I had a great time planning our wedding and really enjoyed our wedding day, due in large part to our vendors. To my knowledge, only one thing went wrong (the box for the top of the cake was too small, big deal) and we got to have fun the whole day! MSU Alumni Chapel - A+ Our top priority was getting married there and we were lucky enough to get the last Saturday evening. We found Steve, the chaplain, in the Chapel on a random Saturday afternoon without an appointment and he explained everything to us on short notice. A few days before the wedding, he called me and we spent 15 minutes walking through the ceremony. We had more than enough time to rehearse our ceremony twice the night before and loved the student assistants that helped. During the day of our wedding, there were 2 students and we hardly knew they were there (in a good way). Everything was really smooth, including the Jimmy John's subs we had delivered to the basement before the ceremony. If you go there, ask them to ring the bell when you kiss! All in all, this is a beautiful location and they are wonderful to work with.
http://bit.ly/MNYWk Sister Kya Rose - A+ We knew Kya would do a wonderful job as she married our friends 2 years ago. She's very relaxed, but don't let that fool you! She knows what she's doing. We loved that she spent time getting to know us and customized our ceremony. She even suggested readings (our moms ended up choosing their own, though). She said exactly what we wanted and needed her to say. We got rave reviews from the Catholics and the Atheists about our ceremony!
http://bit.ly/1IYrkS Ben Friedkin - A+ I can't say enough about our photographer, Ben. Most importantly, his photography is unique, beautiful art. Ben was my favorite vendor because he worked really hard to match our style, which is quite similar to his. Ben has great angles, my dream camera, and a sense of humor. One of our attendants has been in a few weddings and said Ben was the best to work with. And one of my coworkers wants to get married again so he can take her photos. For those on a budget, Ben's fees are surprisingly low for his talent. We'll get our photos, including copy rights, in about a month. However, Ben posted his favorites the DAY AFTER our wedding.
http://bit.ly/qCplK Check out his blog! Morton's Catering - A- Morton's food is delicious and Bethany worked with us very carefully to make sure we served suited our style. We wanted a buffet of Mediterranean hors d'oeuvres and that's exactly what we got. Everyone got to eat what they wanted and loved the options, which included spinach artichoke dip, bruschetta, antipasto, cheeses, and hummus. They also handled the bar and their bartender exceeded DH's expectations. All of the mixes were there and they had non-alcoholic beverages, too. We bought the booze because they can't. Our only complaint is that we had a hard time getting in touch with them a few times. Their website shows their food and their hall:
http://bit.ly/137cGf. Perspective 2 - B+ For a unique reception space, P2 in Lansing's Old Town is perfect. It's an old building that's now a gallery and photography studio. But perfection comes with a price and staff turnover. We worked with 3 different event coordinators (the first was terribly clueless), though the current staff was great. It's a beautiful space with old wood floors and brick walls. They have a full kitchen and allow you to bring in your own food and drinks. However, as many others here have said, it's very expensive for the size and services provided. Still, they let us stay later than expected and helped set up. I recommend them with only cost as a deterrent.
http://bit.ly/SseCZ Insty-Prints Downtown - A A BM designed our STDs and invites and I did our programs. Insty-Prints helped adjust the designs to fit and were great about communication. Jennifer was my point of contact and she called when she got my order for the programs to let me know their power went out, but they would have everything done on time. They're affordable, local, and great to work with! Wedding Bell - A+ I loved shopping there! Even though I tried on 40 dresses, I bought the first one I looked at. The girls there are very helpful and only showed me dresses in my price and style range. When I went to pick up my dress and didn't have a hair piece, Katie pulled out a flower she had cut from another dress that matched mine and gave it to me! Bake N Cakes - A- We wanted a simple cake with clean lines and creamy frosting and that's what we got! Their buttercream has a slight almond flavor, which was a nice surprise. And the first "sample" is free and about 6 pieces. They let us drop off ribbon to use on each layer a few days before the wedding and they delivered, for a fee. They were surprised at the simplicity we sought, but were very accommodating. They only have 1 person who can take cake orders, though, so be prepared to have a cup of coffee while waiting. Horrocks - A- I called them one week before our wedding because the bush of hydrangeas we wanted to use bloomed early. For less than 1/2 the price of online vendors, they set aside 20 of their best blooms. My wonderful friend, Fawn, did our bouquets and was happy with their selection. Our only problem was that they couldn't deliver to an empty home, which is all we had they day before the wedding. They don't need a signature or even a face, just the knowledge that somebody is home. Jump Start DJs - B I'm not sure why Jump Start DJs had a playlist-building tool on their website because they don't actually play what you list. My husband is a music snob, and told our DJ how important music is to our relationship. I can understand skipping Bloc Party, but our DJ didn't play the Justin Timberlake song my mom wanted to dance to! It was frustrating to wait for a certain song to be played, only to find out that it wasn't going to happen. There was a lot of dancing, just not to the songs we were expecting. Hilda Schmidt - B Hilda did my alterations, which ended up being really expensive and seemed slightly unfinished in the bust. The bustle was supposed to be color-coded and wasn't, so my BMs were confused. She does a lot of alterations and is conveniently located at The Wedding Bell, but I was unimpressed at the quality of work for the high cost. Attendants' gifts - A+ My BMs came from Brooklyn, Marquette, Lansing, and Portland, so I wanted to show them local art. I made their jewelry using items from Fire Mountain Gems, who I loved working with. Fiddlehead Soaps, AKA my friend Anna, did custom handmade soap. And Etsy seller Wayvie, AKA my friend Laurie, made gorgeous clutched using sari fabric. These two girls made beautiful, local gifts. My husband created "Tux Chucks" for his attendants and found that making Converse All Stars is fun and easy. The guys and our photog loved them! Fawn Liz - A+ If my friend Fawn ever goes into wedding coordination, I'll share her information! She did our flowers, centerpieces, bouts, and was our DOC. She made sure that we had everything planned ahead of time and wrote it all down. Fawn has impeccable taste and loves to work behind the scenes. She's a gem!