Vendor Review 3/5/11

It's been almost 2 months since our wedding, but I figured I'd post some vendor reviews since our wedding went so well!

Reception: The Phoenix: A
About 2 months before the wedding, the coordinator we were working with left The Phoenix, so Carolina took over.  She was wonderful.  She is very experienced and the transition couldn't have gone more smoothly.  Since we got married in March, we got their winter wedding deals.  Pricewise, this put them in line with several other venues we looked at.  There's no way we could've afforded such a beautiful venue during peak season.

Church: St. Francis de Sales in Walnut Hills: A+
Finding a Catholic church that will allow non-members to have a 5:30 Saturday wedding isn't easy, but St. Francis de Sales is a beautiful old church, and they're very flexible.  You have to get your own priest, and it's pricy, but it's gorgeous!

Photographer: Stacey Downey: A+
The weather was pretty terrible on our wedding day, and Stacey managed to get gorgeous shots anyway.  She kind of stays in the background so you barely notice she's there, but she still manages to keep everything moving along.  Her packages start around $2K, but her style and quality of photos are worth much more!  I really can't recommend her enough.  She's wonderful!

Florist: Susan Foy: A+
She always get rave reviews, but here's one more.  I had pretty vague ideas, but Susan managed to turn them into exactly what I wanted while staying under budget.  I was sold when I asked if she had any ideas for church decor, she said that she would recommend skipping it.  Since our church was so large, she said it would be a waste of our money to try to decorate unless we wanted to do a lot.  I appreciated that she wasn't just looking to make some more money!

Cupcakes: Abby Girl Sweets: A+
These aren't the cheapest cupcakes in Cincy, but they've got to be the most delicious.  We spent just over $2/cupcake and got 4 different flavors.

DJ: Jeff Clarke from Party Pleasers: A+
We had a pretty specific list of music we wanted played, and Jeff went through every song with us.  He filled in the extra time with the perfect music.  The dance floor was packed all night. 

Makeup: Jean Folchi: A+
I'm not a makeup person.  I wanted a very natural look, and Jean nailed it.  I felt glamorous without being over the top.  She was great when we were running a little late and did my makeup while my hairdresser finished up and managed to keep me relaxed at the same time.

Rehearsal Dinner: View: A+
We love to eat, so we wanted to try some place a little different.  View was wonderful.  You get a huge private room that can fit over 100 people and includes a projector, screen and ipod hookup.  They're completely flexible with menus.  The chef will make just about anything you want or you can use options off of their menu. 

Dress: Bridal and Formal: A
I know B&F gets mixed reviews, but I had a pretty good experience.  Sandy was my consultant.  I explained what I wanted, and she was able to find dresses that fit the bill.  I was also able to negotiate the price quite a bit so I came in well under budget.

Bridesmaids Dresses: Bridal and Formal: B
I wanted each bridesmaid to have a different dress.  Unfortunately, the way they have the dresses organized (by color...dumbest thing ever) makes it very difficult to find all of the coordinating dresses by designers, and the consultants weren't very helpful with recommendations.  We eventually found some great Alfred Sung dresses ($145-$160), and they matched the price quoted in an email from Netbride ($106-$114)