Louisiana-New Orleans

Vendor Reviews! 4/17/10

It’s been a month, but I swore I would get to these!  Thank you to everyone who has posted vendor reviews while I was planning – they were super helpful and now I’m happy to share my own.  FYI, I planned from NYC so most of my vendors were booked online – hence why I included websites.  See my profile for photos – I tried to include bridesmaid dresses, flowers, cake, painting, etc..  There’s also a link to our highlight video under the videographer review I’m happy to share!

 

Ceremony & Reception Site: Louis XVI Courtyard at St. Louis Hotel

http://www.stlouishotel.com/

Grade: A+

I am so glad that we chose this location for our wedding.  We looked at almost 10 different courtyards in the French Quarter and this has to be the largest and most beautiful.  Since we’re from the north, we wanted a sit-down buffet dinner where each guest had a seat at an assigned table.  We originally planned for 100 people, which would be 10 tables of 10, but ended up with 76 (8 tables total) and it did not feel crowded at all!  There was plenty of space for dancing and I’m confident that we could have seated 100 people no problem.  To save space in the courtyard, I opted for the buffet and bar to be placed inside the Robespierre Room and we also had a DJ who took up minimal space.  I do recommend placing the buffet inside rather than around the fountain – it provides much better photo-ops and no squeezing by the buffet during the ceremony.  Instead, we placed our cake next to the fountain – this made for fabulous cake cutting photos with the fountain in the background.  I have to say, we toured the courtyard during the day and it was very nice, but nothing prepared me for how beautiful it looked at night!  I remember taking a ‘mental snapshot’ at the wedding because I never wanted to forget how gorgeous it was at that moment, all lit up (see our video for footage).  Our coordinator at the St. Louis, Rachel, was so friendly and helpful and they even provided a bridal attendant at the wedding who was so sweet and never let my drink go empty.  I barely had a chance to eat (they did bring me a plate of everything, but I was just so preoccupied), but I heard the food was amazing and what I did try was very good.  If we could change anything, we probably would have added an extra half hour to the 3 hour reception – it just went by way too fast!

 

Videographer: Josh Enos, Prodigy Media Group

http://www.prodigy-mg.com/

Grade: A++

Josh did such an amazing job with our video!  We never expected the video to be a highlight of our wedding, but it has become one of our most cherished memories.  Josh created two short videos for us, in addition to providing full wedding coverage – one is a Pre-Wedding Interview ( http://www.vimeo.com/10969833 ), which we screened at our Welcome Party the night before, and the other is a Wedding Highlight video ( http://www.vimeo.com/11198013 ) done in a music video/movie trailer style.  Everyone has raved about our videos and I love having the highlight film – it’s like reliving the wedding all over again without going through an hour of footage.  Josh did such a great job capturing the mannerisms and personalities of ourselves and our guests – it’s the little things that aren’t always portrayed in photos.  Definitely one of the best wedding-planning choices we made!

 

Flowers: Fat Cat Flowers

http://www.fatcatflowers.com/

Grade: A+

Loved Diane!  Nicest woman – she was great about answering my questions and addressing my concerns.  I was very specific about my bouquet and it turned out exactly how I wanted it!  I was nervous in the beginning when she gave me a quote saying she would use less flowers than the other florists had quoted me.  Turns out she was right - her roses were bigger.  I felt like there was no request she couldn’t handle.  In hindsight, my only wish is that I had also ordered an arrangement for the fountain (didn’t think of it!). 

 

DJ: Hot Wax Unlimited

http://hotwaxunlimited.com/

Grade: A

Jeff was super professional and mailed us a detailed packet of information and songs – he even mailed us a flash drive of music we might like.  The sound was great – we upgraded the sound system to ensure we heard the speeches – and he played every song I requested.  There was lots of dancing!  There was a slight glitch with the timing of the entrance/first dance, but this was a communication failure on my part.  I highly recommend him to other St. Louis brides – he is very familiar with the courtyard and knew the best way to setup to allow for maximum dance space.  He was well dressed and neatly setup in a corner – we’re very happy to have booked him. 

