Hi Ladies,
Here's reviews from my wedding on 11/27/2010. It's *very* long. I also posted them here:
http://catarntina.weebly.com/vendor-reviews.htmlCeremony Site: Regina Coeli Catholic Church (A+)
Father Auth was absolutely great to work with. I am so glad I had my ceremony here. It was absolutely perfect. He made everything fun and stress free.
Dress: David's Bridal in Toledo, OH (A)
The ladies at the David's Bridal treated me like royalty. I had a great experience with them. The consultant listened to me about what I was looking for in a dress, and stuck up for me when my was telling me to get a dress I didn't like. I would definitely recommend David's Bridal in Toledo.
Veil/Slip/Bolero: David's Bridal in Fort Collins, CO (C)
Getting the veil was a nightmare. Since I did not purchase my dress at this particular DB, they were very rude to me. I went to the store, and purchased a veil that I absolutely loved. They were currently out-of-stock, and had to ship it. I seriously waited months and months, and it never came. They kept saying, "Oh, it will be here in a week so." Finally, I made them cancel the order and I bought another one in the store.
I went back later to buy a bolero. The one they had in the store was absolutely filthy. They actually tried to tell me that that was the one I needed to purchase and pay to have it cleaned. Excuse me? It's so dirty it's BLACK, with lipstick stains on it! No thanks... So I went to Westminster, CO and purchased it there. It was nice and clean.
Tuxedo Rentals: Men's Wearhouse (B)
I went with Men's Wearhouse because they have locations all over the country and I had to get people in Ohio, Colorado, and California fitted for tuxes. I thought they were over-priced for the 'basic tuxedo' that I had picked out. It really wasn't anything special, but I didn't have much of a choice.
The groomsmen and my dad looked awesome. I thought DH looked great, but he was very upset with his vest. It never laid right and kept bunching up.
DJ: Doug Bermick with Professional Sounds (B)
Doug was very thorough and he had the crowd going; he made for a great MC and kept to the timeline.
When Doug and I originally spoke, he told me that if we requested a song that he did not have, he'd download it with his internet connection at the reception site. Well, DH requested a few songs that he said he couldn't get. Apparently, my mom requested a polka and he said, "Well, only if you can promise people dance to it." Sorry, but if the MOB requests a polka, you play it. No questions asked. My nephew asked for the Time Warp to be played. He told him no. Then my mom asks and he said the same thing, "If people dance to it..."
Overall, I would recommend this company. There was just those few things that miffed my mother, but all-in-all, I think he did an excellent job.
Photography: New Image Photography
Review pending receipt of album, composite photo and thank you cards.
Cake: Brieschke's Bakery (A+)
I loved Brieschke's. I told them my wedding was Thanksgiving weekend, and they are typically closed then. But, she made an exception and came in just to bake my cake. And it was AMAZING!! She did exactly what I wanted. The flavors were incredible. Everyone said it was the best cake they had ever had. I will definitely hire Brieschke's for future occasions.
Florist: Craig's Flowers (A)
I thought the flowers were beautiful! The women I worked with did an excellent job. They were *very* reasonably priced. The only flaw was that my bouquet had some unopened purple buds. I wish they were opened. Otherwise, everything was perfect with the florist. The centerpieces & unity candle arrangement were absolutely STUNNING. I was so impressed.
Caterer: Gladieux Catering (D)
I do not recommend this company.
I went with this company because it was like an all-inclusive type deal with the linens, food, bar, china, setup, teardown. I thought it was the best choice. Boy, I was wrong.
They started serving food (buffet style) right at 7 -- perfect. Well, I was the first person in line, and my food was ice cold. What? Yes. Ice cold. I ordered chicken, and it was only legs and thighs... dark meat. No chicken breasts at all.
By 7:10 they were taking down the buffet! Not all the guests had gotten their food yet. My mom promptly got up and yelled at them to keep the food up longer than 10 minutes. "Well, fine. We'll take down the 2nd buffet table in 30 minutes." 15 minutes later, they took down the 2nd buffet.
DH went up for seconds, and that is when the white meat had been put out. He grabbed two chicken breasts, set the plate down at the table, went to the restroom. When he got back, they took his food away. An entire plate of food, and by this time had already started taken down the 2nd buffet table.
Now, when they were cleaning up after the reception was winding down, I noticed the staff taking my favors and my centerpieces. Excuse me? Those aren't yours!! My dad sent the bartender in the back to get our favors. They apparently had 10 sitting back there. I also had crayons for the kids' coloring books -- I saw the staff stealing those too.
