Louisiana-New Orleans

Vendor Reviews 10.24.2009 - LONG

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Our wedding was a dream come true, and I can't believe it was over so quickly!  here are my vendor reviews, I hope they will be as helpful as others' were for me: St. Louis Cathedral – expensive, but wonderful, and the memories of being married in such a beautiful, historic church were well worth it.  Yes, they can be difficult to get in touch with, but I always got timely answers to any questions I had.  . Kevin Charpentier was wonderful, and ran us through a relatively stress free rehearsal and made sure everything was just right before sending anyone down the aisle.   Father Mark Lomax (St. Luke’s Catholic Church – Slidell, LA) – Father Lomax is such a nice man.  He did a great ceremony and was very pleasant to deal with, despite the fact he was feeling a bit under the weather.   Emily Sullivan – We used Emily and her assistant, Danielle, as our month-of coordinators and let me tell you, they were worth every penny of their fee and then some!  They were so very pleasant and professional…they made our wedding run so incredibly smoothly that even DH’s guy friends took notice!  We had so many compliments about how perfectly done our wedding was, and it would not have been that way without Emily and Danielle!     Get Polished – Lisa and Danielle were just wonderful!  They did an amazing job on me, my 4 bridesmaids, and both moms.  They ran like a finely tuned machine, getting us done quickly and beautifully and with plenty of time to spare.  Some of us didn’t really know what we wanted other than to not look like a prom picture, and we were all very happy with our results!  I highly recommend the airbrush makeup and false lashes!   Muriel’s – words cannot describe how blown away we were by our reception – everything was absolutely perfect!  The food was amazing, as was the staff.  We are still getting emails, facebook messages, and phone calls raving about the food and the entire experience.  I was a little disappointed that some of our guests bailed for a little while to catch the Krewe of Boo parade, but everyone had a great time and that was the most important thing to us.  Many people have commented that ours was the best wedding and reception they have ever been to.  I highly recommend the goat cheese crepes – they were extra in addition to the package we chose, but so worth it!  EVERYONE is still raving about them!  And Dianne was just the greatest to work with!   Christina O’Malley – I LOVED our flowers!  I had some pictures of ideas I liked, but couldn’t fully describe exactly what I was going for.  Based only on the phrase “old world” Christina nailed it!  The altar arrangements took my breath away and everyone loved their bouquets.  She was such a doll to work with and her prices were VERY reasonable!  MIL paid over $3500 for wedding flowers (in the 1970s) and we spent about 1/3 of that and got amazing florals and gorgeous metal candelabra that Christina made herself!  Our arrangements were very good sizes, full and fresh and absolutely gorgeous!   Joey Stassi – Joey worked his butt off and we can’t wait to see the results of his work.  He showed up on time, was very inconspicuous and unintrusive, and everyone loved him.  We found him on the internet and discovered he had done my cousin’s BIL’s wedding.  They highly recommended him and, even though we only communicated by phone and email prior to the wedding, everything went smoothly and we felt very comfortable with him.  He was also very reasonably priced, too.   Harry Hardin and Helen Maxwell – We hired Harry to play violin, and he booked harpist Helen Maxwell for us as well.  They played beautifully!  There was a long-ish pause before the recessional, but that was totally my fault as I forgot to tell Harry what the last words spoken by the priest would be so they could use that as a cue (where they were located they could not clearly see what was happening at the altar). I got so obsessed with the Catholic church paperwork I flaked on some of these sorts of details.  I would definitely recommend them, they were fabulous!   Storyville Stompers – The Stompers did our second line for us, and they were so much fun!  Their timing was perfect and our (mostly out of town) guests loved them!  They were perhaps the best money I spent on the whole wedding!  We have received so many raves about them!   Crescent City Brewhouse – we had our rehearsal dinner here.  The filet mignon was amazing!  Everyone enjoyed their dinner and the beer (and the bar tab was much less than we expected).  They were so great to work with, even after I flaked on giving them the final headcount on time and we arrived a bit early when the rehearsal ended up being much shorter than we expected.   The Sweet(s) Life – a friend of mine’s side business.  She made really beautiful custom cufflinks for all of the groomsmen and DH, as well as some really beautiful charms for all of our bouquets.  She also does programs and digital scrapbooking and just about anything else you can name…she is quite the creative genius!    