We had the best day of our lives!! It was intimate, emotional, very personal, and truly unforgettable. And we couldn't have done it without our parents, and a few key vendors!
Paul Mattison: A+
Wow! Paul is a bride's dream come true. His personality is so calming. He was efficient and I felt like I was his only bride. He has impeccable service and was so accommodating. His food is amazing and I was impressed with him from the start. We flew into Sarasota in June to chose our menu. That evening we met for the first time and had a pleasant conversation. He was extremely thorough and a great listener. Once we had discussed everything and picked out the menu, he served us our entire meal and it was just as delicious as it was the day of the wedding. Paul even had to do some major last minute troubleshooting with US Tent . (The rental company had no linens or china for us.) Paul was able to get an upgrade on everything and I was never bothered with any of the hassle. Everything he promised, he delivered.
Mattison's Catering: C+
The food was fantastic! Our food was beautifully displayed during cocktail hour and they made sure we had something to eat and drink the entire hour we were taking pictures. I had everything served family style, but I was not impressed with the service. It was slow. We were sitting for quite some time before we even had anything to eat. The salads started to come out and then we had to wait even longer for serving utensils. I was also not impressed with the serving platters. The chicken piccata was served in very long platters and it was too heavy and cumbersome, especially for elderly guests. If I had to do it again, I would have just had a sit down dinner. But that may have taken them forever to serve!! It took about twice as long for dinner because the service was incredibly slow. There were long periods of time when we had no food. It was a little disappointing after everything else was so fantastic. Overall, I would still recommend them and our guests enjoyed their food.
Vadim Photography: A+
We found Vadim through a referral from Jason Angelini and I'm so glad we got Vadim. He was flawless! We had a wedding photo shoot a few days before in Ybor City and downtown Tampa. To view go to:
http://www.vadimphoto.com/news/It was really nice to have this time with him before our wedding because we were able to get familiar with his style and it made our day of pictures go much faster and smoother. His personality and style was perfect for us. I have never been to a wedding before where guests made so many comment about the photographer. If they did, it was usually negative because the photographer was getting in the way, or dressed unprofessional, or holding up the timeline of events. But our guests were
in love with him! He was fun to watch. He was quick. And before anyone even saw a picture, they could tell he was phenomenal! (Bonus: He only does one wedding a week, so we had his undivided energy and attention!)
Rob Satori Band and DJ: A
We loved Rob. He was fun to work with and he fit in great with our wedding theme. We wanted a fifties, Italian feel for our wedding and he pulled it off perfectly. He sang beautifully and had a great musician to play a few instruments throughout the night. However, I wish I provided a few of the songs I requested. He did play everything I wanted, but some of the versions were a little different. For example, I wanted to walk down the aisle to an instrumental version of "Bittersweet Symphony". He had a different instrumental version that what I originally found. It was really my fault for that, but no one knew but my husband and I. It was a very minor flaw! The only other problem was when the mic went out for a few seconds on a couple of very short occasions. We all went on like nothing happened. Being a musician myself, I know stuff can happen and it was handled professionally. No big deal. The strolling musicians for dinner were awesome! And once everyone started dancing Rob played a mix of live music and some DJing. We were entertained all night!!
Crosley: C
Over the year, I had been "dealing" with several different people. All who would tell me something different than the last. There was a lot of confusion, eye rolling, and frustration for me. They definitely had no vested interest in our wedding. (I know, I know....it's a government run property.) Once I was assigned my contact, things got better. I had one person to coordinate with and a little more piece of mind. It just bothered me that things were only able to come together 28 days before the wedding. (I am not a last minute person!!) I hated that Mattison's couldn't handle the alcohol because during dinner we had guests sitting there with nothing but water. No one was there serving wine or beer to the guests!! Fortunately, Maribeth (the Crosley's coordinator and Jennifer, my wedding coordinator, not the bartender) rose to the occasion and started getting drink orders and served our guests. On a high note, the signature drink mixes were very tasty. We had Lemon Drops and Amaretto Sours. And there was a large selection of beer and wine for the guests to chose from.
Publix Flowers: C
We used Publix for my bouquet, corsages, and boutineers. I wish I used a real florist. Unfortunatley, this was not my decision to make. Our pictures were taken without flowers because they were delivered two hours late. I didn't get my bouquet until about 20 minutes before I walked down the aisle. My husband's boutineer looked like crap. For my bouquet, I asked for something with lots of texture because I don't like the "ball" look. I got a ball. Other than the fact that it was white, it was nothing like what I wanted. At least the flowers were fresh. No brown edges.
Publix Cake: C
Good- The flavor was great. I liked the texture of the cake. It was moist. They had the right fillings we chose. Bad- The decoration of the cake was a major disappointment. It was boring. They didn't have the right pattern on the cake and it didn't fit on the cake stand. So there was no cake stand. I would have used a different vendor.
Wedding Planner, Jennifer Moore: A+
Jennifer Moore from JJMevents was amazing!! She started as my planner and ended up a dear friend! She was so helpful, organized, and accomodating. She made our centerpieces, our alter arrangements, the decorations for the cocktail room, all the fireplaces, and much more!! She helped coordinate all of our vendors and made sure we didn't have to be bothered with any of the issues that inevitabley came up! To contact Jennifer, go to
http://jmmeventplanning.weebly.com/I highly recommend Jennifer!
Pinos III Tux and Tailoring: A
Pino's service was excellent! We originally stopped by on a day they were closed, but they saw us at the door and let us in. When the wedding came, he got the tuxes perfect for our Dads (we had no other groomsmen) and was able to fit a very hard-to-fit groom!! (He's 6'1" and a former football player with an 19" neck, 38" waist, and a 13W shoe!! Plus he lost 40 pounds since he was measured.) The guys picked their tuxes up on Friday. The groom's rental had to be tailored and was ready the next morning.
Hope this helps! Thanks to all the Knotties who have helped me plan my destination wedding!!