(My scoring system has A+ being the best of the best. I didn't want to go crazy with +'s!! Sorry... this is really long!)
The Georgetown Centre (A):
It was really nice to have a "package" deal and not have to stress about coordinating rentals from three or four different companies. I worked closely with Carol during the entire process and she was really open to my ideas and any things I needed to change. I dropped everything off at the hall the day before the wedding and put total faith in them to set everything up for me (centerpieces were brought in by the florist, so I didn't have to worry about those). They did a great job with the set up - I was really impressed!
The food was good... but for some reason, I could swear my chicken during my tasting was breaded and I'm pretty sure the chicken at the reception was grilled. Nothing that anyone noticed and no big deal, but... weird. The cake was from Pastries ala Carte and was really yummy... even if the only piece I tasted that night was what DH shoved in my face (I really wish I had the chance to eat my piece. Their cake really is good!).
I drank wine all night, but from what some friends told me, the mixed drinks were made well. Also, the servers/staff are so friendly. The girl who waited on the Head Table was super friendly and knew what I was drinking the entire night (she was behind the bar after dinner).
The Cons: They advertise their "package" as including everything -- cake, all taxes and gratuity. In reality, it does
not include the Allegheny Alcohol Tax. Also, if you want filling in or any fondant on your cake, there are upcharges. I didn't find out about this until a year after I signed the contract. I don't know too many brides who don't want some type of filling in their cake. We probably still saved a good bit of money rather than having to bring in an entire cake ourselves. For filling and fondant leaves, we paid $125 more. These were nothing that broke the bank, I just find it to be a little bit of false advertising to say "everything" is included.
Unique Factor Salon (A+) (Pleasant Hills)
This is my normal salon, so the woman who normally does my cuts/color also did my updo. She did a really great job. Despite the rain, my hair stayed in place and was great.
The BM's were divided between the other stylists in the salon. They did a great job with my girls (although one BM had her forehead burned by a curling iron -- yikes!). Unfortunately, the rain did not help with the curls and some of the girls' hair didn't stay very well. I suppose that's life on a rainy day.
Clare from Ciel Cosmetics (A+)Clare did such a great job for my trial and the day-of. I never wear makeup so there was NO way I could do that for my big day. I felt so pretty. I purchased MAC blotting powder from her to refresh and touch up during the reception and totally forgot to use it. I definitely have a shiney face in some pictures. Oops!
Carlisle's of Pittsburgh (A+)
The service was really great at Carlisle's. I worked with Kathy and I never felt rushed to choose a dress or to choose a dress in a certain price-range. I purchased my dress, crinoline and veil here. They said it could take up to 6 months for the dress to come in and, sure enough, my dress came in exactly 6 months. The crinoline is always available for purchase and my veil took two weeks to become available.
Honorable mention certainly goes to MB Bride, though. I think I worked with Terry there and she was great. I went back to MB Bride twice, but just never found my dress there.
The Bridal Place (A) (Finleyville)
We purchased the BM dresses here. The entire process went pretty smoothly from beginning to end. One BM had her alterations done through the store as well. I believe they did a really nice job with the alterations (the BM didn't mention any problems!).
The only con about working with a smaller store like this was the limited summer hours. I think they were open M, W, F throughout the summer and my BM's had a tough time getting there during open hours to get their dresses. I think you can call and be by appointment, though. She also encouraged calling before coming even if it was during hours they were supposed to be open. I had a feeling it was almost like "Hey... if it's 95 and sunny out, we'll be at the pool."
White Oak Florist (A+)I've gotten my flowers for every occasion from WO Florist for years (semi formals, prom, etc), so it was kind of a no-brainer where I would get my flowers. I am not a flower person. I don't really have opinions on types of flowers nor did I
need a specific type of flower. I just knew what colors I wanted.
I basically gave them all creative power with the flowers. I purchased lanterns from Pat Catan's for my centerpieces and had them do floral pieces around them. I couldn't have been happier with how they turned out. I walked into the reception and was in awe of the centerpieces. All of the flowers were gorgeous.
Pittsburgh Popcorn Company (B+):
DH looooooves Popcorn, so I surprised him with a Popcorn Bar with popcorn from Pittsburgh Popcorn Company. The process was a little stressful. It felt like they flew by the seat of their pants a lot of the time. It's not easy to go into the store to order the popcorn because they are always busy, busy, busy (which is a fabulous thing, but made things difficult!). Everytime I was in the store, there would be a line in front of me and, by the time it was my turn, a line of people behind me.
You can buy bags (basically small brown lunch bags) that are stamped with "Pittsburgh Popcorn Company" and I asked if I could pick up the bags early (I wanted to personalize them). I scheduled to pick them up on 9/17. It was really hard to sneak around without DH noticing, so I woke up really early on 9/17 and drove to the Strip Disctrict to get the bags (telling DH I was going shopping for BP gifts!). I got there right when they opened and was told someone had already come by and purchased the bags. *sigh* I ended up pre-printing stickers and my SIL helped me sticker the bags the day before the wedding (the day I picked up the popcorn AND the bags).
Needless to say, after I didn't get the bags as planned, I called to confirm my order a few days before picking up. It really is a neat service they offer and it would be
really nice if they put one knowledable person in charge of the bulk orders. Everytime I went in or talked to someone on the phone, they seemed frantic and not prepared to discuss a bulk order.
In the end, it was tasty and my guests loved it. It was just slightly stressful to arrange.
Caitlin Thomas Photograpy (A+) I definitely can't say enough great things about Caitlin (and her crew!). Her talent and creativity is amazing. I am always utterly impressed with all of her work with all of her clients.
We also added her new "photobooth" for the reception. The hall wasn't the best to accomodate the booth, but she worked with me to make it work. It's a little different than most booths because guests didn't get to take home pictures that night, but they still had a great time taking the pictures. I will get a disc of the images with rights. My plan is to print out the pictures and send them to the guests who participated.
Here is a link to our preview on Caitlin's blog: <<
Clicky>>
Ink and Fiddle [Etsy dealer, Invitiation digital file] (A+)DH and I were on the hunt for a Fall-themed digital file so we could print our own invites. He found the invitation by Ink and Fiddle on Etsy and the seller is coincidentally from Pittsburgh.
Nikki was great to work with and she was so patient with changes she made to incorporate my colors into the invitation design.
PHEW! That was a lot of typing!