Netbride.com – we ordered the bridesmaid dresses from here, and saved $70-100 on each dress from what the bridal shops were charging.  We also received them a month before the promised delivery date!  The girls were on their own for alterations, but still netted out saving a bundle. My MOH is getting married in February and we are using them again.  We were VERY pleased with the service, quality and savings!   Place D’Armes – we all loved the hotel and were treated very well.  They were great about delivering out OOT bags to the guests and David Valentino blocked us a huge, beautiful suite to get ready in.  We plan to stay there on all our future trips home to NOLA.   Bourbon Orleans – we had a block with the BO, but our guests found much better rates on Expedia, so it was sort of a waste to set it up.  We also found out that one of our guests had money and a shower gift she had brought along for us stolen from her room.  Very embarrassing!  Everyone else loved the hotel, but I would not advise setting up a block there.  They also charged us a fee for handing out the OOT bags upon check-in, which most hotels did not do (even ones we didn’t have blocks with).   Backyard Printing – we got our custom second line hankies here, and they were awesome!  Very good quality and exactly what we wanted!   Paper House Online – we ordered custom go cups and were amazed by the quality and the quick turnaround time.   Aunt Sally’s pralines – if you are considering these for OOT bags, contact the store in the French Quarter – they have a wedding deal that is a good bit less per praline than ordering online and no worries about them breaking apart in shipping.

Re: Vendor Reviews 10.24.2009 - LONG

  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    How could I have forgotten the cake???Zoe's Bakery - Cake was absolutely the most delicious thing I have ever tasted!  Dealing with them beforehand was kind of a headache, though. Celeste is the only person there who deals with wedding cakes.  You have to go through the counter staff to get through to her, and they don't seem to be the brightest or most conscientious group around.  It took me forever to get through to Celeste 3 weeks before the wedding (they expect full payment 2 weeks prior) to finalize the details of the wedding and groom's cakes.  One counter person was snotty and dismissive and I had to explain to her that I was OOT, getting married in 3 weeks, and needed to finalize my order so I could find out how much money I needed to send them so they would receive it within the week.  I then got a call the day before the wedding asking if Goofy on the groom's cake was supposed to be wearing a Pete Maravich jersey (WTF?!) when I had made it clear he should be wearing a Peyton Manning jersey.  all turned out fine in the end, but seriously, should cake be that hard to order???  That said, the cake was something I'd order from them again, but I wouldn't go back based only on the service.  Thankfully for them they bake a damn fine cake.
  • edited December 2011
    Sounds like things went great! (aside from that rogue wedding planner- what the heck was that about?!). Especially glad to see the Aunt Sally's review- love them (I worked there for years!) :)
    ~Sarah

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  • edited December 2011
    Lisa!!  So happy for you- Emily had mentioned the crazy wedding planner and am so happy that everything worked out so well!  I went ahead and booked the townhouse at Boubron Orleans for all of the girls to get ready in before we head to Jackson Square for the ceremony!One question- I know there have been some super mixed reviews on the Get Polished hair and makeup, did you like the airbrush style of makeup?  Did you think it was too much?  I am not scared of wearing makeup, especially for picture reasons, but is there anything I should know going in?  Thanks!!
  • edited December 2011
    Sorry- one more.  Was your actual day od headcount super different from your RSVP'd headcount?  Trying to get ideas of where we may be with who shows...and did Diane require a final/hard headcount before the event?  Or did they do a headcount there?
  • meganfauermeganfauer member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    your wedding sounds like it was perfect, even with the snotty other wedding planner. So glad it was so perfect. Cannot wait to see pictures!
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  • edited December 2011
    Thanks for posting your review.  I have also hired Emily from Get Polished for "month of" coordination and hair and makeup.  Our wedding is Nov. 20th, so have yet to meet her in person or really start working with her yet.  She has responded to my emails and phone calls all summer though and given me great recommendations for vendors.  Christina O'Malley being one...so I'm super excited now that I've seen your review. Please post pictures of your wedding!  I love Muriel's, wish I had thought to have my reception there!
