Vendor Reviews

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This is a work in progress. I will continue to update as I have time. The last time I updated was 05/27/09.

Venue and Coordinator-Scott, The Courtyard on St. James Place. A+++++

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Scott is absolutely and totally a Godsend.  I don't even know how someone as amazing as him can exist in the wedding industry (or even the world at large).  Basically, to put it simply, Scott made my entire wedding planning process easier.  From his support of my crazy ideas, to his execution of every single detail that was completely above and beyond my expectations- and everything in between...he was just phenomenal. There are no words.

Scott was really receptive to all of my ideas and visions from the very start- and not only that, he was actually genuinely enthusiastic about everything I came up with, and paid so much attention to all of the details that I never had to worry or think twice about forgetting something or something not going how I expected. And, i changed things, a lot...from the seating plan to the layout to the details, he just kept it all in check and told me what would work and what didn't (and trust me, he just made it work, like a genius!)

He is patient, caring and hilarious.  If you have your wedding at the Courtyard- there is no other planner- it's Scott, all the way!  He kept me calm on the wedding day, and everything was PERFECT...it was actually beyond perfect, if that is even possible.

I would highly, highly recommend Scott and the Courtyard On St. James.  It is a beautiful venue with amazing food, amazing service and a totally unforgettable experience.  Everyone kept commenting on the food and how delicious it was, and on how beautiful the venue was- they really take care of the venue and it always looks perfect, clean and well-maintained. I am so thrilled I got to work with such an amazing staff, and especially Scott, who was absolutely essential to me throughout my planning process, and I am absolutely certain that I was a nice (but demanding) bride with a very specific vision, and he just GETS IT, and that is why I love him, and loved working with him.  If I could go on for days and days, I would, but I don't want to start sounding crazy, which may have already happened in the third paragraph of this review.

Hair and Makeup- Danielle, The Perfect Face- A+++++

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Danielle. What can I say? She is absolutely amazing.  I can't even put it into words.  Her talent, skill, beauty inside and out- she is just phenomenal.  She made me look and feel more beautiful than I ever thought I could.  She has this amazing eye where she just knows how to bring out the beauty in everyone.  Danielle was definitely one of my favorite vendors, and I plan to use her again and again (b-pics, and other special photo shoots). Danielle does completely flawless, completely gorgeous airbrush makeup and perfectly coiffed hair.

Not only is she amazing at hair and makeup, she is also really easygoing and fun to be around.  I found our conversation just flowed and she was so easy to get along with.  I LOVE makeup and all of the girly girl stuff, and Danielle knows so much about all of that, I felt like I was learning all kinds of new tips and tricks.

She also never rushes anything- she is quick and efficient, but never rushes.  I think Danielle sees makeup like an art, that is how she works, IMO.

Everyone that saw me on my wedding day told me how amazing and radiant I looked...my secret is that Danielle used highlighter airbrush as well, and it looks glow-y and flawless.

I also had a self tanning disaster/crisis and she airbrushed my entire back and arms and chest so that you couldn't see the HORRIBLE polka-dot splotches on my back. She saved the day, and it was flawless.

Overall, I would recommend Danielle to anyone that wants to look flawless and beautiful on their wedding day, and have all of the extra special touches like faux lashes, highlighter etc.  I showed Danielle a picture of a makeup look I loved on a celebrity, and I must say, she got it down perfectly, and make it work for me, and my features.

I cannot say enough amazing things about Danielle, but this review is getting a little long. In a last few words- amazing, professional, perfect makeup and hair. 

www.theperfectface.com

Cake- Ginger's Cakes- Kingwood, TX- A++

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The cake was one of the wedding items we wanted to spend the least amount of money on.  With cakes costing 1000$ these days, we definitely did not want to use any of our budget on our cake, it just was not important to us.  My mother in law suggested a local baker in Kingwood who used to be the pastry chef at the Kingwood Country Club.  She was pleasant to work with, had us in her home to discuss our ideas.  I showed her a photo and explained exactly what I wanted, and she absolutely delivered.  I have to admit I was a bit worried initially, because Ginger's cakes tended to be more traditional in design, and I wanted something more modern, but my worries were completely gone when I saw the gorgeous cake she made for us...and it tasted amazing too!  people went back for seconds..and thirds!  If you'd like to contact Ginger, please email me at veronabrit at gmail dot com and I will give you her contact information.

Wedding Bands- NAZAAR's Jewelers- F for FAIL do NOT shop there!

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updated 06/11/09

So,

I go in to show them my band (after it had clearly been re-shaped when I went to had the knick fixed).

The lady (nazaar's wife) insists "that's how I bought it" and "they didn't do anything but fix the knick"

I protested and even the lady who sold it to me agreed it looked "off" but her boss shot her a look and she wouldn't defend us anymore.

