Vendor Reviews
Classic Fine Jewelry.... A
Kevin bought the loose diamond for my engagement ring from this store in Old Colorado City. They gave him a good deal, and seem like nice people. They re-sized my ring for free, and did a rhodium dip on another ring I had (that wasn't purchased from them) for free.
Kevin bought the loose diamond for my engagement ring from this store in Old Colorado City. They gave him a good deal, and seem like nice people. They re-sized my ring for free, and did a rhodium dip on another ring I had (that wasn't purchased from them) for free.
Luisa Graff Diamonds and Jewelers... D
The sales lady at Luisa Graff was very nice and helpful... until he didn't buy their diamond. He bought the setting from them, which was pretty expensive, so she made a good bit of money off him, but she was apparently mad that he didn't buy her diamond. She asked him to bring the ring back after it had been mounted with the diamond so she could see it. When he brought it back, she told him that she thought she saw "some color" in it (it's a D), and that she thought she saw bubbles in it, both of which were not true according to the independent appraisal he had done. So, she was just being petty and hurtful. And all of this after he made special arrangements to bring his friend in when he was here from out of town to look at a 1.5 carat Canadian diamond for his girlfriend. Granted, he didn't buy it, but it was still potential business for her.
The sales lady at Luisa Graff was very nice and helpful... until he didn't buy their diamond. He bought the setting from them, which was pretty expensive, so she made a good bit of money off him, but she was apparently mad that he didn't buy her diamond. She asked him to bring the ring back after it had been mounted with the diamond so she could see it. When he brought it back, she told him that she thought she saw "some color" in it (it's a D), and that she thought she saw bubbles in it, both of which were not true according to the independent appraisal he had done. So, she was just being petty and hurtful. And all of this after he made special arrangements to bring his friend in when he was here from out of town to look at a 1.5 carat Canadian diamond for his girlfriend. Granted, he didn't buy it, but it was still potential business for her.
UniqueCelticWeddingRings.com.... A+
Communication was great, I got an answer to my email question promptly. After I ordered, I received a personal email from the owner confirming that they received my order, and that she would email me when they shipped it. They have a good return policy -- no restocking fee as long as you return it within a prescribed amount of time and it's not engraved or anything. You can get a refund, less shipping, and you also have to pay the shipping back to them. But it's better than paying a 20% restocking fee like you would have if you buy the ring directly from the manufacturer (in this case, Shanore.)
We received our rings after the expected wait of about a month. I received a personal call at work from the shop owner letting me know that they were shipping it. The rings were beautiful, but my ring had a flaw in it, so I contact the owner and asked her what could be done about it. She apologized for not noticing it, and called Shanore to see if they had one in stock they could ship immediately. She sent the new ring to me right away along with a pre-paid envelope to send the old ring back.
Communication was great, I got an answer to my email question promptly. After I ordered, I received a personal email from the owner confirming that they received my order, and that she would email me when they shipped it. They have a good return policy -- no restocking fee as long as you return it within a prescribed amount of time and it's not engraved or anything. You can get a refund, less shipping, and you also have to pay the shipping back to them. But it's better than paying a 20% restocking fee like you would have if you buy the ring directly from the manufacturer (in this case, Shanore.)
We received our rings after the expected wait of about a month. I received a personal call at work from the shop owner letting me know that they were shipping it. The rings were beautiful, but my ring had a flaw in it, so I contact the owner and asked her what could be done about it. She apologized for not noticing it, and called Shanore to see if they had one in stock they could ship immediately. She sent the new ring to me right away along with a pre-paid envelope to send the old ring back.
Ebay China wedding gown seller cuican_zhixing... C
I purchased a wedding dress through this seller. They were very good with communication and answered all of my emails in a timely manner. Though the dress is decent quality for it being so cheap, it was not designed as pictured and would have needed extensive alterations to get it to look right. Eventually I decided not to wear the dress. A full review and photos can be found here.
I purchased a wedding dress through this seller. They were very good with communication and answered all of my emails in a timely manner. Though the dress is decent quality for it being so cheap, it was not designed as pictured and would have needed extensive alterations to get it to look right. Eventually I decided not to wear the dress. A full review and photos can be found here.
Tre Luna Downtown Events Center ... B
Okay, this is a long one. I struggled with the rating for Tre Luna.... on the one hand, they did a great job on my actual wedding day. On the other hand, everything leading up to that made me constantly worry that something was going to go wrong.
So, the good things first. Everything went off wonderfully on the actual wedding day. The staff were very helpful and friendly, the food was just as we had ordered, and very good. They gave us ALOT of food. By the end, they had thrown in an extra appetizer, an extra vegetable and upgraded our beef to the next tier up. They don't charge a cake cutting fee (we had two cakes), and they will let you use any of their decor for free. (Supposedly they have a whole closet-full of stuff left over from other weddings.) The room was set up beautifully and everything went off without a hitch. At the beginning of the buffet, they take the bride and groom through the line first, and the staff holds your plate and gets the food for you so you don't get it on your dress. They do that for the groom as well. They collected all the wine bottles for recycling just as I requested, and were really accommodating about keeping the cake in the walk-in refrigerator overnight for us. They also accommodated us by letting me take the tablecloths home the week before and iron them because I can't stand the fold-lines in the tablecloths. (All the places we looked at left the fold-lines in the tablecloths... something I can't understand, but we were looking at "budget" places, I guess.) The one bad thing I have to say about the actual wedding was that they opened bottles of wine before other bottles of the same wine were finished. At the end, every bottle of white wine was open but many of them were not empty. So, that wine was basically wasted, and I'm not sure why they did that.
