10-21-06 Vendor Reviews

vender reviews!! Hope these are helpful…any questions or comments, feel free to email me at: mosquitopower80@yahoo.com... I don’t know how much I will be on the knot.

Ceremony: St. Adelbert's Church- (A+) The church is a beautiful place!! It was perfect for my wedding. Fr. Marek was awesome..He was very calming during the ceremony as I had began having a panic attack.. He even wiped tears from my face as I was crying.

Ceremony Music: Millenius Strings (A) They sounded beautiful and were very easy to work with.. The only issue was during the ceremony, one of the player’s cell phone went off. DH thought it was unprofessional..it didn’t phase me.

Reception: American Legion Hall in Sylvania (A) Very easy to work with as well..The place is very plain but it gave us a blank slate to decorate. No problems at all.

Caterer: Comes with Hall (A++) The food was absolutely delicious. For only $8/plate, I was impressed. The chicken tasted like a baked “kfc” and the sweet and sour cabbage was delicious, reminded me of how my grandma used to make it…we also had mashed potatoes, kielbasa, corn and salad.

DJ: Scott Diefenbach (cousin) (A+) He was a great DJ and MC.. I had given him a list/order of events and he made everything flow really well. He has a great personality and I think made the night enjoyable. I would highly recommend him for anyone looking for a DJ. He works with his uncle and has DJ’d many weddings and events (even my high school dances ).

Photographer: Memories By Scott (Temperance, MI) (A++ so far) of course I haven’t seen the pic’s yet, but he was very helpful during the preparations and he was fabulous on the big day.. Even my family/friends commented that he was everywhere he needed to be, he ran around and tried to capture every moment. I believe he took a trillion pics, I can’t wait to see them. Also, he was reasonably priced!

Videographer: Showcase Productions- Aaron (A so far) My dad wanted a videographer and so he paid for and dealt with all the details, so I don’t know much. But he also was everywhere and trying to capture every moment. He did however have one small snaffoo, he took a potty break and missed the cake cutting. But, he immediately came up to my dad and I and apologized and said he was going to get some still photos from the photographer to fit into the video. He felt really bad, but tried to fix his mistake.

Flowers: Silk flowers done by Jackie in Floral Design at Craft2000.(A++) she was a creative genius, I gave her the ideas I had and she came up with the most beautiful flowers…The best part is they are silk, so we can keep them forever and I could see them before the wedding day to know its what I wanted.

Cake: Connie's Celebrations (A+) The cake tasted soooo good and the design in my head came out in the cake…it looked gorgeous.

My Dress: Maggie Sottero at Atlas Bridal (A) absolutely gorgeous, although, I believe the wires in the bodice bent while sitting so long in the Limo that by the time we got to the reception, the dress couldn’t hold up my ‘girls’. As you will see in my photos…so just a little bit of info to help others, be careful when sitting so long! Atlas was very good to work with from beginning to end.

BM dresses: Atlas Bridal (A+) I absolutely loved the BM dresses, they looked so cute on all of my girls!! Plus, Atlas again was very easy to work with during my indecisiveness (like changing the color of the dressese and such)

Transport: Stretch Hummer from Birmingham Limo (A+) the hummer was very expensive, but worth every penny!! We had a blast, plus Ken (our driver) was the best, very friendly and accommodating. Also, the limo was at the church on time, a fear of mine.

Invites: DIY (supplies from everywhere) (A) They turned out nice and everyone commented on them

Centerpieces/Decor: DIY (again from everywhere) (A) they turned out very cute!

Tux's: Men's Warehouse (A) everything went well. They were easy to work with when picking out our tuxes. Only snaffoo, the best mans tie was different from the groom and groomsman. He had the standard but we had picked out the bow tie. It did work out that it was the best man’s though so it looked like we did it on purpose to make him stand out. I liked the fact that they were ready on Tuesday before wedding and that the store made all the guys try on tuxes before they left store.

Hair:Dillards with Kathy Reinbolt (A+) She did an excellent job!!

Makeup: Mary Kay consultant Erin Wiley (A++) she did an excellent job on my makeup. She was there early and stayed till I walked down the aisle (to fix any crying that I did)

Wedding Day Ceremony coordinator: Beth (a dear friend) (A++) what an awesome friend. She made everything go smooth and me not have to worry about any details. I definitely recommend having a day of coordinator. If it is a willing friend or you hire someone, because there is so much to coordinate and do that you don’t want you, your MOH or mom to worry about doing or making sure is done.. it is a special day for everyone involved, let them enjoy it and give the stress to a day of coordinator

Reception Coordinator/Decorator: Dolly Bylow ( a dear friend, also an event coordinator at Gladieux) (A+++) She is absolutely fabulous!! She made the reception hall gorgeous!! I gave her some direction and all the items and she made it perfect. I would highly recommend using Dolly at Gladieux, because of her awesome talent.

