Okay, warning ... this is long! I just posted our reviews on Yelp, so thought I'd post them here too. I'm not one to give A++++++ ratings, so the vendors that got an A rating, earned it! We were pretty pleased with our vendors overall, we lucked out!
Vendors:
*Dresses: Alfred Angelo - Shannon in Tukwila - A
I received excellent service from Shannon at the Seattle (Tukwila) store. From the first time I entered the store, Shannon's bubbly personality, honesty and friendliness shined through. She was extremely patient as I tried on dress after dress ... and I'm thankful my first wedding dress shopping experience was so seamless. Confession: I later went to David's Bridal, and instantly regretted it, as I was rushed and ignored during my appointment. I see why DB is called the Wal-Mart of wedding dresses!
One of the biggest decision makers for getting both my wedding dress, as well as all five bridesmaid dresses at Alfred Angelo was the awesome service. I highly recommend them!
*Dress Alterations: Fragile Fit – Darcy - A
Darcy is wonderful! Although her space is small, I never felt crowded or rushed … she had some wonderful ideas of how to alter my dress. I even found some jewelry that matched my dress better than what I had previously found (with no extra pressure to buy it!) Her prices were reasonable, and I appreciate all the work she did, including making me a garter and a ring bearer pillow with extra fabric from my dress. I already sent my Mom and bridesmaid to her; I’ll definitely be referring to her in the future.
*Floral: Metropolitan Market Raul in Admiral Way store - A
Raul is an absolute artist when it comes to flowers. We knew as soon as we first met with him that he would design just what we were looking for, for our wedding. He hand delivered the flowers on the day of the wedding, and waited until I arrived so he could present my bouquet to me. He even included several flowers from his own garden in my bouquet, after some flowers he ordered weren’t up to his standards. What a gem! We received so many compliments on our flowers – they surpassed our expectations. His prices were reasonable too.
*Gifts: Etsy – 4MyAngels -
A4MyAngels was wonderful to work with. We ordered four handkerchiefs as gifts for our mothers/grandmother, and they turned out amazing. Shipping was prompt, and I was even contacted after she started to embroider, and the words ran together, to see if I wanted a different font. I appreciated the extra level of service – I’d definitely recommend them in the future.
*Boudoir Pics - JennyGG - A
I contacted Jenny after reading raving reviews about her on the Knot, and instantly clicked with her. I let her know right away boudoir pictures were outside my comfort zone, but she instantly had me laughing. We spent several hours in her studio, and I have no idea how she actually made me relaxed! She is a true artist … and it shows in her pictures! I was in tears when I first saw the images … she made me look so beautiful and calm! Even better: my husband’s reaction when he opened the gift … he loved them!
*Videographer: Linear Urban Kings Art – Patrick - A
Video wasn’t an expense we originally budgeted for, but I started to change my mind about 6 months before the wedding. I heard about LUKA on the Knot, and after we met him, we were excited about the aspect of having our wedding day recorded on video. Patrick has a very quiet, calm demeanor; we hardly noticed him around during the day. We haven’t received the video yet (ETA 5 weeks after the wedding) but we’re looking forward to seeing his artistic spin on the day’s festivities.
*Day of Coordinator: Happily Ever After - Teasha & Shannon - A
We had originally planned on ‘hiring’ a friend of a friend to be our DOC, and hiring Teasha and Shannon was without a doubt, the best expense of our wedding. Although not super speedy on response of referrals in the months leading up to the wedding, we were very comfortable with their efforts – the day was seamless to us, the bride and groom. The decorated reception hall exceeded our expectations – they took our plans and ran with it! Having them around was such a comfort… if we needed anything, they were there to help. I highly recommend Teasha & Shannon!
