I just got married on Sunday, July 10 and wanted to share a few vendor reviews with you. I didn't post much on TK but I checked out this forum frequently to get ideas and the vendor reviews were definitely the most helpful! Hope these reviews may help those of you still planning your own weddings.
Venue: Carlson Towers Rotunda in Minnetonka
Grade: A-/B+
The Rotunda in Minnetonka was beautiful. The event coordinators, Dawn and Carol, are competely on top of their game and easy to work with. They're super organized and have everything down to a science there. The biggest downfall is the price. It is expensive there, but it helps to have your wedding on a Sunday or Friday to save some money.
Photographer: 1012 Photo (Mike Jorgensen)
Grade: A++
www.1012photo.com
We loved Mike from 1012 Photo! So far we've only seen a sample of about 40 of our photos but every single one has turned out perfect. I can't rave about 1012 Photo enough. Mike has a very creative style and loves to experiment with different light and angles but he makes sure he really captures each special moment of the day. He's super laid back and made everyone in our bridal party feel comfortable. I spent a ton of time researching photographers in the area and am so happy with our choice. Mike and his business partner Randi are also lead photographers for Bellagala, but you'll get a lot more for your money if you go through 1012 Photo directly (I saved hundreds of dollars that way).
Hair: Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios
Grade: A+
www.brettdorrianartistrystudios.com
Brett is amazing to work with. I can be picky about my hair but Brett created the perfect style for me. I have to say that my hair looked even better on my wedding day than it did after my hair trial, and I thought it was great that day too! Brett was super responsive on email and totally on top of things. She came alone but has assistants if the bridal party is large. Brett did my hair and 3 of my bridesmaids. Two of them have super difficult hair (very thick and very curly) but she easily tamed and beautified them! Brett also does makeup but I had already hired Sherry Fredkove (review below) so I did not use her for that.
Makeup: Sherry Fredkove
Grade: A+
www.mymakeupqueen.com
Sherry is a doll! She is the sweetest, kindest woman you'll ever meet. Sherry actually grew up with my mom which is why I hired her, but she really does a fabulous job. I had just enough makeup that my photos look great but that I didn't feel like it was caked on. Even though it was a scorching hot day, very little of my makeup came off and Sherry even met up with me after photos to do a little touchup. Sherry has worked for Bobbi Brown for several years and is really a master at makeup. She also brought her assistant to help with the rest of the bridal party.
Florist: Scarlett Lily
Grade: A
www.scarlettlily-flowerstudio.com
Shellie from Scarlett Lily did a wonderful job on my flowers. She does floral arrangements out of her house, which helps keep the cost down. For months we emailed back and forth with pictures and ideas for bouquets and centerpieces. She managed to create the bouquets based on a photo I found online and I was blown away when I saw them in person. The flowers were unbelieveably beautiful and the centerpieces were exactly what I was thinking of too. AND, she did all of this under budget! I had a pretty strict budget and was amazed at how much less it cost.
Cake: Buttercream
Grade: A-
Buttercream often gets a bad rap on this forum but luckily I didn't have any issues working with them like I've read some other people on this site have had. I got a very reasonable price for the cake and I thought it looked great. The guests raved about the flavors: Strawberry a la Ritz, which was really light, fluffy and refreshing, and Chocolate Lovers, which is a really rich torte like cake.
Dress: The Wedding Shoppe
Grade: B-
I wasn't a huge fan of The Wedding Shoppe. Granted, I got a great price on my dress, but I didn't think they had the best customer service. I also ordered a beaded belt for my dress and they messed up the order from the vendor. I had the dress altered in Chicago, which is where I currently live. I think overall The Wedding Shoppe is a good place to go to get a deal on a dress, but be prepared because things really aren't run well there.
Hotel block: Marriott Minneapolis West in St. Louis Park
Grade: A-
We got a block at the Marriott Minneapolis West for our out of town guests. I thought they were really accomodating there...and the hotel is pretty updated. We got a great price for our guests and my husband and I got a free night for every 10 suites booked.
Transportation: Carey Limo of Minneapolis
Grade: A
www.careympls.com
We hired a sedan, 56 passenger bus for out of town guests, and a 24 passenger mini bus for the bridal party. Carey had a very competitive price even though I don't think they do many weddings. Everything went smoothly on our wedding day and the drivers were very friendly to everyone.