Rehearsal Dinner: City Hall Diner on Reynolds Road (A+) great place for a RD, if you are going for casual. They were prompt with our food and very courteous with our needs. We had about 25 people and we were seated comfortably. Plus the bill (with out alcohol, people paid for own liquor) was around $350. not bad at all.

Bachelorette Party: Sidelines (south) and Bootleggers (A+) both really good

Beauty Bar (A)- day before Mani/pedi, waxing….small snaffoo with scheduling what I wanted but quick to fix problem. I will be going there on reg. Basis. They are very good and nice atmosphere.

Honeymoon-Kalahari Waterpark and Hocking Hills (A+) both were fabulous and perfect!! 

vendor reviews from 10/21 wedding

I always found these reviews so helpful during planning, so hope this helps girls planning now!

We had a wonderful day--everything was great!

The Wyndham Hotel: This was a perfect choice for us because we had a lot of out of town guests. I was a little worried about this choice, because the ballroom really isn't very pretty as is. We used Candlelight Occasions to dress up the room--between what they did, Twigs, our florist, and the chair covers, it was a total transformation and looked beautiful! The food was very good, and Sherri, who has taken over for Alice, did a great job of helping me coordinate everything. One downside--the fountain next to the hotel was drained because of cold weather.

Rosary Cathedral: If anyone is wondering if this is worth the money--it totally is! I felt like a princess walking down that long aisle!

Atlas Bridal: My dress was from Atlas, and they were great--my alterations turned out perfectly.

David's Bridal: We used them for the bridesmaids, and didn't have any problems.

After Hours: The tuxes looked good--there were a couple of size changes that needed to happen at the last minute, but everything turned out fine.

Dagwoods Limo: We had the limo bus--I think it looks kind of dorky on the outside, but the inside is so nice and comfortable! We had 18 people on the bus at one point. The driver was very nice.

Twigs: They were my favorite vendor--if you have not been to their flower shop in Rossford, you're missing out! It's so cute. Our flowers were wonderful, and Colleen, the florist in charge of my wedding, was so great--she met with me multiple times, helped me keep on budget, and really came through on the wedding day as far as doing everything I asked.

A Piece of Cake: Our cake was beautiful. We had their signature wedding cheesecake for our bottom layer, and it was my favorite! We also had mini pastries, and those were very good as well.

I Do Chair Covers: There was a recent post about chair covers, and whether they are worth it--I definitely vote yes! They completely changed the look of the room, and pulled everything together, and made it look so elegant. It's one of the things I'm most happy that we splurged on. Alice at I Do did a very nice job for us, and she's one of the more reasonable chair cover vendors in the area.

Candlelight Occasions: Their white lights/tulle/organza decor really made the ballroom look beautiful. They were very easy to work with, and their website helped so much in making decisions.

Ultimate Nights: DJ--We had Brian, the owner, and he did a great job--played all the music we wanted, and also tried to honor some requests from guests. We had very specific --and a couple of ususual--requests, and he was very accomodating and professional.

Favors: Lake Champlain Chocolates. We ordered red foil wrapped dark chocolate hearts in bulk, and wrapped them in red tulle--they looked very cute on the tables, and my favors came in under $2 each.

Invites: La Di Da. I had tons of compliments on my invites, and the price could not be beat!

Hair and Bridesmaids Spa Day: Beauty Bar--I worked with Andrea to coordinate a bridesmaids' lunch and mani/pedi party, and it worked out great! They have a room on the second floor where you can hang out and have lunch--it was the perfect way to spend the friday before the wedding.

I think that's everything! I had the most wonderful day of my life, thanks in part to all these great vendors!

Good luck to all the girls who are planning--it's stressful, but so worth it!

Bridal Shows

Are there any upcoming bridal shows? Thanks! 

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I think the Blade is hosting one on November 5th. SOunds of Music big show is first weekend in January (Saturday and Sunday).

vendor reviews

Hair-United Hairlines and Tanlines-Connie I was really happy with my hair. I did a trial run with Connie which I also liked but on the day of the wedding she asked me to let her put bangs in my hair to soften my face. I was really scared because I haven't had bangs since I was a kid. the hair turned out great. I am really happy I let her do this and loved my wedding hair.

