Dance Lessons: Olivia @ the Zebra Room – A+
Olivia was AMAZING. We took six lessons in total and she was by far the cheapest that we found in town and we got one on one private lessons. DH and I are not good dancers and she put together an awesome choreographed dance for us that even included two lifts!! I have to say if you have any extra room in your budget, call Olivia. She’s so worth it. Our guests had fun watching us and we are still hearing compliments. Not to mention, out of the entire planning process, these lessons were mine and Tom’s favorite thing that we did. It was truly a fun and unique activity for us and brought us even closer.
Alterations: Judi @ The Seamstress – A
Judi is great. She made my dress fit like a glove and I had zero issues. In fairness, I didn’t need much work done…just a hem and I had her cut off my train (I know, I know, not everyone agrees with this!). It was fairly cheap, the work was impeccable, and everything was ready whenever I went in, and she even steamed my veil for me.
Pre-Wedding Skin Care: Kathleen @ Reflections in Oviedo – A+
I went to Kathleen about six months before my wedding to begin getting facials. She is so sweet and really helped my skin look its best. The day of, my skin felt smooth, bright, and beautiful. I even had her do my eye brows a few days before my wedding. I cannot recommend her enough. She really seemed to care about me and my skin and went above and beyond to ensure good results.
MakeUp: Leslie @ Studio Cara – A+
Where do I even begin? Leslie is so freaking talented. She did my make up as well as my Mom’s and we couldn’t have been happier. I was sitting there getting it done and my sister in law who I’ve known like 10 years was like, wow I never noticed how pretty your eyes were!!! Leslie knows exactly what she’s doing, works quickly and my makeup stayed ALL night including an outdoor reception and cocktail hour. I used false lashes and felt like a model!! My Mom loved having hers done as well! In every picture I’ve seen (both pro and non), my make up looked good and held up. I had a tube of lip gloss with me that I reapplied during the night, but that was the only maintenance I needed.
Hair: Melissa Dyer @ Stella Luca – A
She is moving in December so I’m not going to give her a really lengthy review, but overall I was pleased with my hair. She is a very talented hair stylist. One piece of advice, if you are not 100% happy, speak up!! She had my hair half up/half down and for some reason it just didn’t look right and I wasn’t happy. Instead of quietly sucking it up, which I tend to always do (because I’m a chicken), I let her know my concerns. We worked with it for a while, before eventually taking it down. That was all it took. Once it was down we realized it was perfect and I was very happy. Bottom line: don’t settle!
Lighting: Tagas Entertainment – A+
Had I not joined the knot, I would’ve never known about up-lighting. I’m so glad that I did. I had 12 lights with a pinkish color and it looked gorgeous. It really transformed the ballroom and gave it a bit of an awe factor. Many of the guests commented how beautiful it looked. I definitely recommend them.
Videography: Alecia @ Tagas Entertainment – TBD
I haven’t seen any footage from the video so I will update this at a later date. What I can say though is what a pleasure she was to work with. She was very nice and to be honest with you, I forgot she was even there. There were a few times where I looked up and saw the camera, but aside from that it was as if she wasn’t even there which definitely helped me and the guests feel more natural and at ease.
Cake: Julie @ Cut the Cake – A+
Our cake was super yummy!! Julie was very easy to work with and created exactly what I was picturing. I really had no clue what I wanted design-wise and during the consultation she sat and talked with Tom and I and helped us create the perfect cake for what we wanted. We had four different flavors and we couldn’t have been happier. I also had her make a cake shaped like a teapot for my friend’s bridal shower and it was a huge hit as well. I would definitely recommend Cut the Cake! Her prices are very reasonable.
Gelato Bar: Christopher @ Penguins Paradise – A+
This was a surprise for my husband and the guests loved it!!! I kept hearing how good it was and how refreshing it tasted after lots of talking and dancing! I got to do a tasting of all of the flavors and they were an absolute joy to work with. It was one of my favorite consultations! They showed up a half an hour early to set up, dressed professional and served our guests for an hour. Again – I strongly recommend them.
DOC: Ashlie Hampton – Special Atmospheres – A++
Ashlie is seriously one of a kind. She is incredibly organized, calm, and great at what she does. Every time I had a question on the day of, she was right there telling me how it had already been taken care of. I was a very calm and relaxed bride and I can 100% guarantee that was because of Ashlie. She coordinated all of the vendors, ran the rehearsal, made sure I was happy, and made everything run so smoothly. She even saved the day with my flowers more about that in my florist review. All of my family kept remarking how great Ashlie was to work with. My Mom even kept joking that she wishes she could hire Ashlie as a life coach!! Having her as my DOC was a lifesaver!
