Ceremony Site/Coordinator
Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Catholic Church/Cathy A+
Beautiful church, super friendly staff…..could not have asked for a better place. Since we were out of towners, I thought it would much more difficult to be married in this church. However I met with Father Jim 6 months before the wedding, and he was very helpful and understanding to the situation my Fiance and I had (military training, etc). They were so easy to work with and friendly!!!
Reception Site/Coordinator-
Sandbar Restaurant/Patti- A+
AMAZING location. If you are looking for a unique wedding reception...this is your place. We had 85 friends and family fly in from Boston, and they just had never experienced a wedding like this before. Feet in the sand, laid back but beautiful and professional. The food was outstanding (INCREDIBLY huge scallops), and the wait-staff and bartender were fun and efficient. Patti (the coordinator), I just do not have enough time to write about her.....she loves her job and it shows...she is just amazing. And her laid back attitude is just what I was looking for. I honestly do not have one bad thing to say about the Sandbar.....they gave us the wedding we wanted and people are still saying it was the best one they have been to yet!
Photographer
Island Photography/Dara Caudill- A+
Dara really was amazing at our wedding last weekend on Anna Maria Island. My husband as adamant about not having a "cheesy" photog who would spend our entire cocktail hour taking pics. Well, we chose wisely! Dara was enthusiastic and willing to work with us all night long. She was laid back but always worked hard to get the best shot. We were able to enjoy the night because of her. We had a lot of military at our wedding, and she loved taking all the Sword Arch shots. My husband is deploying in about a week, and Dara worked hard and edited our sunset pictures in a week’s time so he could see them before he left. Normally this takes her about 3 months!!!! I am just so so so happy we chose Dara....her sunset pictures turned out STUNNING!!!!
DJ
Chuck Caudill- A
Chuck was an amazing DJ. He played live music for our cocktail hour which people loved and then switched to DJ for the dancing. I gave him quite a list of must plays (husband and I have a love for music) and I think I heard them all! Very easy to work with and great attitude. We must have mis-communicated at some point, because he didn't realize I wanted live music at the beginning. But he offered to "run home" and grab his guitar! He lives on the island, 5 min from the Sandbar, so it was perfect! His laid back but professional attitude was what we were looking for.
Flowers
Flower Girls of Sarasota – B
My bouquets turned out gorgeous, and the centerpieces were awesome. The only thing that didn’t turn out like I expected was the flower piece for the church. I was under the impression it was going to be this large candelabra flower presentation, but as I sat on the altar, all I saw was a smaller arrangement. It was really low to the ground, and just not what I pictured. There was a little confusion with some communication between them and my mom about some extra stuff. However that being said, I was really happy with the final product.
Transportation (wedding Party)
Kings Executive Limo- B+
Super friendly and quick to respond during the reservation process. I thought the rates were reasonable as well. We used them to transport the wedding party from hotel to church to reception site. Our driver was late (20 min) but it was honestly out of his control (horrible accident involving a medivac...etc). However we planned for extra time so all in all the ceremony started I believe 8 minutes behind schedule. He was SUPER apologetic and professional. The limo was clean, beautiful, and he was flexible with our stops along the way (beer, atm, etc). Would recommend this company for your wedding!!!
Transportation (Shuttle for guests to reception)
Sarasota Coach Lines- B+
They were very easy to deal with over the phone and quick to respond to emails. We rented a bus to transport our guests from the hotel to the reception site and back. Bus was clean and on time. The only negative was apparently, the driver was not 100% as to how to get to the reception site. I was not on the bus, but one of my guests said he seemed to be lost. They were only a few minutes late, but I think they should know where they going before they leave! I would recommend them, just make sure they know the location well and maybe even a suggested route.
Hair/Make Up
Cari from KyleLynn weddings- A+
HIRE HER!!!! I absolutely loved Cari from KyleLynn Weddings. She was fun, professional, and my hair and makeup was amazing. I love that she travels to you. She did my hair and makeup and the hair of 3 of my girls. Even my girls asked if she would travel to Maine to do their weddings! I can't say enough about her, except that she is amazing and hire her quicky!
Rehearsal Dinner Location
Mattison’s Riverside- A
Really good choice for rehearsal dinner. The location is AMAZING, on the waterfront. The service was great, and we had our own private room. The food was absolutely delicious! The events coordinator that I dealt with was professional and easy to work with. She always got back to me within a few days, if not the same day. The only real downfall was that many guests had a hard time finding the location. Apparently it doesn’t show up on some GPS systems. Other than that, it was great!!
Hotel Block
Holiday Inn Express West Bradenton (off Cortez)- A
Staff at the hotel were super friendly and easy to work with. Even though we came during a busy spring break time, they were flexible about room additions and changes. They even passed out our OOT bags (some with very specific instructions) with no problem. The rooms were clean, and the pool area is beautiful (just wish it were bigger!).
Pre-Wedding Sailboat Trip
Kathleen D/ Sailing Catamaran- A+
We decided to do a fun activity with some of our friends the Friday before the wedding. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, since the weather is hard to predict. However I am SO glad I did it. We rented the boat for two hours for 15 of our guests. It was a bit windy but besides that, it was perfect! The crew was awesome, really knowledgeable and friendly. If you are looking for something fun and different to do for your guests….rent the Kathleen D!