I decided to use the same rubric as Mrs. Turkey to rank my vendors (highly recommend, recommend, recommend with reservations, and do not recommend), but honestly you're going to see that most of these are raves. All of my vendors were fantastic to work with, I have no regrets with who I chose, so I had to get really critical in my assessment here. Hopefully my explanations of each are helpful in deciding if a certain vendor is the right choice for you. As always, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message if you've got any specific questions.
Makeup by Amanda - Highly Recommend
Amanda is a part time makeup artist, but she definitely has all the skills and equipment to be the real deal. She worked all day long doing makeup on myself, my bridesmaids, our moms, and a few extra family members. We had airbrush foundation and false eyelashes for a reasonable price. I remember she had to redo my eyelashes because some powder got on the falsies, and even though it took a little bit longer, I appreciated the extra attention to detail. In my humble opinion, I think everyone looked amazing and if you'd like to contact her, just shoot me a message and I'll send you her email.
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Hair by Nicole Leigh - Highly Recommend
Nicole is a pro. She did my updo, four of the bridesmaids, and touched up my mom's hair, but she was in and out of there in a flash. She was so fast, but really good! Plus she helped me to narrow in on exactly what I wanted for my hairdo, and she absolutely delivered. Did my hair look this awesome after the veil, the rain, and all the dancing? Eh, not so much, but I also know my hair type and that it doesn't hold volume that well so I never really expected it to stay perfect. None of the pieces of the bun fell out, so that's as good as I could have hoped. It was also really handy that she has a good volume of work on Facebook, Instagram, and her website. I sent the girls her IG handle before the wedding so they could figure out what kind of hairstyle they wanted based on what she has done before, which was a great way to narrow it down. All around, she was awesome and super sweet.
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Town & Country Bridal - Recommend with Reservations
When purchasing my dress, I had zero problems at all. The salon has a beautiful selection that covers a decent range of budgets. The staff was attentive but not overbearing and the price was right in line with where it should be for a dress by Casablanca. But when I came to pick up my dress, we left with a bad taste in our mouths. Okay, I get it, the stores need to make sales so they're not as interested in someone who already purchased a dress. But after I had tried on my dress and met with the seamstress, we were actively shopping for some more dresses (this is when my mom discovered her gold dress, and I bought the one for my shower). And despite the fact that the store was not crowded and I was there with an appointment, the consultants moved our clothes, purses, and my dress from the "bridal" dressing room into the "regular" dressing rooms without asking us. People touching my stuff when I'm right in the next room = not okay.
Other minor, but notable points: I felt pressure to order a size up and got the feeling it was so alterations would cost more in the end (I ended up ordering my size and needing hardly anything touched on the dress). And there was some runaround about when my dress would be in/when it actually arrived. Not a big deal when we're months out with plenty of time, but it was frustrating when I was trying to coordinate with MOH Curls coming in town, so that we could pick up my dress and shop for bridesmaids dresses on the same visit. Ultimately, we did not purchase the girls' dresses here, because T&C requires full payment to order bridesmaids dresses, and we weren't a fan of that and ordered elsewhere.
Personal Photo
All in all, if you're local and they carry a brand you're interested in, I would say go check them out and you would probably even be fine to order your dress there. I'd still order from them again if I had to do it over again, but I'd just say keep your smarts about you and make sure you are comfortable with what and how you're ordering.
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| Personal Photo |
Blush Bridal Boutique - Recommend
Personal Photo at Blush Bridal Boutique. Thanks for helping model, T!
This was the other salon that carried our bridesmaids dress choice, and it was in Baton Rouge, LA. They had a special "Bridesmaids Night Out" event on a Thursday evening, and they were offering 15% off on orders placed that night. Since nearly all the girls were living out of town at that point, I had them send me their measurements, and I ordered them all from Blush. The price was a bit lower, they came in within a reasonable amount of time, and we didn't have any issues. I'm just keeping at the "recommend" level because I didn't have enough interaction with them to warrant moving the rating up, but overall they were great to work with. And they've got a good selection of wedding dresses too!
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| Personal Photo at Blush Bridal Boutique. Thanks for helping model, T! |
This was the other salon that carried our bridesmaids dress choice, and it was in Baton Rouge, LA. They had a special "Bridesmaids Night Out" event on a Thursday evening, and they were offering 15% off on orders placed that night. Since nearly all the girls were living out of town at that point, I had them send me their measurements, and I ordered them all from Blush. The price was a bit lower, they came in within a reasonable amount of time, and we didn't have any issues. I'm just keeping at the "recommend" level because I didn't have enough interaction with them to warrant moving the rating up, but overall they were great to work with. And they've got a good selection of wedding dresses too!