 

Cake: Haydel’s Bakery

http://www.haydelbakery.com/

Grade: A+

I had a very specific design in mind for our cake – I actually saw a photo on one of those wedding cake shows, so I paused my tv and took a picture, lol!  Our venue has a cake allowance for Swiss or Haydel’s.  I contacted Swiss first and sent them the photo – they told me that they would not be able to recreate the cake.  Then I contacted Haydel’s – should have contacted them first!  They were so friendly and were great about coming up with creative ways of recreating the cake – I felt like there was no request too big.  They even allowed me to send them my own cake pulls.  The cake turned out PERFECT.  It looked just like the photo I sent, down to the color and the smallest detail.  It also tasted soo good.  I only had a bite at the wedding, but had a full piece two days later and it still tasted good!  Our guests commented on how tasty it was as well.  Everyone I spoke with/emailed with there was super friendly and easy to deal with.  Highly recommended!

 

Room Blocks: Ritz Carlton & Iberville Suites

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/neworleans/

http://www.ibervillesuites.com/

Grade: A+

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and loved it!  Both the Ritz and Iberville are under the same management, which made having two room blocks easy.  They both gave us great rates (and I looked everywhere) and all of our guests were happy with their rooms.  Our coordinator at the Ritz, Kimberly, was one of the nicest people I dealt with in the whole wedding process – she made sure I had nothing to worry about and offered to handle any concern that came up, even non-room block related.  Customer service there is definitely top-notch.  We stayed in the Club Level – which is actually it’s own tower called the Maison Orleans.  I highly recommend upgrading to Club Level – the rooms are slightly larger and the 4th floor is a 24 hour lounge with fabulous food, drink, wine, etc in a cozy setting that feels like a home.  We ended up using the lounge quite a bit to entertain friends and family – some of them even switched their hotel to the Ritz Club Level.  Beautiful hotel, loved our room – highly recommended. 

 

Ceremony Violinist: Zorica Dimova, MusiConsultant

http://www.musiconsultant.com/

Grade: A

We had a solo violinist for the ceremony.  Zorica was very nice to deal with in the planning process and gave me plenty of samples and advice for the music.  I was in such a whirlwind on the wedding day, that I never got to meet her – however, what I do remember of the music sounded lovely.  I honestly can’t even tell you if she played what I requested, but I’m sure she did.  It’s funny to think of the time I put into selecting the songs and in hindsight I didn’t even pay attention!  She also played into our cocktail hour before we were announced.  I’m sure she did a great job and I’m happy to recommend her.

 

Second Line Band: Algiers Brass Band

http://whiteoakproductions.com/bands/algiers_brass_band.htm

Grade: A+

Loved our Second Line Band!!  We booked them through Sami at White Oak who was super nice to deal with.  They were absolutely fantastic and everyone had a great time.  I never stopped dancing.  At the end they played ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’ – one of the members even sang the song!  That was a pleasant surprise.  I loved their uniforms and the leader was great.  I highly, highly recommend them!

 

Transportation: Limo Livery

http://www.limolivery.com/

Grade: A+

I booked just a basic towncar to take us across town to the photo location and back to the ceremony.  Our driver was a godsend!  I was running very late and she knew the back roads to get us there quickly!  This is a serious benefit considering all of the road construction and traffic on a Saturday.  Saved the day.  On the way back, everyone else followed and we were right back on schedule.  I could tell she dealt with brides on a regular basis – she was great at getting me and my enormous dress in and out of the car.  I highly recommend. 

 

Live Artist: Brandon Delles

brandon_delles@yahoo.com

Grade: A+

Brandon was our live artist – we had him paint our wedding reception (I think you can see it in the video).  I absolutely love the painting!  He really did a fantastic job capturing the evening.  Every detail was there, from my dress and the favors, to our guests and even the sliver of a moon that was out that night.  Definitely one of my favorite ‘keepsakes’ from the wedding!

