Hey Everyone - I didn't really post alot on this board but definitely got great ideas everyone. I just got married on August 7th and used some vendors that don't get a lot of mention on the board so I thought I would write some reviews to give future brides some other vendors to consider.
Salon: Denham & Co: A+: This salon is located in Market Square. Our bridal party and out of town guests were staying at the Renaissance Hotel so it was very convenient. They did an absolutely fabulous job. They did hair and makeup for myself and then hair for 5 of my bridesmaids and my mom in about 3 hours. Everyone loved their hair, the prices were very reasonable and they were just a lot of fun. They let us bring in breakfast food, mimosas, a CD to play the music of our choice - they were great!
Qualistar Transportation: A: We used them for our guest shuttle . We were able to book a 36 passenger shuttle for 9 hours for a very reasonable price. It was awesome to have the shuttle for the whole day/night so our guests didn't have to worry about navigating through Pittsburgh. The shuttle was clean and arrived on time so they were great to work with. They also started and stopped their clock at pick up and drop off time rather than garage to garage time which was nice.
Silver Fox Limo: A: We booked a 13 passenger shuttle for our bridal party. We were going for something economical since we wouldn't be in the shuttle for very long and this was definitely the best deal we could find. Everything went really smoothly - they did a great job!
Florist: Design Space: A: We used design space which is the required florist for our reception venue. They did an awesome job. They came up with really cute ideas (like each bridesmaid carrying a different type of flower and then my bouquet was a combo of all five BM bouquets) and really worked with our budget. I think they probably typically handle bigger budgets but were super accommodating with ours!
Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Church; A: The church is absolutely gorgeous! They do have a lot of rules in terms of when you can arrive and when you must leave but it wasn't too hard to work within those. It is not airconditioned however but we lucked out with a beautiful day!
Reception Venue: Mansion at Maple Heights: A+. I think I was one of the first brides to book here so I was nervous about it but it turned out absolutely perfect!!! I wanted an intimate setting for my 110 person wedding and I wanted something different and unique and this fit the bill. We had cocktail hour inside and then dinner and dancing outside and it was just perfect. The Mansion is absolutely beautiful and all our guests were excited to be at a venue they had never been at before!
Catering Company: La Creme: A+ The food was out of this world good. They have such interesting choices and really worked with our budget. The service was outstanding and Leslie, the event coordinator, is awesome and amazing to work with. We were able to provide our guests with amazing h'orderves and a lovely sit down dinner all within our budget. I highly recommend going with the crabcakes for an entree option everyone loved them!
Music: Betsy Lawrence and the Big City Band: A++ The band really was my favorite part of the reception. I had only seen Youtube videos for the band prior to booking and the sound quality wasn't that great so I was a little nervous. However when I heard them live at the reception they were awesome!! They were a lot more affordable than the other wedding bands you hear about which was a plus. Ed, their manager is sooo great to work! We had a keyboard player for cocktail hour and then a 5 piece band for dinner and dancing. They played jazz music during dinner and then kept the dance floor packed all night!! Betsy the lead singer was also a great MC for the evening I would HIGHLY recommend them they were AMAZING!
Cake: Vanilla Pastry: A: Our cake was absolutely beautiful!! I liked how Vanilla has different flavors than what you typically expect for a wedding cake. We wanted something really light and refreshing for our outdoor reception so we went with a keylime buttercream we also tried ones like champagne and strawberries which was very good too. They are also pretty comparably priced to other bakeries like Oakmont and Prantles where we also did tastings.
Photographer: Ryan Sigesmund: A: Ryan was super easy to work with! He even came to our Rehearsal to snap some pictures and talk to our priest about pictures during the ceremony. He and his assistant Kate were with us all day and night with no set time limits which was awesome! His prices are reasonable and the packages include rights to your photos which was a must for us.
Wedding rings: Frost & Co: A+: We got both our wedding rings from Frost & Co. They custom designed a wedding band to match my engagement ring and it was perfect. My fiancée found his ring there as well. We shopped around a lot and found their prices to be the most reasonable for the quality.
Rehearsal Dinner: McCormick & Schmicks: A: My husband's parents planned this but I will say the food was delicious and they have a nice private dining room. We were at the downtown location.
Anyways hope this helps future brides looking for vendors!