Cocoa Bean Bakery- Highly Recommend
I feel like my previous posts already cover how much I loved our cakes and the bakery who made them. They looked great, they tasted great, and they didn't break the bank. I really appreciated the time that Anthony took to sit down with me to talk about the designs and flavors that we wanted. He's a bit out of the way to visit if you're anywhere on the south shore, but trust me - it could be well worth your time to take a trip to Hammond. I hate to comment on his pricing because that could all be changed now, but his pricing for the groom's cake was one of the big selling points. If you're looking for someone who won't nickle and dime you for every bit of decoration, with a freakin delicious product - Cocoa Bean is your place.
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Still ridiculously excited to chow down on that top layer next month.
Blumen Lendle Florals - Highly Recommend
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
CHL Linens - Do Not Recommend
So to explain, that doesn't mean that Kevin and his team did a bad job. We had a good consultation, email correspondence was slow at times but acceptable, and the final result was great. But I don't think that doing weddings (of our size) is in their normal wheelhouse. My florist recommended CHL as someone she has worked with before for linens, and we met to discuss that. But he had a lot of other decor items available and that's how he ended up providing not only our linens, but also extra chairs and tables, some decor, and labor for hanging the chandeliers and arranging the candles around the fountain. And again, from how he was speaking, they seem to do things that are a lot bigger scale (they were preparing for a celebrity birthday party when I visited, I think?), and our little wedding without a coordinator may have just not been the right match. Looking back, I think it would have been smoother if I had just hired the candle decor company outright or a DOC to set up all of the items we had provided. So not a bad company at all, but I just found that in our consultation I got a lot of "Yea, we can do that, for sure, no problem!" and on the day of there was a bit of confusion.
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - Highly Recommend
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Is it awkward to review a church? Yea, a little bit so we'll stick with the planning details. They were really easy to work with - from the coordinator, the organist, the priest - everybody. They do this pretty often and I felt very comfortable leaving some decisions in their hands for our ceremony. They also had a cool "Nuptial Mass Ceremony" handbook that my little planning heart adored. Father Phillip has moved on to St. Louis Cathedral now, but we were very happy to have him as well. Even though St. Francis is not our parish church, we felt very comfortable and welcomed by the church. For logistics, it isn't walking distance to any reception spaces like you might get downtown, but they do have a parking lot which helps. Also, it's pretty gorgeous if you're into that sort of thing for your ceremony.
New Orleans Board of Trade & Pigeon Catering - Highly Recommend
I'm coupling these two together since Pigeon is the exclusive caterer/event managing company for the Board of Trade. I feel like when I found the BoT, it was like this little hidden gem that no one else knew about. In my opinion, it's this perfect combination because you have a traditional space with the ballroom, but there's the cool areas outside for pictures, lounge areas, ceremony space, etc. I researched a ton of venues and I figured it'd be most helpful to share what made BoT stand out from the rest. Completely customized menu. Flexible pricing to accommodate a wide range of budgets. Chivari chairs included. Uplighting and tables also included. Delicious food choices. Great location in the CBD. Outdoor and indoor spaces. Free standing establishment (not inside another building).
Overall, they were just very, very helpful and accommodating. I don't think I ever sent an email to the Leah, the BoT coordinator, and got "No, you can't do that," for an answer. I wanted more tables and chairs in there - they made them fit. I wanted to switch up when and how the food was brought out - no problem. Champagne order for half the guests to save on costs - it was her idea! (I'll describe that better in the budget post) Plenty of parts of wedding planning can drive you nuts - but I was always really happy in my choice for the BoT.
Don't take my word for it? How about from the guests' POV? I had someone rave about how cool the venue was not but two weeks ago. And I sure am glad I got to eat some of the food because otherwise I'd be annoyed by how often our guests tell us how amazing the food was. And I was drinking champagne all night and didn't notice, but we heard from multiple sources partaking in mixed drinks that they were pleasantly surprised by the strength of the cocktails!
Eau Claire Photographics - Highly Recommend
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Here's the part where the engineer tries to describe what she likes about something artistic...I'll do my best. I knew when we were searching out photographers, I wanted the photojournalistic style, but not necessarily "artsy fartsy." That style can turn out some amazing photos, but I didn't want my wedding photographers to be only focused on getting creative, crazy shots. I wanted to be able to look back on our photos and relive all the emotions of the day. And I believe these recaps have been a true testament that Sandra and Sam were able to capture the highs and the lows: the tears, the laughs, the crazy faces, and the nervous expressions. And of course some stunning ones in there as well. I haven't put together our album yet (what the heck, woman?), but I know I'll have a tough time narrowing them down. Heck, narrowing them down for the blog posts was hard enough!