The she told me to calm down and lower my voice because there were "other customers in the store". I walked away and started to cry. I wasn't YELLING, I just raised my voice because she REFUSED to acknowledge that the ring was indeed "off".

I tell them I want them to show me the same ring I have, and I will show them the difference. Sure enough, the bottom of the ring they had in stock is rounder than mine. Clearly they are different.

The Nazaar himself comes out and "doesn't see the problem but they tell me the will fix it or give my money back".

I don't want my money back, I want ACKNOWLEDGMENT that my wedding band was NOT shaped the same as when I bought it.

I left. I don't want them to fix my ring, I am just going to leave it. It doesn't LOOK bad, it is just NOT how I bought it. It actually sits more flush to my e-ring now.

I am peeved. What happened to trying to console a customer who is upset?

I am going to patiently wait for my pro pics to prove that my ring does, in fact have a different shape.  I told them if I'm wrong, I will call and tell them, and if I'm right, I will come in and show them the pic.

we shall see.

  a BIG FAT F for FAIL.

Engagement Ring- Robbins Bros.- A

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As most Houston knotties know, Robbins Bros declared bankruptcy and now the Houston stores are closed.  We had a great experience there.  I loved the woman that helped us pick rings, and we did go there to look at bands as well, but found better prices and styles elsewhere.

I liked that they had a wide selection of different designers, and that we could pick our diamond from all of the loose ones.  We were there for like 3 hours picking our diamond and even though the store was almost closing, they stayed open for us and did not rush us at all.  Overall great experience.

The e-ring is from the Tacori collection.

Bracelet- Regina B New York- A+

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I ordered my bracelet over the phone from Regina B New York.  I was going to pick it up while I was in NYC for work, but I didn't have the time to so they shipped it to my home.  Although pricey, the bracelet is absolutely stunning, and I plan to wear it to other weddings and special occassions.  I loved the Art-Deco feel it has, and it matched my earrings and dress perfectly.  Overall, love the designer, love the experience and would purchase from them again.  Several of my friends mentioned that they would love to purchase the very same bracelet- and it's no wonder- it is one of the designer's most popular styles, and I too confess that I saw it on another knottie and that is how it caught my eye.

Earrings- Saks Fifth Avenue- A+

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I ordered my earrings online from Saks.  They came in a cute box.  They were a bit pricey, but totally worth it- and, like my bracelet, I will wear them again.  I have also seen other knotties wear these earrings, and I absolutely know why- they have the glam factor without going overboard, like other chandelier earrings I have seen.  Love them.  The pic is knottie hluper. I don't have a close-up of them on me.

Shoes- DSW- D+

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I won't go into the whole story, but it started with 2 phone calls, and ended with an angry letter to DSW's head office. They made up for it by sending me a 10$ gift card, which was nice of them, but the experience was frustrating.

My shoes were silver flip flops with rhinestones on the thong part of the flip flop.  They were GUESS by Marciano.  I had a 10$ coupon at the time of purchase and got them for about $30.00. 

originally I had purchased the Nina Culver heels from Shoebuy.com, but decided I did not want to wear a heel. I must say though that my shoebuy experience was amazing- free shipping, easy return. Loved them.  A+ for shoebuy.com.



Dress and Veil- Priscilla of Boston- A+++

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Dress shopping at Priscilla of Boston was an amazing experience.  My consultant Ashley was wonderful and so sweet.  I was also assisted by the store manager, Veronica who was also so helpful, amazing and friendly. I always felt so welcome and taken care of there.

I had my alterations done there too, and they were excellent.  The store was so accommodating.  I was not sure if I wanted to wear heels or not, so they scheduled me for a "fitting" even though it was not really a fitting.  They just went above and beyond.

POB is pricey, yes (and so are the alterations, I almost cried when I saw the bill) however, you pay for the quality the designs, and the experience, and for me it was worth it. 

I would recommend this bridal botique to every bride who wants to feel beautifl and taken care of.  The selection of dresses is amazing too.

Florist- Lisa, Petals by Design- A+++++

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Lisa was one of my favorite vendors. I am just going to post my review from wedding wire so I don't have to re-type it! (for more flower pics, please see wedding pics)

Lisa was an absolute joy to work with. I was a bride with a lot of different more modern ideas and Lisa knew exactly how to make my vision come to life- and she completely surpassed all of my expectations and created arrangements and bouquets that were so beautiful, they took my breath away.

Lisa pays attention to what you want, and she asks a lot of questions to make sure she fully understands what you expect. I love that she takes the time to meet with you for however long you need to explain your vision and to go through your options.

