Vendors Reviews
Ahhhh, the vendors....here's a Who's Who of the companies and indiviuals I have booked for the wedding.
Alterations by Reina - Rating: A+++++
878 SW 12 Avenue
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
(954) 785-6222
Reina is absolutely the best seamstress there is, hands-down! She is not only extremely sweet, but she loves what she does and her work is superb. It took her no time to do the fitting for my MOH's dress (which was rush ordered). It was perfect by the second fitting and I couldn't have been more happy. She is happy when you are happy with your wedding gown and she alters bridesmaid dress, mother-of-the bride/groom dresses, makes and alters veils and does regular alterations, too.
I give her an ecstatic A++++!
Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine - Rating: A++++++
2807 E Oakland Park Blvd
Oakland Park, FL 33306
954-564-1370
I used them on the recommendation of our Pastor. I knew months ago that I was going to use Cuban food for the reception because of some of my guests dietary concerns and I needed an to bring in my own caterer.
I dealt with Heidi at this location and she personally handled everything that I needed for the reception and she was there to ensure that everything went smoothly. They delivered the food, set it up using their equipment and cleaned up. They also cleared the empty plates on the tables, cleaned them off and put them back in the cases.
The food was awesome! My guests kept coming up to us and raving that this was the best Cuban food they ever had, even better than Padrino's. I paid only $6.95 per person and based that price of the final RSVP headcount. It ended up that we had more than enough food for everyone. Everything was delicious, the chicken was moist and the palomilla was tender and juicy. The boiled yuca and plantains were so yummy.
They were highly professional and handles the guests with courtesy. They loved the music selection that DJ was playing that they were grooving behind the buffet line (which I found to be very amusing). My guests loved that!
Price breadown:
$6.95 per person (chicken and palomilla with all sides, extras and bread).
Total for food: $323
Total for Service: $450
From what I've been told, this is very competitive when comparing other local caterers and catering halls. I had more freedom with my food choices and vendor choices by using all Ala Cart services versus the limitation of using a catering hall.
Jessica Leigh Photography - Rating: A++++++ (pending photos)
I found this up & coming photographer through the Knot's Central Florida board. I love her work and I look forward to working with her on our wedding day. I chose her because of the style of photography, price and the wonderful reviews I have read about her.
At the time of my booking, her packages began at $699 and includes 6 hours of
coverage with unlimited, edited pictures on CD. She also has an extensive, but affordable Ala Carte list of extra services, too, so she's worth checking out.
We paid a total of $968 for 7 hours of unlimited coverage, all high res pics on CD and travel fee (phenomenal deal).
She was such a joy to work with on wedding day. I gave her precise directions for the locations and she arrived on time, ready to shoot. I loved her work ethic and creative attitude. She had us doing all sorts of stuff and even though the rain messed up our chance for outdoor shots right after the ceremony, she managed to scout out locations during the reception and made up those shots in between rain showers.
She was having a blast at the wedding and it translated into the types of shots she took of the guests. Everyone was commenting on how professional she was, her thoroughness and they loved the fact that she never got in the way of the other guests. Sometimes, she would work so stealthly, that even I lost track of her in the same room (which is a good thing). We're both very shy people and she made us feel relaxed and played off of the shyness to get some really unique shots. She really drew us out of our shell and I cannot wait to see some teaser pics :)
She went above and beyond for us that day and far exceeding my expectations. She is very affordable (even with the travel fee) and her work reflects the skills of a photographer 4 times her starting rate. If you are wary of booking an out-of-the-area photographer, you cannot go wrong with Jessica and her professionalism and body of work reflects that.
Liquid DJs - Rating: A++++++
Shannon of Liquids DJ personally worked our reception. I LOVE him! He is so personable and easy to work with. I had my guests write down song requests on the back of our RSVP cards and gave Shannon a list of the songs to use for the reception. It gave him wonderful ideas on how to tailor the cocktail music and reception. He was blown away by the energy and enthusiasm of our small crowd and they loved him. I received compliments from everyone about the music selections and how he read the crowd and adjusted the music accordingly. My guests got a kick out of hearing their requested songs and I loved how he mixed them into the structure of the reception. The sound levels were perfect and everything was first-class. Even our photographer and buffet servers were grooving to the music (which made it even more fun for our guests).