As far as logistics (ah, much better...), Sandra was great to plan with. We met up a few weeks before the wedding and nailed down everything from the timeline of the day, must-take photo lists, shooting locations, etc. Her input and calm attitude during that meeting really helped me to feel comfortable with having her around for most of our wedding day. Case in point: after our (indoor) first look, I was at a loss as to where we should go to get formal photos (we had planned to do them outdoors but it was still raining). Sam headed downstairs in the hotel and found an empty ballroom for us to use - crisis averted. Having some true professionals on our side helped to make the day go much more smoothly, without missing out on some of our "must have" photos.
Limousine Livery - Recommend
If you've had to search for a limo company, you may have been scared out of your mind by reviews like me. Nearly every company has these horror stories where the limos were late, got lost, the driver decided to take a lunch break in the middle of driving the bride to the church, etc. No thanks, I'll just walk, amiright?
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Limousine Livery only had a couple of (reasonable) negative reviews in comparison to all the others, and they had the exact cars that I wanted so we went with them. I kind of crafted my own package based on ones they already had (to swap the included limo bus for the trolley and add on hours), so it was a relief when they said that was totally fine to do. We had a few problems with communication (emails not being answered and not being able to find my reservation number in the system...), but nothing was left hanging so I can't really complain. And on the day of, all of our vehicles were right on time and there were no problems with the route.
So they're right on the cusp of a "highly recommend," but the lost account info makes me a little concerned that things wouldn't have played out quite the same if I hadn't called to confirm all the details a few weeks out.
Brock Gomez Productions (Videography) - Highly Recommend
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| Screenshot from our Vimeo Trailer |
I early on that we wanted to also have a videographer for our wedding, and I was thrilled to find one who was just so excited about sharing our story as we were. We didn't have too much interaction before the wedding, except for a few emails and to fill out a questionnaire so that Brock could know some of the important details and a bit more about us. On the wedding day, I think the two videographers worked really well with the two photographers so that they were able to capture everything they wanted to without getting in each others' way. And when we received our wedding trailer, I was absolutely blown away. I love that they used our letters to each other as the overall narration, but they also edited in the important ceremony parts as well. I shared the short trailer with the Bee back when I first kicked off the recaps, but I also have a 10-minute-long version that was perfect for sharing with family and friends. They did an awesome job!
Groovy 7 - Highly Recommend
It's no secret that I wasn't completely on board with the idea of a getting a band for our reception. But let's keep this short and just say that Groovy 7 was absolutely a fantastic choice. Before the wedding, they were easy to work with and on the night of, they definitely read the crowd to keep everyone on the dance floor. These guys are a pretty hot band in the area right now - they're playing festivals, fairs, and bars nearly every weekend, but they still put for as much effort for wedding reception and I really appreciated that. I'd definitely check them out if you're interested in a live band with a ton of energy and the ability to play lots of different types of music!
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
Ramsey's Diamond Jewelers - Highly Recommend
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| Photos by Eau Claire Photographics |
If you're from the area, please don't let the cheesy radio commercials keep you away from Ramsey's. The biggest plus (for me) was their huge selection of prototype rings out in open cases, which meant that I could try on a bunch of styles without having to ask a salesperson to pull each one out. Ah, ring shopping freedom! They also offered a free cleaning and replating of my engagement ring right before the wedding, which was a nice bonus. The earrings I was wearing on the wedding day (loaned to me by my fabulous Nanny) are also from Ramsey's.
Rome's Tuxedos - Highly Recommend
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| Photo by Eau Claire Photographics |
This was Sphinx's choice 100%, since he had rented a tux from Rome's for another wedding before. I think everyone's tuxes fit them very well, and they didn't cost an arm and a leg. I really appreciated the attention to detail and cost of Rome's when I had to give a friend a lift to pick up a tux from another shop recently. The price was nearly double and my friend wasn't really comfortable with the fit of his jacket, but they didn't let him switch out for another size.
Others I recommend, but don't have too much to say about them:
- Tie the Knot Specialty Shop - www.tietheknotnola.com
- The cake pull bracelets and our monogrammed handkerchiefs for the mothers came from this shop. They were super quick and helpful, especially since I left these tasks to kind of late in the game!
- Windsor Court - www.windsorcourthotel.com
- I stayed here two nights, and we had a room block at the hotel. I think only immediate family used that block, though, but they were easy to work with to set it up and they let me come visit to see the different suites. It was a great, big, well-lit space for getting ready with a bridal party, makeup, hair, photo, video etc. And they sent us chocolate covered strawberries and champagne.
- Mike the Tiger - contact me if you want the email.
- Definitely one of the coolest, most memorable parts of our reception and I'm so glad we were able to get Mike!
- Mobile Memories Photo Booth - www.mobilememoriesbooth.co
- When I was booking they had frequent Groupon/Living Social deals. No issues booking, no issues on the night of, and everyone loved it.
Like I said - pretty much complete raves! We did a lot of research on the front end, and I think that really showed in our end result. Next time, I'll share some of the online retailers/vendors that we used, which hopefully will be helpful for an even wider range of brides!
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