Hi girls!
I want to thank all of you for helping me during the stressful wedding process! I wanted to share some of my experiences in hopes that it may help out some of you in the future. Just keep in mind I had a very complex venue which was very non-traditional so these vendors had a lot to deal with and most were amazing!
DJ- Dhol Xperience- A+
Loved loved loved Dhol Xperience. They are extremely organized, extremely helpful, affordable and just overall amazing. I initially was going to go with a friend's friend who apparently did all these high end events thinking he may be able to handle a complex venue but his arrogance turned me off and I went with Dhol Xperience and did not regret it one bit. The parents, guests, me, all vendors loved them and they did a phenomenal job. They really went out of their way for me and the MC and DJ were great at getting everyone onto the dance floor and people were dancing all night. Nothing but great things to say about them!
Planner-Lifetime Events by Jacqueline- A+
Amazing amazing day of coordinator. Jackie was a blessing! So incredibly organized, helpful, calming, sweet, and caring. She dealt with multiple vendor problems that day and made sure everything ran smoothly. The decorator was the worst and gave us so many issues and her and her staff, although it was not part of her contract got out there and moved more than 200 chairs and a ton of tables because the decorator whom I paid to do that job didn't do it. Just loved Jackie. Can't say enough good things about her. And worth every penny. Trust me, we initially skimped and got a more budget friendly planner and that planner took our money and ran and we had a horrendous experience with her. Shockingly, that planner had great reviews but she was terrible. But, Jackie, the moment we hired her, she did an amazing job!
Photography- Salwa photography A+
On time, organized, responsive, were quick, everywhere but did not get in guests way. The guests and parents were impressed as was I. Super friendly, and their pictures, I only got a couple of samples because my wedding was just this past weekend, nothing short of breathtaking! Worth every penny!
Video- My Wedding maker A+
Affordable, super sweet, friendly, organized, responsive, worked well with other vendors. Didn't get video yet (understandably since it is way too early) but will let you know how it goes. But so far, was fabulous!
Horse- Steppin Out Ponies A
Affordable, on time and safe. Those were the big things I was looking for in the horse portion and this company did it. It was a little difficult to get in touch with them at times but overall, they showed up on time, had the horse dressed, dealt with the drizzling weather, kept the guests safe and were great!
Caterer- Tandoor A-
I have to admit, the caterer is extremely difficult to get a hold of hence why I gave the minus but otherwise, he really pulls everything together the day of. My friend had him as a caterer for her wedding and the food was great. My friends tell me the food was good although I didn't eat at my wedding. But, he is professional when you meet him and quite a character. He had a huge responsibility at my wedding which was to do all food, liquor, bring all staff, all rentals as the venue was a completely bare space and I think he did very well. Some complained they didn't get food during the ceremony even though we ordered it but I think that was because we ran late and he told me prior that he would have to serve food early so he had enough time to get ready for cocktail hour. Lots of food, and got a great deal esp since he was responsible for so much. The day of the wedding, he delivered and did a good job!
Makeup - KristinG A
Was a little hard to get in touch with her at times but she showed up early, stayed the whole day fixing me up which she wasn't supposed to but did anyway and stayed late when everything ran late so I appreciated that a lot. Great job, loved her. She really can create any look and super affordable. I went on so so many trials and hated all of them. Wasted SO much money and finally found Kristin and just loved her.
Hair- Teresa K A+
Teresa did a great job at the trial and on the day of. I was rushing her the day of because I really wanted to be on schedule so my hair wasn't as perfect as it was on the trial day but that's more my fault. Still, looked great, organized, responsive and affordable. She also has a lot of experience with indian weddings. My makeup and hair vendors taught me you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to find someone awesome.
Decorator- Shadi Paradise D
I was so so disappointed with Shadi! Prior to the wedding, they were complete sweethearts and my favorite vendor. They were so so accomodating, responsive, flexible, worked with my budget, I felt like they were my friends. I read a horrible review on yelp and asked them about it and they explained themselves well so I decided to take a chance. Also, they did my friend's wedding and she said great things about them. I was utterly disappointed. The day of..they showed up late, they did not want to do the things I paid them to do so my planner had to do it like moving chairs and tables. I ordered rose centerpieces and they had dying flowers in them. They gave me the wrong welcome table decor, did not place an aisle runner, pillars or diya ladies on the aisle of the mandap, all of which I paid for. They did not light up an entire room where guests were sitting when I specifically told them during the venue visit to light the room and they said they had enough lights. I even told them my DJ can do any additional lights if they don't have enough units. The day of....they didn't have enough. Oh, and the bride and groom table, what they showed me they were going to give me was COMPLETELY different from what I got. They literally placed two potted flower plants on the bride and groom table. They also said they would give me gold colored candles but ended up giving me white candles one would find at the dollar store. Our families and I were shocked that the bride and groom table was the ugliest! They also blamed the inability to do the job on wind when they knew it was an outdoor wedding near the water. As decorators, they have to anticipate wind, esp since they knew it would be outdoors near water. Not to mention, several people said the female decorator was extremely rude to other vendors and even dropped the F bomb on someone. I guess to be somewhat fair, they did a good job decorating the fountain and the room they did light up, they did a good job lighting it BUT apparently none of the wiring was taped down so guests were tripping on the wires for the lights. They also were supposed to put 10 chairs at every table but didn't do that either so guests had either too many setas at some tables or not enough. I knew something was shady when they refused to give references and asked me to pay all cash 2 weeks prior to the wedding but since they were sooo sweet throughout the process and my friend used them, I didn't think anything of it. But, I am very disappointed in them. They went from being my fave vendor to the worst. I am just so glad my planner took over and helped so nobody noticed.
Overall, the venue was great as was my planner and the other vendors were all super fabulous and I was happy with all vendors overall so my event still went great. Hope this helps some of you girls out there!