I wanted to get these up ASAP since I know how much I relied on everyone else's vendor reviews to plan my wedding. If you have any questions email me chloetutor at gmail dot com since I'm not really on the knot very often anymore. I'm also about to post oodles of stuff I'm selling on the forsale post.
For the record, I've worked in the service industry for years, so I'm very honest about what people should/shouldn't have taken care of. I'm not one of those "A++++++ brides."
Photographer: Nessa K: A
Nessa was my more affordable version of Christina Carroll. She's been great about letting me have any negatives I need to avoid paying out the boohiney in print costs. She's really nice, and was fairly prompt to answer any emails. My only con was that I wish she had taken a little more initiative in getting some of those classic wedding shots. Any thing I suggested though, she jumped on. I haven't seen my wedding photos yet, but the bridals turned out pretty great. Does some great work with natural lighting and photoshop, and is for sure not one of those cheesey over saturated photographers. She's getting more popular, so her fees are going up.
Engagement Photographer: Brandy Lewis: C
I went with Brandy to save a little money on our engagement photos. She normally does beautiful baby photos, so we were one of her 1st engagement shoots. She was even open with working with our dog during the shoot. She receives a low grade bc she uses SmugMug for her ordering process, and will not under any circumstance let you download the negatives unless you pay $50+ for each. For the record, she told me that they would be uploaded to a low cost printing company. False. They charge $15 for a 4x6. The cost was so high we had to abandon our original plan to do a photo book sign in. She claims this is because her work would be tainted by lesser printing companies. Puhleeze.
Catering: Circle C Catering: A
Great food. Easy communication. Great with last minute changes. Didn't have a single problem with them. Not a bad price either. They own the cafe at the Wildflower Center, so if you're getting married there, I would highly recommend using them. I think they do other places now, too.
Catering: Southern's Fine Dining: F
This was our original caterer. His food is great and his price was cheap. Then as we began to work through the contract phase, he was slow to respond and kept claiming he was "more of a handshake kind of guy than a contract kind of guy." Well, that's fine and dandy unless you're talking about my $7000 that I work for every day. He would forget every single thing I would discuss with him during meetings or emails and would send back the same old contract with no changes. Over and over he did this. Like 20 times with not even getting the guest count down. What a waste of time. I finally called it quits. He's rude and harsh. While he may be a great cook, his business skills are very much lacking.
Venue: LBJ Wildflower Center: B
This place is beautiful. So many guests commented on how pretty it is. That being said they are in the Wildflower business, not the wedding business. They don't cater to weddings and are open to the public during the day. Definitely hire a day of coordinator if you get married here to organize everything. Still thrilled we got married here. The limestone and gardens fit our Hill Country vibe perfectly.
Day of Coordinator: Buon Affare Events: A
I love Rachel. She was by far the most affordable, and she offered discounts on top of her contract for single payments in check. She checked in with me during the wedding process even though she was really just hired for the day of. She's so sweet, and I was amazed how quickly she got every thing set up. Very organized. Very respectful.
Florist: Glass Fountain: B
You get what you pay for. She's cheap, and provided exactly what was asked of her. I wasn't too thrilled with my flowers, but then again she never promised to be a world renowned florist. I should have vocalized more, I just really thought she got it. You won't get any blog worthy arrangements out of her, but if flowers aren't your concern then she may be a good option.
Rentals: Mancino Iron Works: A
Easy to work with. Went out of his way to have more of a certain stand made when I needed it. Very flexible.
Photobooth: Hill Country Photo Booth: B
The booth they delivered wasn't the booth they show at the Wedding Show. It was a little more of a loose construction. Didn't look terrible, just not the classic photobooth you may think of. They printed in color when I specifically asked for black and white in the contract. Realized this half way through the wedding, but it was too late to change. My guests LOOOVED the photobooth. Kids were all over it. Middle aged couples, too. The oldies didn't quite get it, but the pictures we got back are hilarious. Plus they discounted their fee like $300 when I told them it was what I was willing to pay.
Officiant: Michael Boles: B
He performed a short charming service, and he was cheap. He arrived about 10 minutes before the ceremony, which had me freaking out that he may not show. (Rachel, the coordinator, tried to avoid me knowing this, but my dumb fiance decided to tell me.
She's certified to perform a ceremony, so she had a great backup plan!) He kept calling my husband by my ex boyfriend's name, but thank to Rachel reminding him multiple times he got it right for the ceremony. Nice guy. No regrets.
Dress: Signature Bridal: A
They were super easy to work with. Cleaned my dress after the bridals with no complaints. Always remembered me when I came in. Offered me an extended trunk show discount on my dress. Had their in house alterations do my bustle since the price wasn't bad.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid in Dallas: B
These dresses are super expensive, but my bridesmaids chose them and they were very cute. Most girls did have to get alterations on them, which I was disappointed on. Nothing huge went wrong, just not sure if they were worth the cost.
My brain has died, and I can't remember anyone else. If you think of a vendor I forgot please let me know. The wedding flew by, and I now realize how dumb all the little things I busted my butt on were. I barely remember most of the wedding. I honestly recommend a destination wedding, but I never would have realized that without going through it myself. Any questions on price, etc. please let me know! Best of luck ladies!