Finally, when I booked this vendor, she told me that they would box up a plate of food for the bride and groom. At 7:30, my mom reminds them to get the food for the B&G. Well, 9 o'clock she asks again. "Sorry ma'am. Nobody told us to box you up food." What? OK, well go in the back and box some up then... "Sorry, we shipped all the food back to the corporate office." WHAT?!! Why on earth would you ship the food back??? How does that make sense? You can't re-serve it...
My mom called to complain on Monday. "Well, the food that came back wasn't much. You ate it all." "What? 15 people did not show that we paid for. You're telling me if those 15 people came, there wouldn't have been enough food." "Well that's what happens when you let people take their own portions." It was a BUFFET...
I definitely do not recommend this company.
Limousine Service: Birmingham Limousine Service (A)
The limo showed up on time, he knew the locations of all the places we wanted to go to. He was very nice and polite. Since it was the wedding party package, we had a just married sign and champagne inside the limo. The champagne was very tasty. They are a little on the pricey side, but the limo was newer and very clean. So I am glad I spent the extra money.
Alterations: Jane's Perfect Fit (C-)
Jane really disappointed me. I only called her because Pam Thomas was out of the country the week of my wedding and Pam recommended her to me. I live in Colorado, so I had a very brief window to come in for alterations. I scheduled my first fitting with Jane in September when I came home for my bridal shower. I get there, and she says, "Oh, you're not on the books for today. You're supposed to be here tomorrow." No, because the next day was the shower and I am not stupid enough to schedule the fitting on the same day as the shower. Regardless, she says, "I must have wrote it down wrong. Since you're here, we'll take care of you."
There was a bunch of alterations that I wanted: bustle, take the sides in, add boning. She quoted a price, and we were golden.
The week of my wedding was the next time I was in Toledo. I had scheduled an appointment for a 2nd fitting on the Tuesday before my wedding. Now, my parents live in North Toledo where I was staying. Jane's shop is in Waterville. That is a 35 minute drive. I drove to her shop for my appointment, and nobody is there. The door is locked, the lights are out. I pull out my appointment card from my wallet, confirm the date and time. Sure enough, I had it all correct. So I call her, "Hi, I'm here for my appointment and nobody is here." "You're not on the books for today." (Sound familiar?) "Um, I have a card that says today my appointment is today at 10:30AM." "Well, I don't have you written down. I'm over an hour away. We have to reschedule."
Not good to tell that to a bride the week of her wedding. So, I drove the 35 minutes back to my parents', now an hour and ten minutes of my time was wasted. I was already not impressed.
I show up for my rescheduled appointment the next day; she was there this time at least. I put the dress on, and it doesn't fit. She took it in too much because at the first fitting she never actually measured how far she needed to take it in. She just guessed. The back modesty panel did not snap together anymore. She also added bra cups which I never asked to be added. That of course also added to the fact that it didn't fit. The dress was a corset, so it wasn't the end of the world. But since the modesty panel did not snap together, I was pulling the dress up at the boobs all night. You'd think she'd take some money off the price for her serious inconvenience and the fact that it no longer fit, but nope. She didn't... Needless to say, I do not recommend her.
Ceremony Musician: Michael Soncrant with Regina Coeli Catholic Church (B)
He did an excellent job... when I could get a hold of him. The priest told him I'd be calling. I'd called several times, left several messages on his machine and with his wife. I finally had to send my mother there in person to corner him after mass. After that, he was wonderful to work with!! He did an excellent job with the music at the ceremony.
Hair: Kayla Kowalski with Polished Salon (A+)
Kayla is my maid-of-honor's sister. When she heard I was engaged, she immediately jumped up and said, "I'm doing her hair!" She did my trial the day of my shower so it looked all pretty for shower, too. On the day of the wedding, she showed up to my parents' house right on time. My hair stayed curly all day and I got so many compliments on how beautiful it was. I'd definitely recommend Kayla!
Favors -- Custom Printed Shot Glasses: DiscountMugs.com (B)
They were cheap. Only about 85 cents a piece WITH shipping and printing. Apparently some of the printing had started to rub off and smear. A little disappointed in that, but you get what you pay for.
Manicure/Pedicure: Dillard's Salon (C)I'm not privy with mani's & pedi's -- I've never gotten one before. My mom and I showed up for our appointment, and had to wait 45 minutes before we were taken back. That drives me bonkers. It defeats the purpose of the appointment! My toes came out great. The pedicure was awesome.They move me to the nail area and my girl leaves me for like 15 minutes just sitting there. She comes back, and has to go get something else because she didn't have it at her desk. Finally, she gets my nails done. Between the time I got out of the appointment and before the rehearsal dinner started (less than 3 hours), my nails actually started chipping. Now, I'm not an expert, but I think they should last longer than 3 hours.