Before I begin, I just want to say one thing about my wedding day: Best. Day. Ever.
Now on to the reviews! These are the only vendors I used, since I DIY'ed everything else (dress, hairpiece, bouquets, invitations, favors, escort cards, centerpieces, decorations -- PM or comment if you want more info on these).
Ceremony site: Ro Ho En Japanese Friendship Garden (Downtown Phx) 4.5/5 stars
The Garden was perfect for our small ceremony. It was gorgeous at that time of year (March in Arizona) and it fit with a family tradition in-the-making (my parents were married in a Japanese garden in Hawai'i). The women I worked with - Diana and her assistant (?), Gratia - were responsive to all my questions and let me visit the garden as often as I needed to so I could walk around and plan things in my head. I would recommend this for a bride with her heart set on a small, garden wedding (they have a site for up to 75 seats and another for up to 150).
Things to keep in mind if you're looking to book: They are a public garden, and therefore have some restrictions on what you can do there (hence the 4.5 stars). For example: Weddings can only be held in off-hours (They're open 9-3pm, closed Mondays - check the site for more details). You can't hang things on trees or otherwise disturb the fauna. Free-standing stuff is fine. You also have free use of the Tea House for getting ready, but you have to do your hair and makeup in the bathroom or off-site. These restrictions are a little tighter than some other places you might find (like a hotel, etc.) but we were able to work around them pretty easily.
Reception site/Caterer: Aunt Chilada's Restaurant (Dreamy Draw Dr. location) 5/5 stars
Aunt Chilada's was amazing! Jamie Jones, the Catering Manager, was a pleasure to work with and really went above and beyond to make sure everything was how we wanted it (she even took time out of her day to drive 20 minutes to my office so she could confirm the table linen colors in person!). The Event Manager (I think), Steve, was also great. He made sure everything went smoothly the day of. The food was great, and everything was totally flexible. They worked with me on everything from the menus to the intricate decorations and custom centerpieces I provided! I would definitely recommend them for an intimate, relaxed wedding, and they would fit both an offbeat bride or a more traditional bride.
Photographer: Marianne Wilson Photography 5/5 stars
Marianne was fantastic in every sense of the word! She was easily my favorite vendor, not only because her photos were absolutely gorgeous, but also because she's a great person to work with. She's super fun and friendly and communication was superb. She always answered my emails within about 24 hours. It's obvious that she loves what she does, and she always puts 100% effort in to her work.
She was also very easy going and flexible. She made at least a couple of extra accommodations to make sure we had the best experience possible, and we are so grateful. The guestbook of our engagement pictures was beautiful and quirky and just so... US! In fact, all her photos came packaged so nicely in their own leather (?) DVD cases, with a couple of our favorite prints to boot. Our portraits make us all look gorgeous, and the candid ceremony and reception photos really captured the joy and energy of the evening. Everything about our experience was great! I'll be treasuring these photos forever!
Flowers: 2G Roses (online wholesale flowers) 5/5 stars
Let me clarify for those who don't know: This is a wholesale flower provider that specializes in DIY weddings. They are NOT a floral design shop, though they do provide advice for DIY brides.
That said, they were amazing! I picked out my flowers and placed the order, and someone immediately called me to confirm and discuss my choice. I chose daffodils, so she mentioned right off that they are a finicky flower and depending on the weather, they might not be available, so would I mind if they substituted narcissus if that happens? She made sure I was comfortable with everything before confirming my order. They also delay charging your credit card until 2 weeks before hand, so that was nice. My flowers arrived with two pages of care instructions, and once I made the bouquets, they lasted another 5 days after the wedding! That's fresh!
Definitely definitely recommend them for the DIY bride.
Hair: Karrie Mathis 4/5 stars
I was originally going to do my own hair and makeup, but one of my bridesmaids decided to pay for hair and makeup as her gift to us, so we added Karrie and Eileen (next vendor) in the two weeks before the wedding. Karrie came to my mom's house the day of and did hair for me, my three bridesmaids, and my mother (MIL was with her OOT relatives). She did a great job and we all felt absolutely beautiful, though she did use a LOT of holding hairspray - which I'm not used to - and my hair was really difficult to clean and comb the next day. Still, that's probably just a personal problem. Otherwise, she was great. She put together a hair/makeup schedule and consulted with everyone to understand what kind of look they wanted, and she nailed each and every look.
Makeup: Eileen Jimenez 4/5 stars
Eileen was also a last-minute addition, as a gift from my bridesmaid. I don't wear makeup very often, so I didn't want to look too painted up and "not me." She did a good job of balancing her creativity with my own ideas and the result was feeling beautiful (and looking GREAT in pictures!). She also did makeup for my bridesmaids and mother, and they all had something a little different that suited their personalities and attire.
Men's Attire: Men's Warehouse (Ahwatukee location) 3/5 stars
Pros: The guys ended up looking great. The flexibility was nice, since my brother was out of state and had to get measured there to pick up his tux here. The "Rent 5 get one FREE" thing was also great. We rented the groomsmen and fathers tuxes and got a $400 discount on purchasing the groom's tux. Definite plus.
Cons: The day we went in to order, we sat there waiting for someone to help us for 45 minutes. At first it was because one guy was at lunch, but then he came back and they had already forgotten about us. I definitely got the feeling of "quanity over quality" in terms of service. My groom also rented his vest to match our dads... and it didn't fit. I mean, I guess it would have fit if the adjuster belt in the back could actually squeeze down far enough, but even at the tightest setting, it was a good 6 inches too big. He ended up wearing a silver vest that he already had instead. Luckily, he was the groom and he's allowed to look different.