Make-up Mobile Makeup/About Face-Margo was great. She arrived on time and had us all done by 2 like I wanted. I also thought that all of our makeup looked great.

Venetian Nail Salon-got a full set of fake nails and a pedicure. I thought they were a little pricey and I was there for 2 1/2 hours because several employees went on vacation together. I was happy with the outcome and thought my nails looked really nice. I have never had a pedicure before and found that quite enjoyable.

Pam Thomas alterations-We all know what a gem she is. We took some wedding photos together on thursday so she let me pay her to repress my dress and pick it back up on Friday. I loved my alterations and my bustle and I think she did a great job and the price was reasonable.

Men's Warehouse-tuxes Where do i begin? When we picked out the tuxes we went and paid for all of them at once because we didn't want our men to have to pay. The first guy we dealt with had everything messed up as far as colors (he had white in the system instead of ivory for shirts) and vests and ties were entered wrong so we talked to a lady and she fixed it. Thursday 10/12 when we were running behind for photos, DH went to get his tux and they wouldn't let him leave without paying again. they said they had mischarged him the first time and so he had to pay for his tux again. On friday everyone went in to get tuxes and they gave the money back to my DH, never apoligized for making him pay twice, just gave him cash and walked away. The best man's shoes weren't there but they assured us they would have them 1st thing saturday morning. One groomsman's jacket was about 3 inches too short. They said that was how it was supposed to be, yet none of the others were that way. It was pretty obvious that it was too short. I don't know how this happens when they premeasure everyone. The next day best man went and got his shoes and they were too small so he had to cram his feet into them. They overnighted the wrong size. I think these mistakes shouldn't have happened but nothing that ruined the wedding. I didn't think twice about it once the day started.

First Baptist Church of Greater Toledo-very beautiful and the ceremony went off without a hitch

Childer's-again, no problems

The Toledo Zoo- I was so happy with how everything turned out. They decorated and everything was just as i wanted. The food was awesome. They were great to work with. I would highly recommend that anyone planning a wedding look into the zoo. The only complaint I have is they ran our of kahlua half way through the night and then vodka close to last call. When you pay so much for an open bar, they should have enough alcohol to make it through the night.

Cake and Flowers-both done by my sister-They were very beautiful. The cake is actually the part of the wedding I've received the most compliments on. I can't wait until I get the photos back so I can put them in my bio and show off the cake and flowers.

David's Bridal-worked with Beth and didn't have any problems with my dress or bridesmaid's dresses.

Inspired Image-Videographer-don't have the finished product yet but he was very professional. he showed up at the church when we did and i can't wait to see the video and see everything that i missed throughout the day.

Stillfootage-Photographer-we worked with Susan. She was fun and easy to work with. Really seemed to know what she was doing. We didn't leave much time for photos between reception and ceremony so she keep the ball rolling and made sure we got all the photos done quickly. can't wait to see the finished project.

Class Act-We had Craig and he was awesome. He kept the dance floor going. Also heard from alot of females who were there about how attractive they thought he was.

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10/14 Vendor Review & Pro Slideshow

Here are my vender reviews. I don’t really like assigning letter grades, so I’ll just provide my thoughts. I had a wonderful, fun day. The wedding of my dreams!

Officiant/Church - Pastor Shaner at St. John Lutheran: Pastor Shaner is Ed’s family pastor. He is a warm, funny, wonderful man. St. John is out in Williston, so it’s sort of a hike for most Toledo residents, but for anyone on the East Side or in the suburbs, you may want to check out our church. He marries non-members, too. Our ceremony was short and sweet – exactly what we wanted. Pastor Shaner honored all of our wishes.

Caterer/Hall - Chef Bob/Zenobia Shrine: The food was delicious. The hall was beautiful. The staff was friendly and professional. Did I mention the food was awesome? I’ll quote my mother: “I’m trying not to make a hog of myself and call ‘mother-of-the-bride’ to get cuts for more food.” I heard several: “this is the best wedding food ever.” Chef Bob is a dream to work with, too. I highly recommend him. I know he’s buying a new location and will start working out of that next year, but I’m sure it will be great.

