Invitations: Write-on Stationary NOLA _ A+ We got so many compliments on our invitations! We did not want the typical cream, plain wedding invitation. I emailed Write-on with ideas of what I liked, and a few days later, they sent me a proof, which was perfect! It was a purple border with a blue interior – it had a trumpet player marching with a New Orleans lamp post and street sign. It was very unique and we got a lot of great feedback because of it! I highly recommend them. They were also very reasonably priced – I believe we ordered about 140 invites for about $220 (this included the art design that they did to create the invitation). My numbers may be off slightly, but I remember it was very reasonable after shopping around. Kelly Abbott was amazing to work with – super easy!
Dress: Yvonne LaFlour_ A+ Again, I received so many compliments on my dress. It was a sweetheart neckline with a French lace bottom – A line. I tried on 71 dresses, and finally went to Yvonne LaFlour on a whim. The alterations were included – The dress with tax came to around $1400. Yvonne and Stella were awesome!
Flower Girl Dress: MaeMe: A+Although, they did not have a huge selection, they had some beautiful dresses here. The service is also top notch! Mandy is wonderful!
Hotel blocks: The Ritz-Carlton A+Staff = Amazing! Made all of my guests feel right at home. They also made my husband and I feel like VIPs. Sherri, the event coordinator, was wonderful!
Rehearsal Dinner: Café Degas B The food was great, but the service could have been better. No one really made us feel special.
Wedding and Reception Venue: Arbor Room at Popp Fountain A+Wonderful. Everything was so beautiful – our guests loved it and it was a unique experience for everyone – especially since it is a newer venue. The food and service were excellent and the venue itself is beautiful. I worked with April in the beginning and Denise the day of my wedding. They both made me feel at ease, and I did not have to worry about a thing. I asked a lot of questions because I am OCD, and they were always patient and thorough – super happy with both of them!
Transportation: SouthPark Livery A-We rented 2 limos and 2 buses through them. Everyone was timely and courteous. The one exception was one of the bus drivers, who a few of my guests made a comment about. Other than that, we were pleased.
Celloist: New Orleans Finest Musicians (Harry Hardin) A+ Harry was great to work with in getting all of the details ironed out. He was always responsive and very thorough. Made me feel at ease. The celloist was great. My only regret is that I didn’t get a sound system, so that everyone in the back could hear the cello just as good as those in the front. This mainly had to do with the fact that the ceremony was outside and in front of a huge fountain. This was no fault on their part – I was cheap at the time. J
Florist: Flora Savage A-
Super nice to work with, but flowers did not turn out the way I had anticipated. It was still beautiful, but I had sent a picture specifically to try to get across what I was looking for, and it didn’t really look like what I had sent. Again, it was still nice and they were much cheaper than the rest of the other floral shops, so I would still recommend them. Just be sure you maybe meet in person to really get across what you are looking for.
Cakes: Swiss A+ and Chez Ru Rene A+Delicious! We had a traditional 3-tiered bride’s cake from Swiss. The workers at Swiss were so helpful (much more helpful than my experience at Haydel’s – I felt that Haydel’s was trying to charge me for every little thing I wanted to do). Swiss was willing to do extra all within the budget that City Park allotted. Cake was amazing – very moist and fluffy. A lot of compliments! Chez Ru Rene - The groom’s cake was a soccer field with a Barclay’s symbol – they did a great job. The cake was chocolate and very moist. This is a small bakery, but definitely the best for chocolate cake. Very easy to work with.
Photobooth: Southern GEM Photobooths A+ Great. The guests had a great time and the pictures are so funny! They included props, a scrapbook, double prints, and a flash drive of all of the pictures taken. Jeff was great to work with during the planning process.
DJ: Countdown Sound AThe DJ was good –she kept it fun, especially towards the end – the music was good and kept everyone on the dance floor all night. Phil Parrino was superb to work with during the planning process.
Photographer: Matthew Foster A+Wow. Amazing. He is so professional, but also made me very comfortable. He kept me laughing when I was taking pictures and he seemed to have a good time with my friends and family. I received my preview (50 pictures) only a week after my wedding! I cannot describe how thankful I am that I chose Matt Foster.
Videographer: Gary Marino A+ He was very professional and easy-going. Very happy we decided to get a videographer.
Party Favors: A+King Cakes from Old Town Praline Shop, Eclairs from Sweet Life Bakery, Cake Pops by Linda Hoffmann, and Cookies by the Cookie Lady (Joan Ferrell Mathis)
Please let me know if you have any specific questions about anything. Good luck and Enjoy!