See my wedding planning bio here.
Vendor Reviews
Maria's Bridal-(Rochester) A
We used Maria's for the bridesmaid dresses and my dress and veil. The prices were pretty reasonable and the customer service was great.. I highly recommend working with Stephanie there. The only downside is that the place is always busy. I suggest looking at gowns on a weekday before 1 p.m. Do not schedule anything on a Saturday. I did have to go back twice for my final fitting because they did not take in enough the first time. The final product, though, was amazing.
Wesner Tuxedo-(Sterling Heights) A
Nice selection. There was only a one issue with groomsmen's jackets not fitting and one issue with the shoes not fitting right. They had the best deal around with 2 tuxes free and $30 off each groomsmen tux. The only downside was the pants were a little baggy looking on some groomsmen.
EJ Photography-(Waterford) A+
Emily was our favorite vendor by far. Her talent is amazing. Her personality is what drew me to her - she is funny and so easy to get along with. She made Spence open up and feel more comfortable. If she has your date open, book her!!! You will not be disappointed. Her and I have grown close and consider her a friend more than a vendor.
Ceremony Venue: Meadow Brook Hall-(Rochester Hills) A
Obviously an amazing venue. The Hall speaks for itself. It is gorgeous. Although, it's a little pricey. I only wish we had more time here with pictures. We did have to leave before another wedding reception started. The wedding coordinator that we were working with in the beginning quit or got fired and we were assigned a new coordinator. Amelia, the new coordinator was very nice, but absent minded sometimes, which worried me a little. The day of, however, she was on top of her game and didn't notice anything that went wrong.
Reception Venue: Mabry Center-(Warren) B-
Great food, good staff. The banquet manager that we were working with in the beginning quit and we were assigned a new manager - twice. This aggravated me and worried me a little about picking a venue that no one has heard about. The place is gorgeous and has a beautiful atrium where the bars and hors d'oeuvres were. They would not let me light my tree centerpieces that hung tea lights as they were a light hazard. No one told me this and I feel I should've been told. The manager there, Carly didn't even acknowledge me that day. Maybe that was a good thing. She very organized when we had meetings with her, which was nice. But I would've liked a little more communication the day of.
Flowers: Designs by Guzzardo's-(Shelby Twp.) A-
Gorgeous flowers, period! I saw their work at a bridal show and they have really lived up to their name. They are very thorough and good communicators. Their prices are pretty good for what you get. The bouquets were gorgeous. I expected a little more creativity with the grooms and groomsmen's boutineres, however. We also ended up missing 2 for both step-fathers.
I have gotten a lot of inquires on my tree centerpieces. I rented them from Guzzardo's and they were about $40/tree. They came with votives attached. They also attached crystals, which were stunning.
Linens: Linens and Beyond-(Sterling Heights/Troy) A+
Everything looked wonderful and Loretta is a pleasure to work with. She has great communication. There is a sash and cover for every color of the rainbow. Professional and reasonable in price, I would highly recommend this vendor. My satin apple green chair covers were $3/chair - no sash needed. I ordered only one table cover linen - a crushed matte satin in apple green for my cake table - only $14!
Officiant: La Donna Weddings-(Shelby Twp.) A+
Very nice woman. She is as involved as you want her to be. We could personalize our ceremony - and she encouraged it. My brother used her for his wedding at Comerica Park. She was very easy to communicate with. No complaints at all.
Bakery: Mannino's-(Sterling Hts.) A+
Good service and great tasting cake. No wonder Mannino's won best Bakery in Metro Detroit. They were average in price, but the cake looked like a million bucks!!! I have never seen a cake like mine and I have never stopped hearing about how amazing it looked and tasted. Very professional - they produced a flawless cake. Pics to come.
DJ: Solid Gold Sound (Dan)-(Harrison Twp.) B-
I had a hard time trying to get a hold of my DJ the week of the wedding. Dan was recommended to us by a friend. He is one of the best at SGS and he is very professional. When he first tried to call me it was 3 days before the wedding at 10 p.m!!! That is a little late for a vendor to call, in my opinion. He is a very nice guy, however. I did not like how he let a whole CD play of Michael Buble during dinner. I wish there was more variety. I also had to tell him to move things along faster after dinner. I had to make sure we got all of the dances in before my photog's time was up and he seemed to drag things out.
Invitations:Your Print Shoppe-(Troy) A+
Everything turned out great and it was so affordable! Great communication. Pics to come soon.
Limo: American Limousines-(Roseville) D
Horrible customer service, horrible driver. The owner called me at my Rehearsal Dinner to tell me that the H2 limo I has ordered has blown transmission. They only offered me 2 alternatives even though their fleet has over 10. I had to pick either the party bus or a 12 person Lincoln. I had 14 people including us in our party and we were stuffed like sausages in the limo. One person even had to ride upfront. I definitely did not want a bus, so that was out of the question. The owner apologized and also offered us a limo on a separate day to take us wherever we wanted when we got back from our honeymoon. (We'll see if this still stands) Also, the limo driver was smoking cigarettes one after the other while waiting for us to finish taking pictures at Meadow Brook and littered on the grounds there. After he dropped us off at our reception site, he started emptying out the beer cans and cleaning the limo throwing the remainder of what was left in the beer cans/liquor bottles at the entrance of our reception making a nice puddle for our guests to walk in.
Bridal Bra/Lingerie: Harp's-(Birmingham) A+
Amazing. They really know their stuff. I got fitted, tried on and bought my lingerie in under 15 minutes. I love my wedding bra/corset and I have never tried a more comfortable bra that fit me like a "T." Very affordable. Please use this vendor!!!
Bridal Shower Venue: Sycamore Hills-(Macomb Twp.) A+
Everything turned out very nice and it went seamlessly! The food was amazing and the servers were very helpful. They let us in early for set-up and even though another shower was taking place at the same time in another room, the staff was very attentive and I didn't even hear the other parties microphone.
Rehearsal Dinner: Nick's 22nd Street-(Shelby Twp.) A
The food is amazing here, and Nick's really knows how to cater to bigger groups. There were over 3 waitresses for our group of 30-ish people.
Noir Salon- (Romeo) Becca-hair and make-up A+
I used to work with the girls at Salon Noir and I have nothing but good things to say about them. My hair and maleup trial were perfect and Becca was so attentive and she is surely a pro. I will put pics up soon.
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Wedding Day Advice
It was very important for us that our wedding be about us. No matter the family/friend drama, no matter what happens with the littlest detail that goes wrong on your day, you still are there because of one thing - love for each other. I cannot stress enough to not let things bother you. Things will go wrong. Not everything will happen like you planned. It is not worth stressing yourself out.
A word about bridesmaids.....
Wait to pick your bridesmaids!!! 90% of brides will agree with me that you will not be in your right mind when you get engaged and that you will make fleeting decisions. Make sure you take the time to think how the bridesmaids will get along with one another and how great their communication is with you.
Look out for opportunities to DIY
This will make the wedding unique and one-of-a-kind. I made my own cake topper and saved over $60! I made my own Save-the-Dates and saved money too. I DIY'd totes, bridesmaid cards, pomanders, table numbers, wedding programs...the list goes on.