Now, all the drama.
When we first visited Tre Luna, we fell in love with the unique character of this venue. The women we dealt with, Valerie, was very nice and accommodating. Then I checked the BBB rating and was horrified to discover that both venues owned by this company were rated "F" for failure to respond to the BBB concerning customer complaints. There were 3 complaints between the two venues, and all seemed to stem from some kind of refund issue. I wrote them off, and we started looking for other places, but nothing was "right".
Kevin wanted to talk to them about the issue, so I let him take it on, and he emailed Valerie and told her our concerns. She said that she had only been working for them for a few months, and that she didn't know about the BBB rating, but she would look into it. She spoke with the owner who apparently said that the complaints weren't responded to because he forgot about them (um, huh??), but she said that she was going to personally take them on and try to make them right.
A couple weeks later, as we were still searching in vain for a venue, she emailed to tell us that she had satisfied one of the complaints, and was diligently working the others. I checked the BBB and their other venue had been raised to an A- due to her efforts, so we decided to give them another chance. We met with Valerie, signed the contract and paid our deposit. There were a couple things in the contract that I had to specifically write out of the contract --one of them being the policy on liquor. Originally we were told that they were still in the process of getting a liquor license and that we could bring our own alcohol in. I asked what would happen if they got the license between the time we signed the contract and the wedding, and Valerie said that we could still bring in our own. But in the contract, when I read it, it said that if they get the liquor license before your wedding, you are agreeing to buy the alcohol through them at a discounted price, but it did not specify what the price was. I told them there was no way I was signing up for that, not knowing how much it would cost, so we wrote it out of the contract.
She still owed us some information that we asked for (a price on adding the DJ), but each time we reminded her, we would get an email back saying that she was really busy and would get back to us. This went on for several months. It was the summer season, so I understand her being busy, but this was potential extra money for them, so I'm not sure why she took so long getting back to us.
Meanwhile, I had recommended Tre Luna to my friend who was looking for a place for a company Christmas party. She set up a meeting with Valerie, but when she got to Tre Luna, no one was there. She called the number and left a message, and got a call back from the owner, Carolyn, and Carolyn said she could meet her in a half hour. My friend said that she was standing outside on the sidewalk and she wasn't waiting another half hour, and that they were making a decision on the party venue today. So Carolyn came over to meet with her.
Carolyn refused to honor the price that Valerie had given her, and also said that desserts were not available, even though they are clearly listed on the menu sheets. My friend had an issue with having to bring their own alcohol because the company wasn't allowed to buy it, so Carolyn promised to call her back with some information about a workaround, but she never followed through. She also told my friend not to tell her "friend that was getting married here" what price they gave her because they were giving her a "killer deal". Of course my friend turned right around and told me anyway, and I let her know that the "killer deal" they gave her was very much higher than what we got. I understand that Christmas is probably a prime season for parties, but if you're going to charge more, then just say you're charging more because it's a prime season. Don't lie about it.
Moving on, I had a meeting with Valerie the next week to go over some stuff, and since she had missed the meeting with my friend, I emailed her to remind her. She called me back basically saying that there had been a falling out, and she wasn't sure she was even employed by them anymore. So, Carolyn met with us instead. She was nice when we talked to her, threw in extra food for us when we talked menus and gave us an even better deal on the DJ after I asked. (We got the DJ really cheap, it was a good deal.) She promised to set us up with some website where we could go pick our songs, but she never followed through. I waited a week and then called the office and talked to a man who promised that he would set it up within the half-hour, but he never did it either.
The next week, I got an email from Valerie saying she was back on the job, and was there anything she could help us with. I told her we needed someone to set up the DJ thing, so she did that. That was pretty much the last time I heard from her. The next meeting we had was with Carolyn again, and I think at that point that Valerie was out of the picture again and I never did find out what happened.
So, throughout the entire 5 months of planning I basically worried the whole time that something untoward was going to happen with the reception site. As it turns out, my fears were not warranted, because the actual day went off perfectly.
Okay, this is a long one. I struggled with the rating for Tre Luna.... on the one hand, they did a great job on my actual wedding day. On the other hand, everything leading up to that made me constantly worry that something was going to go wrong.