Lisa is creative and has great style and everyone complimented my amazing floral arrangements all night and said it was one of the most beautiful weddings they had ever been to.

I cannot say enough amazing things about Lisa. I called her from my rehearsal dinner, at 9PM the night before my wedding, realizing I had forgotten to ask her to deliver our bouquets to our getting ready location on the wedding day- and of course, Lisa was there when I needed her and delivered the gorgeous bouquets and boutonnieres right on time- and she stayed to make sure everything was perfect.

Lisa takes the extra time, and goes above and beyond what is expected of her- that is the kind of vendor ANY bride should be thrilled to work with.

If you have an amazing vision for your wedding flowers, please consider Lisa to make that vision come to life! On top of everything, Lisa stayed within my budget, and offered tons of ideas on how we could stay within budget, while still getting the gorgeous look I was going for.

I absolutely loved working with Lisa and I know you will too!

www.petalsbydesign.us

DJ/MC- Christian from Showcase Entertainment- A+++

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Christian is full of energy- which is exactly why we hired him.  He is young, and funny- knows all the latest club songs, but also knows how to get the older folks on the dance floor, which is exactly what we wanted.  He took us out for dinner and drinks and we discussed music- and he was completely open and receptive to all our our ideas- we had completely non-traditional music for our wedding (including ceremony and during dinner and cocktail hour) and he just rolled with what we wanted.  We gave him a list of must plays, and the rest was up to him, and he did amazing.  We danced all night (thank god I made the fans because I was sweating).

I highly, highly recommend Showcase entertainment and Christian.  He is professional, laid-back- yet he is on it.  Everything was smooth and consistent with what we had talked about.

http://www.throwarealparty.com/

I wanted to also mention that Christian did the PINK UP-LIGHTING at out wedding.  It made such a difference and created such an awesome vibe in the venue. It was a last-minute add-in, and I am so glad we did it.  Christian offers a lot of other wedding-related services, like special lighting, which is great because I didn't have to go to another vendor. 

Linens- Darryl and Co.- A+

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I absolutely loved my specialty linens that I used on half of my tables.  They were a brocade damask print and went perfectly with the theme and colors.  The were a fair price.  i worked with Tom at Darryl and Co. and he was great.  Booked everything quickly and paid quickly. It was probably the vendor I had to put the least amount of effort into, in the sense that it was simple- I wanted to rent the linens, paid, and that's that.  They deliver and pick up. Love it.

Hair Fascinator- Etsy Seller Lo Boheme- A+++

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I had a wonderful experience with Etsy Seller Lo Boheme.  She completely custom-made my ostrich-feather and rhinestone hair fascinator. I told her what I liked based on her other designs, and she made my fascinator and then showed me several different center jewel designs that would work.  I liked the art-deco feel of one of the options she presented me with, since it went along with my other jewelry.  She is pricey, but again well worth it.  The hair feather completely completed my look and I would have been devastated had I not ordered it- I ordered it about 3.5 weeks before our wedding, and it was shipped to me promptly- it came in about a week before our wedding.  Lo is creative and talented. I would definitely recommend her to design a custom piece for your wedding hair. www.etsy.com

Nails- TX Nails in Rice Village- A++

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This is y favorite nail salon, it is on Rice Blvd.  The ladies there know my best friend and I and treat us like royalty everytime we come in.  Their prices are unbeatable, and they do a wonderful job and give you a massage while you get a mani pedi.  I had my girls, mom and grandma there the day before the wedding and it was wonderful :)

Rehearsal Dinner- Pappasitos in the Galleria- A++

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Great food, great drinks.  We had about 40 people attend (all OOT guests, bridal party, family etc).  We had the room at the back of the restaurant so it was private.  The buffet was amazing and we had a wonderful selection of appetizers and desserts.  I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you have OOT guests, because it is great Mexican food! All of my Canadian friends were thrilled!

Candy Buffet- Candywearehouse.com- A++

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Candy- www.candywarehouse.com-  A++

My mother in law ordered the candy online for us, and she said there was a discount because of how much we ordered, which made the shipping cost pretty much covered.  Everything came nicely packed and nothing (surprisingly) was broken.

Glass containers- Micheal's and Garden Ridge- A++
We bought most of our glass containers on sale or with a % off coupon.  We bought them periodically as there were sales and as we saw what we like come in. Both MIL and I are now using most of the containers in our homes as decorative accents.

Picture Frames- Dollar Store and Ikea
These are both great places to find cheap frames.




Guestbook- MyPublisher.com- A++

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I made our guestbook on www.mypublisher.com.  I thought the software was a little confusing to use at first, but you get the hang of it once you play around with it for awhile.

I found the making of the book and ordering pretty easy once I understood how it worked, and we were happy with the quality when we got it.