DJ: Jay Edwards – Liquid Entertainment – A++
Jay was another one of my superstars!!! My expectations were extremely high to begin with for him because I had heard such great things, but he managed to exceed them and impress every single guest there…including Tom! We were blown away by how much he did for us. We never once had to get our own drinks because he was always there taking care of us. When there was a problem at the ceremony with not enough chairs (more on that later), I was told that he stepped up and helped carry some out! He played all of our special requests perfectly, even when I had crazy demands like playing our ceremony exit song starting 55 seconds in. He listened to must play and do not play requests, taught our guests how to do the cupid shuffle, and kept everyone dancing all night. He is not cheesy at all, extremely organized and professional, and kept everything running smoothly and on time. If he is available on your date, book him ASAP!!
Photographer: Tabitha McCausland –A++
I can’t help it. I just love her. She was such a joy to work with, willing to try anything, and so much fun. She has a really calming influence and works quickly. She had us lined up, posed, would say “got it” and we’d move on. This was really great for the formal family shots as our family wanted to get over to the cocktail hour. I had a list of must-take pics that I emailed her a few days prior to the wedding and she literally got me every single shot. There were even a couple that she had never done before and she was willing to experiment and it came out AWESOME! Throughout the night she was catching everything! Every time there was a photo-op, I would literally turn around and she was RIGHT THERE capturing it. Most importantly, she made me feel beautiful and that positive reinforcement is priceless. I cannot recommend her enough!
Flowers: Jonathan’s Flowers – Bouquet – A; Centerpieces – D
To be fair, I loved my bouquet. It was pink and white roses and exactly what I wanted. Granted a few of the roses were brown, but Ashlie worked with it a bit and had it looking perfect!!!! The corsages and boutonnieres were fine, but the real problem came with the centerpieces. My request was for white and pink low centerpieces with very little to no greenery and flowers on top of flowers to make it look full and lush. Let’s just say that is not what I got. My CPs were FULL of greenery, a few carnations, and had tacky black ribbon strung throughout it. It looked outdated and a bit 80’s. Ashlie saw these before I did and took a pic on her cell phone to show me. I was extremely unhappy as they looked horribly cheesy. She immediately put in a call to DSR Flowers and between Debra @ DSR and David @ Weddings by CarlyAne’s Bridal, the CPs were saved. Combined they gave Ashlie a total of 60 pink and white roses (free of charge) which she used to save the CPs. She took out the black ribbon (amen), removed most of the greenery, and filled them in with the additional roses. They ended up looking beautiful and none of the guests knew anything had happened. I am very grateful to Weddings By CarlyAnes and DSR for taking such good care of me. I would recommend both of those florists, but cannot honestly recommend Jonathans.
Ceremony and Reception: Wyndham Orlando Resort – A-
The Wyndham was overall a wonderful place to get married. Donna was a pleasure to work with during the planning process and for the most part everything went as planned. The took care of getting me booked in the bridal suite (which was big and beautiful) and the wedding block was easy for my guests and no one had any problems. The Grand Lawn was a gorgeous place to have the outdoor ceremony and we were lucky enough to have our cocktail hour outdoors, as well. We used the Citrus Ballroom which fit my size wedding perfectly (around 90 guests) and was beautiful. All of the linens were great and everything looked wonderful. I only have a few complaints. The biggest one being that there were not enough chairs set up for the ceremony so it started like 20 min late. This was ridiculous because it is not as though they didn’t have a headcount prior to the day. I’m still mad about this and that is the reason for the minus. The food was good, but a bit inconsistent. Our chicken didn’t taste as good as it did the night of our tasting and while some guests raved about their dinners, others weren’t as impressed. It seemed to me that some people had better prime rib than others. Last – I heard from some of my guests that the staff would clear drinks, plates, etc too quickly and that some people didn’t even get to finish their champagne from the toast. UGH. Overall, these are minor and didn’t ruin the day, just worth noting. If I had it to do over again, I would 100% still use the Wyndham as it was a great place to get married and our guests and OOT family loved the convenience of everything being located in the same place.
Wedding Dress – Alfred Angelos – A-
I LOVED my dress. It was very unique as it was one of their test dresses and I felt beautiful. They are a bit pricier than David’s Bridal, but not by much. I ended up paying $700 for my dress and was thrilled with it. The service when I bought it was amazing, but when I went to pick it up, they were rude, kept telling me not to step on my dress, and charged me $6 for a garmet bag to bring it home in. REALLY? I just paid hundreds of dollars and you are going to nickel and dime me for a bag to bring it home in. That just seemed tacky to me. Overall all though, I wouldn’t change a thing. My dress was so “me” and I got a lot of compliments.