So, the good things first. Everything went off wonderfully on the actual wedding day. The staff were very helpful and friendly, the food was just as we had ordered, and very good. They gave us ALOT of food. By the end, they had thrown in an extra appetizer, an extra vegetable and upgraded our beef to the next tier up. They don't charge a cake cutting fee (we had two cakes), and they will let you use any of their decor for free. (Supposedly they have a whole closet-full of stuff left over from other weddings.) The room was set up beautifully and everything went off without a hitch. At the beginning of the buffet, they take the bride and groom through the line first, and the staff holds your plate and gets the food for you so you don't get it on your dress. They do that for the groom as well. They collected all the wine bottles for recycling just as I requested, and were really accommodating about keeping the cake in the walk-in refrigerator overnight for us. They also accommodated us by letting me take the tablecloths home the week before and iron them because I can't stand the fold-lines in the tablecloths. (All the places we looked at left the fold-lines in the tablecloths... something I can't understand, but we were looking at "budget" places, I guess.) The one bad thing I have to say about the actual wedding was that they opened bottles of wine before other bottles of the same wine were finished. At the end, every bottle of white wine was open but many of them were not empty. So, that wine was basically wasted, and I'm not sure why they did that.
Now, all the drama.
When we first visited Tre Luna, we fell in love with the unique character of this venue. The women we dealt with, Valerie, was very nice and accommodating. Then I checked the BBB rating and was horrified to discover that both venues owned by this company were rated "F" for failure to respond to the BBB concerning customer complaints. There were 3 complaints between the two venues, and all seemed to stem from some kind of refund issue. I wrote them off, and we started looking for other places, but nothing was "right".
Kevin wanted to talk to them about the issue, so I let him take it on, and he emailed Valerie and told her our concerns. She said that she had only been working for them for a few months, and that she didn't know about the BBB rating, but she would look into it. She spoke with the owner who apparently said that the complaints weren't responded to because he forgot about them (um, huh??), but she said that she was going to personally take them on and try to make them right.
A couple weeks later, as we were still searching in vain for a venue, she emailed to tell us that she had satisfied one of the complaints, and was diligently working the others. I checked the BBB and their other venue had been raised to an A- due to her efforts, so we decided to give them another chance. We met with Valerie, signed the contract and paid our deposit. There were a couple things in the contract that I had to specifically write out of the contract --one of them being the policy on liquor. Originally we were told that they were still in the process of getting a liquor license and that we could bring our own alcohol in. I asked what would happen if they got the license between the time we signed the contract and the wedding, and Valerie said that we could still bring in our own. But in the contract, when I read it, it said that if they get the liquor license before your wedding, you are agreeing to buy the alcohol through them at a discounted price, but it did not specify what the price was. I told them there was no way I was signing up for that, not knowing how much it would cost, so we wrote it out of the contract.
She still owed us some information that we asked for (a price on adding the DJ), but each time we reminded her, we would get an email back saying that she was really busy and would get back to us. This went on for several months. It was the summer season, so I understand her being busy, but this was potential extra money for them, so I'm not sure why she took so long getting back to us.
Meanwhile, I had recommended Tre Luna to my friend who was looking for a place for a company Christmas party. She set up a meeting with Valerie, but when she got to Tre Luna, no one was there. She called the number and left a message, and got a call back from the owner, Carolyn, and Carolyn said she could meet her in a half hour. My friend said that she was standing outside on the sidewalk and she wasn't waiting another half hour, and that they were making a decision on the party venue today. So Carolyn came over to meet with her.
Carolyn refused to honor the price that Valerie had given her, and also said that desserts were not available, even though they are clearly listed on the menu sheets. My friend had an issue with having to bring their own alcohol because the company wasn't allowed to buy it, so Carolyn promised to call her back with some information about a workaround, but she never followed through. She also told my friend not to tell her "friend that was getting married here" what price they gave her because they were giving her a "killer deal". Of course my friend turned right around and told me anyway, and I let her know that the "killer deal" they gave her was very much higher than what we got. I understand that Christmas is probably a prime season for parties, but if you're going to charge more, then just say you're charging more because it's a prime season. Don't lie about it.
Moving on, I had a meeting with Valerie the next week to go over some stuff, and since she had missed the meeting with my friend, I emailed her to remind her. She called me back basically saying that there had been a falling out, and she wasn't sure she was even employed by them anymore. So, Carolyn met with us instead. She was nice when we talked to her, threw in extra food for us when we talked menus and gave us an even better deal on the DJ after I asked. (We got the DJ really cheap, it was a good deal.) She promised to set us up with some website where we could go pick our songs, but she never followed through. I waited a week and then called the office and talked to a man who promised that he would set it up within the half-hour, but he never did it either.
The next week, I got an email from Valerie saying she was back on the job, and was there anything she could help us with. I told her we needed someone to set up the DJ thing, so she did that. That was pretty much the last time I heard from her. The next meeting we had was with Carolyn again, and I think at that point that Valerie was out of the picture again and I never did find out what happened.
So, throughout the entire 5 months of planning I basically worried the whole time that something untoward was going to happen with the reception site. As it turns out, my fears were not warranted, because the actual day went off perfectly.
