We got married on June 8, 2013! I thought a few reviews might help out some of the ladies here who are still planning. Let me know if you've got any questions for me
Rehearsal Dinner - Oklahoma Joe's: A+
We held our rehearsal dinner in our backyard and had Oklahoma Joe's deliver. Our guests were thrilled and the amount they recommended was perfect. We had very little left over! Their prices were extremely affordable and extras like pickles & bottles of BBQ sauce were included. If we ever host another big event, Oklahoma Joe's is definitely where we will cater from!
Rehearsal Dessert - Paciugo Gelato: B-
We ordered 3 large containers of gelato for our rehearsal dinner. Although the dessert was obviously delicious, the order wasn't at all correct. I placed the order on Wednesday for a Friday morning pick-up. My mother-in-law went to pick it up and it was not ready. She waited 30 mins for them to give her the wrong order. I had ordered 1 box with 1 flavor and 2 boxes with 2 flavors. I should have had 3 boxes with 5 total flavors. Instead, I got 3 boxes with 3 flavors. If the grade alone was for taste, they would have received an A, but poor service brought this grade to a B-.
Ceremony Venue - Loose Park Rose Garden: A+
I would be lying to say the rose garden wasn't one of my most favorite parts of the entire day. We did wait out in the cold in early April of last year to reserve it, but it was affordable ($325) for a 2-hour slot and getting married the Saturday after Rose Day left the garden in pristine condition! The roses were well-manicured and in full bloom, the grounds are incredibly well-kept, and the setting made for the most perfectly romantic outdoor ceremony a girl could dream of! The only thing I would change is the fact that the Rose Garden does not contract with a chair company, so you are on your own for chair rentals.
Chair Rental - Elite Party Rental: C
We used Elite Party Rental for tables and chairs for our rehearsal dinner. We also rented our ceremony chairs from them. The rehearsal rental went off without a hitch. The tables and chairs were picked up and delivered on time, as promised. The ceremony was another story. We had ordered 150 chairs to be set up by 4:30 and broken down by 6pm (our Rose Garden slot was 4pm-6pm). Hubby and I walked into the garden at 4:15 (30 minutes before ceremony start time) and there wasn't a chair or company truck to be seen. Luckily, my friend/ceremony coordinator was already doing her best to handle the situation. The Elite office is closed on Saturdays, so despite her best efforts she could not get anyone to answer the phone. With the ceremony quickly approaching, she sent a desperate email to the email listed on the contract (which, luckily, I had neatly tucked in a day-of binder with all of my other contact info/contracts). Eventually, we got in touch with Katie who apologized profusely and explained that her employees had gone to some location up north with my chairs. She promised they were on their way and would be there shortly. Long story short, the chairs arrived at 4:50, the guests and groomsmen rolled up their sleeves to get things set-up as quickly as possible, and the ceremony went on. We had a full refund headed our way before the ceremony concluded.
Reception Venue - Club 1000: A
We absolutely LOVED our venue and got so many compliments from guests. The used the 2nd floor and although the view isn't quite as spectacular as the 6th floor, it was beautiful nonetheless. John and Carla have been hosting weddings at this venue for years, so they've got it all figured out. They responded promptly to emails and phone calls, were helpful when we requested changing certain things, and were attentive and prompt in fixing things that weren't to our liking. We also rented out the bridal suite for the gals to get ready before the wedding and I wouldn't have done it any other way. We had plenty of space to spread out for hair, make-up, snacks, and mingling. The photographers and videographer had more than enough room to move around and get the shots & footage they needed without being in our way. We also rented the bridal suite for an 11pm-1am karaoke after party that Club 1000 offers. It does come at an extra charge, but we had a blast. Club 1000 definitely came at a cost, but when all was said and done, we both agreed it was well worth it!
Bridal Gown - Mia's Bridal: A+
I spent an entire day trekking around Kansas City with my mom to find the gown of my dreams. It was 4pm and I was finally in tears. No one had what I wanted. Everyone had something "kind of" similar and would add this or take away that or change this or that to make it what I wanted, but couldn't show me what it would look like there. Everyone was close, but no one had THE dress and I was worried it didn't exist. I hadn't made an appointment at Mia's (not sure why!), but we decided to call and see if we could make an appointment for the next day. Abby answered the phone and I told her my dilemma. She asked exactly what I was looking for and if I could come immediately. She had an appointment open and was sure she could help me. I was skeptical, but agreed. We drove to Mia's and were greeted immediately by Abby, who had filled the dressing room with dresses fitting my criteria in the 15 minutes it took us to drive there. She pulled the first gown and helped me into it and that was all she needed to do. I was in LOVE. Mia came out and agreed that the gown was perfect. It was a Maggie Sottero with a sash. We all agreed that the sash needed a change, so Mia covered the sash and placed a belt higher on the dress instead. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect gown. She was able to schedule my alterations around my mom being in town and was completely honest with what she did and didn't think needed to be altered. My gown fit perfectly on my wedding day. I would recommend Mia and the girls in her shop for sure!
Hair - Deanna McPeake (Hello Beautiful Salon): A+
Deanna is my regular stylist, so I was thrilled that she was able to do hair for my wedding. She agreed to do hair on-site and showed up early the day of the wedding. Not a single one of my girls had a complaint about their hair. She arrived prepared and with a plan and was able to finish 9 updos (all of which remained perfect all night long) in only a few hours time. All of my girls looked beautiful and we had a wonderfully stress-free time getting ready for my big day!