Olivia was AMAZING. We took six lessons in total and she was by far the cheapest that we found in town and we got one on one private lessons. DH and I are not good dancers and she put together an awesome choreographed dance for us that even included two lifts!! I have to say if you have any extra room in your budget, call Olivia. She’s so worth it. Our guests had fun watching us and we are still hearing compliments. Not to mention, out of the entire planning process, these lessons were mine and Tom’s favorite thing that we did. It was truly a fun and unique activity for us and brought us even closer.
Alterations: Judi @ The Seamstress – A
Judi is great. She made my dress fit like a glove and I had zero issues. In fairness, I didn’t need much work done…just a hem and I had her cut off my train (I know, I know, not everyone agrees with this!). It was fairly cheap, the work was impeccable, and everything was ready whenever I went in, and she even steamed my veil for me.
Pre-Wedding Skin Care: Kathleen @ Reflections in Oviedo – A+
I went to Kathleen about six months before my wedding to begin getting facials. She is so sweet and really helped my skin look its best. The day of, my skin felt smooth, bright, and beautiful. I even had her do my eye brows a few days before my wedding. I cannot recommend her enough. She really seemed to care about me and my skin and went above and beyond to ensure good results.
MakeUp: Leslie @ Studio Cara – A+
Where do I even begin? Leslie is so freaking talented. She did my make up as well as my Mom’s and we couldn’t have been happier. I was sitting there getting it done and my sister in law who I’ve known like 10 years was like, wow I never noticed how pretty your eyes were!!! Leslie knows exactly what she’s doing, works quickly and my makeup stayed ALL night including an outdoor reception and cocktail hour. I used false lashes and felt like a model!! My Mom loved having hers done as well! In every picture I’ve seen (both pro and non), my make up looked good and held up. I had a tube of lip gloss with me that I reapplied during the night, but that was the only maintenance I needed.
Hair: Melissa Dyer @ Stella Luca – A
She is moving in December so I’m not going to give her a really lengthy review, but overall I was pleased with my hair. She is a very talented hair stylist. One piece of advice, if you are not 100% happy, speak up!! She had my hair half up/half down and for some reason it just didn’t look right and I wasn’t happy. Instead of quietly sucking it up, which I tend to always do (because I’m a chicken), I let her know my concerns. We worked with it for a while, before eventually taking it down. That was all it took. Once it was down we realized it was perfect and I was very happy. Bottom line: don’t settle!
Lighting: Tagas Entertainment – A+
Had I not joined the knot, I would’ve never known about up-lighting. I’m so glad that I did. I had 12 lights with a pinkish color and it looked gorgeous. It really transformed the ballroom and gave it a bit of an awe factor. Many of the guests commented how beautiful it looked. I definitely recommend them.
Videography: Alecia @ Tagas Entertainment – TBD
I haven’t seen any footage from the video so I will update this at a later date. What I can say though is what a pleasure she was to work with. She was very nice and to be honest with you, I forgot she was even there. There were a few times where I looked up and saw the camera, but aside from that it was as if she wasn’t even there which definitely helped me and the guests feel more natural and at ease.
Cake: Julie @ Cut the Cake – A+
Our cake was super yummy!! Julie was very easy to work with and created exactly what I was picturing. I really had no clue what I wanted design-wise and during the consultation she sat and talked with Tom and I and helped us create the perfect cake for what we wanted. We had four different flavors and we couldn’t have been happier. I also had her make a cake shaped like a teapot for my friend’s bridal shower and it was a huge hit as well. I would definitely recommend Cut the Cake! Her prices are very reasonable.
Gelato Bar: Christopher @ Penguins Paradise – A+
This was a surprise for my husband and the guests loved it!!! I kept hearing how good it was and how refreshing it tasted after lots of talking and dancing! I got to do a tasting of all of the flavors and they were an absolute joy to work with. It was one of my favorite consultations! They showed up a half an hour early to set up, dressed professional and served our guests for an hour. Again – I strongly recommend them.
DOC: Ashlie Hampton – Special Atmospheres – A++
Ashlie is seriously one of a kind. She is incredibly organized, calm, and great at what she does. Every time I had a question on the day of, she was right there telling me how it had already been taken care of. I was a very calm and relaxed bride and I can 100% guarantee that was because of Ashlie. She coordinated all of the vendors, ran the rehearsal, made sure I was happy, and made everything run so smoothly. She even saved the day with my flowers more about that in my florist review. All of my family kept remarking how great Ashlie was to work with. My Mom even kept joking that she wishes she could hire Ashlie as a life coach!! Having her as my DOC was a lifesaver!