Dawn at Hillside Consultants... A+
Many of the Knotties recommended her, so I decided to go with her. I didn't do any comparison shopping with any other florist, but her prices are lower than I expected. She's a really nice ady and she made some suggestions for flower substitutions that saved me money. Interestingly, I told her my budget was between $500 and $700 and the final estimate ended up being $698 with tax, LOL. The flowers were absolutely lovely, and she also put left over buds and petals all over the shelves at the reception site.
Many of the Knotties recommended her, so I decided to go with her. I didn't do any comparison shopping with any other florist, but her prices are lower than I expected. She's a really nice ady and she made some suggestions for flower substitutions that saved me money. Interestingly, I told her my budget was between $500 and $700 and the final estimate ended up being $698 with tax, LOL. The flowers were absolutely lovely, and she also put left over buds and petals all over the shelves at the reception site.
Lew Magram Online... A
I bought my sister's maid of honor dress from this website. It was shipped in a matter of days. Unfortunately the one I wanted was being discontinued and they didn't have it in her size, so we had to order one size up. It ended up not fitting, so she sent it back and we got a refund, minus shipping.
I bought my sister's maid of honor dress from this website. It was shipped in a matter of days. Unfortunately the one I wanted was being discontinued and they didn't have it in her size, so we had to order one size up. It ended up not fitting, so she sent it back and we got a refund, minus shipping.
Shoes.com... A+
I ordered my shoes from this site. I love that they have free shipping both ways so if you don't like them for any reason, you can send them back and it's no cost to you. The shoes arrived in good shape and were packed well.
I ordered my shoes from this site. I love that they have free shipping both ways so if you don't like them for any reason, you can send them back and it's no cost to you. The shoes arrived in good shape and were packed well.
Image'n That Design & Illustration... A+
Becky did our save-the-date cards for us. She painted a watercolor of our ceremony site from a photo we provided to her, designed and them and had them printed. They turned out absolutely gorgeous and she's so nice to work with! ( imagenthatdesign at msn dot com)
Becky did our save-the-date cards for us. She painted a watercolor of our ceremony site from a photo we provided to her, designed and them and had them printed. They turned out absolutely gorgeous and she's so nice to work with! ( imagenthatdesign at msn dot com)
Lynn's Little Creations on Etsy - Custom Cake Topper... A+
I had a custom clay cake topper made of me, my groom and my too-adorable dog. Lynn did a terrific job! I did have some trouble with communication with her though.. for some reason she wasn't getting my emails and I wasn't getting hers. Never did figure out what the problem was.
I had a custom clay cake topper made of me, my groom and my too-adorable dog. Lynn did a terrific job! I did have some trouble with communication with her though.. for some reason she wasn't getting my emails and I wasn't getting hers. Never did figure out what the problem was.
Paper and More... A+
They sell single samples of paper and envelopes with $1 shipping. The paper is packaged like Ft. Knox and doesn't have a chance of bending even if it wanted to. Fast shipping.
They sell single samples of paper and envelopes with $1 shipping. The paper is packaged like Ft. Knox and doesn't have a chance of bending even if it wanted to. Fast shipping.
CardstockOnline.net... B
They sell paper by the sheet which is good for samples, but their shipping charge is higher than Paper and More. Also, they do not pack the paper in the order it's listed on the invoice, so there's no way to tell which paper is what if you're ordering samples. I contacted them, and they said that the paper is listed on the website in order from lightest to darkest, but none of their paper was the color I wanted anyway, so I didn't bother to go look to see if I could figure it out.
They sell paper by the sheet which is good for samples, but their shipping charge is higher than Paper and More. Also, they do not pack the paper in the order it's listed on the invoice, so there's no way to tell which paper is what if you're ordering samples. I contacted them, and they said that the paper is listed on the website in order from lightest to darkest, but none of their paper was the color I wanted anyway, so I didn't bother to go look to see if I could figure it out.
The Paper Mill Store... B-
They don't sell paper by the sheet, so you are required to buy 7 sheets of each paper in order to see what the color is like.
They don't sell paper by the sheet, so you are required to buy 7 sheets of each paper in order to see what the color is like.
Johnny Wilson Photography... A-
Johnny is a really nice guy which was important to me... I've been to too many weddings where the photographer gets all pissy and frustrated with the wedding party. Which I never understood because if you are a professional, you should understand that bridal parties are like herding cats, and be able to control your temper. But I digress. Johnny was really laid back, which was great. His price includes an engagement session, and all day for the wedding, from the time you are getting ready in the morning to the end of the reception if you want him to stay that long, and he doesn't charge by the hour. Also, he gives you a DVD of all the original photos with the reproduction rights, so you can do whatever you want with them. (Actually 3 DVDs, one for you and one for each set of parents.) The DVDs come in a really nice leather case that has a photo on the front and another photo on the inside. I loved most of his photos, and he got some really nice "available light" photos of the flowers and candles which really set the mood of the reception. He also got some really nice close-ups of the cake and the guest book which were really neat.