You cannot go wrong with Liquid DJs. They go above and beyond for you and check up with you during the course of the reception to ensure that the event is moving along flawlessly.
Edible Creations - Rating: A+
8978 Taft Street
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33024
954-433-3445
Lily absolutely ROCKS!!! She made it so easy to decide on the cake, the design, the flavors and the cost structure per person. I booked her on the spot and cancelled my other cake appointments. The cake was beautiful, it was affordable, it arrived on time and in perfect condition and it was the best cake I had even eaten. Our guests kept coming up to us and raving about the cake (even the vegans guests loved it). We've already eaten the top layer of cake that we were supposed to save, so I'll be ordering another cake in the same flavors for our first anniversary
Panache - Rating: A+
I was working with Ebony (after Kellyann left the company) and she was a joy to deal with. I made many revisions in a short period of time due to budget concerns and final head count. I actually came under budget by using basic khaki linens, cream napkins, crushed champagne napkins for centerpiece squares and crushed champagne cake table linen. I rented from them one table and all the glassware and dishes. I save $70 off my total by picking up the rentals ourselves. Out of all the vendors that I had priced out, Panache ended up being the most competitive. The price breakdown:
$16 per 96" rd linen - Crushed Champagne
$12 per 132" rd linen - Basic Khaki
$11 per 120" rd linen - Basic Khaki
$7 per 90" rd linen - Basic Khaki
$12 per 90" x 132" linen - Basic Ivory banquet
$7.75 per 30" rd table
$.48 per salad and dinner plate (basic line)
$.50 per wine glass
$.49 per champagne flute
The room looked phenomenal with the revised color choice. I had latte paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and the floor matched, too (totally unintentional).
No Stress Events (DOC) - Rating: A+!
I would have been lost without having Raffaella as my day-of coordinator. She handles the vendors, deliveries, snafus and other stuff that came up during the day. She helped us set up the day before, handled rehearsal, wrote out the timelines and was always available. She even helped me out months before I ever hired her, to help me sort out a gameplan for the wedding (I was so lost). She became not only someone who was there on my side to handle vendors, but she helped me sort out some personal issues that marred the 2 weeks before the wedding. Everything went flawlessly because of her and hiring a DOC was one of the best decisions I made.
Abby Cameron (Cosmetic Goddess) - A
954-638-4219
Abby did a wonderful job on the hair and makeup. She arrived on time and actually finished my hair and makeup ahead of schedule. The airbrush makeup held up well with the humidity of the day, but my hair put up a fight (after all, it was windy due to a tropical wave). I received alot of compliments and I am very happy with how everything turned out. She did my hair and makeup trial months before and asked me pointed questions to find out what I was confortable with and worked out a color scheme. She kept careful records of what colors and make up she used and utilized that on wedding day to acheive the same results.
Jennifer Caminas (Wedding Ceremony Soloist) - Rating: A+!
786-399-4034
My guests raved about Jenny's singing after the ceremony. They absolutely loved her and how she lovingly interpreted the songs. I booked Jenny because (at the time) I was having problems with the church about putting me in touch with the organist and they never recommended a soloist that was part of the congegration.
It worked out perfectly because my organist did not want to use "Pie Jesu". He also was not crazy about "In This Very Room", either, but once he heard the way in which Jenny sang the songs, he immediately changed his mind. They both worked very closely to make the music perfect and by the time the ceremony was progressing, they sounded as if they've worked with each other for years.
Jenny was always available to answer my questions and dealt with my changes in the music like a pro. I loved the fact that she geniunely loved to sing and did it out of love and it reflected in the ceremony. My Jewish family had told me that it was one of the most touching ceremonies they'd ever seen and it completely changed their mind about the Catholic weddings and my decision about converting (which months ago they were not happy about at all).
It all worked itself out and the result was a very personal and memorable day.
