I don't believe in giving vendors A+++++, and I'm super picky/judgey. So these "grades" are graded on a tough scale, but all the vendors did SUPER GREAT, some slightly MORE GREAT than others. I had a WONDERFUL wedding day, and all of our vendors did a great job to make the day the best it could be:
Venue: Tazer Valley Farm - Stanwood, WA
B+
I was not a fan of their email correspondence, they wouldn't answer all of my questions and/or would seem rude in their response and considering that they were the most expensive vendor I had, they could have been nicer imo. On the rehearsal day and wedding day they pulled through. They helped my DOCs set-up and tear-down. And I received my $500 damage deposit back yesterday, so they were pretty quick with that. The venue itself is gorgeous, and I wish we could have had an outdoor ceremony, but rain got in the way of that
Inside requires little decor, and is beautiful on it's own. You get the facility from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, so we had a rockin' long reception, which I appreciated and made the day seem a bit longer (which is a good thing imo).
Photog: Jenny GG -
jennygg.com A
Jenny was great to work with, and while I don't think my personality meshes quite as well as a lot of other Knotties with Jenny's, she was a breath of fresh air. As a vendor, there is NO pressure to go bigger with her photo packages or any other photog extras. My gallery is already up on her website (ask me for the password if you want a peek), and everything looks fantastic. My CD should be in the mail soon, but I'm sure it will all be good. If you want a relaxing, no drama photog you should book Jenny
But, FYI - she's so good she books out a year+ in advance.
DOCs: Shannon & Teasha- Happily Ever After (on maternity leave through Sept. 2011)
A
They were great to work with, but I have to be a little nit picky because I'm a super Type-A person and found two things they could improve on. 1) At the end of the Rehearsal they were packing up decor items from my MOH's car, and they did not double check with DH or I before they took EVERYTHING out of her car. And they took our GM and BM gifts, which we had planned to give out at the RD. After a little bit of freaking out and confusing phone calls - we were able to meet up at a stop near Marysville. It wasn't entirely their fault, but sometimes you REALLY need to double check with the Bride/Groom. 2) And at the end of the reception I couldn't find them anywhere for about 5 minutes, which isn't long, but when you're in Bridal mode it seems like forever. I was able to find them to figure out a couple of clean-up/who take what/etc concerns. Once again, not totally their fault, but it was extra stress for me.
But overall, they were AMAZING, and truly pulled off my "vision." They are very detail orientated, and were able to deal with random problems that surfaced throughout the wedding (THE RAIN, me being about 40 minutes late, my parents leaving earlier than expected, some members of my family who RSVP'd "No" and still showed up, members of my family who RSVP'd "Yes" and didn't show up, and one of my family members who did not RSVP AT ALL and was totally MIA before the wedding- showed up with her 3 yr old daughter- we had a no-kids allowed wedding). They handled everything so well, and most people shouldn't have been able to tell that anything wasn't "perfect." They really helped me relax whenever I was stressed (except for the two instances listed above), they had an emergency kit and I grabbed a few mints from them, they got me my food from the buffet line, they got me champagne early on for the toasts.
I was able to enjoy my wedding day and was (almost) stress-free. And they were the only DOCs I met with who were not scared of my small-ish wedding budget, or tried to pressure me to spend big $$$$ on stuff I don't need.
Officiant: Rev Ray Van Winkle
A
The only "cons" against Rev Ray would be that he doesn't do contracts or send out a final invoice, which is kinda annoying when you are getting super close to wedding. But I had SO MANY of our guests comment about how our ceremony was the best wedding ceremony they've ever seen. Rev Ray gives you a list of ceremony options (organized by ceremony part) that is like 32 pages long, the possibilities are endless, and he is open to anything you might want to include. Rev Ray is a great speaker and does not give a boring ceremony. He did a great job.
Wedding Rings:
Me: Green Lake Jewelry Works
A-
I love my ring and got it made like 1 year before the wedding. It's super unique and probably not everyone's style, but I love it! I worked with Elise online (you can set up an account with Green Lake Jewelry Works, or go in person to start the design process). It took awhile to get everything situated, but that was mainly because we were a year out before the wedding. The custom route is definitely an expensive way to go, but the wedding ring is for life, so I didn't mind the extra splurge. The main "Meh" I have for them is that when I went back about 1 month before the wedding to get my wedding band soldered to my e-ring and engraved, the lady who helped me didn't seem to get what I wanted, and tried to tell me my e-ring needed to be altered.... yada.....yada.... spend more money..... yada- And I wish there was a customer file or something for them to look at when I came in, so I wouldn't have to remind them what I had originally envisioned. But the overall product is pretty kick
@$$ DH: Titanium Kay (online purchase)
A
DH didn't want anything too fancy, and a metal that was resistant to his clumsy ways. Tungsten was too heavy, so he ended up choosing a hammered-style Titanium Ring. He had his ring size checked at a local jewelry store, and ordered online at Titanium Kay. The ring arrived within a week or two, and everything is perfect. Great service.