There were a couple things I wasn't happy about with the quality of the photos, though. First, in the outdoor photos, my dress was washed out. Now, I understand that when you take a photo of a scene and only a small part of it is white, the white thing gets washed out. And I know he was worried about it because he commented on it when the same came out from behind the clouds. But I also know that he pays someone to do his color-correcting, and it only takes 20 seconds in PhotoShop to fix blown out highlights, or to at least make them a little better. I am guessing they don't know how to do that. Luckily, I do. Also, some of the photos he took in my house with my mom helping me get ready had really distracting backgrounds. I had asked him where he wanted us to sit for the picture of her putting on my necklace, thinking that he would put us near some decorative object like a lamp, but he said we were fine where we were. But you can see half of the kitchen in the background, complete with papers and stuff piled everywhere and cupboard doors, etc. So, I was disappointed in those. And finally, he lost about 40 of our pictures because he either lost the card or forgot to take it out at the end of the night and then formatted it the next time he wanted to use it. Luckily, it was at the end of the wedding and most of them were just hug pictures of people saying goodbye, but he did lose the pictures of our hands with the rings and the bouquet. I was really bummed because I was dead set against fake nails and tried so hard not to break mine in the weeks leading up to the wedding. But he offered to pay the florist to create another bouquet so we could take the photos again, which was nice of him. I doubt we will do it just because it's too much of a hassle... I'd have to grow my nails out again, get another manicure (which I hate), etc. So, we'll let it go. We got plenty of other great shots.
Johnny is a really nice guy which was important to me... I've been to too many weddings where the photographer gets all pissy and frustrated with the wedding party. Which I never understood because if you are a professional, you should understand that bridal parties are like herding cats, and be able to control your temper. But I digress. Johnny was really laid back, which was great. His price includes an engagement session, and all day for the wedding, from the time you are getting ready in the morning to the end of the reception if you want him to stay that long, and he doesn't charge by the hour. Also, he gives you a DVD of all the original photos with the reproduction rights, so you can do whatever you want with them. (Actually 3 DVDs, one for you and one for each set of parents.) The DVDs come in a really nice leather case that has a photo on the front and another photo on the inside. I loved most of his photos, and he got some really nice "available light" photos of the flowers and candles which really set the mood of the reception. He also got some really nice close-ups of the cake and the guest book which were really neat.
There were a couple things I wasn't happy about with the quality of the photos, though. First, in the outdoor photos, my dress was washed out. Now, I understand that when you take a photo of a scene and only a small part of it is white, the white thing gets washed out. And I know he was worried about it because he commented on it when the same came out from behind the clouds. But I also know that he pays someone to do his color-correcting, and it only takes 20 seconds in PhotoShop to fix blown out highlights, or to at least make them a little better. I am guessing they don't know how to do that. Luckily, I do. Also, some of the photos he took in my house with my mom helping me get ready had really distracting backgrounds. I had asked him where he wanted us to sit for the picture of her putting on my necklace, thinking that he would put us near some decorative object like a lamp, but he said we were fine where we were. But you can see half of the kitchen in the background, complete with papers and stuff piled everywhere and cupboard doors, etc. So, I was disappointed in those. And finally, he lost about 40 of our pictures because he either lost the card or forgot to take it out at the end of the night and then formatted it the next time he wanted to use it. Luckily, it was at the end of the wedding and most of them were just hug pictures of people saying goodbye, but he did lose the pictures of our hands with the rings and the bouquet. I was really bummed because I was dead set against fake nails and tried so hard not to break mine in the weeks leading up to the wedding. But he offered to pay the florist to create another bouquet so we could take the photos again, which was nice of him. I doubt we will do it just because it's too much of a hassle... I'd have to grow my nails out again, get another manicure (which I hate), etc. So, we'll let it go. We got plenty of other great shots.
Etsy seller Molly and Mom - Mother of the Bride/Groom Handkerchiefs... A
These were beautiful embroidered handkerchiefs and she was great to work with
These were beautiful embroidered handkerchiefs and she was great to work with
Debbie Rohan (debsews4u.com) - Alterations - A
Debbie was so patient with me during my Ebay dress saga... she had two fittings with me and her price for fixing the dress in certain areas was very reasonable. But the dress had to many flaws, so I decided to give up on it, and she was really nice about that. I did have her take up the hem on my new dress and she did a great job, though it turned out a little shorter than she had originally said it would be.
Debbie was so patient with me during my Ebay dress saga... she had two fittings with me and her price for fixing the dress in certain areas was very reasonable. But the dress had to many flaws, so I decided to give up on it, and she was really nice about that. I did have her take up the hem on my new dress and she did a great job, though it turned out a little shorter than she had originally said it would be.
AngelsBridal - Ebay... B-
I purchased my crinoline from this seller. First of all, the listing says that it's adjustable to fit 24-48 inch waist. However, on the largest setting, it was extremely tight on my waist (I can't remember what my measurements were, but I'm a size 10), and so the waistband left a huge bulge in my belly/side fat, which was unsightly under the dress. I had to tie a piece of string to each end of the closure and just close it that way. The crinoline also smelled REALLY bad. I'm not sure what they used to starch it, but it was rank. I had to wash it 2 times and the smell still wasn't all the way out of it. I then had to re-starch it because washing it ruined the stiffness. Also, on the return policy -- I had thought about returning it for a hoop crinoline at one point, but her return policy is such that you have to pay $15 for re-stocking and shipping, plus whatever you have to pay to send it back to her... at that point, you might as well just buy a new one and keep the one you have to sell it. The crinoline itself is good quality though.
