Ceremony
Reception
Photographer
I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about Dan and Anna after we booked them and he friended me on fb and I discovered he is my age. I guess I was expecting them to be a little bit older, and therefore more experienced. But they are very professional and really seem to know their stuff. They take truly amazing photos and they are genuinely nice people. We had our e-pics session with them in January and they were great about toughing it outside on one of the coldest days of the year and tromping through the snow with us. I love how our pictures from that day turned out and it makes me all the more excited to have them take pictures on our wedding day. Dan updated his website not long after our e-pics shoot and two of our pics made it into his engagement slide show!
Hair/Makeup
My stylist is Cathi Barbe. I was really happy with her at the trial. I thought she listened well to what I wanted and asked good questions to make sure everything was as I wanted it. She was also super nice and easy to talk to and understanding of my awkwardness around makeup implements, as I almost never get my makeup professionally done and don't use much myself. I was also all set to try fake eyelashes and was pleasantly surprised when she told me my eyelashes were thick and long enough and she didn't think I needed them. It would have been easy for her to just put them on me without saying anything and make a little extra, but she saved me $15!
Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid Dresses
The Wedding Shoppe
I had a lot of reservations about going dress shopping here after reading a number of negative reviews online about their service. We had the first appointment of the day on a weekday however, and we had the upstairs completely to ourselves for about the first half hour. Patti was our saleslady and she was very nice, helpful, and attentive, not at all pushy. She had us walk around and pick out dresses we liked, then once she got an idea for what I was going for, started pulling dresses for me that I would never have picked up but ended liking better than some of my own picks.
When we bought my dress, we were told it would arrive in 3-6 months. It came in after only two weeks however and they contacted my mom to come pick it up. When my mom explained that I was back in California and that she didn't want to pick up the dress without me there to try it on and inspect it to make sure it was the right size and in good condition, the woman on the phone got very rude and told my mom they couldn't hold the dress for her and she had to come pick it up right away. My mom called back a few days later and spoke with a different woman who was more helpful. A manager wasn't available to talk with my mom, but this girl talked to the manager on my mom's behalf and got the okay to hold the dress for us until the next time I came into town.
Everything was in order when we picked it up. The lady helping me try it on was friendly and had plenty of time for me to ask questions.
We had a good experience shopping for bridesmaid dresses here. There are so many to chose from, we would have been hard pressed not to find one we liked. The saleslady was helpful and stuck around to help us pick out dresses and give us advice. The girls all came back later on their own to get measured and order their dresses and all said it went well and was easy.
I had a lot of reservations about going dress shopping here after reading a number of negative reviews online about their service. We had the first appointment of the day on a weekday however, and we had the upstairs completely to ourselves for about the first half hour. Patti was our saleslady and she was very nice, helpful, and attentive, not at all pushy. She had us walk around and pick out dresses we liked, then once she got an idea for what I was going for, started pulling dresses for me that I would never have picked up but ended liking better than some of my own picks.
When we bought my dress, we were told it would arrive in 3-6 months. It came in after only two weeks however and they contacted my mom to come pick it up. When my mom explained that I was back in California and that she didn't want to pick up the dress without me there to try it on and inspect it to make sure it was the right size and in good condition, the woman on the phone got very rude and told my mom they couldn't hold the dress for her and she had to come pick it up right away. My mom called back a few days later and spoke with a different woman who was more helpful. A manager wasn't available to talk with my mom, but this girl talked to the manager on my mom's behalf and got the okay to hold the dress for us until the next time I came into town.
Everything was in order when we picked it up. The lady helping me try it on was friendly and had plenty of time for me to ask questions.
We had a good experience shopping for bridesmaid dresses here. There are so many to chose from, we would have been hard pressed not to find one we liked. The saleslady was helpful and stuck around to help us pick out dresses and give us advice. The girls all came back later on their own to get measured and order their dresses and all said it went well and was easy.
Cake
Penny's cake is simply amazing. Truly some of the best cake you will ever eat. I was disappointed to find out she only offers two flavors to try at your consultation. She held a larger tasting with all of her flavors for all her couples in March. Unfortunately, Jim and I weren't able to make it, but we sent my parents to get their opinion. After hearing their recommendations, we'll be going with two flavors - Grand Marnier and Red Velvet.
We also had tastings at Buttercream and Wuollet. We were not impressed with Buttercream, they have a very commercial feel to their operation and their cake was artificial tasting and bland. Wuollet was delicous and one of their bakers met with us, which we appreciated, and they were a very close second. But Penny's cake was still a bit more tasty.
We also had tastings at Buttercream and Wuollet. We were not impressed with Buttercream, they have a very commercial feel to their operation and their cake was artificial tasting and bland. Wuollet was delicous and one of their bakers met with us, which we appreciated, and they were a very close second. But Penny's cake was still a bit more tasty.
Florist
We didn't feel we connected with Lacey quite as well as another florist we met with, but she did still seem to understand what we were looking for and all the pictures of her work she showed us were beautiful, and she was also MUCH more reasonably priced than the other woman. Lacey took a long time to get the contract mailed to me, and I ended up having to remind her about sending it. That makes me a little nervous, but hopefully it's smooth sailing from here on out.
Centerpiece Rentals
Mari, the owner, has been very friendly and easy to work with so far. She replies to emails very quickly and answers all of my questions in detail. She offered to give me emails of previous brides who have rented her materials seeing as I live out of state and couldn't view them in person, which I appreciated.