  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    hughe - I LOVED the airbrush makeup!  My girls did too!  I usually wear  Bare Minerals, and the airbrush actually felt even lighter than that, and we looked totally flawless! I wished I could have Lisa come do my face everyday.  As for the count, I kind of lowballed the count I gave Dianne the week before by about 10 to allow for no-shows.  I think we ended up having even fewer than that - several friends got sent away for work and couldn't get away, a coupl got the flu, and a couple more had their childcare fall through (we did an adults-only wedding and reception).  I think you give your final count and then, on the day of, Dianne stands there greeting your guests as they enter and uses a clicker to count them.  If you're significantly over, they just come looking for the extra payment at the end of the night.  We weren't too concerned because MIL booked the entire floor and we had that big food and beverage minimum to meet anyway. caramia - You will NOT be disappointed with Emily or Christina!  I didn't meet Emily until Labor Day.  When I was down for a long weekend, she and Danielle spent most of the day with me and my mom going to the linen place, Christina's, Muriel's, etc. and finalizing plans.  She clearly knows exactly what she's doing and has a great relationship with the vendors.
  • edited December 2011
    I am so glad to hear that about the makeup!!  I am doing a trial in December for our engagement pics.  Something I have totally forgotten to ask Dianne- what was the seating like?  I know we both had/are having buffets, how many seats for people who like to sit (grandparents) were there?  I don't want a ton, but some would be nice.  I think you chose to have the Seance Lounges open, did you feel like with about 160 that any room felt too empty? I like it to feel bustling, not necessarily crowded, but I saw these pics once and the girls reception looked like a ghost town.  I was worried to have the two ballrooms, the balcony and the Seance Lounges all open, was worried ppl would be too scattered.Sorry for all the questions- but I think of the 4 Muriels brides on here- you are the 1st to go!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your guidance!!
  • edited December 2011
    Thank you so much for the reviews.  I am so glad that everything went so well for you.  Can't wait to see the pictures!  What room were you in at the Place d'Armes when getting ready?
  • edited December 2011
    That's funny about the ghosts.  I won't mention it to my guests.  Your wedding was the week before Halloween.  Hopefully, now that Halloween is over, the ghosts might be worn out and calm down a bit!
  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    here's a link to some non-pro pics from the wedding so you can see makeup, flowers, etc.  Dunno how to make it clickable.  Not too many Muriel's shots apart from when we were doing the brothers/sister dance (in place of the father-daughter dance) so it looks kinda empty there since no one else was on the dance floor. I think most of the guests were at the bar or stalking the crepe station!http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2039067&id=1089380915
  • edited December 2011
    I love the facebook pictures.  You were a beautiful bride!  Your cake was gorgeous!  I have a few more questions: What was the final guest count?  What route did your second line take?  How long did the second line take?  And, other than the crepes, are there any other recommendations for food?  Okay, I think that's it for now.  I'm just so glad to be able to get advice from someone who has been through it already.  P.S.  We are both redheads!
  • edited December 2011
    I'm also interested to hear more about the food! We are having a cocktail reception in the Seance Lounge the night before the wedding, and are going to be selecting from their appetizer list- did you happen to have any appetizers at your event? It's hard to pick, not knowing how they actually are! Thanks!
    ~Sarah

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  • edited December 2011
    Amen ladies!  Lisa, I am sorry you were the first to go and were the guinea pig!  I keep thinking about the shrimp and grits action station in place of the goat cheese crepes (because I don't like goat cheese)...everyone seems to love those so much, I feel like I am cheating my guests from something they may love!  And, what bride really gets to eat anyhow?!Lisa, how were the decorations?  Anything I should get extra?  I am also using Get Polished, so I think they have some extra votives/candleholders/etc.  I was never really planning on having decorations...but were there plenty of votives and stuff courtesy of Muriels?Oh the second line...did you shell out the $350 for the cops??  I knew about the permit, umbrellas- but the cops were more than I bargained for!
