Here you go! Hope this helps those of you who are still planning!
Venue: McNay Art Museum
Score: A
The McNay is gorgeous and was the perfect venue for a perfect day. The only reason I am not giving it an A+ is the museum is VERY finicky about certain things….For example, they would not allow my photographer to hang my dress somewhere to take a photo of it (therefore the only pre-wedding shot of it is the dress hanging on a bathroom stall…classy!), and they made my guests stay outside (which was cold) for a 15 minute period before the wedding began while they closed the museum to the public and opened it for us. Also, the bathrooms there are not pretty – think public school restroom. Haha. Other than that, it was fantastic and I can’t imagine a more beautiful and exciting location. All the guests were full of compliments!
Caterer/Rental Items: True Flavors
Score: A
The food was great, the service was excellent, the linens were fabulous...They accommodated extra guests we did not plan for (<150 RSVPed yes and 165 people showed up). I was a little annoyed that they used different flowers for the centerpieces than I requested, but they were still beautiful and I was the only one who noticed. I worked with Alisha and she was really great to work with. Also, they (along with my DOC) did an amazing 1 hour turnover of the room from ceremony to reception.
Day of Wedding Coordinator: Becky Sosa with Stress Free Events
Score: A+
Becky made sure everything went seamlessly. She and her staff took care of everything and made it appear effortless. They also helped with set up and break down and she kept us on time and kept me in the loop on things, only when completely necessary. I was able to enjoy the night without worrying about the flow.
DJ: Fred Bishop of Encore Entertainment
Score: A+
For those of you who knew about my last DJ and all of my issues with him, you will be happy to know that Fred Bishop was amazing. The music was perfect all night long and he got everyone in the room dancing and enjoying the evening. He listened to our likes and dislikes and stuck to them, while taking requests and making his own selections based on the mood of the party.
Lighting: John Kerney
Score: A++++++
Wow….lighting made a HUGE difference at my wedding. John did pinlighting on tables during the reception, lighting for the ceremony, uplighting during the reception, and a gobo wall light design. We got so many compliments on the lighting….it was probably the biggest mood shifting aspect of the wedding and totally worth the $$.
Wedding Cake: Cathy Young (Cakes by Cathy)
Score: A+
The cake was SO beautiful (exactly what I wanted) and SO delicious. YUM and YAY!
Groom’s Cake: Cheesecake Factory
Score: A+
Guests are still telling us how amazing the cheesecake was. Of course, we all know how amazing the Cheesecake Factory is….and they didn’t let us down. DH selected his 3 favorite kinds of cheesecake and everyone was incredibly happy and full!
Florist: Eden’s Echo
Score: A-
Ok. I really want to give Erin an A+ because she is so sweet and the bouquets and corsages were completely outstanding…however she made an honest mistake (and quickly apologized afterwards)…she made only 1 flower arrangement for the chuppah instead of 2 as we had discussed. I felt like it looked weird to have 1 arrangement in the center rather than 2 (one on each side). Nobody else noticed, I’m sure, but it wasn’t the look I was going for hence the minus.
Hair/makeup: Rosanne Harris
Score: A+++
Rosanne and her daughter did 4 out of my 6 BM hair/makeup, my hair/makeup and both moms makeup and made us all look and feel like a million bucks. She is really sweet and just really, really good at what she does. My friends mom and I were all totally hottttt. J
Photographer: Amy DeYoung
Score: Probably A+
I haven’t received my pro pics yet but I have loved EVERYTHING she has done with engagement pics and bridal portraits. I’ll let you know when I receive the pics.
Videographer: Tony Villasana
Score: ?
I will let you know when I receive the video! I will tell you he was very nice, respectful, diligent, and even brought an extra shooter with him. He was also very reasonably priced. I will let you know my thoughts when I receive the footage as well.
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Casa Rio on the Riverwalk
Score: A
The food was good, the service was good, the margaritas were good, and it gave the out of town guests a chance to walk the Riverwalk. My one complaint is that they kicked us out of the restaurant quite promptly after dinner.
HTH! GL planning ladies!