We are back from the wedding and honeymoon and everything was fantastic! Our wedding was May 1st, it was chilly and even snowed for a few minutes but all in all, it was a nearly perfect day. Here are my vendor reviews. The wedding and reception were in Palmer Lake and most of the vendors are in Colorado Springs.
Ceremony and Reception: Historic Pinecrest www.pinecresteventcenter.com: A
Jess and Maria, the owners at Pinecrest, were wonderful to work with. They accomodated a few schedule changes for us since our families and wedding party all came from out of state. The food (Nikki is the caterer) was wonderful and the staff did a great job. I didn't have to worry about a thing. Everyone commented how beautiful the chapel and event center were. The DJ and videographer were also through Pinecrest and Rob did an excellent job. The chapel and event center are in the same location which was wonderful for our guests. The 1st pic is in the chapel, the 2nd is the event center. Very "Colorado-ish", natural and pretty.
Cake: Boonzaaijers Cakes and Pastries: www.dutchpastry.com A
I shopped around for the best tasting cakes and this bakery was fantastic. We had a 4 tiered cake and different flavors and filling for each layer. It tasted amazing and was $2.50 a slice. I chose a simple design to keep the cost reasonable. They also make you a new top cake for your first anniversary.
Florist: Hillside Consultants www.hillside-consultants.com/">
www.hillside-consultants.com A+++
My flowers were beyond gorgeous! One of my favorite details of the day. I feel like I got a steal on the price. Dawn was a pleasure to work with and made amazing bouquets for such a great price, even after I had to cut my floral budget. They were truly even better than I hoped for.
Photographer: Lindsay JC Lack www.lindsayjphoto.com TBA
We booked Lindsay for a great price a year ago when she was first transitioning from photojournalism to weddings. We haven't seen any photos yet but she was great to work with and we look forward to seeing the pictures. We had her bring a second photographer and he made a few inappropriate remarks to me and also weirded out the groomsmen, so I would not recommend Jonathan Castner. Lindsay was great though!
Hair and Makeup: Lotus Salon (Sarah): B+
Sarah did a great job, my hair was exactly what I wanted. She even put in a few extensions that I brought in for no extra charge. My makeup was pretty good, I think I could have used some bronzer on the face after looking at the pictures, but I hardly slept the night before so she did a good job with what she was working with.
All my bridesmaids had their hair done at Lotus Salon and most of them were happy with the results. The salon is nice and they opened early for us and had breakfast and coffee in a private lounge.
Dress: D'Anelli Bridal www.coloradobridal.com: C
Ugh, I'll try to keep this short b/c I'm tired of bitching about it. I shopped for 8 months for the perfect dress and found my Ines di Santo Susanna gown at the D'Anelli sample sale. I was so thrilled to get a designer gown within my budget. The consultant really wasn't helpful at all and rushed me out. I found the dress on the rack myself and purchased it that day.
I had a lot of trouble with the seamstress Leann. I only needed the dress hemmed, bust taken in and modify strapless neckline to sweetheart. It was $300 and the original 2 fittings turned into 4. She never got the neckline even, it was so crooked, but much better by wedding day. She took the bust in so much that I had skin hanging over the front and back on top. She tried to convince me it was normal because she didn't want to let it back out, but I made her and it ended up fitting well in the end, which is what matters most.
D'Anelli has a wonderful selection of gowns in all price ranges, so definitely go there to try dresses on. Just be warned that the customer service may not be great, and do not have Leann do your alterations. Ok so this wasn't short but I hope it helps someone.
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