BEFORE THE AISLE
Note: All Vendors are rated on an A+ to F- Scale
Rings: Kay Jewlers
A+ DH went to Kay Jewelers down in Fort Lauderdale to pick out my E-ring since they were having a special diamond event down there. When he bought my e-ring, he also purchased our wedding bands and had them sent off to be sized. 6 months later DH decided he didn't really like the ring he had gotten for himself so he went back to Kay in Brandon to look again. This time he found the ring he truely wanted and did not settle. Kay Jewlers took the sized ring back and sent off the new one to be sized NO QUESTIONS ASKED. They also followed up with him 2 months later to ensure everything was exactly how he wanted it.... Now that is Customer Service.
In Kay Jewelers Policy it states they will not accept sized items back.. but they were more than happy to assist DH with everything
In Kay Jewelers Policy it states they will not accept sized items back.. but they were more than happy to assist DH with everything
Engagement Pictures: Reid Compton Photography
A I found Reid through an Facebook Advertisement. As a Student doing Freelance Photography I knew prices would be great, but wasn't 100% sold that they would be great quality. I had looked at his sight and loved his pictures but knew Artists put up their best work. Reid had the CD of edited images to me in 2 days and I was thrilled with the work. Although, I was disappointed that most of the images were just converted to B&W rather than truly edited with an artistic feel.
Save the Date Magnets: Vista Print
B They have Great customer service but the business Card magnets lack to be desired. I ordered my custom designed magnets from them because I could get the magnet and Postcards free all I would need to buy is the postage and Envelopes. I should have trusted my gut feeling that a company who can offer so many things free doesn't have the best quality stuff. The Magnets were flimsy and after using their templates to design the magnets, everything came out much smaller than I had designed. I contacted their Customer Service and they were more than happy to reprint them for me free of charge or give me a credit. I opted for the credit since I didn't want to delay sending out the STDs any longer.
While the magnets were less than desirable, the Post cards I ordered from them were heavy duty and PERFECT!
While the magnets were less than desirable, the Post cards I ordered from them were heavy duty and PERFECT!
Invitation Printing & Cutting: PostNet on N. Dale Mabry
.B+ I couldn't pass on this deal. While I was content (not elated) with the end result they were great to work with and kept me in the loop the entire time. I sent the PDF and Tiff files just as they had requested. Due to the way their printer work they had to re size my images to smaller than what I would have preferred, but every time they would call and Confirm the dimensions with me so that I knew what to expect, which was great, but when it came down to the cutting there were times where they didn't cut close enough to the image so I couldn't use every copy I had them make. (luckily I had them make 99 copies of everything when I only needed 75)
I would recommend them to any other bride because they are really friendly and willing to work with you on a budget. They spent 3 days working on my stuff (due to some technology mishaps) and still only charged me $20 for the labor.I supplied the paper and images.
I would recommend them to any other bride because they are really friendly and willing to work with you on a budget. They spent 3 days working on my stuff (due to some technology mishaps) and still only charged me $20 for the labor.I supplied the paper and images.
Rehearsal Dinner: Romano's Maccaroni Grill (Brandon)
A+ My MIL & FIL hosted our rehearsal dinner at Macaroni Grill in Brandon, we were able to take advantage of the private room. A couple months prior to the RD, the Manager called my MIL and let ker know about a gift card promotion that was going on ( receive $5 when you purchase $20 in gift cards) so MIL went in and took advantage of it. :-) it was great to get $200 worth of food free. Macaroni Grille also provided multiple menu options for us to take advantage of ( we opted for a Salad and Entree since I had ordered a groom's cake already).The food was delicious and everyone kept talking about how friendly and efficient the wait staff was. I highly recommend using this locations, you can make the private room as intimate and decorated as you wish.
Groom's Cake: Publix Bakery- Bloomingdale
A+ I took an image of an Xbox 360 controller to Publix, thinking they were going to tell me they couldn't make one because it is copyrighted...man oh man was I ecstatic when they told me they could do it and I went to see it. It was 1/2 chocolate cupcakes 1/2 vanilla... all the guests at the RD are still talking about how magnificent the cake was. DH got a huge kick out of it as well as all his gaming groomsmen.