*Minimoon: Adytum AWe first heard about Adytum on Tippr earlier this year, and it truly was a blessing! We had a weekend away before our wedding, and it was all we wanted, plus so much more. A perfect chance to reconnect, relax and enjoy the beauty surrounding Adytum. Kat and Donn were the most amazing hosts ... and breakfasts were incredible: healthy, fresh and delicious! We loved it so much that we decided to plan our “minimoon” there - a few days away after the wedding. (Our honeymoon is four months later!) Once again, it was amazing… a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi tub with a cup of tea and therapeutic bath salts was just what I needed the day after the festivities! We were treated to rose pedals on our bed, and heart shaped carrot cake, along with some wine. Adytum is quite the amazing getaway!
*Night before wedding: Cedarbrook Lodge - B
I booked a suite at Cedarbrook to stay the night before the wedding, as well as to have a central location for all of my bridesmaids and family to come to have their hair and makeup done before the wedding. Cedarbrook is a SeaTac hotel that doesn’t look or feel like an airport hotel! The grounds are relaxing, and the suite was perfect! They even have a lounge in every building with complimentary fruit, snacks, ice cream and water – what a treat!! A couple of my bridesmaids had problems with their room (3 adults in a room with 1 queen bed and a chair?) that resulted in a bit of stress, but it was rectified after escalation. I’ll be recommending Cedarbrook going forward, as a reasonably priced central airport.
*Makeup/Hair: Pacific Artistry – Shanelle - B
I originally sought out Pacific Artistry to have makeup done on location for my wedding for myself and my bridesmaids. Her prices were quite reasonable, however, and we ended up doing hair + makeup for me, 5 bridesmaids, 2 mothers and 2 flower girls! The trial went wonderful – I loved the coverage of the airbrush makeup. We clicked instantly, laughing as if we were old friends. Shanelle did not disappoint me for our wedding makeup, either – everyone had natural looking makeup and hair, which turned out perfect in pictures. My only complaint was her showing up 2 hours late – she had originally set up the time schedule, and prior communication referenced the 6am arrival time. Although she said she confirmed for 8:00 arrival, after the wedding I verified this was incorrect. It was just an extra stress I didn’t need on the day of the wedding, but we rolled with it … and our makeup and hair looked wonderful!
*Cake: Sugar Rush Baking Co. - A
After trying cupcakes from Sugar Rush for one o f my bridal showers, my fiancé and I decided to try them out for our wedding cake. (We only ordered a 6” cake to cut.) The hardest decision was what to order – so many delicious flavors! We tried several mini cupcakes and ended up getting a Strawberry Lemonade cake – lemon cake with strawberry filling and strawberry icing. It was delicious – and the decoration was perfect, matching our whimsical, fun wedding. We’re looking forward to eating it again on our anniversary!
*Bridal Party Spa Day: Vida Spa - B
I won a $1000 Vida Spa gift card from a contest on Facebook, and my bridesmaids and I enjoyed a bit of luxury the day before the wedding! The spa is tucked in a busy location, but you feel relaxed as soon as you arrive. We had a variety of services – I had a 2 hour scrub and massage … ahhh! The lounge area was perfect for groups; we even set up some champagne and strawberries as a treat, and were able to chat between services. My only complaint is that my technician was 40 minutes late, which added to a bit of stress as I had to rush out at the end. The services are a bit on the pricey end, but well enjoyed as a treat!
*Photo Booth: 321Foto - B
Our wedding photographer recommended 321Foto as the best photo booth company in the Seattle area, and initially we were quite disappointed. Communication seems to be lacking – we were told we’d be able to pay early, and had to follow up several times to get an invoice; we were promised a designed image for our photo booth strips, and it was several weeks later that we actually received it; emails weren’t answered, etc. However, these organizational issues fell aside as our guests LOVED the photo booth. The attendants were incredible: making suggestions for different poses (act scared, blow a kiss, etc.) and keeping our guests involved and having fun. The best part? We left with an album of fun photo booth pictures from our wedding! All in all, it ended up working out, just wish the pre-wedding experience was a bit more organized.