DJ – Takin’ Care of Business: I love Michelle (she’s Chef Bob’s wife). She’s very nice, easy to work with, and she really made an effort to understand what we wanted. We had several sort of out there songs requested, and she managed to find them all. She also did a great job of keeping things moving. The only bad thing I can say is she didn’t play all of the songs on our “Must Play” list, but I think we requested too many songs! She did a great job of reading the crowd and playing sons we were loving. I highly recommend her (she comes with the Chef Bob package anyway!).

Photographer – Everlasting Images: Sam and Nicole (and their new assistant) went an extra mile and then ran another mile after that. They are super nice, creative, professional, just wonderful people. They snapped something like 2200 shots at our wedding. They set up a slideshow of our pre-ceremony pictures for our guests. They gave us a free, framed 8x10 of one of our engagement photos that they really liked. I cannot say enough nice things! The pictures are beautiful. They are wonderful. I highly recommend them. If you’d like to see my slideshow (which was up after a week!), you can find it at: http://www.everlastingimages.biz/raced/

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Baker – Thrush’s: I’m still having sweet dreams about this cake. They are nice to work with; the cake was designed EXACTLY the way we wanted it; and did I mention their cakes are DELICIOUS? Great job!

Limo – A-1 Accurate Limousine: Our limo was very inexpensive. The driver was nice and professional and was very open to taking us wherever we wanted to go (even though we changed some things at the last minute). The limo was nice, but I could tell it was a few years old. The age didn’t bother me, though, because we got such a great deal on the limo (A-1 is literally ½ the price of most limo companies).

Dresses – David’s Bridal: Ah – the great David’s Bridal debate. I had an okay experience with David’s Bridal. When I tried on my dress, Jan (who I really like) gave me a ton of personalized attention. When we came in looking for bridesmaids dresses, we had no help at all. I was running around, grabbing dresses off of the rack for the girls to try on. The upside – the girls dresses came in quickly and with no problems. Also, DB is MUCH cheaper than the salons where you get more personalized attention. I guess it’s up to you. If you’re willing to spend more money to be treated like a princess, I’d go to another shop. If you’re willing to be treated like a number to get a good deal, go to DB. In retrospect, I kind of wish I would have went with a fancier store, but I love my dress and really can’t complain.

Tuxes – After Hours: The tuxes looked great. They all came in on time with all of the accessories (a friend of mine had a much worse experience: missing vests, late arrivals, etc.). The downside of After Hours is that they will drive you INSANE with the phone calls. Seriously. At one point, I had to calmly explain to a woman that the boys would be in to get fitted (this was 6 months before the wedding), but if she didn’t leave me alone, I’d tell them to go elsewhere. If you go with After Hours, make all the boys go in and get fitted right away so the crazy appointment setter does drag you down into her web of insanity! ;D

Seamstress – A Perfect Fit: Jane is great. First, she did a beautiful job altering my dress (she also altered a dress for another wedding I was in and did a marvelous job). She was also very good about meeting me at times that were convenient for me (even late at night sometimes!). Very nice lady. I highly recommend her.

Flowers – Beth Allen’s Florist: I love this shop! I brought in a couple pictures and some vague ideas, and the lady I met with (Nancy, I think) helped me put together flowers that I loved and that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I think the flowers turned out beautifully and this shop seems much less expensive than some of the other shops around Toledo. Highly recommended!

Hair Stylist – Chris Bloom @ Bloomers: Let me start by saying that Chris is my stylist, and I love her. I think she did a wonderful job on everyone’s hair (especially mine! Hee hee). The only problem is that she owns and runs her own shop, so it’s very hard for her to do wedding parties (we were really pressed for time). If you have a small wedding party (or are just looking for a new stylist), I highly recommend her. If you have a bigger party, you may be better off going to a shop with more stylists.

Table Cameras – WeddingChannel.com: We haven’t got all the pictures back yet, but, thus far, I can honestly say that these are a complete waste. First of all, the cameras are VERY chintzy. The flash didn’t work 90% of the time, some of the cameras quit working after a picture or two, the pictures mostly look like crap, and this is an expensive endeavor. The cameras were $4 each, and it costs about $5 to develop them. Plus, most people didn’t seem that interested in using the cameras anyway (we have several cameras with just one or two pictures taken on them). I would advise against buying these cameras. Get a good photographer (like Sam and Nicole!) instead.

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So FURIOUS with David's Bridal

 I honestly don't know what made me go with them. I had trouble with them a few months ago with a bridesmaids dress. But, they're cheap- however you get what you pay for.