Beginning the rest of our Lives
Note: All Vendors are rated on an A+ to F- Scale
Venue: The Palmetto Club at Fishhawk Ranch
A When DH and I started looking at locations we fell in love immediately and knew this is where we had to get married. When it was time to sign the contract I found out the lady I was originally in touch with was no longer there. After all the Horror stories I had heard from girls on TK I was terrified and didn't know what to expect. Lucille stepped right in and was wonderful, answered all of my hundreds of e-mail within 24 hours. The night of the rehearsal we got to the Palmetto Club and the gate to the Garden was not open as we had been told it would be. My Dad quickly got on the phone and Lucille was there in 2 minutes flat. She was truly embarrassed... but not a problem at all. I wish they would have included charis for the garden ceremony and a coordinator for the price. Many people were concerned it would have been noisy during the ceremony because it is in the middle of the ceremony, you could hardly hear the outside noises, and we had little girls watching through the gates. All in all it is a beautiful facility and truly a hidden gem.
Caterer: Olympia Catering
A Sherri and the rest of the Olympia Catering team are AMAZING. Sherri does everything in her power to fit your vision into your price range. There were a few times where my e-mails slipped through, but upon talking to Sherri she was sure to update all the appropriate information and apologized a million times over. When it came to the day of Sherri was sure to come into my bridal suite to be sure everything was going smoothly as well as was sure to be in communication with her staff to be sure my bridal party got appetizers and my Husband and I sat down to eat our dinner. It was great and I highly recommend Olympia.
Don't mind our faces.... but look at the delicious food
Photographer: Jason Angelini
A I can't say enough great things about Jason and Lucia, they are both amazingly talented in their own way.
I met Jason for the first time at 1pm the day of my wedding, and he was Mr. Cool, calm and collected. I loved the unique angles he took pictures at and how he was able to capture every moment. while I wish I had better planned my day so DH and I could have the opportunity to take photos together, Jason took advantage of every moment we did have for him.
Through out the planning process, Lucia was sure I had all the necessary papers and information for them, even after my cat spilled coffee all over the original photographer notes. Even throughout the editing process Lucia kept me up to date, knowing I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our pictures on the blog. I was completely surprised she had them done in a little over 3 weeks... this woman never sleeps.
Now, I get to create wedding books for our parents for christmas and get to finish designing our Christmas card.
I met Jason for the first time at 1pm the day of my wedding, and he was Mr. Cool, calm and collected. I loved the unique angles he took pictures at and how he was able to capture every moment. while I wish I had better planned my day so DH and I could have the opportunity to take photos together, Jason took advantage of every moment we did have for him.
Through out the planning process, Lucia was sure I had all the necessary papers and information for them, even after my cat spilled coffee all over the original photographer notes. Even throughout the editing process Lucia kept me up to date, knowing I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our pictures on the blog. I was completely surprised she had them done in a little over 3 weeks... this woman never sleeps.
Now, I get to create wedding books for our parents for christmas and get to finish designing our Christmas card.
Video and DJ: Celebrations of TampaBay
PENDING
Wedding & Bridesmaid dresses: CC's Boutique
B I had a wonderful experience with CC's until my dress was paid off and I wanted to pick it up. Due to my work schedule and the hours CC's was open during the week I was unable to pick up my dress during the week (as stated on the contract.) After receiving notification my dress was in I called and explained my situation and was told that making any accommodations was not possible because the seamstress was not in on weekends.
I explained that I had already made arrangements to have my dress altered somewhere else and that I would just like to pick it up, didn't even have to try it on at the shop. After getting passed from person to person on the phone (without even being told I was going to be put on hold) I was finally able to speak with the owner. After screaming at her and letting her know how unprofessional her staff had been she agreed I could come try on my dress, but wanted to let me know that I wouldn't end up with my consultant due to Saturdays being their busiest day. I understood.
Fast forward to the day I go to try on my dress, I am taken upstairs to the fitting rooms and brought my dress. A young girl helps me get into my dress and begins to lace me up, in comes my consultant to help me finish getting into my dress, and she goes on her merry way. As I was leaving I saw another bride (who purchased her gown the same day I did) trying on her dress with my consultant and the owner of the shop. The owner sees me and said to my consultant "That's the one we had to make special accommodations for", while I am in hearing distance.
