Hair and Makeup - A-
I used Salon 152 in the Northland. The owner went out of her way to make sure everything went smoothly and I didn't have to worry about a thing. I had a set of nails and a pedicure done the friday before. They both turned out great. The hair and makeup was done the day of. Everybody got to pick their hair style and every single one came out beautiful. Make up was so-so. The makeup artist did a good job, but the brand of makeup she used caked up on me something horrible. Since one of my BM's brought her own foundation her's turned out a lot better.
Photographer - Mark Sorenson Photography A++++++
I had 2 photographers and a videographer. I haven't seen the edited pictures yet, but got to see some of the pics on his camera on the way to the reception. The unedited ones are beautiful. Mark has an awesome eye and takes the most amazing pictures. In fact we plan on using him to take family shots as well next spring.
DJ - Complete Music - A+++++
We did not request a DJ (they have many you can choose from) and we got a guy by the name of Kevin. He was amazing. He took the time to meet with us before the wedding to get to know us and what we wanted at our reception. Because of that we got the type of music we wanted, the fun feeling for the reception, including of the kids, and so on. The kids were on the dance floor very quickly and he had them do the limbo to work off some energy. The kids had a great time doing that and the adults had a great time watching them. He also tried to teach them a dance with some very complex dance moves. Then he said "Well let's just start the song and see how well you do" Then played the Hokey Pokey. The kids loved it. He played a great mix of music that our guests of all ages could get out on the dance floor and have a good time. He constantly was checking in with us to see what we wanted, to keep the flow of the night going, and to make sure we were having a great time.
Reception Venue - Argosy Casino A+++++++ and then some
What can I say, they exceeded all my expectations. We wanted a place that was all inclusive so we only had to write one check and not have to worry about a thing. My first marriage and my sister's marriages, family members were younger and could easily help each other out, meaning I "worked" a lot of the weddings. That's not a bad thing, but this time around my sister's and I are older, have kids, and have really busy lives, so help wasn't going to be as easy. Argosy let me have the reception I wanted without having to depend on family to make it work. I DIYed the centerpieces, dropped them off on Friday, and they decorated everything. It was so beautiful walking in there. The food was great, we got lots of compliments. There is a set menu to choose from, but they did work with us on one of the meat choices to get exactly what we wanted. The only negative thing I can say is that they started tearing down the tables before everybody left. I know it was late, but that is something that should wait until all the guests are gone.
Cake - Just Cakes - A++++
We wanted a cheesecake wedding cake and finding a company that made them was harder than I thought. She makes regular cakes as well and her decorating skills are phenomenal. She will work with you and what you imagine to design a beautiful cake. We got to choose the flavors of the cheesecake along with the mousse filling. All three flavors were delicious. The lemon was my personal favorite, but most everybody else loved the chocolate. I will be using her for all my cakes from now on.
Limo - Pech Limosine - B+
Great Service. The driver showed up right on time to the church and dropped us off at Argosy right when we said we wanted to be there. The limo did have a smell to it when we got in. My son said it perfectly when he said it smelled like cows. It was clean, just had the smell. We also used them the next day to go to the airport. We reserved a town car, but a limo showed up instead. Free upgrade was nice. He was about 10 minutes late picking us up, but that was no big deal.
Overall it was a great day. I loved every minute of it. All the vendors were fabulous to work with. I recommend all of them very highly.