I purchased my crinoline from this seller. First of all, the listing says that it's adjustable to fit 24-48 inch waist. However, on the largest setting, it was extremely tight on my waist (I can't remember what my measurements were, but I'm a size 10), and so the waistband left a huge bulge in my belly/side fat, which was unsightly under the dress. I had to tie a piece of string to each end of the closure and just close it that way. The crinoline also smelled REALLY bad. I'm not sure what they used to starch it, but it was rank. I had to wash it 2 times and the smell still wasn't all the way out of it. I then had to re-starch it because washing it ruined the stiffness. Also, on the return policy -- I had thought about returning it for a hoop crinoline at one point, but her return policy is such that you have to pay $15 for re-stocking and shipping, plus whatever you have to pay to send it back to her... at that point, you might as well just buy a new one and keep the one you have to sell it. The crinoline itself is good quality though.
VistaPrint - Invitations... B-
I ordered my entire invitation suite from Vista Print using their standard size postcards for the invite, RSVP and inserts, flyers for belly bands (3 to a page) and standard business cards for another insert with our website address.
I'm not giving VistaPrint a B- per say, but more giving the idea of using them for your invite suite a B-. VistaPrint itself is great if you use it for what it's supposed to be used for. If you're just buying a set of postcards for your business, then it's fine. But for wedding invitations with multiple inserts I would not recommend it. Firstly, their colors are not consistent. I used the exact same background on every one of my items, and they came out in three different colors. Two of them are so close that it's barely noticeable, but the standard business cards came out way different.
Also, since there's no way to get a sample of your design in hardcopy, you don't know until after you receive the order that you screwed up. I wasted an order of RSVP cards because I didn't realize that you can't write on the glossy postcard with a regular pen. Also, one set of postcards that I had printed front and back were printed backwards because I was trying to use a vertical design that was rotated to fit on a horizontal postcard (long story, but the point is that I didn't realize how it was going to come out until I got them in the mail. The pdf preview would not have helped.)
I ordered my entire invitation suite from Vista Print using their standard size postcards for the invite, RSVP and inserts, flyers for belly bands (3 to a page) and standard business cards for another insert with our website address.
I'm not giving VistaPrint a B- per say, but more giving the idea of using them for your invite suite a B-. VistaPrint itself is great if you use it for what it's supposed to be used for. If you're just buying a set of postcards for your business, then it's fine. But for wedding invitations with multiple inserts I would not recommend it. Firstly, their colors are not consistent. I used the exact same background on every one of my items, and they came out in three different colors. Two of them are so close that it's barely noticeable, but the standard business cards came out way different.
Also, since there's no way to get a sample of your design in hardcopy, you don't know until after you receive the order that you screwed up. I wasted an order of RSVP cards because I didn't realize that you can't write on the glossy postcard with a regular pen. Also, one set of postcards that I had printed front and back were printed backwards because I was trying to use a vertical design that was rotated to fit on a horizontal postcard (long story, but the point is that I didn't realize how it was going to come out until I got them in the mail. The pdf preview would not have helped.)
Officiant – Jerry Brown ... A
Jerry was a really nice guy to work with. He allowed us to edit the ceremony as we saw fit and had various options of readings and things that we could choose from. He also gives you a print-out of the ceremony wording in a nice little booklet and a special (more decorative) certificate of marriage in addtion to the official one.
Jerry was a really nice guy to work with. He allowed us to edit the ceremony as we saw fit and had various options of readings and things that we could choose from. He also gives you a print-out of the ceremony wording in a nice little booklet and a special (more decorative) certificate of marriage in addtion to the official one.
Waste Removal – Hound Mounds, Jory Long .. A
So, I'm probably the only person in the world who has a pooper scooper on her list of wedding vendors. But our ceremony site is at the end of a trail that allows dogs and horses, and Kevin wasn't looking forward to asking one of his buddies to clean up horse poop on our wedding day. I didn't see Jory as he was gone by the time I got there, but I didn't step in any horse poo, so I'm assuming he did his job!
So, I'm probably the only person in the world who has a pooper scooper on her list of wedding vendors. But our ceremony site is at the end of a trail that allows dogs and horses, and Kevin wasn't looking forward to asking one of his buddies to clean up horse poop on our wedding day. I didn't see Jory as he was gone by the time I got there, but I didn't step in any horse poo, so I'm assuming he did his job!
Chair Rental – Bruno’s Party Rentals ... B
We got the natural colored wood chairs, and they were pretty beat up, but they served their purpose.
We got the natural colored wood chairs, and they were pretty beat up, but they served their purpose.