*Photographer: Keri Doolittle Photography - A
I can’t rave enough about our photographer, Keri Doolittle. She’s funny, engaging, relaxed … and delivers amazing photos! We were referred to her by a friend, and we clicked right away. Although based in CO, she flew out to Seattle for our engagement photos and our wedding. She had tough shooting conditions for our engagement pictures: rain and low light – but delivered pictures that were incredible! She had recommendations for fun shots, and captured our personalities perfectly. She is timely, too … in less than a week, she posted sneak peeks of our first pictures. I highly recommend Keri for a classic, fun style of photography.
*Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse - Randy in Bellevue - A
We initially visited the Men’s Wearhouse in Southcenter, and had a horrible experience: the service was rude, we were ignored and left to browse on our own, and told our wedding colors were “off” (teal, fuchsia and orange??). A friend recommended Randy at the Bellevue store, and we decided to give them one more shot. Randy was wonderful … detailed, organized, made suggestions, and left us feeling comfortable that all the men in our wedding party would be taken care of. He made the tux decision seamless, with recommendations that made sense (2 button or 3? Matching vest and tie? Bow tie or long?) Although Men’s Wearhouse is a large store, Randy’s sense of service is commendable, like you’d find in a small tux shop. He treated us like his best customers, answering all of our questions, and putting us at ease.
*Church: Fauntleroy Church, UCC - A
I first visited Fauntleroy Church with a family member, and instantly felt at ease and welcomed. When it came time to look at a location to get married, Fauntleroy Church made the short list. As time went on and I visited more and more, I not only looked at Fauntleroy for a place to get married, but also as a church to call ‘home’. David Kratz is such an asset to the Church – so welcoming and warm. Our wedding there was incredible; the sanctuary hardly needed any decorations, and we received quite a few compliments on the amazing location. It’s so much more than a pretty place though, a hospitable community.
Venue: Hall at Fauntleroy - Kristin Beman A
When we first realized we had a guest list of 250 guests, we realized quickly not many locations would accommodate our reception. Hall at Fauntleroy was not only in a central location (West Seattle) but across from a family church (Fauntleroy UCC). When we first visited, we loved the open space, with exposed brick in the Emerald Room. We met with Kristin, who was so incredibly accommodating, working with our budget and making suggestions for how to cut down on expenditures. She was honest, and helpful … and answered our multitude of questions in a timely manner. On the day of the wedding, the staff was amazing – friendly, speedy and flexible. I can’t speak highly enough about the Hall at Fauntleroy … it was the perfect venue for us.
Catering: Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes - A
Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes is the caterer at the Hall at Fauntleroy, but we were not limited by having to use their in-house caterer. We attended two open houses, where we tried a variety of options of appetizers, sides and main courses. We pretty underwhelmed with the main dishes at the open houses – nothing wowed us … the appetizers were wonderful, however! Leading up to the wedding, we had only tried the appetizers- but the rest of the food at our reception did not disappoint. It was better than we expected, and we received quite a few compliments on the food. The leftovers were delicious, too. J
*Limo: British Motor Coach A
We hired BMC after a friend backed out from being our transportation night of the wedding. The ‘late’ booking worked to our advantage: Jed gave us a deal, to only use the car for 1 hour, instead of the minimum two, since it was being used earlier in the night. The driver arrived prompt, and took us straight to the hotel … quick, seamless, and a fun ride! *Airbrush Tan: The Bronze Bar B
A friend recommended The Bronze Bar for sunless tanning – I was looking for an even glow for the wedding and didn’t want the streaked results I’ve experienced with Mystic Tan. I was satisfied with the overall color. The process is a bit unusual: you stand stark naked, in a tent, making small talk with the sprayer for 10 minutes, then wait for a few minutes before getting dressed. Although the process was pricey ($100 for 2 sessions), and I had one thumb darker than the rest, overall it was a success- my pictures showed me with a “healthy glow” unlike my usual pale self. I’d return for a special occasion!
ETA: Some of the formatting came out wonky, so not all of the links work. I hopefully fixed it so now it's easier to read!