Wedding dress – Arizona Bridal and Formal – A
They have a great selection of dresses, both strapless and sleeved. My salesgirl Tami was incredibly helpful, lacing me into the dress and taking pictures for me. She even sent me a sweet e-card on our wedding day. I bought my dress off the rack, and they cleaned it and checked all the beading before I took it home. They also do a free steaming before the wedding, which I didn’t take advantage of because my alterations took care of it for me, but I feel is a nice gesture.
Alterations – Janet Kirkman – A+
Janet is absolutely AMAZING! She made sure my dress fit me just the way I wanted it to, and was great about answering all my questions about hems and bustles. When I decided that the slip I had didn’t work quite right with my dress, Janet sewed one right into the skirt so it lay just perfectly! I would send any bride to her in a heartbeat.
Bridesmaid dresses – David’s Bridal – B+
I love how easy it was for my girls to go into David’s and find a dress that worked on all of them. The color selection is fantastic, and there are so many choices! We also had a female on the groom’s side, and she was able to find a dress that coordinated with the others, even though the bridesmaid dresses were discontinued by then. With my girls in Washington, and myself in Arizona, I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with the different managers to set up shipping and steaming of the dresses after alterations. The only trouble I had with them was that they told my wedding party different info than they gave me (even though they had all the right notes in my file), so I needed to make a few extra phone calls to clarify things.
Tuxes – Men’s Wearhouse – B-
They were really easy to work with in the ordering process, and it was convenient to have the guys all be able to go into any store to get measured. I also liked the selections available and that I was able to do the majority of the work online. We ran into trouble when it was time to collect the tuxes. The store my husband had taken his measurements at (where the guys were supposed to pick them up) closed without informing us. Luckily there was another Men’s Wearhouse nearby that the tuxes were delivered to. It was frustrating to not have ANY warning of the change, though.
Venue – Courtyard at McKinley – A
We used the Courtyard only for the reception portion of our wedding. The hall was a beautiful place for evening gathering, and the courtyard (with its lovely fountain, ornate gateway, and stunning architecture) was ideal for our formal pictures. We were able to bring in our own vendors, and they even allowed us use of the kitchen for prepping and serving food. The dance floor was a nice size, and the stage was great for our DJ to set up on. Meri was good about communicating with me throughout the entire process, and Donna was there to assist however possible on the day of the wedding.
Linens – Fabulous Linens – A
I felt they had a good selection, and their prices were the most reasonable of anyone I found for what I needed. I was able to make changes right up to a week before when I needed to order extra tablecloths. They took care of delivery, setup, and pickup, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.
Hair – Amy Freudenberg – A
I loved my wedding hairstyle! Amy took one look at the photo I was inspired by, and was able to recreate the look for me. She even had a great recommendation for extensions to thicken my hair, and put them in so neatly I almost forgot they were there. My hair is quite stubborn and doesn’t like to stay curled, so it needed to be hair sprayed more and re-curled a bit before the pictures. But Amy’s work was gorgeous!
Makeup – Jen B. – A+
I can’t rave enough about Jen! She told me at the start of my trial that she wouldn’t leave until I was happy with my makeup, and I completely was after only one small change. Jen was able to keep my makeup looking natural, but still accent my features beautifully. And the airbrush makeup looked fantastic all day long!
DOC – Mrs. Hancock’s (Amy, Kelly, and Christy) – A+
If you’re debating whether or not you need a day-of coordinator, trust me, you do. And if you want someone super organized and sweet for a great price, you need Amy of Mrs. Hancock’s. She had great vendor recommendations when I needed them, and did a great job of keeping everyone on the same page the week of the wedding. Amy was totally there for me every step of the way. When I had a flower crisis two days before the wedding, Amy was immediately on the phone and online looking for someone who could help me out. She also helped my mother pull herself together before the ceremony, for which I am truly grateful. Amy, along with Kelley and Christy, helped make our wedding day truly special and EXACTLY the way we planned.
Photographer – Mike Maez – A
When we found Mike’s work online, we knew immediately that he was the right photographer for us. For our engagement session, we chose a location that was brand new to him. He found stunning backgrounds for our photos that I hadn’t even noticed before! On our wedding day, he and his assistants were everywhere they needed to be to capture the best photos without my even noticing them. And I’m so glad we did a first look and formals before the ceremony – they are so beautiful! Mike’s work is so impressive, and he has such a great attitude about everything. He even went out of his way to re-send us DVDs when they were lost in the mail (probably due to all of my address changes in the middle of everything). The guestbook that Mike put together for us is fantastic, and I can’t wait to see how our wedding album turns out!
Check out the proof for our album here: http://proofs.mikemaez.com/jm_album (we're still in the editing process)
Cake – Piece of Cake Desserts – A
Our wedding cake was absolutely delicious, and it looked even better than it tasted! While Piece of Cake’s fondant was the best we’d ever tasted, we decided we preferred just their buttercream icing. I wasn’t sure our “embroidered” floral design would come out as nicely without fondant, but it FAR surpassed my expectations. The detail was even better than on the original photo! And the cake was so moist and flavorful – we ate some for breakfast the next day, and the leftovers were gone within a week! I am already looking forward to our free anniversary cake!
Florist – Flowers by Jodi – A
My wedding flowers were just gorgeous, and the cost was right within my budget. We only had Jodi provide simple bouquets, bouts, and corsages, but everything she made was stunning. The cold weather across the country affected the growth of my flowers, so Jodi called me a few days before the wedding to ask about switching out some blooms. The replacements she found were even more beautiful than the originals!
- Costco – DI had do-it-yourself centerpieces that used mini roses from Costco. The flowers I used for my mockups worked well, so I ordered some for the wedding. Bobbi was nice and helpful with the whole ordering process. However, the day before I was supposed to pick them up, Bobbi called and said that instead of mini roses, they had sent in full size roses, which would have been much too big for my centerpieces. I was left scrambling for new flowers. It was frustrating to have to deal with that so close to the wedding. - Floral Creations by Joanne – A+When my flower order with Costco came in wrong, my coordinator contacted Joanne to help me find the right flowers. Joanne called her wholesaler and arranged for me to pick up the flowers I needed with no additional markup. She made the entire process so easy! So even though I haven’t worked directly with Joanne, I would highly recommend her based on my indirect experience with her. DJ – Joe Martin – A Joe was friendly, played music that our guests loved, and easily found all of the specific songs we requested (some of which are less common). When our best man’s toast went a bit long, he playfully ran the Jeopardy theme song, making everyone laugh. My husband’s brother requested a song that likely would have fallen on our “do not play” list, but Joe knew we would appreciate the intended joke, so he played part of it for our amusement, cutting it off in a tasteful and humorous way. Joe did a great job of understanding what we wanted, and still catering to our guests.
Overall, I could not have asked for a more beautiful wedding day. Everything ran smoothly, and the memories that we made will be with us for a lifetime. 