About a month ago I got a phonecall from somebody there saying that they only had two of my bridemaids sizes recorded, when I have four bridemaids. So I had to call them back and give them the other two sizes... even though the girl who helped me when I was trying on wedding dresses took down the info and said she'd enter it into the computer.

That was just the beginning- last week I called to double check on what timeline I had for ordering my dresses and my girls' dresses. It seems like everytime you talk to somebody different there, they give you a different timeline. So, I call and they have NONE of my info in their computer- my dress size, what style I liked, ones that weren't available for me to try on but that they were going to call me about once they came in. It was as if I had never been in there to try dresses on. So I had to talk to the manager, give her all of my info and everything. I guess the consultant that helped me with trying on the dresses didn't turn in any of my info.

So today, my mom and I go there to order my dress and pay for it. Guess what - none of my info is in the computer! I was so mad that I just told them that I was going to consider giving my business to another store and that maybe I'd be back and maybe I wouldn't. I had to walk out of there because I was so upset.

Now I'm just in a pickle because time is running short and I don't want to have to go through the whole dress selection again, and then pick out new BM dresses somewhere else. Ugh, I am just so mad. Not sure what I'm going to do. Wanted to vent though!!!

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Sorry you had such a bad experience with them. Seems like a lot of brides around here do too. I used David's and didn't have any issues, but I did call them to check in regularly to make sure my dress was on schedule. I hope you find something you love even more! Good luck! 

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WOW what a mess! If you have the time, I'd try and find a dress someplace else. I know that at every store you might run into trouble, but David's seems to be the place you hear most about. Good luck!

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I was @ a wedding a couple weeks ago & the BMs dresses were from there and about 3 of the girls hems fell out before the reception started.... they were all super POed @ Davids.

I'm always surprised to hear such horrible experiences with David's. I've been a david's bridesmaid and now i'm a david's bride and they've been GREAT.

I recently ordered my dress and it came in - perfectly - within about 2 weeks. They have always been helpful and had everything ready for me. All of my bridesmaids' info has always been just fine as well.

I'm really sorry that you're having to deal with this, but David's isn't always this way!!! If you're in love with the dress there, I say stick with them but be very clear in your expectations - maybe talk to the manager? Don't give up on 'your' dress just because a couple of people are idiots!

Best of luck!!!! 

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Sorry to hear that you had problems. I had a GREAT experience there...I worked w/ Jan & she was wonderful. She actually found my dress for me & it came in VERY quickly. Good luck!

VENDOR REVIEWS FOR 10/14/06 WEDDING

I posted before that everything went great! I am not going to give grades I will just let you know who I used and some comments on them.

Hampton Inn Maumee/South Toledo - This is where I blocked rooms for my OOT guests. FI and I also stayed there. They were great to work with. I had a hard time getting a hold of managers and having them call me back. I called there and talked to the manager and he got me a contract and everything was smooth sailing. The hotel is very clean and well kept. No complaints for my OOT guests. They gave me a rate of $82/night.

Soto Salon - I went there for my manicure and pedicure. Again, no problems. They were very friendly and everyone's nails looked great

Maumee Eagles (Reception hall and Catering) - Great for a bride on a budget. It is not the nicest place in the whole world but looked great when it was a decorated. They have round tables which is something that was important to me.Very reasonably priced and very accommodating. There was a few miscommunications between what the banquet manager had told me and what the bar tenders thought but no biggie and everything worked out great. Food was excellent! They also provide the liquor but it was reasonably priced.

Decorative Sound - Excellent! I had Mike (the owner) and was so relieved when we pulled up in the limo and saw him waiting for us because I know he does an excellent job. My sister used him for her wedding and I never thought about using anyone else. Their price is a little high but to me it is worth every penny. He did a great job and everyone had a great time!!!!

Diamond Chariots (located out of Clyde) - Another knottie was using them so I thought I would check them out. Again, no problems. It was $350 (including tip, tax, etc.)for 3 1/2 hours for a 10 passenger limo. I liked the fact that we could get it for only 3 1/2 hours because that is all we needed it for and I know a lot of places have a 5 or 6 hour minimum on Saturdays.