Make-up- Missy Fox (Hello Beautiful Salon): A+
Deanna recommended Missy to do the make-up for my wedding. She, too, agreed to work on site and also showed up early. Everyone's make-up was flawless! Although we didn't have airbrushed make-up, we didn't look cakey and our looks lasted all day. She asked plenty of questions as to how each girl wanted to look and also shared her opinion if she was worried something might clash with skin, hair, accessories, or dress color. I would absolutely recommend Missy!
Photography- Mark Sorenson: A
Mark's pricing and honesty were what initially sold us. He has a great personality and was so much fun to work with. Mark & his partner Steve were absolutely amazing on our wedding day. They arrived early for pictures of us getting ready and stayed through the important parts of the reception, which was perfect! They gave direction without being pushy, worked well-together as a team, and got some amazing shots. They had plenty of ideas for posing, locations, etc. When they weren't posing or giving direction, we honestly did not even know they were there. Some photographers are constantly in your face, pushing you around and directing. Mark & Steve were basically invisible when they weren't doing posed shots. We got our photos back today, less than a month after the wedding, and they are stunning. His slogan is "Cutting cost does not mean cutting quality" and it is so true! I've included just a few below. The rest are equally as amazing!
Videography - Jim Barcus: A
We have not seen our video yet, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will be amazing. Jim also arrived early and, to be perfectly honest, we didn't even know he was there. He blended into the day, giving very few directions, but I feel as though he captured everything we could have possibly needed. He was extremely nice and very professional throughout the day. He worked well with our photographers and with our guests. Many guests did not even realize we had a videographer!
Floral - Mission HyVee: A+
My mom made my bouquet as well as the bridesmaids, but HyVee took care of the centerpieces. Melody met with me twice before the wedding to go over pictures, details, and my vision for the day. Her execution of the centerpieces was flawless. I would recommend her in an instant!
Catering - Silber Spoons: A++
There may be no such thing as an A++, but Mike Silber and his team at Silber Spoons deserve nothing less. From coming to our house for the tasting to catering to our every request for the big day, Mike did an awesome job! Food is a huge part of a wedding reception and our guests were floored! Coming from a family that hosts ONLY plated dinner receptions and then choosing a venue that can only accommodate buffets, we really had to prove ourselves. We received so many compliments from our guests on the food and the professionalism of the Silber Spoons staff, we were beyond pleased with our decision to go with Silber Spoons. Mike and his team plated dinners for the head table and parent's table. The rest of our guests (approximately 125 people) were served buffet style by white-gloved servers. We chose herb seasoned chicken breast, bbq brisket,mashed potatoes, and mixed seasoned veggies. Each table was fully set (plates, utensils, napkins, etc) and had a garden salad, Caesar salad, and rolls for guests to start dinner while waiting to be called to the buffet. It went SEAMLESSLY! We would recommend Silber Spoons catering 10x over!
DJ - Mike Shortino (Entertainment to Go): A+
Mike was everything we could have asked for. He was there for our ceremony and reception. Our ceremony music went off without a hitch and he kept the dance floor packed all night long at our reception. We had guests with a lot of different music tastes and Mike was able to cater to all of them without being cheesy or obnoxious. He played great music all night, made sure everything went smoothly as far as keeping things on track and on time, and overall helped us to have an absolutely amazing night. We were so lucky to have him!
Bridal Party Transportation - Horizon Limo: A+
We reserved a trolley to transport ourselves and the bridal party. The driver arrived early and was incredibly professional. The trolley was beautiful and everything we expected. Our guests loved it! We only wish we had remembered to take pictures on the back porch! Stephanie from Horizon was responsive to all questions and concerns and made sure everything went smoothly for our big day.
Wedding Guest Transportation - First Student School Bus: C
95% of our guests were out of town. In order to make our day as easy as possible for them, we arranged for transportation from the hotel to the garden and then to the reception. The buses arrived at the Aladdin on time to transport our guests. They were to be air conditioned, but the AC wasn't turned on until after the buses arrived and we did have some complaints about the guests being too hot on the buses. The guests arrived to the ceremony on time. After the ceremony, the buses were nowhere to be found and the drivers, once called, refused to return, saying that it wasn't in their contract. Ultimately, our coordinator sorted it out, the buses returned, and our guests were transported to the reception. We have filed a dispute with the bus company and are currently working on a resolution to our dilemma.
Guest Lodging - The Aladdin Hotel: B-
The hotel is newly renovated and beautiful. The rooms are on the smaller side, but for a summer wedding in the city, our guests didn't need much space as little time was spent in the room. The beds are incredibly comfortable and the rooms and clean and perfectly kept. Beth, the coordinator for our wedding block, was extremely responsive to any issues that arose. We opted to reserve their shuttle bus to help our guests return to the hotel after the reception and the driver, Hamid, was absolutely amazing. He was one of the highlights of the night! One guest reported that their room was double booked. They checked in, were assigned to their room, and shortly after, another man was assigned and given a key to the same room. Our biggest issue with the Aladdin, and the reason for the B- grade, was the hotel. One year before our wedding we reserved approximately 40 seats for brunch at 9:30am in the restaurant. To say the service we received was terrible would be an understatement. The restaurant was horribly understaffed and one of our waitresses, Nicole, was extremely rude. After waiting over an hour and a half for our food (I ordered a bagel with cream cheese), my husband and I finally left. We couldn't let a farewell brunch ruin our amazing wedding weekend. As we were leaving, several plates of food began appearing, but many were incorrect. It was incredibly frustrating.
*EDITED - To add hotel & transport
*2nd edit to add bridal gown review & update on photos