Married on 5-12-12 in Denham Springs @ Greystone Golf & Country Club.
VENUE: Greystone Golf & Country Club
GRADE: A+
COMMENTS: We had our ceremony and reception there. They were amazing. The venue is beautiful and doesn't need much extra decorations. Bridget (event planner with Greystone) was very good at staying in touch with me and making sure that I was happy through every step of the planning process and especially the day of. We also had our rehearsal dinner there and the food was amazing, their chef is top notch. However, we brought an outside caterer for the reception that was more budget friendly. They do require you purchase your alcohol through them, even if you are bringing in an outside caterer. The prices are kind of on the high end (13.50pp for beer/wine) but it was worth it to me because we were dead set on this venue. They also REQUIRE you to use their linen vendor which I thought was kind of lame but they have their reasons (see review below). Overall it's so gorgeous and it's definitely a great option if you don't want to inconveinence guests driving to/from Baton Rouge for your wedding.
CATERING: All Star Catering (Brian Medlin)
GRADE: A+++
COMMENTS: Our venue's catering was more expensive than I had budgeted for, so it was important that I could bring in an outside caterer. Brian came highly recommended and after meeting with him and discussing menu plans I knew he would deliver. We had sooo many compliments on our food at the reception, it was ridiculous. Of course, both of us were too busy to eat that night, but we ate the leftovers the next day and they were delicious even heated up! I would absolutely use Brian again for ANY event because the food was so great. He even went out of his way to get me champagne & champagne fountain for the reception. Great guy, does great business & takes care of his customer! Get the crawfish ravioli & fried catfish... Mmmm....
DJ: Complete Music (Broderick)
GRADE: A++
COMMENTS: Broderick was awesome, he did everything exactly the way I wanted it and kept the party going. I would be sure to ask for him if you book your event with Complete. (I have heard some other DJ's with Complete and wasn't all that impressed.) Their prices are comparable to other DJ services in BR area. My reception was rockin down to the last minute thanks to Broderick!!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Rachel Erin Photography (Rachel Bourgeois)
GRADE: A++
COMMENTS: Rachel is so great and easy to work with. She takes gorgeous pics and her prices are BEYOND reasonable. I got more for my $$ than with any other good wedding photographer in this area. She takes pride in her work and it shows! Plus she gives you full copyright release on all your photographs which is something I def. wanted and most photogs are either not willing to give you copyright release, or they want to charge you an extra couple grand for it.
FLORIST: Designs by Milissa (Milissa Duhe)
GRADE: A++
COMMENTS: Milissa was great! She was reasonably priced and she took all of my inspirations and visions of what I wanted and transformed it into reality. We had to change the location of the ceremony last minute due to rain and rent a tent and she made all the necessary adjustments with flowers and decorations and it turned out beautifully. My bouquet was the prettiest I have ever seen!
VIDEOGRAPHER: Lipari Films (Damon & Laurie Ann)
GRADE: A+
COMMENTS: We haven't gotten our video back yet but we had such a great time working with these two. Their package prices were reasonable, and they were available on very short notice (I didn't book them until two weeks prior!) They followed us around all day and made us feel so comfortable. I really can't wait to see the finished product but I know it's going to be great.
CAKES: Clark Robertson
GRADE: A++
COMMENTS: Wedding and grooms cake were both beautiful and delicious. He does cakes on the side from his fulltime job but he is really passionate about his baking and it shows through the quality in his work. He offers plenty of variety in cake types & fillings. His prices were EXTREMELY reasonable, especially compared to the likes of Baums/Ambrosia/etc. and the cake tasted better. He also did some cake balls and choc. covered strawberries on our request.
BEAUTY: Verde Beauty Studio (Tina & Chey)
GRADE: A+
COMMENTS: I was more than pleased with the work that Verde did for me, my bridesmaids, and mother & MIL. Some of my bridesmaids wanted more eyeliner or whatever but they just touched themselves up to their liking, and that was fine with me. But Chey did a beautiful job with my hair and updo, Tina did my airbrush makeup and it was flawless! They both did everything to make me look/feel beautiful on this very stressful day. They specialize in weddings and I would def. recommend them to any bride.
LINEN: Five Star Event Rental (Vonita)
GRADE: B+
COMMENTS: Greystone REQUIRES that you use their vendor for linens, which I thought was kind of a pain. I thought that they were somewhat pricey in comparasion and not many options for linens (pintuck, etc..) I had delayed email responses from Vonita at first, but the linens were lovely and everything was done as per the contract.
TENT: Your Event Delivered (Jordan)
GRADE: A++
COMMENTS: Due to the impending inclement weather the week of the wedding, with no inside option to accomodate our 250+ guests, we had no choice but to rent a tent. Jordan was very helpful and gave us a great price on a tent to meet our needs on such short notice (2 days before!) I would def. recommend this company for any kind of rentals you need.
TRAVEL AGENCY: Ropakele Travel (Robin Beard)
GRADE: A+++
COMMENTS: Robin was wonderful! She made the hassle of the honeymoon planning completely a breeze and handled everything for us. She spoonfed us on the process (bc we were completely clueless) and kept in touch (responds to emails almost instantly!) She is SUPER sweet and very helpful. I don't know what we would have done without her (been lost, surely). It doesn't cost a penny to use her and it will def. be worth your while!!!!