 

Bridesmaids Tea: Le Salon at the Windsor Court Hotel

http://www.windsorcourthotel.com/

Grade: A

What a great New Orleans tradition!  I totally got this idea from the forum here.  It was so nice spending time with the women in my family.  We were a group of 10, so they sat us on the couches – it had a living room feel.  The tea and canapés were delicious.  The room was a bit darker than I expected, but otherwise very charming.  I recommend the champagne tea – it’s nice to begin with a toast. 

 

Second Line Hankies: Szabo’s Party Supplies

http://www.szabospartysupplies.com/

Grade: A

I shopped around and this place had great prices and good selection.  We went with silver on red – I thought they were fantastic.  

 

Dress: The Bridal Garden (New York)

http://www.bridalgarden.org/

Grade: A+

The Bridal Garden is a non-profit bridal boutique in New York that sells couture gowns for 70% retail price.  I got an amazing deal on an Ulla Maija gown and for a good cause!  I know this is a New Orleans forum, but anyone planning on dress shopping in NYC should definitely check it out!

 

Veil: Occansey Designs

http://www.occanseydesigns.com/

Grade: A+

Kathy was wonderful to work with – I had a very specific custom design and she was able to create it all via email.  She really understood what I wanted down to the smallest detail – she actually recreated a design I liked using appliques.  There is so much information on her site – I didn’t realized until I researched how sheer of a veil I wanted and it turned out perfectly.  I highly recommend! 

 

Bridesmaid Dresses: Coren Moore

http://www.corenmoore.com/

Grade: A+

I was in love with our bridesmaid dresses – I wish I had one for myself!  Customer service there is excellent and I was very happy with them.  My bridesmaids did say that the dresses ran quite big, but that is certainly better than running small.  Definitely recommend.

 

 

Photographer:

You may be wondering why there is no review for our photographer.  Well, we have received our photos back and they are not up to my expectations.  I can’t say that it’s the photographer’s fault – I do think he performed up to his expectations and I just didn’t realize how high mine were.  In hindsight, I could have communicated better – I took for granted that certain shots would be taken when I should have spoken up.  Our photographer specialized in candid shots and I just assumed that some traditionals would be included – that was my mistake.  I’m finding out now that I am more traditional than I originally thought.  I was also running behind schedule, which prevented some shots from happening.  To be fair, he did get some greats shots – he did a good job capturing my gown.  The photographer does not deserve a negative review, but I am just not happy enough with the photos to write a positive one either.  My advice to other brides: envision your wedding album and be sure to make a list of shots you would like, even the obvious ones!  I’m now making my own album and trying to fill in the gaps that are missing.  I wish I had thought about the album before booking the photographer, it probably would have changed my decision.  (FYI: In case you were wondering or assuming, our photographer was not the same photographer associated with our videographer.)

 

 

Happy Planning!!

 

Samantha

Re: Vendor Reviews! 4/17/10

  • edited December 2011

    Congratulations.    Despite the mishap with your photographer, it seems like you had a fabulous wedding.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and for taking the time to give other brides tips and sound advice.

  • edited December 2011
    Thanks!  Yes, overall it was an AMAZING experience and I was a very happy bride =)
  • edited December 2011
    Great reviews! Sounds like you had a fabulous wedding. I was being nosy and looking on your bio, and have a question.. What designer did your bridesmaid dresses come from? I love them, and they are exactly what I have been looking for (without luck).

    And your dress is simply stunning!
    Photobucket
  • edited December 2011
    Ok,... you have to tell who the photographer was. I have VERY high expectations for my pictures and am worried about the very things you are talking about.
  • edited December 2011
    mags0607: Thank you!  I'm so happy to share.  The bridesmaid dresses are from Coren Moore and the style is Katherine Long.  I chose a two-toned dress with a separate sash (it was a child's sash, since they didn't have one as narrow as I wanted) - you can order it all one color too.  It's such a pretty fit, I'm seriously considering ordering one for myself ;-)

    jamijeff:  You shouldn't be too worried.. it's not a photographer that's commonly mentioned on the board.  If you're still concerned, send your email address or pm and I'll send you a message. 
  • edited December 2011
    The photographer I chose isn't listted very often either. My email is jamimac23@gmail.com. I really appreciate it.
  • edited December 2011
    OMG!!! Your dress is amazing!!! You looked gorgeous!!!