Disney World (Honeymoon) - We booked our trip with Linda at AAA (Sylvania location) and she was excellent to work with. We stayed at the Carribbean Beach resort and had a great time. It was a little hot but still fun. It was my first trip to Disney World and I am glad we went. We had some issued with Northwest Airlines for our return flight home yesterday when an employee driving the luggage truck actually hit our plane and the flight was cancelled. I understand that things happen but they were not very accommodating or very organized. We ended up flying into Flint, Michigan last night and not getting home until 1:30 in the morning when we were suppose to fly into Detriot at 6:30. Our luggage is MIA and they have no info on where it is. Not a good feeling. I am trying not to let it ruin our trip and I am thankful it is the only problem we had in the whole wedding/honeymoon process. I just hope I get my luggage today b/c it has all the stuff I need to get ready for work in the morning and I don't feel like going out and buying a new hair dryer and such. Fingers crossed we will hear something soon!

That is all the vendor reviews I am going to do. My cake, flowers and photographer were all from the small town area I grew up in (20 mins outside of BG) so I don't think very many people would use them but if you look at the PIB and like what you see page me and I will be happy to give out their info.

Vendors and Reviews

Vendors and Reviews

Below are my vendor reviews. These are my own personal thoughts and experiences, and they don’t necessarily reflect a vendor’s normal work (sorry, that’s my disclaimer for pissy vendors). If you have any questions about any of my vendors or want more information, feel free to send me an e-mail.

Videographer: Davis Creative Services , Tecumseh, MI – I’ll review this one when we get our video back.

Church: St. John Lutheran, Stryker (Pastor Kern) – A+ – Pastor did a wonderful job with our ceremony and rehearsal. His message was very personal and really fun. The church was very accessible to us (possibly because MIL is the secretary), and everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be.

Reception Hall and catering: Ridgeville American Legion Hall, Ridgeville Corners – A+ – Everything was right with the hall. We were able to get in when we were supposed to, the personnel were helpful, and the food was delicious. No complaints at all.

Photographer: Everlasting Images, Rossford – A+ – I can’t rave about Sam and Nichole enough! They were awesome! They were there on time, stayed all day, weren’t obnoxious and obtrusive, took a bazillion pictures, and even put together a slide show of pictures from the day that was displayed at the reception (which wasn’t part of our package, by the way). The pics I saw in the slide show were sooooooooooo good! I’m so, so, so excited to see the rest of our pics! They did an amazing job.

Salon: Expressions Hair Artistry & Spa, Napoleon – A+ – My hair turned out perfectly. Kara did an amazing job. Also, they let us bring in breakfast (including mimosas!) and put up with the BP lounging around for most of the morning.

Paper: CheapCardstock.com – A+ – They were great. We got all the paper we needed for our programs, RSVP cards, and maps for a fraction of the price we saw elsewhere.

Invitations: SouthwestAnnouncements.com – A+ – The invites were cheap, but great quality. Their shipping is super fast, too.

BM dresses: BridalDiscounters.com – A+ – They were great to work with. The dresses were perfect and arrived early. They were also $60 cheaper than any bridal store in the area. I would highly recommend them!

BM jewelry: Touch of TLC (Knottie Ms.Tiff) – A+ – Ms.Tiff made necklaces and earrings for my BM, and I love them. She was really easy to work with and even remade all the necklaces for free when I thought they were too short. I would highly recommend contacting her if you want custom made jewelry (she has info in her bio).

Wedding Band #2: Kay Jewelers, Toledo – A – After the custom band fiasco (see below), I ordered a wedding band from an internet seller. It came in the day before the wedding, and was just awful. So, I ended up with one hour to sprint through the mall and purchase a new band. Kay was the fourth store we stopped at, and our sales person was great. We told her what I was looking for, and she came up with the band I bought right away. Also, the manager gave me a discount on the ring. They had a sale starting the next day (a.k.a. our wedding day), so he decided it would be ok to give me the sale price a day early.

Ebay sellers – A – I used a whole bunch of these and didn’t have any problems. The names of the sellers I used are listed throughout my bio.

Veil: OccanseyDesigns.com – A – The veil is great. It was custom made, and was much cheaper than pre-made veils I saw anywhere else, including other websites. It didn’t come back looking exactly like I was picturing in my head, but I still like it.

Limo: Childers Limousine Service , Toledo – A – I don’t really have a lot to say about this one. The limo was nice, price was pretty decent. Our driver was really nice and put up with us pretty well. They did a good job.

Alcohol: Zeiler’s Farm Market, Temperance, MI – A – Zeiler’s was much, much cheaper for our liquor than stores in Toledo. Bill was great about helping us decide on amounts, and gave us a volume discount. Also, this store lets you return unopened bottles for cash, which was a major selling point for us.