  • edited December 2011
    One more- you ROCK for the lead on Netbrides.com- got my Rehearsal dinner dress for nothing.  And since it was so cheap, and we may head out after our reception with some friends and family (our reception ends at 9pm), I also picked up a cute white party dress for my after reception dress!  Didn't even know they had existed until you posted them!!
  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the sweet compliments Jen - I can't wait to see your wedding pics, you are quite the beauty already! I don't know what our final count was, I keep forgetting to call Dianne to ask (inlaws need me to find out, apparently they can get a nice tax deduction since some of FIL's patients and colleagues were there).  Our second line was done in 2 parts - we started from the Cathedral and went around the Square, and down Royal (I think) for about a block and ended in Pirate's Alley.  For some unknown reason (they needed a break?), the band left and then came back to take us from the Square where we were having pictures done and second lined us over to Muriel's.  I think the first part lasted about 20-30 minutes and the second part lasted about 5-10 minutes?  Just guessing, as I was in a sort of haze all day, it didn't feel totally real.We had the crawfish etouffee and scalloped potatoes which were awesome!  We had the chicken breasts as well, but I didn't really care for them as much as everyone else did.  The fried turkey tasted great, and the eggplant and shrimp stuffing was really popular too.  We didn't have any of the appetizers...I really wanted crabcakes which I LOVED when we had them at dinner, but we went with the crepe station instead which turned out to be a great decision!
  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    hughe - I ate!! I refused to be the bride that didn't taste her own food!  DH brought me some etouffee early in the evening and we shared some crepes, and my MOH's super attentive sweetheart of a fiance kept checking on me, asking if he could bring me anything to eat from the buffet, fetch me a drink from the bar, etc. so I was well taken care of on that front!We did some simple centerpieces, just hurricanes (which were given to us by another couple and onto which my brother's FI etched fleur de lis)with gold decorative sand and red pillar candles for the cabaret tables. We also had an overload of fleur de lis votive holders from a wild shopping spree at Pier One that we put red candles and gold sand into for the highboys/cocktail tables.  We rented linens for the tables as i did not want to chance ending up with ivory/white linens standing out when I wanted as much red as possible. No flowers or anything else were brought in...there were tons of votives around, I'm guessing those were Muriel's. The place is so gorgeous it really doesn't need much.  The chandeliers are pre-electric and  lit with candles, so that added to the ambience, too.  No worries about being a "guinea pig," I am happy to help however I can!  PS - one of my friends HATES goat cheese and even he had to rave about how good the crepes were! He spent a good part of the reception going back to the crepe station and eating tons of them!  He even tipped someone to pack him a to go box so he could take some back to his partner who couldn't get off work :)
  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    PPS - yes, we paid the cops $300 (plus the $50 for the permit).
  • edited December 2011
    glitterspank, thank you soooo much for all of the wonderful info!  i'm a spring muriel's bride and am also craving info re: muriel's!!  i actually saw your wedding set-up b/c my mom was in from OOT and i asked diane if we could pop in to see how a big wedding would be set up (since i didn't remember all the details from my initial muriel's visit in may).  it looked beautiful, and diane was busting her a$$ to make everything perfect!  i'm definitely leaning towards the crepe station...sounds amazing!  i also booked get polished for hair and makeup and am considering them for "month-of" coordinating.  do you recall how much that cost?  thanks again!
  • glitterspankglitterspank member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I want to say we paid $1200-1300 for the month of services, and they actually helped me out quite a bot before the month actually arrived.I wish I could have snuck (sneaked?) over and seen the set up beforehand, but it just wasn't feasible.  It would have been nice to have had a quiet moment alone to just really take it all in.  Ditto for the church, but what are ya gonna do?
  • edited December 2011
    Phillyd- when is yours?!  Ours is 3/13!  I paid Get Polished $2000 for month-of plus unlimited calls, emails, vendor recs, hair & makeup, and some other stuff.  There was a $1200 option though- and she sent me both to choose from that outlined what both provided- I would be happy to send both contracts onto you!
  • edited December 2011
    thanks again for the info, girls!  our wedding isn't until april, and we're having the ceremony and reception at muriel's with a second line around the 2nd floor in between.  i was thinking that it might be helpful to have a coordinator there to help everything run smoothly (and to help with last minute stuff)!
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