Hi ladies. I always found these vendor reviews helpful.
Good luck in all your planning!
Dress- Altar Bound: A+
Everyone was very friendly and easy to work with. They also encouraged me to "visit" my dress as often as I wanted. The alterations were a breeze, and completed within one fitting. I was able to find a dress within my price range and definitely recommend this store.
Bridesmaids dresses- David's Bridal: A
No problems. I picked multiple styles in the same color and let each girl choose her own dress. Everything was delivered very quickly and all the orders were correct.
Tuxes- Presidential Tuxedo: C
There is a quick turnover at this store. They have a tendency to hire idiots and not train people well. We had to have my husband measured multiple times. They tried to charge the wrong amount when the men paid the final bill. If you can find someone who knows what they're doing, then the store is fine. We loved our tuxes and they looked great on everyone.
Photographer- Childers Photography: A+
We worked with Chuck and Mary, and they definitely made the day fun. Mary is a dream. She was such a calming influence and also helped with our invitations and personalized guest book. Chris is wonderful as well. I can't wait to see the pictures, and I know Chuck took some wonderful photos. They were easy to work with and made sure to get every photo on my list. I cannot say enough good things about them.
Flowers- Furst Florist: A
Our flowers turned out beautiful. Loann was also helpful when I made small changes and decided to decorate the altar. I told them my budget upfront and they worked with me to stay in cost. I really appreciated that. They gave me exactly what I wanted, which was a lot of bright colors.
Ceremony/reception- Carillon Park: B
The ceremony and reception were great. Christina and Summer are kind of flighty, so you HAVE to stay on top of them. We were almost charged twice for some items, there was no champagne at our head table, and small details were changed through communication problems. A lot of little things went wrong, but Summer is easy to work with and accommodating. Get absolutely everything in writing, including whether Carillon will provide linens.
Minister- Marriagechaplain.com: A/D
Brian Eastman was so great to work with and he gets an A. He returns phone calls in a timely manner and worked with us to find a minister who fit our needs. Our officiant was Jeff Freeman. Initially he was fine, but we definitely had some problems, so he gets a D. Rev. Freeman tried to rewrite the ceremony three times after we told him what we wanted, he mispronounced my name at the ceremony, and didn't show up for the rehearsal due to a flight problem. He also demanded payment within 10 minutes after the ceremony ended because he had another event. His delivery is dry, so his jokes fell flat during the ceremony as well. Brian has never received a complaint about Rev. Freeman, so perhaps our experience is a fluke.
Cupcakes- The Cakery: A
Everything was great. The cupcakes were delivered on time, and tasted wonderful. The staff is very easy to work with and I recommend them.
DJ- Rob D'Agostino: B
Rob did a good job. He was easy to work with and open to our OCDness. We created a play list and he worked from that. He also provided the music during our ceremony.
Caterer- Creatif Catering: A
We liked Todd and were happy with the food. He was open to multiple tastings and provided a great deal of food for the money. He is very quick and to the point, which we liked.
Videography- Jeff Cooney: A-
We are waiting to see the video, but Jeff and his wife, Tatiana, were very easy to work with. He was unobtrusive and got along great with the photographer. He was by far the most reasonably priced in the area.
Hair- Julie's Hair Attractions: A-
I was thrilled with my hair. It wasn't quite the same as the trial, but I still loved it. They did a great job. Julie and her staff were one of the few places I found that would travel to the hotel to do hair. It was a great help and convenient. She charge updo prices for what I considered a style and added $5 per person as we were paying the final bill, which I did not appreciate (or budger for), but overall she did a great job.
Hotel- Dayton Grand Hotel: F
The hotel changed ownership after we reserved a room block. It was better managed as the DoubleTree. They did not tell me that they changed hands. Subsequently they no longer offered a shuttle, dining room services, lounge/bar area, room service, and other ammenities offered during previous ownership. The general manager, Monty, is a complete jerk. He initially refused to honor my contract (which he did not read) because it was established with an employee he fired. This is by far my biggest regret. Do not give them your business.