DJ: Sihasi Sounds, Maumee – A- – Mark did a great job with everything. He was really nice to DH and me, and did his best to take care of anything we needed all night long. He kept the events flowing pretty well. It took a while for him to get people up and dancing, though, which kind of annoyed me. It seemed like he stuck with music that wasn’t working for too long. I would use him again, though.

Flowers and reception décor: Weeping Willow Florists, Pettisville – B+ – Connie was amazing to work with throughout the planning stages, and overall, I think she did a good job. I absolutely loved the hall decorations, but I was a little disappointed with the flowers. They ended up being a lot more pink than I expected. Not a big deal, but not what I was envisioning. Also, the BM bouquets had bows on them and pew décor had bows and some berry-like greenery, when I specifically asked for no bows anywhere and no berries. All of the flowers and church decorations looked good, but they just weren’t quite what I was hoping for. The hall looked awesome, though. Everything was exactly how I pictured it. Perfect.

Cake: Creative Cakes (Mary Mick), Defiance – B – Unfortunately, I can’t give Mary a higher grade. The cake was amazing – it was exactly what I wanted and tasted delicious. If I were grading on the cake alone, she would have gotten an A+. I had some issues with her customer service, though (it would have gotten a C-). Twice we made the hour drive to her house to taste her cake, and she didn’t have any cake ready for us; she was very short and rude to me on the phone several times when I called; and she wouldn’t return my calls in the couple weeks before the wedding when I was trying to confirm our order. She also messed up on the pricing, but fixed that when I asked her about it. Overall, cake = amazing, customer service = so-so.

My dress and alterations: Shaw’s Clothing, Wauseon – C – The shop was ok, didn’t have a huge selection, and the sales people we’re kind of annoying (too hyper and chipper for my liking), but the shop wasn’t what I had problems with. The seamstress is what brought this grade down. I told her what type of bustle I wanted, which she didn’t seem to know how to do. When I went for my first fitting, I hated the bustle, and she told me I needed to figure out how the bustle I wanted was done. My mom and I figured it out, and when Mom told her about it, she was extremely rude and told us to take the dress somewhere else for the bustle. She just rubbed me the wrong way. Her prices were great, though.

E-ring: Harold Jaffe Jewelers, Toledo – D – I didn’t like the vibe of this place at all. The sales people are pushy and FI and I both felt like we were being judged from the second we walked in the door because we’re relatively young and don’t look overly wealthy. Also, they’re really overpriced.

Wedding Night Accommodations: Frank Baker Inn, Defiance – D- – When we showed up after the reception, the B & B was locked up, and we couldn’t find a key anywhere. We ended up calling the owner, who told us that she hadn’t heard from us in the week before the wedding, so she assumed she had written down the wrong weekend and we weren’t coming. Also, someone else had been staying there all week (and was still there that night). DH had tried to call her (a lot) the week of the wedding, and got a busy signal every time. Also, we had already paid for our room, so I have no idea why she thought we weren’t coming. She should have called us to confirm if she though she had the date wrong. The only reason she’s not getting an F is because we’re getting our money back.

Wedding Band #1: Winters Custom Gold, Fremont – F – I had a band custom made by this man and had problems throughout the whole process. The first wax mold he made me was everything I hated about rings I could have purchased in any jewelry store. After that, I didn’t really want him to make a second wax mold because I didn’t want to get stuck paying for it if I didn’t like it. I asked him to get me some quotes, and then I would get back to him to let him know what I wanted to do. I called a couple weeks later with some questions and found out he had made a second mold. This worked out ok because I liked the mold, and I told him to go ahead and make the band. When I got the band back, I realized it had round diamonds in it instead of the princess diamonds I requested. I asked Dave about fixing the ring, and was told the only way to do that would be to make a whole new ring (apparently you can’t put round diamonds and square diamonds in the same type of hole), and he expected me to pay for half the cost of the new ring. I refuse to pay for a vendor’s incompetence, so I got stuck with a custom made ring that I hate (for sale below, if you’re interested). The quality is good, and the ring is very pretty, but it’s not what I ordered. I feel like Dave handled the situation very poorly and has some questionable business practices.

Hair and Make-Up Trial: Salon Serenity, Wauseon – F – I went here and had a hair and make-up trial that I didn’t like. Ok, I hated it. I posted on my local board that I hated my hair and make-up trial. Another Knottie told either the stylist or the salon owner (I’m still not entirely clear on this) what I had posted, so the owner got on my local board, read my posts, then (here’s the kicker) CALLED MY MOM to discuss my posts. I was extremely annoyed that this woman went to my mother instead of calling me with her concerns. I really feel like the issues could have been worked out if the owner had called me to discuss them, but I was never given that opportunity.

