Okay, girls . . . . . . . . so i just got married a few months ago. It was amazing and because of all the planning and prep I did leading up, the day of the wedding I was actually relaxed and able to enjoy it all. I hit some bumps along the way - as amazing as my day was there are things I wished I would have done differently. I want to share with all of you which of my vendors were superstars and which let me down. I'm not trying to be snarky. I just feel obligated to help future brides in their endeavors. The knot was an invaluable resource to me - especially the chat boards. Please remember that these were just my experiences but take them into account when planning your big day. i'll start with the good:
Special Moments Photography:
In a word, AMAZING!!!! On the higher end of the price scale but, in my opinion well worth the money. We used Patrick Abel as our photographer so I can only speak of his work not the other photographers that work there. Our pictures are breath taking. He really loves what he does and takes pride in his work and it shows. He responds to his enviroment and has a really creative eye. He's a joy to work with. Manages his time brilliantly - which is SOOOOO important in a photographer. DO NOT overlook this point when looking for a photographer. My husband and I gave him the unofficial "vendor of the day" award
Todd's Room for Makeup:
BRILLIANT!!!! Todd did my makeup. My mother, sister and one of my bridesmaid had their makeup done by some of the other artists. We all looked amazing. Todd's a genius!!!!
Dior Bridal Salon for my dress:
Sadly, the nightmare of my planning. They have a beautiful salon with a large selection. SOME of the ladies that work in there are lovely and helpful. SOME . . . . not so much. If you choose to get your dress there this is my advice: Steer clear of the owner and her daughter. They think they know everything, don't listen to what you want or what you need, they're pushy and insensitive. The daughter made a few of my bridesmaids feel like crap because they weren't rail thin. They ordered accessories I tried on even after I told them I wanted to think about it before they ordered them. They thought they were the right choice and ordered them anyway. Then they tried to charge me for them when I didn't want to take them. There were many things that they just forget to tell me. But the worst part is their alterations. They nearly ruined my dress. I had a lace, mermaid style dress that needed to be taken in to get that true mermaid look. Either they didn't have the time or skills to do this because they kept telling me it looked "fine" when i know it didn't. They couldn't even get a simple alteration like sewing in cups right. They sewed them straight through to the front of the dress, creating a pucker on the outside. The way they sewed the cups in made it look like I had four breasts. Finally, a month before my wedding I found a BRILLIANT private seamstress in Howell (Rozi's Alterations) who saved the day and fixed my dress and altered it to fit me. Thankfully, my dress ended up being a perfect fit and exactly what I wanted but I did not need the stress it took to get it there. While she was working on my dress, she saw all the shotty work Dior had done on my dress. One side of my dress had been taken in while the other was left untouched and all of the lines that had been sewn in were sloppy and uneven. IF you chose to buy your dress there, take it somewhere else to get it altered. Granted the alterations that needed to be done on my dress weren't just cut and dry. It was more than just sewing a hem but if you're going to sell a dress in your store you should either have a seamstress who is capable of altering it or inform the person buying the dress that they will have to take it elsewhere to get it altered because they don't have the time or skills to handle certain style dresses.
So ladies, that's my piece. I hope it helps all of you in your planning process and I hope your day is the dream come true that mine was