Wedding Dress and BM dresses: I Do Bridal
A
I bought my dress at their annual Sample Sale in January 2010. They are so great to work with, and there was a small discount for my girls BM dresses, since I bought my dress there. Bridget was a great consultant and was honest and helpful and so NOT sale-person-y.
Alterations: Deb Hedeen, located in Ballard
A
My dress turned out beautifully, and I wish I could wear it every day. Deb's rates are extremely reasonable, and she's super sweet. The bustle was really easy for my MOHs to figure out, which was nice, since I still have NO IDEA how to do it!
Blue Crinoline: Etsy - Swank Underpinnings
A
I placed an order on Etsy, had a couple of convos with Swank Underpinnings, and my criny arrived safe and sound! I love it, and wish I could wear it again- it was SO fun!
Suit Rental: The Tux Shop, Northgate
A
Placing the orders was super easy, and the pick-ups/returns went fine as far as I know. DH got his for free because he had 5 GM.
Caterer: Larry's Smokehouse, based out of Bothell
A
Larry offers a free tasting for up to 5 people, and you definitely get a full meal from his tasting. The food at the wedding was delicious and warm for our buffet, and the service was great. BBQ was a cheaper option that the typical wedding-type food. For food and plates and flatware it was about $15/per person.
Cake (Cupcakes): Kelli's Creations
A
The cupcakes were great and were all set up before I even arrived at the venue. Working with Kelli prior to the wedding was easy and super low pressure.
Linens: Purchased from -
linentablecloth.com A
After being overwhelmed by the prices that Rental companies charge for linens, I chose to buy my own! It helped make the wedding more wedding-y and it shipped super fast. The linens arrived a little wrinkled, but that "went" with my rustic theme in a way, so it was all good
I hope to resell the linens I bought.
Music: Ceremony - DH's Aunt and Cousin
A
They flew in from the Boston area, and were AWESOME and it was nice having them involved in the ceremony.
Reception - DH's laptop
B+
As a DIY (of sorts) there were a few oops involved in the reception. But that was mainly due to drunks trying to pick a song and them having no idea what they were doing. I didn't want a DJ (I find them to be stupid, self-centered fools), and this was a great alternative, and SO much cheaper!!!!
Alcohol:
Kegs- Big Rock Cafe & Grocery
http://www.bigrockcafe.com/ Mount Vernon, WA
A
My parents picked the 2 kegs up and delivered them after the reception. Big Rock was able to get us a Winter Seasonal that we
BIG TIME, so that was pretty sweet (DH and I are beer snobs).
Wine - Trader Joes
A
3 Buck Chuck, but it worked :P
Hotel Block: The Medallion Hotel in Arlington, WA
A
They were really accommodating and their lounge has karaoke at night which was a HUGE hit with our sauce-bag friends and family who stayed at the hotel. They also have a decent Breakfast Buffet from 7:00-10:00 am, and a pool and hot tub.
Shuttle Service for guests staying at the Hotel: AA Charter -
http://www.aacharterbus.com/ A-
Good service for the most part, got all the sauce-bags to-and-from the venue and hotel safely. The reason he gets an A- is because he had ME (DH was the one who paid with his credit card and signed the contracts) sign the final receipt during the reception, I don't know why he had to bother me and not DH. Dude-man was dressed WAY down in a jean jacket and ripped up jeans, which clashed HELLA with the guests attire, but he was hidden for most of the reception. He was really friendly and had a great personality, so I guess that makes up for it.
Rehearsal Dinner: Portage Bay Cafe & Catering (we used the Ballard location)
A
GREAT email communication and they were 100% willing to work within our budget and our Cinco de Mayo "theme." They invited us to 2 amazing tastings, and I wish we had had the budget to hire them for the wedding too. If you think their brunch is awesome, you'll LOVE their catering company's food! They did ID me at the RD when I went to get a beer, but I guess that's a compliment?
Honeymoon: Costco Travel - Maui, Hawaii
A
I
Costco, and we got an amazing deal for 7 days/nights at the Royal Lahaina Resort in West Maui. Airfare and car rental were included, as was free valet parking, 2 free Mai Tais per day, $250 for Food/Drink included, free luau and a free dinner cruise. We'll probably stay in a condo for our next Hawaii trip, but it was fun to do the Newlywed thing in a nice resort for a cheaper price!