Hi ladies! I haven’t posted on here in quite a while, but I got married June 18th (date twins w/ kaylas16)! Besides a little rain, it was a great day and we had an absolute blast! This board was such a huge help with finding my wedding vendors, and I wanted to return the favor by giving reviews for the vendors I used:
Florist: Simply Stated Elegance (A+++) Cannot say enough good things about Jen, just like many other Knotties, and I highly recommend her! She took my ideas for my arrangements and gave even better ones. We weren’t able to get a certain color of daisy I was hoping for, and so she put together a combination of flowers I hadn’t even thought of that was even better. I had so many compliments on the flowers, and at the end of the night, people were taking the flowers from the centerpieces home!
Photographer: Dan Magnuson Photography (A) Dan was a recommended vendor by our reception venue, and I am so glad I went with him. He is a past winner of the MN Bride Magazine Best of Award, and his pictures definitely show it. His attention to detail is amazing! I didn’t give him a “must take” photo list, and even without the list he went above and beyond in creative shots. He has a great eye for picture opportunities, and caught so many great candids of us throughout the day!
Wedding and Reception Venue: BayView Event Center (B+) We had the Lower Lake Room and Tented Patio for both the wedding and reception. The coordinator Kerry was great to work with. Since BayView is right next to a marina, we did have a wakeboard boat blast a little party music to contribute to our ceremony, but we just laughed and rolled with it. The food was fantastic, and there was definitely enough to eat. The dance floor in the Lower Lake Room was a little small, but our crowd had no problem filling it up. My only issues with BayView were that it was a shared venue with another wedding reception in the upper room, and that bride was extremely rude to my mom when my mom “got in her way” on the shared walkway (not one of you Knotties though!). We also had a few randoms come in from off the street, but they just watched the dance and then moved on.
Cake: Buttercream (A++) I know Buttercream gets mixed reviews on this board, but honestly the cake is what I get the most compliments on from our wedding! We had guests that had worked other weddings before, and they said it was the best cake they had ever had. We had two flavors: almond praline and Bailey’s Irish crème, and they were both fantastic!
Wedding Dress & Bridesmaid Dresses: The Wedding Shoppe (A) I had no issues with them, and I think it was because I made appointments for both times I went to try on dresses, and also for when my bridesmaids went to look at dresses. If you can go late afternoon on a weekday, it’s less busy. I found a dress under my budget, and my bridesmaids found a dress they liked as well. Louise did my alterations, and she did a great job!
DJ: Midwest Sound and Light (A) The DJ did a great job at both the wedding ceremony and at the reception. I sent a list of the music I wanted played for the ceremony, they found all the songs, and even double-checked with me to make sure they had the right ones. The DJ kept the dance floor packed, and I don’t think I sat out any dances!
Sorry this post is long, but I wanted to help out fellow Knotties as you get your vendors together for your big day! Happy planning! (also, here are some pics!)