DJ: Jay Edwards – Liquid Entertainment – A++
Jay was another one of my superstars!!! My expectations were extremely high to begin with for him because I had heard such great things, but he managed to exceed them and impress every single guest there…including Tom! We were blown away by how much he did for us. We never once had to get our own drinks because he was always there taking care of us. When there was a problem at the ceremony with not enough chairs (more on that later), I was told that he stepped up and helped carry some out! He played all of our special requests perfectly, even when I had crazy demands like playing our ceremony exit song starting 55 seconds in. He listened to must play and do not play requests, taught our guests how to do the cupid shuffle, and kept everyone dancing all night. He is not cheesy at all, extremely organized and professional, and kept everything running smoothly and on time. If he is available on your date, book him ASAP!!
Photographer: Tabitha McCausland –A++
I can’t help it. I just love her. She was such a joy to work with, willing to try anything, and so much fun. She has a really calming influence and works quickly. She had us lined up, posed, would say “got it” and we’d move on. This was really great for the formal family shots as our family wanted to get over to the cocktail hour. I had a list of must-take pics that I emailed her a few days prior to the wedding and she literally got me every single shot. There were even a couple that she had never done before and she was willing to experiment and it came out AWESOME! Throughout the night she was catching everything! Every time there was a photo-op, I would literally turn around and she was RIGHT THERE capturing it. Most importantly, she made me feel beautiful and that positive reinforcement is priceless. I cannot recommend her enough!
Flowers: Jonathan’s Flowers – Bouquet – A; Centerpieces – D
To be fair, I loved my bouquet. It was pink and white roses and exactly what I wanted. Granted a few of the roses were brown, but Ashlie worked with it a bit and had it looking perfect!!!! The corsages and boutonnieres were fine, but the real problem came with the centerpieces. My request was for white and pink low centerpieces with very little to no greenery and flowers on top of flowers to make it look full and lush. Let’s just say that is not what I got. My CPs were FULL of greenery, a few carnations, and had tacky black ribbon strung throughout it. It looked outdated and a bit 80’s. Ashlie saw these before I did and took a pic on her cell phone to show me. I was extremely unhappy as they looked horribly cheesy. She immediately put in a call to DSR Flowers and between Debra @ DSR and David @ Weddings by CarlyAne’s Bridal, the CPs were saved. Combined they gave Ashlie a total of 60 pink and white roses (free of charge) which she used to save the CPs. She took out the black ribbon (amen), removed most of the greenery, and filled them in with the additional roses. They ended up looking beautiful and none of the guests knew anything had happened. I am very grateful to Weddings By CarlyAnes and DSR for taking such good care of me. I would recommend both of those florists, but cannot honestly recommend Jonathans.
Ceremony and Reception: Wyndham Orlando Resort – A-
The Wyndham was overall a wonderful place to get married. Donna was a pleasure to work with during the planning process and for the most part everything went as planned. The took care of getting me booked in the bridal suite (which was big and beautiful) and the wedding block was easy for my guests and no one had any problems. The Grand Lawn was a gorgeous place to have the outdoor ceremony and we were lucky enough to have our cocktail hour outdoors, as well. We used the Citrus Ballroom which fit my size wedding perfectly (around 90 guests) and was beautiful. All of the linens were great and everything looked wonderful. I only have a few complaints. The biggest one being that there were not enough chairs set up for the ceremony so it started like 20 min late. This was ridiculous because it is not as though they didn’t have a headcount prior to the day. I’m still mad about this and that is the reason for the minus. The food was good, but a bit inconsistent. Our chicken didn’t taste as good as it did the night of our tasting and while some guests raved about their dinners, others weren’t as impressed. It seemed to me that some people had better prime rib than others. Last – I heard from some of my guests that the staff would clear drinks, plates, etc too quickly and that some people didn’t even get to finish their champagne from the toast. UGH. Overall, these are minor and didn’t ruin the day, just worth noting. If I had it to do over again, I would 100% still use the Wyndham as it was a great place to get married and our guests and OOT family loved the convenience of everything being located in the same place.
Wedding Dress – Alfred Angelos – A-
I LOVED my dress. It was very unique as it was one of their test dresses and I felt beautiful. They are a bit pricier than David’s Bridal, but not by much. I ended up paying $700 for my dress and was thrilled with it. The service when I bought it was amazing, but when I went to pick it up, they were rude, kept telling me not to step on my dress, and charged me $6 for a garmet bag to bring it home in. REALLY? I just paid hundreds of dollars and you are going to nickel and dime me for a bag to bring it home in. That just seemed tacky to me. Overall all though, I wouldn’t change a thing. My dress was so “me” and I got a lot of compliments.