Long story short.... they give you fabulous service until your dress is paid for and you are ready to pick up your gown.
They have beautiful dresses for reasonable prices, I HIGHLY recommend going during a trunk show or clearance to get the best prices
I explained that I had already made arrangements to have my dress altered somewhere else and that I would just like to pick it up, didn't even have to try it on at the shop. After getting passed from person to person on the phone (without even being told I was going to be put on hold) I was finally able to speak with the owner. After screaming at her and letting her know how unprofessional her staff had been she agreed I could come try on my dress, but wanted to let me know that I wouldn't end up with my consultant due to Saturdays being their busiest day. I understood.
Fast forward to the day I go to try on my dress, I am taken upstairs to the fitting rooms and brought my dress. A young girl helps me get into my dress and begins to lace me up, in comes my consultant to help me finish getting into my dress, and she goes on her merry way. As I was leaving I saw another bride (who purchased her gown the same day I did) trying on her dress with my consultant and the owner of the shop. The owner sees me and said to my consultant "That's the one we had to make special accommodations for", while I am in hearing distance.
Long story short.... they give you fabulous service until your dress is paid for and you are ready to pick up your gown.
They have beautiful dresses for reasonable prices, I HIGHLY recommend going during a trunk show or clearance to get the best prices
Alterations: Myong Henderson
A Myong has been doing my family's alterations for years and has always done a wonderful job. Naturally I went back to Myong to do the alterations on my wedding dress. She is very efficient and affordable. She had my dress done in 2 weeks, my Bridesmaids and MOB's dress all done in a week. Where other places wanted to charge me $450 for a hem, bustle and to make the top more sweetheart neckline she charged me under $200. I highly recommend her to anyone in the Tampa Brandon area.
See neckline here:
Tuxs: Men's Warehouse
A+ Although my initial hesitancy to go with them during homecoming season, they were so great to deal with. Very Professional and went out of their way to accommodate for us. All of the groomsmen had their tux's in on Tuesday or Wednesday our wedding was Friday. 2 of our groomsmen ordered and picked up their tuxes in North Tampa, 1 in St. Pete, FOB, FOG, 2 groomsmen and DH all got theirs at the Brandon Mall Location. After picking out the tuxes, we began receiving coupons in the mailjust a few weeks later. Our Bridal Party ended up etting their tux's for just $60. The only mishap we had was that the FOB ordered suspenders with his so his pants would stay up, after going back 2 days in a row they finally just handed him a pair that were for sale in the store since they continuously did not come in with the shipments.
Flowers: Bloomingdale Florist
C The day before the wedding they called to tell me my peonies came in the wrong color, but she would be more than happy to fix it. I get to the Florist and my Hot Pink (out of season ordered from Holland Peonies) are pale pink and looked hideous ( I had specifically asked them to order white to be safe if they though the pink peonies would come in the wrong shade of pink)! Karen tells my MIL that she will call her that same night in regard to how she will fix the problem, she called at 9 am the next morning (day of wedding). The only way they can fix the problem is by getting silks and spraying them hot pink... I was fuming I spent $700 on my flowers and went with this florist just for the peonies they promised they could get me in Hot Pink. I go to the florist to see the silks and I am bawling my eyes out at because what they had planned was nothing like I had imagined. Once I saw the end result I was still disappointed because it was not what I wanted... and to top it off the Grandmothers, Godmothers and Mothers corsages had the wrong color ribbon on them. (yes something little but I even took the time out of my planning to type up my order for them and Karen assured me if there were any discrepancies between what I typed up and what she wrote she would call me.... and never did)
In the end the bouquets were pretty and I received many compliments on the flowers. My MIL received money back on the order because of the fiasco we had to go through and Karen was sure to make the situation right although I am disappointed I ended up with silks instead of fresh flowers.
In the end the bouquets were pretty and I received many compliments on the flowers. My MIL received money back on the order because of the fiasco we had to go through and Karen was sure to make the situation right although I am disappointed I ended up with silks instead of fresh flowers.
Officiant: Mary Aycrigg
A+
