My daughter's wedding is done and was absolutely wonderful! Thought I would take a minute to give some vendor reviews. We were planning the wedding long distance - I live in Houston, bride was going to Penn State, groom was in California. We were having around 150 guests, and working with a mid-range budget. I gave all of my vendors A +++. It's not that I'm not picky...they just all did a fantastic job!
Church - Jacob's Well - A +++
The service was at Jacob's Well Church in the Wesport Area. The couple wanted an "Old World" and formal feel to the service. Jacob's Well has arched stained glass windows, high arched ceilings, long pews and dark wood. It fit the bill perfectly! The only thing "modern" looking in the sanctuary are two video screens at the front, but the groom's dad got the great idea to have them project a celtic knot image on the screens during the service which blended right in! The staff at Jacob's Well were very helpful and flexible in the planning stages. Very communicative via email and phone. Christie, the building coordinator was there during the rehearsal and service to assist with anything I needed, yet was not pushy in any way. Jake, the sound guy, knew exactly what he was doing and was so easy to work with too!
Reception - Chapel Ridge Banquet Center - A +++
We chose Chapel Ridge for the reception because it would accomodate our crowd of around 150, it was out of the inner city, had beautiful lawn surrounding it, had an outside deck area, and would allow us to cater in whatever we wanted. We also liked that your rental got you in for all day so you could have plenty of time to decorate. The staff was very communicative both with email and phone and met with us several times at the center when we were in town. Their rates were great. Wonderful place for our reception!
Caterer - Affordable Elegance - A +++
We looked for a caterer who could take into account several different food allergies, who could do a luncheon type menu, and who would come to Chapel Ridge. We got all three perfectly in Affordable Elegance. Dee Dee and her staff worked with us every step of the way and ended up providing not only our luncheon of kabobs and heavy hors devours but also ended up doing the wedding cake. People went back for lots of seconds and there was no wedding cake left (except for the top layer). People loved their food and the guests complemented many times about not only the taste but the presentation. Again, easy to reach via email and phone.
Flowers - Shawnee Mission HyVee - A +++
We initially were working with a florist shop in the Lee's Summit area, but quickly discovered that they did not communicate via email hardly at all and were slow on the phone. Then we found Katie and the Shawnee Mission HyVee...YAY!!! We emailed back and forth several times about what we were looking for...we wanted bulk flowers that the bride and maids could use to make their bouquets and then coursages and bouteneiers for others. Katie was great about making suggestions but was also very supportive about the ideas we had. The flowers were fresh and beautiful and the prices were good. And they have a great selection of really inexpensive carnations, roses, and bouquets in the store as well. If you are not super-picky about your flowers, you could go in to the store the day before your wedding and pick up flowers for your wedding/bouquets for a song!
Hair/Make-up - Tiffany Franklin - A +++
We were wanting a hair/make-up person who would come to the Q Hotel early on the day of the wedding (our photo call was 9:15). Tiffany had received good reviews on the board and we liked her rates. We did the initial meeting the week of the wedding since we were in from out of town. My daughter was nervous because she wanted a natural look. Tiffany was awesome! She listened to my daughter and even backed off on the eye makeup when my daughter expressed concern that it was a little heavy. My daughter looked very natural and not made-up. She was so very happy with the outcome. And you can tell Tiffany has done on-site jobs a lot. She handled all of the day-of wedding frenzy like a pro!
Hotel - The Q - A +++
We were looking for a hotel near Westport and our church for the night before the wedding to accomodate our family, the bride, and her attendants. The Q hotel was awesome! Their rooms were only $102 per room for the night. Incredibly clean...very roomy...staff very capable. Nice continental breakfast. Free parking. Couldn't have asked for more. Plus they let us use their refrigerator to store coursages overnight!