carlson Towers: AWhen we visited the Rotunda it really was love at first sight for both of us. I'd originally been planning a romantic mansion wedding (leaning towards the Semple Mansion) but as soon as I saw the gorgeous open spaces at the Carlson Towers my whole vision changed! Everything was beautiful and the staff was absolutely amazing - treated us like royalty the whole day! Couldn't be happier with our venue choice!
Caterer - Bon Appetit: BThe apps and late night pizza were delicious but the main course (linguine pommodoro) was just kind of... meh. It was okay but for what we were paying per plate I was hoping for a little more.
Wedding Dress - The Wedding Shoppe: B+For selection of dresses and designers, no one beats The Wedding Shoppe. They have EVERYTHING, by far biggest collection in the Twin Cities. It definitely lacks the charm and personality of some of the smaller shops but that's the trade off for having 2,000 dresses to try on. I didn't enjoy shopping there quite as much as the boutiques but I did love my dress so I'd still recommend checking them out.
Reception Dress - Priscilla of Boston: ABeautiful dresses, beautiful store and an awesome sales staff! Only caveat here is that the price range is definitely higher so if you're looking for a budget-priced dress I'd only recommend the sample sales - didn't see many gowns under $2K. I guess I didn't really look around too much though, fell in love with the second dress I tried on and stopped looking!
Photographer - Ben Berndt: ABen is awesome and he takes great photos at the lowest rates around, what more can you ask for?? After he did my sister's wedding last summer some of my relatives were actually requesting to have him at their table lol.. Everyone loved him and we loved our pics!
Wedding Photos:
Videographer - Capture the Moments Productions: ALike Ben, Jason is newer to the game than some of the others out there so his prices are extremely competitive. So competitive, in fact, that I was almost nervous about it since I've always heard that you "get what you pay for" with photographers and videographers. My fears were completely unwarranted though, we were blown away by the video! I really felt like he captured our day and
us. Actually a videographer wasn't even originally in our budget! SO glad we decided to do it!!
Promo Video:
http://vimeo.com/22201021Cake - Wuollet's Bakery: A+Wuollet's has the best tasting, best looking cakes hands down so I didn't even taste test anywhere else. Okay, one small disclaimer.. I am a Wuollet so I admit to a small bias
Honestly though I was thrilled with my cake, it was an exact replica of the picture I had given them and tasted amazing!
DJ - Instant Request: AInstant Request had done some of my friends' weddings and I'd always been very impressed. They listen to what you want and do it. Our dance floor was packed all night long and we had a blast!
Florist - Intuitive Blooms: AI'm not that into flowers so I really relied on Lacey to point me in the right direction. All I knew was that I wanted all red roses and she really delivered! She has such cool ideas - our centerpieces were all red roses in clear vases with lit black rocks reflecting up. Very classy and romantic, we loved them!!
Alterations - The Dressmaker: AAfter my sister had a traumatic dress experience (10 months later she's still upset about it) with one of the board favs, I was nervous about choosing this vendor.. I am SO glad I went with Kristen though, she put all of my worries to rest and did SUCH an amazing job on my dress!! I had a very heavy strapless gown but somehow she worked her magic and it fit like a glove and stayed in place!
Stylist - Smart & Chic (Amber W and Kira): A+Can't say enough good things about S&C! They are insanely cheap but still make you look awesomer! The best thing about them though is that they really listen to what you want. My mom wanted to look younger, my sister wanted to look natural etc. They listen to what you want and magically turn you into a more attractive, polished version of yourself