Dennis Barnes
15368 County Highway 109,
Upper Sandusky, OH 43351
419 722-2269
http://dennisbarnesphotography.com/


This guy was fun to work with! The price was in our range and he captured what we wanted. He missed a few little things but only because I didnt tell him to take pictures of them (example: the candy buffet) but he did his job and we are pleased with the photos.

DJ: Soundwave
11223 Eggert Road
Ida, Michigan 48140
(734) 269-2919
http://www.soundwavedigitaldj.com/


B- Was alright but have seen better from him. There were a few things he was and wasn't suposed to do, but did or didn't do anyway. People were out dancing all night so it turned out okay.

Royal Limosine
445 South St
Blissfield, MI
(517) 486-6367
http://www.royal-limousine.com/

A
Beautiful Limo (we got the excursion) and a great price!! Very friendly to work with!

St. Rose Perrysburg
215 East Front Street
Perrysburg, Ohio 43551
phone: 419/874-4559
http://www.strosepb.org/


I really want to get married at St. Rose, it would also be super convenient considering that FI and I can see it from our apt. and our reception is @ NH! I called there to day to reserve it and they almost seem "selective" about who can get married there. She could not even tell me if my date was open, she said that I have to talk to Fr. Leyland, before we can do anything else.

Is anyone else getting married there? Or have any experience?

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They were pretty short with me when I called. Our reception is at NH too and I have been Catholic all my life and while we were not parishoners, I grew up in the area. When I called they told me absolutely not, unless I was a parishoner or went to grade school there. Which I know can't be the absolute rule because I had one friend who got married there and wasn't a parishoner. I always wondered how they pulled that off since they were so short with me. Must have put down a hefty donation or something. Don't get me wrong, I understand giving parishoners preference and encouraging people to get married at their home parish, but if no one else is scheduled that day after a certain date, I think it's ridiculous that they won't let you get married there.

Are you guys registered at St. Rose as parishoners? Sign yourself up and go to church there a few times if you don't already before you meet with Fr. Leyland.

We ended up going with St. Pat's Historic downtown. Call there--they will be happy to help you.


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We are getting married there. You have to be one of three things to get married there: you have to be a parish member, your parents have to be parish members, or you have to have gone to school there. If you qualify in one or more of those categories, then you go and ask Fr. Leyland's permission to get married (we just asked him after mass one day). Then you can find out about dates, etc. Depending on how long you have til you are getting married, you could see if they would let you join the parish and all that, then in theory you could get married there. I'm not sure if you have to be a member for a certain time period or not, but I wouldn't think so. HTH.

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Everlasting Images
Rossford, OH. 419-902-4747
http://www.everlastingimages.biz/home.html

We used them for our wedding in June and were very happy with our pictures. They took the must have's that I wanted and we got some great new ones. You can see our pictures at their website it's Tiffany & Mark June 10, 2006. Or you can view all of them at pictage.com search Tiffany and Mark event is 6/10/06. For the $ you cant beat them, and honestly I think their pictures are better then some of the really expensive photo. in Toledo. HTH!

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I had a difficult time choosing a photographer, because I am so creative myself. (I have a BFA in Art/Graphic design, and now going for my masters.) It seemed like every photographer I looked at just didn't cut it - they were either way out of budget, or just not good photographers.

THEN, we found Everlasting Images, from one of the very first brides who hired them, and raved about how they are so great here on theknot.

So, I took FI to meet them, and I knew. They are wonderful. Very pleasing, professional, and easy to work with. Plus, I like the idea of a photographer following me all day, and following FI all day. 2 photographers for the price of one.

We just had our engagment photos taken last week, and I am amazed at the photos. Just speachless.

And I have had no problems. My wedding day can't get here soon enough!

HTH!

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Hello! I wanted to do anything I can to plug the photographer we used for our wedding Memorial Day Weekend. Our wedding was in Detroit, but our photographer was based out of Toledo. I hope this helps somebody to find their perfect photographer. They were the absolute best vendor we used.

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We used them, and they were fantastic. They were there on time, stayed really late, took fantastic pics, put up a slideshow during the reception (wasn't part of the package), had our pics online by Tuesday, and were just overall very professional and easy to work with.

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