    I am having the same photography concerns because I hired a photographer that I haven't read many reviews on either. I peeked at your pictures and they are amazing!!! Maybe you will look at them a month from now and they will really grow on you. I love the candid shots.. gorgeous! Would you ming emailing me the photographer's name: laurengualdoni@gmail.com

    Thanks for shariing! It sounds like a perfect day!
  • edited December 2011
    Can I also please have the name of your photographer as well?  

    Did you provide a list of "must-have" shots?  I'm thinking that I should put one together.  It sounds like just about everything else turned out beautifully- congrats! 
  • mhebe49mhebe49 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I love your dress and your bridesmaid dresses!!! The pics you posted are very pretty.  Sounds like everything besides the photography was great! Thanks for sharing!
    Can you please email me the name of the photographer as well.  My email is mhebe49@yahoo.com.
  • edited December 2011
    Yes, he definitely did get some great shots and perhaps with time I will get over it.  The photos in my profile are half pro, half guest pics.  The biggest thing was that there was only one pose with my DH.  I had all these grand plans of having a wedding portrait Christmas card and filling up all the beautiful wedding frames we got from our registry with our wedding portraits.  There is only one and it's not a good one.  That kills me.  I did not write down a list of shots, I only verbally communicated that I wanted formal pics before the ceremony.  Now it's obvious that I should have mentioned that I expected to have an entire mini-shoot dedicated to acheiving the perfect bride/groom portrait.  In my mind, there should have been at least 50 pics dedicated to getting the right shot (posed, candid, everything).  You could argue that I was running late and that's why it didn't happen, but there are tons of pics of me by myself - what am I supposed to do, fill all our wedding frames with photos of just me?  And even though I specified formal portraits, there is no photo of our wedding party looking at the camera - it's all candid.  I also hired him because he's great at detail and getting ready shots - he missed details like our rings, bouquet, centerpieces, favors, shoes and he decided last minute to skip the getting ready part all together.  He said that it would not fit into the day-of schedule.  I didn't want to be demanding, so I let it go - big mistake.  Thank goodness for our videographer - he got amazing getting ready coverage and got all the details the photographer missed.  I can't believe there were two photographers and just one videographer and the videographer got everything I wanted.  Unbelievable.  Our poor videographer, I've had to beg him for video stills of our details, but even then they are high res enough for large portraits.  There were also many guests who were left out of the photos, including some very important family members who will be getting copies of the album.  I'm going to have to use guest pics in order to include them.  I wish I would have had a list of shots including groups of guests from every table.  There are so many individual headshot/portraits of guests I barely know.  What am I going to do with just a picture of them?  And the ceremony pictures are seriously lacking - there is no photo of DH and I at the alter with our bridesmaids/groomsmen at our sides.   The photographer argued that this was due to our chair setup (no aisle down center), but I have guest photos of the angle I wanted - they should have felt comfortable jumping in front of the guests.  Of the photos he did get - some are great, but many have seriously moody shadows.  I've had to make half of our reception pics black and white because there's just too many shadows.  I viewed our wedding and light and fun, so I would have never approved of dark, moody photos.  This is another detail I wish I mentioned. 

    Whew.. what a vent!  I did not include a list of shots, so my advice to other brides is to make a list including Bride/Groom portraits shots (posed & candid), alter shots, detail shots, guest shots - he also forgot to take venue shots like the building facade and pics with just the fountain, statue, etc.. 

    Maybe once I complete my album I will feel better... thanks for all the compliments, I do have a lot to be thankful for.  =)
  • hjgreenhjgreen member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congratulations!
    You looked amazing! It looked like you and your guests were thoroughly enjoying the events.  I hope you are able to find enough pictures to complete your albums.


  • edited December 2011
    hjgreen!

