Hello Ladies,
Sorry for the delay in posting my reviews but I really wanted to wait until I saw the picture proofs so that I could provide a complete and accurate review. Hopefully this will help some of you with your decisions. If you have ANY questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Save the Dates/Invitations/RSVP’s- Gem Printing, A+, My first piece of advice, try to go during the week…they are SUPER DUPER BUSY on weekends. The invitations turned out beautiful and we didn’t spend a fortune on them. The staff is very friendly and helpful with any questions/concerns you might have. Lots of options with New Orleans flair. Glad we shopped local!
Bride/Bridesmaid Hotel- Holiday Inn- Westbank Tower, A++, Very nice, everything has been newly renovated. The staff was VERY friendly and VERY accommodating. Any request we had the staff was prompt in fulfilling it. Also, whenever anyone arrived at the hotel they would call up to let us know they were heading up to our rooms.
Waxing- Bodyology, B-/C, The spa was nice as was the woman that did the waxing, but I ended up with a LOT of missed spots. If I wanted to do it again I would try another salon.
Mani/Pedi- La Vie Salon, A+, The girls are always very nice and the La Vie special pedicure is well worth the trip. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the services they received. Definitely my favorite nail shop.
Hair/Makeup- Natalie with Glamour Therapy, A++, Natalie was always very nice, helped me to pick a hairstyle that I loved, always returned my calls and did great work. I had her come to our hotel and she brought an assistant to help get everyone done. Both girls did fantastic work and everyone was very pleased with their hair/makeup.
Dress Alterations/Matching Jacket- Penny with Moments Boutique, A+, Did great work with the alterations and did a fantastic job with the jacket. Looked like it was made along with the dress. Paid less than $100 for the custom jacket, dress alterations and dress steam. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Ceremony- St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gretna, A+, Beautiful church with a beautiful garden area for pictures and such. No problems with having the wedding there, not too many restrictions. Provided contact info for their organist who did a fantastic job.
Parents Gifts- Embroidered Hankies- Hankies from Embroiderthis.com, A+, cheap, nice quality, fast shipping, Embroidering- E M Broidery in Gretna, A+, Very friendly and did a great job!
Catering- Capdeboscq Catering, A++++, Absolutely fantastic! The food was great, the staff was friendly and extremely helpful. We did not have an all-in-one venue and they were able to take care of everything an all-in-one would handle. They helped us sooo very much and alleviated much of the stress my DH and I were feeling. (Oh and the pricing was VERY reasonable.)
Reception Venue- American Legion Hall on Patriot St. in Marrero, D, The venue was very nice, a good price, and worked out well for our needs….BUT there is a guy who works there named Mel that is an absolute (insert bad word description here) and he is the sole reason I would not recommend anyone to book the hall. This was another reason Capdeboscq was so great, they were able to handle and negotiate/coordinate everything with the hall for us so we did not have to deal with the horror that is Mel.
Flowers- Mrs. Phyllis with Impressionable Designs, A+, I gave her a general idea of the flowers and what I liked and didn’t like, told her what we needed and gave her the amount we wanted to spend and she did the rest. Everything turned out beautifully and everyone loved their bouquets.
Reception Music- DJ David Storm with Omega Sound, A+++, Followed the recommendations of other Knotties and could not be happier about it. David was fantastic, going above and beyond. I would highly recommend getting the custom GOBO looked beautiful.
Limos- A Regal Limo, A++, Were right on time, very friendly and professional. Had the best prices for what we needed and were extremely pleased with everything.
Cakes- Marguerites Cakes (Northshore), A+, Cakes tasted fantastic and looked great. The red velvet armadillo was AWESOME. Little pricey, but other than that were great.
Cake Topper- Custom made on etsy by Lynn (http://www.etsy.com/shop/lynnslittlecreations), A++, So glad we had this made. Looked so great on our cake and will be a great keepsake for years to come. Highly recommend doing if you’re looking for something different.
Centerpieces/Favors- A+++, Used all New Orleans treats including custom Hubigs Pies, Loretta’s Pralines, Cheewees, and mini Tobasco’s. Had a dual purpose as both our centerpieces and our favors, with the edible favors almost all were gone and we didn’t have a bunch of floral centerpieces left over.
Photographer- Trent Spann with Images by Robert T., A++, Was very friendly, great pricing, beautiful pictures, was flexible with his time, brought an assistant (no charge!), and we already have our proofs online! (If you would like to see pics of everything go to www.imagesbyrobertt.com, click proofs, Amber and Ian, password: RADIO) Extremely happy with all the pictures and how he captured the day.
A couple of suggestions for brides-to-be:
Make sure your shoes are comfy, even for the ceremony. I loved the way my red shoes looked, but I thought I was going to pass out during the ceremony and had numbness in my toes for about a week and half after, and I only wore them for about 2 hours!
Don’t let the wedding shows on TV scare you. We didn’t have ANY problems the entire day and really enjoyed ourselves. Worrying will only stress you out, and most likely there won’t be any disasters. (and I didn’t even have a planner!)
Well…now that I’ve written a short book….if you have questions, want contact/price info, just let me know! I will be happy to help with anything I can.
-Amber