Groom's Cake - Little London Cake Shoppe ... A+
The chocolate cake with Bavarian cream filling is To. Die. For. They did a good job with the Flyers logo, though they misunderstood me when I said I wanted the black done in fondant. They did the whole design in fondant, but it looked nice and tasted out of this world. They will give you free samples of any number of cakes and fillings, too.
The chocolate cake with Bavarian cream filling is To. Die. For. They did a good job with the Flyers logo, though they misunderstood me when I said I wanted the black done in fondant. They did the whole design in fondant, but it looked nice and tasted out of this world. They will give you free samples of any number of cakes and fillings, too.
DJ - Jam-n-Sounds ... A
The DJ was very professional and did a great job, except for the fact that he played the first dance song at the same volume as the background music, so no could hear the words because everyone was talking. The words were the most important part because the song was Crazy Woman and it was kind of funny, but alas, no one heard it. Also, I spent a lot of time filling out their forms on the website with schedules, song lists and the bio of the belly dancer that he was supposed to read, but he somehow didn't get all of the information and had to ask me for a lot of it. Then we had to go to the back room and get on the internet to look up the bio of the belly dancer again.
The DJ was very professional and did a great job, except for the fact that he played the first dance song at the same volume as the background music, so no could hear the words because everyone was talking. The words were the most important part because the song was Crazy Woman and it was kind of funny, but alas, no one heard it. Also, I spent a lot of time filling out their forms on the website with schedules, song lists and the bio of the belly dancer that he was supposed to read, but he somehow didn't get all of the information and had to ask me for a lot of it. Then we had to go to the back room and get on the internet to look up the bio of the belly dancer again.
Mock-up Studios - Ceremony Musicians ... A
We had a violin/cello duo for the ceremony. Great price and they sounded great. She worked with me on the fact that it was outside with no cover, when most musicians would not do it because they were afraid their instruments were going to get wet. The one thing about them is that after I sent the check in, they didn't send the signed contract back to me in a timely manner. I emailed her two times over the course of several weeks with no response, until finally I sent a third (terse) email asking what the status of our contract was, and then she responded saying that she thought she had sent it. But everything was fine at the ceremony, and they sounded great.
We had a violin/cello duo for the ceremony. Great price and they sounded great. She worked with me on the fact that it was outside with no cover, when most musicians would not do it because they were afraid their instruments were going to get wet. The one thing about them is that after I sent the check in, they didn't send the signed contract back to me in a timely manner. I emailed her two times over the course of several weeks with no response, until finally I sent a third (terse) email asking what the status of our contract was, and then she responded saying that she thought she had sent it. But everything was fine at the ceremony, and they sounded great.
Tuxedo Rental - Al's Formalwear - Dowtown ... A
Maybe not the cheapest, but they actually know what they're talking about. My dad has an unusual body shape, and we needed someone who knew what could be done about it. The 16-year old girls at the Men's Wearhouse weren't really cutting it. (Not to fault the girls too much, it's the company's fault that they're selling things they don't even have pictures of). But Al's was good and everything came in on time and looking great.
Maybe not the cheapest, but they actually know what they're talking about. My dad has an unusual body shape, and we needed someone who knew what could be done about it. The 16-year old girls at the Men's Wearhouse weren't really cutting it. (Not to fault the girls too much, it's the company's fault that they're selling things they don't even have pictures of). But Al's was good and everything came in on time and looking great.
Dancer - Isidora Buchovski ... A+
What can I say? Izzy is my idol, LOL. She's absolutely fantastic, the most graceful person, and extremely charismatic. She not only managed to dance in front of a bunch of stone-faced people who were staring at her wondering what the hell they'd gotten themselves into, but by the end, she had them all dancing around the room in a conga line, and circled around the dance floor for a belly dance lesson. I've even had two people vow they are going to start taking belly dance lessons, LOL!
What can I say? Izzy is my idol, LOL. She's absolutely fantastic, the most graceful person, and extremely charismatic. She not only managed to dance in front of a bunch of stone-faced people who were staring at her wondering what the hell they'd gotten themselves into, but by the end, she had them all dancing around the room in a conga line, and circled around the dance floor for a belly dance lesson. I've even had two people vow they are going to start taking belly dance lessons, LOL!
Wedding Coordinator - Kathleen Zoll ... A
Kathleen is a personal friend who does wedding coordinating at her church, but stepped outside her box to coordinate my outdoor ceremony (I decided I didn't need her for the reception.) She did a good job, and was VERY reasonably priced compared to the "real" wedding coordinators out there. Highly recommended.
Kathleen is a personal friend who does wedding coordinating at her church, but stepped outside her box to coordinate my outdoor ceremony (I decided I didn't need her for the reception.) She did a good job, and was VERY reasonably priced compared to the "real" wedding coordinators out there. Highly recommended.
Hair and Make-up - Nikki Pitts - Lady Godiva Studio - A
Nikki is a real nice lady and really worked with me on my pickiness about my appearance. I hardly ever wear makeup and when I do, you can't really tell I have it on, so when she did the trial, it was way to heavy for me. I also wanted some changes to the hair. On the wedding day, she worked with me to get it exactly the way I wanted it, including brushing my eyelashes out for about 10 minutes because I was obsessing over the fact that the mascara had made them stick together, LOL. The end product was lovely.