    Side note, I totally forgot to mention that the video loads much faster if the HD option is turned off!
  • edited December 2011

    Great stuff!  Have you thought about contacting him and asking to do an extra shoot on him?  It may give y'all an excuse to get down to NOLA one more time and do a Newlywed session...and I know its not the same as the day of, but was just thinking that may help! 

  • edited December 2011
    That's not a bad idea and I've thought about it, however there is no way my DH will go through trying to get my dress down to NOLA again!  Also, recreating my hair would be impossible, my stylist is in NY too.

    I asked DH about reshooting in NY and he said NO WAY.  He hates taking pics. =(
  • edited December 2011
    I also forgot!

    For anyone interested in hearing Algiers Brass Band, one of our guests uploaded a video of them playing at the end of our parade on YouTube:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsys95ooXcg

    They were sooo good!
  • meredithcheekmeredithcheek member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    can you please email me your photographer also - meredith@ymail.com

    one of my bridesmaids had a similar situation...her photographer didn't take a single photo of her in her dress by herself (a photo her parents were really looking forward to).  the only photo she has is one i took with my camera in the back of the church while we were waiting to walk down the isle.

    thanks for reminding me of this lesson.  i just can't assume that the photographer will take even the most basic of shots. 
  • edited December 2011
    partkitten-  you looked so beautiful- i love your dress!

    can you tell me about how much your on site artist cost?

    thanks!
  • edited December 2011
    Ok... I want to make sure that I get all the pics I want. It seems lots of the girls have rarely mentioned photogs and I wonder if any of us are using the same. I definitely think I will make a list of must have pics. Any suggestions on what to include?
  • edited December 2011
    I forgot my email in my post requesting the photographer!  alanebignami@hotmail.com


  • kerica3kerica3 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    partkitten - your review was SO much help, especially because I am getting married at the St Louis next year!  Could you send me your photographer in an e-mail?  My e-mail address is kerica3@hotmail.com.  I also have a few questions about your reception.  Thank you so much!
  • edited December 2011
    Oops, I stopped getting reply emails for some reason! 

    frannyt: The live artist was $400.  He has different rates depending on the canvas size - I recommend emailing him for info.

    I'm going to send emails asap!

  • edited December 2011
    Congratulations!!!  It sounds like it was a lovely wedding and you had a fabulous time!  The vendor information is exactly what i was looking for and will def inquire with some of yours.  Thank you so much!
  • edited December 2011
    I was checking back on this, and partkitten, I think you really should put the name of your photographer "out there." From your follow-up "vent" it certainly sounds like you are not being overly picky, and that it was a fail on the part of the photographer. There are some very basic pictures that seem as though they are missing, and I thin kthat needs to be out there. You have done your part in saying that your expectations are higher than most and I don't think it would be unfair of you to let people know both the good and the bad.

    And thank you for the BM dress designer. i think we are going with that one now that I saw it on your BMs.
    Photobucket
  • edited December 2011
    mags0607:

    The thing is I'm not a very confrontational person and by making his name public, that will almost certainly ensure that he will see the review and that is conflict that I don't care to have and it will not change the past.  I've asked him about why certain shots weren't taken and he's quite defensive, the last thing I need is a full argument.  As for informing other brides, all they have to do is ask for the information and I will provide it. 

    I'm glad you found a BM dress you like!  It really is a flattering dress - I thinking about offering to buy it from my bridesmaid, lol.  What color(s) are you going with?
  • edited December 2011
    I was just looking at your wedding highlight video from your videographer (I'm looking into maybe booking him) and noticed something in it - did you have a painter there? It looked like there was someone painting, and I think that's a really cool idea if you got someone to come and do that. Let me know :)
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    Yes I did!  His name is Brandon Delles and he was fantastic.  It takes him about 3 hours to do the painting, but it's amazing - he got all the little details in there.  You can contact him at brandon_delles@yahoo.com .

  • edited December 2011
    Lol.... I just saw where you included him in your review! Sorry, I missed it the first time. Thanks for responding though!!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • edited December 2011
    Congratulations!  And thank you for your detailed review.  It is very helpful.

    Can I please have the name of your photographer as well?   My email address is krgleason@yahoo.com.
    image
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