Wedding Date: April 24, 2010
Venue: Hyatt Regency Riverfront//Elizabeth Cohn
I was absolutely thrilled with everything Elizabeth & the entire staff at the Hyatt provided. I checked out several venues but the minute I saw the Hyatt and the River Deck, I was in love. Throughout the entire planning process, Elizabeth was wonderful. She knew what questions to ask and made sure I had thought about details that I wouldn't have known to think about (water station? food allergies? order of reception?) A few days before the wedding, we dropped off all our decorations (favors, placemats, guestbook, etc) and Elizabeth made sure everything was placed exactly as I wanted. Anytime I had a question or concern she was quick to respond. The pricing was very reasonable and Elizabeth worked with my mom and I to make sure we got exactly what we wanted within our budget. The food was amazing and everyone I've talked to since the wedding has complimented it. I couldn't have asked for a more seamless wedding planning and wedding day. It turned out to be everything I dreamed of, and I truly have Elizabeth and the Hyatt to thank for that!!
Cake: Metro Custom Cakes
From the first meeting with Trish and Stephen I loved them. I was so excited to find a local bakery that could compete price wise with Publix. At our tasting the cakes were amazing and when my fiancé and I were overwhelmed with picking cake flavors, they were extremely helpful.
Photography: Wedding by Jen
The minute I started planning my wedding, I started scoping out photographers and knew that was one of the most important things to me. My fiancée and I met with a few photographers before deciding on Jen and hands down she was our favorite. Everytime I saw new wedding photos on Jen’s blog, I got even more excited to have her as my photographer. She met with me a few weeks before the wedding to go over final details and ask about our families (who was married, divorced, who went in which pictures, etc). The day of she was amazing. She showed up earlier than promised and spent a few minutes scoping out locations. Throughout the wedding and reception, she was personable, friendly and efficient. She remembered family arrangements and made sure she covered every base, always asking grandparents and parents if there was any other combinations they wanted. My pictures are absolutely gorgeous and I couldn’t say nicer things about Jen and her photography.
Alterations: Martha Shump Designs
I found Martha when my boss got married and she used Martha as a seamstress. Even though I didn’t need any major alterations on my dress, I still wanted someone I could trust explicitly with the alterations. Martha was amazing. She worked for Disney as a costume designer and still designs some of her own gowns, as well as reworking others. She did a wonderful job on my dress and her prices are extremely reasonable. My mom’s dress needed a complete overhaul. The top was made of lace, and Martha had to take it pretty much apart, alter it, put it back together, and redo the beadwork. She did an amazing job and charged very little. She is really flexible and willing to work around your schedule.
Florist: Anything with Plants & Flowers//Josie Harland
I've waited a while to write this review because of how frustrated and hurt I was by the service I received from this vendor. I had heard wonderful things about Josie and Anything with Plants & Flowers. The first time I met with Josie, things went very well and I was excited about using them as a florist. She promised to send me a proposal within a week, but I never received it. It took an additional two weeks of phone calls and emails before I received a proposal. I should've known at that point to go with another florist, but Josie said she had a family emergency, and since I had read positive reviews in the past, I decided to still go with them. I asked her to make a few changes to the proposal (such as removing gerbera dasies and replacing with stephanotis) and she did so and sent me the updated proposal. I didn't hear anything from her after that. About a month before the wedding, my mom emailed Josie to ask a few questions (when they needed the ribbon and vases we were supplying, etc) and didn't hear back. After several phone calls to the store, my mom spoke to Hilary, the VP of Anything with Plants. Hilary said Josie was on maternity leave and that she was sorry no one had answered my mom's email. She answered the questions and calmed our nerves, assuring us Josie would be back before the wedding. I assumed since we had Hilary to help everything would work out. The day of the wedding, the flowers were supposed to be delivered by 3:00pm so that we could start pictures at 3:30. When we didn't have them by 3:15, my mom called Josie's cell phone. No answer. She called the shop, it was closed (closes at 12 on Saturday). For an hour and a half, we panicked, desperately wondering where my flowers were. At 4:45 Josie finally arrived saying she had been at the hotel since 3:00 but unable to get a freight elevator to bring the flowers up (so many things wrong with that excuse, I can't even count) Although the flowers were beautiful, they did not include the changes I had requested even though Josie had updated the proposal. There were gerbera daisies every where and the wrong ribbon was used on my bouquet. I know that there are many worse things that could have gone wrong, but no one should have to be wondering where their flowers are or have the wrong ones on their wedding day. Im not sure why we received such poor service. Although my mom has written a letter to them, we have not received a response. Find another florist and save yourself the stress!
Hope this helps! Please feel free to ask if you have any questions!