Nikki is a real nice lady and really worked with me on my pickiness about my appearance. I hardly ever wear makeup and when I do, you can't really tell I have it on, so when she did the trial, it was way to heavy for me. I also wanted some changes to the hair. On the wedding day, she worked with me to get it exactly the way I wanted it, including brushing my eyelashes out for about 10 minutes because I was obsessing over the fact that the mascara had made them stick together, LOL. The end product was lovely.
Dillards and Dillards.com ... A+
Dillards saved me on two occasions. I bought a burgundy dress for my maid of honor from Lew Magram online, but it didn't fit. I didn't have time for her to order one from a bridal shop so I was starting to panic. I started searching the local department stores and found a beautiful burgundy dress at Dillards. They have a 30 day return policy so I bought it and sent it to her to try on and it fit her perfectly.
Then, I bought a wedding dress from a Chinese seller on Ebay. I only had 5 months to plan my wedding, so by the time I realized that the dress was not going to work out, it was too late for me to order one from a bridal shop. I saw a pretty ivory dress on Dillards.com and since they have the 30-day return policy, I bought two different sizes. One of them fit me perfectly, and I took the other one back to the store and didn't have to pay shipping to send it back. $160 wedding dress and it looks absolutely gorgeous on me! ILU Dillards!
Both dresses happen to be by Betsy and Adam.
Dillards saved me on two occasions. I bought a burgundy dress for my maid of honor from Lew Magram online, but it didn't fit. I didn't have time for her to order one from a bridal shop so I was starting to panic. I started searching the local department stores and found a beautiful burgundy dress at Dillards. They have a 30 day return policy so I bought it and sent it to her to try on and it fit her perfectly.
Then, I bought a wedding dress from a Chinese seller on Ebay. I only had 5 months to plan my wedding, so by the time I realized that the dress was not going to work out, it was too late for me to order one from a bridal shop. I saw a pretty ivory dress on Dillards.com and since they have the 30-day return policy, I bought two different sizes. One of them fit me perfectly, and I took the other one back to the store and didn't have to pay shipping to send it back. $160 wedding dress and it looks absolutely gorgeous on me! ILU Dillards!
Both dresses happen to be by Betsy and Adam.
Magnetstreet.com (Inkjet magnetic business cards) - A
I purchased the glossy inkjet business card magnets. Shipping was extremely fast and they printed beautifully.
I purchased the glossy inkjet business card magnets. Shipping was extremely fast and they printed beautifully.
Shutterfly - Photo Guest Book - A-
As with all of the photo book sites, I find it frustrating that I can't customize the templates. Oh how wonderful it would be if I could just add a text box here, or move this photo over just an inch. Oh well, other than that, the site is easy to use and the books print up beautifully.
As with all of the photo book sites, I find it frustrating that I can't customize the templates. Oh how wonderful it would be if I could just add a text box here, or move this photo over just an inch. Oh well, other than that, the site is easy to use and the books print up beautifully.
Elya Janae Fotography - Engagement Photos - A
I love the set of photos we got with Elya... at first I felt like she didn't give us enough direction (how to stand, where to hold our arms, what to do, etc.), but after having a session with a real wedding photographer that did give us direction, I have to say that we look more comfortable in hers because we were doing whatever came naturally. Though I would have liked more cueing on when to smile and when not to smile, because in some of the pictures, one of us is smiling and the other isn't.
I love the set of photos we got with Elya... at first I felt like she didn't give us enough direction (how to stand, where to hold our arms, what to do, etc.), but after having a session with a real wedding photographer that did give us direction, I have to say that we look more comfortable in hers because we were doing whatever came naturally. Though I would have liked more cueing on when to smile and when not to smile, because in some of the pictures, one of us is smiling and the other isn't.
Westside Boot and Shoe Repair - Shoe Dyeing ... A
These poor people had such a hard time with my shoes. They had to dye my shoes over and over again to get them dark enough to match my ivory dress. Since I didn't have a swatch to give them, they were afraid to make them too dark. I finally left the dress there and they were able to get a good match.
These poor people had such a hard time with my shoes. They had to dye my shoes over and over again to get them dark enough to match my ivory dress. Since I didn't have a swatch to give them, they were afraid to make them too dark. I finally left the dress there and they were able to get a good match.
Shutterfly - Thank you cards ... B
Even though the preview on the internet looked fine, they cut off almost all of the white border on one side of the cards, so it didn't match the white border on the other side and it looked really bad. I had to take a paper cutter and cut both white borders off on every single one of 80 cards. The colors are also off by a bit, but I'm probably the only one who would notice. Print quality is good.
Even though the preview on the internet looked fine, they cut off almost all of the white border on one side of the cards, so it didn't match the white border on the other side and it looked really bad. I had to take a paper cutter and cut both white borders off on every single one of 80 cards. The colors are also off by a bit, but I'm probably the only one who would notice. Print quality is good.